Crafty Confessions of a Brainy Mom: November 2012

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Tophatter Review and a $10 Credit!

I have a new addiction and its name is Tophatter. Tophatter is a live online auction house where you can find just about anything from craft supplies to jewelry to electronics. It operates just like a real auction house. Bidding on items was exciting and addictive, and really brought out my competitive spirit. The best part is that it is so easy to use!

When you sign up for Tophatter you will be taken through a short tutorial on how to use the site. After that you just choose an auction to attend. You can RSVP for auctions that are happening later in the day and you can even receive text reminders about not only the auctions, but specific items! I used this feature for a ring that I was absolutely IN LOVE with, and guess what? I won! My ring should be here any day.

Source: MS gunsmokestudio*com

In addition to my amazing new ring, I was able to buy the Deluxe Anniversary Edition of Monopoly for only $6 and 18 glass beautiful glass vials for only $7! Those vials are going to be perfect for my Etsy shop and to use as Christmas presents.

Source: Mary Kay Vintage Estate Sale

Source: The Tipsy Mermaid's Jewelry Supplies and More

Tophatter isn't just a place to buy. You can also sell your own items. I'm planning to sell a few of my crochet goodies in the handmade auction later this week!

Right now Crafty Confessions readers will get a $10 credit when you sign up for Tophatter and spend $11 on an auction. How great is that? Just click Tophatter to get started.

Have you discovered the addictive new auction site called Tophatter, where buyers bid for sellers’ unique goods in fast-paced virtual auction rooms? From crafts and DIY projects, to antiques, jewelry, home décor and much more, there’s no limit to what you can discover on Tophatter.

With live auctions every day, sellers get to showcase their wares from around the world to a community of thousands of buyers, and answer questions via chat as the clock ticks down. Each lot sells in an average of two minutes, so buyers must bid quickly!

Tophatter’s auctions become interactive live events where buyers and sellers can hang out, chat, and win. Led by the esteemed Sir Wendell Wattington and his animated family, Tophatter auctions keep the fun rolling in.

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

Monday, November 26, 2012

Tuesday Confessional Link Party

Welcome back to the Tuesday Confessional Link Party! I missed you all last week. It was a crazy week full of birthdays, in-laws, food poisoning, and other fun sickness. Things are starting off pretty mild this week and I'm crossing my fingers that it stays that way. I'm also crossing my fingers that plenty of you will link up this week. I always love to see what you have made!

Don't forget to link back here with a link or button and visit some of the other great link-ups! Wow...that's a lot of links! ;)

Pinecone Nativity Scene

This is a fun and easy project that you can do alone or with your family. If you are like me and can't find any big pinecones outside you can find large pinecones at Michael's. Bonus: They smell like cinnamon!

Merino Kids Baby Sleep Sack Review

The weather is officially cold and if you are like me your little one does not keep his covers on at night. I can't count the number of times I have been awakened by a cold baby in need of bundling. A great solution to this is the Merino Kids Sleep Sack.

I received the cornflower blue sleep sack in the mail and was instantly impressed. This isn't some flimsy lightweight baby sack. It is surprisingly heavy duty and soft at the same time. The outer layer is made from organic cotton while the inner layer is soft, superfine merino wool. While super-comfy for your little one, it is also caregiver friendly. The sack opens to lay your baby down and then closes around them. You can also just unzip the bottom for easy diaper changes.

Another great feature of the Merino Sleep Sack is the patented safety belt aperture that allows your baby to wear the sleep sack in a car seat or stroller. We used this feature just last week. We knew we would be getting home past bedtime, so we snuggled Philly into his sleep sack and placed him in the car seat. As predicted, he fell asleep on the car ride home. All we had to do was gently take him out and place him in his crib. What an easy transition!

The Merino Sleep Sack is comfy enough for a tickle fight with Daddy!

Philly relaxing in his sleep sack after naptime

I love this product. While it is more expensive than a run-of-the-mill sleep sack, the quality speaks for itself. I am confidant that this sleep sack with survive life with Phily and be as good as new for the next Moon baby.

The sleep sack is so soft that Philly likes to snuggle it even when he isn't wearing it.

The Merino Kids Baby and Toddler Sleeps Sacks are available for kids 0-2 and 2-4. To purchase your own Merino Kids Sleep Sack check out the Merino Kids website.

I received the Merino Kids Baby Sleep Sack to review. All opinions are 100% mine.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Just Dance 4 Review

Thank you to Ubisoft for sponsoring this post. Please click here to learn more about Ubisoft. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective. #UbiChamps

Are you are looking for something fun to do this Thanksgiving other than watch football? Just Dance 4 is the perfect family or solo activity to counter-act that turkey tryptophan overdose and burn off the calories from that second helping of mashed potatoes! With over 40 songs to dance to, and a fun battle mode for competing with friends and family, Just Dance 4 is just what the doctor ordered this holiday.

Since receiving Just Dance 4 our family has played every day and sometimes several times a day. I babysit a couple of the neighborhood kids and this game has been a great way to keep them busy and use up energy on cold days.

The play list on Just Dance 4 is by far my favorite yet. It includes songs like "Call Me Maybe", "Beauty and the Beat", and "Love You Like a Love Song", as well as some oldies but goodies like "Time Warp" (my personal FAVORITE), "Jailhouse Rock" and "Oops I Did It Again". Yes...if you are over 21 then Oops I Did It Again is an oldie. Deal with it! Speaking of oldies...my mother even joined in on the fun while visiting last weekend.

Just kidding about the oldie part, Mom! I love you!

I have been having SO much fun playing with the kids and I have even lost a few pounds! I have such a hard time getting motivated to work out, but this game is such a blast that it doesn't feel like work. As a busy mom anything that doesn't feel like more work is a winner in my book!

To pick up your own copy of Just Dance 4 head over to Amazon.com or ToysRUs.com.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Alphabet Photography Review

If you are looking for a beautiful, personalized gift this holiday season Alphabet Photography is a great way to go. Alphabet Photography is a collection of beautiful photos from an amazing photographer named Jennifer Blakeley. These gorgeous photos are the product of almost 2 years of traveling around North America taking photos of objects and places that resemble letters of the alphabet!

These amazing photos are available on the Alphabet Photography website to create any word you desire, including your family name! Just go to the Alphabet Photography site and enter the word you wish to make. There is a huge variety available for each letter so you can customize it exactly the way you want. For our photo we chose to do our last name Moon with hearts on either side. Yes…hearts! There is also a great variety of frames to chose from.

Our alphabet photography is framed in a 3” solid wood frame with a dark Chocolate finish accented with gold leaf. The frame is matted with a museum quality double mat with a V groove. It is even hand signed and dated by the artist! Together with the photos it has made our living room look welcoming and sophisticated. It has really transformed the space.

I was so thrilled to receive my Alphabet Photography. It was a wonderful experience from the moment it arrive. It was beautifully packaged with a lovely card from the photographer. Did I mention it was packaged in bubble wrap? My kids had a hay day with that one!

Alphabet Photography makes a great gift for the holidays or to mark a special occasion such as a wedding or anniversary.

The perfect customized gift that includes photographs from all over the world, this is the original Alphabet Photography. Celebrity owners include: Prince Charles, Prince William and Kate, Tyra Banks, Ryan Seacrest, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, John Schneider, Nelly Furtado, and many more!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Alphabet Photography. The opinions and text are all mine.

Tuesday Confessional Link Party

Welcome back to the Tuesday Confessional link party! I hope you all had a great week and that those of you on the East Coast are recovering from Sandy. My thoughts have been with you. My laptop has been on the fritz, so I didn't get a chance to go over last week's link-ups, but I will be doing that this morning.

Let's get on to the party! Please link back here with a text or button and be sure to follow me. I can't wait to see what you've got!

DIY Detective Kit

My daughter Samantha is turning 7 in a few weeks and she is my little bookworm. Her favorite genre of books is mystery. She also loves watching mystery movies and Scooby Doo. For her birthday gift I decided to make Samantha her very own detective kit.

Tuesday Confessional Link Party

Welcome back to the Tueday Confessional link party! Are you as sick of all the election crap as I am?? I can't wait for it to be over so we can all start getting along. As long as the current/future President doesn't put a legal limit on glitter life will continue as usual in the Moon house. Do you know what else will continue? The Tuesday Confessional, so let's get started!

Don't forget to link back here and enjoy some of the other great link-ups.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Today I am thankful for...free printable

November is here and that means Thanksgiving. While we should always be grateful for everything we have, this is the month when we remember the most. This is also a great month to teach our children to be thankful. For this reason I created the "Today I am thankful for..." printable. Each day our family will write what we are thankful for. I plan to keep this one up all year.

Just download and print, then frame or laminate the page and use with a dry-erase marker.