Category Archives: Gifts

Classroom Friendly Supplies Pencil Sharpener

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pencil-sharpeners

Hello everybody!

I hope you guys are well.

I am so EXCITED about this post because it’s about a pencil sharpener.  Yes, you read that correctly. So, what’s the big deal?  Well, as you know I have two budding artist in my household plus a niece and nephew who love to write and draw as well.  A good sharpener is a must have!  Enter the Classroom Friendly Pencil Sharpener, which I received the opportunity to test out and share my review with you guys.

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I chose Firehouse Red, but there are so many other wonderful colors to chose from at http://www.classroomfriendlysupplies.com

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Look at how shiny and beautiful it is!

The Classroom Friendly Sharpener is owned and operated by an elementary school teacher so they know first hand how important a good sharpener is.

I followed the instructions provided on the online store website and within seconds had a wonderful sharpened pencil.  Check out my results:

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Bring the silver face of the sharpener forward until it clicks into place.  Then pinch the two black knobs on the top together and slide the pencil into the sharpener.  You don’t have to hold onto the pencil.  Finally turn the handle (not shown in this picture, but there’s a picture below where you can see the handle) clockwise and sharpen away.  Pinch the two black knobs to release the pencil.

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It doesn’t get any better than that.  Look at that point.  Perfection and easy!  Also the Classroom Friendly Sharpener is much quieter than my electric sharpener, which by the way I haven’t used since getting this one! 🙂

Now let’s try a color pencil:

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Brilliant!  I’m very impressed with this machine!

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The compartment that holds the pencil shavings is easy to remove and clean out!

Needless to say my girls (ages 6 and 9) went crazy when they came home and saw their brand new sharpener.  They went searching for all the pencils that needed to be sharpened and were so impressed with how easy it was to use the sharpener and amazed with the final results.

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As you can see in the above picture the Classroom Friendly Sharpener has a handle that you turn clockwise to do the sharpening and it can be mounted for a permanent spot (mounts are available for purchase in the online store).

A pencil sharpener is an essential tool for learning so this sharpener would be a great gift for teachers, schools, friends and family members.  You can even buy them in bundle specials in the online store and donate them! 🙂

You can purchase one of these fabulous sharpeners at the online store and since I’ve joined their affiliate program, click on this link https://classroomfriendlysupplies.refersion.com/c/90e2c so I can receive a percentage of a possible sale.  I greatly appreciate it.  Thanks!

Click on the picture below for instructions on How to Operate the Classroom Friendly Pencil Sharpener.

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Happy Holidays everyone and take good care!

Until next time…

Disclaimer:  I received a free product in exchange for my honest review and I was not compensated.

Update:  I have decided to join the Affiliate Program with the Classroom Friendly Supplies Pencil Sharpener so if you decide to purchase this awesome sharpener after reading my review on it just click on this link below and I’ll receive a percentage of the sale.  Thank  you so much for visiting my blog and hopefully purchasing one or more of this wonderful product.

https://classroomfriendlysupplies.refersion.com/c/90e2c

 

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Student Series

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Hello everybody!

I hope you guys are well.

I’m a strong believer in giving to charities that will help people and animals in need.  I donate to charities like St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital , Autism Speaks, Feeding America, PETA and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has a student series and I’m proud that schools in my area are participating with this campaign.  I set up a page and you can click on the link below.  Any donation and I mean any is greatly, hugely appreciated!  THANK YOU!

http://events.lls.org/pages/cpa/PaxtoniaElementarySchool/AMercado

Take good care all.

Until next time…

Coming to you from a new home in Pennsylvania!

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Hi guys!

I hope you are all well and ready for the Christmas countdown!

I know, it’s been awhile.  So much has gone down and that’s the reason why I haven’t been posting.  We’re no longer living in Brooklyn, NY.  We made the big move to Pennsylvania on the 1st of November and so far things are well.  Slowly, but surely we’re settling into our new home.  My mind and heart hasn’t quite adjusted to the move, but I’m doing my best to sort of embrace the new location.  It’s definitely a better place for my girls to grow up in so I’m taking that into great account.  I just have to take things one day at a time!

In the meantime an idea  sprung up in my mind and I wanted to share it with you guys.  My girls are very fortunate to receive Christmas gifts from friends and family members who don’t live near us and I’m always telling them on Christmas day, “This is from so and so,” but I can always see their little faces trying to register who the person is and I don’t think they get it.  This year while I was making the labels for their presents that came in the mail I thought, “Maybe I can print out their pictures on the label.”  

Using Word and address labels, I printed the wording and the pictures separately because my program didn’t allow me to cut and paste the pic.  You can always print everything out on Word and simply tape it onto the gift, but I didn’t want to use tape.  I just improvised by cutting and using another label to assemble the words and pics together.  This is what I got and I love it:

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These lovely people are my girls’ paternal grandfather and step-grandmother who live in New York, so this year when they open their gifts from them they’ll actually see who the gift is from. 🙂

I hope you enjoyed this idea.  More to come later on, hopefully.

