DIY Master Bathroom Makeover with #Gliddentesters

So, our master bathroom is in desperate need of a makeover! Look, it's like our very own Design Star White Box Challenge!

When we moved in just before Little Brother was born (I was 36 weeks along with him the day we moved), we ran out of money, time, and energy to do anything to our master bedroom and bath. We had the downstairs and upstairs hallway painted. And, in the days before we moved, Mr. Mom Endeavors & I painted the boys' rooms and their bathroom. That left the master area plain 'ole white.

So, we have this awesome large bathroom, yet it is so boring that it's ugly. And due to a faucet break in the boys bathroom, we now don't even have a knob for the water. Not exactly a beautiful, calming space for a relaxing bubble bath! But, that's about to change!

To start, we visited glidden.com to get some paint color inspiration. There's a great virtual color visualizer and match a mood section!

 

With a house full of boys, I think words like "calm", "refreshed", "cozy & romantic" sure do sound nice! We've got chocolate brown towels and linens in the master area, so I'm drawn to a lot of the turquoisey-blue shades. Plus, I think I'd like to incorporate some beachy items. A sea-escape sounds wonderful! 

Here's what Glidden has to say about the blue tones: "If you prefer the color blue, you are capable, conservative, trusting and strive to be cool and confident. Always a conscientious worker, you have a highly developed sense of responsibility. Basically, a gentle and sensitive person, you form strong attachments and relationships". Sounds good to me! :) 

So, with some ideas in mind, it was time to go shopping at Walmart to pick up some Glidden testers. 

Look at all the choices!! Awesome! (You can check out my ThisMoment to see the whole shopping experience!) Love all those little tester bottles! It's always so crazy to see how different paint can look after it goes on the wall. So, at less than $3 per tester, it's an affordable way to make sure you are getting the look that you actually want. And, right now, if you head on over to gliddentesters.com you can print out a $2 off coupon!!  

I ended up bringing home "Misty Aqua" (01), "True Turquoise" (10), "Tropical Lagoon" (08), and "Bermuda Bay" (02). It's SO easy to put these testers up on the wall with the brush attached right to the cap! Love it!

So, here they are! And, the colors look really different in the various lighting situations in the bathroom. How to choose?!

I have a really hard time making paint decisions. Eek! We keep going back and forth between a couple of the colors. Decisions...decisions! I've already gotten some great input on the facebook page, but would love more! Cast your vote or give me your best "Design Star" expertise! 

Stay tuned for the big reveal....now, I've got some decisions to make! :) 

Disclosure – This project has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Glidden Testers/Paint #Collective Bias #GliddenTesters. All opinions and experiences are my own.

HGTV: Design Star Season 6

 

A week ago, I shared my excitement about the new season of HGTV's Design Star starting! Did you watch? In case you missed it (or don't have cable like me), you can watch the first episode & get all kinds of info right on the Design Star site. 

So, what did you think about the new designers and their rooms? Anything you liked or really disliked? Do you already have a favorite or least favorite?

I loved the first challenge! It was fun to see them design rooms of the penthouse (holy cow those views! Wow!) and interesting to immediately see who plays well with others and who is a little too bossy (ahem, Cathy & J). Like the judges, I really liked the way the great room and bonus room ended up looking. Nice!

So, based on what I've seen so far--their rooms, their personalities, their design portfolios online, I really like Leslie and Kellie. I'm interested to see more from Megan and Karl as well. What about YOU?

I can't wait to see more! Design Star episode 2 airs tonight at 9/8c on HGTV and I'm so excited to watch! The sneak peak at the white box challenge looked pretty entertaining!

 

Will YOU be watching?

Disclosure: This post is part of a sponsored campaign by Crafterminds and HGTV Design Star.  All opinions and experiences are my own.

Ice Cream Clowns with First Street Ice Cream #firststreeticecream

Did you know the third Sunday in July is National Ice Cream Day?! So, it's the perfect time to post about our little ice cream party during our summer fun playdate. The kids had so much fun with this! We got all of our supplies at Smart & Final, using their First Street line (super great prices!). Here was our spread, with one example clown out as an example:

  

I got the cone hats and ice cream ready the night before. While it may have been fun to let the kids create their own hats, it was MUCH easier to just do a couple a varieties in advance!

Here's how:

 

1. Melt 2-3 squares of vanilla bark/candy coating (or white chocolate) in the microwave. Stir every 30 seconds until fully melted. Do not overheat.

2. Dip and roll the open end of the cone in the melted coating. Have the coating go up about 1 inch on the cones.

3. Gently tap off any excess.

4. Dip the coated cones into sprinkles of your choice. Tap off excess.

5. Refrigerate to harden.

For the ice cream, we chose two flavors: 

 

In the especially hot temperatures here, I wanted to make sure that the ice cream scoops were really frozen, enabling the kids to have a little extra decorating time before their clown heads melted away. So, I got some little individual plastic containers and put individual rounded scoops in each one. Then, I put the containers on cookie sheets and placed in our freezer until we needed them. That way, each scoop was pretty solid for making our creations.

