tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45526437131229410772024-03-27T02:38:01.659-04:00Little Free RadicalLittle Free Radicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09428697010521420797noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4552643713122941077.post-27428027785527198222012-04-21T17:22:00.001-04:002012-04-21T17:33:57.225-04:00How To: Make Cheesecake Filled Strawberries with Tupperware!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I was in the grocery store this morning and saw the strawberries were on sale buy one get one free! I have a going away party to attend tonight so I figured I'd get some to bring. I was trying to think of something else to bring with them, but there wasn't very much "party-worthy" in my cupboards. Though I did find a box of <a href="http://www.kraftbrands.com/jello/products/no-bake/">No Bake Jello Cheesecake</a>! <br />
<br />
At first I thought I'd make strawberry cheesecake. Then I remembered having seen people on pinterest pinning cheesecake-filled strawberries and thought, <i>"hmmm I could fill the strawberries with the cheesecake!" </i>I looked to see how they did it. People mentioned filling them with cheesecake mix with a spoon... but I had a better idea! <br />
<br />
Here's how I did it in <u>under 20 minutes</u> start to finish:</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLpDkijouA6PGQZiGivEqxrDxVdAJgiCNT7KtQbmg8Ou01I1DIO01Xy8JlvZosg1nvFE-Q6Y_7AVoEtbifZYXih7njhSsc0Fl_dNKrix47tZY-dzJRNSfPYIXJ8VMziVZF9H3NUuj0D4k/s1600/strawberries.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLpDkijouA6PGQZiGivEqxrDxVdAJgiCNT7KtQbmg8Ou01I1DIO01Xy8JlvZosg1nvFE-Q6Y_7AVoEtbifZYXih7njhSsc0Fl_dNKrix47tZY-dzJRNSfPYIXJ8VMziVZF9H3NUuj0D4k/s640/strawberries.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
First I used a paring knife to cut the tops of the strawberries off, and
then cut the middles out. This was the step that took the longest (10
minutes for 2lbs of strawberries).* <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*NOTE It may have taken me a bit longer then it will take
you since I do have neuromuscular disease & I'm on coumadin (blood
thinner) so I cut slow plus didn't want to bleed all over the food. ;)</span><br />
<br />
When I'm not busy creating stuff for <b><a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/LittleFreeRadical?ref=si_shop">my etsy shop</a></b>, or working on <b><a href="http://littlefreeradical.blogspot.com/p/diy-tutorials.html">D.I.Y. Projects</a></b> for my daughter,<b> <a href="http://www.my.tupperware.com/CrystalEvans">I also sell Tupperware</a></b>! It's not your grandmothers Tupperware though. <br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="line-height: 0px; padding-bottom: 2px;">
<a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/35677022018324706/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="185" src="http://media-cache9.pinterest.com/upload/35677022018324706_qnRqIh8k_c.jpg" width="252" /></a><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/35677022018324703/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="185" src="http://media-cache4.pinterest.com/upload/35677022018324703_ShJQvj7s_c.jpg" width="252" /></a></div>
<div style="float: left; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<div style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px;">
Source: <a href="http://www.my.tupperware.com/CrystalEvans" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;">my.tupperware.com</a> via <a href="http://pinterest.com/lilfreeradical/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Little Free Radical</a> on <a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></div>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0px; padding-bottom: 2px;">
</div>
<div style="float: left; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<div style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px;">
Source: <a href="http://www.my.tupperware.com/CrystalEvans" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;">my.tupperware.com</a> via <a href="http://pinterest.com/lilfreeradical/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Little Free Radical</a> on <a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></div>
</div>
<br />
<br />
They have some fabulous new stuff including the <a href="http://www.my.tupperware.com/CrystalEvans">Whip ’N Prep™ Chef</a> and my latest favorite gadget, the <a href="http://www.my.tupperware.com/CrystalEvans">Squeeze It™ Decorator!!! </a>I used both of these items to make it quick and easy!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1f1gnlmH6Rh2Xb4i9oemIsDlbyysVIrTrdVbVxvOfRMRjt1xYHY3VWQJYGdPCaIrJ0NMKLgd_I6bEkLms9N_oPm9_V_Op9LJ6qiuC3ZH3vyFG3aEp16D6Z38w1urHKtA5fH-VE9HpJ8Q/s1600/filling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1f1gnlmH6Rh2Xb4i9oemIsDlbyysVIrTrdVbVxvOfRMRjt1xYHY3VWQJYGdPCaIrJ0NMKLgd_I6bEkLms9N_oPm9_V_Op9LJ6qiuC3ZH3vyFG3aEp16D6Z38w1urHKtA5fH-VE9HpJ8Q/s640/filling.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
I used the <b>Tupperware Whip 'N Prep™ Chef </b> to mix the Jello NoBake cheesecake mix. Took me under a minute to mix it! <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMqbKkjGMkjiJYtLyZuCccn8LRVJnUMO7FVKUfLRHmMykdWeYsRs9co8yT5UQowzTwJOZKncrjjUMtr_UhA4PckkIyhNVq1yD-Nyp9ZXwDvmUa3giVRaiO7S9E0S617bK-rYpiPYnrAqA/s1600/filling+them.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMqbKkjGMkjiJYtLyZuCccn8LRVJnUMO7FVKUfLRHmMykdWeYsRs9co8yT5UQowzTwJOZKncrjjUMtr_UhA4PckkIyhNVq1yD-Nyp9ZXwDvmUa3giVRaiO7S9E0S617bK-rYpiPYnrAqA/s640/filling+them.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Next I poured the cheesecake mix into the Squeeze It™ Decorator. It took me under 2 minutes to fill all the strawberries with this! it would have taken far longer by spoon and been far messier! <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGMaDxjSeZsvcwXXW_QLoHKTyhQ5xDdw_vDH5z7O3velebrH3e7gbRCUc1QVtVXdZadTsLd1kEwoUsLs-E8XIOtrNuJkziFV0hFuLuDbH9MjN4P6evG0Qs6ewMaOuVb1HAsinM1oK9vBk/s1600/strawberries+filled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGMaDxjSeZsvcwXXW_QLoHKTyhQ5xDdw_vDH5z7O3velebrH3e7gbRCUc1QVtVXdZadTsLd1kEwoUsLs-E8XIOtrNuJkziFV0hFuLuDbH9MjN4P6evG0Qs6ewMaOuVb1HAsinM1oK9vBk/s640/strawberries+filled.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
The other advantage to the Squeeze It™ Decorator over a spoon is it comes out looking fantastic! It comes with 5 tips (fine threads, closed star, open star, shell and filler) and I used the open star. <br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">NOTE: Squeeze It™ Decorator is <a href="http://www.my.tupperware.com/CrystalEvans">on sale til April 27th for $14</a> - regularly $23.50!</span></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijmWUhHnPIMRxZVLN5kijHhxog1bWU69IcpWpo2GceB0gvnC6sBoPGOfACI53ea3rK3uHg-fhHV7TzsFO-dnwxqEtW7kokJwdlvmYvZ7_KTiEfvJ64LYttdPoiZMvb0GQUFIDnMkILW_8/s1600/crumbs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijmWUhHnPIMRxZVLN5kijHhxog1bWU69IcpWpo2GceB0gvnC6sBoPGOfACI53ea3rK3uHg-fhHV7TzsFO-dnwxqEtW7kokJwdlvmYvZ7_KTiEfvJ64LYttdPoiZMvb0GQUFIDnMkILW_8/s640/crumbs.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Next, I sprinkled the graham cracker crumbs on top that came in the box. <br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />NOTE: If I didn't have a boxed mix, I could have used my favorite Tupperware gadgets - <a href="http://order.tupperware.com/coe/app/tup_show_item.show_item_detail?fv_item_category_code=10004&fv_item_number=P10059991000">Chop ’N Prep™ Chef </a>or <a href="http://order.tupperware.com/coe/app/tup_show_item.show_item_detail?fv_item_category_code=10004&fv_item_number=P10100194000">Smooth Chopper</a> - to make the same mixture quickly from graham crackers!
