Making my own style with Cricut Explore Air

Graphic tees seem to be all the rage these days. I am always seeing these great t-shirts with cute logos and hashtags on them. Unfortunately a lot of them come from the US and shipping to Canada isn’t always an option. So how does a girl stay in style? Use her Cricut Explore Air, of course.

I decided for my latest Cricut project that I would up the style game for my son and myself and make us both graphic tees.  Cricut has their Iron On vinyl in a variety of colors including glitter so I was ready to go.  All I needed was a t-shirt for each of us and I was ready to start creating.

My son being the huge penguin lover that he is, I knew that we had to find him something with penguins on it for his shirt.  I found a cute little logo on Etsy and got that one for him.  Once I was able to upload it to Design Space, I was able to use the Set Canvas function to select a child size tshirt to ensure the size of the image would set properly on the t-shirt.  This is such a great feature so that you aren’t guessing and wasting supplies or time.

One I was ready to print, I made sure I selected to Mirror image my logo so that it would cut properly.

You need to cut your image with the shiny side down of the iron on vinyl or you will end up with the iron on material on the wrong side.

Once I had the image cut and weeded, I was able to place the image on to the t-shirt to place it properly before ironing it on.

I used my regular iron set on the highest (Cotten/Linen) setting and made sure to iron the shirt just prior to placing the logo so that it was warm.  Once I placed the logo in place, I used a tea towel over top to protect the plastic transfer paper.  I ensured to use a lot of pressure to make sure the iron on vinyl set properly into place.

After letting the transfer cool a bit, I removed the transfer paper and the shirt was ready to wear.  It looked great and my son loved it!

For myself, I just went into Design Space and found a font that I like and using a phrase that I liked, I printed up a t-shirt for myself using the same steps as I did for my son’s.

Both of shirts have now been washed (inside out) and the transfers still look as good as new.   So now keeping up with the graphic shirt style is easy for us.

There are so many great ideas on the Cricut website to use for inspiration, I can’t wait to figure out my next project.  Stay tuned.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine.

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Easy Easter “Carrots” and other Egg-cellent Ideas

Looking for an easy Easter treat that doesn’t involve chocolates or candy?  These “carrots” super easy to make and the kids will love them.  And if you are short on time or have procrastinated and left everything to the last minute like I tend to do, you can whip these up in just a few minutes.  This is one of those crafts that won’t turn into a Pin-tastrophe.

With only 3 supplies needed, these carrots are also easy on the wallet.  All you need are icing bags, fishy style crackers and green ribbon.   Be sure to try and find the icing bags without a company logo on them.  I was able to find mine at Michael’s.  Depending on the fishy crackers you buy, these are great for a nut-free school treat.

All you need to do is fill the icing bag with fishy crackers about 3/4 full, tie with a green ribbon and voila, you are done.  I have found that in making these in the past, that if you buy the fishy crackers in individual serving packages, 1 package fits perfectly into the icing bag.

I love these carrots.  They look so cute and I always get so many compliments on them.  Simple ideas that make such an impact are my favorite types of crafts.  As a Mom with not a lot of spare time, but loves making these types of crafts, I need ideas like these.

Here are some other EGG-CELLENT ideas for Easter fun with your littles! Just click on the photos to read more from these creative mommy bloggers!!

Easter Bunny Alphabet Game FREEBIE from Resources By Mrs. Roltgen   Resurrection Egg Garland [Freebie] from Buck & Chuck   Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs from Oh My Gee   Vegan Bunny Pancakes from The Mama Journey Pretty Easter Wreath from Real Life Mama Drama Easter Themed Sensory Bin from Kenz and Matt

Stand Up for Clean Water with Brita Canada and Me to WE

March 22nd is World Water Day.  It’s hard to imagine having to struggle every day just to find clean water to drink.  But sadly that is the case for many around the world today.  Water is considered a luxury and not an everyday, easily available item like it is here in Canada.  Luckily there are companies like Brita Canada that is helping to change that and helping to provide clean, healthy drinking water.

