Sleeping Like A Princess With Disney Paint
May 20, 2013 Paid/Sponsored Post
[The following post was commissioned by MomTrends.]
In my first two installments chronicling my Disney Paint adventure (purchasing the supplies and stenciling), I talked about the different kinds of Disney specialty paints from Glidden. After working with two of them – Magnificent Metallic and All That Glitters – I was ready to show Fiona’s room off to her friends.
We had a little princess-themed reveal party, where the girls took little bags of princess bling and played dress-up:
Then we decorated some cupcakes:
And we were ready to reveal Fiona’s room make-over!
Before I worked on Fiona’s wall and door, they looked like this:
For Fiona’s door, I wanted it to look like a dressing room door. I used the Magnificent Metallic paint and a star stencil, then when that was dry I used some silver letter stickers I found online. It turned out great!
For the wall I started with the same stenciling process for the crown. When that was completely dry I did a coat of All That Glitters on top of the whole wall, crown and all. Paired with the Disney Princesses bedspread we were sent for this project, it looks absolutely regal!
It’s hard to see the sparkles in the pictures, but they look very cool in person! They dance in the light and look different depending on the time of day or where you’re standing:
Fiona loved showing off her new room to her friends:
My friend Ann said that it looked really impressive, and that she couldn’t believe that I had done it all myself!
When I started painting Fiona said she only wanted the glitter paint on the wall behind her bed. But now that she’s seen it, she wants it on the other walls too! I haven’t gotten to it yet, but I’m happy to do that eventually for my little princess. :-)
Thanks very much to Glidden and MomTrends for all of the help with this project, including the Wal-Mart gift card I got to give away to one of the “reveal party” attendees. Everybody had a lot of fun, and I think I might have inspired some room make-over projects!
Disclaimer: Compensation and products for review were provided by Glidden via MomTrends. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions of Glidden.
Originally posted on Selfish Mom. All opinions expressed on this website come straight from Amy unless otherwise noted. This post has Compensation Levels of 2 and 13. Please visit Amy’s Full Disclosure page for more information.
Tags: Disney Paint, Disney Princesses, Fiona
Walking The Walk For A Good Cause–In My Bra!
May 15, 2013 Paid/Sponsored Post
[The following post was commissioned by One2One Network and Walk The Walk, and contains referral links.]
There are a few things I never thought I’d do in my life. For example, I never thought I’d ever set out to walk a marathon on purpose. I figured if I ever walked a marathon it would be because I’d meant to run and failed.
I also never pictured myself walking through NYC in a bra. I mean, except when I’m having nightmares about being trapped in Lady Gaga’s body and I’ve forgotten to put on a shirt before leaving my house and a picture of me in a nice restaurant in a bra appears on the front page of the NY Post. (No, the bra in that dream wasn’t made out of meat – I’m a vegetarian.)
And yet, I just signed up to do those things: walk a marathon, through NYC, in a bra. Oh, and it’s an all-night walk, starting at 10pm.
Why would I do something so strange? One word, of course: charity.
What?
It’s called MoonWalk NYC, and it’s happening on July 20th at 10pm.
Presented by Empire BlueCross BlueShield, there are going to be about 8,000 walkers – in their bras (yes, even the men!) – walking past NYC landmarks. As part of your registration you’ll be sent a bra about a month before the walk, and then you get to go crazy decorating it!
I’m not crafty at all, but I’m getting a lot of decorating inspiration from this video about a previous MoonWalk that happened in the UK:
The MoonWalk NYC will start with an opening ceremony on Randall’s Island, and then we’re off!
Don’t think you can do a full marathon? There’s a half-marathon route as well. I’ve done three half-marathons with a combination of walking and jogging, and I promise you: if the marathon scares you too much, you can manage the half. Remember, this is supposed to be walked! You can do it! Here’s a great training guide for walking both the full and half marathons. We’re already a couple of weeks into the twelve-week training guides, but that’s not hard to make up. Let’s get moving!
The charity benefiting from this amazing night will be Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center’s Breast Examination Center in Harlem. This is an amazing resource – 80% of patients there are uninsured, but are guaranteed support and guidance. Since it opened in 1979 the center has screened more than 200,000 women for breast cancer – for free. The goal of the MoonWalk NYC is to raise two million dollars. Every participant is encouraged to raise at least $150 in donations.