 

For making our clowns, I had a variety of options (marshmallows, cherries, frozen blueberries, chocolate chips, chopped nuts, sauces, whipped cream, sprinkles, and colored coconut). I used the colored shredded coconut for the hair. It was perfect for a fun pop of color and SO easy to do. Just put some shredded coconut in a baggie with some food coloring and mix it up! Easy peasy! 

Since I had all of that ready in advance, doing a little ice cream party during the playdate was a breeze! So, after lunch, everyone came inside to make their clown creations (with a lot of help from the moms, of course).

It was so cute to see what they chose, and that they didn't just try to copy my example exactly. Here's what Big Brother made:

One of them even came up with using the marshmallows as ears, so then the rest followed suit. Super cute!

It was hard to get pictures though, because they were SO eager to eat their clowns!

It's definitely clear that they enjoyed themselves immensely and even Little Brother was thrilled with a special treat! :) Mmm.....

We loved our ice cream party and all of the First Street products! When price and taste/quality are both great, it's a win-win! Since we had so much fun with our clowns, and some really great leftovers, we had some more ice cream fun!

Now, how would YOU like to have a First Street Ice Cream Party of your own?

If you visit www.firststreeticecream.com by July 26th, you can enter for a chance to win one of fifteen $100 SmartCash cards (5 winners per week).

And, that's not all! In addition to the above, 3 Grand Prize winners will receive their choice of "The Ultimate First Street Ice Cream Party!" for up to 50 people or a Gift Card in the amount of $1,000!!!! Wow!  

So, make sure and enter to win at http://www.firststreeticecream.com!!!!

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for #CollectiveBias #firststreeticecream. All opinions and experiences are my own.

Saying Goodbye to Harry Potter

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Today was a bittersweet day after 10 years of Harry Potter. Yes, I'm one of those Harry Potter nerds. Though the first book was released my senior year of high school, I didn't actually start reading until my senior year of college when the first movie came out. That summer, I studied abroad at Oxford. We spent time at Christ Church where scenes from the movie were filmed (and from which the Great Hall at Hogwart's was modeled). 

So, when the movie came out in November, I went with friends who had read the first few books. I was immediately hooked. I had to know what happened to "the boy who lived"! I got the first three books for Christmas and could hardly put them down.

I hadn't read like that since I was a little girl. From middle school on, I read very little for enjoyment, as there always seemed to be copious reading assignments for classes and mandatory books that I had to read. But, this magical "children's" book series drew me back.

I've stood in line to get the newest Harry Potter book at Barnes 'n Noble at midnight. I've been in line for midnight movies. I've spent entire days reading away, engrossed in this magical world.

After movie three, Mr. Mom Endeavors became hooked and he too had to know what happens. Instead of just telling him, we read books 4 & 5 aloud to each other on car trips. Then, we read books 6 & 7 together. We've been to just about all of the movies together.

So, it probably comes as no surprise that we loved the last installment. Yet, today, it was a bittersweet moment knowing that it was the last time we'd do that together. The last little bit of college done. And (especially if you know me in real life), it probably wouldn't surprise you to know that I shed a tear cried on and off throughout the whole last half of the movie, especially at the end. I don't like goodbyes!

But, this isn't goodbye. Not really. That's the beauty of stories--they live in our hearts, in our minds, (and on our bookshelves). "The stories we love best do live in us forever" {J.K. Rowling}.

The boys are too young now, but I'm so excited to enchant them with these magical stories in years to come. I look forward to nights snuggled up on their bed when they beg for just one more page. I can't wait for Harry Potter parties and sometime we'll have to go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando (too bad it's not in England instead).

So, on this day when we said goodbye to Harry for now, I thank you J.K. for sharing your magic; for writing a story that captivated ages 8 to 98; for sparking my love of reading again! And, as The Heir to Blair said so well in her post, "thank you, Harry". 

"Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home."

-J.K. Rowling

Ultimate Harry Party Fun Foods & Parties Roundup

July 15th, 2011. The day is here--the last of Harry Potter on the big screen. I'm dying with anticipation to see it--in the days before kids, I would have been last night. So, in celebration (and to keep me occupied waiting until I can see the movie), here is my ultimate roundup of totally awesome Harry Potter themed food, activities, and parties!

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Magical Parties:

1. Mom Outnumbered 2. Martha Shmartha 3. No Fuss Fabulous 4. All for the Boys 5. Spicy Green Mango

 

Catch My Party has a great round up of party pictures and ideas too! So, be sure to check there if you're looking for ideas!  

The AMAZING party cake award goes to the adorable Darla at Bakingdom. 

 

What?! You don't know why? You're not seeing why I would give an imaginary cake award to a white cake? Well, just wait until you cut it open...seriously, WOW!!!! All Houses of Hogwarts represented! So cool!

Of course, you need an invitation to get into the party Hogwarts, so you might want to check out these handcrafted beauties from the Lettered Set.

