What I've been up to...

You may remember that I have said I was quite busy over the summer and into the fall, and that is true, I have. I've also been doing quite a bit of thinking about SaMiE Designs during this time. I'd like to share both of those with you, SaMiE Designs fans.

First, let me tell you what I've been doing that kept me so busy. One thing that has basically been my life is roller derby. I started skated in the beginning of 2012 and I haven't stopped since. I am the co-head of sponsorship, board member, and skater for the Jackson Hole Juggernauts. So when I say derby was my life I mean...derby WAS my life.  2012 was our first season, and we are already gearing up for our second season, bigger and better. To the left is a photo taken from our last intra-league bout of the season. (I am the one in the first row on the right with the green helmet and black stripe, in case you were wondering. :) )

Photo: Scott Wood

Here's another picture of me skating. If you click on the photo, it will take you to the picture on a facebook page. If you click 'like' on it, it will help me to win a scholarship to pay for my derby dues for an entire year! Would love the help in getting a great financial relief!

For the first bout, which occured between Mr. E's birthday and Stink's birthday, my mom and neice flew in from North Carolina. So while getting ready for our first bout (both skating and business wise) and planning birthdays, I also prepared for my family's arrival. Since it was my mom's first time in Jackson Hole, Wyoming during the summer, we did many touristy but fun activities. Below is a picture of when we rode horses up Snow King. It was beyond fun to be able to do all these things with my family. My mom said it was her dream to be able to ride horses with her children and their children, we were a little over half way there!

Also, during all this I was taking classes at the local community college. After switching majors once or twice, I have decided to finish my degree in marketing. I was able to get some experience at a previous job I held, and realized I had a natural knack for it and wanted to pursue it as a career. Each semester I take usually 3 classes towards this goal. I have been doing very well in college, and keeping my grades up (I get mad if they're anything lower than an A+) is sometimes challenging with the other obligations and responsibilities in my life.

Moving into fall. Stink, who turned 5 over the summer, entered Kindergarten. She's a little mini-me if ever there were one, a little spitfire- so she is loving school and all the new friends and activities that come with it. I also returned to school with a new set of classes and an English Lit class that is particularly difficult in course load and requirements. 

In October I traveled to North Carolina for two reasons: 1. my high school ten year reunion and 2. my dad's 50th birthday. To the right is a picture of me, my dad, my sister, and my brother in the frame. He's overseas right now and we took a lot of silly pictures with that framed photo of him, posted on social media, and chatted with him as if he was really there, since all of us have not been in the same place at the same time in a very long time. It sounds crazy, but it was super fun and we were able to get the entire family in on it. I'll post about that later. Originally the plan was my grandmother was planning a surprise party for my dad in Virginia (where I was born and a good portion of my extended family live) where I would "surprise" him. He had no idea I was even on the East Coast, it was something only a select few knew about. In the end he got sick the day of his party, so instead we dropped by his house later that night. Of course he was still surprised to see me walking into his living room, so mission: accomplished.

So as you can see, I have been super busy lately. However, I have not forgotten about SaMiE Designs. It is my baby. Well, my 5th baby I guess you could say. However, I have been giving the blog A LOT of thought. In the end, I have come to a few realizations. 1. I have been neglecting the blog during my busy time and need to make sure that doesn't happen again. 2. I really need to finish designing the blog to my liking and 3. SaMiE Designs is starting to go in a direction that I am not all together happy with. The world of blogging can be overwhelming and confusing, and I have been distracted by things I thought were necessary. Thus, a return to crafts, the original inspiration for the blog. Don't get me wrong, we will still have as many reviews and giveaways as I can reasonable handle. However, I miss doing crafts or sharing my experiences, thoughts, and comments in doing those things, so we will pull focus back to those things. There will be a few non-essential elements disappearing from the blog, little things that are time-consuming and not of high priority to me, the blog, or you- the readers.

I am reminded of what lies under the title of this blog, the tagline that is the mission statement of SaMiE Designs. It is a reminder, an inspiration, and a goal that should be continuously filled. 

If it's crafty, green, thrifty, easy or fun, we're in.

Yoga for Kids!