</span></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvibwyxIdV8VSIlvHbRM39tSBvufE5xruqxtBb6sSvmB6doVgqMZjma9Fw2XJx2ZP1lO6qgPlylIZz_Gsd1fM2aiHYchf3H85ON2-Z28W-gv77XNHu9GBtAJ5oNQ84b-Y8OFtplAs42Ls/s1600/chocolate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvibwyxIdV8VSIlvHbRM39tSBvufE5xruqxtBb6sSvmB6doVgqMZjma9Fw2XJx2ZP1lO6qgPlylIZz_Gsd1fM2aiHYchf3H85ON2-Z28W-gv77XNHu9GBtAJ5oNQ84b-Y8OFtplAs42Ls/s640/chocolate.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Finally, I drizzled chocolate on the top! You can do this with the Squeeze It™ Decorator fine threads tip! :)<br />
<br />
It's in the fridge cooling before the party in an hour! With just 20 minutes of time and a few awesome gadgets to make it quick and easy, I have a great treat!!!<br />
<br />
Now I'm just sad to go say goodbye to my friend, who is moving to Brazil on Tuesday. :'(<br />
<br />
<a href="javascript:void((function(){var%20e=document.createElement('script');e.setAttribute('type','text/javascript');e.setAttribute('charset','UTF-8');e.setAttribute('src','http://assets.pinterest.com/js/pinmarklet.js?r='+Math.random()*99999999);document.body.appendChild(e)})());"><img alt="Pin It" class="aligncenter" src="http://www.clickinmoms.com/cmprodaily/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/pinit.jpg" /></a></div>
</div>
</div>Little Free Radicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09428697010521420797noreply@blogger.com50tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4552643713122941077.post-74126612593933995042012-04-01T00:00:00.000-04:002012-04-01T08:57:10.407-04:00april iPad mania | iPad3 & kindle fire giveaway | little free radical<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b> WELCOME TO THE APRIL iPAD MANIA GIVEAWAY!!! </b></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Little Free Radical has teamed up with <a href="http://bayareamommy.com/" target="_blank"><b>Bay Area Mommy</b></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://bayareamommy.com/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="" src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6212/7022441359_fbf764eea5.jpg" /></a>and some other awesome bloggers to bring you this amazing chance to win the two hottest tablets in the market today! </div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Grand Prize:<b> The New iPad (or $550 cash)</b> </li>
<li>Second Prize: <b>Kindle Fire (or $200 cash)</b> </li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Entries will be accepted from <b>April 1 at 12:01am EST</b> until <b>April 21 at 11:59pm EST</b>. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<u>Additional Details:</u></div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">There are no mandatory entries but there are lots of ways to gain more entries to to the giveaway. The more tasks you complete, the more chances of winning! </span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Open worldwide. </span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Must be at least 18 years old to be eligible for the prize. </span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook, Twitter, Apple or Amazon. </span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Winners will be drawn on April 22 and will have 48 hours to respond to the notification email. Kindly include alice@bayareamommy.com to your email's whitelist to make sure that in case you are picked as the winner, the notification email would not go to your Spam folder.
Good luck!
</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><script id="raflin-26027f45" type="text/javascript">
/*{literal}<![CDATA[*/
window.RAFLIN = window.RAFLIN || {};
window.RAFLIN['26027f45'] = {id: 'MTI2NmEwNjJkYmM1Y2RjNDUyZjc0ZjI3ZjcyYjlmOjQ1'};
var url='//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/static/js/raflcptr/build/raflcptr.min.js', head=(document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0] || document.getElementsByTagName('body')[0]);
(function(d,n,h){if(!!d.getElementById(n))return;var j=d.createElement('script');j.id=n;j.type='text/javascript';j.async=true;j.src=url;h.appendChild(j);}(document,'rsoijs',head));
/*]]>{/literal}*/
</script>
<a class="rafl-powered" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/" id="rpow-26027f45" style="color: #999999; display: block; font: 10px sans-serif; text-align: center; width: 100%;" target="_blank">a <i>Rafflecopter</i> giveaway</a>
<noscript>&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://rafl.es/enable-js"&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;You need javascript enabled to see this giveaway&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;.</noscript>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div>
<a href="javascript:void((function(){var%20e=document.createElement('script');e.setAttribute('type','text/javascript');e.setAttribute('charset','UTF-8');e.setAttribute('src','http://assets.pinterest.com/js/pinmarklet.js?r='+Math.random()*99999999);document.body.appendChild(e)})());"><img alt="Pin It" class="aligncenter" src="http://www.clickinmoms.com/cmprodaily/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/pinit.jpg" /></a></div>
</div>
</div>Little Free Radicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09428697010521420797noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4552643713122941077.post-8796729806043426002012-03-28T22:34:00.002-04:002012-05-05T13:24:01.709-04:00DIY decor with vinyl wall art | giveaway | little free radical<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>We have another great giveaway for you today from Vinyl Wall Art!</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-UY9bdCQBa25t28pxps_8da2cPbf9EzL2ri8SgLSLL1y9t7rfbFZxcNxKAjI9zCDCxKd72Jpxa2IFPJEPpWVokkShDitxXnjdIMnwVHl7NQBmRUgmtCbXIkxUludZB1R2ySfTcFdFXjU/s1600/vinyl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-UY9bdCQBa25t28pxps_8da2cPbf9EzL2ri8SgLSLL1y9t7rfbFZxcNxKAjI9zCDCxKd72Jpxa2IFPJEPpWVokkShDitxXnjdIMnwVHl7NQBmRUgmtCbXIkxUludZB1R2ySfTcFdFXjU/s1600/vinyl.jpg" /></a></div>
I've shared several times here recently about using vinyl decals with DIY projects including <a href="http://littlefreeradical.blogspot.com/2012/03/how-to-make-wall-shelves-for-kids-diy.html">bookshelves</a> & <a href="http://littlefreeradical.blogspot.com/2012/03/turning-prant-into-designer-boxes-diy.html">prant boxes</a>. I totally ♥ decals! They are <a href="http://www.vinylwallart.com/instructions.html">SO easy to use</a> and far less time consuming then having to paint wall murals or detail work on smaller DIY projects! You can have a great piece of art in just minutes!</div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div>
Remember our <a href="http://littlefreeradical.blogspot.com/2012/03/turning-prant-into-designer-boxes-diy.html">IKEA PRÄNT box hack?</a> I used these <a href="http://www.vinylwallart.com/forest.html">awesome birch tree decals</a> that <b><a href="http://www.vinylwallart.com/">Vinyl Wall Art</a> </b>was nice enough to custom-resize & inverse for me: <br />
<br />
<div style="line-height: 0px; padding-bottom: 2px;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/35677022018108182/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="355" src="http://media-cache0.pinterest.com/upload/35677022018108182_ehphZc21_c.jpg" width="600" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="float: left; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<div style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px;">
Source: <a href="http://littlefreeradical.blogspot.com/2012/03/turning-prant-into-designer-boxes-diy.html" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;">littlefreeradical.blogspot.com</a> via <a href="http://pinterest.com/lilfreeradical/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Little Free Radical</a> on <a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
I love their decals - I first found them when I was pregnant and drooling over thousands of decal listings on Etsy. I wanted a tree for Sophie. I looked at dozens, but kept going back to <a href="http://www.vinylwallart.com/treemulticolor.html">Vinyl Wall Art's</a> tree... And of course when I went to order their tree, I saw the <a href="http://www.vinylwallart.com/birds.html">birds</a>! So I ordered the tree & the birds for Sophie's wall. <br />
<br />
