NameMaker - personalized tags, ribbons, gift wrap & more {review}

Gifts are so much more meaningful when they are personalized. And I'm not talking about just monogrammed towels.

NameMaker (http://namemaker.com) is a company that sells myriad products personalized just how you want them. Need ribbon to wrap gifts for bridesmaids and best men? Namemaker's got you covered. How about personalized holiday ribbon? Yep, NameMaker has that too. They even have personalized wrapping paper!

My sister is probably the best seamstress I've ever run across in my life. Ever. I mean, she can whip up something that absolutely fits without even a pattern. She's amazing. Never a stitch out of place, never a crooked seam, never a hanging thread. Perfection.

Her sewing articles need and deserve name tags like those provided by NameMaker. I keep telling her she needs to get her own personalized garment tags to put in her creations. Maybe after she sees this review, she'll head over to the NameMaker website and check out the products they offer.

And the prices are very reasonable as personalized items go. You can get woven design labels with printed text for only $16.00 for 20 labels. They measure approx. 7/8" by 2 1/4", have been pinked at the ends to prevent fraying, non-fade ink, washable & dry-cleanable, and with 1 to 3 lines of text (depending on style) with max 18 characters per line.

You can even get 100% woven design-your-own labels starting at just $28.00 per 50 labels, where you choose your own text, background, thread, etc. Motifs/icons are available at no extra charge.

Personalized ribbon starts at only $14.00 and is available in satin, textured, gingham, polka dot, and loop edge styles.

How about waterproof stickers? Perfect for labeling sippy cups, water bottles, food containers, school supplies, pool and beach toys, even for labeling foods going into the refrigerator or freezer! Waterproof stickers are $14.95 for 30 stickers.

Personalized. Don't forget!

Iron-on labels with kids' designs or names are a must when sending the youngsters off to camp. I can just see some harried mom creating personalized labels for her children:

Billy Barton

Pick up your clothes and hang them up. love, Mom

Jennifer Johnson

Don't wear this two days in a row and try to sit up straight. love, Mom

The possibilities are endless.

So head over to NameMaker and get inspired. Think you don't need personalized labels? When was the last time you took a dish to a pot luck dinner and didn't get it back? Waterproof personalized stickers on your kitchen wares will insure that everything is returned to you and they WON'T get washed off in the dishwater.

And that's worth the price of the stickers right there. Don't you agree?

Disclaimer: I was provided a sample of NameMaker products gratis in exchange for providing this unbiased review of the product. No other monetary consideration was involved, and my review was not influenced in any way.

Here, pretty pretty pretty! {NGlassworks review}

I'll admit it... I'm a sucker for flashy jewelry. You can keep your simple chains and charms. I want my jewelry to stand out. I mean, that's what it's for, right?

To catch the eye.

To be decorative.

To make someone envious.

Okay, maybe I should leave off that last one! :)

But that's exactly what happened when I sported my brand spankin' new sparkly beautiful Nancy Giere NGlassworks fused dichroic glass pendant.

 

 Isn't it gorgeous? My cheapo camera just doesn't do it justice.

Here, have a look at some of Nancy's creations: (taken with a much better camera!!)

I just love 'em!!

She's also got some new items ready for summer:

From left to right: a pendant, a suncatcher, and a framed bar.

If there's one thing I would offer advice about, dear Nancy, it's to make the lovely cord necklace that the pendant is strung on a little teensy bit longer. When it's worn without the extender, it lies like a choker. Even with the extender fully used, it barely reaches my collarbone and I found that when wearing a boatneck blouse or top the pendant tended to get lost underneath my clothing. I want that baby to show! :) The next time I wore it, I wore a V-neck top and, fully extended, it worked much better. But it still could be just a tad longer for my taste. Just my opinion. :)

Nancy Giere is the talented artist behind NGlassworks. As you'll find on her website, Nancy has always been the crafty type.


I’ve knit, stitched, woven, and beaded my way through life. I’ve kept my hands moving to relieve stress and quiet my mind. I’ve spent my whole life creating but never saw myself as artistic. It was just something I felt compelled to do. I’ve expanded my wardrobe, decorated my home and made numerous gifts for friends and family.

Three years ago I was perusing the Bead and Button Show class list and came across a glass fusing class that sounded fun. I had no expectations, I was just curious.

My first project, a pendant, was a success and I was hooked. I bought a kiln, some dichroic glass, and assortment of tools and supplies. I set up a work area in my basement. I was having a lot fun playing with heat and glass.

