Trendy TreeHouse

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Pure Joy Review & Giveaway CLOSED

This giveaway is CLOSED. Thank you everyone who entered.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."-James 1:2-4

♥ Jamie over at Pure Joy is a very crafty momma who loves to share her passion for faith, family, photography, crafts and her many wonderful Etsy Store items. I was lucky enough to receive a beautiful 8x12 photo from her. It is a tree (which I absolutely love) that says Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10. The quality of her work is amazing. Each photo is printed on archival safe photographic paper with a lustre coating. An item that will be showcased in my home for a lifetime. That is how much I love her work. It will become a family heirloom. Not only does she have a great Etsy store full of beautiful work, she is also an avid blogger with an adorable blog and takes the most gorgeous photographs. She specializes in Weddings, Engagements and Senior Photos. But you will find her taking many more than that. Just ask, I am sure she is up for any challenge. Jamie's Pure Joy links are a must see. ♥

Pure Joy Blog... a place about Faith, Family, Photography & Crafts

Meet her lovely family
She shares her beautiful photography here
Find Daily Devotions through her church link
Jamie's personal reflections
Scrapbooking, Sewing, Crafts, tutorials, giveaways, book reviews and so much more.

Check out Jamie's Giveaway over at her BLOG!

Going on right now!

Pure Joy Photography.... Capturing Memories

Capturing You.... Weddings, Seniors, Families
Testimonials.... See the many raves from Jamie's customers
Galleries.... Go view her many galleries
Learn more about Pure Joy Photography HERE

Pure Joy Creative.... Paintings, Sewing, Felt

Custom embroidered name pillows
Felt Gift Card holders
Names of God cross
Photographic Art
Great Love Print ~ Perfect for Valentines Day! Hint! Hint!
And many more great products by Jamie

What I love....

She is a crafty momma with love for everything beautiful
Creative Prints with many wonderful scriptures
Embroidered pillows for that special little someone - great because kids like to have something of their very own
Crafts - I love the projects she shares on her blog
Felt Food Projects - she comes up with the cutest things. WOW!
I could go on forever. She is very crafty momma. Go Check it out!
My favorite is that she will be writing for us here at the Trendy Treehouse. She is a new member of the Team. YEAH!

Jamie at Pure Joy is generously giving away an 8x12 print "Be Still" to ONE very lucky Winner!

{How to enter}

First Mandatory entry: Visit Pure Joy & follow her blog.

Must enter Mandatory entry or all others will be deleted. Thanks!

Bonus Entries.....

10 entries - Buy something from the Pure Joy Creative Etsy Store
1 entry - Visit the Pure Joy Creative Etsy Store and share your favorite item
1 entry for each - Grab all 3 of the Pure Joy Buttons for your blog
4 entries - Follow The Trendy Treehouse via Google Friend Connect
3 entries for each - Follow The Trendy Treehouse on Twitter & Facebook

2 entries - Subscribe to Trendy Treehouse Posts
2 entries - Grab the Trendy Treehouse Button for your blog
5 entries - Follow me here at Fabric Creations via Google Friend Connect
3 entries for each - Follow Fabric Creations on Twitter & Facebook
2 entries - Grab Fabric Creations Button for you blog
1 entry daily for each - Blog, Tweet & Post about this giveaway including @trendytreehouse & @purejoycreative

You will have until Jan. 25th @ 9:00 PM Pacific Standard Time to enter this giveaway. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced here. If the winner has provided an email address I will contact you. If you don't provide your email, you will want to check back here and see if you are the winner. The winner will have 48 hours to contact me or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is open to those living in the US. You must be 18 years or older to enter. Thanks for entering at Trendy Treehouse. Good Luck and Have Fun!!

The featured product {s} in this post were provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or pr company representing the company. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by anyone. By entering this giveaway you agree to Trendy Treehouse Disclaimer/Terms of use.

Daisy Creek Review

If you are looking for a unique gift for your little one or even yourself, Daisy Creek Designs is the place to go!

