Sunday, November 28, 2010

DIY CLUB Announcement

Hi all! How was your weekend?
For those that celebrate Thanksgiving...
I hope you had a wonderful one!
DIY Club

So, you all may have noticed that I am a part of The DIY Club and each month I post projects using sponsored products and the club host a Monthly Project Party. The next Project Party begins this Friday! Go see who the sponsors are and join in! Your project can be big or small a thrifty find or a grand treasure and sponsor product can be found starting at under $2.00!
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Go check out who the November Project Party Winner is on Monday morning.
Her project (and, well, all of the projects) were amazing!
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But I am here to tell you about some FUN stuff happening over there too!
We are a core group of five creative bloggers, each with a unique style:
504 Main



The DIY Show Off


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But NOW we have big news...we have added NINE Resident Bloggers to showcase awesome projects and products.

And there may be a few more fun announcements soon too!

My Repurposed Life
freckled laundry
DIY Tam
Crafts by Amanda


Friday, November 26, 2010

Tickled Pink No. 31 and a GREAT Cause

504 Main
A craft...a recipe...a tip...a party...a short story...a  poem...
a  fashion find...a  favorite product...your favorite  post...
whatever makes  your blog  fabulous!
That is what Tickled Pink is all about!
{and it does not have to be PINK}
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I am Tickled Pink because...
 I did not partake in Black Friday. I was ready to hit Michael's after Turkey Dinner but changed my mind and opted for a mellow evening instead.
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We spent a lot of time discussing the time at which Thanksgiving Dinner is served...So much controversy at my house!...So, I am taking it to the people...I want to know what time you eat Thanksgiving dinner {answer the question and be a follower and you could win a little something...see bottom of post}
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My kiddos told me they want to "Spend more time together and share a room."
What? Cute, but seriously, we have 5 bedrooms spread out! It was still adorable!
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Turkey Day was mellow here and the four of us were able to sit around the table and talk and then watch Jules perform a dance.
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I will be tickled pink if there are not 1000 typos in this post...I am tired!
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And now...Tickled Pink!
Click {HERE} for a featured button! 
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A Patriotic Cause
I am pretty patriotic. I also have many friends who are serving and have served our country. All of my grandfathers are also veterans. I firmly believe in doing what I can to help those who serve our country.
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About a week ago while visiting peeps around blogland, I stopped over at LA 'n' LA and then ran across this great cause on her blog, Pin*Ups for Vets.
{Much of this information is taken directly from the founder Gina Elise - she said it best!}
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Here is a little about Pin*Ups for Vets
The founder of Pin*Ups for vets, Gina Elise began this project to honor to her grandfather's Army service during WW II. The 2011 5th year anniversary "Pin-Ups For Vets" calendar was being released on Veterans day. It can be ordered on Pin*Ups for Vets.
The calendar is a WWII style pin-up calendar that raises thousands of dollars for VA and Military hospitals across the US. In addition to raising money for our hospitalized Veterans, Gina travel around the US as a 1940s pin-up girl, delivering donated calendars to our Wounded Warriors and Vets in the hospitals to boost their spirits during recovery. She is currently in the middle of a 50 state Veterans hospital tour.

* By this December, $50,000 will have been donated to improve health care for our Veterans at hospitals across the US. This is all from the sales of this WWII nostalgic pinup calendar.

* Gina is in the middle of a complete 50 state US hospital tour, with the goal being to visit at least one VA or Military hospital in every state!  No one else in US is doing this right now.  To date 20 hospitals in 12 states have been visited.
* Gina is currently partnering with Cooking With the Troops, another non-profit, and organizing a trip for January called "Operation Fight Post Holiday Blues" to the hospital in Landstuhl, Germany. If our troops get injured in Iraq or Afghanistan, they are med-vac'd to Landstuhl. It is their first stop for treatment and we want to boost the spirits of our Wounded Warriors there after the holidays.
PUT THIS ON YOUR CHRISTMAS LIST
{I will be making a donation}
* The holidays are approaching and on the website, people can donate a calendar for a hospitalized Veteran (which I deliver myself, bedside) or to a deployed service member and supporters send me a personal message that they want written on the calendar.
Go visit
Pin*Ups for Vets
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SPOTLIGHTS
These ideas repurpose items - LOVE IT!
Vintage-style tea light Holders from Modern Country Style
and
a soup can upcycle to a pencil holder from The Elephants Trunk
and
Grateful Pocket Banner from Yesterday on Tuesday!
{LOVE denim too!}
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A great new GREEN book reviewed by Moore Minutes
{think Christmas gifts people!}
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Calamity Anne's Adventures was reading my mind.
My friend and I were just discussing these little houses
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Beautiful Faberge Beaded Eggs - it's a tutorial!
From Susie's Artsy-Craftsy Sitcom
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Brilliant way to keep track of restaurant and retail coupons from Bobbypins Boardwalk
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A pretty Noel Sign from The Answer is Chocolate
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Hot apple cider cocktail from The Thrifty Groove
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Sticky Toffee Pudding from Fudge Ripple. I must try this!
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Christmas subway art printable from Mine for the Making
{and it is free! Thanks!}
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I know we are moving into Christmas, but this is an idea
not to be missed from What Allie's Making Now
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Chapman Place made this amazing bed.
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Patriotic Christmas Stockings from A Little Bit of Everything
and a great cause too Stocking for Soldiers.
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Baked Pumpkin and Butternut Mac n' Cheese from dot in the city
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*****WANNA WIN SOMETHING?*****
Happy Holidays to you!
I have a cute little kit called
Knit Knack Kit
{and I may include a few random skeins of yarn for practice}
HOW TO ENTER:
Be a follower on GFC and
tell me what time you eat on Thanksgiving!
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Want to be Tickled Pink? Don't be shy!
Nominate a  product/person/idea/recipe/your own blog to be featured, simply email me!
It  is cool  to nominate yourself! I am only one person and blogland is  ginormous...I would love your input...I know there are amazing finds out there that I have not seen!

PINK RULES
  1. Link  up...whatever makes  your blog  fabulous. Family Friendly please. Guess what? You post does not have to be PINK!!  
  2. PLEASE LINK TO A POST URL, NOT YOUR MAIN URL****
  3. I reserve the right to remove posts that are offensive or do not  adhere  to the rules, without any discussion, at my discretion.
  4. Pretty please...add the Tickled Pink button to the post* {people need to know what the heck they are doing!}.
  5. Visit some peeps on the hop.
  6. *It would be great if you were a follower or subscriber {*wink*}
  7. By  linking here you are providing permission to feature your post {along  with a link to your blog/post}. Additionally, photos appearing here are  copyrighted and property of the respective blogs featured.
GET YOUR 50% off a Canvas and FREE shipping!
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504 Main


Moen Faucet WINNER!

Sounds like a lot of you could use a faucet...I wish I had one for each of you...really I do...trust me, when I finally post photos of the master bathroom you will see I know about bathroom issues!

THANK YOU all for entering!
THANK you Moen!

The winner of the Moen Vestige Chrome widespread faucet is....
{via random.org}

Patty who said
"I am your 504 Main Facebook Fan"
Patty has been a follower for very long time
{since the beginning of this crazy journey}
Congratulations Patty!

Come back on later for Tickled Pink...
I have a few little giveaways to
brighten up your holiday season!
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Thursday, November 25, 2010

Give Me S'more, Please!

If you have read my blog before, you know I am a sucker for anything s'mores related.
If you have never read my blog before, well, now you know too!
{and I am not the only one in the family with this issue.}
We have a "go-to" gift for work associates, neighbors, etc. but last year we decided to switch things up and make S'mores Bark. This is too good for words. I had to pack it up/ship it off/walk it over/whatever to its destination ASAP or, well, it was going to be ugly over here.

This is super cute packages in a mason jar with a fun tag, or on a pretty plate, or ya know what...it doesn't matter it tastes so good no one will care!

INGREDIENTS/SUPPLIES
(adapted from a recipe found at about.com)
  • 16-17 full graham crackers (about 1 and 1/2 sleeves)
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 cups chocolate chips
  • 1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
  • Rimmed baking sheet
  • OPTIONAL: nuts, bacon, candies

DIRECTIONS
  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. Cover baking sheet with aluminum foil.
  3. Spray foil with non-stick cooking spray.
  4. Arrange graham crackers in a single layer on the cookie sheet. Place them right up next to one another. You may have to cut or break apart some of the graham crackers.
  5. Melt/Stir butter and brown sugar together in a saucepan over a medium flame.
  6. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil, being sure to stir constantly to avoid separating or scorching.
  7. Once at a constant boil, pour the mixture over the graham crackers. Use a spatula to spread it over the crackers in an even layer.
  8. Place toffee in the oven for 5 minutes. It should be bubbling all over.
  9. Remover from the oven and cool for one minute.
  10. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top of the hot toffee and let rest for about 1 minute, then spread with a spatula or knife.
  11. Once evenly spread, sprinkle mini marshmallows on top (I press them down just a little).
  12. FOR FUN! I put the entire cookie sheet in the broiler for 2 minutes to toast the marshmallows and then popped them in the refrigerator to firm up. The toasty taste is the best!
ADDITIONAL TOPPINGS:
You can also add other favorite items like toasted pecans...or what about joining the bacon craze and crumbling some crispy bacon on top for bacon s'mores bark!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Oh, by the way...Unless a maid, chef and nanny arrive on my door tomorrow, there is no way tickled pink will be up tomorrow night. I am shooting for Friday night!

I will announce the Moen Faucet winner later today too!
Sorry, there were pies to bake and childrent to tend to!
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DON'T MISS OUT ON THE BLACK FRIDAY DEALS
Visit thecsiproject.com

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Black Friday Starts NOW!

I do not get up early, camp out and chant "Open. Open. Open" on Black Friday {mainly because I am not a morning person}. I try to limit my Black Friday shopping to the Internet and local stores. And, usually most of my shopping is done by this point...
but not this year! YIKES!

Anyway, I just want to share a couple of awesome deals!
I can personally vouch for the quality of each of these products.
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DEAL #1
My friend Renee owns and designs the best girls dresses for Zookini Kids. I LOVE them!
Zookini Kids is the type of clothing I want my little one to wear now and in the future.
"Zookini Kids style is fun yet classic and timeless. Our clothing is made with impeccable construction and great durability but you will find the fun is in the details. Look closely as you’ll find unique detail on each piece. The fabrics are unique, classic, vibrant, and some tell great stories. Our clothing is special and children love being in it. Once it they put it on you’ll have trouble getting them out of it!"

On Friday - November 26 ONLY get 30% off your purchase at Zookini Kids!
Use the code Black Friday
See that photo up there?
My little cutie wore the Sweetheart Anna Zookini Kids dress for the holidays last year!
I do believe I am buying a new one in her current size...
she still wants to wear it...but, um she grew!
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DEAL #2
And do you see that cool canvas?
L-O-V-E it too!
Canvas People has a Black Friday Deal for you too!
Black Friday Offer:
50% off at checkout + Free Shipping!
Use the code "blackfriday" at checkout
Don't miss out get your deal HERE 
{grandmas, grandpas - don't look, you will spoil your Christmas present!}
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I will be back later with the winner of the Moen Faucet giveaway!
It ends at Midnight 11:59 pm PST on 11/23
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Tickled Pink and a little giveaway will be here on Friday!
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Happy Turkey Day!
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Tuesday, November 23, 2010

I Have a Visitor! Elizabeth from twelve crafts till Christmas!

I am beyond giddy! It was only about one month ago I had my first guest bloggers and I LOVED it so much. I so enjoy having visitors.
Today, I Elizabeth is here! Yippeee!
And now I am going to be quiet and let her take over....
{one more thing...you need to check out her crafts and tips in the DIY LIfe ezine}


Hello 504 Main readers!  I'm honored to be taking over Holly's space today.    I'm Elizabeth and this is my family.  (Notice the littlest one, Monkey, who was not in the picture mood that day.  I can't lie . . . she's never in a picture mood, but I love her anyway!) 
In January of 2010 I began sewing and I set a goal of making all my kids' Christmas presents for Christmas 2010 . . . one gift a month until December.  (And yes, I need an entire year to do that . . . trust me!)  In order to keep myself accountable, I began a little blog called twelve crafts till Christmas.  Originally, I started twelve crafts in order for family and close friends to keep tabs on my progress.  However, somewhere along the way other people started reading and following, and I took on a mission to inspire people to make at least one - just one (unless you're inspired to do more) - homemade gift this year.  There is nothing better than a gift that has been labored over and loved on, so I provide a bunch of tutorials and gift ideas mixed in with my own novice sewing and crafting antics.          

I also have a stocking stuffer share-along page on my blog so that you can join in by inspiring others too.  Come by and link up any homemade gift idea or tutorial that you think would make a fabulous stocking stuffer for boys, girls, women, men, pets, etc.

I truly believe that anyone can make something for someone because in seven months of sewing and crafting, I've gone from saying, "Oh, I could never make that," to "Hey, I think I can make that!" 

Here's an easy peasy gift idea to get you started toward your gift-making goal.  And remember this idea/tutorial is for your personal gift-giving or wearing use only. 

The Ruffled Ribbon Headband
Here's what you need:
-2 ribbons 40 inches in length
-1 elastic headband
Yep, that's it!  (Well, you need a sewing machine, scissors and straight pins too.)  See, I told you it was easy peasy.

Here's what you do:
1)  Pin the ribbons wrong sides together.
2)  Sew as close as you can all the way down one edge of the ribbons.  Then sew all the way down the other side.
3)  Starting about 1 inch up from one end fold over a small bit of the ribbon making a ruffle.  Pin.  Continue this all the way to the opposite end - leaving another inch on this end.  
4)  Sew directly down the middle.
5)  Put the elastic on one end of the ruffled ribbon and fold the ribbon over the elastic two times.  Sew at the top of the fold.  Sew back and forth a couple of times to secure.  Repeat on the other end.
6) Done and cute!  The black elastic part is at the bottom and back of my head (near my neck).  The ribbon is really all that shows.
Make two or three, tie them together with a bow, place them in a gift bag, and you have one homemade gift done.  These are comfortable and cute for women, teens or girls.

Here are a few more gift ideas . . . my favs.  Stop on over for tutorials.
Pretend and Play Mommy (or Daddy) Set 
Also, right now I'm hosting an event focusing on holiday traditions.  Twelve (plus) days of traditions is full of guest bloggers (like Holly) who are sharing their special holiday traditions, giveaways and a linky party for you to share your own traditions.  Stop by and join the fun!

As I say over at twelve crafts . . . CRAFT ON!
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THANKS ELIZABETH! GO VISIT AND BE INSPIRED TO GET CRAFTING!

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Time is ticking away...
Last chance!
Enter to win a Moen Faucet
{like the one below in chrome}
Click HERE for the giveaway post!