Sunday, May 8, 2011

Puppet Play Review, Interview, and Giveaway!!

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I am so excited to be a part of this blog tour!!  Let me first start off by saying that I love crafting, but when creativity combines with reduce, reuse, and recycle!  I am so in!

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“Puppet Play,” by Diana Schoenbrun is a fun craft book that includes 20 puppet projects, made with recycled mittens, towels, socks, and more!  Years ago I made some sock dolls with my girls that they still have and love.  So, I knew this book was right up our alley!  We all read through this book and now are totally inspired to start work on some new puppets.  It is fun to look through the house to come up with items to be used in our own versions of Diana’s puppets!

 

This book has very easy to follow directions with pictures, cute and unique characters, and is written in a fun and easy to follow tone.  My daughters are in the process of making some of these puppets by themselves!

After reading this book myself, I got the chance to ask Diana a few questions (don’t you just love getting into someone else’s mind!?);

 

How did you get started on this book?

I started this project a few years ago when I had taught puppet workshops with children. The kids began with a basic sock and took materials from around the house to create their own puppet character. I wanted to take this idea a step further and push the recycling and re-purpose aspect. What other materials could be reused rather than thrown away to make puppets for children? Mittens, gloves, legwarmers, towels, and many other fabrics can be used. Then I started to look for accessories around the house and found buttons, cardboard, shoelaces, etc.

What is your favorite project from the book?

The Punk Rocker puppet stands out because of his attitude. I also think at the time I was crafting I was listening to The Ramones and The Clash. I had fun tearing up an old shirt that my friend was about to throw away. I had collected scrap metal pieces and used that for the face. The red, white, and blue fake fur and glued spiky Mohawk hairstyle is my personal touch.

Do you always try to work with recycled materials?

I try to incorporate recycled materials as much as possible. This makes me a bit of a pack rat because I am always saving things I can use for later. However, the projects in the book do also use some store bought felt and other accessories. When I create my 2-D illustrations I often use paper that I reuse from mailed envelopes or gift-wrap.


What is your workspace or studio like?

My current workspace is only about 1 year old so it’s still fairly new. I have a desk that I use for drawing and sewing. Sometimes my desk gets too full and I end up working on the floor. I decorated the wall with art and postcards for inspiration. I keep all my fabrics in a large armoire. However, they tend to spill out onto the floor. I also have a large shelf that I use to organize all my art supplies.


Did you grow up crafting?

I was always drawing or making things as a child. I loved going to art museums and craft fairs. I loved to create things with my hands. I can remember some of my favorite craft projects during my childhood such as a coffee can drum, a Halloween clay witch, a clay turtle, a corn-husk doll, and many friendship bracelets. I even had some arts and crafts disasters such as the time I drew on the walls and couch. There was also the time that I spilled an entire container of glitter on the carpet. The glitter never goes away.

Thanks so much, Diana! 

You can find Diana at her website, blog, Twitter, or on Facebook!

 

Don’t forget to check out the other destinations on the blog tour:

May 3rd Oh My! Handmade
May 4th Craft Sanity
May 5th Sew Mama Sew
May 6th Little Birdie Secrets
May 7th This Mama Makes Stuff
May 8th Roots and Wings
May 9th Whip UP
May 10th Fiskateers
May 11th Zakkalife
May 12th Prudent Baby
May 13th Make + Do
May 14th Craft Test Dummies
May 15th Cute Everything
May 16th Schmancy
May 17th Progressive Pioneer
May 18th Pink and Green Mama
May 19th Arrow Cabinets
May 20th The Happy Honeybee
May 21st Craft Gossip

I believe this video alone will inspire you to make some puppets of your own.  Want to try and win a copy of this book?  Just leave a comment on this post to be entered for a chance to win.  For extra chances to win link to this giveaway on twitter or facebook.  Make sure to come back and leave me a separate comment for each extra entry!

 

This giveaway closes Monday May 16th at midnight.  I will announce the winner the next day on this post!

Can’t wait or didn’t win?  You can buy your own copy!    

Be sure to check out all the other fantastic blogs on this book tour for more chances to win a copy of Puppet Play!!

 

Rebecca

Monday, May 2, 2011

Libman Mop Review and Sweepstakes!

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I was so excited when I got the opportunity to review the Libman Freedom Spray Mop!  My house is all tile except in the bedrooms!  That is a lot of floors to scrub.  I have never been happy with what I have been doing and have even been tempted to call in someone to clean my tiles for me! Winking smile
 
I was also even more excited by the fact that the company says this product is green.  It comes with a cleaning solution but you can actually choose to use whatever product you want (I’m going to try out my own non-toxic solutions) and pads that are reusable.  I try not to use disposable products in my house in our effort to live more “green”!  It also does not use any batteries.  Sounds like a win win win to me!  I am always leery of a companies claim of being “green” however, with this product I would have to say their claims are real and accurate!  That makes me quite happy! 

Check out Libman’s site for more information and to download a coupon or rebate.
I am happy with how this mop works.  My tiles are very uneven and most mops do not get into the huge bumps and grooves of my large tiles.  However, the Libman mop’s pad is doing a great job for me!  The box also says that it works on wood & laminate, vinyl & linoleum, ceramic tile, stone, and marble.  I only have the ceramic tile and will be keeping this mop because it works so well!
 
Now to the fun part; the sweepstakes for a $100 Visa Gift Card from BlogHer and a Libman Freedom Spray Mop from Libman (all to go to one winner), open to those 18 and up, USA residents.


BlogHer.com Round-up Page: Visit the Exclusive Offers section

· Rules: Visit the Official Rules

· Sponsor: Visit the Official site

· Where to locate the Freedom Spray Mop: http://goo.gl/xTOLl

· Cleaning Tips from Libman: http://goo.gl/iykDQ"

So, what's your favorite cleaning tip?