Thanks for stopping by and may all your holidays be MERRY, SAFE, AND BRIGHT!

Take good care all.

Until next time…

Lini’s Treats Cakes and Sweets

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Hello everybody!

I hope you guys are well.

I wanted to share Lini’s Treats with you, especially with local readers (Brooklyn) or bloggers.  I was gifted some DELICIOUS cupcakes by Dominican cake specialist Arlene Morel.  She’s one of my neighbors and if you check out her Facebook page (Lini’s Treats), you can definitely see that she’s very talented.  You can also email her at linistreats@gmail.com.

Here’s what I got:

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My daughter and I ate the pecan one and it was so delicious.  Seriously, I had to put them away for fear of eating every single one.  Must control myself!!  So, if you need any sweets, check out Lini’s Treats.  Let’s support our neighbors, especially when they’re good at what they do.  Thanks Arlene!

Take good care all.

Until next time…

I heart…

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Hello everybody!

I hope you guys are well.

Happy belated Valentine’s Day!

There’s a lot of pressure when “I heart day” rolls around, but I simply tell my husband that as long as he gives me a box of chocolates, we’re good.  That’s all I want, chocolate.  Oh, and a sweet kiss from him, of course.  Anyway, I always like to gift my girls something as well as my husband and this year I stumbled upon some great “I heart you” gifts.

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I got these cute balloon doggies for my daughters who love balloon animals, but hate when they deflate or pop!

They’re POP! Mini Series Balloon Animal ‘Pups’ 3 inch toys and they’re vinyl according to the description.  They come in different colors, but you can’t pick the colors.  It’s a surprise once you get it.

http://www.kidrobot.com/ShopAll/DesignerToys/MiniFigures/POPMiniSeriesBalloonAnimalPupsToys3Inch.html

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I got this cool T-shirt for my husband who absolutely love it!

Purchase your own here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/112240997/beer-shirt-growler-t-shirt-drink-locally?ref=shop_home_active_6

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Add some boxes of chocolate and my little family was very happy on Valentine’s Day

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I heart how you, Olivia, passionately tell me what you’ve learn in school while we’re walking back home,

I heart how you, Sophia, pretend play with your toys especially Mario, Luigi and Princess Peach,

and I heart you, Angel, and your everlasting love and commitment to me and our family.

Take good care guys.

Until next time…

Washi tape to the rescue…

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Hello everybody!

I hope you guys are well.

Here’s an idea to spruce up any plain boxes you may have around (in my case: a cardboard red box that stores my bracelets) or even gift boxes for upcoming Christmas presents.  You can use washi tape.  They come in many designs and can be easily removed so if you make a mistake or get tired of the design, just peel it off and reposition or pick another design.

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I chose a script writing washi tape that I found at A.C. Moore on sale.  These little tapes can be expensive so when they go on sale get as many as you can.  If you’re a crafter, you won’t regret the purchase.  I just covered the top of the box and lined up the tape so it would look like a continuous design.

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I wanted to see the finished box with a gift bow so I took out my scrapbook paper, which I also got on sale at AC Moore (buy, buy, buy) and my bow template courtesy of http://howaboutorange.blogspot.com/2013/04/how-to-make-paper-bow.html.

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I love my cardboard red box now more than ever and if I was gifting this box, I would add the paper bow.

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I decorated my kids play doh accessories box with the Super Mario (brand DUCK TAPE) design (found it at AC Moore, not on sale 😦 ).  I found the birthday duct tape and glitter tape at the dollar section in Target.  Yup, $1 .  Score!  The other washi tapes that I have are silhouette birds on a wire and cloudy sky with red hearts.  I have a strong feeling this tape collection is going to be growing.  I’m gonna need a big storage box, STAT!

Take good care all.

Until next time…

Comfort Cross

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Hello everybody!

I hope you guys are well.

Have you ever given a gift that turned out to be the perfect gift at that particular moment?  I experienced that with my mom when she was in recovery at the hospital after falling ill two years ago.  I will never forget the sheer happiness and comfort that washed over her face when I presented her with a comfort cross.  My mom is a religious person and at that time in the hospital, she was struggling with her injuries, both physically and mentally.  I’m always searching online for unique gifts that still have a connection to the person that I’m pairing it up with.  I also receive a couple of catalogs, which is where I found the comfort cross.  I knew instantly that my mom was going to love this item.  I was banking more on the comfort part of its name because that’s what I wanted more than anything for my mom.

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Image from catalogfavorites.com

http://www.catalogfavorites.com/itemdy00.aspx?T1=V10350&ref=us

When I walked into my mother’s room in the hospital, she was taking a nap.  Her face was scrunched up as if she wasn’t having a good rest.  I was chatting with my dad and my aunt who were in the room as well when she finally woke up.  I hugged, kissed and teased her that I had a special gift just for her.  When I showed her the cross she immediately grabbed it just like the image above and brought it close to her heart.  The smile that came across her face stayed there as she closed her eyes and fell back to sleep.  Her face wasn’t scrunched up anymore.  She looked, well, comforted!  If you go online there are many versions of this cross.  I’m very happy to have found this item and even happier that I was able to give it to my mom because she means the world to me and I’m so thankful that she’s st.

