Fun with cardboard

Summer is coming to an end oh so quickly,
although for me, it's always summer...
no kids in school yet,
hubby works year round,
and I'm always hot! ha!

So, make sure you squeeze summer
to the last precious drop.
Enjoy every last moment,
cross things off your list.
And if your list is complete

or if you just need new ideas...
I've got some fun you can have
with an ordinary box!

I'm sure some of these things won't be anything new for most of you.
Maybe you've got your own cardboard creation at home
(I'd love to see it).
I love to make things out of cardboard
and just wish I had more BIG boxes lying around.
So, without further ado, here's some fun with cardboard...

My friend Anna and her husband built a pirate ship for their kiddos.


Katherine Marie always has great fun with cardboard.
You've gotta check out her ice cream truck,
the kiddie laundry mat,
her amazing candy land birthday party.
Seriously just take a couple of hours and go look through Katherine's
website, I promise you will leave inspired and with a huge "must-do" list!


Valerie makes lots of amazing frugal things,
I love this castle she made from cardboard
and apparently so did her girls!

I have made a few fun things with cardboard too,
there's the cardboard house,

the cardboard car,

and most recently a cardboard Barbie house,






and a cardboard aquarium.



I got the fish and the idea from Made By Joel.
My sister-in-law found this site and let me tell you,
it's ADDICTING!
Don't go there if you don't have a
few hours to waste get inspired.
No really, just go there, if you have time or not.
It's totally worth it!

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♥ Shutter Love Tuesday ♥

This weeks theme is "FACES"

Be sure to check the sidebar for up coming themes!

AND don't forget to vote for your favorite photo too! 

This WEEK Tara & Jamie will be picking the Top Ten as well as some of our FAVORITES too!

Have Fun!

If you would like to be a Guest Judge in the coming weeks please email us HERE! Please include links to some of your photography examples. Thanks
To see all rules for this party & our other link parties, please visit HERE! You can grab the Shutter Love Tuesdays button HERE! 
To allow more time to view all the entries, we will be posting the winners on Saturdays at 3 p.m.

Tara's "Faces" Photo

Jamie's "Faces" Photo

Don't forget to grab the blog hop so others can enter their photos too!

Make sure you vote for your favorite photo in the comment section!

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Organic Island Lip Balm Review & Giveaway - closed

★ I was very excited to find out that I would be reviewing "Shell Lip Balm" from Organic Island. Each lip balm comes in a beautiful beach shell which makes them unique. All the shells vary in shape and colors. I will show you a few more up close below. I like that each lip balm contains a blend of 100% organic, natural Australian oils, plant & fruit extracts, fruit butters and Vitamin E. It has a smooth feel to it and smells great too! These shell lip balms fit nicely in any purse or pocket and even come with a cute drawstring bag. You can use the bag to keep your shell from getting scratched up or you can use it to gift wrap and give to a friend. Another fun thing I wanted to mention is when you open up your shell there is a mirror on top. Perfect for help when putting on your lip balm and for checking your makeup too! I like that once your lip balm is gone, you can still use the shell as a compact mirror. I will not be getting another compact again. These are just way too cute and stylish. You just have to get one for your purse. Although this company is in Australia, they do have heavily discounted postage for international orders and since they are so light in weight, postage wouldn't be very much at all. They will even give you an option to send this as a gift with a personalized tag. What a perfect gift to send someone who may not live near to you. To find out more of what you will get with your order, you can go HERE. There is a very detailed list of what you will receive. Did I forget to mention the price? Only $12.99 for one and that is  great for a trendy lil lip balm that can be reused as a compact too! I am very happy with my Shell Lip Balms and would recommend them to anyone. Thank you Organic Island for my beautiful Shell Lip Balms! ★

~ Some of their fabulous Shell Li Balms ~

 Their smaller shells are designed to fit in a small hand bag or purse. However the small shells do not have a MIRROR. I wanted to make that clear because I mentioned above that you can reuse them as a compact. So if you are looking for something small for a fun night out, I would get the smaller shell version. Of course, I myself would get the one with the mirror just because I love it! The Small Shell contains 3-6g of Lip Balm.

The medium Shells come with a mirror. Perfect for checking those lips and make up too! It also looks very stylish and your friends and family will beg you for one and ask where you got it. Trust me. I have some friends that think they are pretty fabulous! Each medium shell comes with 4-10g of Lip Balm. And don't forget that you can still use this shell as a compact when your lip balm is gone. Great Buy!

The larger shell is nice too! They are perfect for larger bag carriers and for keeping around the house. Surprise your guests when they use the powder room and find a beautiful shell that has a nice lip balm inside to use. Get a few of them to leave in different rooms of the house! These larger shells hold 8-14g of Lip Balm. A Super Value!

Organic Island is giving away to ONE luck Winner a....

