Beaded Sun Catcher

I have had a beaded suncatcher pinned on Pinterest forever!  I decided of course rather than make one for myself that I would make one for my partner in the Random Swap.  I used memory wire and glass beads to put this together.  It takes A LOT of beads. It ended up costing me more money than I anticipated since my local bead store that sells loose glass beads charges by the ounce.  Glass beads are heavier than I thought! A fellow Craftster member made one and used more seed beads in hers.  I hate working with seed beads but it may be a good alternative to use as a filler for next time.  Another tip if you decide to make one for yourself... rather than pushing the beads round and round the wire to the bottom just string a few on then pull on both ends of the wire and they will slide right on down. 

Here is the one I made my swap partner

 

I  decided I liked the finished product so much that I just HAD to make one for myself.  I ordered some glass bead mixes on Etsy for a decent price and made this purple and blue beauty to myself.  Now I just need to find somewhere to hang it. 

 

I think that these would look equally as nice hanging in a bedroom or nursery too!

Manic Monday

A pink elephant hoop I received in the Ongoing Wish Swap!  Love all the cool stitches!

 

Also included with the hoop is this gorgeous altered matchbox.  I love the style!

Coppertone ClearlySheer Sunscreen

 

I was invited to participate in another campaign from BzzAgent. This time for a new sunscreen from Coppertone.  Living in Arizona sunscreen is a must!  Especially this time of year when we spend so much time out in the pool to beat the heat.  In my BzzKit I received the Coppertone ClearlySheer Sunny Days Body Lotion which is perfect for everyday use.  I put lotion on my arms and my legs every day before I leave the house and this is great since it already has the sunscreen built in!  I don't have to try to remember to put on a second lotion before I leave the house.  I am always sure to protect my face but the other thing I love about this product is that it helps to protect parts of my body that I don't think about such as my hands. It goes on smooth and doesn't leave me smelling like I am on a tropical vacation or like I took a quick chemical bath before leaving the house.

I also love the ClearlySheer Beach and Pool Sprays that were included.  It is so much easier to apply on kids.  Just point and shoot.  I always like to still rub it in after spraying it on to make sure we got full coverage. I would imagine this would be really nice on the beach when everyone is covered head to toe in sand!

Here are my kids enjoying the pool after being sprayed down

 

Overall I would recommend adding Coppertone ClearlySheer Body Lotion to your everyday routine and keeping a bottle of the spray handy for outdoor play!

**I am a BzzAgent and received the products above for free in return for my opinion *

**All opinions are my own**

Craftster Hoopla Along April

 

Aprils theme in the Hoopla Along was Under the Sea.  I went to Etsy to search for a pattern and this set caught my eye.   Its by Kimberly Ouimet  I stitched it up using a chain stitch and back stitch.  I love the nice thick lines on the chain stitch and it works up very quickly if you use this cheater method I learned from Sublime Stitching.  I even used a bit of thread from Sublime Stitching for the sea star.  It was my first time working with their thread and I loved it!  I think I may need to purchase the entire set!