Reviewing Custom Magnets and Buttons

Zazzle is a great way to make customized buttons and magnets.  There are so many fun ways to use these magnets and it is fairly inexpensive to create your own.

 

A Fun Memento from a Trip

It is always fun to have a small memento from a trip, but sometimes the items in the gift shops can be really costly.  With Zazzle you can create your own personalized souvenir using your photographs and a bit of creativity on Zazzle.  I created the button below by importing my photo into Zazzle and then adding some text on the design.  The photo is of a lighthouse in Michigan.  We found it at the end of a penisula near Traverse City. 

Old Mission Point Lighthouse Button by lighthouseenthusiast
Browse more Old mission point lighthouse Buttons at Zazzle

Recipe Magnets

Do you have a favorite recipe that you still need to look at the instructions?  Create a recipe magnet and use it to stick the recipe on your refrigerator for easy access when cooking or baking.  I have several of these recipe magnets and they sure are handy.  No more worries about getting the paper recipe spotted with food stains and the recipe is always at eye level.  Here is one I created for a favorite microwave applecrisp.

Apple Crisp Recipe Fridge Magnet by mbgphoto
Make your own personal fridge magnets at zazzle.com

Celebrating a Special Event

Buttons and Magnets are great way to celebrate special events. I have used them for conventions at church by putting the theme of the convention on a button. They also work great for birthdays, anniversaries, themed parties and other milestones. Here is a button I made for my granddaughters birthday. It can be customized by changing the name or age.

Birthday Girl button by mbgphoto
Make your own pin buttons online at zazzle.com

Magnets

Magnets come in either a round or square shape.  You can order them in 5 different sizes ranging from 1.25 inches to 3 inches.  The are printed on 100% recyled paper and are covered with a scratch and UV resistant Mylar.  One really nice feature is that there is no minimum order, so if you want just one for yourself you are in luck.  There are discounts for larger orders too.

Buttons

Buttons also come in both a round and square shape and are printed on 100% recycled paper and are covered with a scratch and UV resistant  Mylar.  The buttons come in 5 sizes from 1.25 inches all the way up to a huge 6 inch button.  There is no minimum order for buttons and there is a discount on orders of 10 or more buttons.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Review: How to Get Rid of Annoying Crawling Insects Like Ants without Poisons

Ant Attack!

Is there any worse way to start the day that walking into a kitchen that's been invaded by ants? I realize a medical emergency or a house on fire could be worse, but it's still a real downer to go into the kitchen to fix breakfast and find the counter full of ants.

That’s what happened to me again this morning. I had them pretty well cleared out and hadn't been bothered for about two weeks, but today they had found another way in I did not have guarded. Fortunately, this time I knew what to do. I was prepared. The ants you see above I was trying to kill with poison -- store-bought and a homemade version of the same thing. That was back in September of last year.

About three months ago, after invasion after invasion, I had purchased two five-pound bags of Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth. I had tried making my own ant poison using Borax from recipes I found online. The ants loved it. They loved it so much they told all their buddies about it and I had more ants than ever. I guess there were so many ants in their hills that they didn't all die off when it was brought back. I read that the liquid bait wasn't as effective at killing the whole colony, so I mixed the recipe for dry poison. It might have worked had the ants been attracted to it, but they totally ignored it.

What Did Work

It was in desperation that I tried food grade Diatomaceous Earth (DE). I used one of those little cups that had formerly held a small size yogurt to sprinkle the DE where needed. I put it where I saw the ants entering and I made borders around the areas where they were as best I could. I lined the edges of the kitchen sinks with it. Then I went away. Within 24 hours, most ants were gone or dead. I'm not sure what happened to the bodies of most of them. As more ants tried to come, they were stopped at the entrance places. Within a few days they had stopped coming. I hadn't had them for about three weeks when I went to bed last night.

How I apply DE,  © B. Radisavljevic

This morning they decided to come up from the bottom instead of where I had them blocked at the windows. The counter was covered with them and the sink was full. I had been too tired to empty the dishwasher last night and the dirty dishes had been left on the counter and in the sink. I moved all dishes into the sink and spread my magic powder on the floor where the ants were coming in and put a border back on the counter and around the sink. I now apply the DE with an art paintbrush – a medium width one. It's large enough to spread my borders and also to brush ants that are outside the borders back inside them. Professional dusters are available, and might do a better job of spreading, but I decided to do the best I could with what I had on hand.

If an ant walks on the DE, it will die. It will puncture their stomachs and they will lose their body fluids. However, the food grade DE is so safe that humans can eat it and it won't hurt them. In fact some people use it to treat constipation instead of using a laxative.