Back in September 2016, Brita launched a program with specially marked filters and pitchers announcing their partnership with  ME to WE to help provide clean water to those in Irkaat Kenya.  Now they are introducing their Brita Me to We statement bottle.  Every purchase will provide a year’s supply of clean water to a person in Irkaat, Kenya.

ME to WE provides products that are socially conscious and create experiences to give people the opportunity to do good with the everyday choices that they make.   As a parent, I am not only wanting to ensure we protect and keep the world that we live in today healthy and strong but also for the world that our children will live and grow in the future/

The new limited edition ME to WE Brita Statement Bottle not only is helping to provide clean water to those it in need, it also helps the environment.   Each Brita filter can replace up to 300 plastic water bottles that often end up in landfills. It can also save you $500 a year compare to buying bottle water.

Starting this March, you can do your part by purchasing one of these bottles which will be available at Wal-Mart, Real Canadian Superstore, Real Atlantic Superstore, Loblaws and Zehrs location.  Nothing feels better than knowing you are helping the world be a better place.  Be sure to pick up yours today.

Teaching Generosity: The Most Important Gift

Today, I am happy to have Jenny from  MomLovesBest as a guest blogger.  Jenny is just another mom trying to do her best. She loves making lists and trying to help others find what they are looking for. When she’s not using her powers to find her kids missing socks, you can find her sharing the latest parenting hacks & tips on MomLovesBest and Pinterest.

 

In an age of iPads, where our children can lose themselves in apps, games, and shows, teaching the importance of giving than ever. As parents, we need to disengage our kids from electronics and engage them in the wider world. And here’s the hard truth: the world isn’t fair; some people have more than they need and other people have less. This truth is best learned early through a variety of teachable moments and activities. Here are four of my favorite ways to teach your children the importance of generosity.

Start Small

Using food can be a light way to introduce very young children to generosity lessons. The ideas of kindness and fairness play a significant role in understanding the concept of giving. Begin by taking a cookie and cutting it in vastly unequal pieces. Take the larger piece for yourself and model the importance of generosity by giving it to someone. This can be an excellent opportunity to explain how not everyone has equal cookie pieces and those that have more can help others through acts of generosity.

Get Creative With It

Visual cues are a fundamental aspect of learning, especially for young children. Work with your kids to create an art project revolving around a person that is important to them, and they would like to help. It could be another kid at school, granny, or even their sibling. Once they have completed their masterpiece, frame it on the dresser, hang it on a wall, or anywhere that your child will see every day. The important thing is that they will be reminded daily of that person and why they wanted to help them.

Witnessing Generosity

For children, seeing characters engaging in generous actions in books exists as an excellent model to internalize and then apply in their own lives. Many stories portray characters learning the lessons of sharing as well as the benefits of such actions. Here are several of my favorite classic and new books to introduce kids to giving:

• The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
• I am Sharing by Mercer Mayer
• The Berenstain Bears and the Joy of Giving by Jan Berenstain
• Should I Share My Ice Cream? By Mo Williams
• Llama Llama Time to Share by Anna Dewdney

Remember: it’s not just enough to read the story, you should ask your child thoughtful questions such as “How is this character being generous?” or “How does sharing make this character feel?” are good starting points for having children think about generosity and its benefits.

 Generosity in Action

Perhaps the best way to cultivate a giving spirit in children requires volunteerism. If children can see a need for sharing and fulfill that need, they better understand the role of generosity. While donating money is certainly one way to be generous, donating items, time, and talent are all ways to teach the power of giving. Begin small and ask your child to select toys and clothes to donate to a local organization working with populations in need. It could even be a one-time event such as giving to a family who lost everything in a fire. Remember: it’s important to model generosity so as you ask your child to donate items, you should donate items too. Here are some great ideas for organizing charity campaigns for your family:

• Collect and donate used towels and blankets to a local animal shelter
• Purchase items such as diapers and baby bottles from the “share” bank for a local baby pantry
• Donate gently used clothes and toys to a shelter
• Assist elderly neighbors by shoveling snow for free
• Create cards and deliver them to a local nursing home

Raising generous children is a lifetime commitment in modeling those actions yourself. Take opportunities as they arise and create other opportunities for your family to share with others. Don’t just indulge in generosity during holidays, but find ways to reinforce its importance the whole year. Identify organizations that need support and invite neighbors, friends, and family members to join your family in giving of its money, time, talents, and items to help others.

