Showing posts with label how to. Show all posts
Showing posts with label how to. Show all posts

Friday, July 25, 2014

Saving Money and #Weekend #Linky

Welcome to my weekend blog hop -
Make My Saturday Sweet #91!


I was approached by Cassie, the community manager for Dollar Shave Club, to write a post about "shaving time and/or shaving money." In case you didn't know, Dollar Shave Club ships top quality razors and grooming supplies to their members for a few bucks a month.

 I know that saving money is an important topic for a lot of women, so I thought to share on how I "shave money" by managing my fresh and frozen food purchases well.

 When I first got married, I thought to do all the shopping for a week or more and that this would save time. Maybe it saves time by not needing to go regularly to the store, but it doesn't save money or the quality of perishable foods. What would inevitably happen is that food would get forgotten in the fridge and perish. Or maybe it wouldn't perish, but the longer the food is kept in the fridge, the more vitamins are lost.
  • Eat perishable food as fresh as possible by buying less and more often.
  • Don't over-pack the fridge as food can get forgotten and leave space for leftovers.
How I store fresh and frozen food:

Butternut, Avocado and Oranges

Potatoes and Onions

Open condiments, ripe tomatoes, lettuce,
apples, meat, cheese, yogurt, drinks, etc.

Frozen fish, frozen vegetables,
ice cream, ice cubes and bread

Frozen slices of bread
in the toaster

You can store bread and croissants in the freezer if you aren't eating them right away. Do not store these items in the refrigerator as it dries them out. I have a button on my toaster for frozen sliced bread, but any toaster will do fine.

Meals at Home:

Croissant crisped in the oven with Hickory Ham,
Scrambled Egg and Melted Cheese 

Steak with Veggies and Scalloped Potatoes and
a Homemade Red Wine Sauce

Hot Dog and left-over Scalloped Potatoes
from the night before

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Make My Saturday Sweet is a weekend blog hop for all family friendly blogs. You are welcome to link your favorite post from the past week(s) and to visit the last link before yours and leave a sweet comment. It's a really easy and fun way to make new friends and to catch up on old acquaintances.

Now on to my blog hop...

Amanda’s Books and More

It's time for another Make My Saturday Sweet blog hop!

Join me (your host) for this fun and easy hop.
All family friendly blogs are welcome!

If you host your own blog hop(s), then feel free to
link them on my Blog Hops page!

I would love for you to follow me on

Here are the easy rules:
  • Follow Tina (your host) on one or more links listed above.
  • Link up a post from your family friendly blog.
  • Please try to add my hop button on your post or side-bar.
  • Share about this hop on Twitter, Google+ or Facebook.
  • Visit the last link before yours and leave a sweet comment.
Blog Button Code:

Amanda’s Books and More

This is a blog hop!
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Posted by Christina Morley at Friday, July 25, 2014 Comments Labels: , , , ,

Thursday, June 19, 2014

How Andrew Got His Spots with $25 #Giveaway!

How Andrew Got His Spots -
Blog Tour and $25 Giveaway!

How Andrew Got His Spots - Blog Tour Button FINAL
How Andrew Got His Spots - Blog Tour


 Title: How Andrew Got His Spots | Author: Louise Lintvelt | Illustrator: Julie Sneeden | Publication Date: April 16, 2014 | Publisher: eBookPartnership.com | Number of pages: 15 | Recommended age: 3 to 8

Summary:

Poor Andrew is feeling very blue, all the other giraffes are very spotty but he is as white as can be. He does not have any spots, you see! He keeps seeing spots wherever he goes…

One spot,
two spots,
three spots,
Four!
And many, many, many more.

“Where did you get your spots?” he asks. Join Andrew as he discovers how the ladybug, the leopard and the owl came to have spots and discovers that spots often appear when you are least expecting them!

This is a wonderful rhyming picture book for children of all ages.


Narrated Video:
How Andrew Got His Spots



My Review

How Andrew Got His Spots is a fun rhyming book for children ages 2 to 6. Andrew is a young giraffe who doesn't have any spots. He goes on a quest to find out how the other animals got theirs. His search brings him to a number of spotted animals that live in Africa. Andrew doesn't feel like he fits in, because he doesn't have any spots. Children can identify with Andrew, because there might be times when they also feel like they don't fit in. After parents and teachers have read this story aloud, they could ask their little listeners if they ever feel this way and how do they cope when they do.

My only complaint about the book is that the rhyming meter changes often. This does not help with the flow of the rhyme.

The author, Louise Lintvelt, suggested a couple of different activities that those of us on the blog tour could do. Amanda and I chose the paper plate giraffe activity. It's a fun and easy project that you can do with your kids.

How to Make a
Paper Plate Giraffe


What you will need:
Paper plate
Yellow paint
Yellow card board paper
Cream colored card board paper
Brown Marker/Crayon
Brown Pipe Cleaners
Glue
Scissors

 (I forgot the scissors
when I took the picture.)


We used items that we had at home. We didn't have any cool wiggly eyes, so I let Amanda choose if she wanted to go with buttons or draw her own. She chose to draw her own. I think it's important to improvise, if you don't want to run to the store. It took us about half and hour to make this cute giraffe head.


It's not often that I get to do a review for a South African author, but it's really neat when I do, because we live in South Africa. You can read more about her below.

Purchase:


 About the Author:
Louise Lintvelt
Louise Lintvelt
Louise Lintvelt

I am from South Africa and I live in a city called Pretoria. I am a Chemical Engineer by day and a children’s book writer by night. I am married to a wonderful man and we have a beautiful two year old daughter called Allegra. I love writing stories for my daughter, who is a constant inspiration.

I have always loved reading. My childhood was filled with books and you would often find me crouched in the corner of my room devouring the pages of my favourite book. I lived for Tuesday mornings as this would bring with it the excitement of a trip to the local library for story hour and the opportunity to take home a new book. I was the local librarian’s worst nightmare. I would arrive a few minutes early to check that she had not mistakenly chosen a book that had already been read in story hour.

I was a very bossy three year old with an insatiable appetite for books! This has not really changed much in the last twenty seven years. Dr. Seuss was my absolute favourite and to say that my copy of One, Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish Blue Fish was well read would be an understatement.

When it comes to writing, my daughter is my biggest inspiration. I love seeing her face light up with excitement when we sit down to read a book before bedtime. My daughter was fascinated by giraffes after we went on a safari trip in late 2012. This planted the seed for my picture book called How Andrew Got His Spots, which is a rhyming adaptation of a story I originally wrote in the third grade. My daughter has since grown into a healthy two year old with a passion for aircraft, which was the inspiration for writing Goodnight, Sleep tight, What a Wonderful Flight.

I am sure that there are many parents in the world (myself included), who are quite decidedly sick and tired of reading the same favourite picture book night after night. I believe that the words of Oscar Wilde best describe how children should feel about picture books when he said, If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.

Happy Reading!



 How Andrew Got His Spots Blog Tour Schedule (2014)

 June 17
June 18
June 19
June 20
June 21
June 22
June 23
June 24
June 25
June 26
June 27
June 28
June 29
June 30

* Blog Tour Giveaway *

Amazon 25 gift card

Prize: $25 Amazon Gift Card or PayPal cash (winner’s choice)

Contest ends: July 15, 11:59 pm, 2014

Open: Internationally

How to enter: Please enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.

Terms and Conditions: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. A winner will be randomly drawn through the Rafflecopter widget and will be contacted by email within 48 hours after the giveaway ends. The winner will then have 72 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within 72 hours, a new draw will take place for a new winner. Odds of winning will vary depending on the number of eligible entries received. This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. This giveaway is sponsored by the author, Louise Lintvelt and is hosted and managed by Renee from Mother Daughter Book Reviews. If you have any additional questions – feel free to send and email to Renee(at)MotherDaughterBookReviews(dot)com.



MDBR Book Promotion Services

Disclaimer: I received a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
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Posted by Christina Morley at Thursday, June 19, 2014 Comments Labels: , , , , , ,

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Picture Perfect Party Linky #69

It's time for another Wordless Wednesday (with or without words) link party! Check out my pictures and link your picture post below.

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Christmas watercolor fun for kids

I got my watercolor paper and watercolor paints out for Amanda to use. I'm usually very protective of my things and save stuff that eventually perishes, especially when it comes to good quality posessions like my art supplies. My paints and paper are from my teenage years living in Germany.

As you know, little kids use up stuff really fast, so it doesn't always make sense to give them something like real watercolor paper. Scrap paper is the norm around here. However, what's the use of having nice stuff when no one uses it or keeping it "safe" for so long that it perishes and becomes useless?

I don't think Amanda would have had nearly as much fun with crayons and paper. And yes, she does use up the good quality paper really fast, but the experience is worth it. She's also gaining knowledge about how to work with watercolor.

Here's a break down of what we used:

Watercolor paints
Watercolor paint-brushes
Watercolor paper
A pencil
Wrapping paper to copy from
Art masking fluid to make dots for snow-flakes
Permanent markers to outline the pictures
Stencils for the candle shapes

This is what we did:

I used the wrapping paper to give me something to copy from. I don't draw anything well from my head. I used permanent marker for my snowmen as I didn't want the marker to run when it got wet from the paint.

We applied lots of large dots with masking fluid that we later rubbed off after all the painting was done. The masking fluid puts a protective barrier on the paper that the water color cannot penetrate, leaving the paper white in those places.

Amanda did most of the stenciling of the candles with a pencil. I drew over them with permanent marker. She had the challenge of painting the background around the candles, so I helped her. I could have used the masking fluid to protect the candles until it was time to paint them.

She painted in the snowmen, but she wanted it to be a shared project, so I painted with her.




***************************

I took Christmas themed photos
of our sleeping cats.

Sheela sleeping among the Christmas bears

Sheela sleeping with her head hanging over the back of the couch

Sheela and Prince

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I have an awesome Christmas giveaway that's open world wide. One lucky winner will receive a beautifully illustrated children's edition of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Since I will be posting it from South Africa, it will probably arrive after Christmas.


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Take a look at my Bergsig Wine Estate - Part 1 post.
I've got lots of new photos to share with you.

The American and South African flags
flanking the Bergsig Estate flag

In case you missed it, here's the link

Pink blossoms in a plum orchard near McGregor

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Now on to my blog hop...

Amanda’s Books and More

Here's your chance to link up your Wordless Wednesday
(with or without words) or any picture post
at this Picture Perfect Party Linky.
Come join me on this fun and easy blog hop!
If you host your own blog hop(s), then feel free
to link them on my Blog Hops page!
I would love for you to follow me on
and
Follow on Bloglovin



Here are the easy rules:

  • Follow me. Please leave a comment so that I can follow back (as long as your blog is family friendly).
  • Link-up your post with a picture and follow as many new blogs as you like.
  • Grab the button below and add it on your post or side-bar.
  • Tell others about this hop on Twitter, Google+ or Facebook.

The Button Code:

Amanda’s Books and More

This is a Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

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Posted by Christina Morley at Tuesday, December 10, 2013 Comments Labels: , , , , , ,

Monday, December 2, 2013

How to Make Mixed Media

How to Make Mixed Media:
Christmas Symbols Theme


Making mixed media is a fun and easy art project
for the Christmas season. You don't have to be an
artist to make it look good. Some of these items you
will need to buy and some will come from your
Christmas scraps. You can use your own ideas too.

I chose to make a mixed media series on Christmas
symbols and their meanings.

The materials I used were:
Canvas Panel Primed for Oil and Acrylic Painting 9x12" (229x305mm)
my own photos with text printed on regular paper
acrylic paint in sap green, yellow ochre and white
brayer (that's the foam roller or use your fingers)
gold glitter paint
Christmas wrapping paper
Christmas stickers
Christmas card
ribbon
mod podge
paint brush
and cup of water

 Note:
You will need to let your canvas dry
between stages. Thankfully the acrylic
paint and mod podge dry quickly.


Here's an example of what you will need.

I mixed sap green acrylic paint with some water to thin it.

I applied the paint evenly over the canvas.
I like to see the canvas texture through the paint.

I applied the mod podge to the area I wanted to stick the paper to
or you can apply it directly to the back of the paper. After doing it
the first way, I later chose to do it the second way from then on.

I pressed the paper down evenly using
a brayer (or use your fingers).

I applied a second coat of mod podge over the paper
to protect it. My paper went kind of see-through after I
did this, so I chose not to with my other ones.

My scrap piece of Christmas card was too bright
for what I wanted, so I painted over it with a thin
layer of white acrylic paint.

 I wanted the large star to shine brightly, so
I avoided painting that area.

I then spread glitter paint with my fingers over my photo image,
but I decided later that it was not to my preference.

I added glitter paint for a border.

The glitter paint didn't work as a border, so
I painted a border with my yellow ochre.

I painted another border with my yellow ochre.

I added some ribbon and a Christmas scrapbook sticker.
I used the mod podge for the adhesive.

Here are my 6 original Christmas symbols
on canvas using mixed media.

Here is an example of my variety of 6 disposable Christmas placemats at the dinner table.

 I am selling a pack of 6 disposable Christmas
placemats with one of each inside a pack.
I will take orders until Dec. 4.
They are printed on A4 poster board.
A variety of 6 disposable placemats costs $14
with standard shipping and handling
(overseas shipping included)
and $22 if you buy two packs of 6.

To order:
Contact me via email at
morleychristina@gmail.com

I got my ideas for making mixed media by looking at these sites:
DIY Bluebird Painting by Jenny Hall
Gift Canvases - Think Crafts by CreateForLess
Mod Podge Monday: Mixed Media Tutorial "Freedom", Bird in Cage - A Creative Life



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Posted by Christina Morley at Monday, December 02, 2013 Comments Labels: , , , ,

Monday, November 18, 2013

Maximize Your Potential Blog Revenue By Utilizing Your Blog Sidebar

Guest Post by Janine Huldie from
Janine's Confessions of a Mommyaholic

Blogging, for many, is done for fun when first begun. This is what I thought and my main reason when I began.

See, I was a teacher before I had my kids and during my second pregnancy lost my position due to the economy and budget cuts.

Overnight, I became a stay at home mom. We went from two incomes to one, but it seemed ok and doable at first.

As much as I loved being at home with my girls, I did get to a point where I needed something for me and even a place to share all our daily exploits. I also wanted to know some of what I was experiencing as a mom to two little girls was normal and that I wasn't alone.

See, being alone with two babies under two can be quite overwhelming and as crazy as times can get, still definitely kind of lonely and short of adult stimulation to say the least.

So, I started my blog and did indeed begin sharing my life with the whole free world on the internet. I loved it from first bite to be quite honest.

But then I started to catch the blogging and making money bug, which I remember the first time that I found out that not only can you write from home, share and get to know others this way, but you can also make a living off doing this, as well.

I saw an infographic that was shared about bloggers and how much money they made over the course of the last year.

Click image to enlargeEarth Day 2012
Source: H&R Block

I truly had no idea that this was even possible until I saw that.

I decided to immerse myself and learn all I could after seeing that.

Recently I was asked to share a few tips from Tina from Amanda's Books and More on indeed making money from blogging.

One of the biggest and best things I did to monetize my blog was setting up my sidebar properly and including ads from both other bloggers and affiliate companies.

So, the question is, "How do you set up your sidebar to indeed make you money?"

Other than making sure to have the essentials included, such as social media buttons, so you could be found online and even e-mailed by potential clients, bloggers and companies, as well as having a blogger "grab me button" and even an "about me" graphic image with text to explain who you are, you will need to make sure to make money by having some other key elements.

Read on to find out now, my tips for a successful, revenue making sidebar.

Maximize Your Blog Revenue by Utilizing Your Blog Sidebar
Maximize Your Blog Revenue by Utilizing Your Blog Sidebar

1. Set up a blogging advertising account with the likes of Passionfruit. This will enable bloggers, Etsy shop owners and other companies to pay you money to place their ads on your side bar offering different sizes and options, even including in post advertisements, too.

2. Set up accounts with Affiliate marketing companies, such as Google Adsense, Amazon Affiliates, Linkshare and ShareASale to be able to run companies latest banners (ads) with their current promotional offers to your readers.

3. Also sign up with blogger affiliations, such as BlogHer, SITS, Clever Girl Collective, Influenster, or Sverve to be able to not only display their buttons, but become active in their communities, where you can be afforded blogger opportunities to work with the companies they are affiliated with to write posts, try new products and make money through this, as well as lacing ads that if clicked on can make you a share of their profit.

4. Also join groups such as Top Mommy Blogs or Mommy Hot Spot, where many companies lurk to find influential bloggers to work with to share their products by trying them out and also making money in the process. These groups run on voting and the more votes you get by readers clicking on these banners, the more influential you are by being higher in rank on their sites.

5. Put all this together and make sure to have a nice assortment/arrangement of these types of money making banners placed on your sidebar to maximize your profit potential.

These are just a few of the ways I have indeed made money blogging just by utilizing my sidebar to do so. Hope this helps you to get some ideas to make money.

Also, if you have anything that I have not shared here that has helped you in making a profit, please do feel free to share this here with us today.

Thanks and Happy Blogging!

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Posted by Christina Morley at Monday, November 18, 2013 Comments Labels: , , ,
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