My husband painted her nursery on Mothers Day 2010 for me, and then after 2 weeks (recommended time for paint to dry before applying decals) he put them up for me:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjE2atBYHQ_CU-DTttTp4W_nT-TF6bESaeDMZiLKpZ0bKbdacs2F0-T5mqQ1ajh1FOvWDt2infDfcbY6ElS1ois3yugCjRBNf_koC-BZ5Bg0g5ld3WpcttOfSQksyLvYWKMEw52MF8dck/s1600/Little+Free+Radical+%2811+of+11%29+WM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjE2atBYHQ_CU-DTttTp4W_nT-TF6bESaeDMZiLKpZ0bKbdacs2F0-T5mqQ1ajh1FOvWDt2infDfcbY6ElS1ois3yugCjRBNf_koC-BZ5Bg0g5ld3WpcttOfSQksyLvYWKMEw52MF8dck/s640/Little+Free+Radical+%2811+of+11%29+WM.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV-qXhQhhcjigkwU82c2r8tVr38tzpwIM8yUS7jJEeMTiqY9cpBoZM5vmbRxDxiBuQ3lukV2MLvcRc0QtFlDArvyWs6l9o7horO44frBMdXYHbGyD08UKpz1dJZTrR0efrsfu97Rrs3Bg/s1600/attachment-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV-qXhQhhcjigkwU82c2r8tVr38tzpwIM8yUS7jJEeMTiqY9cpBoZM5vmbRxDxiBuQ3lukV2MLvcRc0QtFlDArvyWs6l9o7horO44frBMdXYHbGyD08UKpz1dJZTrR0efrsfu97Rrs3Bg/s320/attachment-1.jpg" width="244" /></a> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Sophie loves her room, and one of her first words was "owl" (pronounced "all) - she'd stand in the crib looking up at her owl in the morning. She likes her birds along her crib rail too. :)<br />
<br />
<br />
I loved Vinyl Wall Art's <a href="http://www.vinylwallart.com/forest2.html">Forest Decal Kit</a> but didn't have a good wall in her room to use them, so I figured when we buy a house, I'd put them in her new room! </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Then one day, my college roommate, <a href="http://twodigtochina.blogspot.com/">who is adopting a baby from Korea</a>, posted photos of her daughters room which have the tree decals I love, so I asked her if I can post some pictures of Zoey's room! </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5jiwztGzsV-ttOYfQc7pqimujdmRkSRl0UyCtFyZUhNZC445tHLAVs83zHHsD16J8yfr6wp6MiAFxjxLo1CsDKR7q5rqj86R2gdhFfpkndpfUufGrf19J7a2UySFQngY9TnQKNKPU6bQ/s1600/attachment.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="489" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5jiwztGzsV-ttOYfQc7pqimujdmRkSRl0UyCtFyZUhNZC445tHLAVs83zHHsD16J8yfr6wp6MiAFxjxLo1CsDKR7q5rqj86R2gdhFfpkndpfUufGrf19J7a2UySFQngY9TnQKNKPU6bQ/s640/attachment.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="javascript:void((function(){var%20e=document.createElement('script');e.setAttribute('type','text/javascript');e.setAttribute('charset','UTF-8');e.setAttribute('src','http://assets.pinterest.com/js/pinmarklet.js?r='+Math.random()*99999999);document.body.appendChild(e)})());"><img alt="Pin It" class="aligncenter" src="http://www.clickinmoms.com/cmprodaily/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/pinit.jpg" /></a></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
Vinyl Wall Art has a ton of other awesome decals on <b><a href="http://www.vinylwallart.com/">their website</a></b> as well as available through <b><a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/holly">etsy</a></b>. And they were kind enough to offer to sponsor <b>a giveaway for our readers for $25 gift certificates for 2 lucky winners </b>so you can try their projects for your own home or DIY projects! <br />
<blockquote>
<br />
Wall Vinyl Art will provide a "voucher" that is as good as a PayPal credit - you can
use it to pay for the item as well as shipping cost - what ever you
want. It will maintain a positive balance until used, so you don't
have to use it all at once if you want to buy a few small decals at a time! </blockquote>
<br />
Enter via Rafflecopter. <br />
Giveaway is available worldwide! <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<script id="raflin-4f48d18" type="text/javascript">
/*{literal}<![CDATA[*/
window.RAFLIN = window.RAFLIN || {};
window.RAFLIN['4f48d18'] = {id: 'ZDQ2ZjQ0NjgyMmM1ODdiZGE1ZGRjMWVkNmU5NDVkOjg='};
var url='//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/static/js/raflcptr/build/raflcptr.min.js', head=(document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0] || document.getElementsByTagName('body')[0]);
(function(d,n,h){if(!!d.getElementById(n))return;var j=d.createElement('script');j.id=n;j.type='text/javascript';j.async=true;j.src=url;h.appendChild(j);}(document,'rsoijs',head));
/*]]>{/literal}*/
</script>
<a class="rafl-powered" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/" id="rpow-4f48d18" style="color: #999999; display: block; font: 10px sans-serif; text-align: center; width: 100%;" target="_blank">a <i>Rafflecopter</i> giveaway</a>
<noscript>&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://rafl.es/enable-js"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;You need javascript enabled to see this giveaway&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;.</noscript></div>Little Free Radicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09428697010521420797noreply@blogger.com86tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4552643713122941077.post-90106571646571362372012-03-24T02:19:00.000-04:002012-05-05T13:24:53.294-04:00in celebration of Luca's arrival | organic elephant giveaway | little free radical<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
As <a href="http://theartisangrouporg.blogspot.com/2011/10/artist-spotlight-crystal-evans-pradhan.html">a member of The Artisan Group</a>, I had the opportunity to include <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/LittleFreeRadical?ref=si_shop">one of my elephant softies</a> in a gift bag for <b><a href="http://littlefreeradical.blogspot.com/2011/11/elephant-for-hilary-duff-artisan-group.html">Hilary Duff & her baby boy</a></b> back in November made with organic fabric sponsored by <br />
<a href="http://birchfabrics.com/">Birch Fabrics</a> from their <a href="http://www.birchfabrics.com/mod_basics1.html">Mod Basics collection </a>and filled {with love} and bamboo-blend fiberfil!<br />
<br /></div>
This week, Hilary sent out <a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/HILARYDUFF">this message on Twitter</a>:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Welcome to the world, Luca Cruz Comrie! </b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Tuesday evening,
we became proud parents of a healthy 7 pound, 6 ounce beautiful boy."</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
So, in celebration of Luca's arrival, we thought we'd give away an elephant softie identical to the one we gifted Hilary & Luca with in November! He measures 6x9" and is the perfect pal for your favorite kid!<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 0px; padding-bottom: 2px;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/35677022018175431/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="379" src="http://media-cache7.pinterest.com/upload/35677022018175431_Uxcs6GXi_c.jpg" width="570" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="float: left; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<div style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px;">
Source: <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/95532593/mod-basics-elephant-small-softie-eco?utm_source=Pinterest&utm_medium=PageTools&utm_campaign=Share" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;">etsy.com</a> via <a href="http://pinterest.com/lilfreeradical/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Little Free Radical</a> on <a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></div>
</div>
<br />
Enter our giveaway below for a chance to win the elephant above! Giveaway ends at 11:59pm April 1, 2012<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<script id="raflin-4f48d17" type="text/javascript">
/*{literal}<![CDATA[*/
window.RAFLIN = window.RAFLIN || {};
window.RAFLIN['4f48d17'] = {id: 'ZDQ2ZjQ0NjgyMmM1ODdiZGE1ZGRjMWVkNmU5NDVkOjc='};
var url='//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/static/js/raflcptr/build/raflcptr.min.js', head=(document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0] || document.getElementsByTagName('body')[0]);
(function(d,n,h){if(!!d.getElementById(n))return;var j=d.createElement('script');j.id=n;j.type='text/javascript';j.async=true;j.src=url;h.appendChild(j);}(document,'rsoijs',head));
/*]]>{/literal}*/
</script>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a class="rafl-powered" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/" id="rpow-4f48d17" style="color: #999999; display: block; font: 10px sans-serif; text-align: center; width: 100%;" target="_blank">a <i>Rafflecopter</i> giveaway</a>
<noscript>&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://rafl.es/enable-js"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;You need javascript enabled to see this giveaway&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;.</noscript>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">These elephants are available to purchase for $20 at <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/LittleFreeRadical?ref=top_trail"><b>Little Free Radical</b> on <b>Etsy! </b></a></span>
