HotelSpa® Designer Collection Ultra-Luxury 2-tone Chrome/Brushed Nickel 30-setting Combo

Not my picture. This belongs to Interlink.
I just thought you would want to know what it's supposed to look like. 

I am not the most handy person around. I can usually figure things out and fix them on my own with a lot of help from Google and Youtube though. That's why I was so hesitant about trying out my new shower head. I had never installed any sort of plumbing fixture before.

I was so excited to try my new shower head though. I love showers. I could spend forever in the tub. That's why I jumped at the opportunity to review the HotelSpa® Designer Collection Ultra-Luxury 2-tone Chrome/Brushed Nickel 30--setting Combo. I ran into a lot of hiccups along my journey however. 

First off, I received a mysterious knock on my door. It was the mailman. He said that he had a package for me, but that the postage had not been paid in full. I didn't have cash at the time so he gave me a receipt and said I could pay for it and pick it up at the post office. Before I paid for anything I wanted to know what the package was. After using the receipt and the tracking number I discovered it was my shower head. Bummer! Long story short, after a week of emails back and forth they agreed to reimburse me through PayPal. When I went to retrieve my money PayPal had taken a portion of the money as a fee. Double Bummer! That means that I ended up paying for part of this "free" review. 

After an almost two week waiting period the excitement had worn off a little. That left me with holidays, sickness, a new job, work meetings, family parties, and church functions. All of a sudden my month to review was gone. I was no longer looking forward to this review. 

I hesitantly turned to my best friend Google and asked her if she knew how to install a shower head. Of course she did! Because she's a woman and knows everything and keeps it all organized. She went through and told me how to do it step by step and then she showed me how to do it as well. That's when I realized I would need Teflon Tape in order to do this review. 

So, the next morning I packed up the kids and went to my not so nearby hardware store. Yep, I tried finding it on my own and failed. I ended up asking the attendant who pointed towards my left hip and said it was right there. Of course it was! I just failed my entire gender. I apologize to women everywhere. 

When I got home I ate a couple of cookies and then took a deep breath. It was now or never. I very simply disassembled my old shower head. Which was way easier than I expected. Then I opened the box and read each instruction thoroughly. Twice. I pulled out all of the parts and realized they had actually packaged some Teflon Tape for my convenience. What??!! This is definitely not a *Batteries not included company. As happy as I was to see this, I was quite disappointed at the time, gas, and $2 I had just wasted. 

I took another deep breath and dove in. I followed each instruction to the T. I referred back to their diagrams just to be sure. I was getting pretty pumped because I was doing it all by myself and it was working. I was almost done when I came to a pretty big bump in the road. Something was missing. I guess that makes it a pothole in my road. Where was the handheld shower head. I read the instructions over again. Do they want me to attach my old shower head there? No. I read the instructions again. I looked in the empty box. I looked at my old shower head. Not compatible. What the??? 

Now I was really defeated. Part of me was angry though. This was turning into a much bigger nuisance than I originally had anticipated. I began reading over the instruction manual again. That's when I saw it next to one of the diagrams - my saving grace!

I really did not want to deal with customer service though. I didn't want to be put on hold and forced to listen to elevator music. I didn't want to be questioned and quizzed. I didn't want to have to verify myself and my purchase along with my address, telephone #, email address, blood type, social security number, and a sample of my DNA. I didn't even know if they would help me since this was just a product review anyways. 

It wasn't like that at all though. They immediately answered and asked what I needed assistance with. I told them about the missing piece and all they wanted to know was my address. They said that they would be sending out the part immediately. They were so easy to work with. I sat in stunned silence. That was it? No interrogation? No secret password? No need to call a lifeline? WoW! I was really impressed.

Needless to say, I have not yet tried out my new shower head. The handheld part will be arriving tomorrow. It looks great though. It really looks like it will provide a nice water massage. It is very easy and quick to assemble and disassemble. I had to take it down so that we can take showers tonight. The only thing that has disappointed me about the product itself is that it is made with more plastic than I expected. You can't tell by looking at it, but I just question how well it will stand up to years of use. So far it has held up to my installation skills though. The customer service alone and company's willingness to stand behind their product has left me quite happy and pleased with my experience. 

After all of this I really am going to need a trip to my at-home spa... tomorrow. 

You can find the HotelSpa® Designer Collection Ultra-Luxury 2-tone Chrome/Brushed Nickel 30--setting Combo at SEARS.

SEARS.COM

I received a sample of this product in exchange for my honest trial and review. These are my personal experiences and opinions. Thanks for reading!

UPDATE:
It's almost been 26 hours since my phone call. No part yet. I guess I'll just be using my old shower head. And I doubt I will ever work with this company again. Plus, the review I submitted to the SEARS website was removed. I guess they don't like me taking away a star.

Quick Stitch Sewing Kit

I need to start off with a disclaimer - I am not a seamstress. I am not a professional. I can barely sew at all. 

Ok, now that we have that out of the way let's get started. 

I have a desire to create. I have this deep down urge to get crafty. It's this little bone in me called Pinterest. It gets me every time. There are so many friggin' cute ideas on there. It gives me the DIY itch. Which can sometimes lead to disaster. 

This time it didn't. It just didn't turn out how I imagined. But it turned out wonderfully for a beginner. And my girls were absolutely thrilled with the results, which is all that matters. I had decided to make our Halloween costumes myself.  ...again.

Luckily, I had just been given the opportunity to review the Quick Stitch Sewing Kit. It was a lot better than I was expecting. It would be the perfect gift to give someone just learning to sew. If you have a preteen then you should definitely look into these. I wish I had spent my younger years learning to sew, knit, crochet, quilt, etc. It would be so beneficial now.

Even without skill, I dove into my project head first. I don't own a sewing machine so I started with the ruffles that needed to be hand-stitched. I used one of the needles from the kit and excitedly began my journey. It took longer than expected, but they turned out SO CUTE!

I had to use the needles once again when I attempted to make huge headband bows for both of my girls. The material was really thick and so I had to pull out the thimble to protect my fingers while pressing the needle through. I'm sure if anybody with any type of skill had been watching me the would've been cringing with horror. I'm pretty sure I was doing it wrong because I ended up breaking two needles. lol. They weren't poorly made, I just over-exerted them. I was wearing myself out just trying to push the needle through in some areas. Even though I didn't use proper technique they turned out perfect!

After all of the costumes were complete and the holiday was over I realized my jacket needed mending. I was panicked because it was actually my friends  peacoat jacket that she lent me. Shhhh! Don't tell her. The back of the armpit was completely torn out. I have no idea if it happened the night I wore it or if it was like that when she gave it to me. Nonetheless, I needed to either fix it or replace it.

I was quickly relieved when I realized I had a sewing kit that I could use to fix it. I ran and grabbed my Quick Stitch Sewing Kit and my phone. The phone was necessary because I had to YouTube a guide for a hidden stitch. This time I used the kit's thread and got to work. It only took me a couple of minutes and the coat was as good as new!

I really have loved this kit! It is so handy. It is perfect for all of those small mending projects. It comes with:

12 spools of thread
24 needles of various lengths
scissors (sharp tipped)
Seam ripper with cap
Needle threaders to help push the thread through the eye of the needle
5 ft tape measure
Straight pins (2)
Safety Pin
Thimble
Few Buttons
Carrying pouch

If you want a sewing kit that's perfect for the car, traveling. your purse, emergencies, or as a gift then this one is perfect. You can find it on Amazon, HERE. It qualifies for free two-day shipping for Prime Members. I received a discount for my kit in exchange for this honest and unbiased trial and review. These are my own opinions and experiences. I hope you enjoyed this post! Maybe even enough to attempt your own project.  ;)

Kitchen Supreme Liquid Chalk Markers

This was such a fun review to do!

Have you seen all of those super cute chalkboard signs all over Pinterest??

K, so for the longest time I thought that people were actually using chalk to make those. I even bought colored chalk to try and make some of my own..... Ya, it really didn't work out so well.

Later on, much later on... like a couple of years after this incident, I found out that they used liquid chalk. "OHHhhhhh...!!!"

And now I finally got to try them for myself! 

I LOVE LOVE LOVE them!

They are so cute, and so much fun to use. You can be so creative with them. And if you use Pinterest, like I do, then you have tons of inspiration. Literally, you can spend hours trying to figure out which project you want to do first. I may know this from experience...

Kitchen Supreme sells a pack of 10 beautiful, colorful markers. It also comes with 2 spare tips, and 8 different label stickers. The spare tips are 6mm reversible tips. They have the fine side and the broad side. 

They are quite easy to start using. They have an online tutorial, and each marker comes with the instructions on them as well.

