My Crafty Zoo

Tips & Tricks

Fried Hair? 5 Tips to Keep Your Hair From FRYING!!!

August 17, 2018 Kaycee Leave a comment

Fried Hair? 5 Tips to Keep Your Hair From Frying! Check Out these 5 tips to help keep your hair healthy!
So often we don’t realize what we are doing to our hair, when we’ve finally fried it we wonder what the heck happened. It can take a while to narrow down just exactly finally did it. We’re skipping the questioning part so that we know at least a few causes. Maybe these will keep us from the inevitable burnout.

When I got the HSI Ceramic Flat Iron to try out, I wanted to make sure that learning to use a flat iron didn’t do my hair in. My first note of it was that it had adjustable heat, how necessary that is! It doesn’t take the same amount of hear for every type of hair. Thinking of stories I’ve heard about flat ironing ones hair back in the day, I definitely don’t want to do that, considering my hair is not at all coarse. I also love that it has an on and off switch. No need to worry about unplugging it every single time!

No More Fried Hair!

Style with a heat temperature to your hair type. Fine hair will need a lower temperature than those with coarse hair.
When using a flat iron, don’t use it for long periods and make sure you are using a product to keep your hair from burning, the HIS came with a sample of Argan oil. It worked great for me! Also, don’t hold it in one spot more than 2-3 seconds it’s easy to burn hair!
Use your flatiron on dry hair, never wet or damp!
Don’t use much hairspray before you use your flat iron!
Clean your flat iron periodically with alcohol (once cool)

Got any great tips?

I’m new to this girlie stuff,

would appreciate any you’d like to share!

Win a GripIt Blue Pack & Marker Pen #3

Originally posted 2017-07-11 14:05:05.

Current Giveaways, For Your Home

DIY Home: Hanging The Heavy Stuff #BackToSchool

August 17, 2018 Kaycee Leave a comment

Hanging things is not my gift but with GripIt we no longer have to worry about my decor falling off the wall!

DIY Home: Hanging The Heavy Stuff

Does your hubby have a to do list 10 years long? Well, maybe not quite ten years as mine does occasionally do things on the list but getting him to hang stuff is not easy. It makes me crazy. This is why I am loving Grip It so much! It is kinda making hanging stuff my thing! Yay!

Enter GripIt Drywall Hanging Kit and the MarXMan Pen! The hanging kit makes it easy for me to hang things as I am terrible at finding studs and I no longer have to play guesswork with where to nail thanks to the pen! Just mark it, hang and go!

If you didn’t see my post about another GripIt product with the hilarious story of toilet sitting assault, I highly suggest you read it. If nothing else, it will give you a really good laugh! The point of the post is about an easy way to hang your flat screen, but the story will make you laugh until you cry. It did me, when it happened, when I tell it and even when I wrote it down for you!

I don’t know about you, but I can never find the stud. If I do, it’s on accident. I was taught how to do it, but I’ve never really been able to do. Thankfully I don’t need it with the GripIt Drywall Hanging Kit! It enables you to hang 113 kg (roughly 249 lbs) from your drywall safely! It’s great for hanging plants and shelves!

The MarXMan Pen can mark almost any surface, including granite, tile, cement, brick, metal, wood and more! It marks with a removable green fluorescent pigment. Each pen contains 250 bursts! Now you can mark the exact spot you need to drill so that there are no more slightly off center holes!

Gripit Twitter : @gripitfixings

Gripit Facebook: Gripitfixings

Gripit Instagram: @gripitfixings12

Be Sure and Check Out the Other Fantastic Giveaways in the Linky Below!

An InLinkz Link-up

There’s MORE! Just click the pic below!

Cleaners, DIY

Handy DIY Wipes for Pennies! #UnleashTheCleanSquad @VivaTowels @Clorox @Walmart

Clorox is a household name, everyone knows it. Viva however is new to the block, or at least new to my radar. I picked them up originally because I was couponing and found a great deal. Now that I’ve tried them, I’m hooked. It’s funny, I love them so much I’m running around telling people how much they have to try them! Now with Clorox BLAHBLAHBLAH spray, it’s like the newest all-star team!

DIY Wipes for Pennies with @Viva @Clorox & @Wal-Mart! — Viva Paper Towels are even strong enough to scrub the chopping block! Win!

I bought mine at Wal-Mart recently, didn’t even have to go inside thanks to the fabulous pick up they have now! It’s great for when I have a hundred errands to run because I can place the order in advance, they’ll do all the gathering and then I simply have to pull up and let them know, then my groceries are delivered right to the car! No worries, no hassle, just on my way! It’s especially great when the kids have fallen asleep in the back while I’m running around!

Saving time not enough? You can also save money on them with ibotta! If you haven’t tried it out yet, it’s super simple and a guaranteed way to get money back on some of your purchases! Viva currently has a deal (we are now stocked up on paper towels AND I got a rebate!) I love using ibotta to have a little extra stashed back for holidays or emergencies! They pay you directly to paypal in just a few days when you cash out so I know it’s going to be there when I need it!

My favorite use? Cleaning up the sticky finger messes after watermelon or popsicles, like these amazing Strawberry IcePops! No matter how hard you try, it never seems like you can completely keep the sticky off of everything! With my DIY Clorox wipes and viva paper towels, clean-up is quick and easy. I put them in small containers so that I can keep them in my car, ready for any mess, any time. I will admit, my friends think I’m totally winning life when we’re at the park and I have those handy!

Quick and simple: since Viva are already in half sheets, simple fold again and place in a container, then pour on Clorox Clean Up Cleaner with Bleach and you are ready to go! I love having them on hand around the house and I don’t have to spend a ton extra on buying pre-made wipes!

Originally posted 2017-07-08 11:13:57.

All About the Kiddos!, Craft Stuff, School and Office, Thoughts & Such

What do these colors inspire in you?

I remember, as a child, how much I loved making stuff. It almost always had a meaning or a reason. My Granny’s would listen intently as I explained whatever I had made and why. As an adult, I understand why they would listen. Initially, I recognized how entertaining the little ones were and then I did the same thing they did, I learned to use the moments as a teaching tool. Whatever they explain, we can use as a lesson. I especially love when they take those and they go to others adding the new lesson to their explanation as their own. It is both amusing and adorable.

Let the Little Children Come has yet another amazing tool to work with the babies. These Salvation Bracelets are an easy craft to make that the little ones van not only be proud of but also learn from. These colorful little beads each represent great meaning: yellow, black, red, white and green.

The great thing is that teaching them at a young age what the colors represent can also be something they carry with them all of their lives. Imagine being an adult and in a really hard place, seeing some random object colored the same as the beads and being reminded at the perfect moment that God IS there and that HE loves you, accepts you and is there for you. I could make a hundred mile list of times where I needed that reminder and to feel that great Presence. Sometimes just knowing isn’t enough, as we let our life problems shade that knowledge, often all the way into darkness in the worst of times.

Obviously, the Sunday school lessons are many with these bracelets. However, I feel that those lessons that could be reinforced at home with them is the most valuable. One can never have too many standing opportunities to teach and remind out little children to go to God. Let the Little Children Come may be a long name for a company but it is certainly a message we will remember.

But Jesus said,

“Let the children come to me.

Don’t stop them!

For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.”

Matthew 19:14 NLT

Be sure and check out our Friendship Lesson for kiddos too! So many lessons running around the Zoo!

Any tips on great lessons?

We’d love to hear them!

Originally posted 2017-07-06 07:28:46.

Group Giveaways

$45 Amazon GC Giveaway Sponsored by @Zululu

It’s that time again! School is in full swing for this that will be an amazing year for everyone! I love the excitement that the kids embrace at this time of year, it’s almost contagious!

My BTS Story & Confession

(sorry to our Momma’s!)

