June 2014 - Dottiebox Review!

This is my third Dottiebox and I enjoy the selection and variety of items I receive every month!  This box arrived a little damaged and a little flattened.. the post office had put string around it to keep it together..I don't know what happened but none of the items were damaged inside.  

 This was a summer essentials themed box and included:

Starrily Glitter Nail Polish - I like the gold and black color combo..my school colors where I work!

Suny Island Blu Sea Salt Hair Spray - Smells SO good! This is the third beach waves spray I've received in boxes this summer..but love using all of them! ..Interested in trying Suny Island Blu hair care products!

Elastic Hair Bandz - These are popular and have a couple of packs from other boxes. I really like the tie-die bandz on their website.

Pink Jewel ring by Nzari Jewelry - Pretty but gifting to a friend!


All in all..not a bad box.. I like the emphasis on beauty items this month and will continue subscribing to Dottiebox..it is one of my favorite subscriptions!

*I was not compensated or asked to write this review and all opinions are my own. : ) 

June 2013 - Fancy Box

There's something about getting a brightly colored box with a happy popsicle on it that just make you feel ..well..happy! ..until you open it.. : (  This is my second Fancy box and the first one was just okay.  This one is "get fit" themed and was hoping for something else. I will be gifting this box to a friend who enjoys the gym much more than I! 

What's in the box?

-Fancy Stainless Steel Water Bottle
-Gymselfie Tank
-The Juice Generation: 100 Recipes
-Nylon Pack Cloth Gym Bag

Next month's box will be my last..hopefully it will be more to my liking!

 *I was not compensated or asked to write this review and all opinions are my own. : ) 

June 2014 - Popsugar Must Have Box!

LOVE this month's Popsugar Must Have box!  It is even better than the Special Edition Summer Box! Popsugar is still my favorite subscription box because of the huge items and amount of items included!  

You Smell Lemon Antibacterial Wipes ($6) - As  I was up to my elbows in painting some office shelves I found a new use for these and I am going to keep them with my craft paints! 

Native Union $15 Gift Card - WOW!  I like a lot of their tech gadgets on their website ..I think I am going to buy something with the gift card and then gift the item to a friend for Christmas.

Turkish-T Beach Towel ($32) - YAY!! I've wanted one of these since I'd seen it in last year's summer box!  

Lollies Hair Ties (8) - Already in use!  These don't slip out of my hair like others do. 

Sachajuan Shiny Citrus Body Lotion (24) - I already received Sachajuan beach hair spray in the special edition box and I liked the product.  The smell of this lotion is way better than the beach spray though!   It smells kind of like jasmine and citrus and it is a BIG bottle! 

One Potato Two Potato Hawaiian BBQ Chips ($2) - I wasn't sure about these and have seen them in some discount stores lately.  I ripped into them on a road trip this summer and they are YUMMY!  My husband was chatting away so he got one..and I ate the rest! I would buy more of these! 

Emily Griffin's "The One & Only" ($28) - This is the perfect gift for one of my friends.

I like Popsugar's card insert design that describes each product. It looks very Instagram like this month!

The total retail value of this box equals to over $100!  Amazing box and products..can't wait for the next one! If you would like to find out more about Popsugar Must Have box subscriptions click here!  

*I was not compensated or asked to write this review and all opinions are my own. : ) 

June 2014 ~ Taste Trunk

Taste Trunk is based out of San Francisco and the boxes are full of artisan gourmet items! You can choose to receive the gourmet, sweet, BBQ, or health trunk subscription or change the theme each month. You can order the deluxe trunk ($23.99/4-8 items) or premium trunk (28.99/5-10 items). There are single boxes, 3 month, and 6 month subscriptions available also.  I chose the gourmet premium trunk and it came with five items,  beautifully wrapped in tissue and ribbon. 

Most of the items were wrapped in bubble wrap and nothing was broken. The box was super heavy and I was ecstatic to see the Himalayan salt block! I have wanted one of these for awhile!  Here is the list of items included in this month's gourmet trunk:

Himalayan Salt Block - includes a card about the origin, and how to use

Smoky Garlic Onion Mustard by Barhyte Food & Wine  - I like gourmet mustards..this is a plus!

Balsamic Basil Vinaigrette by Willamette Valley Mustards - Always love a good vinaigrette.

Irish Soda Bread Mix by Sticky Fingers Bakeries - I've made their scone mixes before..delicious!

Tomato-Artichoke Bruschetta by Cucina & Amore - Very pretty packaging..almost too pretty to use!