If you are anywhere near NYC, I really hope you’ll join me! And I mean that literally: sign up for the full marathon and we can walk together! Just let me know you did in the comments so that we can contact each other offline, exchange cell numbers, etc. And we’ll get each other through the 26.2 miles, I promise!
Originally posted on Selfish Mom. All opinions expressed on this website come straight from Amy unless otherwise noted. This post has Compensation Levels of 1 & 13. Please visit Amy’s Full Disclosure page for more information.
Tags: charity, exercise, MoonWalk NYC
The Newest Celeb With A Milk Mustache, Plus A Giveaway!
May 13, 2013 Paid/Sponsored Post
[The following post was commissioned by Got Milk?]
I love the “Milk Mustache” ads. In fact, in the past couple of years I’ve gotten a bit obsessed with them, and a couple of the celebs have come home to live with me.
The newest celeb to wear the Milk Mustache? Katie Couric! She appears in the latest ad with her daughters, which was revealed on her show in time for Mother’s Day, and it’s really adorable. You can see some behind-the-scenes footage of the shoot and Katie talking about the health benefits of milk:
I’m a huge fan of milk. In fact, the rule in our house is that the cartons of milk have to be kept in a certain place in the fridge (the coldest spot), because when I want milk it has to be ice cold.
As a vegetarian, I get asked a lot how I get enough protein in my diet, and honestly, it’s not something I’ve ever had to worry about, thanks in part to milk. I drink 2%, and one cup has 8 grams of protein.
My favorite way to get milk? A big bowl of cereal! And that’s not just a breakfast thing for me. I love milk and cereal as a snack, and occasionally even for dinner. :-)
The Giveaway
For many mothers, yesterday started out with breakfast in bed. In honor of this great tradition, I’m giving away a breakfast in bed set to help you enjoy your milk!
The set includes:
- breakfast-in-bed tray
- plate, bowl, and spoon
- cow-themed milk frother
- gorgeous mug (“M” for milk!)
- silk flowers
- small milk jug with lid
To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post answering this question: What’s your favorite way to enjoy milk?
For a second entry, you can tweet about the contest with a link back to this post. The tweet must contain “@SelfishMom” (but should not start with it) and the hashtag #MilkToastToMom. Or, you can just copy and paste this:
Want to win a $50 “Breakfast in Bed” set? @SelfishMom is giving one away! Enter here: http://slf.sh/18GdkxW #MilkToastToMom
Make sure to leave a second comment with a link to your tweet, or it won’t count (instructions on how to find and post the url of your tweet can be found here).
That’s a maximum of two entries per household please. You must be at least 18 years of age to enter, and prize can only be shipped within the US. Void where prohibited by law. The giveaway ends at noon-ish on Monday, May 20th 2013 and the winner will be chosen approximately 24 hours later.
The winner will be chosen by random.org. The winner will be emailed and the winner’s name will be posted at the top of this post once the winner is verified. It is each entrant’s responsibility to make sure that their entry appears in the comment section, and to contact me before the drawing if there is a problem. Entries that do not follow the rules stated in this post will not be approved. See my complete Giveaway Rules page for more information.
Good luck, and enjoy your milk!
Originally posted on Selfish Mom. All opinions expressed on this website come straight from Amy unless otherwise noted. This post has Compensation Levels of 10 & 13. Please visit Amy’s Full Disclosure page for more information.
Stenciling With Disney Paint
Apr 25, 2013 Paid/Sponsored Post
[The following post was commissioned by MomTrends.]
In my first post about Disney Paint I chronicled how Fiona and I checked out Disney Paint by Glidden online and made a plan, before I headed out to Wal-Mart to buy the supplies. The next step, of course, was to do the painting!
I ordered wall stencils online for some fun shapes: crowns and hearts. Fiona had originally wanted stars as well but I made her narrow her choices to two, since that’s all I wanted to pay for. Well, what Fiona wants Fiona gets, apparently, because the company mistakenly sent us a crown and a star, and told us to keep the star while they rushed us a heart. Score!
I watched this video several times so that I was sure of the technique for applying the Magnificent Metallic paint.
Next, with the help of a tape measure and a level, I taped the stencils to the walls. Since the Magnificent Metallic paint needs two coats with overnight drying time in between, you have to remember that you can only use each stencil in one location at a time – you absolutely don’t want to move them between coats. You will never get them back on in the exact right place, don’t even try it. Build in enough time.
Next I opened the paint and gave it a long stir, and poured it into the tray. I saturated the brush like the instructions said, and was very careful to roll the roller in such a way that the stencils stayed in place. [I should be specific here: after saturating the brush to ensure that the paint would go on evenly, I made sure it wasn't going to be drippy; the last thing you want is for paint to drip down under your stencil!]
The heart was easy, the crown was easy as long as I only rolled downward, and the star was manageable thanks to the little pieces of tape I slipped underneath some trouble spots. How did I know they were trouble spots? I did a dry run before I put any paint on my roller! I highly recommend doing this – don’t be surprised after you start applying the paint!
After painting the star on her door I’m planning on putting her name on there somehow, like it’s her dressing room. Not sure how yet. Thinking maybe I’ll print it out and put it in a small frame. If I can find some sparkly letter stickers, even better. I might also add some kind of jewel stickers to the top of the crown, but I’m not sure yet – I don’t want to overdo it.
The paint went on very easily and smoothly. The second coat was a little more involved since it involved two rollers – applying a bit of texture over the second coat with a sponge roller to ensure that you can’t see any lines where the paint overlaps. It was very easy to do.
It still needs to dry a bit more before I can take the stencils off, and I can’t wait to see how it turned out! Fiona’s friends are coming over when it’s all done to see it, and she’s really looking forward to showing it all off.
I’ll make sure to post pictures of the big reveal!
Disclaimer: Compensation and products for review were provided by Glidden via MomTrends. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions of Glidden.
Originally posted on Selfish Mom. All opinions expressed on this website come straight from Amy unless otherwise noted. This post has Compensation Levels of 2 and 13. Please visit Amy’s Full Disclosure page for more information.
Tags: decorating, Disney Paint, Kids
How Hilton’s Loyalty Program Is Honoring Teachers
Apr 21, 2013 Paid/Sponsored Post
[The following post was commissioned by Hilton HHonors]
Yesterday, as I sat on the couch fighting pneumonia, my son sat next to me for much of the day. I was watching TV, and he was watching videos on a laptop. I could hear classical music coming through his headphones for hours. And it wasn’t just as accompaniment to something else; he was watching orchestras play the music. Finally I asked him what he was doing, and he shouted (because he was still wearing headphones), “Trying to hear the flute parts!”
This from the kid who just a year ago rolled his eyes every time I put on classical music in the car. From the boy who ignored the flute that’s been in my life far longer than he has. How did this happen? Because a music teacher at his middle school told him he’d make a great flute player. And that was that. He went at it full-speed, catching up with the other band members in a matter of months. He’s going to bankrupt me with sheet music purchases, but how can I refuse him the money when it’s for something so awesome?
That’s what great teachers do: they inspire. They show kids a bigger world and help them see their potential in it.
The Hilton HHonors guest loyalty program knows this, which is why they’re helping fifteen teachers take educational trips through their Teacher Treks Travel Grant contest. Hilton HHonors understands how important it is for teachers to be able to experience their area of expertise in another culture, and then bring that knowledge back to their classrooms and inspire their students.
The field has already been narrowed to thirty finalists by a panel that includes teachers and education experts, and now it’s our turn to help pick the winners! You can see the finalists’ applications here and cast your vote. With locations as diverse as Korea, South Africa, Zanzibar, Italy, and the Galapagos Islands, these teachers have some amazing trips planned and exciting reasons behind their dream destinations. The fifteen winners will each receive a $6,000 grant to make their dream trips come true. All thirty finalists will receive a $2,500 grant for their schools to use for cultural activities.
And the best part for you? Hilton HHonors is also giving away ten $250 gift certificates – each vote gets you an entry!
Reading through the entries was truly inspiring – those trips are going to be amazing. And the ripples of cultural knowledge and understanding that the trips will produce in the thousands of students affected will be profound.
Originally posted on Selfish Mom. All opinions expressed on this website come straight from Amy unless otherwise noted. This post has a Compensation Level of 13. Please visit Amy’s Full Disclosure page for more information.
