Vacation Giveaway to Beautiful Puerto Rico! ($2,000 Prize Value)

This post brought to you by Puerto Rico, The All-Star Island. All opinions are 100% mine.

Puerto Rico is one of those vacation destinations that I have always dreamed about visiting.  From the relaxing beaches, to historic San Juan, to a tropical rainforest, Puerto Rico has everything that you want in a vacation!   It is filled with world-class attractions that will help you Live your own 5-star vacation story in Puerto Rico.   You don't even need a passport or any foreign money- just hop on a plane and go!

PLUS, Keep reading to see how you can win a trip to the beautiful Island of Puerto Rico!!  How amazing would that be?!  A few other bloggers and I are giving away this trip of a lifetime!

My top Must-See's in Puerto Rico:

1.  Bioluminescent bays-   Take a swim or kayak ride in the Bioluminescent Bays and you will light up and glow!  You have to check out the photos online of people doing this, because it's simply amazing!  The glowing is caused by ocean plankton which make a green and blue illumination when disturbed. This is such a unique experience that can't be missed!

2. Visit the Rainforest-  Did you know that Puerto Rico has the only tropical rainforest under the U.S. National Park Service?  It's called El Yunque, and it has a beautiful waterfall and a pool underneath that you can swim in.  You can even hike through the rainforest up to the clouds for an amazing view!

3.  Relax on the Beach-  Puerto Rico has 270 miles of coastline and is featured in the Top 10 Beaches from the Travel Channel.  This includes Flamenco Beach in Culebra, which is often cited as one of the best beaches in the world!

4.  Historic San Juan-  The capital city of Puerto Rico, San Juan is known for its' Old World charm.  It's the oldest city under U.S. jurisdiction, and was founded in 1521.  I would love to visit and walk the streets of Old San Juan!

5.  Camuy Caverns-  The Camuy Caverns run through the third largest subterranean river in the world, and are nothing short of inspiring.  The caverns are part of an underground network of limestone caves and underground waterways, and is one of the most popular natural attractions in Puerto Rico.

Be sure to check out SeePuertoRico.com, and leave a comment telling me why you want to visit Puerto Rico.

Now that you know what a beautiful and exciting place Puerto Rico is, how would you like to win a trip for two?  One lucky winner will win a trip for two to Puerto Rico that includes airfare, a 3-night stay (in one room), and food credit, which is a total prize valued up to $2,000!

Here's how to enter to win!

Entering to win this trip to Puerto Rico is easy!

1.  Leave a comment on this blog post about your favorite amenities in Puerto Rico.  You can find your favorite here on SeePuertoRico.com.

**Examples:  Flamenco Beach, the old world charm of San Juan, etc.!

For additional entries:

2.  Tweet a message about what you would like to do in Puerto Rico, with a link back to this blog post and the hashtag #5StarPR.  Make sure you leave your tweet URL in the comments on this post below so we know you tweeted!  You can also Follow @PRTourismCo on Twitter.

3.  Like SeePuertoRico.com on Facebook.  Leave a comment on this blog post stating that you liked them on Facebook.

Here are the Official Contest Rules if you'd like to read them.  Good luck everyone!!  I can't wait to see who wins this trip of a lifetime to the beautiful island of Puerto Rico!

xo, Laura

Headless Horseman Pumpkin + Pumpkin Carving Package Giveaway!

It's not officially Halloween time yet at my house until we have carved pumpkins.  It's one of our favorite fall traditions, and one that the kids would never forgive me for if we didn't do!  This year I wanted to carve a special pumpkin, one celebrating my love for my favorite Halloween story of all time... The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.  I let the kids carve their own pumpkins this year, too, which was very exciting for them, and a great way for us to spend some quality family time!

The silhouette of the Headless Horseman on his horse in the dark night stuck with me, so I decided to recreate that silhouette on my pumpkin.  To make a detailed design like this I needed some special tools, so I used Pumpkin Masters pumpkin carving tools.  They have TONS of different kits to choose from- a traditional pumpkin carving kit, decorating punches to punch out circles and other shapes from your pumpkin, a surface carving kit, and even a kids carving kit that's easy and safe for kids to use.  Pumpkin Masters even makes strobe lights to light up your pumpkins, instead of using candles that could cause a fire.