Daisy Creek Designs is a beautiful website where you can find unique, sassy and fun clothing and gift items for your kids and adults alike! They have even added a jewelry line.
Their product line focuses on items for infants to adults and are fun for everyday and perfect for gifts! Daisy Creek Designs carries many different rhinestone designs for tees and tanks, as well as plush lovies and adorable accessories. Custom orders are welcome too!!

What I love....

Daisy Creek Designs is owned and operated by a Mom just like you and me.
She loves to make beautiful things.
And best of all loves to share them all with us.

What a unique talent she has. I love everything on her website, especially that she will design your very own logo. WOW! She made a adorable design for a friend of mine who has a dance studio here in my hometown.

My Favorites

Daisy Creek links.....

Go see her blog Here!
Check out her Facebook page.
She is on Twitter too!
And we can't forget about her Esty Page.

While many reviews are created as a result of receiving a complimentary product, the following content was provided by Trendy Treehouse because it is a product that we believe in and purchase regularly. The item reviewed was purchased on our own and was not compensated in any way for a review. Disclaimer/Terms of use.

Easy Taco Soup

EASY TACO SOUP

I don't know how to make a lot of soups...but this one I can now make from memory. We eat this soup all the time (and we live in a warm climate...it's THAT good and easy).

First let me give you the recipe and then my take on the recipe.

What you will need:

1 lb ground beef
1 (15oz) can kidney beans
1 (15oz) can corn
2 (15oz) can ranch style beans
1 (15oz) can hominy
1 (15oz) can Rotel tomatoes
2 cup water
1/2 pkg. taco seasoning
1 envelope Hidden valley ranch dressing

Brown ground beef and drain. Set aside for later use. Drain corn and hominy. In 5 quart pan combine all ingredients. Simmer soup mixture for approximately 1 hour. Add any of the following for garnish; avocado wedges, sour cream, grated cheese, tortilla chips. Add more taco seasoning if you desire a more spicy mixture. Makes 8 generous servings.

(please ignore the tablecloth it's an old photo)

Variations:

The recipe calls for water but I usually use chicken stock...use whatever suits your fancy!
When I don't have taco seasoning on hand I use a teaspoon of cumin and red pepper flakes and a tablespoon of chili powder.
You could obviously use whatever beans you have on hand.
We top this soup with shredded cheese and sour cream, and eat it with our favorite Mission Chips!

My kiddos love this soup and as long as I don't make it too spicy they usually ask for more. My daughter has been known to pretend to make this for her babies! I just took it to a friend who recently had a baby and she told me it was the best taco soup she'd ever had!
Try it!
You'll like it!

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Shutter-Buddy Review

The ShutterBuddy™ is a revolutionary new product that uses the science of infant vision development and pattern recognition to capture and hold a baby’s attention so that you can get a great picture – easily and every time.

Genius in its simplicity, The ShutterBuddy fits virtually any camera, is lightweight and easy to use, folds for easy transport and storage, and provides instant reliable results – making it a must have for all new parents.

♥ I got the Shutter-Buddy for review and I love it. Being a photographer, I know how hard it can be to get that little ones attentions. With the Shutter-Buddy, that is no longer a problem. The unique patterns on the Shutter-Buddy grab babies and even toddlers to young children's attention. Even my 5 and 6 year old were in a trance. LOL I love it. Has made taking photos fun. Along with being fun, it makes the photo shoots go by a little faster too! It makes sense. You just seem to get the shots you want so much quicker. Even if you are not a photographer, you will love using this anytime. It is made to use with your typical point and shoot cameras but with little effort it can work with your pop up flash cameras too. It worked with my Canon 40D. ♥

What I love....

Helps get babies wide-eyed and photo ready
Black & White pattern proven to capture and hold baby's attention
Works on children as young as a week old
Helps shorten your photo sessions
Folds for easy transport and storage
Fits almost any digital camera
Follow Shutter-Buddy on Facebook
Will make anyone PHOTO-HAPPY

Shutter-Buddy Testimonials...