3 pack of Shell Lip Balms Valuing at $50.00

Mandatory 1st Entry -Visit Organic Island & Comment below sharing with us what you like about their Shell Lip Balms 

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

Additional Entries... Eligible after completing mandatory entry above. 

Please leave a new comment for each entry that you have done. Thank you! 

• 3 entries for each - Like Organic Island on Facebook and Twitter - Leave a link in the comment
• 3 entries - Add Organic Island to your Link List - http://www.organicisland.com.au/lipbalm/
• 10 entries - Buy a Lip Balm from Organic Island
• 2 entries - Comment on Organic Islands Facebook about this giveaway including @TrendyTreehouse

• 4 entries - Subscribe to Trendy Treehouse via Feedburner
• 2 entires - Vote for Trendy Treehouse in the Top Mommy Blogs

• 4 entries - Follow Trendy Treehouse via Google Friend Connect
• 3 entries for each - Follow Trendy Treehouse on Facebook & Twitter
• 2 entries - Follow Trendy Treehouse via Network Blogs
• 1 entry daily for each - Blog, Tweet & Post about this giveaway including @trendytreehouse & @organicisland

You will have until  August 1st @ 9:00 p.m. 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 US, CANADA & AUSTRALIA. 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.

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An Incomplete Education

First of all, I want to say THANK YOU!
Thank you for all your kind comments
and encouraging words on my post last week.
Thank you for letting me know I'm not alone.

So, I've been working on some projects...
but I'm not quite ready to share.
But I wanted to share something else that's been going on
and ask your opinion as well!!!

I have figured out that my high school and even parts of
my college education were lacking.
Now, maybe it's because I have a TERRIBLE memory,
but I know it's also because there were huge gaps in my education.
Particularly in the English department.
I have NEVER once learned how to diagram a sentence,
not that I really care now,
but isn't that funny.?! sad?!
We didn't read the CLASSICS in any of my English classes.
Okay, we read Shakespeare...but as far as I can remember
we really didn't read CLASSICS.

What is a classic, well, I'm not really sure.
But I just know I missed a lot of great books!
When people start talking books I tend to glaze over,
and hope the floor opens up and swallows me whole.
I can't contribute...most often it's "oh I never read that book".
So, I'm on a quest to change that.

I want to be more well rounded, more well read.
So, I enlisted the help of my friend, Lydia, the English teacher.
Her den library is amazing. 8 floor to ceiling book cases FULL!
Full of classics, modern stories, children's books, Biblical books,
anything you could really want to read!

So, she let me borrow a bunch of books and told me
to come get more when I was ready.
So, what did I pick out?
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Animal Farm by George Orwell
1984 by George Orwell
You Come Too by Robert Frost
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
and
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

I'm in the process of reading
A Separate Peace by John Knowles
I know that's a LOT of books but it's where I wanted to start.

A really great book she let me borrow is called,
An Incomplete Education by Judy Jones and William Wilson.
It's a huge book but has some great parts about great/famous authors
and what you should know about them,
what you should have learned about them in high school
and what you should have read of theirs in high school and college.

I've obviously got a lot of reading to do,
but I'm looking forward to being more
well rounded (not just my belly)
and well read!
Did you have to read any of those in high school?
What do you recommend?
What are you favorite classics?


Oh and just a little plug,
I've still got some great giveaways going on over at my blog
for Random Acts of Kindness week!!!

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★ I was contacted by Safety 1st to review their new line of Nature Next Bio-Plastic products. I was definitely interested because I know a lot of our readers are moms who would greatly benefit this information. Especially if your are eco-concious. I received the Bio-Plastic booster seat, potty seat and step stool for review. First, I was very impressed with the color and quality. My kids however are not exactly the age to use these so I enlisted a few friends to review these products for me. They were very happy to help. 

First, the potty seat... my girlfriend is in the beginning stages of potty training so she was happy to take on the task of reviewing this new Bio-Plastic Potty Chair. She loved that not only was it a potty trainer seat, but that you can remove the seat and transition over to the family toilet while still being able to use the body of the seat as a step stool. She was also happy that during the potty training, the seat was easily removable for cleaning. This potty seat is great!

Second, the booster seat... now this one I sent on to my girlfriend with a toddler. They were ready to go from high chair to big kid chair.  This seat was great for adding to the family table and took up no room at all. She loved that it had a 3 point harness to keep her lil one safely in the booster. There is also a non-slip rubber feet that keep it in place on the chair. So no slipping babies! The thing I thought was great was when your child is older they can still use this without the harness. It makes a great booster to take to the movies too if you don't like using those icky seats they have there. Great product for for lil ones up to small age children! 