Don't forget wands, either. The Instructables has great directions for making wands from paper!

For additional party decor and activity ideas, check out Hostess with the Mostess! She's got two Harry Potter posts full of adorable ideas (here and here).

Sweet Treats:
No Harry Potter party would be complete without some sweet treats. This is one of the many creative touches that JK put into the books that I absolutely adore. All the fantastical sounding foods & treats. There is a soft spot in my heart for the first movie and one of my favorite scenes is when all the food magically appears in the Great Hall. So fun! 

1. Sorting Hat Bread 2. Cockroach clusters 3. Chocolate Frogs 4. Snitch Cupcakes 5.Pumpkin Juice  6. Licorice Wands 7. Honeydukes Cupcakes 8. Butterbeer Cupcakes

If it's a Harry Potter party, there must be some butterbeer, right?! here are 4 awesome recipes to choose from.

  

1. Dine and Dish 2. Heather Bailey 3. Cook like a Champion 4. Bakingdom

And, last, but certainly not least, these are beautiful! No way I could ever dream of making anything so awesome, but they HAD to be included!

1. Bake at 350 2. Clares Cupcakes 3. Bake at 350 4. Firefly Confections 5. Bakingdom

If you need any more Harry Potter inspiration, there is always Pinterest! :) Feel free to check out my board devoted to all things Harry!

 

If you have any Harry Potter posts, feel free to link them up in the comments! 

Winnie the Pooh Crafts & Fun Foods Roundup

Winnie the Pooh returns to theaters tomorrow, so here's a little roundup of some fun crafts, foods, and parties from around the web:

First up, Disney is sharing a family activities file with you! Download the file here. You'll get directions for a whole series of adorable Pooh activities--some of them edible too!  

In addition, if you head over to Disney's Family.com, you'll find a whole round up of cute Pooh inspired ideas there too, like these adorable paper bag puppets! 

And, if you're planning a Winnie the Pooh party, or just want to whip up some cute treats, these parties are a must-see:

Pooh inspired sweets table on Hostess with the Mostess

Adorable bee-hive cake!

 Winnie the Pooh Party on Celebrations at Home

Have fun celebrating that willy, nilly, silly old bear! :)

Disney's Winnie the Pooh Returns to Theaters

Walt Disney Animation Studios returns to the Hundred Acre Wood this weekend with "Winnie the Pooh" and we're thrilled!  We have "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh" on DVD and it was one of the first movies we let Big Brother watch. He loved it (loves it still) and loved spending time with his favorite Pooh characters at Disneyland!

Needless to say then, we were really excited to be invited to an advanced screening of Disney's new "Winnie the Pooh". 

This newest installation of Winnie the Pooh is inspired by three different stories from A.A. Milne's books, combining them all into one honey-filled Pooh adventure. Everyone's favorite silly old bear is reunited with Christopher Robin and all his other cuddly friends, including poor Eeyore who has lost his tail.

   

"Ever have one of those days when you just can't win, Eeyore" asks Pooh.

 

In the midst of a quest to find a new tail for Eeyore (Bud Luckey), Owl (Craig Ferguson) sends the whole gang on a wild quest to save Christopher Robin from an imaginary culprit, the Backson! It turns out to be a very busy day for a bear who simply wanted to find some honey! 

Our Thoughts:

Winnie the Pooh is a return to the classic childhood innocence that most PG and even G movies are missing these days. Unlike Cars 2, there is no adult language or innuendo, no toilet humor, no guns and violence. Just a boy, his favorite bear and friends having imaginary adventures together! And, the animation helps with that wonderful innocent feeling, as there is no CG or fancy modern updating--the animators kept with the simple sketched/watercolor feel of the original.

While I think the story line could have been a little stronger had this film stuck to having multiple chapters instead of one story, I am thrilled that the stuck true to having a narrator and  Pooh interacting with the pages of the book. John Cleese does an excellent job with the narration and the storybook/letters play a rather key role in helping Pooh solve a big problem!

The only real downside for us was the running time--at just over an hour, even Big Brother was surprised that the movie was already over. He has been to about 5 movies in the theaters and has always done really great sitting through entire movies, so for us, the time was a little disappointing. That said though, if you have a little one who doesn't sit still for long or one who you are hoping to have a first movie theater experience with, I think the time would be perfect!  

Make sure you get to your seats on time, as there's a little extra treat at the beginning!  The Ballad of Nessie is an adorable tale (with an old-time animated feel) of a cute dragon who gets run out of her home with nowhere to go. After a good cry, she discovers just what she's been looking for!

 

And encourage those kiddos to sit all the way through the end of the credits, as they just might catch a Backson! ;)

While Winnie the Pooh certainly isn't the biggest or best "blockbuster" of the summer, and definitely won't win top spot at the box office (after all, it's got Harry Potter to compete with and even spoofed it), it is by far the most adorable! Perfect for the young at heart, no matter what their age! 

Who is YOUR favorite Winnie the Pooh character?