Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Double Wedding Ring



I have reviewed all sorts of products hear on my blog. What can I say I am a mom of many interest.Quilting
is one of my many hobbies. I love making baby quilts for all the new babies in the family. I have done some crazy patterns in the past but there has always been one pattern that I have been afraid to try. The Double wedding ring, it looks so complicated its got lots of tiny pieces and its all curves. My mind just keeps going back to how do I cut all those pieces and have them come out the same. I have just never been brave enough to try the pattern.  A few weeks a go Baycreek Quilting Products offered to send me a Acrylic Quilt template to review. They ask me to pick one that I would like to try. I was so excited I had never used a acrylic template this was going to be new for me. I had to flip through all the templates that they offer and decide on something.  Low and behold my dream pattern also my most feared pattern the Double Wedding Ring. I decided to bite the bullet and give it a try. I let them know what template I wanted and waited for it to come in the mail.

The templates are designed to help you cut your pieces more accurately. They are made of thick acrylic so you can use your rotary cutter safely.  I love love that the writing is etched on each piece so you can identify them easily. Its etched on so it doesn't rub off like paint would. Acrylic Templates save time and fabric and make it so you can cut multiple layers at one time. Baycreek Quilting templates are made right hear in the USA. Price's vary depending on size, color and what template pattern that you order. The one I received is the 15 inch Double wedding Ring. You can find it by clicking hear . The clear 15 inch sells for $24 and is worth every penny. The quality is much better than the ones I have looked at in the quilting stores and the prices are very reasonable.

This was my first Acrylic template so I was excited to give it a try. I pulled out my big box of scraps and started cutting. Its easy to use you basically lay it on top of your fabric and use your rotary cutter to cut around it. Each piece of the template is labeled with the name of the template and a letter. It did come with some simple instructions that were easy to follow. The only thing I would suggest about the directions is maybe put the template letter on the picture that they give so if someone was new to quilting they would be able to see how to assemble it a little easier. The templates have a 1/4 in seam allowance already included and this makes for nice cutting and sewing. After I got all the pieces cut out I laid out the arches on the table to make assembling them easier and faster. Sewing on this type of curve can be a bit tricky and I had to go slow. When It was all together this is how it came out. True to the template it was 15 inches. I couldn't be more please with how it came out and how easy the template made it all. 


I wish I had known about Baycreek Quilting templates sooner. These are perfect for both beginner and advanced quilters. I now have several BayCreek templates on my Christmas list.  http://www.quilttemplates.com/

Disclosure: I received this product at no cost for review. All opinions are my own or what my kids thought of the product

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Dr. Scholl's Active Series

I am an active person I work out about 4 days a week. Before I had the girls I was a runner, now I do interval work outs and long walks, hikes and bike rides with the girls. About a month a go I received a complimentary set of Dr Scholl's Active Series Insoles from Influenster to review. I haven't suffered from shin splints in years but I tend to get pain in my lower back and feet so I was excited to give them a try. I haven't had a good pair of insoles in years.  The insoles sell for about $18.15 at walmart.  The price is reasonable most insoles are in that range. The active series fit my shoes well I did have to trim the length down a bit as they are a multi size insole and they are full length. I recommend trimming them a little at a time and then trying it in your shoe. I wear a size 9 but I only had to trim the insole down to a size 10. So far they have held up good and give me a decent amount of cushion when running around after the kids or knocking out a interval work out. My lower back feels better after a long day at the park or being on my feet in the shop. They give me good arch support and I like the heal cup. The active series is said to reduce shock up to 40% All in all I think the new Dr. Scholl's Active Series gives a decent bang for your buck.



Disclaimer: I received this product for testing purposes free of charge from Influenster.


Friday, November 1, 2013

Cuppow


Hear in Mo we drink our sweet tea from a Mason Jar. What can I say its just the way things are done around hear. While surfing around online one day I discovered Cuppow. If you drink from a Mason jar Cuppow products were made just for you. Cuppow makes these great mason jar drinking lids and a lunch box adapter called the BNTO that allows you to store dip right in side your wide mouth canning jar for lunches on the go. The Adapter lids allow you to turn any mason jar into a travel mug and they come in several different colors and you can get them for both wide and regular mouth jars. The adapter lids sell for $7.99 and the BNTO lunch box adapter sells for $7.99. The are all made of recycled BPA free plastic and are Made right hear in the USA and packaged with recycled material. you an find them by clicking HEAR

I received one wide mouth drinking lid and one regular mouth drinking lid and one BNTO to try out. To use the drinking lids you unscrew the jar lid replace the seal with the cuppow  screw the lid back on the jar and your done. They are reusable and have held up well with all the washing they have gone through in the last month. I only have the two lids so they get washed a lot. The hole on the drinking lid is designed so that you can used a straw in it. I don't normally drink with a straw but I tested it out just to be sure it really would fit and it worked wonderfully.  With Cuppow I don't worry about my drink getting spilled so much and its super comfortable to drink out of.





I also received a BNTO this was a totally new but I was excited to try it out. With the BNTO you will need the both the ring and seal to your jar. Take off the ring and seal put your snack in side in our case it was celery sticks. Drop the BNTO into the jar put in your dip ranch dressing for us. Replace the seal and ring and your set to go. Its completely reusable and it looks super cool and its all in one so it saves space. The girls though it was handy they kept asking what else we could put in it, one of them even suggested soup in the bottom and small soup crackers in the BNTO. Chips and cheese, Oreos and Milk the list goes on and on.


Disclosure: I received this product at no cost for review. All opinions are my own or what my kids thought of the product