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div>
<a href="javascript:void((function(){var%20e=document.createElement('script');e.setAttribute('type','text/javascript');e.setAttribute('charset','UTF-8');e.setAttribute('src','http://assets.pinterest.com/js/pinmarklet.js?r='+Math.random()*99999999);document.body.appendChild(e)})());"><img alt="Pin It" class="aligncenter" src="http://www.clickinmoms.com/cmprodaily/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/pinit.jpg" /></a></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>Little Free Radicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09428697010521420797noreply@blogger.com106tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4552643713122941077.post-17827008218013608462012-03-23T15:07:00.002-04:002012-06-15T15:59:03.734-04:00CIRKUSTÄLT children's tent makeover | ikea hack | little free radical<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIDXMMFCJdZ6RTuBMgi1OIyBomwGXJDNc_ns5-T0Tb9ECAc9__kxsUNfM8zL707lOyydd6pbxCw7Jf2lk6WfCf0f4cMGrrmcRvsGyg4bqOyfO-kWq6mZ-zVGNNTR17paWIbiRNWWaIn0w/s1600/diy+tent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIDXMMFCJdZ6RTuBMgi1OIyBomwGXJDNc_ns5-T0Tb9ECAc9__kxsUNfM8zL707lOyydd6pbxCw7Jf2lk6WfCf0f4cMGrrmcRvsGyg4bqOyfO-kWq6mZ-zVGNNTR17paWIbiRNWWaIn0w/s640/diy+tent.jpg" width="618" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
When I went to IKEA last fall to get the <a href="http://littlefreeradical.blogspot.com/2012/01/20-latt-childrens-table-chairs-makeover.html">LÄTT children's table & chairs</a> and <a href="http://littlefreeradical.blogspot.com/2012/03/bringing-life-to-apa-toybox-diy-ikea.html">APA toybox</a> for Sophie, I saw this awesome little <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10206883/"> CIRKUSTÄLT children's tent </a>on display for just $19.99!!!<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<a href="http://media-cache2.pinterest.com/upload/35677022017949198_KITTuQJT_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://media-cache2.pinterest.com/upload/35677022017949198_KITTuQJT_c.jpg" width="320" /></a>of course for that price I wanted to buy it, even if I disliked the colors but loved the shape/style and the size of the tent! </div>
<br />
Of course, when you offer a tent for under $20, <u>everyone</u> wants one, so IKEA in Stoughton was sold out. I went home and looked online to see if New Haven, CT had any... then looked IKEA to IKEA to see if I could have a friend of of state ship one to me. everyone was sold out. and I was bummed. I found it on eBay in UK, but international shipping would have meant I'd pay $65 for the $20 tent, so I stalked IKEAs product availability online for weeks waiting til they got the tent back in stock. <br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px;">
<a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10206883/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;">ikea.com</a> via <a href="http://pinterest.com/lilfreeradical/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Little Free Radical</a> on <a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/35677022017949198/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank">
</a></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
But all the weeks of waiting gave me plenty of time to plot exactly what I did want to do with my tent! <br /><br /><b><a href="http://littlefreeradical.com/2012/03/23/cirkustalt-childrens-tent-makeover-ikea-hack-little-free-radical/">CLICK HERE to read more</a></b></div>
</div>
</div>Little Free Radicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09428697010521420797noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4552643713122941077.post-66569712142854099652012-03-11T11:38:00.000-04:002012-06-15T16:00:45.083-04:00creating toy storage with IKEA products | d.i.y. organization | little free radical<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfbgl0YpWX2XpgUVMhDVMpgddQ4OaPPwIUpKQALe-QYGjlcUnC10HCPx_NdsE36dpAPtkL1QUL7PLDCXl0XM4NDW7tlDiXBR-2N40BD6xb2WL5Ds6oxwDW8azAp21eFdGa02qg7zFr-7M/s1600/toystorage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfbgl0YpWX2XpgUVMhDVMpgddQ4OaPPwIUpKQALe-QYGjlcUnC10HCPx_NdsE36dpAPtkL1QUL7PLDCXl0XM4NDW7tlDiXBR-2N40BD6xb2WL5Ds6oxwDW8azAp21eFdGa02qg7zFr-7M/s640/toystorage.jpg" width="528" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Since I've spent the last week posting DIY projects I did in my daughters room, today, I'm going to show you how I put all these projects together using IKEA's Expedit Bookcase for toy storage!</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizXc_p_ig6VQQzA9TltBH3xYR5-3kcAKG3nbCBtl80PZqsmUqVC7VbHsxyxMamaMZx3zKna6nsH6rJNKyhAsnyQi0lCcYJl7VV7Q6O2q-mu28bwXvdmslYsRJoTprI2AeIAx4tbLdwxhU/s1600/itso.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizXc_p_ig6VQQzA9TltBH3xYR5-3kcAKG3nbCBtl80PZqsmUqVC7VbHsxyxMamaMZx3zKna6nsH6rJNKyhAsnyQi0lCcYJl7VV7Q6O2q-mu28bwXvdmslYsRJoTprI2AeIAx4tbLdwxhU/s320/itso.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Originally, I had started out using <a href="http://www.target.com/s/itso">itso cubes from Target</a> (which I had already owned) for toy storage. It worked great, but as a parent in a wheelchair, I had a hard time reaching bins that low on the floor to clean up & get toys. <br />
<br />
I tried re-stacking them differently but felt it was too risky to stack the cubes too high in case my 1 year old decided they would be great to climb. Instead, I started from scratch with toy organization.<br />
<br />
<b>First, I went through all the toys & resold the ones my daughter had 'outgrown' or had no interest in. </b>Then I had some $$$ to work with to buy something to organize with, and I could see what I had left for toys to work with! </div>
<br /><b><a href="http://littlefreeradical.com/2012/03/11/creating-toy-storage-with-ikea-products-d-i-y-organization-little-free-radical/">CLICK HERE to read more</a></b></div>
</div>
</div>Little Free Radicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09428697010521420797noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4552643713122941077.post-10180550090680257862012-03-10T18:31:00.001-05:002012-06-15T16:05:35.258-04:00creative ways to hang art | d.i.y. | little free radical<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjig3U7U7QTFYcC7OMz2gcJkL0U1LJ-mnQ3O8iTqSfFa6R6O6Whk4d04i13KWBUhGJn51akTx3RU_uQloZUUNIo0-9uKbVCDkAVvB-Ru1bu15DBgOuYsqJUl1bmybuCpqIULi2_HU4o14I/s1600/art.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjig3U7U7QTFYcC7OMz2gcJkL0U1LJ-mnQ3O8iTqSfFa6R6O6Whk4d04i13KWBUhGJn51akTx3RU_uQloZUUNIo0-9uKbVCDkAVvB-Ru1bu15DBgOuYsqJUl1bmybuCpqIULi2_HU4o14I/s640/art.jpg" width="628" /></a></div>
<br />
For National Crafts Month DIY projects #9 & #10, I thought I'd show two easy ways to display art! I'm sure we've all been guilty of having random pieces of artwork left unframed for prolonged periods of time, right? <br /><br /><a href="http://littlefreeradical.com/2012/03/10/creative-ways-to-hang-art-d-i-y-little-free-radical/">CLICK HERE to Read More</a></div>
</div>Little Free Radicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09428697010521420797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4552643713122941077.post-76473925744918678692012-03-08T08:00:00.000-05:002012-06-15T16:03:19.022-04:00bringing life to APA toybox | d.i.y. IKEA hack | little free radical<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;" trbidi="on">
<div>
<a href="javascript:void((function(){var%20e=document.createElement('script');e.setAttribute('type','text/javascript');e.setAttribute('charset','UTF-8');e.setAttribute('src','http://assets.pinterest.com/js/pinmarklet.js?r='+Math.random()*99999999);document.body.appendChild(e)})());"><img alt="Pin It" class="aligncenter" src="http://www.clickinmoms.com/cmprodaily/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/pinit.jpg" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAl2qc2yP4pTuj0OjPMzT1IIq-4FqHuX8PNGEDOL4XltMaWlBMiJm4NvA-zd6EhRB8cYo_OAp_DXex60bdQ3tZ08scJWNahrZbvNx2nUFzMmDo3vynW6i1vRBo8ObmDb7SP8RHW6J1oJM/s1600/toybox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAl2qc2yP4pTuj0OjPMzT1IIq-4FqHuX8PNGEDOL4XltMaWlBMiJm4NvA-zd6EhRB8cYo_OAp_DXex60bdQ3tZ08scJWNahrZbvNx2nUFzMmDo3vynW6i1vRBo8ObmDb7SP8RHW6J1oJM/s640/toybox.jpg" width="596" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I don't know how many times I passed by this boring little white box in the <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/departments/childrens_ikea/">children's section</a> at IKEA. <b>It's only $14.99</b> but pretty plain and it didn't match my daughters room so I didn't give it much thought... until I saw the $20 LÄTT children's table & chairs displayed next to it...<br />