I've seen most of these items at World Market but they were a fun mix of items to find in this box.  I love that I will definitely use every item in this box!

Pretty recipe cards that go with each item are included in the box!   Overall, ...great box..worth the price..and all items are to my liking!  Looking forward to future boxes...or trunks as they call them!  If you would like to find out more about Taste Trunk click here! 

*I was not compensated or asked to write this review and all opinions are my own. : ) 

June 2014 ~ A Kitchen Box Review!

This is my third "A Kitchen Box" subscription box and this month's theme was  the "Grill Box."  May's theme was the "Egg Box" and April's was a "Tasting Box." 

I love the little designer printed envelopes..I've been saving and reusing them!  Here is the little card insert that tells you about the items in the box. 

Four Cedar Grilling Planks by NW Plank Co. ($12.95)  - At first I was like..hmmm...I don't eat fish. But it says it can be used for chicken and pork also.  I'm debating whether to keep them or regift the planks.

Hazelnut Rub by NW Plank Co. ($6.00) - The best part about my kitchen is opening up my pantry and seeing all these beautiful gourmet jars and spices from A Kitchen Box!  I have not heard of a hazelnut rub..sounds interesting!

Black Garlic Finishing Salt by Salinity  (this is a sample but most salts on their website range from $15-$29)
- This tiny package is FRAGRANT! In fact the whole box smelled like it. Excited to use this finishing salt!

Flour sack towel - each box contains a new towel which is a nice touch!

Also included...recipe postcards, music download to Call Me by St. Paul & Broken Bones, two grill menus with recipes, and shopping lists.

I enjoy receiving all these artisan food items that are new to me! I have really liked the music downloads that have come with each box and I look forward to seeing how the box is curated and themed each month! If you would like to find out more about A Kitchen Box click here!

*I was not compensated or asked to write this review and all opinions are my own. : ) 

June 2014 ~ Hammock Pack

This is my second Hammock Pack and this month's theme was "Los Angeles."  This box contained three food items and two beauty items. The last box contained two food items. I think I would have rather had more artsy stationary products like the Florida box.  This box does not scream Los Angeles and the bath bomb is a Hawaiian scent. (???)  This almost seems like a Hawaii box to me with the fruit nail stickers, macadamia nut cookie, and Hawaiian scented bath bomb. 

Beanfields Bean & Rice Barbecue Chips - Nice variety item to go in my pool snacks bag (that is what I've been doing with all my subscription box snacks! ..the bag is getting full!) Banfields also makes six other flavors of these chips.

Me Bath Hawaiian Lei Ice Cream Bath Soak - Something I would not buy for myself, might try it out, or could use it in a spa gift basket for a friend. I checked out their website and wish I had a sample of their Pomegranate Shower Sherbet!

The YES Bar Macadamia Chocolate Chip Snack Bar - another item for the pool snack bag, contains coconut so I'll probably be sharing it with a friend... On the website you can see what the actual bar looks like...My father in-law would love these!

Museum Nails Fruit Cocktail Nail Stickers by Erin Jang - I haven't had much success with nail stickers.. I've had a few from subscription boxes and either they don't stick very well and/or my nails are too petite.

Sencha Naturals Pink Dragon Fruit Green Tea Leaf Mints - Never heard of these...I like green tea...I'll keep them in my purse to share during teacher meetings.. : ) 

 Overall opinion... if this box was up for grabs and already been revealed I wouldn't have ordered it.. The Florida box was AMAZING and hopefully next month's destination will be more to my liking! If you would like to find out more about Hammock Pack..click here! 

*I was not compensated or asked to write this review and all opinions are my own. : ) 

Craft Room Update!

THANK. YOU. SUMMER!  I am absolutely loving summer break! I am a teacher so I have about two month's worth of craft/school/house project ideas ready to dive into! Last summer, we spent boxing and unboxing our apartment and my classroom. We were in the middle of getting ready to move into our first house and boy did we accumulate a bunch in our three years of marriage!  We both attended art school and have an enormous amount of art supplies. He does computer IT by day and works on a 3D modeling team by night.  They build planes, cockpits, ships, etc. for simulators and video game companies. Pretty exciting, huh?  I teach pre-k by day and in my spare time (which is VERY little) I work on graphic design freelance projects.  I've done a bit of wedding design and some food styling as well.  I LOVE to CREATE! I've taken up canvas painting, watercolor painting, and felting so that attributes to my hoards of craft supplies. Also, being a teacher, I think that makes you a natural hoarder. While cleaning out our office I found all kinds of odds and ends that I had been saving for lesson ideas.  Anyways, I organized..and reorganized our shared office from top to bottom and it feels SO good to have a place for everything. 