Tags: Contest, Hilton HHonors, teachers
Upgrading Fiona’s Room With Disney Paint
Apr 7, 2013 Paid/Sponsored Post
[The following post was commissioned by MomTrends.]
We’ve lived in our house for six years, and yet I know people who moved last month whose houses look more lived-in and together. The problem is that we’ve been renovating much of that time. And while most of the house is finally done, the parts that aren’t done keep me from really settling in. We have a few pictures on the walls only because my husband put them there. Nothing else is really…decorated.
This is even true of the kids’ bedrooms, which is really silly because their floor was one of the first areas completed (OK, they still don’t have doorknobs, but that’s the only thing left to do on their floor). I’ve even bought things to put on their walls over the years, and have just never gotten around to making it happen.
Thanks to an opportunity to work with Disney Paint by Glidden, I’ve found the motivation to get Fiona’s room done. Disney Ultra Durable Paint is virtually odorless while being applied, is washable with soap and water while still wet, and can be wiped clean when dry – you don’t have to worry about fingerprints, juice stains, and other hazards of living with small people. Plus, there are five new specialty finishes to complete a room’s Disney-inspired look. Thanks to Disney Paint, Fiona’s room is going to shine and sparkle – literally!
First, Fiona and I discussed what we could do with her room. I really didn’t want to re-paint her whole room – it already has a pretty purple paint job that has held up well. I zeroed in on the Magnificent Metallic paint in Glimmering Silver, since I though it would contrast well with the purple. The metallic base for this paint comes in a quart size, and can be mixed with 24 different colors. I had already watched the how-to video about applying Magnificent Metallic, and decided that using some stencils would be a fun way to accent her room.
We played around with the Room Painter, and I showed her what her room might look like. She loved it!
It was her idea to add sparkles over everything, which shouldn’t have surprised me, but I really didn’t want to paint entire walls – this was supposed to be a quick project! I told her maybe, and left it at that, hoping she’d forget about the sparkles.
I headed to Wal-Mart, where Disney Paint is sold exclusively. Actually, I went to two Wal-Marts, because the paint guy at the first one couldn’t get the color I wanted to show up in his computer. The same thing happened at the second Wal-Mart, only that guy was willing to mix it and see if it came out right (it did – the name was just different in the computer system). This highlights a little problem with this new product: some Wal-Marts don’t carry it yet, and those that do might not be familiar enough with it to be knowledgeable. It’s easy enough to fix: go to the Disney Paint website first, read up on which finish you want, and make sure that your local Wal-Mart has Disney Paint in stock.
At the last minute, I also made the somewhat crazy decision to cover all of her walls with a second finish, All That Glitters. She was really in love with the sparkle idea, and I figured it was just a clear top coat, not nearly as much work as painting the walls a color. I grabbed a gallon and swore silently to myself for being a sucker when Fiona wants something pretty.
The pamphlets in the store and the Disney Paint website have great guides for what painting tools you need. I was able to get everything on the list.
As part of this project we’re having a room reveal party for a few of Fiona’s friends, so I bought some fun princess-themed favors and activities in Wal-Mart’s party section. I even found some pink cupcake add-ins in the baking section, because of course I’m going to bake!
When I got back home Fiona was really excited to see all of the stuff, both for the walls and the party. We talked about what stencils she wanted for the Magnificent Metallic paint (she’s gone from crowns to stars to hearts and back to crowns again), when we were going to paint, and what other items we might get to finish off her room’s new look, since the Disney Paint colors are coordinated with Disney Bedding and other Disney products, and Fiona can not have too much Disney Princess stuff.
I can’t wait to get started!
Disclaimer: Compensation and products for review were provided by Glidden via MomTrends. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions of Glidden.
Originally posted on Selfish Mom. All opinions expressed on this website come straight from Amy unless otherwise noted. This post has Compensation Levels of 2 and 13. Please visit Amy’s Full Disclosure page for more information.
Tags: decorating, Disney Paint, Kids
Introducing LOC–All Of Your Loyalty Cards In one Place
Dec 17, 2012 Paid/Sponsored Post
[The following post was commissioned by LOC.]