I miss those days, my bestie and I use to stay up all night before the first day of school. Every year! I know, that’s terrible, but we were so excited we couldn’t sleep! But boy howdy, we slept a ton after school that first day! haha

Hydration is super important, for everyone. Gululu is on a mission to help make sure that kids drink enough water! Read all about it below, and check out my post about Hydration with Faucet Face while you are at it!

What is Gululu?

Gululu was developed by Bowhead Technology as an interactive water bottle that keeps children hydrated while allowing parents to monitor daily water-drinking progress through an easy to use smartphone app. Gululu provides a technology-enabled solution with a learning-through-play mechanism to address issues pertaining to children’s wellbeing.

The water bottle tracks hydration and encourages the child to drink with the help of an educational pet-growing game DIRECTLY ON THE BOTTLE! As kids consume more water from their Gululu bottle, their virtual pet grows and unlocks new worlds and adventures at the “Gululu Universe.” Gululu also has an automatic software and content update system that continuously rolls out new features to keep children engaged.

Back to School Must-Haves! Gululu Interactive Water Bottle with Hydration Tracking App for Parents! This great water bottle even has school-time settings!

Gululu’s Greater Purpose:

Gululu’s mission and contribution is to help children all over the world stay healthy and hydrated! To advance their goal, for every Gululu bottle purchased, a child in a developing country will be provided with clean drinking water! This initiative was created through a partnership with Generosity.org, a humanitarian organization that provides sustainable solutions to the global water crisis, one community at a time. Joining forces with Generosity.org has allowed Gululu to offer programs focused on educating kids on social responsibility and initiate water-well projects for developing countries.

Want to know more? Gululu has been featured in leading global media publications in over 20 countries. Among them are TechCrunch, Yahoo, Vogue, and Forbes that declared Gululu as a “Top 5 best kids’ gadgets.”

Enter to Win a $45 Gift Card from Gululu!

Gululu is giving away a $45 Gift Card to one lucky winner to

help you prepare for the upcoming school year!

Quick Features!

Gululu is an amazing interactive water bottle that provides children with an entertaining reminder to stay hydrated. Parents love it because it doesn’t require anything extra from them. All you have to do is wash Gululu after each use, allow it to air dry (baby bottle racks are a great drying solution to keep the lid and bottle together). Kids can easily charge Gululu overnight or between sips as the bottle just rests on the charging cradle when not in use. Take a look at the quick features that highlights why you’ll love Gululu too:

Monitor children’s daily water-drinking progress through your smartphone
Grow and evolve with a virtual ‘tamagotchi-like’ virtual pet
Experience continuous content updates through an automatic software update system to keep children engaged
Parents can utilize “Do Not Disturb” and “Bedtime” modes to be sure the Gululu Pet isn’t distracting during learning or rest times.
Learn-Through-Play, embark on a journey of health, rewards, and adventures within the “Gululu universe”
Connect with friends by syncing to nearby bottles and stay connected with the cloud-based app. Durable, safe, and waterproof with a modular design and easy-to-clean spout that makes maintenance simple BPA-free

Other important features:

Monthly themes: Every couple of weeks, Gululu introduces additional features, such as new online campaigns, drinking animations, pet accessories, sound effects, and more. These exciting additions are all automatically updated into the bottle through the cloud.
Gululu Universe Journey: Children can redeem accessories for their pets with the virtual coins collected along their journey of discovering the Gululu Universe.
Virtual pets: A fourth virtual pet, (Donny), was released at the end of March. More characters are expected to be added soon to expand the population of the “Gululu universe.”

ENTER TO WIN!

One lucky reader will win a $45 Amazon Gift Card from Gululu!

