My Acne issues

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

Generally speaking I had a good complection going through junior high and high school and into young adulthood... but once I got pregnant with my (surprise) son... I got Preg-Acne!  The hormones were too much for my face to handle.  And 4 months after giving birth - I am still dealing with it!  

Now- you know I love you guys because I am posting a picture of myself with NO MAKE-UP!

But, you can see I have acne issues on my forehead, on my cheeks, and on my chin.  Plus since entering my mid-30s I now have to dealing with some aging face issues too.  

So I need a cleanser that will be tough on the acne but gentle on my aging skin.

Enter -Clearasil’s NEW! Daily Clear Refreshing Superfruit Cleansers!  Not only are they gentle enough to use 2 times daily... they smell GREAT!   My husband and I have used Clearasil products for years and love them, so when I got a chance to try out their latest, I jumped at it! 

Product info: Clearasil’s NEW! Daily Clear Refreshing Superfruit Cleansers is an acne medication that is gentle enough to use every day, twice a day. They are formulated with sensorial Superfruit Extracts AND are gently medicated with 1% salicylic acid acne medication to help prevent blemishes.

On the bottle is printed pretty much what I want in a cleanser:  

Clear the blemishes and give me radiant skin! 

The other great thing about it is that it is available at Walmart at a great price!  Plus - there is a link for $1 off coupon at the bottom of the post! 

I have been using Clearasil’s NEW! Daily Clear Refreshing Superfruit Cleanser for a little over a week now.  It has a great fruiting smell and it really makes my face feel clean.  It creates a perfect base for when I put my make-up on!  

Here is an after picture with my 4 month old son.  He is totally worth dealing with all the acne issues,  but with Clearasil's help now I can have my baby and clean skin too! 

Try it yourself with $1 off coupon!

Personalized Thank You Cards DIY and Silhouette Promotion!

My Friend is getting married in October!  And her shower is coming up!  Since I have to give a little hand-made something to everyone (I am getting known for it now!) I decided to make some personalized Thank-You Cards!  I know that they will need them!  

I used my NEW Silhouette Cameo and Sketch pens!  Oh-My-Goodness- these are so much fun!  There is an awesome promotion going on this week so be sure to check out the details at the bottom of the post! 

I created the sketch design in my Silhouette software.  I also upgraded to the design studio.  HERE is the tutorial I used to make the sketch picture.  I already had pre-made cards, but the tutorial shows you how to cut out a card shape too! 

I replaced the blade with the sketch pen and sent the picture to be "cut" to the cameo.  It is so fun to watch the pen sketch away! 

I added a little bakers twine (because everything is cuter with baker's twine!)

I repeated for a set of 8 cards and added the envelopes that match.  

All wrapped up and ready to give! 

Ok here is the awesome promo that Silhouette has going on right now! 

(1)    CAMEO plus sketch pen starter pack, metallic and glitter collection packs, plus a $25 gift card and a penholder for $269.99 ($88.96 off the retail price)

(2)    Portrait plus sketch pen starter pack, metallic and glitter collection packs, plus a $25 gift card and a penholder for $129.99 ($108.96 off the retail price)

(3)    Sketch pen starter pack, metallic and glitter collection packs, plus a penholder for $19.99 ($13.97 off the retail price)

To order your own go HERE and use the code: FIREFLIES and the deal is all yours! 

Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Silhouette and I was provided with some materials to make this craft.  However, all opinions are 100% mine

Easy DIY Ruffle Top with the Summer of Joann

To say that I love Joann's Fabric and Craft Stores is an understatement!  Love love love love love Joann's... I am at that store at least once a week and my kids have been trained how to shop there! So, when I was asked to be part of the Summer of Joann's challenge - I was quick to accept!  I got to look through this catalogue and pick out a project that I want to make (and put my own spin on).

I choose this great ruffle top!  Theirs is crocheted... I don't have the time (Although I think it looks AMAZING!) so I put my own spin on it to make it super easy and cute!  

Find the full directions HERE to make Joann's version.

Here is how you can make an easy ruffle top:

What you will need:

Knit shirt or tank top

two coordinating fabrics

1. Cut your fabric pieces.

Here are some suggested dimensions (in inches):

12M - 3 X 36 and 6 X 36

18M- 4 X 36 and 7X 36

24M & 2T- 5 X 36 and 8 X 36

3T & 4T- 6 X 36 and 9 X 36

2. Finish off the bottom edges - I surged mine, but you could also hem them.

3. Gather your strips (I do mine at the same time) I use Dana's cheater method to make the ruffles.  Sew the ends together to make a tub.

4. Cut off the bottom of the shirt just a couple of inches under the armpit.

5. Pin the ruffles to bottom of the shirt with right sides together.

6. Sew the ruffles to the shirt.

Done!  Totally cute and easy! 

Sign up to be a preferred customer and you can get a 20% off coupon

Disclaimer: I was provided with a gift card to Joann's to buy the supplies for this project.  All options and projects are mine!

Back to School DIY Teacher Plaque (#12MonthsOfMartha)

***This post is written as part of the 12 months of Martha program.  I get craft supplies from Martha Stewart Crafts for free to create fun crafts with.  All my projects and opinions are 100% mine.***

This month our 12 months of Martha box came with a bunch of glass paint, glass etching and tools!  Fun!  

So I created a fun back to school gift for my son's kindergarten teacher... it is my first time sending a child to school so I want to get on the teacher's good side! :) 

Here is what you will need:

Martha Stewart glass paint

Martha Stewart adhesive screen print Stencils

Frame (with glass)

Craft paint

Paint brushes. 

1. Paint the frame and the backing pieces to the color of your choice (forgot to take a picture).

2. Clean your glass and then place your stencil on it. 

3. Use a bush or a squeegee to put your paint on over the stencil with the glass paint.

4. Carefully remove the stencil.  Let dry completely. 

5. Trace around your glass and write out your phrase/quote.

6. Place your glass over your quote, and trace over it with your glass paint. 

Put it all back together for a great gift! 

I also used  the glass paint to make this wine bottle luminary. 

Check out more fun projects on the 12 Month of Martha Pinterest board!

***Disclosure: I was supplied with the Martha Stewart craft supplies but my opinions are always honest!***

3 EASY DIY Back to School Projects!

Thank you to Michael's Craft Stores for sponsoring this post!

Michael's Craft stores challenged me to make a back to school project... but that was too easy- so I made 3 back to school projects!

First up is for teachers.  

You know you want to make a good first impression with your child's teacher.  What better way then to send a back-to-school gift.  

I was a teacher and we are always bringing our work home so  tote bag is a prefect gift!

So easy to make 

You will need:

 tote bags (they come in a pack of 3!) 

Craft paint

Stencil

foam brush or pounce-brush

Put a piece of cardboard inside the bag to prevent bleeding through (Cereal boxes work great!).

Place your stencil on the bag and dab the paint on in an up and down motion. 

Wait for each color to dry before laying another color over it.

Tip:  When creating a pattern - make an odd number of the shape and place them in a triangle shape

A Back-to-School memo board is prefect for a teacher or college student!  

Here is what you will need:

Wooden Frame (with glass)

Chalk board paint

Craft paint

Paint brushes

Remove the back and the glass from the frame.

Paint the frame with chalkboard paint

Paint the backing with craft paint

When dry rub chalk on the chalkboard paint to set the chalkboard paint.

Then decorate the chalkboard paint with chalk and add a white board marker to write on the glass.

The last project is for the new student.  We created a notebook and folder to get excited about school!  The kids loved it! 

Get plain colored notebooks and/or folders and have your kids pick out the stickers that they want.  Have the kids put the stickers on the folders and notebooks to making them their own. 

All Supplies for these crafts can be found at Michael's Craft Stores!  You can also find more Back-To-School projects here! 

Disclosure: Michael's Crafts Stores did provide me with a gift card to buy the supplies for these crafts.  However the projects and opinions are 100% mine.