In the reviews on Amazon, people have reported great results using DE on bedbugs and fleas. Since it is non-toxic, it won't hurt pets or children. It will work with any crawling or flying insect. But it has to be dry to work. If it gets wet it is no longer effective, so it doesn't do much good for snails, slugs, or other bugs outdoors where you water. I don't dust any outdoor plants where a bee or butterfly might land, though I might try it on my chard that has no flowers.
I hate using any kind of poison in the kitchen or anywhere else in the house unless there is no other solution. DE won't be carried back to kill off a colony, but the ants in your house won't be returning to their colony to show their pals the way to your kitchen, either. They die quickly and don't go anywhere.

Ants Killed by DE, © B. Radisavljevic

The picture above was taken in an invaded bathroom, I had left a measuring cup that had been full of homemade liquid ant bait with a Borax base. It finally dried up. The ants had loved it. A few days ago the ants found a way through my DE barrier and headed right for the cup, even though the bait had dried up long ago. So I sprinkled DE into the cup. You can see the result in the dead ants at the surface. It was the DE that killed them. Had it been the poison they would have taken it home.

There is a downside, but I can live with it. You have to keep the DE on your counters and floors until the infestation is gone. It doesn’t look nice, but it won't hurt you. Only food grade DE, not the stuff used for swimming pools, is harmless to pets and humans. So be sure to get food grade.

I have focused on ants here because I don't have pets, so no fleas. I don't have bedbugs, either, thank goodness. Ants are my biggest problem. But if you have fleas in your house or bedbugs, you might want to try it to get rid of them, too. To get your supply, just click below. I had a tough time finding food grade locally. Why not get yours today so it's on hand the minute an invasion begins. 

 *Top Rated* Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth 10 Lbs

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Review - The Most Comfortable Women's Shoes

Dr Scholls Jennie Fashion Sneaker

Are you tired of uncomfortable shoes? Or shoes that are comfortable but ugly? Would you often rather be barefoot because shoes are hot, tight, or they pinch? In my opinion, Dr. Scholl's Jennie fashion sneakers are the most comfortable shoes ever made.

Why I Love My Jennie Fashion Sneakers.

I just can't stop recommending these shoes to friends and family.  I love my Jennie shoes and wish I had a pair of each color. I will try to summarize why these are my favorite shoes:

• the "Free Step minimalist construction" is lightweight and comfortable. I feel almost as though I'm barefoot.
• "Energy Wave" insole provides a surprising amount of comfort and padding
• There is enough give and take in these shoes that they fit my feet - despite my feet being two different sizes (one foot is larger than the other by about a 1/2 size).
• The ADORABLE barefoot-like design in the tread
• while they come complete with laces, I wear mine easily as slip-ons due to the elasticized top. 
• Breathable. I wear mine with or without socks and my feet are comfortable either way.
• Durable. I had expected these lightweight and flexible little shoes to wear out immediately. They did not. They lasted through almost daily wearing for a long period of time. In fact, had the puppy not chewed them I would still wear that original pair today.
• Didn't have to break them in. I purchased my shoes at a local store without doing any research. As soon as I tried a pair on, I immediately wanted to wear them out of the store and wear them home. 

Video Review Dr. Scholl's Jennie Sneakers

I was thrilled to find this video review of my very favorite pair of shoes. 

A Large Variety of Colors and a Name We Trust

Dr. Scholl's Jamie

In addition to the Jennie style, Dr. Scholl's also offers the Jamie, which is similar. If you would like, you could have a different pair for every summer outfit. The colors range from a Natural tan Jennie, to the red Jamie, with many shades of browns, blacks, blues and greys in between.

Dr. Scholl's is a name we know we can trust. With the Jennie they combined form and function beautifully. If you are looking for a comfortable, cute, and durable pair of summer shoes, these are it. 

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Review of a Twin Bed King Connector

Turning Twin Beds into a King Size Bed is Easy and Affordable

This is a practical solution for a teen whose outgrown twin beds, or for a guest room where it's necessary to alternate between twin beds and a large single bed.

If you've ever pushed two twin beds together, you know exactly what the problem is; the gap in the middle.

Without a twin bed king converter, we've gotten around this problem by putting several toppers on the mattresses.

However, if you move around a lot when you sleep, the gap is still an issue. Movement slowly splits the twin beds apart.

So being the creative sort, I placed non-skid padding under the mattresses to prevent the mattresses from splitting apart. Although that was an affordable way to address the movement of the mattresses, it didn't solve the dip in the middle.

This is Where a Twin Bed Connector Comes In

The one featured below has straps that wrap around the twin beds. It keeps the beds together.

You may still feel a dip or gap, however, if you place a mattress cover and other toppers on before the sheet, it should be barely noticeable.

Overall this is an affordable solution to transitioning a kids room to a teens room. You can keep the twin beds and convert them into a king for the growing youngster.

Most teens want a bigger bed, and if their room is already furnished with twin beds, this is a viable solution. Best of all, you don't have to buy a king sized bed!

Easy King 024401 Bed Doubling System (Includes Bed Bridge and Adjustable Connector Belt)

How to Make it Look Nice:

If the room you're making over isn't going to be switched back and forth between twin and king, then it's easy to dress up the bed so it looks like it's always been a king bed.

