Make A Marvelously Messy Munchkin Mosiac

Here's a super-dooper fun craft for you and your munchkin to try and a little history to go with it:  Mosiac art has been around for a 4,000 years!!!! The Greeks were truly the people who improved the craft by using pebbles to create shapes, animals, and people from a variety of colors. The Romans used the art to decorate their floors. The Byzantines took Mosiac art to new places.... specifically the ceilings and walls of their rooms with figurative shapes. And, in the Islamic world they mainly produced Mosiacs that lingered around geometric and mathematical designs.

As for the Munchkin and I....we stuck to what we had around the house. We used seashells collected from a vacation we took earlier in the summer. There were plenty of extra plastic beads around. Some rainbow colored glitter came in good use and some plastic shapes from an old crafting kit were useful as well. Really....just grab whatever you want and toss it on there. The sticky base we made was actually a papier mache-type mixture. Here are the ingredients:

flour

water

glue

paint

 (to tint)

~Mix until only slightly runny and easy to spread on a flat piece of wood. 

~Place pieces onto the mixtures (once spread on it's surface) and wait for the fixture to dry completely.

The Munchkin had a *brilliant* idea to color the fixture mix with purple paint. This hadn't occured to me. I was going to be all boring and plain and just make it white....and I am so glad she was inspired. The purple background is one of my favorite parts about the mosiac. 

Munchkin also had this great idea to pour a whole bunch of glitter in one spot and then blow really hard on top of it, spreading the glitter in a starburst kind of pattern. I love it. 

Here are the blog parties I linked up to (check them out....you'll be inspired!!!!)

Frugalicious Friday
Handmade Monday 

Evora Plus Review and Giveaway!!!!

Do you whiten your teeth?? I had always considered it, but I have got such *sensitive* teeth that I worried that I would really hurt them with all those harsh chemicals. Well, I just recently got a chance to review Evora Plus, a new Probiotic mint that naturally freshens breath, supports healthy teeth and gums, and naturally whitens teeth.  And, let me tell you I am PLEASED!! Not only have my teeth whitened at least a shade, but my mouth is feeling a lot healthier in general. Yippee!!

You've probably heard about probiotics. I've been seeing them in the news everywhere from their aid in digestive ailments to improving colic in young babies. The idea behind the Evora plus mint is that the probiotics it contains actually attack the bad bacteria in your mouth, under the gum line, on the tongue, etc. And, a happy by-product of the mint is a low level of hydrogen peroxide which helps to naturally whiten teeth slowly over time without the need for high doses.

You have really got to try this mint. So, with the help of Evora Plus, I am doing a giveaway!! The winner will receive a months worth of mints, and believe me....it's amazing what this product can do in that kind of time!!

Here's how it works:

 (Make sure to leave a comment for each type of entry you do!!!!)

~Leave a Comment (one entry) 

~Follow Marvelously Messy (one entry)

~Follow Evora Plus on Facebook (one entry)

~Follow Evora Plus on Twitter (one entry)

The Giveaway ends on September 10th!!

Open to US and Canada Residents ONLY

Disclosure: For the purpose of this review and giveaway I was provided with product from Evora Plus. The review is written in my own words and entirely in my own opinion. I am a woman of my word (sometimes **too** many words, I have been told)....If I don't like something you will know it, promise!! :-)

KidKraft 2 in 1 Lego Table Review

For my Munchkins birthday, I chose something that I knew would last for years (in interest and durability). It's this incredibly fun 2 in 1 Lego Table!!!!

If you are not familiar with Kidkraft, I can tell you that they make some very fun and **sturdy** children's toys and furniture. I was really pleased that I found them on CSN. Well, of course I found them there....CSN has over 200 stores to choose from for products. You can find just about anything there!! 

Enough gushing (though, it's true) Let's get on to the review:

~Table comes with a reversible top. One side is built for Legos and the other is for trains. 

~Includes a 30 piece train set.

~Also, a 200 piece "Lego-compatible" block set.

~Built in storage below the tabletop.

~120 day replacement warranty against defects in materials and workmanship

Here's What I Liked:

• Made of wood
• Plenty of storage
• Reversible Top
• Comes with plenty of Lego pieces and train activity pieces
• Other wooden trains fit the standard size tracks
• Rounded legs are easy on wood floors

What Needs Some Work:

• Standard Lego's are not as compatible as advertised, some bending and pushing were needed to make pieces fit....and sometimes they just popped off. The blocks that came with the table fit fine. My husbands Lego's from the 80's are not incredibly compatible. Maybe it's just the age of his blocks??
• The magnets in the trains are not very powerful. They don't hold onto each other that well.

Honestly, I'd say the good easily outweighs the bad on this product. Both sides of the activity table are getting good use and I know it will hold the Munchkins interest for years. Lego's never get old (as evidenced by my husbands 25 year old collection resurfacing). :-) 

If you would like to buy this product at CSN, click HERE!!!!

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~I was provided with product from CSN Stores for the purpose of this review. This review is written entirely in my own words and with my complete support behind it. I am a woman of my word (sometimes, I've been told, **too** many words) and I will only write what I believe in.