I’m one of those people with a giant key ring. It has the keys on it for every door I could ever need to get into, a safety whistle, and the broken end of a flashlight that used to be on there. It also has four loyalty cards – those cards that give me sale prices and extra discounts at grocery stores and drug stores. It’s so big that I rarely use it – it’s only with me if I’m driving, because it also has my car keys on it. If I’m walking or biking, I take just my house key. So, most of the time, I don’t have those four loyalty cards when I need them.
My wallet is also big, and contains many of my full-sized loyalty cards. It’s so big, I also rarely have it with me. I usually just shove some money and a credit card in my pocket. I have three different Subway loyalty cards, and that’s just because I can get another one without giving up any information. At Staples, at least, I can give them my phone number and they can look up my card, but at most stores that’s not the case, and I either have to use the store cards or a card from someone else in line. I don’t want to add up how many special prices and points I’ve missed out on over the years.
So, this is where the LOC card could save me from missing out. This card would take my existing loyalty cards for participating stores and put them all one one easy-to-carry account: there’s a key fob, a full-sized card, and a mobile app! Between those three, even someone as scattered as me could have one with me at all times. The card is, of course, free, and you can even manage all of your points and other loyalty benefits on their site.
Plus, when you sign up for a loyalty program at a participating store, you don’t have to hold up the line while filling out a form or giving the cashier information – you would just swipe your existing LOC card and be enrolled in that store’s program!
Want to make sure that your favorite stores participate in LOC? Go to the LOC website and suggest a merchant! Other ways to get to know LOC? Follow them on twitter, “like” them on facebook, and subscribe to their YouTube channel.
To help promote the launch, LOC is giving away $50 Visa gift cards to three winners. It’s really easy to enter: just visit LOC’s facebook page and upload a picture of your own pile of loyalty cards.
You can learn more about the LOC card in this video, as explained by zombie robot shoppers:
Originally posted on Selfish Mom. All opinions expressed on this website come straight from Amy unless otherwise noted. This post has a Compensation Level of 13. Please visit Amy’s Full Disclosure page for more information.
Tags: Shopping
Buy Luxury Bedding Without Leaving Your Own Bed
Dec 5, 2012 Paid/Sponsored Post
[The following post was commissioned by Frette.]
If there’s one thing I thought I knew everything about, it’s online shopping. If I can buy it without leaving my house, I’m a very happy person. But there’s a whole level of luxury online shopping out there that I didn’t know existed. I always assumed that when someone like Oprah or the king of a small oil-producing country needed luxury linens, they sent a minion to a luxury linen store. But they wouldn’t have to. Take a look at what Frette.com has to offer!
Founded over 150 years ago in France as a manufacturer of home linens, Frette evolved into the go-to company for luxury hotels and cruise ships (it was Frette table linen in the banquet rooms of the Titanic). If I wanted to actually get dressed and leave my house, I could go to an actual Frette location on Madison Avenue, and they also sell their products from ABC Carpet & Home, my absolute favorite furniture store, and they have many other locations around the world. But you know my shopping motto: why put on pants if you don’t have to?
Take a look around the site – there are so many different styles to choose from, and I’ve fallen in love with several of them. I mean, how gorgeous is their Seventies collection? I would like to transport this entire bed into my room, exactly as it is. And I don’t think my husband would object either – it’s beautiful, while still having a bit of a man’s touch.
The Ava Red collection is another of my faves – it’s striking!
There are sections of the site that I can only dream about, like the Millionaire Gold collection (I guess the name should have been a tip-off). But even if it’s not in the cards to get an entire set like that complete with pillows and sheets and throws and everything, a new duvet can change the look of a room without costing an arm and a leg.
There are other sections that would be perfect for gifts, like these robes. There are a lot of great options in their gifts category, and while many are out of my price range, I’m more than happy to receive them as gifts, thank you very much! Seriously – I can almost feel this cashmere set against my skin. Plus, it’s named after my daughter – it’s like it was meant to be!
And don’t forget to check out their sale page. Just because you want something luxurious doesn’t mean you also wouldn’t like to save a bit on it. :-)
Originally posted on Selfish Mom. All opinions expressed on this website come straight from Amy unless otherwise noted. This post has a Compensation Level of 13. Please visit Amy’s Full Disclosure page for more information.
Tags: Shopping