Third, the step stool... I kept this one for me. Hee! I still have young ones that need a little extra help reaching so I knew I would get use out of this. This step stool has the non-slip rubber feet too and is 7" high. Perfect for kids who need that extra boost. I like that it is very durable and strong. Some step stools are flimsy. This one is great! We have used it for many things.... washing hands, helping reach counters to help cook, reaching the top level of their doll house, helped the bigger kids when putting away dishes ;-), we took it to the park so they could easily use it for the drinking fountain,  and they have even taken this outside to help them get up on their swings. The Bio-Plastic Step Stool is perfect for many uses. I definitely recommend it!  

I would also recommend any of the Bio-Plastic products for any family. They would make excellent gifts too! ★

...Some info from Nature Next about Bio-Plastic...

Bio-plastic. It may sound like a rock group, but it is actually a new way of producing products that use renewable resources in place of fossil fuels. The bio portion of the material comes from common starches found in plants ranging from corn to tapioca.

A natural concern for many consumers is whether or not bio-plastics are using crops that could be destined for someone’s dinner table. The fact is that the starches used by Nature Next™ are all by-products. None of the starches we use were ever meant to be used as a food source.

Our new line of Nature Next™ bio-plastic products is currently being manufactured in California, but will soon be moving to a plant closer to our Columbus, Indiana facility. By cutting down the distance between the plant and storage warehouse, we will greatly reduce the amount of fuel needed to transport the products. A central U.S. location is also ideal for transporting the finished products to retail outlets all across the country. The above information was found on Safety First Bio Plastic Nature Next Site! 

...More info on the Products sent to me for review ...

The Safety 1st® Nature Next™ Bio-Plastic 3-in-1 Potty is made from 50%  bio-plastic, a new generation of durable plastics developed from renewable plant resources.  The potty features a removable bowl that makes cleanup easy.  After your child masters the skills, the seat converts to a trainer which helps ease the transition to the family toilet.  Use the step stool mode to give your little one a boost when washing hands or brushing teeth.
- Potty, trainer seat and step stool
- Removable bowl makes cleanup easy

The Safety 1st® Nature Next™ Bio-Plastic Booster Seat is made from 50% bio-plastic, a new generation of durable plastics developed from renewable plant resources. The booster seat includes adjustable chair straps and non-slip rubber feet to help keep the seat steady. With the 3-point harness, it's easy to keep your child secure during meal times.
- 3-point harness keeps child secure
- Non-slip rubber feet keep seat steady
- Adjustable chair straps
- Fun leaf design on seat

Give your child an eco-conscious boost with the Safety 1st® Nature Next™ Bio-Plastic Step Stool. Made from 50% bio-plastic, a new generation of durable plastics developed from renewable plant resources, our step stool features non-slip feet and is sized just right to give your toddler a little extra height whenever needed.
- Textured top with fun leaf design for added safety
- Non-slip feet
- 7 inches tall

...Some Fun Things You Might Want to Know...

Tour their Virtual Home to learn more about products and tips on how you can live a more eco-concious lifestyle.

Take the Eco-Concious Quiz

...Make sure you stop by and...

Sign up for the Nature Next Newsletter

Like Nature Next (Cereplast) on Facebook

Follow Nature Next (Cereplast Inc) on Twitter

The Cereplast Inc Home Website

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. Trendy Treehouse Disclaimer/Terms of use.

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♥ Shutter Love Tuesday ♥

Come by Every Tuesday to enter your PHOTOS

This weeks theme is "By the Pool"

Be sure to check the sidebar for up coming themes!

AND don't forget to vote for your favorite photo too! 

NEW! Each week will will have a Guest Judge who will pick our top 10. Jamie and I will also be sharing our favorites that stand out as well. 

★ Hey Y'all, I'm Marlessa Southern, wife, mother of two, and soon-to-be special education teacher!!  I am by no means the best blogger, but I share what I can when I can!!  It's a great way for me to express my creative side when time permits.  After our son was born, I decided I would just have mini photo shoots on our couch since getting out wasn't as easy and saving money is of the essence nowadays!!  I had no idea they would be such a hit, and I was shocked when people were convinced I had them professionally made.  I don't plan on making photography a career, but I am excited I have a new hobby I can share with my family.  I look forward to seeing all of your photo entries this week; I adore admiring other people's photography because every picture taken is truly a work of art!! Please come by and visit my blog sometime too! ★

If you would like to be a Guest Judge please email us HERE! Please include links to some of your photography examples. Thanks
To see all rules for this party & our other link parties, please visit HERE! You can grab the Shutter Love Tuesdays button HERE! 
To allow more time to view all the entries, we will be posting the winners on Saturdays at 3 p.m.

Marlessa's "By the Pool" Photo

Tara's "By the Pool" Photo

Don't forget to grab the blog hop so other can enter their photos too!

Make sure you vote for your favorite photo in the comment section!

Continue Reading ...