Teaching our children healthy lifestyle habits is very important. To overcome the increasing statistics on childhood obesity, fitness is an important aspect towards that goal. I was given the opportunity to review and giveaway Storyland Yoga from Playful Planet.

Intended for children from 3-8, Storyland Yoga provides a time to increase imagination, practice healthy habits, and spend quality time with your children. Here is a little more info about the particular product I reviewed and is up for giveaway straight from Playful Planet: Two unique stories,  “Save the Whale” and “Condor Trek” engage a child’s imagination through storytelling. “Save the Whale” and “Condor Trek” engage a child’s imagination through storytelling.  Kid’s learn yoga postures by becoming part of the story and imitating animals. Yoga is great exercise and helps to calm children giving them greater focus and increased clarity. Winner of Parent’s Choice Approved, Mom’s Choice Gold, Dr. Toy’s Best Green Product and Creative Child Magazine “Preferred Choice” in the Environmentally Friendly Category.


I really enjoyed this product, and my kids loved it too. They fit the perfect age range- four children between 3 to 8, and they all seemed to benefit in different ways. Although Bubby, who is 3, could not follow along as well as the older children, she gave it her best shot and in that, she learned to take a minute, learned healthy habits, and had fun. They even started making up their own stories and putting their own moves to it. I think this is a great product for kids and I definitely recommend it. For more information about Storyland Yoga and to purchase, visit them at: http://playfulplanet.com/store/video/storyland-yoga.html


Visit Playful Planet on Facebook- tell them SaMiE Designs sent ya! Use the rafflecopter below to enter to win a dvd or digital copy of Storyland Yoga. Good luck!
 a Rafflecopter giveaway I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Grow a TREE from Jewelry!

Arbor Day is April 27th, 2012 and what better way to celebrate the day with your family than to plant a tree? As luck would have it I was approved to do a review AND a giveaway for a really amazing company, Future Oxygen, a Michigan based company started to showcase eco-friendly works of art. Future Oxygen carries bracelets, necklaces, and even keychains that ALL transform into plants and trees! I was so excited for this review and giveaway because I LOVE the idea of being GREEN and giving back to our planet!

As part of this review I received a bracelet that will become a white pine tree when planted and a necklace that grows into wildflowers! We will be planting ours as a family on Arbor Day, only three weeks away!

Wondering how a bracelet can grow into a tree? The beads, which have attractive designs on the outside, are made from non-toxic biodegradable pulps and clays and are finished with a non-toxic coating for a water resistant barrier. Inside the bead are seeds for a white pine tree (other pendants carry different seeds too)! Each bead is tied onto a 9" adjustable hemp yarn cord, for softness against the skin.  You can wear your jewelry (away from hot-tubs, pools, and in the shower) for as long as you want, then when you are ready to plant your seeds, you soak the pendant in water for 24 hours then plant in a pot, keeping moist until it begins to sprout.

Another thing I am super-excited about: the compostable packaging! Talk about a zero-waste product!

Future Oxygen has also just recently started their Smile Exchange program, dedicated to bringing smiles back to children faced with deployment, illness, and loss of a family member. For every pendant bought on their site, they will donate one to a charitable organization, such as the Ronald McDonald house, Operation Military Kids, etc. A great gift for a great cause!

Future Oxygen also does school fundraisers!

I really love this concept and will definitely be purchasing more in the future as gifts for family and friends. I urge you to check them out on their website, http://www.futureoxygen.us/ , on Facebook, and on Twitter. Tell them SaMiE Designs sent ya!

Future Oxygen was so gracious enough to also provide for a giveaway, which you can enter to win using the Rafflecopter below. Please make sure to complete the tasks before pressing enter!

Much love and good luck to you!

Peace~
Sara of SaMiE Designs

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

March Kidtoons Giveaway: The Gruffalo

I am super excited to be able to offer my second giveaway via Kidtoon Films. For the month of March Kidtoons will be showing THE GRUFFALO in theaters all around the U.S. Kidtoons is a great company that offers family-friendly movies each month, coloring contests each week, and a prize pack to coordinating with the movies each month.

 I really love Kidtoons Films and I encourage you to check out their website at http://www.kidtoonfilms.com/ and find out where The Gruffalo is playing near you!

One great advantage is Dr. Donna's reviews, viewable on the Kidtoon Films website. Dr. Donna details what children will learn in each film, as well as what parents can expect, so there are no surprises.

THE GRUFFALO:

Based on the picture book written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler, The Gruffalo is an Academy Award nominated short with an all-star cast, starring Helena Bonham Carter, James Corden, Tom Wilkinson, Jon Hurt, Rob Brydon and Robbie Coltrane. The Gruffalo is a magically tale of a mouse who takes a walk through the woods in search of a nut. Encountering three predators (a fox, an owl and a snake) who all wish to eat him - the plucky mouse outwits them all by announcing he is meeting a monster with terrible features, called a ‘Gruffalo.’ As each predator cowers away, the Mouse grows increasingly confident as he makes his way through the woods, until he rounds a corner and comes face to face with the extraordinary product of his imagination: The Gruffalo.

Watch a preview below:

Get your child excited about The Gruffalo with these great coloring sheets. You can even submit them to kidtoons@cinedigmentertainment.com to be entered in the weekly coloring contest! Click on the images to download full copies to print and send.

Now let's talk about this GREAT GIVEAWAY this month!

Inside you will find:

*One The Gruffalo Book

*One The Gruffalo DVD

*One The Gruffalo Rhyme Game

*One The Gruffalo Kidtoons Movie Poster 

How do you enter to win this fabulous prize? Use the Rafflecopter below to perform various tasks. Each tasks give you a certain amount of entries. The more you do, the more chances you have to enter! I have created lots of tasks so that all have opportunities to enter! I do check entries, so make sure to do them before you press 'DONE'. Good luck!

Single Moms

For years I have faced up-hill struggles as a single mom. Each day there is a new barrier, a new battle to fight. I have to prove that I am not the stereotype that a few unfortunate single moms have set on the rest of us. The fact that I have been a mom since I was 18 does not help matters. No matter my IQ, college credit, or skills I have been judged by my circumstances. I think that some people truly believe that I chose to be a single mom, or that it is somehow, my fault. I really wish they would think about that more clearly. The ones who work hard every day are not the villains, they are the heroes. It is to that thought that I thought I would mess around with all those job description posts that have been making their way all over the internet. Here for your enjoyment is one on Single Moms.

And if you're a single mom, girl you rock and don't ever forget it!

Pin It

Paper Flowers

Hey SaMiE Designs Fans! My sister, Kris, who lives across the country from me recently posted pictures of this craft on her facebook page. I commented that I would love, if she were willing, for her to write a guest post about the craft.
 (P.S. If you are interested in guest posting, please send me an email at campbells.jacksonhole@gmail.com)


She responded that she would be glad to. (Even re-doing the craft so she could take step by step instructions for your viewing pleasure!) So I'm going to hand it over to my Sister now. Don't forget to show her some comment love!

This paper flower design is fun and so thrifty! All you really need are a few pieces of paper and some glue.  I  got the idea from a little video I saw on yahoo called Valentine's Day Paper Flowers. Since we were decorating our work for the holiday I decided to make a few for our kitchen table.  

The first set of paper flowers we made.

They turned out so cute and were so easy to do I couldn't wait to share this project with the kids.   Here is a little step by step on how we made a "Bunch of Flowers."

Step 1, part. 1

1)  Get a few pieces of paper:  (I've used several types: construction paper, scrap book paper, even a paper gift bag with a funky design worked great.)  Cut out four to six equal sized squares.  Here's Amber (age 7) excited to make flowers for her teacher.

Step 2, part. 2

2)   Take one of your squares and fold the bottom up to make a triangle.  (if it's a little uneven you can trim it up)

Step 2: Folding the square into a triangle

 3) Take each bottom corner of the Triangle and fold up to the middle tip, you should end up with a Kite or Diamond shape.  

Step 3: Folding the Triangle Into a Kite

4)  Take each "kite flap" and fold in half length wise. You'll end up with this Flat Flower.

Step 4: The Flat Flower.

5)  I have no idea how to explain in writing how to do this next part so bare with me (or see above link to the yahoo video).   Take each of your Flat Flower "petals", there will be a little pocket, place your finger in the pocket and gently pull towards yourself and flatten back out, exposing the crease and doubling the size of the petal. 

