Apps I'm Loving

If you told me 6 months ago that I would own an iPhone and be blogging about my favorite apps, I wouldn't have believed you.  But I am lucky enough to have one and I really do love it in all it's glory.  There are so many great apps, but here are a few of my favorites:

Pocketbooth
It's like having a photobooth with you at all times! Really cool and lots of fun to play with. Here are some pics of the hubby and I. There are all kinds of options for your pics too and it only cost $1.99. L-O-V-E!! 

Netflix

Everyone knows about Netflix, but the app has really saved us some major terrible two's meltdowns while out to dinner on a few different occasions.  That alone is worth having an iPhone for!!  The app is free if you're a netflix customer.

Pinterest

It's my favorite app to browse while breastfeeding...TMI?  Anyway, Pinterest sooo addictive, but even more so when you have it at your disposal at all times!  And it's free!

Moody Monsters by Alex Toys

It's a fairly new free app that has some games and other activities for kids.  Hudson loves playing with it and it too has been a lifesaver when out to dinner!

Instagram

Who hasn't heard of the Instagram craze?  Well if you're one of the few who hasn't, it's another photo app that lets you get creative and artsy with the photos you take and then share them through the Instagram site or others such as Facebook.  Very cool and only $1.99!

This is an Instagram photo of Harper in her bathing suit.  Isn't it cool?

So there you have it, a few of my favorite iPhone apps that I can't get enough of!  Do you guys have any favorite apps?  I'm always on the lookout for more!

Show & Tell: More Memory Keeping

You guys know how into preserving memories I am, well I'm back with yet another way to do it thanks to one of my favorite online shops, Paper Coterie.  Recently they introduced their new Memory Keeper boxes and I couldn't love them more!!  They have designs for all occasions, but I decided on boxes for the kids first year of life. 

Baby lady Harper's box.  I used newborn pictures on both of them and love how adorable they are!!

 And little man Hudson's.  Love the pennant design!  So precious!

 And did I mention that they're huge?!  Here is Hudson demonstrating by repeating "BIG" over and over!

They are really big (much bigger than I thought they'd be) and hold a ton of stuff.  I knew they'd be perfect for hospital mementos, ultrasound pics and anything else we collect during the first year.

And right now, Paper Coterie has a "Begin Anywhere Month" promotion going on, so go over and check them out!  Their products couldn't be cuter!!  Love them!

*I was not paid or perked for this post.  I just REALLY love their products!*

Homemade Finger Paint

This is actually another Pinterest project.  I pinned a recipe for homemade finger paint a while back and finally tried it last week.  However, my first attempt did not turn out well.  The recipe that I pinned didn't include much detail, so I was just kinda winging it.  The paint I ended up with was waaaay too thick...who am I kidding, it didn't even remotely resemble paint.  It was like Jello.  I was determined though, and decided to try it again this morning.  This time it turned out perfect!

Recipe

2 cups water

1/2 cup corn starch

3 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

food coloring

Directions

Mix water, corn starch, sugar and salt in a small saucepan and warm over low heat letting mixture thicken.  The mixture tends to thicken on the bottom of the pan first, so be sure to stir it often!  The heating process took about 15 minutes. The consistency should resemble ketchup when you remove it from the heat.  Let cool, but stir occasionally while cooling.  The mixture seems to thicken more after removing from heat.  Once it's cooled, divide into small airtight containers and add desired food coloring. I used baby food jars this time, but would like to buy some better containers for the next batch.

Ingredients

Here is what it looks like then you start.

 I took this pic just before removing it from the heat. You can see that it's sticking to the wisk.

 And here is the final product after adding food coloring.

 It's so pretty!

Hudson hasn't gotten to paint with it yet because he fell asleep.  I can't wait for him to wake up and try it out.  Hopefully when I take the lids off and stir it up a little it will still be thin enough to paint with!  I will let you know, but so far so good as of right now!

P.S. I think my photography skills are getting better everyday.  What do you think?

Finished Pins A Day Late

I tried to get on the computer yesterday to post my finished Pinterest projects, but with 2 kiddos under 2, I don't always get to do the things I want to do! Sorry about that! However, I'm here today with 2 of my projects completed. 

First, I made some of those adorable sponge balls.  I've seen some different variations on some of my favorite blogs, but here is how I made mine.

I bought some regular sponges for $2.69 at Target.

 Then I picked up some cable ties at Ace Hardware for $2.50.

 I used scissors to cut the sponges into strips, cutting the length of the sponge.

 The finished project.

I ended up with 2 balls from a package of 6 sponges.

 I just think they are so adorable!  Hudson couldn't wait until we went swimming to use them...he had to play with them in the bathtub last night.

It was a very cheap project and a fun pool toy for Hudson.  Win, win!!

For my next project all I had to do was go out to the backyard to get my supplies.

I picked out some rocks from our landscaping and brought them in to wash.

Then I used a Sharpie, which I already had on hand, to write messages.

I love them! Now I need to pick up a dish to display them.

You can't beat a free project!

I only made 4 for now because I plan on it being an ongoing project. 

As for the tissue balls that I was going to make, I decided on a different mobile to hang above her changing table.  I found my inpiration on Pinterest for the new mobile too, so now I just need to pick up my supplies.  I plan on working on that this weekend.