Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Monster Hand Puppets!
























I recently participated in a box exchange on a group I belong to on facebook. Box Love B/S/T is a place where people who subscribe to subscription boxes can buy, sell or trade their items with other people who also love sub boxes! Because we all love getting surprise boxes in the mail every month we recently did a box exchange with each other. One of our awesome group members was kind enough to organize everything by getting our information, what we would like in our box and what we wanted to send out. I was paired with another mom, however most others did not have the same person that had them. I had "C" and she has two little boys. I decided to make them a couple hand puppets to include in their trade box from Sophistication as I have seen so many "Monster" theme'd things this summer that are popular for kids recently.  These are really simple to make whether you crochet or knit.  Take a basic mitten pattern and add extra "thumbs" for the extra arms.  Easy peasy :-)  Enjoy

Monday, July 22, 2013

Summer Project #1: Toy Storage



One of my summer projects was building toy storage for Sophistication.  I am still amazed at how great it turned out!  The final project measures 14"H x 22"D x 48"L.  We decided to do a larger compartment in the middle to hold larger items like Sophistication bowling set, guitar and other toys.  I also thought that this would be good for when she gets older and can be utilized as shoe storage.  Boots and sneakers in the middle, heals and flip flops on the sides, was my thinking.  I cheated by buying pre-sanded wood at Lowe's to save on time and sacrificed money.  The total length was determined by me not wanting to have to cut the wood length by 6 inches to match the book shelf that I wanted to sit on top of the toy storage, also laziness.


List of items I used:
2   4ft x 20inch pre-sanded wood panel:             $15.94 each
2   4ft x 12inch pre-sanded wood panel:             $11.94 each
1   4 ft x 6 inch pre-sanded wood panel:             $9.76
1   8ft x 1 inch interior corner molding:                $2.98
1   quart Mahogany Flame stain (over half left!):  $16.48
1   quart fast drying Polyurethane:                       $10.77
4   Dollar store paint brush 3 pack
     Gorilla Glue (on hand)
     1 1/4 inch screws  (something like this here)  not sure exactly WHAT my hubby used but this is what they LOOK like.

Total cost:  around $100 (due to having NO clue what hubby spent on screws)

I found similar toy storage's for the same or even more in cost.  One here is smaller in length and would not work for what I wanted it to do.  Same with this one.  Even though I paid a similar cost to hand build our storage, it's something that Sophistcation will be able to know as she grows that mommy and daddy made it for her.  Another reason I love our design!

We chose the color to match the book case I wanted to stack on it.  I have had this book shelf since I was a child.  One other thing we have "planned" is to make a flip top lid for the storage using another piece of 4 ft x 20 inch wood (un-purchased thus far) and piano hinges.  I will also need to purchase more polyurethane as we used the ENTIRE quart!    Now your wondering where the second 20 inch width panel went that I already purchased.  Well I had Lowe's cut it into 12 inch sections for the side walls.  My cousin cut the angles on the now 12 inch x 20 inch sections for me as I do not own the tools (also remember above... I'm lazy!)  At this point my husband decided he was going to "put" it together himself so it would be "Our" project and not "My" project.  He pre-drilled all the screw holes and did the "sinks" for the top of the screws.  I MADE him gorilla glue between the panels so no dust and dirt and toy junk would get in between the sections and to make for easier cleaning in the future.  Then one coat of stain, 5 coats of poly then voila! it's done!  I hope you enjoy my little project. :-)




Post contains links to where I purchased materials myself.  Prices and availability subject to change.  I received NO compensation for this post.  IF you stack items like shelves PLEASE remember to use wall mounts so your little one can NOT pull it down on themselves!  Safety first!

Friday, July 19, 2013

Munchit Subscription Box Review Week 2!

Banana Split!  Yum!

There's a new Subscription Box on the block and I happened to receive my second box this week.  Munchit is a box of snacks that are delivered to your door once a week for only $3.58!  This includes shipping!

