Remote Control Outlets

So this post was going to be about my christmas decorations, but my digital camera's battery won't take a charge AGAIN and my iPad camera just won't cut it for the pictures I want.  So while I wait for Amazon to ship my new battery, I will share about this great little invention I stumbled upon while at Lowes looking for replacement C9 bulbs.  I am always sick of climbing under the tree to plug it in.  We had a button that you stepped on at one point to turn it on and that broke or is now MIA.  For $20, I got 3 outlet adapters that you just plug in to your regular outlet.  Each adapter has 2 plug-ins and you get 1 remote control to turn on/off all 3!  Right now I have our tree and our front candle lights plugged into one and I will have my kitchen lights plugged in to the other 2.  Now I can easily turn the lights on and off with the remote!  It is so nice and super easy, no timers to figure out either or that don't work right!

Just a preview of my christmas decorations:

My silver chalkboard platter: (pardon the quality it was an iPad shot)

Happy Weekend - Save yourself the hassle and don't buy this product!

I am still gearing up for my first craft show and I began working on a butterfly wreath.  A similar idea to the soda can rose, but using butterfly punches.  Below is what I was trying to end up with.

For the smaller butterfly's I used Martha Stewart's small butterfly punch and had no issues at all.  I would have ordered Martha Stewart's large butterfly punch but it wasn't going to be here in time for this weekend, so I ordered Tonic Studio 928 Butterfly Flutter Lever Punch.

Since I hadn't had any trouble any of the other punches (stars, smaller butterflies, and of course the seal) I didn't think this one would have a problem either.  So I tried it and it got stuck.  I finally got it free and it was a mess and unusable.  I tried it on a piece of paper and it did the same thing.   Needless to say I was very angry at this point, that it wouldn't even work on paper.  I couldn't send it back b/c I wouldn't get a new one in time so I decided I was going to make this one work  I took the small screws out of the bottom and pried the top off, leaving just the two plates on the inside below.  I placed the piece of can where it would normally go and put the top plate on and pushed down on it.  It cut the shape perfectly, but the butterfly was stuck to the top plate this is why it kept getting stuck and ripping.  I took a small screw driver to pop it loose and now I have a way to make my butterflies for the weekend.  DO NOT BUY this product, I will definitely be purchasing Martha Stewart's large butterfly punch for future projects!

On a positive note, at least by taking this thing apart I got 4 cute little springs :).

Happy Weekend - Save yourself the hassle and don't buy this product!

I am still gearing up for my first craft show and I began working on a butterfly wreath.  A similar idea to the soda can rose, but using butterfly punches.  Below is what I was trying to end up with.

For the smaller butterfly's I used Martha Stewart's small butterfly punch and had no issues at all.  I would have ordered Martha Stewart's large butterfly punch but it wasn't going to be here in time for this weekend, so I ordered Tonic Studio 928 Butterfly Flutter Lever Punch.

Since I hadn't had any trouble any of the other punches (stars, smaller butterflies, and of course the seal) I didn't think this one would have a problem either.  So I tried it and it got stuck.  I finally got it free and it was a mess and unusable.  I tried it on a piece of paper and it did the same thing.   Needless to say I was very angry at this point, that it wouldn't even work on paper.  I couldn't send it back b/c I wouldn't get a new one in time so I decided I was going to make this one work  I took the small screws out of the bottom and pried the top off, leaving just the two plates on the inside below.  I placed the peice of can where it would normally go and put the top plate on and pushed down on it.  It cut the shape perfectly, but the butterfly was stuck to the top plate this is why it kept getting stuck and ripping.  I took a small screw driver to pop it loose and now I have a way to make my butterflies for the weekend.  DO NOT BUY this product, I will definitely be purchasing Martha Stewart's large butterfly punch for future projects!

On a positive note, at least buy taking this thing apart I got 4 cute little springs :).

Product Review: No home should be without a Black & Decker Start It

As many of you who live in Northern NY know it was 30 below zero this past Monday and along with a whole bunch of problems, my car would not start.  Not that I'm complaining my car just went over 120k miles and I haven't had any major problems with it (knock on wood).  The BF was busy trying to fix the furnace :( and couldn't look at my car so I worked from home and he got it going later on.   Tuesday morning when I went to start my car, it still would not start.  So I went in and got our Black And Decker jump starter, I very easily turned it on and hooked it up to the battery and it started my car with no issues.  It is small and light enough that I brought it to work with me in case I had more issues on my way home!  I strongly recommend.

Amazon.com: Black & Decker Start It

Laughing Cow Chicken Cordon Bleu

Just had to share this recipe, b/c it is healthy and still tastes delicious even the BF likes it and requests it. I believe I was first told about it by my boss and it is really easy and really delicious.

1. Preheat Oven to 400 degrees
2. Beat 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts
3. Spread 1 (2 for the BF haha) wedge of Laughing Cow Light Swiss on the flattened chicken
4. Add 1 - 3 pieces of ham
5. Roll up and hold with a toothpick if necessary
6. Place on foil-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with Italian style breadcrumbs (or plain work too)
7. Bake for 45 - 50 minutes at 400 degrees

I serve it with a little bit of homemade raspberry jam it just makes the flavor come out wonderfully.  All and all if you make it with a 4 oz chicken breast, 2 pieces of ham (I use Sara Lee Low Sodium) and 1 wedge of Laughing Cow Light it is about 200 calories, but so delicious.

Now I know I am probably preaching to a few already fans of laughing cow already, but if you have never had it, you definately need to try it.  It is good on apples and grapes and any other kind of fruit.  All kinds of it are delicious.  My favorite 100 calorie snack is 6 reduced fat wheat thins and one wedge of garlic and herb laughing cow.  Best healthy sandwich a 100 calorie Everything Wheat Bagel Thin, tomato slices and a wedge of garlic and herb laughing cow.  So if you haven't tried it, you definitely should!

A True Upcycling Artist: Paul Villinksi

I found Paul Villinksi's art through Gossip Girl.  If any of you watch Gossip Girl, the butterfly wall art in Serena's bedroom that Blair setup for her is by Paul Villinksi.

Picture from CW

The butterflies above were created out of recycled cans.

Check out his other creations at http://www.paulvillinski.com/artwork/beercan.html.   

2 Thumbs Down: Scrubbing Bubbles Toilet Cleaning Gel

I decided to try the new Scrubbing Bubbles Toilet Cleaning Gel b/c seriously with all the projects I am working on all the time, who wants to clean the toilet so to try to get rid of one task I purchased this and I think I paid close to $6 for it and it is terrible, so I figured I would warn others.  Normally I am very happy with scrubbing bubbles, but first of all its hard to put on the toilet and it doesn't come out in a nice neat little dome like they show, it is a blob.  And it doesn't do anything, the blob is still stuck to the side of my not clean toilet.  So now I will have to clean off the blob as well as the rest of the toilet.....

Ode to the Magic Eraser: My Crafting Savior

I have always loved the mr clean magic eraser for cleaning, but since I am horribly messy and accident prone while crafting it has become my savior. Last night while spray painting I must have gotten orange spray paint on my foot and not realized. I had a few small tracks in my kitchen. I grabbed my trusty magic eraser with hopes of cleaning it up before my BF saw, and of course I was not let down it cleaned dried paint off the floor easily!

Also if you happen to accidentally dye your hand purple it works on that too! Even when paint thinner fails!