<br /><b><a href="http://littlefreeradical.com/2012/03/08/bringing-life-to-apa-toybox-d-i-y-ikea-hack-little-free-radical/">CLICK HERE to read more</a></b></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>Little Free Radicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09428697010521420797noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4552643713122941077.post-33567497693252812412012-03-07T15:39:00.004-05:002012-06-15T16:04:38.789-04:00making drawstring sacks for toy storage | inspired by pinterest | little free radical<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;" trbidi="on">
<div>
<a href="javascript:void((function(){var%20e=document.createElement('script');e.setAttribute('type','text/javascript');e.setAttribute('charset','UTF-8');e.setAttribute('src','http://assets.pinterest.com/js/pinmarklet.js?r='+Math.random()*99999999);document.body.appendChild(e)})());"><img alt="Pin It" class="aligncenter" src="http://www.clickinmoms.com/cmprodaily/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/pinit.jpg" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT_9gfDSEAMIDaVQ7ib2_ZSAEBR79DJC8udYkFnfigjqpOx0nTfmVkY97AHbRzSsLtfG5xfClYXPuqlUTjtIcZTGlvDn9fxxnYtMcRFaI6BIaM1zUwRYx12xObH0lAo3d7cJVfPvyttCo/s1600/drastring+sacks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT_9gfDSEAMIDaVQ7ib2_ZSAEBR79DJC8udYkFnfigjqpOx0nTfmVkY97AHbRzSsLtfG5xfClYXPuqlUTjtIcZTGlvDn9fxxnYtMcRFaI6BIaM1zUwRYx12xObH0lAo3d7cJVfPvyttCo/s640/drastring+sacks.jpg" width="620" /></a></div>
<b>I ♥ Pinterest.</b><br />
There are plenty of fantastic tutorials on there that I likely wouldn't have otherwise stumbled upon.<br /><br /><a href="http://littlefreeradical.com/2012/03/07/making-drawstring-sacks-for-toy-storage-inspired-by-pinterest-little-free-radical/">CLICK HERE to Read More</a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span></div>
</div>
</div>Little Free Radicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09428697010521420797noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4552643713122941077.post-2381931802376634172012-03-06T08:00:00.000-05:002012-06-15T16:07:37.340-04:00turning PRÄNT into designer boxes | d.i.y. IKEA hack | little free radical<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div>
<br />
<a href="javascript:void((function(){var%20e=document.createElement('script');e.setAttribute('type','text/javascript');e.setAttribute('charset','UTF-8');e.setAttribute('src','http://assets.pinterest.com/js/pinmarklet.js?r='+Math.random()*99999999);document.body.appendChild(e)})());"><img alt="Pin It" class="aligncenter" src="http://www.clickinmoms.com/cmprodaily/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/pinit.jpg" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggpTMqrw6jHKzoKjFMuI277dZeTIfRPE7wVsE3NjG-CgJd0PsRElE-xypBPz7BDdmxWudjkegkzM5jcwW9JFDK_sQgTCU38XtZD6zSrL0rp0PkTmwMP1VOdDVWu11HdAqj8KUQ99Mq0q8/s1600/prant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="510" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggpTMqrw6jHKzoKjFMuI277dZeTIfRPE7wVsE3NjG-CgJd0PsRElE-xypBPz7BDdmxWudjkegkzM5jcwW9JFDK_sQgTCU38XtZD6zSrL0rp0PkTmwMP1VOdDVWu11HdAqj8KUQ99Mq0q8/s640/prant.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://media-cdn.pinterest.com/upload/35677022018082741_i97Sm7OB_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://media-cdn.pinterest.com/upload/35677022018082741_i97Sm7OB_c.jpg" width="200" /></a>When I saw the <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30170864/">PRÄNT box on IKEAs website</a> for the first time, I was totally psyched! So, when I went to my local store to get a couple, I found out that everyone else was also psyched about them especially since they were only $12.99.... and there was only one left for me. :(<br />
<br />
So, after a couple weeks of patiently waiting, they got more in stock, and I finally got my pair of boxes. BUT, the good news is that in the meantime, it gave me plenty of time to contemplate what i wanted to do with them! Unfinished wood boxes are totally like being handed a blank canvas - you can do whatever you want! <br />
<div style="line-height: 0px; padding-bottom: 2px;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="float: left; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<div style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px;">
Source: <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30170864/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;">ikea.com</a> via <a href="http://pinterest.com/lilfreeradical/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Little Free Radical</a> on <a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></div>
</div>
</div>
<br /><br /><a href="http://littlefreeradical.com/2012/03/06/turning-prant-into-designer-boxes-d-i-y-ikea-hack-little-free-radical/">CLICK HERE to Read More</a></div>
</div>Little Free Radicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09428697010521420797noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4552643713122941077.post-1462073252094884362012-03-05T21:23:00.000-05:002012-06-15T16:21:39.512-04:00making a shade for GRÖNÖ lamps | d.i.y. IKEA hack | little free radical<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div>
<a href="javascript:void((function(){var%20e=document.createElement('script');e.setAttribute('type','text/javascript');e.setAttribute('charset','UTF-8');e.setAttribute('src','http://assets.pinterest.com/js/pinmarklet.js?r='+Math.random()*99999999);document.body.appendChild(e)})());"><img alt="Pin It" class="aligncenter" src="http://www.clickinmoms.com/cmprodaily/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/pinit.jpg" /><span class="st"></span></a><br />
<span class="st"></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2np6eXT2USB4Ul8ci-hfTAEyw5gpP_U-3dqE9yfJrNZuE0NIvWa4lGvAz1o28L0HQM5oYY8vMsp2dd1AuuP3Ec_WL4nObZnaNPHfFJV74lAvco3wy3bEymk7Nn0LJAY0-TwgpJWp-EeU/s1600/lamp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2np6eXT2USB4Ul8ci-hfTAEyw5gpP_U-3dqE9yfJrNZuE0NIvWa4lGvAz1o28L0HQM5oYY8vMsp2dd1AuuP3Ec_WL4nObZnaNPHfFJV74lAvco3wy3bEymk7Nn0LJAY0-TwgpJWp-EeU/s640/lamp.jpg" width="592" /></a></div>
<br />
<span class="st">For this week, my DIY Tutorials for National Craft Month are IKEA Hacks!!! Yesterday, I re-featured my </span><a href="http://littlefreeradical.blogspot.com/2012/01/20-latt-childrens-table-chairs-makeover.html">LÄTT children's table & chairs makeover</a>, and I have several other IKEA products I "hacked" that I'll be featuring this week! Today's hack is <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00095588/">Ikea's GRÖNÖ lamps</a>! You can find this set of lamps at IKEA for $19.99! <br />
<div style="line-height: 0px; padding-bottom: 2px;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/35677022018079921/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="500" src="http://media-cdn.pinterest.com/upload/35677022018079921_mwXKYS9N_c.jpg" width="500" /> </a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="float: left; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<div style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px;">
Source: <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00095588/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;">ikea.com</a> via <a href="http://pinterest.com/lilfreeradical/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Little Free Radical</a> on <a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></div>
</div>
<br />
<br />
This is a super easy project! If you can operate a sewing machine, you can make this! It's all straight lines and you can do it in 30 minutes (or less!)<br /><br />
<a href="http://littlefreeradical.com/2012/03/06/making-a-shade-for-grono-lamps-d-i-y-ikea-hack-little-free-radical/">CLICK HERE to Read More</a></div>
</div>Little Free Radicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09428697010521420797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4552643713122941077.post-29645627789583524482012-03-04T09:30:00.000-05:002012-06-15T16:29:09.628-04:00$20 LÄTT children's table & chairs makeover | d.i.y. IKEA hack | little free radical<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitD0rUdSLFn6hjw6tPM3Yr1xw5CUtPkk-aSbRcBMCRUGP_FSKA-q0F5LbLhFMsYRZ0gdL0elOQmOM8qhUf36CUMuPbywQgLHFD_QcYRJTMt75_uz-vy2J4XEJxB-0wyXRz2IdOWrzNmpM/s1600/Latt+Set.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><br /><img border="0" height="554" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitD0rUdSLFn6hjw6tPM3Yr1xw5CUtPkk-aSbRcBMCRUGP_FSKA-q0F5LbLhFMsYRZ0gdL0elOQmOM8qhUf36CUMuPbywQgLHFD_QcYRJTMt75_uz-vy2J4XEJxB-0wyXRz2IdOWrzNmpM/s640/Latt+Set.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