Custom Design for your home with 76th & Newbury

When it comes to making my home “mine”, it often involves artwork from my son or photo collages.  I may be a bit simplistic but it is truly a reflection of who we are as a family.  But I have always loved print pieces that have been custom made for the family.  Whether it have the family name or quotes that they have chosen, it’s some that has been customized to be unique for that family.

When I came across 76th & Newbury, their custom pieces were definitely the look and feel I have always gravitated to for my home.   Wall prints are just the beginning of the customized pieces that they have available on their site.  There are all kinds of items for the home, gifts for family and friends and wedding items.  Each item can be customized to suit your needs.

I have always wanted a print of “House Rules” for my home.  I have seen different versions of them in the past and knew this was something I thought would be a great addition to my home.  Once you decide on the item you want, you are put in touch with an actual Professional Graphic Designer to  work with you to create your perfect piece.  You will receive a customization form where you indicate any custom colors, quotes, names, etc and usually within 1-3 business days, you’ll receive a mock up of your design.

Once you receive your proof, you can make as many changes or alternations that you need until it is the perfect piece.  I ended making a few changes to mine and never felt like I was being a difficult customer and in the end I was truly thrilled with my piece.  I couldn’t wait for it to arrive so I could put it up in my new home.  Even being delivered from the US to Canada, it was very well packaged so there was no worry of damage in transit.

I love being able to sit down to dinner each night with my son and talk about our family rules and what they mean to us.

Disclosure:  Although items in the post were provided to me, all comments, opinions and photos are strictly mine.

Feel Good About Wearing prAna

When you become a parent, you start to look at things in a different light especially when it could possibly impact your child’s future.  Whether it be their health, or the world we live in, we want to do our part to ensure it doesn’t effect them in a negative manner.  I am glad to know that there are companies out their like prAna that help me do my part to make the world a bit of a better place for my son.

All prAna products are made with either organic cotton or hemp.  Why should this matter to us?  Truth be told, I didn’t know much about how these products made for more planet friendly textiles until I saw the below videos that prAna has produced that explain each of their products in easy to understand detail.  Not sure yourself, I highly suggest you give these videos a watch.

When I first had a look at the prAna line of clothing, I was super impressed at the variety of styles, colors and patterns that they had available.  And when they arrived at my home, I couldn’t get over the quality of the materials and the products themselves.  They were so soft and felt amazing when I put them on.

The first item, that I fell in love with instantly was the Cali Dress.  The fabric which is made from sustainable materials including recycled polyester and almost feels like a stretchy silk.  

The dress is so comfortable and the empire waist makes is super flattering.  I think my favorite feature is the built in shelf bra so that you’re not fussing with other undergarments and are able to show off the t-style back.  I feel like I could where this dress almost anywhere.  It is super comfortable yet you can dress it up for an evening out.

The second item I received were the Annexi pant.   As a Mom, who spends a lot of her days in either leggings or jeans, these pants were an instant hit with me.  Made with a combination of hemp and recycled polyester, they were super soft and comfortable which are a huge plus in my opinion.  The fabric is quite light so these will be great for when the warm weather finally decides to arrive.

They have a jogging pant style to them, but with the type of fabric they are made of, they could be worn for almost any situation, dressy or casual.   Having pieces that are multi-functional in my wardrobe are a huge plus.  And when each piece does a little bit to help the world my son will grow up in, makes them the even more important to me.Would you like to add some planet-friendly and fashionable items to your wardrobe?  Use the code “PMOMBHM” now until April 14, 2017 and you will receive a 15% discount off your entire order.  Shipping is now available to Canada.

Disclosure:  Although these items were provided to me, all comment and opinions are strictly mine.

10 Things to Know About Me – Nice to Meet You Blog Hop

I have been blogging her at A Boy and His Mom for over a year now and I realized that although my blog is about my life with my son, I have never really told you a lot of just me.  So I decided to come up with a list of 10 fun facts to get to  know me better and get a little insight into what makes me, me.

1.  My legal name is Cathy, not Catherine as people like to call me.
2. I grew up in a very small town (pop.1400), so moving to the suburbs of Toronto was quite a stretch for me.
3. I’ve always had a cat as a pet.  I can’t remember a time in my life that either my parents or I didn’t own a cat.
4. My public school was so small, that even at only 5ft tall, I was a member of the basketball team.
5.  In high school I was a bit of a “doer” – I played field hockey, was a cheerleader and was the President of my Prom Committee, among other groups and teams.
6. Ever since I was 16 years old, I always knew that wanted to be a Mom.  I always said that if at 35 I wasn’t either married or in a committed relationship that I would look into artificial insemination.  It was the one job I always wanted to have.
7. Ever since I was 16 I have colored my hair.  Grays started coming in way too early.
8. I have always been a Math person and love doing algebra.  Some people like crosswords or Sudoku, I like algebra.
9. If I was ever stranded on a deserted island and could only have 1 album, it would INXS – Kick.  (Yes, I am aging myself here.)
10. My favorite food is Mexican – I could eat it morning, noon and night.

Now that you know a little more about me, I would like you to meet a few great bloggers that I have come to know.  Hop on over to their links below!

Haley at The Life and Lies of an Inanimate Flying Object
Shelby at Fit as a Mama Bear
Kandice at A Cotton Kandi Life – Freebie! 7 Online Money Makers for WAHM
Megan at Our Poetic Chaos
Maria at Dapper House Designs
Stephanie at You Are My Son Shine – Freebie! Home Emergency Checklist
Lilly at Moonbeams on the Path
Kimberly at Wildflower Four –
Amanda at Easy On The Tongue – Freebie! Nursery Printable

Spring Cleaning with Mrs. Meyer’s and a Giveaway

When I moved earlier this month, it was the muckiest of days and by the end of it all, the floors were an awful mess.  With spring also just around the corner, it was the perfect time for me to do a move in version of my spring cleaning and getting the house in to visitor ready shape.

Luckily for me, Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day household cleaners are now available in Canada to help me spring clean my home.  Not only do they do an amazing job in cleaning, the smell amazing.  Mrs. Meyers is a real person and is the name and face behind these great products with scents that are inspired by her own Midwest backyard garden.

“It wouldn’t make MUCH SENSE to put my name on something that didn’t WORK HARD and SMELL NICE.  No reason to ruin MY REPUTATION this late in the game.” – Thelma A. Meyer on Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Products.

Their scents of basil, lavender, lemon verbena and honeysuckle are derived from plant ingredients and essential oils to give you that uplifting feeling when you are cleaning.  Their products do not contain chlorine bleach, ammonia, petroleum distillates, parabens, phosphates or phthalates. They use concentrated, biodegradable formulas and at least 25% post-consumer plastic in our bottles and they do not test on animals.  So not only do they smell amazing, but they are environmentally conscious.

They have a full line of amazing products from hand soap, dish soap, multipurpose to laundry detergent and fabric softener.  I have to say that the Basil Scented Multi-Surface Everyday Cleaner is my absolute favorite.  It smells amazing and cleans really well on all surfaces.  This one is used daily at my home.

My son’s favorite (luckily for me) is the Lemon Verbena hand soap.  You know how little boys never want to wash their hands, well I make sure I keep this at the sinks to entice him to make sure his hands are nice and clean…and smell great like a fresh, spring day.

I am really enjoying the laundry detergent and dryer sheets.  The dryer sheets are somewhat stiff and paper like and I was a little skeptical at first but they work amazing.  No static cling and the clothes come out smelling great.  I also like that fact that the laundry detergent doesn’t contain chemicals that will irritate our skin.  And with a little boy who loves to get dirty, the detergent does a great job in getting the clothes clean.

So now that my house is clean and smelling amazing, it’s time for you to try it out for yourself.  Head over to my Instagram page and you can win a collection of these amazing products for your home.

Disclosure:  Although products in the post were provided to me, all opinions, comments and photos are strictly mine.