I Wish I Had These Scented Markers When I Was A Kid!

"This post was sponsored by Mr. Sketch® as part of a sampling activation for Crowdtap. I received complimentary products to facilitate my review."

I remember scented markers from when I was a little kid. (A long time ago, like back in the 70's and 80's!) and I remember the whole class being super ecstatic, every time our teacher pulled the scented markers out. They smelled so much like chocolate, and chemicals, and omg! You could smell the black marker from a mile away! Sometimes, if you were close enough and it was being used a lot, your eyes would water. But, we didn't care! Because, it was scented markers! They were almost as cool as scratch and sniff stickers! So, I was more then pleased when I smelled these markers. They certainly don't have that gross eye watering, chemical scent to them at all. Actually, they smell very similar to what the package lists them as smelling like.

My kids love these markers and they use them a great deal! They work well, smell good, they actually are washable, and the colors are bold and bright! I'm not a fan of banana scent. I would have preferred lemon, but, the banana scented marker is my 5 year old son's very favorite one! My favorites are the cinnamon (brown) and blueberry (the darker, brighter blue.)

I intend on grabbing a bigger pack and having them on hand for birthday gift add ons, prizes for parties, and for my own kids, so when they run out (they will at some point.), they can open another pack. I think these go well for rainy day arts and crafts, gifts, just regular artwork days when your kids want to draw and color for hours and hours, (seems like this is everyday!) and of course, my 9 year old daughter just has to use them to color coordinate her journals, book covers, notebooks, and anything else that needs a splash of bright color and a fruity or candy scent.

Oh yeah, if you check the back of the pack, you will see this really awesome label!! It reads, "Assembled in the USA!" This seems to be so rare these days and whenever I do see a label similar to this, I'm a fan for life.

When Thou Art At Home, Do As They Do At Home

Ever since I found a pin on Pinterest that another blogger shared, of a mason jar craft that was simply gluing some pretty doilies onto the jar and placing an LED tea light inside, I have been buying mason jars and paints by the case. I even have my youngest daughter coming up with ideas on a daily basis for what to do with all of our jars and how to make them pretty!

We went on a shopping spree for art supplies mainly paints, brushes, sponges,, and oh yeah, LOTS of glitter! Genevive had a few spools of glitter ribbon left from another project so, we made a totally posh night light for her bedroom. (The total girly jar on the far right with the sparkly ribbon!) 

We are still testing out different kinds of paints, in search of doilies at a reasonable price, and are currently in the market for different types of LED tea lights, frosted spray paint, glow in the dark spray paint, and anything else that will help us make tons of one of a kind jars! (Please leave comments or find me on Twitter or Instagram, where I most often spend my time if you have any ideas!!)

We try to teach our children how to be self sufficient and sustainable and we enjoy doing activities that don't require a screen of any kind. The kids enjoy craft nights, we have DIY sleepover parties, invite neighborhood kids over to learn to make anything from cheese to granola to bubble gum to their very own and very chic, bedroom decorations. I'm a sucker for saving money and learning and that time consuming social media network, Pinterest! So, I have lists upon lists of projects I am anxious to try with the little ones and on my own. I hope to get to a point where we make at least 50% of our own snack foods, convenience foods, beauty, bath, and body products, home decor, and even flashlights. (Yes, we are just a tad bit away from our goal but I must admit, even though we have such a fun time making our ow cheese, I will buy some cheese at the store. But, cheddar and mozzarella are almost all homemade.) 

Genevive helped to make this adorable butter jar that we painted with chalkboard paint and she used chalkboard markers to make these fancy letters. It was fairly easy to get the chalkboard paint to look even after a few coats and a sponge brush and the markers worked quite well! (We even made some cute, chalkboard planters that we baked in the oven for about 30 minutes.) But... after our first butter churning, (ok, we don't churn it, we shake it very vigorously.), the chalkboard marker started to rub off and ended up more on us then the jar. I am guessing maybe this was due to a combination of not waiting long enough for this to dry, condensation, temperature, and repeated rubbing on the jar. While I wish so much that there was a way to erase the chalkboard markers sometimes, it was a fun project and we learned from it. The chalkboard markers did last and are still as fresh looking as the day we did the planters, and chalkboard markers are just way to addicting to just trade in for chalk!! (So, yeah we'll stick with these babies!) 

We would be delighted to hear from you! We need suggestions for good paints, the best nail files or sandpaper to file the jars down before and after paint, erasable chalk markers?? Maybe an eraser designed just for chalkboard markers!? If you have a blog post, a pin, anything you would like to share about your own projects or ideas for some mason jar projects, please leave your links! 

Beads For Every Occasion

I never put much thought into it until just recently when it occurred to me, (or my 8 year old daughter started her bead obsession.), that beads aren't just for making those little friendship safety pins we used to make in school. There are actually a lot of crafts and absolutely gorgeous things you can do with beads!

I consider myself a "DIY'er" however, I am limited to creating recipes, candle making, homemade beauty products, cheesemaking and my new fascination, mason jars and doilies and lots of pretty paints! I can't sew, (I know, weird huh?) My husband is in charge of fixing any buttons or hems or holes and I don't really want to learn at this point. I don't have the time, nor do I have the patience to even thread the needle. Sometimes, I think about all of the cute bags and things I could make if I only knew how to sew but then I get the needle and thread out and I'm ready to scream in about 5 minutes!

I stumbled across this website, that sells mill hill beads and after finding that beads just aren't the same anymore. (This is a good thing!) I think I may have to start a collection of different beads! I know my youngest daughter would go crazy over being able to make some beaded bracelets and design her own handbags, pencil cases, even bead dazzle a shirt or 2!