"I never dreamed I would be a camera-happy mom, but when my son was born, my camera became permanently attached to my hand. It was so hard trying to get him to focus on the camera long enough to get a good shot. We used the ShutterBuddy and he was immediately mesmerized by the colors and patterns, he was finally staring straight at the camera, and better yet, smiling! He absolutely loves it – and I love the results!"

– Erika F. Scottdale, GA

"Since our daughter is so young (8 days old), I was unsure how responsive she would be to the ShutterBuddy. However, she became instantly interested in the ShutterBuddy and continually followed it with her eyes. I was really impressed! We were able to take great alert and wide-eyed photos of our new baby."

– Kim N. Atlanta, GA

"Thanks to ShutterBuddy, we were finally able to capture the true expression of our daughter Paryn. We wish it had been available for our first daughter."

– Betsy C. Charleston, SC

Visit Fabric Creations to enter to win a Shutter-Buddy for yourself!

The featured product {s} in this post were provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or pr company representing the company. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by anyone. Disclaimer/Terms of use.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Homemade Dryer Sheets Giveaway {CLOSED}

{Win a set of 5 Homemade Dryer Sheets}

I posted a tutorial the other day for DIY Dryer Sheets and had a request for a giveaway. So Sweet. Thanks Anne. I went straight out and bought material just for this giveaway and I love them. The colors are perfect and I just may have to trade mine in for a set of these new cuties. Good thing I bought enough of this material.

2 Lucky winners will each receive a set of 5 Homemade Dryer sheets.

Once your get them all you have to do is follow the simple Fabric Mixture directions in my tutorial. With care, you will enjoy using them for years to come. Who knows, you may love them and decide to make some of your own. They make great gives. On to the entries....

How to enter:

First Mandatory entry: Follow Trendy Treehouse via Google Friend Connect

Must enter Mandatory entry or all others will be deleted. Thank you!

Remember 1 comment per entry please!

Do not add all entries in 1 comment or you will only be entered once. Thanks and Good Luck!

Bonus Entries:

3 entries for each - Follow The Trendy Treehouse on Twitter & Facebook
5 entries - Follow my other blog Fabric Creations
3 entries for each - Follow Fabric Creations on Twitter & Facebook
2 entries - Grab Fabric Creations Button for you blog
1 entry daily for each - Blog, Tweet & Post on your Facebook about this giveaway including @fabriccreations
1 entry - What is the worst thing about doing laundry? LOL

You will have until Jan. 14th @ 9:00 PM Pacific Standard Time to enter this giveaway. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced here. If the winner has provided an email address I will contact you. If you don't provide your email, you will want to check back here and see if you are the winner. The winner will have 48 hours to contact me or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is open to those living in the US. You must be 18 years or older to enter. Thanks for entering at Trendy Treehouse. Good Luck and Have Fun!!

While many reviews are created as a result of receiving a complimentary product, the following content was provided by Trendy Treehouse because it is a product that we believe in and purchase regularly. The item reviewed was purchased on our own and was not compensated in any way for a review. Disclaimer/Terms of use.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

DIY ~ Fabric Softner Sheets

Ever wondered how to use "Dryer Sheets" without all the cost? I have! I found a very cost effective way to do it. I make my own Dryer Sheets. It is so easy.

What you need....

1 yard of Pretty Fabric (Small Dish Cloths can work if you don't have time to sew)
Pinking Shears
Sewing Machine (or hand sewing is nice too)
Squirt Bottle
Concentrated Liquid Fabric Softener
Water

Here's what you do....

Cut your fabric into 8" x 8" squares with your pinking shears.
Finish the squares with a simple straight stitch or zig zag to help with fraying. Some frays are okay. It doesn't have to be perfect.
Fill your squirt bottle with 1 part fabric softener and 1 part water.
When you start your load of laundry take 1 Fabric Square and Spray square up to 10 times and toss in the dryer.

Suggestions: