Creative Mama with a Mission

Exclusive Club

Chalk Couture offers an exclusive monthly subscription through Club Couture. For just $19.99 US/$26.99 CAD monthly, you’ll receive:

One exclusive B-sized Transfer (8 ½”x11”)
Three coordinating Paste Singles
Access to video and written instructions to make a unique finished project
FREE shipping

Being part of Club Couture, you also get access to private sales and special deals throughout the year! When you sign up for an initial *3 month commitment, you will be billed on the 5th of next month and each month thereafter. When you sign up, you can also add two exclusives to your order today:

1. The current month’s Club Couture™ for $19.99 USD/$26.99 CAD (plus shipping, pending availability). This month’s Club Couture is Fall Blessings. You can see my project with it below!
2. A Kickstart Kit at a discount price of $69.99 USD/$96.49 CAD (plus shipping). With a retail value of $76.94 USD/$106.44 CAD, this kit contains everything you need to create projects and it includes: a small squeegee, two Board Erasers, multi-tool, bright white Chalkology™ Paste and two surfaces.

*You can cancel anytime after the 3 months

Have I caught your interest?! I would love for you to sign up for Club Couture and gain access to everything above PLUS my VIP page! Join Club Couture here!

As I mentioned above, this month’s Club Couture is Fall Blessings. I absolutely LOVE this transfer, so many possibilities; but here is one of my takes on it!

I reused this board from last Christmas (measures 18in x 0.6in x 5in), dark brown and off-white paint I had, the Fall Blessings Club Couture transfer, Shimmer Harvest Chalkology Paste, Shimmer Copper Chalkology Paste, Chalkable Chip, Bright White Chalkology Paste, and retired Locally Grown Minis transfer. You can see me giving this board an update here.

I hope everyone is staying safe with our current times, wild fires, hurricanes, and anything else that my be impacting your life. Thank you for following along my crazy, creative mama life!

Hello Fall

Who else is like me and totally over the hot, humid, summer weather? I am so excited to finally enjoy the cooler and the cooler fall temps. Oh, and I am even more excited to start decorating for fall! Thanks to Chalk Couture I can create decor that works perfectly for my house.

I created this fall sign with a 24″ rectangle sign, 3 transfers: Jack-o-Lanterns Transfer, Summer Collapsed into Fall, and Hello Spring because my Hello Autumn transfer has not arrived yet. I used the following Chalkology Pastes: Shimmer Harvest, Pumpkin Pie, and Iced Coffee. Both Pumpkin Pie and Iced Coffee are retired but you can create a similar project using Papaya and Dune.

I am so excited to add this sign to my fall decor collection! You can see me creating it here.

What is your favorite fall decor in your collection?

Trick or Treat

In my opinion, it is never too early to start planning to decorate for Halloween! When the new Catalog released on July 15th, Halloween Phases was among the transfers I knew I had to have! These phrases are adorable and make for simple yet fun Halloween decorations. Plus, I have seen similar signs in stores, so Chalk Couture is right on trend!

I created this using Chalk Couture’s 5X5″ Double Sided Box frame, Halloween Phases transfer, Bright White, Orange Peel, Black Velvet, and Bumble Bee Chalkology pastes , a couple of mini squeegees, and our fuzzing cloth. See me creating this here on my Facebook page.

I am excited to create with the rest of the Halloween Phases to add to my Halloween decor.

Love this transfer and want to add to your Halloween decor collection?! Let me know and I will get you set up to create your own or I can get one sent out to you!

Grove

Before the restrictions with COVID and the cleaning products disappearing from the shelves, I never would’ve thought I would subscribe to have cleaning products and household supplies sent to me. I have heard of Grove Collaborative before but it wasn’t until my friend mentioned all the cleaning supplies I couldn’t find that she was able to get. So I joined that night, made my personal selection of items I needed, and my order came within 10 days.

Grove has almost anything you would need from household cleaners, personal care items, products for the kids; even products for your fur babies! My most recent box came last week with some of my favorite go to products, along with some new household products, and I was excited to get a fall scent in my selection.

My go to products that are in my reoccurring order are Method Body, Method Antibac Barthroom Cleaner, Grove Wrinkler Spray, Mrs. Meyer’s Multi-Surface Cleaner, and Seventh Generation Disinfecting Wipes. The Pure Sense Washing Machine Cleaner and Method Daily Shower Spray are new to cleaning supplies.

My skin is sensitive so finding a body wash is hard for me. I tried Method Body in our old house 2 years ago when we dealt with extremely hard water and it did wonders for my skin. I have continued to use it since we moved and Simply Nourish is my favorite scent with the subtle coconut.
When it comes to cleaning the bathroom, well, I hate it! Some cleaners require you to spray, wipe, and then finish with a rinse! Method AntiBac Bathroom Cleaner is my go to bathroom cleaner because it only has 2 steps; spray and wipe! I use it on the counters, sinks, and I spray it in the shower and tub before wiping them down. Cuts the time it used to take me to clean the bathroom in half!

When it comes to laundry, I am good at the washing and drying but, when it comes to putting it away, well let me get back to you on that in a few days. Grove Wrinkle Releaser Spray is amazing and helps me out more than I would like to admit. I spray a shirt I want to wear that sat in the hamper waiting to be put away for a few days, then put in the dryer for a few minutes and the wrinkles are gone! Plus, my shirt has a fresh lavender and rosemary scent.
I wipe my counters down, at minimum, 3 times a day after each meal. Mrs. Meyer’s Multi-Surface Everyday Cleaner is what I use. It does not leave streaks and it leaves my kitchen smelling amazing instead of the cleaning chemical smell. My go to scent, that I usually have come in my box is the Lavender, but I switched it up for the fall season.

I have not been able to find disinfecting wipes in store since February! I was surprised to see that these Seventh Generation Disinfecting Wipes were available! I use them around the house and I use them for my Chalk Couture tools and transfers. They are durable and each wipe lasts a long time! The scent is not over powering and the fresh lemongrass citrus is sooo much better than any chemical smell you might get from other wipes.

These 2 products are new to my cleaning supplies. As I mentioned before, I hate cleaning the bathroom. When I saw this Method Daily Shower Spray I knew I had to get it to try. It is so simple to use. Shower then spray the shower down and you are done! It smells amazing and it keeps our glass shower door free from water spots.
Growing up, we had top loader wash machines so it was easy to keep them dried out and order free. The last 5 years we have had front loaders. It is an adjustment but I was looking for a way to keep it clean without having to remember to throw in a cleaning tablet once a month. I have been using Pure Sense Washing Machine Cleaner for a week now and I have noticed a huge difference! I followed the directions and cleaned my washer with it then sprayed down after each load. No musty smells and the washing drum seems shinier too!

I will continue to share new products I get in my Grove Collaborative boxes and I would recommend Grove to anyone looking to take the hassle out of getting cleaning supplies! The extra selection of products are bonuses!

Are you in the same boat I was in and are struggling to find cleaning supplies still? Join Grove and receive a free Gift Set with your 1st purchase! Join here and when you do share what products you picked!

Good Bye to the beloved Pacifier

When I found out I was pregnant, along with research, I started asking family and friends about pacifiers. I received some as gifts, a few as samples in the mail, and I bought the famous green Philips Avent Soothie. I felt I was prepared, with a range of different kinds, in the event my baby would need one for soothing.

Then my daughter was born at 37 weeks, weighing 4lb 2oz. We did not start a pacifier right away but we did around month 2. I started with the Soothie, but due to how small my daughter was, the soothie was too big for her. Then I dug into my stash. The one that worked for her was the Avent Ultra Air Pacifier. Avent even has ones that glow in the dark, so we had those for bed time to make it easier for us when we were fumbling around for it! Those pacifiers went with us everywhere, especially in the car.

Around a year old, we started the transition to pacifiers at nap and bed time only. I was nervous about this because my daughters crying was (is) a trigger for my anxiety. Thankfully, it was a surprisingly easy transition for us. I kept them out of sight during the day and only kept them in her bed. The only time we would make an exception to that rule was if someone was watching her and they needed to sooth her. We also would allow her to have it if she got hurt or was really upset about something because hearing her request it through her tears told me she really needed it to sooth her.

Fast forward to today; my daughter is 2.5 years old now. We kept that routine of nap and bed time only with her pacifiers until recently. I have a family member who is a dentist and we have been talking them up to my daughter because we want her to be comfortable going to the dentist. We saw them recently and had her go through a fun, quick little teeth check with him. He said that all looked good but her bite seemed off. Granted it was a super quick, fun, check but I asked if she was born with her bite or if it was caused by something. He said most likely from her pacifier but it could be off on its own too.

That night, my husband and I talked to our daughter and told her that her pacifier was hurting her teeth so we needed to stop using them. She became upset but we told her she could go to sleep with it that night and we would try with taking them away for naps first starting the next day.

Monday, the 3rd, was day 1. I was dreading it because I had a long nap time to do list but after a few up and downs from her bed and a few extra books in her bed with her she took a nap pacifier free! Since nap time went well, we talked with her and she wanted to try bed time. We told her to pick out any stuffed animal she wanted to sleep with her along with her beloved taggie. Well, that night was a little rough. We were up a few times with her throughout the night due to her habit of waking up, finding one, and going back to sleep.

Tuesday and Wednesday were great for nap again but we still had a few wake ups both nights. But, then on Thursday my parents came into town. I was wondering how that would affect us trying to make a new routine. Surprisingly, it didn’t change anything. My daughter told them how her “paci’s” where hurting her teeth and how she got to pick out a stuffy to sleep with if she wanted. She took great naps and slept through the night pacifier free!!

Friday, we told her if she had another good nap and slept through the night we would go get a treat Saturday morning for breakfast to celebrate no more “paci’s”. Well, on Saturday morning, we got up and headed to our local family owned coffee shop for her to pick out a cake pop! And, to our surprise, they had a family own cotton candy vendor there too for the day so she had fruity pebbles cotton candy for a breakfast treat to celebrate too!

We are so happy to be closing this chapter of having a good night sleep thanks to a pacifier. This is how we said goodbye to “paci” in 7 days. Why am I sharing this?! Well, every child and family is different so what worked for us might work for you or something completely different might be the thing that works for you.

Did you have to say good bye to “paci”? How did that look for your child(ren) and your family?

Get Naked……Just Kidding!

July 15th Chalk Couture had a NEW catalog release! I had a long shopping list that I had to cut down and break up for purchases across the next few months. You can check out all the new beauties including holiday favorites here.

One of the transfers I ordered in my first order was Get Naked along with the new, double sided, 5×7 box frame. I have seen similar signs in stores and have not purchased one because I always told myself “you can totally make that!”. Well, thanks to Chalk Couture, I finally made my sign! And, it took just about 5 minutes to do so!

I created this using the 5×7 box frame, Get Naked transfer, Black Velvet Chalkology Paste, a mini squeegee, and our fuzzing cloth. See me creating this here on my Facebook page and also see some new goodies I received in my order.

This fun sign will not only give bathroom visitors some friendly advice but it’s sure to get a chuckle too.

Want one for your bathroom?! Get in contact with me and we will get you set up to create your own or I can get one sent out to you!

Shred

I have been saying for months now I need to focus on me, my health, and my physical activities. I decided to finally do something about it by doing my first ever Shred10 with JuicePlus+. The Shred10^® program is a “do-able jump-start to better health”. While completing the Shred program, there are 10 simple guidelines to follow while focusing on “clean living” and flooding my body with “whole food nutrition”. I followed 9/10 guidelines; this mama needs her daily coffee! My 10 day Shred was July 7th – July 16th.

Day 1-5: July 7th-11th

Day 1 was our first day back from spending time away social distancing at my parents lake cabin. We had limited groceries in the house because of this, so I was unsure how my Day 1 would go. Surprisingly, it went pretty well! I had my daily capsules, a Complete Shake for breakfast and lunch, and I had a salad as my dinner. Day 2 through 5 went just as easy. The only struggle I had was curbing my snacking/desserts. I turned to the Shred recipe book and I made Lemon Coconut protein bites, Complete Cookie dough, and I found a new love for sweet peppers dipped in garlic hummus.

Visit the Shred10 website to learn more about this program

Day 6-10: July 12th-16th

I was not doing this for weight loss but decided to step on that dreaded scale and see if there was a number difference to go along with how I felt. And, to my surprise, there was a 4 lbs difference! I was noticing my clothing fitting a bit different and was contributing it to less bloating because I had decreased my beer/wine intake! But, as I sat back and thought about everything I realized I not only decreased my processed food intake while increasing my whole food intake but I also curbed my snacking drastically. Both clean eating and curbing my snacking are both life choices I plan on continuing after these 10 days.

Along with realizing I dropped 4 lbs, these last 5 days were fun for me because I was able to grocery shop based on the yummy Shred meals from the recipe book. My favorite recipe I made was the Veggie Fried Rice. I made some sweet and sour chicken to go along with it for my husband and daughter. I knew it was a hit because my daughter asked for seconds!

I also increased my activity level these last 5 days by either walking or doing yard work during nap to taking the whole family to the local state park to get our miles in. We had dinner outside of the house once this week and I felt terrible and fatigued the rest of the night for the carb/gluten overload that my body was not used to. I followed up the next day with a Complete Shake for breakfast and lunch, water all day, and a salad for dinner and was amazed at how much better I felt.

Today, July 16th is the end of my 10 days. I weighed myself again and I am down a total of 8lbs since I started and can honestly say I feel great! I was unsure of what to expect when completing this Shred10^® but I am happy I did this. I am going to continue replace at least one meals a day with Complete Shakes and limit my gluten intake but not completely eliminate it from my diet because I love the way I feel and want to continue to feel this way.

Have you completed a Shred or a diet change that you are continuing because of the positive change you saw? Share with me because I would love to hear about it. Are you interested in completing a Shred10^®? Let me know because we have another 10 days lined up in August and would love for you to join!

S’more Love

Everyone has their go to dessert; their guilty pleasure, and mine is a s’more. As soon as it gets warm out; I go and buy supplies so they are on hand whenever we have a spontaneous bonfire. At times, I have been desperate and ‘roasted’ my marshmallow with a lighter and melted it all together with the microwave! #nojudgement

So, when Chalk Couture came out with this Love You S’more transfer I knew I had to have it.

I used the Love You S’more transfer, Bright White, Iced Coffee, Black Velvet, Shimmer Gold Chalkology Pastes, mini squeegees, and a 16″ chalk board I found at a local craft store. I had so much fun creating with this transfer and what I used is only part of the transfer so the projects are endless! You might be asking where the Shimmer Gold is. I was out of Bark Chalkology Paste for the chocolate bar so I mixed Black Velvet and Shimmer Gold together to get the perfect shade of chocolate! That is one thing I love about the Chalkology Paste; the color possibilities are endless since you can mix colors together.

How do you make s’mores? The traditional way (graham cracker, marshmallow, and chocolate bar) or do you mix it up? I have seen s’mores made with cookies instead of graham crackers and I have seen other candy used instead of the traditional chocolate bar. Share how you make yours because I am always up for a new version of my go to dessert!

CAUSEBOX

“Our Mission is to bring sustainable and ethical products to everyone”

I am an annual subscription box member with CAUSEBOX. With this subscription I get to customize each of the 4 boxes I receive during the year. CAUSEBOX has two goals; build a community of women who support women, and to help people like me discover products that are ethical and sustainable. You can find out more on how CAUSEBOX gives back here.

Over the last few weeks, CAUSEBOX has been giving sneak-peaks on their Instagram account of what would be in the Summer Box and to give more information on the products. For the Summer Box, I had 7 different products; 2 products I picked and 5 other products that every box contained. My Summer CAUSEBOX came this week and I want to share what I received!

Pepper+Vetiver Nesting Bowls

These Oceania Nesting Bowls were designed in partnership with a LA based artist Erin Wolf. The 3 bowls are blended with blue-green hues and my photo does not give them justice; they are GORGEOUS! Pepper+Vetiver‘s belief is that your home should be a “safe haven that brings you warmth and serenity.” Each purchase of these nesting bowls “supports the Malala Fund with their effort to provide girls from all cultures and backgrounds with a sense of comfort and opportunity in this world. There are 130 million girls out of school and the Malala Fund works to ensure that every girl has the opportunity to learn and lead”. If you are not following my Instagram page; head over there now to see a picture of these bowls and start following me!

2. Feya Candle Co. Bergamot & Grapefruit Reed Diffuser

This was one of the products of the Summer Box that I was able to customize by picking the scent I would receive. I am so happy with the Bergamot & Grapefuit scent I picked; it is fresh and not over powering. Feya Candle Co. “partners with organizations working to improve communities around the world.” When Feya gives food, they work alongside organizations to boost the local economy, and help in any way they can to serve the food to those who need it most. Love how this company gives back!

3. Savhere Essential Oil Roll-On Duo

These rollers from Savhere were one of my customized items for being an Annual Member. These two rollers have “distinct personalities”. Tracy’s Grace adds a note of calm while Secret Zest provides energy. Every essential oil purchased contributes to “dignified employment for the brave survivors of sexual exploitation in India and the United States”. I am excited to use these; especially Tracy’s Grace at night when it is time to relax and settle into bed.

4. Grace & Stella Hyaluronic Acid Serum

This was a product everyone received in their box. Grace & Stella‘s Hyaluronic Acid Serum helps moisturize and smooth lines while leaving skin radiant. Grace & Stella provides high quality, vegan and Leaping Bunny certified cruelty-free products that work. I am excited to give this a try as I have never used Hyaluronic Serum before.

5. Altcooking Hub Silicone Stretch Lids

This 6 pack of Silicone Stretch Lids are just what I was looking for to add to my eco-friendly products that I use around my house. Altcooking created these to reduce plastic and food waste. These are leak free, durable, reusable, and dishwasher safe! In the CAUSEBOX Summer magazine, these were shown covering a halved watermelon! I am excited to see how these help my family decrease our food waste!

6. Doctor Rogers RESTORE Healing Balm

Doctor Rogers RESTORE Healing Balm is an all natural alternative that uses only 3 ingredients! This Balm is vegan, plant-based, hypoallergenic, and fragrance free. And this Healing Balm has multiple uses from chapped lips and severe dry skin to tattoo care and baby cream. Head to their website to learn even more uses and more information about the product. Excited to use this on my hands and my eczema.

7. PMD Beauty: Clean

This smart facial cleansing device was one item we were able to customize by choosing the color we received. I was so excited to see this was going to be in the Summer box because I needed a new cleansing device to add to my routine because I knew the facial brush I was using was too harsh on my skin. The PMD Clean uses SonicGlow™ technology that vibrates 7,000 times per minute!! I love the anti-aging massage side when applying my moisturizer because I feel like it is absorbed more by my skin compared to when I applied using a beauty blender.

This Summer box is my 5th box I have received and I am not stopping anytime soon! I love all the products I have received and the background behind all the companies.

Is there a product I received that you want me to provide a review for as I use it more? Let me know, I would be happy to provide my feedback and opinions on these 7 products.

Interested in getting your own box? Sign up here and get $10 off!!

#MomHack

Summer activities means breaking out a sunscreen routine. My daughter, for 2.5 years old, is pretty good at knowing she needs sunscreen before we play outside. I tell her to go sit on the bench in our entryway and she goes all excited knowing she gets to play outside. Then we start the 5-8ish minutes of applying sunscreen. She does pretty good until it comes to her face; then she becomes a wiggle worm! Not sitting still, looking every which way but at me; causing me to spread the sunscreen into her hair and even up her nose one time! Some days are better than others when it comes to her wiggling but other days our poor bench usually has a light layer of sun protection on it from her wiggling.

The sunscreen we use is either Babyganics 50 SPH or Aveeno Kids Continuous Protection. We have had no issues with either brand by following the directions regarding reapplying. We use the Babyganics Sunscreen Stick for applying to our daughter’s face or we have some sunscreen in our hands then apply to her face using our fingers. That process changed today thanks to a #MomHack I came across on Facebook that was shared by a mom named Hali.
She shared how she used a beauty blender to apply her son’s sunscreen and I immediately said “Why didn’t I think of that?!”.

I found a cheap package of beauty blenders and let my daughter pick out the color she wanted me to use; purple. Applying to her face was so much easier! She sat so still while I applied sunscreen to her face and even told my husband about her “new purple sponge” when we got outside! Calling this a win and so glad I came across this mom hack from Hali.

How do your kids handle the sunscreen routine? Have any #momhacks or #dadhacks that have worked for you when applying sun protection? Please share because I am always looking to add to my bag of tricks!