I started showing my dichroic glass jewelry to friends and family. I heard two words several times that caused me to examine what I was doing, “How much?” I found myself in the middle of a marketing research study. I could be in a meeting, at a restaurant, the hairdresser, the doctor, the grocery store, being searched by airport security and I’d hear those two words - How much?
I took this as a sign and decided to start NGlassworks, LLC. I now have the opportunity to keep creating, stay centered and offer my work to people that I’m not related to and never met!

Nancy Giere

I love her attitude. :)

And I LOVE her dichroic jewelry! It's available at a number of boutique shops nationwide. Check the list here - maybe there's one near you, or maybe you'll be crossing paths with Nancy Giere NGlassworks jewelry on your next trip or vacation. I hope you'll remember her name.

When you see her fused glass jewelry, you'll be as mesmerized as I was.

And you too could have the chance to make someone in your life green with envy! :)

Disclaimer: I was provided a sample of NGlassworks dichroic glass pendants gratis in exchange for providing this unbiased review of the product. {Thanks Nancy!} No other monetary consideration was involved, and my review was not influenced in any way.

I am better than ever!

Time to take stock - my life has changed in ways that at first perhaps didn't seem to be in a better direction. It takes a little more time to see that indeed things are better than ever.

I moved away from the big city after having my apartment burglarized not once but twice. Honestly, I don't know what took me so long. My family had been bugging me for years to move "home" to the country, where I was born and raised. I was perfectly happy in the city...until urban crime made me a victim too and I'd had enough.

So I'm back in the bosom of my family in the country. The job I found doesn't pay as well as what I had, but the cost of living is a lot less. Life moves at a slower, simpler pace. I can finally take time to smell the flowers.

And the best part? I'm reconnecting with my family, especially my mom. We actually went fishing together yesterday! She had a blast and I learned a valuable lesson about time wasted on what I used to consider priorities.

My priorities have changed. And that's changed my whole attitude. I am better than ever!
~~
I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Dove® gofresh™ blogging program, making me eligible to get a $25 gift card and some product. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Dove® gofresh™ is also sponsoring a Facebook photo contest! Share your photos about what's "better than ever" on the Facebook contest page for a chance to win a spa weekend getaway in Sedona, AZ, and thousands of dollars worth of great prize packages from Dove® gofresh™!

Homemade quesadillas - in an electric skillet! {review}

I love eating out, don't you? I love tasting different dishes and seeing how professional cooks season and present their best. But what I love most about eating out is... not having to cook! :)

But guess what...that changed when I got my new Presto 16" electric skillet courtesy of CSN Stores. I LOVE IT!!

(sorry for the glare - darn flash!)

I love this skillet and I love CSN Stores! They have everything you could possibly want. When I was invited to review a product from CSN, I knew immediately what I wanted to review. You see, I have no kitchen stove. Well, let me put it this way - only two of the four rangetop burners work and both of them are the teeny-tiny small ones. Try boiling a stock pot of pasta or frying chicken in a big skillet on one of those tiny burners. Doesn't work, does it?

So I'd been thinking for a while about purchasing an electric skillet. CSN came to my rescue! My new Presto is just fabulous. And did you catch the size? 16" ain't small! SIXTEEN INCHES! You can fry TWO chickens in this thing! You can make a dozen silver-dollar pancakes at a time. I was craving Rice-A-Roni the other night and one package looked so lonesome in this big ol' skillet that I ended up cooking two packages at once. With no problems whatsoever! Love it!!

Tonight I had a craving for homemade quesadillas. Yeah, try doing THAT on a tiny stove burner! First I browned some hamburger meat -

Just so you know, that's almost three pounds of ground chuck in the skillet. And there's still plenty of room for more. I cooked it until done at about 350-400 degrees (yes, there's a temp control on the skillet).

Next, I drained off all the fat and removed the browned beef. Then I plopped a flour tortilla into the skillet and didn't add a smidgen of oil. There was enough fat from the beef still coating the skillet so that I didn't have to add anything else. And when Presto says "non-stick", they mean non-stick! I've practically burnt stuff in this skillet and nothing stuck. Nothing. Anyway, here's my tortilla in the skillet -

Cook it to your desired brownness and crispiness. I happen to like mine well done and crispy, so I turned the skillet temp up to 400 for this part. Brown it on both sides, then remove it and add another flour tortilla. When you've browned one side of that and turned it over, that's the time to start adding whatever your favorite quesadilla fillings are.