Step 5: Little tricky, keep practicing & you'll get it in no time!

6) Fold the tips of your petals down to make a flush line.

Step 6: These folded flaps eventually become the center of your finished flower

7) Fold your petals back inwards towards the center.

Step 7: Folding your petals back

8)  Time to get your glue! (I've used tape...wouldn't recommend it) Glue Gun worked best, However depending on the age of the maker and/or availability, glue stick works just fine and dries a little faster than say white glue (however with a glue stick I ended up having to use a little tape as back up). It's your call what works best for you and your family.  Here we used a glue stick.  So apply your chosen sticky element to one side of the Flat Flower and gently fold in half, the goal is to to leave it open, not creased.

Step 8

9) Repeat four times (or six if you were going for a bigger flower) You'll end up with these. 

Step 9

10) Now it's time to build the real deal! Using your glue attach the pieces at the narrowest point, being careful to leave a little opening in the bottom to slide a pipe cleaner or twig through if you want a stem.

Fun it up!! You can add all kinds of things to make this flower truly Unique.  Pretty Gems, tissue paper, pom pom's, stickers..the sky's the limit.  For these flowers we taped pieces of Starburst candy in the middle for that extra bit of fun.  

Happy Creating!

Here's the one made out of the gift bag.

(since the paper was a little slick the glue stick wouldn't work, we had to use a glue gun)

February Kidtoon Films Giveaway: Barbie in a Mermaid Tale 2

I am beyond excited (really) to announce that I am able to offer, via Kidtoon Films and Cinedigm Entertainment, a really awesome giveaway! 

In February, Kidtoons is featuring Barbie™ in A Mermaid Tale 2! 

Surf’s up for Barbie™ as she returns as Merliah™, the fun and fashionable surfing champion who’s also a magical mermaid princess!　In this exciting sea-quel™, Merliah™ makes a splash when she heads to Australia for the ultimate surfing competition. When the evil mermaid Eris escapes from her whirlpool with plans to take over the throne of Oceana, Merliah™ and her sea friends dive in to stop her. It’s a fresh new adventure where Merliah™ learns that anything is possible and she really can have the best of both worlds! 

Included in the Prize Pack is a Barbie™ in A Mermaid Tale 2 Doll!

In the movie Barbie™ in A Mermaid Tale 2, these magical Royal Mermaids help Merliah™ save the ocean! Each mermaid princess has a beautifully detailed bodice and exquisite mermaid tail inspired by the oceans from around the world. With bewitching color change features, girls will love playing with them in or out of the water. Ages 3 and older. 

Plus a Barbie™ in A Mermaid Tale 2 Theatrical Poster!

 

One lucky reader will win a Barbie in a Mermaid Tale 2 prize pack of their very own!   Simply fill out the easy Rafflecopter form below. This giveaway ends on February 20th, 2012, at 11:59 pm EST and is open to residents of the US only. Once a winner is drawn via Rafflecoper, I will contact the winner through email. They will then have 48 hours to respond, and if they do not, another winner will be drawn at Random. I do verify that people complete the task assigned to each entry, so make sure you complete them! Good luck!

An App For That: Zoodles

If your household is anything like mine, you probably have 7 and 8-year-olds adding Ipads to their Christmas lists or 3 and 4-year-olds mimicking a cell-phone conversation with anything that fits in their tiny hands. I can't count the number of times those little hands have gotten to my phone- sending alien texts and pseudo-stalker breathing voicemails to all of my nearest and dearest. Heck, They've even managed to completely change my phone's settings and display!

As a mother of four I've taken the "we just can't have nice stuff" saying on as our family's own personal slogan. We do a lot of sharing, thrifty shopping, and we learn to live with less. It's very unusual that I purchase items for myself, but that does not apply to my phone. As the main (and sometimes only) source of communication to the outside world, most importantly my family back east, I like phones loaded to the 9's so I can call, text, or email all with the power device in my hands, without paying a hefty price.