We have this cube shelf piece of furniture that has traveled from apartment to house from closet to bedroom and now to the office.  It was a dark expresso brown and had stayed that way up until yesterday. Last year I painted a few of our other pieces of furniture with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint "Pure White."  I like the white washed beachy look but this "Pure White" does appear VERY bright at first.  I have some "Old White" that I might use as a second coat then sand it some and wax.  Here's my post about when I chalk painted our living room furniture..click here to read!

What I love about the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint is that you don't have to sand!  Mistakes are wiped off easily with a wet cloth and it dries super fast! 

I think it looks 100% better.  I even spruced it up a bit with some totes and baskets from TJ Maxx! 

I love this bulletin board I found at Hobby Lobby. I have two of them and used them at my wedding to hold escort cards. I also used it above my fireplace mantle at Christmas. I made a boxwood wreath and hung it in front of the board with chevron burlap ribbon.  Lately, I've been using it as an inspiration board for my paintings and graphic design projects. I have a few ideas posted of canvases  I want to try painting and lists of my favorite fonts for easy reference.  Here is the link to my post about my favorite fonts and free download of this print out! 

I LOVE mason jars..who doesn't?! I use them all over my house for craft supplies, pantry items, flower vases, etc.  I still have a few cases of mason jars left over from my wedding.  For my wedding we used them for lemonade with pink and white striped straws. I've loaned them out for friends' weddings and birthday parties, too.  I love this giant mason jar with wood pieces inside. I use the wood pieces to make little Montessori dollhouse kits for my classroom..the kids love playing with them!

Time to fill up the squares! I bought the bottom basket and two beach stripey totes at TJ Maxx. The rest of the items I already had.  I love neutrals so it was pretty easy to find things that go together. 

The bottom striped tote holds all my ribbons! I am a ribbon fanatic!  

Mason collection jars for paintbrushes, permanent markers, watercolor pens, and washi tape! 

I needed a bin just for tags. The packages are so tiny that I often loose them or forget I have them and then end up buying more. Now they are all in one place! 

Another bin..this one is just for anything that sticks! ..glue gun, glue sticks, glue pens, glue dots, spray glues, modge podge, Aleene's craft glue (my favorite), E-6000 Industrial strength glue (new item, haven't tried it!), packing tape, scotch tape...didn't know there were so many kinds of adhesives, did ya? : ) 

Basket hamper used for paper trash.. prettier than a regular trash can ..don't you think? 

Ahhhhhh....I can see the floor!! Let's just hope it stays this way! 

Another storage solution... college laundry basket turned gift wrap holder!  All secured with washi tape! ...washi tape removes easily and cleanly!

Pretty shelves and a clean desk make me feel happy..at home and at work! 

This jar of baker's twine was a gift..somebody knows me well!!  

Decorate with things that make you happy! I had this framed quote in my dressing room on my wedding day.  This little bowl is from Anthropologie and holds little things like flash drives and SIM cards. 

I purchased these Ikea Byholma woven baskets a couple of years ago. They are the perfect size and only cost $5.99 each!  This one holds all things used for cutting...x-acto knives, hole bunches, corner punches, and scissors. 

This one holds all kinds of 3-D stickers and vellum quotes for scrapbooking, card making, and embellishments.

These berry baskets are cute for gift giving..I have tons more but I left them at work for a pre-k math game : )   I received these Lemon Verbana wipes in my June Popsugar Must Have subscription box.  I didn't know exactly what I would use them for until I found myself elbow deep in chalk paint. They are perfect little wet wipes to keep with your painting supplies! 

Camera..charged and ready to go!  I like these white storage boxes..I actually found them at Walmart and they come in all different sizes. 

A big basket for scrapbook paper.. easy to flip through! 

Baskets, boxes, and more baskets!  The top basket is for sketching markers.

Three more boxes from Walmart..I'm using them to store photos.  The bottom baskets work well for file storage.  I purchased those at Marshall's.  

My amazingly CLEAN desk!  My husband made this desk for me last fall.  I could not find anything I liked in the stores. I just told him I wanted it plain, simple, and unfinished. 

Summer painting...ready to go!  

Here is the other side of the room..his side.. One day I'll get to painting that desk..as for now..here it sits.  I moved all of my cardstock, printer paper, laminating paper, and construction paper to the cabinet under the printer.  I am soooo ecstatic that  I did not procrastinate this organization project and got it done at the beginning of  break so I can craft all summer long!