Cute & Simple 4th of July Fun with SweetWorks

Posted on June 16, 2015 by Krissyar

This is a Fashionista Event and a promotional item was provided to me by Sweetworks. Hosts for this event are Still Blonde after all these Years and ModlyChic.

Every year we have a get together to celebrate the 4th of July. The past few years I’ve been impressed with the creativity from my family members on cute decor, and creative recipes. (I am going to say Thank you Pinterest for that). I am not usually very artistic (though I wish I was) so a lot of my great ideas end up being great  big fails. I decided to start early this year and experiment so I could come up with something that looked great, and even that the kids could help me with – we got a supply for great candy from SweetWorks and got to work.

As I looked through my box of red, white and blue sixlets, colored foiled chocolate balls, candied stars and gum balls, I started thinking about Captain America. We set out to make an adorable Captain America shield that we could use on cupcakes, cakes, cheesecakes and more.
I tried to make a star, but again, I’m not all that artistic like some of you. So we opted for the candied stars in a red,white and blue pattern, and we were pretty pleased with the results.

4th_of_July_star_cheesecake

The kids were able to help and had a lot of fun. Usually with these type of projects they are tedious and extremely time consuming, but the patterns were a lot of fun!

sweetworks_candy

So we had a good idea of what to do with our desserts – but what about decorations? I found these awesome milk bottles at Target and decided to use them for some decor. We used red, white and blue sixlets to create our centerpieces for the tables. These would also be super cute for weddings as well (SweetWorks sells sixlets in all kinds of different colors).

4th_of_July_decor

We have a ton more candy to experiment with, so keep an eye out, I’m sure well be sharing more of our ideas!

Want to channel your artistic side and see what you can create? Enter to win $50 Prize Pack from SweetWorks which includes:

  •  Item Description                                               Qty        Value
  •  Royal Blue Sixlets 14oz Stand-Up Bag           1          $ 5.00
  • Shimmer White Sixlets 14oz Stand-Up Bag   1          $ 5.00
  • Royal Blue Gumballs 14oz Stand-Up Bag       1          $ 5.00
  • Red Gumballs 14oz Stand-Up Bag                   1          $ 5.00
  • Red & White Peppermint Crumble Jar           1          $ 3.00
  • Blue & White Vanilla Crumble Jar                   1          $ 3.00
  • Red, White, Blue Sixlets Small Peg Bags        2          $ 2.00
  • Red, White, Blue Pearls Small Peg Bags         2          $ 2.00
  • Red, White, Blue Stars Sweet Shapes              2          $ 2.00
  • Red Foiled Milk Chocolate Hearts               1/2 lb      $ 6.00
  • Royal Blue Foiled Milk Chocolate Balls      1/2 lb      $ 6.00
  • White Foiled Milk Chocolate Balls               1/2 lb     $ 6.00
  •                                         Total Package Value          $50.00

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 


Posted in Holidays, Reviews/Giveaways | 72 Comments

Strawberry Greek Yogurt Bark

Posted on June 13, 2015 by Krissyar
Ingredients:
-1 Tub Vanilla Greek Yogurt
-Strawberry Extract
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Process:
-Mix together yogurt and strawberry extract, I just eyeballed the amount of extract but I would say around a teaspoon. Add more for a stronger flavor
-Line a glass pan with wax paper
-Pour mixture into pan and spread evenly
-Freeze for about 4 hours
-Break into pieces
-Enjoy!
 
You can add nuts, fresh fruit, dried fruit, whatever you’d like. But I just like mine plain! This is a great healthy alternative for kids for an after school snack!
greek yogurt bark
Posted in Recipes | Leave a comment

How to Get Paid to Write

Posted on June 12, 2015 by Krissyar

Getting paid to write… it sounds like a dream. But, it’s such a broad term. How do you get paid to write? Whether you enjoy writing about techy subjects, or just want to offer some parenting advice and make a little cash for it, writing is something you can get paid to do.

Female programmer writing notes on piece of paper while typing laptop keyboard, side view.

You don’t have to have a degree, and really you don’t even need much experience. You do, however, need to be a great writer. Some places are more lenient on what they let through, but for the most part you do need to make sure you’re up to speed on proper grammar and spelling.

Deciding what to charge is the most difficult part for some people, but really I find it to be simple. If I want to make $100 an hour, and it takes me 30 minutes to write an article, I charge $50 per article and I’ve met my $100 an hour goal. You can also charge per word. You don’t want to undercharge, but because so many write for next to nothing, sometimes it’s difficult to get paid what you’re worth. Building up your portfolio is the best way to make more money for less work.

You might get paid pennies at first, but there’s no shortage of folks that are making bank by writing! The more you write, the more you make. It’s a numbers game.

By the way, you should get paid for writing gigs, but sometimes exposure to millions of readers is more valuable than a $100 bill. For example, the Huffington Post doesn’t pay you to write, but saying you’re a HuffPost writer is so valuable!

Practice makes perfect.

If you have friends that have blogs, work for newspapers, or otherwise have connections to get your work out there – utilize them! The more you write, the better you get at it.

Join the right groups.

If you are looking for writing gigs on Facebook, it’s important to realize that not all groups are created equal. Join groups like Elite VA Buy/Sell Content to be in front of the perfect audience – bloggers! They only want the best, though, so make sure you’re delivering or your client base will never grow.

Be professional.

Set up a LinkedIn profile, create a professional social media bio, and make sure your personal page is locked down unless you’re professional 100% of the time. I’m not saying you can’t show a little personality, but if you’re dropping the “f” bomb in your statuses, you’re not likely to get hired to write for a parenting blog.

Additional Resources

While doing some research on this topic for you guys, I found a few articles that went into depth about how to get paid for writing.

— 45 Websites that Pay You to Write
— Write and Get Paid
— Weird Writing Gigs
— Get Paid Blogging
— Freelance Writing

Personal closing/call to action.

Posted in Money Matters | Leave a comment

Play the Slots from the Comfort of Your Own Home

Posted on June 12, 2015 by Krissyar

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of DoubleDown Casino for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

Work seems to take over every minute of every day – whether it be my ‘day’ job, or my blog job I am hustling 24/7. But every once in awhile, I need a break. Just to relax, have a bit of fun and not think for awhile – which is why I love DoubleDown Casino.

DoubleDown

First off, you don’t need to be a pro to play; just jump online and have fun! You can play online with friends through the free app (which you can play on desktop, Facebook, and mobile)… and DoubleDown Casino is the only online casino that delivers a Vegas experience! You can play every day, and it’s available to all players all the time – with no locked content. I love that each new player receives 1 Million Free Chips the first time they play, and you come back daily to spin the wheel and earn more free chips!

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My favorite slot to play is Captain Quid’s Treasure Quest. It reminds me of Pirates of the Caribbean! I love watching my wins add up, it’s fun and relaxing to play when I need a break from work (or my kids!) You have to try it out,it’s addicting!

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Little Scholar Kids Tablet

Posted on June 12, 2015 by Krissyar

I received a sample of this product to facilitate my review; all opinions, as usual, are my own.

As a concerned Mom, I don’t always hand over my phone or tablet for my son to play on. There’s just too many possibilities of a mess (either him deleting important things, or clicking on an inappropriate video on YouTube, etc). So I have been on the search for a tablet that he can play games on, read, and it can just be his own – and I don’t have to worry about him breaking it. So I was thrilled when I was offered the Little Scholar Kids Tablet to review (and 1 to giveaway!)
School Zone, the makers of the Little Scholar Kids Tablet has had over 30 years of experience in the educational products industry – so they know what your kids like – and need.
They launched the Little Scholars tablet in 2014 jam-packed with lessons based on the core subjects for preschoolers, kindergartners, and first graders including math, reading, spelling, logic, creativity, and geography.
little_scholar_Tablet

The year they’ve launched a new and improved Little Scholar Tablet which  features:

  • Over 200 apps including 98 songs and 54 “Start To Read” books – worth over $400 in free content
  • Ready to play – with or without WiFi
  • All Start To Read books have read-along audio tracks
  • 8-inch screen, textured easy grip protective bumper
  • Runs on Google AndroidTM 4.4.4 operating system
  • 2 convenient charging options: USB interface & 5-foot DC power cord
  • Download additional apps from the School Zone Market or the Amazon App Store may be installed
    Little_scholar_Tablet_with_Case

My son has been thrilled to have his own tablet, especially filled with soo much awesome stuff. The battery seems to last forever, and I love that it comes with a protective case, and a carrying case. He brings it in the  car when we have anywhere to go that’s longer than a 15 minute drive. The best thing? He’s learning! He was surprised at first to realize that I wasn’t yelling at him that his time was up, or that I didn’t take it away because he was on it too much!
The Little Scholars Kids Tablet would make a perfect birthday or Christmas gift for your little one – you can order it online at am

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment