DIY Watercolor Travel Case

I was recently watching a video on youtube.com that was created by TheFrugalCrafter, Lindsay Weirich. I adore her channel and all the tips and tricks she has for artist.  I stumbled upon a video about a DIY watercolor travel case.  Link Below. What she presents is much better than what I have today.  I highly recommend you go check out her video. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to wait for some of the supplies she recommended since we are moving in two weeks. After a score at a friend's garage sale and a quick trip to hobby lobby I came up with my own version.



My score!  These are hard to find in store so check out The Frugal Crafter for details on where to purchase these nifty wipe boxes and the other supplies she list.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEiG6UOfcdk
Travel Watercolor Studio in a Wipe Box!



I bought these mini storage boxes for jewelry to store my paint.  They are deep so I can put as little or as much paint as I like in each container.  I separated the boxes and glued (hot glue gun) the bottom edge to the bottom of my wipe box on one side.




Since I am a beginner I chose a cheap watercolor tube paint set from hobby lobby.  I made a case for watercolor and acrylic.  Watercolor is what will be pictured.






I filled the containers and set aside to dry for 24 hours.


(This is what the paint should look like once dry.  It may look differently if you use an artist grade paint.)

Once the paint dried I made a swatch card to keep inside the case.  Placed my brush and a piece of cardboard to place between my paper and the paint.  I did this so if the paint was not dried completely the next time I use it the cardboard would protect my paper.  I also placed the corner of some cardboard for a sweeper. (To sweep paint across the page.)




I hope you enjoyed this little tribute!  Thank you, Lindsay Weirich, for the fantastic idea!  Paint on!

Hadassah 

Lego Kid Fest!

This past weekend we loaded up the car in the dark hours of the morning...the time that no one...I repeat no one should be awake...and we went on a little adventure. The kids had no idea what we had planned, which for us made the trip more fun.  We drove the five and half hours to our destination, rested and swam at the hotel for a bit and then headed out to what would be the best surprise we have ever given our kids!

We arrived at the event center and our six year old was first to spot the sign for Lego Kid Fest.  Thankfully for us, he didn't pick up on the fact that Lego Kid Fest was exactly where we were headed. When we walked through the doors of Lego Kid Fest our kid's eyes lit up like we had never seen!  Even the two-year-old was thrilled to see Lego Hulk right as we entered!  Pictures with Hulk followed promptly.
 



Our first priority was STAR WARS because ya know....Star Wars and we love it.  Who doesn't want to relay race to John Williams genius?  The kids raced to find lego pieces of the space ships and quickly put them together.  The staff running the relay were fantastic and fun!  They really helped the kids get excited about a new experience!

This little general  (The prize for our relay race) was put together as soon as we got back to our hotel that night.


We decided to go with the flow and followed the kids where they led for the rest of the evening.  It was fun letting them show us everything!  We kept with the Star Wars theme and headed over to the Star Wars Bionics.  My husband and I even on in on the action and made an Obi-wan Kenobi and a Storm Trooper.
I think my hubby felt like a kid again.



This was an area our entire family enjoyed.





We especially enjoyed getting a pic with Chewy.




After Star Wars, we headed over to the GIANT PILE OF LEGOS!!!  Our eldest referred to this area as "Lego Heaven"








They had a Duplo pile for our littles as well.





After some time in the Lego piles, we headed over to our time with the Lego Master Builder! This was a huge treat because there are only eight master builders in the entire world!  Our kids got a chance to ask the Master Builder questions..."Did you make the Lego Hulk?  Did you make the Princess Glass Slipper?"  Both answers to these questions were, yes!!  The Master Builder gave us some great Lego building tips and a booklet with some special lego brick paper.  (I will add that if you want to participate in this event make sure you get your tickets early.  Tickets are free but the spaces go fast!)







After our Master Builder session, we decided that Daddy and the boys would check out some Lego Ninjago and the girls would head over to Lego Friends.  This was precious time with our littles.




Our four-year-old daughter was so excited to find out that when she finished building her house that she would get to keep a Lego Friends doll!  The speed in which she built the Lego house after learning the aforementioned information was astronomical!


We finished off the night with some light reading while we waited for the boys who made their way back to STAR WARS.  Surprise surprise. ;)





Our only complaint about the night was that the food was costly.  We spend $36 on a hamburger and four kids meals which consisted of a hot dog, chips, rice crispy treat and a juice.  We did have the option to leave the event and come back.  If we ever have the opportunity to go back I think that is what we will do (or eat before or after the event).

Upon arriving back at our hotel that night our eldest child proclaimed that we need to go to Lego Kid Fest every year!  It was the best weekend of his life.  We had a fantastic time as a family.  It is a trip our kids will never forget!




Nighty Night!


Disclosure:  We received the event tickets at no cost to us.  The opinions listed are 100% my own.

Five Must Haves for International Travel

Where my family lives we are currently under tornado watch so I thought I would finally take some time to write about traveling anywhere else but here at the moment. ;)

I love my state and its unpredictable weather...but getting on a plane today would make me a very happy lady.

After traveling abroad you learn certain products are fantastic for making your trip run a bit more smoothly.  Here are my top five must haves for international travel!

1:  All in One USB Travel Adapter.  

My personal recommendation is pictured below.  The beautiful thing about each of these products is that they are all available on Amazon.com  Love me some Amazon.  With the all in one adapter, almost no matter where you travel you are covered.  (It should be noted that Asia and parts of North Africa use the European prongs.) With the added USB it makes it easy to charge your phone and also plug in my next recommended product.

Side note:  If you want to avoid tears...remember to unplug and pack your adapter before each hotel stop...or you could end up like me.  I plan to buy another one soon.  I am sure someone is enjoying my old one somewhere in the world.

Yubi Power All In One Travel Adapter with Universal Outlet and 2 USB 2.0 Ports - Built In Surge Protector and Neon Light Indicator - Foldable Prongs  

http://www.amazon.com/Yubi-Power-Universal-Protector-Indicator

2. Innobay Portable Fan 

If you are like me and like noise and air movement to get a restful nights sleep this is the product for you. Unlike the USB adapter, with much of the brands offering similar results, the portable fan I am recommending is the king of portable fans.  It is worth every penny.  Every penny being...1995 pennies or ya know...$19.95 USD. This little fan has some real power behind it. It has three fan settings with a fourth that is a flashlight. (Nice added bonus).  The fan uses a rechargeable battery.  
When my friend and I stayed in a hotel in a large city, our room's window was right by a busy street.  The hotel room's air conditioning was not functioning so we opened the window for some cool air.  With the window open the room filled with the noise from the street.  My friend and I were a little worried about the noise until I turned on my fan.  The gentle noise of the fan drowned out the street noise and my friend and I breathed a sigh of relief. The fan also cooled the room so we slept great that night.  Did I mention I plugged the fan right into my USB All in one adapter.  Ya...that is a thing.  Speaking of USB....

innobay 4-inch Personal Battery Operated Fan Rechargeable with LED Light, Quiet (Black) 

http://www.amazon.com/innobay-Personal-Battery-Operated-Rechargeable

3. Justin Power Round Power Stick

This was given to me by a friend and I am forever grateful.  It changed my traveling life.  Who wants to stand by a charging stand or attempt to find an outlet that is actually free in an airport?  Anyone?  No. Me either.  The power stick solves that problem. You can sit or walk around the airport, if you prefer, while your phone charges in your bag.  This particular power stick charges your phone completely one time but I know there are others on the market that have up to three charges.  You will pay for the difference though.  The Justin Power Round Power Stick is under $15 USD.  Don't like the color blue...you have six other colors to choose from! Variety is a girl's friend.

http://www.amazon.com/Justin-Power-Round-Stick-Blue

4. Downy Wrinkle Release Plus

Listen folks, I like freshly laundered wrinkle free clothes as much as the next person but that is not the reason I brought this product.  When I travel I typically go on a trip that is around a week or so.  I like to travel lite which means clothes need to be worn more than once, especially jeans and cardigans.  Spritzing your clothes with Downy Wrinkle Release Plus after a long day of sight seeing brings your clothes back to life and they smell great.  The next time you have to wear those jeans on your trip they are not stiff and uncomfortable but fresh and clean(ish).  Downy doesn't replace a washer and dryer by any means but starting your day off in clothes that smell nice puts a smile on anyone's face.  Including the people you travel with who prefer that you don't smell like a 16 hour plane ride.

http://www.amazon.com/Downy-Wrinkle-Releaser-Travel-Light

5. Shold It 

This is my favorite of all the things. I speak proper English on this here blog folks. As a girl who loves scarves anyway...this product replaces ugly passport holders (as convenient and cheap as passport holders are...I like the fashionable approach).  To put it simply, the Shold It is a scarf that doubles as a purse.  Yes, a purse!  While walking through an airport or sight seeing, I want all my important documents and cash on my person.  The Shold It solved that issue.  I was able to hold my passport, cash and cell phone in my Shold It and no one was the wiser.  (I will say...the weight of the cell phone did make my neck hurt after a while so I eventually moved that to my pocket when I was wearing the Shold It as a neck scarf.)  I figured out later that I could solve the weighted neck issue by wearing my Shold It as a crossbody scarf.  While in the airport, going through security was a breeze.  All I had to do was place the Shold It in the bin with my other belongings.  No picking through my pockets or having to shove a small purse into my backpack. I like my life simplified. I use this product not only while traveling but also in daily life so it was worth the investment.  Added bonus, the Shold It turns into a clutch purse!  It really is a fabulous product.  

http://www.amazon.com/SHOLDIT-Clutch-Wrap-Hidden-Sunrise

Below are some pics of me using the scarf on my last trip overseas. 

 Enjoying some tea before we head out for the day.  The room was cold because of my fan...hence the extra scarf. ;)

Using the Shold It scarf as a crossbody in Asia!  

I was not paid by the manufactures of these products to endorse them. If you have a question you will get an honest answer.