I'm in the middle of turning Sophie's room from a "nursery" into a toddler room. So I spent November sorting out "baby" stuff to make room for toddler-type activities & furniture. I spent weeks looking through various websites at kids table & chairs, trying to find the perfect set for Sophie for x-mas. Everywhere I looked, I'd be spending an easy $100-200 (sometimes more) for products I liked. <br />
<div style="line-height: 0px; padding-bottom: 2px;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<u><b>The Table & Chairs:</b></u><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-KZ4iExIpZKRrTMciR5iR5KZ9Y6a3XqhL2J51JkR4eOemAMDC4Xe6vJbj_LVgqcCc7kKTRXa-RFpyW4iTsHPaG9k9utGCQzllK347dtA3BcdX1oygwzrFEK_OeL1SEhO3sh9t-OpSYV8/s1600/latt-childrens-table-and--chairs__71395_PE186815_S4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="95" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-KZ4iExIpZKRrTMciR5iR5KZ9Y6a3XqhL2J51JkR4eOemAMDC4Xe6vJbj_LVgqcCc7kKTRXa-RFpyW4iTsHPaG9k9utGCQzllK347dtA3BcdX1oygwzrFEK_OeL1SEhO3sh9t-OpSYV8/s200/latt-childrens-table-and--chairs__71395_PE186815_S4.jpg" width="200" /></a>Just when I was about to give up on the idea of an activity table for Sophie's room, I noticed <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50178411/">IKEA had this LÄTT children's table & chairs set for <b>only $19.99</b></a>.<br />
<br />
It totally wasn't my style and the colors in her room were totally different then pine/white, but the size was perfect for her small apartment bedroom, so I went ahead and spent the $20, unsure of <i>exactly</i> what I would be doing with it... but I knew I'd figure it out once I had it. :)<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 0px; padding-bottom: 2px;">
</div>
<u><b><a href="http://littlefreeradical.com/2012/03/04/20-latt-childrens-table-chairs-makeover-d-i-y-ikea-hack-little-free-radical/">CLICK HERE to Read More</a></b></u></div>Little Free Radicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09428697010521420797noreply@blogger.com100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4552643713122941077.post-4426871069452464882012-03-03T22:46:00.000-05:002012-06-15T16:30:17.554-04:00magnetic alphabets in any color imaginable | d.i.y. | little free radical<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="javascript:void((function(){var%20e=document.createElement('script');e.setAttribute('type','text/javascript');e.setAttribute('charset','UTF-8');e.setAttribute('src','http://assets.pinterest.com/js/pinmarklet.js?r='+Math.random()*99999999);document.body.appendChild(e)})());"><img alt="Pin It" class="aligncenter" src="http://www.clickinmoms.com/cmprodaily/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/pinit.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzrugqnBgELKFi4g6hJQ3akjG8vSr0mM_Dfr3DqejpH_zOMqy6iQrgFt8aIEqvnuxOu2cMQpbFNj1QL8jQW4kicQr68kN_qKnZCul6G_XB6t_PaWkaIBGgPlA9rbQN4sD-cxdU_yaJGrc/s1600/magnet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="510" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzrugqnBgELKFi4g6hJQ3akjG8vSr0mM_Dfr3DqejpH_zOMqy6iQrgFt8aIEqvnuxOu2cMQpbFNj1QL8jQW4kicQr68kN_qKnZCul6G_XB6t_PaWkaIBGgPlA9rbQN4sD-cxdU_yaJGrc/s640/magnet.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
My D.I.Y. Tutorial for March 3rd is Alphabet Magnets in FUN colors! When toy shopping, I often get tired of looking at toys and decor in the same predictable colors - primary colors for boys/gender neutral toys and pink & purple for girls. <br />
<br />
I've been working on a few other DIY projects and wanted to find some alphabet magnets to somewhat match, but all I was finding was primary colors or rainbow ones... So my "Plan B" was to make my own alphabet magnets. <br /><br /><a href="http://littlefreeradical.com/2012/03/04/magnetic-alphabets-in-any-color-imaginable-d-i-y-little-free-radical/">CLICK HERE to Read More</a><br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>Little Free Radicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09428697010521420797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4552643713122941077.post-12385782432787971262012-03-02T22:25:00.000-05:002012-06-15T16:33:36.152-04:00how-to: make wall shelves for kids | d.i.y. | little free radical<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div>
<img alt="Pin It" class="aligncenter" src="http://www.clickinmoms.com/cmprodaily/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/pinit.jpg" /><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3VAXeTlhyphenhyphen-F49QIfU0hx5PaZQzUXkY0JtMIsFEJmCpgDhU6dBxU7znTp0x0D4ggnS8B-2tmguRNhUvfLFtRhYFr0ShBvY5II7oeYbbfDNHTLfCqjkoUbJks_2Ys9n2EWiPkqberurMKY/s1600/shelves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3VAXeTlhyphenhyphen-F49QIfU0hx5PaZQzUXkY0JtMIsFEJmCpgDhU6dBxU7znTp0x0D4ggnS8B-2tmguRNhUvfLFtRhYFr0ShBvY5II7oeYbbfDNHTLfCqjkoUbJks_2Ys9n2EWiPkqberurMKY/s640/shelves.jpg" width="510" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Since today is March 2nd - which means it's Dr. Seuss birthday and <a href="http://www.readacrossamerica.org/"> National Read Across America Day</a>, I thought I'd make today's DIY project Seuss/reading themed!</b><br />
<br />
This is a DIY project I've been slowly working on for my daughter that I finally completed the other day! <a href="http://littlefreeradical.com/2012/03/03/how-to-make-wall-shelves-for-kids-d-i-y-little-free-radical/">CLICK HERE to Read More</a></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>Little Free Radicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09428697010521420797noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4552643713122941077.post-1904296041928228652012-03-01T21:21:00.000-05:002012-06-15T16:37:05.426-04:00how-to: recover a canvas bin | d.i.y. | little free radical<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div>
<a href="javascript:void((function(){var%20e=document.createElement('script');e.setAttribute('type','text/javascript');e.setAttribute('charset','UTF-8');e.setAttribute('src','http://assets.pinterest.com/js/pinmarklet.js?r='+Math.random()*99999999);document.body.appendChild(e)})());"><img alt="Pin It" class="aligncenter" src="http://www.clickinmoms.com/cmprodaily/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/pinit.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0oRKunQ9MuWuxn8W88df31Jw3MeM2pnXbS4Wao8cIyJ7rM4jUzgh_eUI_5Zm6QX3WsOslILv34dDnsF4taz1Gx4idgMmrXxEewCEyVX3duUrLHHhwgsahrTSel4b8BbwGi9Bk6xSgu60/s1600/bin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0oRKunQ9MuWuxn8W88df31Jw3MeM2pnXbS4Wao8cIyJ7rM4jUzgh_eUI_5Zm6QX3WsOslILv34dDnsF4taz1Gx4idgMmrXxEewCEyVX3duUrLHHhwgsahrTSel4b8BbwGi9Bk6xSgu60/s640/bin.jpg" width="626" /></a></div>
<br />
I was in search of some bins to coordinate with the decor in my daughters room, but everything I was finding were the wrong shades. I saw several patterns to make your own floating around pinterest & various DIY blogs, but I wanted something guaranteed to be sturdy for a 1 year old - to hold toys like blocks.<br />
<br />
I was cleaning out closets when I found a couple of canvas bins I had purchased 8 years ago from <a href="http://www.containerstore.com/shop/storage/openBinsBaskets/naturalMaterials?productId=10010493&amp;N=71225&amp;Nao=0">The Container Store</a>. I was trying to make up my mind about keeping them or not when I realized they were just a canvas cover attached onto the wire frame with VELCRO! And I had an "<i>ah-ha! moment!</i>" - why not replace the covers on these old bins with <i>different </i>fabric? <br />
<br />
<div style="line-height: 0px; padding-bottom: 2px;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/35677022018058146/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="500" src="http://media-cdn.pinterest.com/upload/35677022018058146_C7x2x21p_c.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="float: left; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<div style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px;">
Source: <a href="http://www.containerstore.com/shop/storage/openBinsBaskets/naturalMaterials?productId=10010493&N=71225&Nao=0" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;">containerstore.com</a> via <a href="http://pinterest.com/lilfreeradical/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Little Free Radical</a> on <a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></div>
</div>
<br />
<br />
I tried it. It worked! and it was pretty easy too! I had 2 of them. it took me under an hour each (photos included). <a href="http://littlefreeradical.com/2012/03/02/how-to-recover-a-canvas-bin-d-i-y-little-free-radical/">CLICK HERE to Read More</a><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
</ul>
</div>
</div>Little Free Radicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09428697010521420797noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4552643713122941077.post-13564788797483185832012-02-29T09:40:00.000-05:002012-06-15T16:42:55.685-04:00how to make a medical supply roll | d.i.y. | little free radical<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div>
<br />
<img alt="Pin It" class="aligncenter" src="http://www.clickinmoms.com/cmprodaily/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/pinit.jpg" /><br />
In honor of <a href="http://www.rarediseaseday.org/">Rare Disease Day 2012</a>, I thought I'd share a D.I.Y. post to help out people living with IV access and central lines! <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAVB6OCTfQmqKUEJRWNz7sEUqaGDzECxEh6tCKFqd-6FIwCRyg5D8dOKzJISqZgvcW7mmBWTBdJdGrCIbHJpuFfKNWPVmYdd5OeOpIO_7evPuCsixFCJ8TQCF3KqYMP6MCUUHhrgqFWek/s1600/tutorial.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="636" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAVB6OCTfQmqKUEJRWNz7sEUqaGDzECxEh6tCKFqd-6FIwCRyg5D8dOKzJISqZgvcW7mmBWTBdJdGrCIbHJpuFfKNWPVmYdd5OeOpIO_7evPuCsixFCJ8TQCF3KqYMP6MCUUHhrgqFWek/s640/tutorial.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
I <i>hate</i> disorganized bags. And forgetting medical supplies when leaving the house. I often find myself digging through bags behind me in my wheelchair, trying to find a saline flush, heparin lock, alcohol pads or extra batteries. <br />
<br />
Inspired by "<a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=crayon+rolls%20">crayon rolls</a>" I thought I'd design a "med supply roll" to fill with flushes, alcohol pads & a spare battery! Just fill it up, roll it and take it with you! <br /><br /><a href="http://littlefreeradical.com/2012/02/29/how-to-make-a-medical-supply-roll-d-i-y-little-free-radical/">CLICK HERE to Read More</a></div>
</div>Little Free Radicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09428697010521420797noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4552643713122941077.post-1700541484620185562012-02-23T00:29:00.001-05:002012-05-05T13:30:51.277-04:00blue & green holiday decor | d.i.y. | little free radical<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div>
<a href="javascript:void((function(){var%20e=document.createElement('script');e.setAttribute('type','text/javascript');e.setAttribute('charset','UTF-8');e.setAttribute('src','http://assets.pinterest.com/js/pinmarklet.js?r='+Math.random()*99999999);document.body.appendChild(e)})());"><img alt="Pin It" class="aligncenter" src="http://www.clickinmoms.com/cmprodaily/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/pinit.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
In keeping up with the delayed holiday postings (like <a href="http://littlefreeradical.blogspot.com/2011/12/b-toys-inspired-poppitoppy-costume.html">my daughter's Halloween costume</a> I posted the week of Christmas) I thought it was about time to post photos of my holiday decor before St. Patricks Day. - But give me credit, I did finally take down the decorations the day before Valentines Day (seeing as I spent most of January in the hospital)! ;)<br />
<br />
Instead of going with a traditional red & green decor, I thought blue and green would be fun, so I went out in search of holiday decor in these colors! My daughter is a year and a half, so I decided to skip a "real" tree this season since I know her well enough to know a tree in your house would be the best thing EVER to climb!!!<br />
<br />
So I found a few alternatives to a traditional tree at HomeGoods:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_cZm5vhktViAK4po94s7wimZ9CVynixSv5PtOf1uiZSHw2s-PtBEKPtho5WFfbkPlbSxHhdt-XhRuzaJTEdtG_Sz0OQrmpwdkXuofcboUpB0fhiqZGtZ6qaAvYYOaKZTzrGKxGV9jS0k/s1600/xmas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="544" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_cZm5vhktViAK4po94s7wimZ9CVynixSv5PtOf1uiZSHw2s-PtBEKPtho5WFfbkPlbSxHhdt-XhRuzaJTEdtG_Sz0OQrmpwdkXuofcboUpB0fhiqZGtZ6qaAvYYOaKZTzrGKxGV9jS0k/s640/xmas.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Glittery branches - $5 (Homegoods)<br />
Metal trees - $7-12/ea (Homegoods)<br />
and a mix of ornaments from Target, Marshalls & the Martha Stewart Collection at Home Depot<br />
<br />
<br />
I had a vase which held the branches, and I hung some small ornaments on them to add some color! <br />
<br />
The trees were great kid-friendly decor! the smallest one had bells, so my daughter loves to carry it around. :)</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<br />
I also had a few empty glass jars from <a href="http://littlefreeradical.blogspot.com/2011/09/sophies-1st-birthday-party-party.html">the candy buffet at Sophie's birthday party</a> so I used them to fill with extra ornaments to add some color to the room! With the smaller one, I also added battery-operated LED lights between the bulbs to make it glow. I had another jar full of blue & silver ornaments seen in my <a href="http://littlefreeradical.blogspot.com/2011/12/last-minute-diy-gifts-from-kids-diy.html">last minute d.i.y. gifts from kids</a> post!<br />
<br />
Since we didn't have a tree to put lights on, I decorated the livingroom window instead:</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuftLnHRRvd0GD9D_H7FZ3P3L2iLUKErVz1m1f-Q-qnvBlrkgkU4aIXG9XwIr8oedj5TNf3dGKrzmJYkgxmMHWqUYutWrawq9tiFsFekI-Q9fnqp46cL88mszjlFWU0W6GgYiuVgl8Xks/s1600/windowin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuftLnHRRvd0GD9D_H7FZ3P3L2iLUKErVz1m1f-Q-qnvBlrkgkU4aIXG9XwIr8oedj5TNf3dGKrzmJYkgxmMHWqUYutWrawq9tiFsFekI-Q9fnqp46cL88mszjlFWU0W6GgYiuVgl8Xks/s640/windowin.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Window from the Inside</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
My husband hung up the string of lights, then I cut jewelry wire to hang the ornaments with! most of them were tied right to the lights, but I added some depth by hanging some further out - attaching them to the window frame with 3M strips! </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm1fYS6SZHIMq09_DLK7udQc5FdtmS9SjR3osQALyQEiakkVdqA26Tn_-MmnJgUDDzH2YI8NBGNnLcrDW_wPHyv7pBo3iLiiO4IvBbqYvbz2v4GadstVpnOpeHDVeLLUbAcCHD9W_bYmg/s1600/windowout.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm1fYS6SZHIMq09_DLK7udQc5FdtmS9SjR3osQALyQEiakkVdqA26Tn_-MmnJgUDDzH2YI8NBGNnLcrDW_wPHyv7pBo3iLiiO4IvBbqYvbz2v4GadstVpnOpeHDVeLLUbAcCHD9W_bYmg/s640/windowout.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Window from the Outside </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br />
So, that's how we decorated for the holidays at our house! :)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
Little Free Radicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09428697010521420797noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4552643713122941077.post-41913861629910895662012-02-01T00:00:00.000-05:002012-05-05T13:31:09.562-04:00February Frenzy iPad2 and Cash Giveaway!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Welcome to the February Frenzy iPad 2 & Cash giveaway! </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://bayareamommy.com/2012/01/february-frenzy-ipad-2-cash-giveaway/" target="_blank"><img alt="" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7023/6793892195_cd20a656f0.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://bayareamommy.com/" target="_blank" title="Bay Area Mommy">Bay Area Mommy</a> and <a href="http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/lilfreeradical" target="_blank" title="Swagbucks">Swagbucks</a> has teamed up with 60 wonderful bloggers to give you a chance to win the following prizes!
</div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>1st prize: <b>16g Wifi iPad2 with smartcover</b> (1 winner; US/CAN)
</li>
<li>2nd prize: <b>$50 cash</b> (3 winners; WorldWide)
</li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<br />
Like all Facebook pages <a href="http://bayareamommy.com/2012/01/facebook-likes-for-february-frenzy-ipad2-giveaway/" target="_blank">here</a>.
Follow all Twitter profiles <a href="http://bayareamommy.com/2012/01/twitter-follows-for-february-frenzy-ipad2-giveaway/%22" target="_blank">here</a>.
Remember, you can't win if you don't enter! And the more entries you "send", the more chances of winning!
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/iceserraon" target="_blank">Swagbucks</a> is the online rewards community that works, rewarding people for all of the things they're already doing online - search, games, watching videos, shopping, surveys and more! The Swag Bucks earned by users have helped purchase everything from diapers to video games - it's easy, it's rewarding, and it's 100% free!