I added some refried beans to the tortilla, then topped that with the browned chuck, then topped it all with shredded cheese. You might like to use shredded chicken instead of beef, or mozzarella instead of cheddar. That's the beauty of homemade quesadillas - make 'em how you like 'em! Then put the other tortilla on top and mash down gently.

At this point, I usually turn the skillet completely off and put the top on it for about two or three minutes. This insures that all ingredients get warmed through and the cheese melts, without continuing to cook the tortilla that's on the bottom. When ready, remove it to a plate, cut into eighths with a pizza cutter (I knew that gadget would come in handy one day for something besides just pizza!) and add a little salsa if you like.

And voila!

Perfect! And I guarantee as good as anything you'd get in a restaurant! Couldn't be easier. Try it sometime! Oh, and for you math majors out there, yeah, I know the picture only shows seven slices instead of eight. I snitched one before I could take the photo. Couldn't resist!! :)

Next up I think I'll make country-fried pork steaks. Just fry them up the way you like them, then remove them for a moment. Add a little flour to the oil in the skillet, stir it around until it browns nicely, then add about a cup of water or to your desired thickness. Instant gravy! Sometimes at this point I'll return the fried pork steaks to the skillet with the gravy and let it all simmer gently for about fifteen minutes. You won't believe how tender the meat will be! It will just melt in your mouth! Maybe I'll do that this weekend and take pictures so I can show off my culinary skills. :)

The whole point is it doesn't take culinary skills to be a decent cook at home. You need the right equipment - that stupid cookstove wasn't going to cut it, so I got something that would - the Presto 16" electric skillet from CSN Stores. And would you believe it is only $41.99?! List price is $52.99, and it would be worth every penny of that. But you can always count on CSN to give you better value for your shopping dollar.

One other thing I LOVE about the Presto 16" electric skillet is that the top doesn't warp. Remember those older electric skillets with the metal tops that warped and after a few uses they no longer fit on the skillet? What a pain. Well, that's no longer a problem with this jewel. The top is made of some kind of hard plastic that won't warp under high heat like metal will. Just one more reason to love this baby!

So now that I'm getting my kitchen needs taken care of, I'm thinking of other parts of my home that I can improve by shopping online at CSN Stores. I'm in desperate need of a corner tv stand, because there is only one place in my tiny living room where I can put the tv, DVD player, game console, etc. and it's right in a corner. Now I just have to decide how much my budget can stretch, because CSN has so many choices it's impossible to choose!!

I'm leaning toward this one -

- because that's about all I have to put on a tv stand at the moment. But I also like this one -

- because it just looks classy. :) And I like having the components behind glass doors when not in use. Now if I could just afford a big screen tv like that... hey, CSN, how about letting me do a tv review!!

Asking too much??

Oh well, it never hurts to ask... :)

Disclaimer: I was provided a sample gratis in exchange for providing this unbiased review of the product. No other monetary consideration was involved, and my review was not influenced in any way.

My Review of 16" Electric Skillet

Originally submitted at CSN Stores

All Presto Control Master Appliances feature heavy cast aluminum construction, premium nonstick finish, inside and out, and are completely immersible when the heat control is detached. Experience the versatility and durability of this electric skillet that accommodates extra large cuts o...

16" Electric Skillet

Excellent for all frying uses

By tnshadylady from Tennessee on 5/23/2010

 

5out of 5

Pros: Temperature Control, Easy To Clean, Delicious Results

Describe Yourself: Avid Cook

I love my new 16" electric skillet! The extra large skillet space really makes a difference when you're cooking eggs, pancakes, etc. It heats up really fast, has great temperature control, and is a breeze to clean. I started out using just a little olive oil but found out the non-stick surface really is non-stick, so now I rarely use any oil or butter at all and nothing sticks to the pan. Highly recommended!

(legalese)

My Top 10 Creative and Affordable Vacation Ideas

Every year I have this dilemma: I want to go somewhere - anywhere - but I'm always short on money.

Twitter Moms got me thinking about the possibilities when I read this.

Mediterranean cruise? Lovely thought, but too expensive.

Left Bank of Paris? Amazing experience, but too expensive.

La Costa? Again... too expensive.

Are you sensing a pattern here?

"Vacation" doesn't have to mean a foreign trip. Or a luxury indulgence. (although both of those would be nice!!)

Last year, the buzzword was "staycation". That's all well and good, but I can't make it work for me. If I'm at home for a few days, I start feeling guilty and find things to do around the house. NOT my idea of a vacation.

So I started thinking of alternatives... and here are My Top 10 Creative and Affordable Vacation Ideas:

1. Think local. There are lots of places within a day's drive that offer entertainment, culture, activity or just relaxation. Google your home town and search in a 100-mile radius for attractions.

2. Think outside the box. Amusement parks are fine, but kids also love animals. How about a petting zoo or working farm?

3. Let your friends and family know you are looking for vacation ideas and opportunities. You never know what might turn up. A friend had tickets for a NASCAR race and couldn't go, so he gave them to me. Instant vacation from the ordinary!

4. There's strength in numbers. If that trip is too expensive to take on your own or with just your family, get together with another person or family and split the costs. A beach house rental for a week at half price is quite a deal.

5. Think about your hobbies and passions and look for ways to vacation around them. I love exploring antebellum mansions, so a trip to Vicksburg, Mississippi appeals to me very much, whereas someone who doesn't share that passion might be bored with Vicksburg. (sorry, Vicksburg, no offense intended - I just used you as an example) :)

6. If you're single and love adventure, try your luck at stand-by flights. Airlines want to send up full planes, of course, but sometimes passengers don't make their flights for whatever reasons and the plane has to go up anyway, even with an empty seat. Airlines will fill those seats at deeply discounted prices, but you have to be available at a moment's notice to go wherever that plane is going. Not for the timid!

7. House-sit for a friend or relative while they are away. I just love staying at my sister's place while she and her family are in Florida for a week. It's just familiar enough to feel cozy and home-like, and just exotic enough to feel like I'm getting a little mini-getaway. And she has a pool and hot tub. :)

8. Camping is an affordable escape if you don't mind roughing it. Don't forget mosquito repellent!

9. State and national parks also offer some great deals on cabin rentals or hotel room stays. Meals are often included, and the grounds and premises are well-patrolled and family-friendly. Check out your state's website for local parks and nature areas.

10. And finally, nothing says "vacation" to me like just relaxing. And nothing says "relax" to me like a hammock. A quick visit to the hardware store, thirty minutes of assembly, and voila, instant haven in the privacy of your own backyard.

So there you have it, and I hope I've given you some things to think about. An African Safari would be the trip of a lifetime, sure, but it would cost about as much as a small house. Not something I can afford. So get creative and think of your own affordable vacation getaway ideas.

Affordable Vacation IdeasToyota Sienna

I wrote this blog post while participating in the Toyota Sienna and TwitterMoms blogging program for a chance to get a $30 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Oh the joys of apartment living

So as I mentioned before, I've just moved into my own place after not having my own place for quite a while. I'm loving the privacy but not loving the apartment.

Nothing really wrong with it, I suppose... no, wait, there is plenty wrong with it. But the rent is so reasonable I really can't complain.

Much.

Thank God spring is finally here and I don't have to worry about turning on the heat for a few months at least. You see all I have in my apartment is baseboard heaters, and that means that I can't have furniture or anything even close to them when they are on.

So no bookcases, no entertainment center, basically I have one corner of my living room that can be fully used. So I'm trying to decide on a corner tv stand so that I can get my tv off the dresser in the bedroom and back into the living room where I can enjoy it more.

No room for a huge entertainment stand, which is what I'd really love to have, with room for dvds, books, objets d'art, etc.

But CSN Stores has some really lovely and affordable corner tv stands and I'm trying to decide which one to get. What do you think? Remember, I only have one tiny corner that I can safely put something as delicate as a tv, so the corner tv stand that I get won't be moved much. If at all.

But that's not the only problem with my apartment. Did I mention the cookstove? Did I mention that only two of the four burners work, and both of those are the small ones? Impossible to do any real cooking at all when all the heat is concentrated on about a four inch diameter area. And forget about frying anything. Part of the food burns while the rest doesn't get cooked completely.

Bummer.

Oh yes, and the buttons on the stove look like they came off a toaster oven or something. It's totally hit or miss guesswork.

But the rent is so cheap... Okay, rather than approach my landlady yet again about fixing the stove, I've decided to just stop using it altogether. And I'm going to be getting an electric skillet along with that corner tv stand. So the next time I decide to make pancakes or fried eggs, I can do it without having to physically move the skillet around on the tiny burner to make sure everything cooks at the same speed.

The funny thing is... all this kinda makes me feel like a kid again, and the thrill of getting my own apartment the very first time and trying to figure out how to budget my money and still furnish my place so that I can live comfortably. That's all I ask. Just to live comfortably.

Anybody got any good recipes to use in an electric skillet?