The giveaway is open US Only, 18+

The giveaway ends 9/1 at 1159p est

Be sure to come back daily for more chances to win.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Mommy’s Playbook Giveaway Rules: This giveaway is Sponsored by Gululu and hosted by Mommy’s Playbook. Winner will receive a $45 Amazon Gift Card! Use the gift card for whatever you like OR towards your Gululu purchase! Victoria and/or Mommy’s Playbook are not responsible for prize fulfillment. By entering this giveaway you are giving the giveaway host and/or event sponsor permission to retain your email address for future communication, you may choose to opt-out of such communications at any time. Please contact Victoria (at) MommysPlaybook.com regarding any questions you have pertaining to this giveaway.

Check Out Our Other Fabulous Giveaways!

All About the Kiddos!, Halloween, Paper Crafts, Thanksgiving

Friendship Lesson for the Kiddos! #HalloweenTract

If you’ve never enjoyed the challenge of teaching children week after week, you may not quite get how big of a challenge it is. However, if you have children you definitely get it. Whether you are looking for non-scary ways to celebrate Halloween with your children or simply want an alternative to the traditional, I’ve found a great Halloween Tract to ‘hand out’ or just to get to teach your own children. Let the Little Children Come has some awesome products, I especially love these little pumpkins they have!

This little craft product has so many great lessons! Is there anything better than candy? With the inside of each panel of the pumpkin comes a message that s essential for our children and ourselves! It can be a challenge to come up with new and interesting projects. This one is perfect for Halloween, Thanksgiving, or anytime for the Fall! Perfect time to get yours ordered so that you are ready when September gets here!

Good friends listen to each other!

Have the children take turns with a ‘friendship item’ telling one thing they like about themselves. This has two purposes; it builds the child up while teaching the children to find good things about others.

Next, ask the children to say something they like about another child. In order to avoid everyone picking the same person, I suggest having the sit across from one another; definitely consider splitting up the children from their ‘normal’ group of friends, and having them pick something about the child across from them.

Making this quick and fun will help ensure that the kids maintain attention. As you begin a craft or some other fun project, challenge the kids to try extra hard to listen to what people say when they speak. You have no planted the best seed to help the children get on track to listen to others!

This little game goes perfect with the adorable little pumpkins featured and they are the perfect Segway into the lesson taught inside each side of the craft. There are so many wonderful ways this fun little game can teach valuable lessons!

Looking for more great lessons for the little ones? Or for the little one in you? Check out what optical illusions can teach you! If all this fun doesn’t lower your stress, this will so have some fun and enjoy life!

Originally posted 2017-07-01 06:59:48.

Group Giveaways

Viatek Back To School Giveaway @Viatek @SMGurusNetwork

Bargnhtress, Deliciously Savvy, Easter Babe’s Theory, Heartbeats ~ Soul Stains, Giveaway Gator, Heartbeats ~ Soul Stains, Here We GO Again Ready,Java John Z’s,Michigan Saving and More, Missy’s Views and Savings Clues,mom are we there yet,My Crafty Zoo, My Silly Little Gang, Ohayo Okasan, Tales From A Southern Mom, Views and More, Welcome To My Kitchen

Viatek Back To School Giveaway [1 Winner ~ $95 RV] Ends 9/10 @Viatek @SMGurusNetwork

Welcome to The Viatek Back To School Giveaway!

1 Winner Will Receive all 3 Products Pictured Above From Viatek ~ TRV $95

This giveaway is part of our Back To School Gift Guide – Stop by to see all the giveaways and great products.

This contest is hosted by the Social Media Gurus Network!

Host that put together this giveaway is:

Deliciously Savvy

My co-hosts for this giveaway are:

Michigan Saving and More, Missy’s Views And Savings Clues,My Silly Little Gang,Holiday Contest & Sweeps,Sweet Southern Savings, and Amy & Aron’s Real Life Reviews

Below is a list of all the bloggers involved in the gift guide giveaways.

PLUS a Big Thank You To All Promoting Bloggers Involved In This Fabulous Giveaway!