Pumpkin carving sure has come a long way since I was young, and would use kitchen knives... yikes!  You can find Pumpkin Masters Kits at Target, Walmart, and your local grocery, drug, and craft store.  I've seen them everywhere this year!

Now you can WIN a set of ALL of the Pumpkin Masters Carving kits I just just mentioned that are pictured above!  Just follow the directions at the bottom of the post to enter to win the prize package, worth over $35!  The contest will end Monday night at midnight, so be sure to enter today to win!

Now on to the Headless Horseman!  To create my Sleepy Hollow pumpkin, I followed a great tip that I found in the Pumpkin Masters carving kit directions.  Instead of carving a circle along the top of the pumpkin to open it up and scoop the flesh out, I carved a hole in the BOTTOM of the pumpkin, where no one would be seeing it.  Then I used the scooping tool to scoop out all of the pumpkin flesh and seeds, and to scrape down the wall of the pumpkin a bit so that it was thinner.  Of course I saved the pumpkin seeds so that I could make some of these delicious pumpkin seed recipes with the kids... yum!

Once the inside of my pumpkin was cleaned out, I painted the entire pumpkin, including the stem, with two black coats of chalkboard paint.  Since I wanted my Headless Horseman silhouette to be black, I painted the pumpkin black with some chalkboard paint I already had.

To draw out my Headless Horseman silhouette, I used this silhouette as a guide.  I drew up my design, taped it to the pumpkin, and traced the lines hard with a pen, so the lines would go through, and proceeded to cut out the area around my design.

When I was almost done, I had a feeling that I should take a picture, even though my pumpkin wasn't finished.  I ignored it, then finally gave in, but only snapped a quick cell phone pic instead of one with my camera.  As I was cleaning out the pumpkin, I totally dropped it.  My Headless Horseman broke into pieces, and could not be saved (as you might have seen on Instagram if you follow me).  I was sooooo sad, but relieved that at least I had one picture of all my hard work, which is the picture you saw above!  So please ignore the imperfections, as I wasn't finished with my pumpkin when the picture was taken...

My kindergartner wanted to make her VERY own pumpkin this year, so I let her carve one of the pumpkins that we grew in our backyard.  It is small and cute, which is just perfect for her!  We cut a hole in the bottom, and scooped out the seeds and pulp.  Pumpkin Masters has an awesome kids set of carving tools, so I let her draw her design onto a piece of paper first, and then she used a special crayon that came with the kit to draw her face on the pumpkin.

We both worked together to cut out her original design, and within 15 minutes she had her very own jack-o-lantern!  Isn't it cute?

She was so proud!

My little guy wanted to get in on the fun, too!

Pumpkin Masters is having an amazing pumpkin carving contest this year, and they are giving away six prizes, one of which is $5,000!  You can share a pic of your carving via Instagram or Twitter with #PumpkinMasters2013, submit via the Facebook app, or send via email to social@pumpkinmasters.com.  The contest runs from October 1-31, and you can check out the contest details and official rules here.

Now for the giveaway!  The winner will receive a Pumpkin Masters Pumpkin Carving Gift Package which includes everything you see in the photo (see the second paragraph of the post for a full description), and is valued at $35.  You can carve years and years worth of pumpkins with all of this product!  The giveaway is open to U.S. residents only, and the giveaway ends on Monday night, October 21st, at midnight.

Follow the easy directions on the widget below to enter now!! The winner will be announced next week on the blog.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck, and happy carving!!

If you liked this, I'd love for you to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin', and Instagram.

xo, Laura

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Linking Up Here: Snap!, 36th Avenue

$200 Home Depot Giveaway Winner!

Just a heads up that the winner for the $200 Home Depot giveaway has been announced! You can see the original post HERE and scroll down to the bottom of the post to see the winner.

Thanks to everyone who participated and followed along!  And thanks Coupons.com and Home Depot for the awesome giveaway!

I am deep in party planning mode (again!) for my daughter's Under the Sea swim party in 2 days, but I will be back tomorrow with a fun post!

Two big parties within two weeks of each other equals lots of fun party posts in the future... stay tuned!!  I'll be posting details and photos of my son's Jungle Safari party a week and a half ago, and the Under the Sea party coming up.  I love a good party!

xo, Laura

DIY Vintage Wood Travel Games + $200 Home Depot Gift Card Giveaway!

I received a gift card to Home Depot from Coupons.com to use for this project.  As always, all opinions are are my own.

Today I have a really cute DIY vintage wood travel games I'm so excited to share with you!  

I'm also thrilled to be part of a blog hop with 8 amazing bloggers, all of whom have some great summer travel tutorials for you today!

We are also giving away a $200 Home Depot Gift Card, courtesy of Coupons.com!!  I bet you could put that to good use, right?!

Be sure to enter at the bottom of the post for your chance to win!!  Also, be sure to check out Coupons.com Home Depot coupon codes, so you can save even more money while shopping at Home Depot.

I have always loved wood games.  I love how nostalgic they are, and their vintage, classic look.  I recently took a trip to Home Depot, bought some supplies, and set out to make my own "vintage" wooden games set for our family travels.

Tucked inside this adorable box case are 4 different activities I made, perfect for summer traveling.  The activities include a vintage wood U.S. map puzzle, a chalkboard and chalk, a mini magnetic checkers board, and a magnetic board for play.

Would you like to make your own vintage wood travel games box set?  Here's how I did it!

Supplies:

• 1/4 8" x 2' oak board, cut into 2 1' pieces (this will be the top and bottom of the case)
• 11/16 x 1 3/8" 8 ft. furring strip, cut into 2 pieces that are approx. 5 3/4" long & 2 pieces that are 1 ft. long (these will be the sides of the wood box)
• 4 of the 1/4 8" x 2" oak board, cut to fit inside the box (these are the game boards)
• 1/4 x 36" (nominal) hardwood square, cut into 2 5 1/2" and 2 9 1/2" pieces (Optional- for the bottom side of the top of the box- to hold the lid securely onto the box when it's closed)
• Vacuum belt (for the hinges)
• Small finishing nails
• Screws
• Drill
• Small piece of rope
• 2 metal hooks
• Small metal gate handle
• Chalkboard paint
• Red craft paint
• Gorilla Wood Glue
• Zinc plated sheet metal, 12" x 18"
• Tin snips
• Stencils (optional)
• Printed vintage map of the U.S., approximately 5 1/2" x 10" (I just googled and printed one I found online)
• Mod Podge
• Paintbrush
• Vice or clamp
• Sandpaper

To Make the Box:

1.  Apply Gorilla Glue to the bottoms of the four sides cut from the furring strip.  Place them onto the bottom 8" x 1' board to make the base of the box.  Nail finishing nails to hold in place.

2.  Glue the hardwood square pieces that you cut onto the inside lid of the box to form a rectangle that fits securely inside the box when closed.

3.  Once the glue is dry, cut a vacuum belt into 3 pieces.  Attach the pieces to the back of the box with screws, so that the box will open and close.  Screw the gate handle onto the box.  Use a metal hooks to attach the piece of rope to the box, and the other metal hook to catch the rope, which will wrap around the lid to keep it closed.

4.  Optional- Stencil the word "travel," or any other words, onto the lid of the box.

Vintage Wood U.S. Map Puzzle:

1.  Apply a thin layer of Mod Podge with a brush to the back of your vintage printed map of the U.S., and apply to one of the game boards.  Let dry, then use sandpaper to smooth out the edges and file off any excess paper.  

2.  Cut the game board into 6 equal pieces.  Apply Mod Podge to the top and sides to seal the pieces.

Chalkboard:

1.  Apply two coats of chalkboard paint to another game board, making sure to follow the manufacturer's recommended time between coats.

Mini Magnetic Checkers Board:

1.  Use the tin snips to cut a piece of sheet metal slightly smaller than one of the wood game boards.  File all of the edges, and round off each of the four corners so they are not sharp.  Use wood glue to attach the metal to the game board, and attach vice to secure the metal to the wood as it dries.

2.  Draw a checkers board onto the OTHER side of the game boards with the metal attached to it with a pencil.  We made our board 5 squares by 8 squares, to make 40 squares total.  Label each black square with a "B" so you don't get confused as to which square will be which color.  Carefully paint the "B" squares black with a paintbrush and the chalkboard paint.

3.  Paint 10 of the round magnets with red all-surface craft paint.  Let dry.

Magnetic Board:

Kids can use the metal side of the board for the kids to play with magnets and paper and get creative!  They can stick on any kind of magnets, like magnetic ABC letters, animals, etc.... the possibilities are endless!  You can also use magnets to attach paper doll pieces, tangrams, and more.  Get creative!

Now to the $200 Home Depot Giveaway!!  Just follow the easy directions to enter below.  Good luck!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to check out the summer travel projects that these bloggers came up with!

Gallamore West   

                       

4 Marrs 1 Venus                 

                             

Artsy Fartsy Mama

                            

The Crafted Sparrow

              

Young and Crafty         

                   

NellieBellie                         

                          

A Turtle’s Life for Me

                       

Tattered and Inked  

Have a great week!

xo, Laura  

                 

Summer Snacking + Wonderful Prize Pack Giveaway!

I'm not sure if it's because of the heat or because I have more free time, but during the summer time, I find that I make better choices about what I snack on.  Juicy fruit, natural nuts, and crunchy vegetables are my snack of choice in the summer heat.

Many of these healthy snacks are made by Wonderful brands, the company that makes Wonderful Pistachios, Wonderful Almonds, Wonderful Almond Accents, and POM Wonderful... yum!  Wonderful Brands is involved in the entire production process from tree to table, so the taste is the most wonderful part of all! Their products can be found in the produce section of grocery stores in the U.S and Canada.

All during the last school year I packed my kids' school lunches with Wonderful Pistachios.  They loved the taste, while I loved the fact that they were eating a healthy snack that is a good source of protein and fiber!  And their POM Wonderful Pomegranate juice is amazing!  I have a pomegranate tree in my backyard, and the juice tastes just like the fresh pomegranates off my tree... so fresh and delicious!

Hungry Girl recently shared her "TOP ATE Reasons to Love Wonderful brands"- I love #2... I'm all about tricking my brain into thinking it's full!

Wonderful Brands was kind enough to send me a tasty Wonderful Prize Pack filled with some amazing summer snacks, and they want to send one of my readers one too! 

One lucky reader will receive a Wonderful Prize Pack, full of nutty (and even some fruity) deliciousness!  The winner will receive a prize pack that includes Almond Accents Honey Roasted Cranberries, Almond Accents Sea Salt & Cracked Pepper, Roasted & Salted Pistachios, Salt & Pepper Pistachios, Sweet Chili Pistachios, Natural Raw Almonds, Roasted & Salted Almonds, and a Wonderful brands towel and bag.  Yum!  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What a delicious giveaway, right?  Perfect for summer snacking!  To enter, just follow the easy directions above.  This giveaway is only 3 days long, so be sure to enter now!  Winner will be announced next week on the blog.  Good luck!!

For more delicious snack ideas, be sure to check out this yummy kettle corn recipe that you can make at  home in just a few minutes.

My Brazilian limeade is a refreshing drink that is sooo easy to make, and tastes amazing- no juicing or squeezing involved!

What are some of your favorite summer snacks?

If you liked this idea, I'd love for you to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin', and Instagram.

xo, Laura

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

8 Ways to Keep Your Toddler Still While Changing their Diaper + $25 Target Gift Card Giveaway!

“This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Huggies, but all my opinions are my own. #HuggiesSlipOn #pmedia http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO

My cute little guy is always on the go, and is constantly busy!  He loves pushing buttons on the computer...

drawing with chalk...  

watering the plants outside...

playing with his animal toys...

and so much more!

If you are a mother of a busy toddler, too, then you know that some days it can be nearly IMPOSSIBLE to capture your child to change his or her diaper, let alone get them to hold still long enough for you to actually change it.  Sometimes it feels like a battle that I am losing to a one-year-old!

I've been testing out different strategies to change this diaper-changing battle, and I've come up with eight ways to help those of you who might be having the same trouble I am- a wiggly child when it's time to change diapers!  Here's what's been working for me...

8 Ways to Keep Your Toddler Still While Changing their Diaper:

1.  A Favorite Book- When I'm about to change my son's diaper, sometimes I''ll grab one of his favorite books, which is his truck book or his train book.  He gets to hold the book, look at the pictures, and make the truck and train sounds, while I am busy changing his diaper.  I'm done changing him before he even realizes what's going on- score one point for mom!

2.  A Favorite Toy- Just like a book, a favorite toy is a good way to distract your little one long enough to change his or her diaper. 

3.  Slip On Diapers- I recently bought Huggies Little Movers Slip On Diapers at Target, in the hopes that they would make diaper changing time easier... and they did!!  I love how easily these diapers slip on and off.  They make changing my son's diaper so much faster!  I have been a Huggies mom with all four of my kids because I know that I can trust their diapers to not leak, and Huggies Little Movers Slip On Diapers are no exception.  I haven't had ANY of these diapers leak, either, which is a BIG plus!  They fit my son really really well, too, and the sides of the diaper even stretch when my little guy is on the go, which is pretty much any time that he is awake ;)  

4.  Sing A Song-  I can often distract my little mover by singing him a song, preferably an upbeat one that he can learn the words to and sing along with me.  If it has actions, it's even better, because your child will be moving to the actions, rather than moving to get away from you!

5.  Practice Counting and Learning the ABC's- Diaper-changing time is a great time to teach your kids how to count, and get them to recognize and start learning their ABC's.  Count to 10, repeat it, and repeat it again- pretty soon, your child will be counting right along with you!  

6.  "Where's the..." Game- In my son's room there are lots of animals along the top portion of the wall, so to distract him while changing his diaper, I'll ask him questions like "Where is the lion?"or "Can you show me the zebra?"  Again, the key is to distract your child away from the fact that you are changing their diaper, and put their focus and attention onto something else.

7.  Rhymes-  Kids love little rhymes, like "Five little monkeys jumping on the bed," nursery rhymes, etc.  Diaper-changing time is a great time to teach them to your child!

8.  TV or Movie-  When all else fails, you can always turn on an age-appropriate cartoon or movie to keep your child distracted.  I try all the other methods first, but this definitely can be a good last resort, especially if it's a diaper that's going to take a few minutes to change ;)

Hopefully these tips will make diaper changes easier and faster.  You really should to give Huggies Little Movers Slip On Diapers a try!  They have been a lifesaver for me, and now you can save $2 on a package of them to try for yourself!  Just click HERE to print out a $2 coupon that is good at Target on Huggies Little Movers Slip On Diapers!  

Yay for saving time AND money! 

And now for the giveaway!  

One lucky reader will be winning a $25 Target gift card to buy their own Huggies Little Movers Slip On Diapers, or anything else that you've been wanting to buy at Target! 

Just follow the easy directions in the Rafflecopter widget below to enter!  Only U.S. residents may enter.  Contest will end at 12 am on Tuesday, August 6.  Winner will be announced on the blog on Thursday, August 8th.  Good luck!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

xo, Laura

Another Giveaway Winner- Is it You?!

Well, rules are rules, and I haven't heard back from the original winner (rules stated that the winner had 48 hours to email me back with their choice of gift card)....

So the new random winner of the $25 gift card and 75 striped straws is.......


#82 Tawna Pippin

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Be sure to email me within the next 48 hours to let me know which $25 gift card you would like:

Nordstrom, The Cheesecake Factory, Michaels, M.A.C. Cosmetics, or Amazon.  

If I don't hear back from the new winner within 48 hours, then another winner will be chosen.

Thanks to everyone who participated!!

I have another gift card giveaway coming soon, so be sure to check back and enter for another chance to win!  Have a GREAT weekend!!

xo, Laura

Easy Ocean Animal Cupcakes + My Birthday Giveaway!

Happy Monday everyone!  Today is my birthday (woo hoo!), and I thought it would be fun to do a little birthday giveaway!  

I'll be giving away a $25 gift card and 3 sets of 25 striped straws to one lucky winner!  More details and the easy entry form are at the bottom of the post...

I recently needed a quick treat to share with about 20 of my kids' friends, and so I came up with these easy ocean animal cupcakes as a last minute snack for the kiddos.

If you follow me on Instagram (which I'd love for you to do if you're not already!), you might have seen the above picture of my first batch of these fun fish cupcakes I made for a beach trip with friends on the last day of school.  

I made them again yesterday, but this time I used the Sea Life version of Swedish Fish, which included starfish, dolphins, puffer fish, red Swedish fish, and whales.  I also made some easy little flags to add more color and height to the cupcakes.

I love how they were sooooo easy and fast to make, and all the kids loved them!  I thought I'd share them with you in case you need a quick fun summer treat to share, or even keep all to yourself ;)

Ocean Animal Cupcakes:

• Box cake and frosting (or you could make it from scratch, too)
• Light blue gel food coloring
• Sea Life gummy candies (or Swedish fish)
• Toothpicks
• Masking sticker set (or washi tape)
• Cupcake liners (I used both these blue and yellow baking cups)

1.  Make cake mix and pour the batter into the cupcake liners or baking cups inside of a muffin tin.  I adore the muffin and cupcake baking cups from Wholeport.  They come in all different colors and two different sizes, and are only $2.29 and $2.64 for 50 of them!  And they are greaseproof, so when you bake directly inside them, there won't be any yucky oil marks seeping through them. Bake according to the directions.  

2.  Let cool, and frost with vanilla or cream cheese frosting tinted with light blue gel coloring.  I LOVE gel coloring!  The colors are so much more vibrant, and a tiny bit goes a long way.

3.  Remove a strip of the masking sticker (or washi tape), and push together the two ends.  Stick the toothpick up into the tape on the folded side, and push the tape together to form a cute little flag. 

Stick the flag into gummy ocean animal, and stand back and adore your lovely little cupcake.  Wasn't that easy?

Repeat for the rest of the cupcakes, and snitch a few of those yummy animals...

Now onto my birthday giveaway!!!  

I'm excited to be giving away a $25 gift card to your choice of one of a few of my favorite places!! The winner can choose one $25 gift card from Nordstrom, The Cheesecake Factory, Michaels, M.A.C. Cosmetics, or Amazon.  

AND, the winner will also receive 3 sets of 25 striped straws in red, yellow, and blue, for a total of 75 striped straws!  I LOVE using these straws at all of my parties and when entertaining- they look especially adorable in mason jars!

Be sure to enter to win below!  

Leave a comment for an easy entry, and follow Make Life Lovely for additional entries (optional).  The contest will end on Monday, July 8th at 12 am.  The winner will be randomly chosen and announced here on the blog on Tuesday, July 9th, and will have 48 hours to email me to claim their prize.  

Be sure to check back on Tuesday so see if you are the winner!  If the prize is not claimed, a new winner will be chosen.  This contest is only open to U.S. residents and is void where prohibited.  Must be 18 or older to enter.  Good luck!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway xo, Laura

Discolsure:  I was given craft supplies in exchange for writing about them. As always, all opinions are 100% mine.

Linking up Here: Tatertots and Jello, Craft-O-Maniac, Skip to My Lou, Sugar Bee Crafts, A to Zebra Celebrations, Lil' Luna, Ginger Snap Crafts, SNAP!, The 36th Avenue, House of Hepworths, Tidy Mom, 30 Handmade Days, See Vanessa Craft, Whipperberry

Martha Stewart Labels Giveaway Winner!

Okay, we have a winner for the 16 packages of Martha Stewart Office Labels!  I put all of your names in a bowl, and had my husband reach in and randomly choose... real technical, right?  And the winner is................

Augustina!  She said:
"1. Love the labels. Love the blog. Love you! I love to organize. With five kiddos, organization makes my life a little less crazy! Let's see I need the labels for kitchen pantry, entertainment center, hall closet, linen closet, kids toys, the garage, the list is endless.... 
2. I'm a follower on facebook!
3. Pinterest love. Reposted some ideas."

Thank you to everyone who entered!  Because I love my readers (and commentors!) so much, I thought I'd spoil the rest of you too!!  Anyone who commented before the giveaway deadline will win one package of their own Martha Stewart labels!! 

Just email me your address (makelifelovely dot laura at gmail dot com), and I'll send you a free pack, just for commenting and reading!

Thanks again for reading, I truly appreciate all of you!

XO, Laura