Included in your box is an all natural food snack mix of your choice.  You can pick one or more varieties so you can be surprised on which one you get.   There are currently 10 flavor combinations with what looks like more to come.  Your snack mix comes in a two portion container.  I received  Banana Split and it is a concoction of Banana coins, butter toffee almonds and honey roasted peanuts.  I normally do not enjoy almonds but I LOVED these!

My only complaint is that the mix you receive is supposed to be a two serving size.  I would personally prefer the portion to be a one serving size at a specific calorie count instead of different calories depending on the mix.  After thinking about it for some time this week, I think somewhere between 200 to 250 calories would be a good portion.  This is considering the fact that there is NO way I could only eat half of what arrives as it's just THAT YUMMY!

First Look
 Next, make your choices for hot and iced teas.  There are ten hot tea flavors and five iced tea flavors to choose from.  Your box will contain one of either hot or cold.  I received Twinings Green Tea with Mint Iced Tea and was able to make a few cups of tea out if it as I don't like mine brewed very long.

 Choose your all natural treat next!  There are several different hard candies as well as a couple chocolates.  I received the Organic Cherry Hard Candy. It was quite yummy!  This one is not listed on the website however I clicked surprise me! :-) Now if I only had 2 or 3 in the box to have on another day.
 Lastly you get all natural gum.  The gum is Xylitol based.  There are four little squares of gum in the box which I used two at a time last week but haven't used them this week as I'm on vacation.

Thank you Tim for my wonderful box!
All in all I really did love everything in this box.  I wish I could get the snack mix in bulk!  Or even order multiples of just the snack mix to toss into my husbands and my lunches.

Munchit can be found on their Facebook Page Here or on their website Here!


  I received this box for free as there was a computer glitch with "Fred" the Munchit billing computer.  There was a cute little note included in my box that you can see in the First Look photo explaining what happened.  However, I loved it.  I can not say if Sophistication loved it as it arrived during her nap time and mommy didn't share!  All opinions are my own and even though I did receive this box free from Munchit, I was not influenced by the free product and I would never recommend anything to anyone that I would not, myself, use or that I felt was not worth spending money on. 

I've suspended my subscription for a few weeks while I'm on vacation to preserve freshness but I will start up again mid-August so be on the lookout for more reviews!

Munchit only delivers to some states at this time.  They can be found here.

P.S. I added up the shipping on the box and it's $2.41!  Wow! That's crazy when they charge nothing for shipping!

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Influenster I Do Vox Box Review

 I was lucky enough to receive an Influenster Something Blue VoxBox, also known as the I Do VoxBox this summer.  I have waited to do the review to give myself some time to try the products.  First off I was surprised on how much was included in the box.

First off is the Luster Now! Instant Whitening Toothpaste.  I loved how quickly this got my teeth white, however I did not like the taste.  After the first use I actually re-brushed my teeth with my regular tooth paste to get the taste out of my mouth.  But it is amazing how quickly it does get your teeth white!

Next are Kiss Nails everEZlashes.  I had NEVER used fake eye lashes before!  I was quite surprised that I got two boxes and a coupon!  My 18 year old cousin already stole the second box and the coupon!  Needless to say I was horrible at attempting to put them on, and they just felt funny to me.  Although my trip to the store a local lady noticed how full and long my lashes were so that was a bonus!   If I ever had to use fake lashes for something again (i.e. photos) I would definitely use this product!

Next were Precision Tip Qtips.  For some reason I can't find the photo even though I know I took one!  There were also two travel size boxes included.  I love these for cleaning things!  I used them to clean my keyboard on both my desk top and my laptop!

The Urgent Rx Fast Powder for headache relief to-go is amazing!  The only disappointment is the closest place that sells it to where I live is an hour and a half away from me!  I NEED to get some of these to toss in my purse for when I'm on the go!

Dr.Scholl's For Her Ball of Foot cushions were also included.  I don't wear heals very often but these would be a god send when I do.  However, I do use Dr.Scholl's cushions in my shoes on a daily basis as I'm a server and extra support is a MUST!

Lastly was a discount to MyTrio Rings.  I had never heard of this company before and the jewelry looks sublime.  I'm already married but I did pass this information onto my cousins who were getting married and looking for rings.  Hopefully my husband remembers this site when he's looking for a Christmas present for me this year ;-)

Below is the information card included in the box.  I love when companies include values on items when they send you things to try like this because you can really think about if you would buy the items in the future or if they are a miss for you.



 This is the first thing I have EVER had the pleasure to review complimentary!  Yay!  However, I was not influenced by the free product and I would never recommend anything to anyone that I would not, myself, use or that I felt was not worth spending money on.  I hope you enjoyed my input and thoughts on these products and that they help you make your own informed decisions on whether to purchase them or not. 


Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Auto Awesome with Google Android Photo Backup!


 For those of you who are not android users, you may not realize that android automatically backs up your photos. 
Well, when your phone backs up those pictures there is a NEW surprise in store for you. 
Auto Awesome is a new tool used to create fun extra photos for you. 
Auto Awesome, automatically makes Mix Photo's like seen on the left. 
It also makes Motion photos out of 5 or more photos taken in succession.  I love this new motion animation of Sophistication! 
 
 
 








There are also a few other options but I have not taken any pictures that prompt these Auto Awesome options.  These include HDR (High Dynamic Range), Smile (merging photos of groups with the best smile) and Pano ( a series of photos with overlapping landscape views into one panoramic image.)

 
I love these new animations and mix photos.  I wonder when I'll actually be able to use the other options though ;-) 
 
I hope you enjoyed and if you'd like to follow please click the follow button on the right.
 
~ Dee  a.k.a. Sophistications Mom



Thursday, July 11, 2013

Munchit Subscription Box Review

box size compared to packaging tape! 

There's a new Subscription Box on the block and I happened to receive one today!  Munchit is a box of snacks that are delivered to your door once a week for only $3.58!  This includes shipping.

Aww, Nicole packed my box!  Thanks Nicole! 
Sophistication tried to dig in before I could get a picture.
Included in your box is an all natural food snack mix of your choice.  You can pick one or more varieties so you can be surprised on which one you get.   There are currently 10 flavor combinations with what looks like more to come.  Your snack mix comes in a two portion container.  I received the Red Eye and it was amazing!

 Next, make your choices for hot and iced teas.  There are ten hot tea flavors and five iced tea flavors to choose from.  Your box will contain one of either hot or cold.  I received Twinings Peach Iced Tea and was able to make a few cups of tea out if it as I don't like mine brewed very long.

 Choose your all natural treat next!  There are several different hard candies as well as a couple chocolates.  I received the Organic Mini Dark Chocolate.  What the website doesn't tell you is that this is Swiss Chocolate and it is by far the BEST dark chocolate I have ever had! :-)

 Lastly you get all natural gum.  The gum is Xylitol based.  There are four little squares of gum in the box which I used two at a time.

All in all I really did love everything in this box.  I wish I could get the snack mix in bulk so I would have it all week long as both Sophistication and I loved it.  It was actually a war on who got to eat it.


Now she's stealing my treats!

Finally a child free picture!
















Sophistication picking out what she wants to eat next.
Yumm Mommy!




















Munchit can be found on their Facebook Page Here or on their website Here!


  I received this box for free as I was one of the first 300 to sign up for a box when it launched last week.  However, I loved it and so did Sophistication.  I am eagerly awaiting next weeks box to see what I get new to try.  All opinions are my own and even though I did receive this box free from Munchit, I was not influenced by the free product and I would never recommend anything to anyone that I would not, myself, use or that I felt was not worth spending money on.

Munchit only delivers to some states at this time.  They can be found here.

P.S. I just added up the shipping on the box and it's $2.41!  Wow! That's crazy when they charge nothing for shipping!


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