This Giveaway’s Sponsor:

WEBSITE ~ FACEBOOK ~ TWITTER ~ PINTEREST ~ YOU TUBE ~ AMAZON

1 Winner Will Receive all 3 Products Below From Viatek ~ TRV $95

This giveaway is in no way endorsed, affiliated, or associated with Facebook, Twitter or any other Social Media Networking Site. This Giveaway is valid in the United States Only and Entrants must be 18+ years of age to enter. This giveaway event will end at 11:59 PM (EST) 9/10/18. The winner will have 48 hours to email their information back to mcushing7 at hotmail dot com or a new winner will be drawn, you may want to put this email address as safe as it could go to spam. The sponsors are each responsible for shipping of the above prizes. No blog associated with this contests are responsible for prize fulfillment. If you would like to be a sponsor in a giveaway like this please email Melissa Cushing at mcushing7 (at)hotmail (dot) com. If you take an entry you must stay following for the entire contest or you will be disqualified.

Also we all “love it if you like us” on Facebook! If you like our blogs on social media it helps us bring you only the best giveaways and more of them!

Enter below and Good Luck!

Group Giveaways

Homework Caddy Giveaway Ends 8/31 #BTS18 @SMGurusNetwork

Homework Caddy Giveaway! Enter daily through 8/31! This one has 2 lucky winners!!!

Welcome to the Homework Caddy Giveaway!

2 winners

Does your kiddo play the ‘I can’t find my homework’ game every morning? This caddy is absolutely awesome and can completely end that one! Wish I’d have had one when Monkey was in school! I am not a fan of morning panic searches!

This giveaway is part of our Back to School Gift Guide – Stop by to see all the giveaways and great products.

This contest is hosted by the Social Media Gurus Network!

Host that put together this giveaway is Michigan Saving and More

My co-hosts for this giveaway are Deliciously Savvy, Heartbeats ~ Soul Stains, Tales From A Southern Mom, Sweet Southern Savings, Giveaway Gator

Below is a list of all the bloggers involved in the gift guide giveaways.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This giveaway’s Sponsor is:

The Homework Caddy

WEBSITE

The Homework Caddy was created to eliminate all the clutter, while at the same time helping with appointment setting and meeting scheduling.

The Homework Caddy

$25.99 RV

See review HERE.

~~~~~~

THE GIVEAWAY

Also we all “love it if you like us” on Facebook! If you like our blogs on social media it helps us bring you only the best giveaways and more of them! Don’t forget to stop by for your daily bonus entries.

Enter below and Good Luck!

Group Giveaways

Code & Learn! Space Ship Giveaway Ends 8/31 #BTS18 @SMGurusNetwork

August 12, 2018 Kaycee Leave a comment

Welcome to the Code & Learn! Space Ship Giveaway!

1 winner

This giveaway is part of our Back to School Gift Guide – Stop by to see all the giveaways and great products.

This contest is hosted by the Social Media Gurus Network!

Host that put together this giveaway is Michigan Saving and More and Saralee’s Deals, Steals, and Giveaways

My co-hosts for this giveaway are Deliciously Savvy, Heartbeats ~ Soul Stains, Tales From A Southern Mom, Sweet Southern Savings, Giveaway Gator

Below is a list of all the bloggers involved in the gift guide giveaways.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This giveaway’s Sponsor is:

The Learning Journal International

WEBSITE ~ FACEBOOK ~ TWITTER ~ YOU TUBE ~ PINTEREST ~ INSTAGRAM ~ FOUND ON AMAZON

The Learning Journey has been designing and manufacturing an exclusive line of award-winning children’s interactive educational products. All products at The Learning Journey encourage learning and develop confidence as they enhance a child’s potential. All products build on the skills necessary for children to be prepared for school and beyond.

Code & Learn! Space Ship

$39.99 RV

See review HERE.

Available on Amazon

~~~~~~

THE GIVEAWAY

Also we all “love it if you like us” on Facebook! If you like our blogs on social media it helps us bring you only the best giveaways and more of them! Don’t forget to stop by for your daily bonus entries.

Enter below and Good Luck!