review Archives - Spoonful of Imagination

Fall Essentials

August 18, 2014 By Erica Deuel 7 Comments

Disclosure: I received these items from Duluth Trading Company for free to review, but when I swoon and say I love them…that is all me. I love this company!

The weather is getting cooler, the nights are getting shorter, and everywhere you look you see back to school signs, pictures, and reminders that summer is over. It went too fast. I love everything about summer, but I must say fall is my favorite.

It may be because I am a November born baby and live in Georgia. The trees turn the most beautiful colors around my birthday and I can’t help but yearn to be in them. You may remember my birthday hike last year where I wore my new favorite flannel from Duluth Trading Company.

As crazy as it is to think about, it is that time of year again! Fall is here! I wore my Free Swingin Flapjack Flannel just about everyday last year. I loved it. I found that it was so warm, cute and could cover my bed shirts in a fashionable way as I grabbed it quickly when leaving the house.

I was so excited when giving the opportunity to try more of Duluth Trading’s awesome products.

As a busy mom of three, that homeschools and wants my kids around me constantly, I am guilty of not taking care of myself. When there is money to spend I would rather buy my kids new jeans than to do something for myself. I am often tired and have gray hairs because of it. Can you relate?

The older I get though, the more I am aware of quality and wanting to live simply. In my younger years, I loved to buy all those clearance shirts and items that I may wear one day for that perfect party, dinner, bridal shower, etc. Now that I have a few years of unworn items in my closet and experienced wearing amazing-ness all last fall in my Duluth Flannel, I so would rather have a few quality items that I love and hold up to my crazy life.

That is Duluth Trading Company. They make amazing products for the everyday use. They are not intended to be worn once or twice on a beautiful model, but to be used daily, worn well by real people. They are made to last and are incredible. I can honestly say, my flannel from last year (that I wore everyday), looks as good today as the day I originally pulled it out of the box.

This year, I am excited to put my new Crosscut Flannel Tunic to the same test. I love how soft it feels, the pockets, convertible sleeves with snaps, extra length, flexibility to move as life requires, and it is still so cute. I mean, look at that turquoise. Is it me or what?

I am also ecstatic to try their Lifetime Leather Messenger Bag as well. We all know as busy moms we continually have items floating around in the car. I feel like at any one item I am trying to carry like thirty items with me as we load in the van. Often there are books to finish up school at a park or waiting room, change of clothes for my stubborn three-year old (who doesn’t mind having accidents in her car seat), packages to mail at the post office, my calendar, snacks, etc.

This bag is beautiful, and it will be my go to-to help carry all those items as we leave the house.

When my Duluth Trading package arrive, I literally pulled out my bag and held it up to my nose to smell. You can see the quality instantly. It is made of thick, supple, oiled beautiful cowhide and will last for years. Duluth Trading has said it has “old world quality and attention to detail.” Which is a big deal. You can read more here, but they test their products out on real people living life months before the product ever hits the market. They take in feedback, tweak their product and release a perfect product. I know this bag will grow even more beautiful with use.

I love how this bag has a front flap that secures with an antique brass hardware and hidden magnetic closure. The inner pockets allow for some organization to be able to grab items quickly and easily, and the adjustable strap with padded shoulder grip makes this a comfortable bag. I foresee using it often.

I am especially excited to use it to hold my craft supplies that I take on just about every outing that we will be in the car for longer than 3o minutes (which is often in Atlanta).

I wouldn’t share this company with you unless I meant it when I said they are awesome. I know I will use these items all the time, and now that I have them-I believe they are fall essentials. I am so excited to have something that I love and will help this tired mom feel a bit more just like a girl. Go indulge browsing Duluth Trading and get something for you (or your man) while preparing for the fall. You won’t regret it.

The Essential Party Item

December 2, 2013 By Erica Deuel Leave a Comment

“This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign withPollinate Media Group™ and Cottonelle, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #CottonelleHoliday http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO.”

In order to host a party, we all have a few essential things we like to buy or make sure we have on hand. It may be a certain food, drink, or game. When I think of hosting a party for my family, that is easily 20 +/- people, I can think of one thing for certain we need to have on hand. Toilet paper.

Growing up with five brothers and three sisters, the three bathrooms we had seemed to always be occupied. After a meal or riding home in our 15 passenger van, we were constantly “calling” bathrooms just like you would call “shotgun” in the car. Bathrooms were a hot commodity in a large family. Having toilet paper in that bathroom was an even hotter commodity. As one of the oldest, I often had the job of reloading the toilet paper roll. Otherwise, the loose roll would somehow make its way into the toilet. I can remember countless times growing up and having to yell from the bathroom, begging someone to bring me a roll.

This year, I got to host my family’s Christmas celebration. We did it while everyone was in town for Thanksgiving, so we called it “Thanksmas”. I knew with my 8 siblings, 2 parents, all the spouses and a niece and nephew coming…I needed to be prepared.

Instead of creating a little pyramid of toilet paper rolls behind the toilet (that may or may not have made it to the toilet paper holder), I decided to head to Target and buy a 12 pack of Cottonelle Triple Roll toilet paper.

One roll of this toilet paper lasts for a while. Even when there is a 24 person party happening. We may have still dashed for the bathroom, but we did not have to restock it.

Thanks to Cottonelle, I hosted a large family gathering and got to enjoy my holiday party (even with flowers on the back of the toilet rather than extra rolls). I never once checked to see if the bathroom had enough toilet paper or worried about restocking. Not having to worry about refilling toilet paper rolls was so nice, and not getting stuck in the bathroom without toilet paper was also nice.

While Supplies last, if you head to Target and buy a Cottonelle triple Roll 12 pack or larger you can get a FREE box of Kleenex. Print this coupon to get this offer. **The RevTrax system will only let you click this coupon twice per IP address, so please do not click on it till you are ready to print.

I hope your Thanksgiving party was a success with your essentials covered. Prep yourself for the rest of the holidays by stocking up on your TP!

Art in History Craft Kit {Review & Giveaway}

November 5, 2013 By Erica Deuel 32 Comments

Disclosure: I received this product for free to review. I was compensated for my time, but all opinions are my own.

Being a part of my son’s learning experience is one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. I am constantly surprised by what I am learning with him as well. We have been studying Egypt this fall, and I am reading aloud books that fascinate me. It is so cool how these little lessons carry over to our everyday life, and we can talk about it freely since we are discovering it together.

I was so excited when I was asked to review a project from Art in History. “AMAZING fit” was all I could think. I love art and we are loving history this year. I got to choose what project I wanted and I choose the King Tutankhamun Tomb Frieze.

As part of this project’s description says “much of our understanding of Egyptian daily life comes from paintings and reliefs that decorate tombs.” I can’t think of a better way to learn history than to study the art and replicate it. This project came with a lesson plan that we read through as a review while Caleb started painting his frieze (painted or sculpted decoration on a wall).

As a first grader, Caleb loved that this project was all his to create. He loved mixing the colors and completing his own masterpiece from start to finish.

I love that this project came with everything I needed. Every supply that I needed, I pulled from the box. It had paint, a brush, sponge, plate pallet, the lesson plan with pictures and maps, and an easy step by step tutorial on how to replicate their example frieze.

Caleb loved the hands on approach to learning. For a young guy, he really got to realize the work it took to write in hieroglyphics by writing his name in them!

He is so proud of his piece and quickly ran to show it to his siblings when he was done.

Benefits of Art in History

It was a fun hands on educational experience.
It creates a meaningful time for you to participate in the learning experience.
It saved time by not having to scour the web for a project that would work with our history subject.
It eliminated stress by having to find and buy all the project’s supplies.
This project came straight to my door, and we just had to open the box to start it.