• If you have two headboards and you're able to remove them, then you could either go with an improvised headboard attached to the wall that's the width of both mattresses, or elect to skip a headboard altogether and simply deck the bed out with many pillows.

• If you opt for pillows as the backdrop, without a headboard, you can use a bolster at the head of the bed so the pillows don't appear to be resting directly on the wall. I've done this myself, and it looks really nice.

• Use a king sized bed skirt. With one skirt going around both beds. Without the appearance of two headboards, nobody will notice the beds were once twin beds.

• I can't stress enough how padding the mattress with various covers makes a difference; I've used a mattress cover as well as a thick foam mattress pad and it really gives the bed that one piece feel.

The Bed Sheets and the Bedding

Two twin beds, especially with extra padding on top, is a little bigger than a standard king size bed; not much bigger, but enough of an issue that you'll need over sized or deep pocket king sized bed sheets. We love Jersey Knit Bed Sheets because they're stretchable, and they'll work nicely to solve this problem. However, if you're not a fan of Jersey Knit Sheets, then be sure to get king sized bed sheets with deep pockets.

The Non-Slip Padding Mentioned Above 

Ultra Stop Non-Slip Indoor Rug Pad, Size: 4' x 6'
Above I talk about the non-slip padding I put between the box spring and mattress, well I actually used ones designed to hold area rugs in place.

For us they worked perfectly. This one measures 4 feet by 6 feet, so I just bought a couple for each twin bed, and positioned them on the box spring so as to cover a good portion. I would position them to go over the gap in the bed as well. The Grand Fitted Quilted Mattress Pad Cover Hypoallergenic (Stretches to 18

Mattress Pad Cover

Here's an example of a king sized mattress pad cover that you can put over the twin bed king connector and mattress.

This one has 20 inch deep pockets as well, so if you want to put a layer of foam underneath (for added comfort) you should have a enough room. I would say, if you had to choose between the non-slip pads above and this, choose this. It's the best way to pull the mattresses together after you've used the twin connector.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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A Review of Spring Cleaning Tips

 

Especially Useful Tips for People with Kids

 

Whether you need a way to help de-clutter or clean kids toys, or tips for getting your kids involved in Spring Cleaning, the Review This blog has a few suggestions.

One of the best ways to be successful with big cleaning chores such as Spring Cleaning is to get the whole family involved.  Kids can clean, whether they believe it or not!  One good hint, for major cleaning or just daily cleaning, is to get a small kitchen timer and have the kids 'clean their room' until the buzzer goes off.  They (and you) will be amazed at how much they can accomplish working against the clock. It becomes a game for them.

Toy Clutter Control

Source: Pixabay

On the Tips From a Typical Mom blog, Annette has a wonderful article of 10 Tips to Make Cleaning Fun for Kids.

Toy Hammocks Save Space

Toy hammocks are wonderful space-saving ways to store toys off the floor, and a quick way to 'pick-up' and 'put-away' those toys.

Handmade Crochet Hammock for Stuffed Animals

Lula, a crochet crafter, crochets toy hammocks for all those cute stuffed animals your children collect and keep forever.  Hang it next to their bed, so their special stuffed animals are still close but don't take up the space in their bed any more.  

The hammocks come in several sizes and 50 color choices.   Hammocks are awesome because they help you free up floor space while displaying your child’s most treasured stuffed animals on the wall, keeping your home organized while doubling as a unique decor item!

Lula makes these hammocks in crochet for her Etsy Store Lula Bill Boutique. 

Green Cleaning Ideas

Source: Pixabay

For those of you who prefer cleaning with environmentally-safe products, HubPages author Chen has an article on Green Spring Cleaning Tips using handy products such as baking soda and white vinegar. Products such as these are safe for even children to use while helping mom clean.

More Simple Cleaning Tips from the Contributors here on Review This!

• Review This writer, Barbara Tremblay Cipak (Brite-Ideas), tells us a good way to successfully clean grout. 

• Susan Deppner has found the Best Cleaning Cloth - the Ultimate Cloth. It's amazing!  Susan also gives us 13+ Best House Cleaning Tips for your Spring cleaning!

• Bev Owens shows us all the things you can clean quickly and inexpensively using White Vinegar for Cleaning.

• And Bev has also found a telescoping corner broom which is terrific for cleaning those hard to reach those high ceilings and corners. 

 

House Cleaning Tips all in one Place

House Cleaning Tips and Tricks for Busy Moms: Tricks, Hacks and Strategies for Effective Homemaking

For all of us who live a busy life, house cleaning at any time is a chore.  This book of House Cleaning Tips and Tricks from Amazon has helpful hints and time-saving tips all in one place.  

Getting organized has never been easier.

Spring has arrived!

Hopefully, this collection of tips and hints will give you a head start with your Spring Cleaning.  Or... you can enjoy putting it off until next year!

(c) Wednesday Elf (4/18/2015)

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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