It wasn't hard for me to get each marker working. The only issue I had was that my black marker came broken. I opened it and ink went everywhere. The tip was already pushed all the way in. I tried getting it to pop up, but it wouldn't. Then I extracted the tip with tweezers and placed the spare tip in it. It didn't fix it. So, I lost a marker and a tip. I was just really sad because it was my black! Black is a pretty main color and I had plans for it. But I was so pleased with everything else that this wasn't that big of a deal.

You know that first mess of an experience I was telling you about? Well, I had a small chalkboard I had purchased to write on and take pictures with my daughter each month for her first year. It was pretty beat up and so I decided to try these out on it. They recommend to not use chalk markers on porous surfaces, like chalkboard, because it can saturate and stain them. 

I used the design found HERE to create this:

I really screwed up the whisk, the top design, and the first line. Aaahhh! But I didn't want to try and fix my mistakes because I was afraid it would make the board look uglier. So, this was all first attempt sketch. Don't judge.

Then I started feeling really creative and decided to try them out on glass. My parents recently visited the Biltmore Estates a couple of weeks ago and had brought me back some grape juice. Today I finished off the bottle and decided to keep it. I'm all about that up-cycling trend. I thought it would be really cute with a couple of tulips in it. Instead, I tried writing on the bottle with chalk.

It was so easy to fix my mistakes. I just used a wet wipe and then dried it with a paper towel. It's still not very pretty. I'm learning. Don't pay attention to the fact that it's very off-centered either.

The inspiration for this design came from HERE.

Last, but not least, I used it on my dry-erase board. Yes, it's simple and not so pretty, but you get the idea. 

And it wipes off! No wet wipes on this surface. Just use a paper towel or tissue like you normally do with your dry-erase markers. Love it! My boards are gonna start looking so cute!

I am super-duper excited to use the labels that came with the markers. They are faux-chalkboard and STICKERS! I was thinking they would be perfect for leaving love notes on lunch boxes, doors, bathroom mirrors, or above the key-hanger. Or you can stick them on your dishes for a party! So many possibilities. Here is something I found on the web (ahem... Pinterest).

If you're looking for some additional inspiration, here are a couple of my favorites:

And if you're thinking to yourself, "I can't write with those and make it look cute." 

Yes, you can!

(Too bad I didn't read this until after I did all of my little projects)

Any way you do it, Go Crazy! You can always erase it.

If you do get some markers for yourself, I want to see what you create. Leave a comment with a link so I can check it out.

And if you want the same kit that I tried, you can find them on Amazon HERE

or on their website HERE

I received my kit free of charge in return for an honest and unbiased review.

How-to Face Paint Butterfly Design

If you're looking to have fun with your little girl this summer then I have the perfect DIY for you!

Paint a butterfly on her face.

If she's like my little girl, she will absolutely LOVE it!

Best of all, you don't have to wait in any hot lines at a fair!!

Alright, are you ready? Here we go...

1. Use purple face paint to create a shape similar to the number two. I started above her eye and created a triangle that slanted up and out. 

I swooped down around her eye and along her cheek until it reached the same height as her nose. 

From there I angled down towards her jawline. Almost in line with the bottom of her earlobes. 

2. Once the purple has dried, use blue.

I started at the center of her face by her eyebrows. I made a smaller triangle that swooped down to the bottom of her and thinned out.

Then I did the cheek, starting at the point closest to her nose I made an elongated triangle. I followed the lines I made with the purple, but brought them in by a couple of centimeters. 

3. Then I added white.

I started up at the eyebrows again. I just made a few white lines and flared them out, all starting at the same point. 

Then I did the same thing on the cheeks starting next to the nose. 

Finally I added random spots of white by each point next to her brows, on the outer edge of her eyes, and at the bottom point of the wing. 

4. Last, but not least. I added a black accent. 

I started at the brows and flared it up and out, almost like a cat-eye. 

Then I came down along the edge to her eye-line and thinned it out.

I started at the crease between the wings and brought it along the edge to the lowest point and created another exaggerated point.

Finally, I brought it up along the bottom of the wing and ended about 1.5 inches from the inner edge of the wing.
I tried creating a swoopy antennae, but my daughter just couldn't sit still any longer. I ended up erasing it (a million times), and decided just to do straight lines. I added a few in each direction. I did one main long one, one of medium length on the bottom, and a short thin line in the middle.

I created the identical look on the opposite side. I did not connect the antennae on both sides. I left a 1-2 cm gap. 

But you can do it however you'd like. Be creative and free with your design. This is just what I liked and what worked easiest for me.

That's it!

4 colors and you're done!

I only used the paintbrush to create this look.

If you want the same face-painting kit that I used, you can find it HERE.