So you can imagine my worry when those little hands are on my phone. I subscribe to many different magazines on parenting, including my fave, ALL YOU, so I have seen many articles about recommendations of phone applications for the little ones. There were always two things I looked for in a good phone application for my kids: 1. Is it educational? and 2. Is it FREE? My brother, who got his smartphone approximately 6 months before I did, once told me , "Never pay for an app. No matter what you're looking at, there's always a free version. Trust me." It's been the greatest piece of phone advice someone has ever given me and to this day I have never paid for an app for my phone. That being said, my phone is so tricked out with apps and the like I'm hard-pressed to think of something I can't do with my phone.

I searched long and hard for a good free app for kids. I didn't really love the idea of them playing with my phone, but if I knew it was going to happen I wanted to be prepared. Then one day it came along, a FREE Kid's app so good you'll think they paid me to talk about it. {They didn't, but if they're reading this I won't turn it down! :) }

Zoodles is an APP and Website that fits all of my needs and then some. On Zoodles you can add six profiles, so I have one set up for Mr. E, Fingers, Stink, and Bubby. (If you see in the photos one of them set up a profile for me. I had to laugh at that, but I wouldn't mind playing it when I need a break!)

Zoodles has so many fun features it's worth taking a few minutes to go over and check it out for yourself. I like how on both the phone app and on the website you can't easily exit the system and get into unwanted territories, like the phone's settings. There's also the parental controls, which lets you block networks, shows, and/or characters which is great when you don't want the influence of a particular show on your little ones. You can also limit the time they spend on a certain subject or area. Another great feature is the option to view and send video mail to family members too far to visit on a regular basis. The video recording feature also enables you and anyone you chose to record themselves reading a story to your kids.

I took a few screenshots to show you a few of the many great features of Zoodles. Check them out below then go check out Zoodles for yourself!

This is the screenshot of  what the kiddos see. If they press the little "x" they have to also type in "Exit" so it's very hard for the kids to navigate to a different site!

Zoodles lets you and your family record yourself telling a story that your kids can watch over and over. Here I am, reading an expanded version of the Three Little Pigs over a year ago!

The welcome page under the Parental View. This is Stink's profile. Notice her picture of her pout? We love it. :)

Zoodles tell you the themes your child has been learning on the progress report.

Zoodles breaks up how your child spends their time on the site- by shows, subject, and more...

Taming The T-Shirt Monster: The Hula-Hoop Rug

He lives at our house, does he live at yours? He's very sneaky and can haunt families for years, decades, if you let him. He'll hide in your closet, or neatly folded and packed up in boxes, he even creeps into your dirty clothes pile, if he's feeling gutsy, to be washed and re-washed, again and again. He can disquise himself in many, many forms. Sometimes he's the shirt too small placed in a box until you gather more of his buddies to donate or sell. Sometimes he's disguised as the shirt that won't fit for three more years- but it was so cute you just had to!

I think Stink found The T-Shirt Monster hiding in a pile of dirty clothes!

More often than not he's the shirt that you don't give much thought to, you don't know if it's too big or too small. heck - you can't even remember the last time it was worn! Know exactly the monster I'm talking about now, don't you? The question really isn't 'what is the t-shirt monster?' though, the question is 'How do I defeat the t-shirt monster?'

Glad you asked. I've been wondering the same thing myself for years. Until now. I've been on a mission to find ways to 'up-cycle' those pieces of clothing that never seem to disappear! After all, they've proven their durability! Come with me as I test out fun and creative ways to re-do what's already in your closet!

Last week I found this goodie from the Disney Family Fun site via the amazingly addicting site, Pinterest. I of course immediately pinned it to my "Getting Crafty" board and made the plan to pick up a hula hoop that week. I found one at K-Mart the next day! They had two different sizes. (and only three overall!) I grabbed one of each and when I was checking out I noticed the bigger hoop was dented so I only got the smaller one. I let my boyfriend measure it, it was approximately 27".

The reason I was immediately drawn to this project is multi-layered. To begin with I have three girls, so the mass of clothes at my house is non-stop. Secondly, the project required very little additional tools, supplies that everyone has. (Or can easily get.) Lastly, how COOL is a rug made from t-shirts?

So let's get down to the nitty gritty, shall we?