Discovery through Creativity

I am a firm believer of discovery through creativity. I love that even though this lesson had a tutorial that told us what to do, my son felt the freedom to make it his own. He created a “rough” line at the bottom rather than the black line because he felt it displayed a more dirty ground like the Egyptians had. Plus, he was afraid to paint his hieroglyphics because he didn’t want to ruin them, so he asked to use a Sharpie instead. He had a voice and created something he is proud of and the hands on approach will probably hold Egypt facts in his head a lot longer than just reading or being told about it.

You might not be studying Egypt, no worries! Art in History has a wide range of World History and US History projects to choose from as well. I am already browsing their catalog for our next project. You should too! I know you will find something you love.

SAVE 10% off all orders over $100. Enter coupon code: HOMESCHOOL10 upon checkout. Valid through 11/30/13.

In addition to the kits, Art in History is now selling their craft paint as well. Art in History is happy to announce that they have created a paint line to meet the specific needs of the craft industry and the classroom. Their custom paints are safe, have no odor, are non-toxic, and conform to ASTM D-4236 safety standards. All acrylic paints are conveniently packaged in 2 oz. bottles. Their all-purpose paints can be used on bisque, wood, metal, plastic, and other general craft projects. Those can be purchased here.

PLEASE NOTE: All historically correct paint colors are included with purchase of Artifact(s). Paint colors may vary depending on monitor variations.

I have good news for you! You can win your own Art in History kit!

Details:

Winner will receive 1 art kit ($9.95 value, plus S/H)
Winner may choose from any World History or US History project
Winner will be notified via email and must respond within 48 hours
Winner must have a US or Military address

**If you buy a kit now and win the giveaway, Art in History will refund your cost of one project (9.95 plus S/H)**

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks so much for checking in! To learn more and stay connected with Art in History visit them online, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or YouTube.

Homeright Paintstick Ez-Twist Paint Roller

October 31, 2013 By Erica Deuel 5 Comments

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post on behalf of Homeright, but all opinions are mine.

Matt went out-of-town this week. He had a quick business trip, and I had a chance to get into his office and paint it. We share this office as it houses both of our computers. For two creative people, this office has been really boring. It needed life.

I got to learn a little about Homeright and their products at Haven this year. I was so excited when they asked if I would want to review one of their paint products. You know since I have moved into this new house, I have been on a mission to add color to all these bare walls. With Matt gone, I jumped at the chance to my pull my Homeright paintstick out and put it to work. Matt might not want to leave town again for a while because he came home to a purple wall 🙂

I absolutely love the upgrade to our new space. I can’t get over how easy it was. To be completely honest I am not a patient person. I tend to jump into things and figure it out as I go rather than spend the time to research and do it right. I made my self open the instructions of the paintstick though. I knew if I was to give this an accurate review-I had to do it right. The instructions were so easy to follow. The simple picture and one sentence description was perfect. I had my stick ready in seconds.

I laid our a cardboard box and plastic tarp out of habit when I go to paint. I didn’t need either of them. This paint stick takes the paint right out of the can and fills the tube. It prevents so many messes. I had a tray ready, and I didn’t even need it.

Once the paint is in the tube, you simply twist the handle to push it to the roller. I was scared with would it drip. Was it going to give my wall an even coat? The answer is yes!

I pulled our desk out far enough from the wall to tape my paint area off and to cut it in with a brush, but as you can see I couldn’t fully move the desk for total access to the wall. I was so grateful for the long extension paintstick to help me get the job done. Even with the desk in the way and high ceilings, the paintstick enabled me to paint the wall without any ladders.

Homeright’s Paintstick Ez-Twist Paint Roller let me paint an accent wall in my office in record time. It was so fast. It wasn’t till I was finished painting that I realized I hadn’t put my usual paint scrubs on. I didn’t need them! I am very impressed. To see a really quick time lapse video of how this paintstick roller compares to a regular roller and a paint sprayer-check out the video on this page.

My biggest question now is “what should I paint next!?” Thank you Homeright for the great product! To learn more about Homeright visit them online, twitter, or facebook.

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