Now, if you are already a bead expert, don't laugh at me. When I think of beads, I just think of the typical, solid color beads that I used to buy by the bagful as a kid so I could make those totally rad safety pins to clip onto my backpacks. I didn't realize there are antique beads, glass beads, frosted glass beads, wooden beads, different shaped beads, I am completely shocked at the variety available!

If you are a newbie like me, you can start out with some kits and even try some wooden bead crafts first. I have been finding a lot of kid friendly and newbie friendly, bead crafts on Pinterest and on several craft blogs. I may be able to graduate to something really fancy and maybe make some beaded sleeves for my collection of mason jars! What do you think?

Maybe, after threading some beads, I will get the hang of it and be able to thread that sewing needle. Then, maybe I can get to these stacks of mix matched fabric squares I bought and make some fairy tale, drawstring bags!

Make Your Own Bubble Gum, Gummy Candy and Chocolates

We recently had one of the most fun craft nights ever, so much that I had no choice but to order these make at home kits, 2 more times since! Well, we did use a couple for a birthday gift and I am still hearing about how much fun they had with their family craft night!


I love giving craft kits, messy art supplies, for gifts. Anything that requires the whole family to sit down and spend time together. The messier, the better! It usually ends up being one of the favorite gifts and I started adding information for parents so they know where to purchase more. (If I don't, I'll start getting attacked via text message, email and in my Facebook inbox.)


Not only do craft nights promote quality time together, no need for screens, minimal technology, if any, learning to follow instructions, yes, there is also reading involved! But, craft nights always seem to give a boost of confidence. I don't know what could be better then giant smiles, hugs, squeals and your little one's shiny, happy faces when they realize that they just learned something new and they are so proud that they just created something from a few ingredients or supplies. It has to be one of the best feelings in the world!


Ok, so, we attempt to make our own everything, (almost everything), at least once. Anything from lotions to lip balms to cheese to now, gummies, chocolates and bubble gum.


I came across these kits after a Twitter party, with a few sponsors who create healthy snacks, candies, sweets, basically, everything kids love. and now we can love giving to them, since they are organic, all natural and free of dyes and all of the other icky stuff we don't want going in our bodies, especially not in our children's bodies!


We have been using Glee Gum at our house for a few years now. Glee Gum is aspartame free and Fair Trade! (Fair Trade is another certification I look for when deciding on purchases and products for our house.) I always check the Fair Trade website for any possible matches for cooking, baking, food, beverage and snack options.


Glee Gum comes in a variety of flavors and at a very reasonable price. We usually opt for a canister of the "Assorted Flavor Medley" but you can always purchase a canister of your favorite flavor! They have classic bubblegum flavor, spearmint, peppermint, tangerine, triple berry and cinnamon. They come in these cool cans that we are planning on repurposing, possibly into pencil/pen/colored pencil caddies.... not sure just yet.

Anyway, if you go to Gleegum.com, you can find all kinds of  nifty things to grab for your kiddos and stock up on some tiny sample packs of gum, a classic gumball machine or these neat reusable cans!


I don't know why I didn't know that, Gleegum, sold these do it yourself kits before that Twitter party. But, once The Gleeguy mentioned that they offer them, I had to go check it out! (By the way, if you are on Twitter and you communicate with brands, The Gleeguy will respond!) When a brand takes the time to have a conversation with us, reply to questions and comments, acknowledges your comments/concerns, shows up for a Twitter party and is happy to get to know us, that is the brand I am going to go after and find in stores or online, before others. I know they  are busy, I understand they sometimes get swamped with requests and at times, I'm sure it is stressful and hard to get back to every single person who tries to get their attention, so, the fact that they care, proves to me, they are a good company.


Ok, so, onto these exciting DIY kits!!

We voted and we like all 3 the same, so, I can't specify which one is the best, so, just grab all 3 :D Make sure you check their site for a special deal when you do buy all 3 kits!

The, Make Your Own Chocolate Kit comes with a couple cocoa beans for you to try! You also get a little instruction booklet that includes, The Story Of Chocolate. (Another reason I love DIY so much. They are always learning and they don't even know it!) With the chocolate kit, you will have enough to make 8 oz of chocolate. Oh and guess what else?? It's all natural, of course!

The next kit we adore, is the Make Your Own Gummies Kit. (Yep, all natural!) This was a bit messier, but only because I had 3 kids attempting to make their own molds with the included molding starch. A brilliant addition, however, I quickly found plastic molds that we had lying around and they worked perfectly! We made butterflies, hearts, Lego minifigures and a few animals, flowers and bugs. Of course, this is another learning adventure and it is easy enough for your kids to help. (You should be present of course, as with any DIY. You will need to heat up some ingredients and seaweed.) Yes, seaweed! Much healthier then what commercial gummies are made with!

Here is the seaweed coming out of the microwave.

Here is our big mess lol. This was just the beginning. So, I quickly decided to use premade molds ;)

Here are some of our pretty gummy candies!
We did dip some into the included sour mix for an extra kick. Our 11 year old coated all of his with sour mix, of course ;)

The Make Your Own Chewing Gum Kit makes about 50 pieces of scrumptious bubble gum. (Plenty to share between a few kids!) This kit is also very easy for little ones to help with and you get to learn about the story of chicle! Everything you will need is included in this kit, except for the microwave. (Or stovetop, whichever you prefer.) That is one big bonus with all of the Glee Gum's Food For Thought products... everything you need is inside the box!


You just have to check out their product lineup! Bubblegum, Bubblegum machines, DIY kits, sugar free gum, gum pops, and don't forget to grab some penny gum with your order! My kiddos love the little 2 piece sample boxes we get with our order. (You pay just 8 cents for 8 packs!) These are perfect for when you're running errands and I know my kids love tiny things, lol so, tiny packs of gum are sought after here.


Have you ever tried any of their products?
What was your favorite?