1.  Find two shirts that are either the same color or look good together. A boys large shirt (or size 6-8) should probably work just fine. I grabbed a dark green shirt and when that ran out I used a yellow shirt. The colors didn't look bad together but there are things I didn't think about (or realize) when I did this. One part is that these colors will be VERY visible as the center of your rug. They will also be 'tails' of your rug. So let me say it again: Pick attractive colors so you don't end up with this ->
Yeah, dark green and yellow, not the best color combo. Anywho, moving on..

Gotta love the green and yellow, right? This is how you start your rug, with a big X!

2. Go around your house and grab every shirt that has a stain on it, a rip, hasn't been worn in this decade, etc etc. You get the point. For some reason it was an easier decision for me to cut a shirt into pieces than to remove it from my house. Odd. Back to the point: shirts. Grab shirts from everyone's room, including your own! I used everything from maternity shirts to boys shirts to girls toddler shirts to yes...even onesies! My youngest is 3, can you tell me why I still have onesies and maternity shirts in my house? Yeah, I can't either. Overall I used approximately thirty shirts. But a picture is worth a thousand words, right? Here are all the shirts I used on this project:

Shirts used in the hula hoop t-shirt rug. As you can see I used anything, and lots of it! So don't worry about graphics, you'll barely see it! And when you do it adds just another punch of color!

3. Cut the hem off the bottom of the shirts. Then start cutting them into one inch strips, so you are ending with loops. Don't worry about being perfect- it's going under your feet!

Stink showing off her work.

4. Being to place your loops around the hula hoop, each time you add a loop divide a section by half, then place it there. If you are using more than one color, I would suggest you use one color first, then use the second color last, so you end up with an abababa pattern. Place 11 loops on the hula hoop, making 22 "spokes" on the hoop. Then pull two of the sections together so you have an odd number of spokes on the hoop. If you have an even amount on the hoop you will always be going 'over' and the 'under' the same spokes, never creating a true weaving pattern.

Step 5, the first loop.

5. Now it's time to start the pattern. Place a loop around the first spoke (you can start anywhere, but it's probably easiest to start from the two you pushed together) and loop it through itself. This will secure it to the spoke. If you've ever looped two rubber bands together, it's the same looping. I forgot to take a picture, but thankful Disney didn't! Here's what I'm talking about:

6. You add loops of your t-shirt material using the same method. Wrap each loop through the existing loop, then through itself, pulling snuggly. Look, all kids can do it, even a 4-year old!

7. Continue this pattern for the entire rug. Instead of pulling on the loops push them towards the center. You CAN and WILL distort the rug by pulling on them.

Mr.E shows what your rug should look like.

Step.8 pt. 2 Knotting the loop to the nearest Spoke.

8. When you get to the end of your rug, snip the end of the loop and tie it to the closest spoke. I always do double knots.

9.Then you can begin to slice the spokes, pulling them through the last loop and double knotting them together. As you can see I didn't have a lot of room to do this.

Step 9. Cutting the spokes.

Step 9, knotting the spokes.

I had noticed towards the end of a little distortion, but when I was finished the hoop was in an odd shape and the rug was "bowling". I took a few pictures to show you:

My "rug" a.k.a. my new basket. Glamourous? No. But we all learn from our mistakes, right?

THINGS I DID NOT PAY TOO MUCH ATTENTION TO THAT MAYBE MADE THE DIFFERENCE:

Disney Family Fun said to treat each spoke as one for the first 8 inches then as two separate spokes for the rest of the rug. I glazed over this, and it might have made a difference. Disney also said to stop 8 inches from the hula hoop. I also didn't do that. I don't know if it made a difference or not.I also let the kids do a lot of the work, so they could have been pulling on it. And on another note, this project took a few days to complete and in the meantime the hula hoop was definitely played with. Would it have ended up different if I had kept it safe? I don't know. I have definitely got enough t-shirts to re-do this project in the future, and I definitely will.

Now, my rug was warped. I was very disappointed. Until I realized it made a neat little basket. And you know what it was just perfect to hold? All the t-shirt scraps!

 Final note: NO hula-hoops were harmed in the making of this project. After cutting the rug of the hula-hoop, it popped back into shape. I only wish I had the elasticity.