Take good care all.

Until next time…

DIY felt Goomba, Bullet Bill, and Mario Star

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Hello everybody!

I hope you guys are well.

My daughters absolutely LOVE Super Mario and friends.  They’re always looking at videos on YouTube and love seeing the cartoon on Netflix.  Two weeks ago my oldest found a tutorial video on how to make your own Super Mario star using felt.  Inspired by that video, my husband and I decided to make a couple of star buddies for our daughters.

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Fortunately, I already had a foam star from my daughter’s birthday decorations, which became a perfect template.  I traced four stars, front and back, on yellow felt with a disappearing ink pen (found in the sewing aisle at the craft store).  I cut those out along with four little rectangles using black felt for the eyes.  That was my job.  The sewing part went to my husband who’s better at sewing.  We used cotton balls for the stuffing since we didn’t have anything else.  Once the stars were done and presented, the squeals that ensued were proof enough that they came out great.

Then my daughter declared that she was going to make Bullet Bill.  She told me that she needed black, red, and purple felt.  And tape!  Those aren’t exactly the colors of Bullet Bill, but I indulged her anyway.  With her scissors she got to work and asked me if I could cut out two big circles from the red felt and two smaller circles from the purple felt.  These circles were going to be the eyes.  She tried her very best and taped something up that was supposed to look like Bullet Bill, but wasn’t quite holding up since she used tape.  My husband soon stepped in and improvised with what we had in hand (supplies were running low).  Without a template, just a picture of Bullet Bill and their creativity, a felt buddy/villain was created.

But that wasn’t the end.  Oh no, another request, and a trip to the craft store (cotton balls finished), was made several days later.  Why stop now?  Let’s make one more.  Let’s make Goomba!  Again, with the help of a picture of this little villain as well as a sketch template of the body, which my husband did, they got to work and had a lot of fun seeing this little guy come to life, especially with its new stuffing (we purchased a 12 oz. bag of Poly-Fil 100 percent Polyester Fiberfill).

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Here are the newest additions (missing a star) to my daughter’s plush Super Mario and friends toys.  They absolutely love these guys.  As you can see my husband added some red and pink felt streamers to Bullet Bill (not part of the original picture, but creative).

I know more characters are going to be requested and we’re going to do our best in bringing them to plush life because it’s a lot of fun.

Take good care all.

Until next time…

Mini doughnut pan

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Hello everybody!

I hope you guys are well.

Here in New York City, we are battling a heat wave.  The temperature is above 90 degrees, but the humidity makes it feel like 100 and above.  It’s horrible and disgusting.  We’re doing our best to entertain ourselves at home with the AC at full blast.

Enter our newest purchase, the Wilton mini doughnut pan, which we got at AC Moore craft store with a 50 percent coupon.  My husband fell in love with this pan along with the savings (the current plan is to get a second pan to make it less time consuming).  He tried it out first with Jiffy’s chocolate muffin mix, but he forgot to take pictures.  When it was my turn, I tried the raspberry muffin mix and it was definitely a learning experience.

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I was able to make two batches (24 total).  The first batch I put too much batter in the pan so the muffin/doughnuts came out like little bowls (open on one side, which is cool because you can put something inside for example whipped cream and eat/present it like that or just eat it as is).  The second batch I put less batter but I still got some that came out like bowls.  It’s a trial and error kind of thing.  I’m figuring that with more batches I’ll get the right consistency one day.  I’m looking forward to making cake doughnuts, that’s next, and of course finding a good doughnut recipe to try.  Duh!  In the meantime, these muffin doughnuts were delicious and a big hit with my daughters.  I also like that they’re small so consumption can be kept under control.

Bon appétit!

Take good care all.

Until next time…

DIY FELT BOW

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Hello everybody!

I hope you guys are well.

I’m having fun with Jessica Jones’ paper bow template and this is definitely not the last post in which I feature this bow because I freaking love it and the fact that she made it and offered it to us all.  This time around I decided to make a bow out of felt.  I couldn’t resist buying this houndstooth pattern at AC Moore craft store.  I found it to be a bit sturdier than other felt squares and the reverse side is plain white making it perfect to trace, using the template, and cut it out without any problems.  I also used glue dots to secure the bow.

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I made this bow for my husband’s father’s day gift (a bottle of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey Whiskey).  He loved both, but we all know which one he loves the most. 🙂  Cheers!

With the felt you can make these bows into hair bows by sewing a clip in the back or even attach them onto headbands!  The possibilities are endless, which is why this bow template is awesome.

http://howaboutorange.blogspot.com/2013/04/how-to-make-paper-bow.html

Take good care all.

Until next time…