Giveaway is open for entries from February 1, 12AM EST until February 21, 11:59PM EST.
<script id="raflin-260ddf27" type="text/javascript">
/*{literal}<![CDATA[*/
window.RAFLIN = window.RAFLIN || {};
window.RAFLIN['260ddf27'] = {id: 'MTI2NmEwNjJkYmM1Y2RjNDUyZjc0ZjI3ZjcyYjlmOjMy'};
var url='//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/static/js/raflcptr/build/raflcptr.min.js', head=(document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0] || document.getElementsByTagName('body')[0]);
(function(d,n,h){if(!!d.getElementById(n))return;var j=d.createElement('script');j.id=n;j.type='text/javascript';j.async=true;j.src=url;h.appendChild(j);}(document,'rsoijs',head));
/*]]>{/literal}*/
</script>
<a class="rafl-powered" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/" id="rpow-260ddf27" style="color: #999999; display: block; font: 10px sans-serif; text-align: center; width: 100%;" target="_blank">a <i>Rafflecopter</i> giveaway</a>
<noscript>&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://rafl.es/enable-js"&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;You need javascript enabled to see this giveaway&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;.</noscript>
</div>
</div>
Little Free Radicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09428697010521420797noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4552643713122941077.post-35227589176625724212012-01-30T00:00:00.000-05:002012-05-05T13:31:45.315-04:00my rare disease story: living with mitochondrial myopathy | rare disease blog hop | little free radical<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I joined the <a href="http://www.globalgenesproject.org/">The Global Gene Project</a> for a <b>BLOG HOP</b> to help promote awareness for the upcoming Rare Disease Day on February 29th, 2012<b> </b>by sharing my story about living with mitochondrial myopathy.<b> </b><b> </b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Included in my blog post is a <u>GIVEAWAY</u> at the bottom - be sure to check it out! </b></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzusYHEJ4VSLmx91PLJuMUTUvrGxQ6ph5U70ZL8a0vr1HeNePrdKcRLLD5nOhTYRGrojLgK3WZDCoSTT8P8QinIcBdyP3RHasxKxHCriMM0GOGSbZBnFyrLcvJq58pgv7zviaY2EZZR6Q/s1600/one+in+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="502" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzusYHEJ4VSLmx91PLJuMUTUvrGxQ6ph5U70ZL8a0vr1HeNePrdKcRLLD5nOhTYRGrojLgK3WZDCoSTT8P8QinIcBdyP3RHasxKxHCriMM0GOGSbZBnFyrLcvJq58pgv7zviaY2EZZR6Q/s640/one+in+10.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
In the United States, <b>a disease is considered <u>rare</u></b> if </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
it is believed to affect <b>fewer than 200,000 Americans</b>. </div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh14CFX21-MmJQeQtRk38arr5wn6qFxGe3wIYDGRKHEtp5-KB_IwmP-t5Z8HSokvniYKvq8HC7It91HKPG_HPmq5Jz5JO1_Ls7rrZzRxwJa3_qrTVxGJTUSnIWqEnp2_AzPxfIHZ7FmVDk/s1600/1milforrare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh14CFX21-MmJQeQtRk38arr5wn6qFxGe3wIYDGRKHEtp5-KB_IwmP-t5Z8HSokvniYKvq8HC7It91HKPG_HPmq5Jz5JO1_Ls7rrZzRxwJa3_qrTVxGJTUSnIWqEnp2_AzPxfIHZ7FmVDk/s200/1milforrare.jpg" width="200" /></a> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
What does the <b><a href="http://www.crdnetwork.org/blog/">R.A.R.E. Project </a></b>stand for??</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>R</b>are Disease | <b>A</b>dvocacy | <b>R</b>esearch | <b>E</b>ducation</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
30 days from now is World Rare Disease Day. Why is the number 30 significant? 30% of children with RARE disease will die by their 5th birthday.<br />
<br />
<br />
<u><b>Did You Know:</b></u><br />
<ul>
<li>An estimated <b>350 million people</b> are affected by rare disease worldwide. <b> </b></li>
<li><b>1 in 10 Americans</b> is affected by rare disease, that's over 30
million people. 30 million Americans is more than the total number of
people living worldwide with cancer & aids. <b> </b></li>
<li><b>There are more than 7,000 rare diseases </b>with some affecting less than 100 people. 75% of rare disease affect children. </li>
<li>Almost<b> 80%</b> of rare disease are <b>genetic</b> in origin.</li>
<li>These rare conditions are chronic, life threatening and FATAL. There are NO cures for any rare disease, and <b>only 5% of the diseases have any treatment</b>.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Over 50% of Rare Diseases have no foundations, advocacy group or community support.</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>My Rare Disease Story</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ7fLfKP_5CNVizpH1uEPdbhMW_xp7USqZuRD8AnDjnDpDwcgh1ij9gCgFB3zO_vKJUstux9U_40ME4VDQJ8K7h1yfHoVW9JMrQzUytDc5c2S-Usuvre3fOqDZBp4sfniYbfS7ESiV9Rc/s1600/1-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ7fLfKP_5CNVizpH1uEPdbhMW_xp7USqZuRD8AnDjnDpDwcgh1ij9gCgFB3zO_vKJUstux9U_40ME4VDQJ8K7h1yfHoVW9JMrQzUytDc5c2S-Usuvre3fOqDZBp4sfniYbfS7ESiV9Rc/s320/1-10.jpg" width="233" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><b><u>Living With Mitochondrial Myopathy</u></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpJiW1ZYkhy8BJTFLPEhBdBEtCXn5gOH5pFL0xcvqqK3VPp7VygEP2KTnejVgFcBzRMRSJKGl01xWZ_AEDZjMEjxUqGQdkeEuw0ZEUGQTb96aSzpSAsEqoxYOkEiD6qjsp0QBVb9CC4Q8/s1600/50+million.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
My name is Crystal and I am living with <b>Mitochondrial Myopathy</b> - a metabolic disease of the muscle included in the umbrella of <a href="http://mda.org/disease/">over 40 rare neuromuscular diseases covered by the Muscular Dystrophy Association</a>! </div>
<br />
Mitochondrial Disease means that <b>my body cannot properly turn food and oxygen into <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adenosine_triphosphate" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Adenosine triphosphate (ATP)</a>
</b> - the <u><b>energy</b></u> molecule necessary to sustain life. Because the disease
is in my cells, it affects multiple organs causing secondary diseases. <br />
<br />
Although my symptoms started in early childhood, <b>it took doctors over 20 years for a diagnosis, since Mitochondrial Disease is considered <u>RARE</u>.</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<u><b>History of Mitochondrial Disease</b></u><br />
Mitochondrial disease was <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_626581156">first described in a patient in <span style="font-size: medium;">Stockholm </span>the 1960</a><a href="http://www.columbia.edu/cu/21stC/issue-1.3/dna-mitoch.html">s,</a> but it wasn't until 1988 that the <a href="http://www.mitoresearch.org/timeline.html">first molecular identification</a>
of cause of mitochondrial diseases occurred. More patients with various
forms of mitochondrial disease were diagnosed through muscle biopsies
in the 80's and 90s, but it wasn't until the last decade that many
doctors began to understand how to identify patients affected by
mitochondrial disease. <br />
<br />
Additionally, after the completion of the <a href="http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/project/about.shtml">Human Genome Project</a>
in 2003, several of the disease-causing genes in both the nuclear DNA
genome (nDNA) and the mitochondrial DNA (or mtDNA) genome were
identified, and <a href="http://www.bcm.edu/geneticlabs/index.cfm?pmid=15857">genetic tests have become available</a>
to test for them - making diagnosis of mitochondrial disease easier.
Additionally, several forms of Mitochondrial Disease can be tested for
through <b>newborn screening</b>!
<b></b><br />
<b><br /></b>Though diagnostics are improving, there are still very few doctors that know how to recognize and correctly diagnose it. In my case, I was actually correctly diagnosed in 2005, when muscle biopsied for a <i>misdiagnosis</i> of <a href="http://www.myositis.org/">polymyositis</a> (another rare neuromuscular disease). Mitochondrial Disease had never been 'suspected' in me, so when my biopsy was sent to a lab they realized it had been mitochondrial myopathy all along, not an auto-immune disease as I had been mis-diagnosed with several times. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmddPx7NzOpXglE6yKcVckxGyqG3N7qk6JVWkOzrJJzSm5rA16xiCwCNpp93S_jSIrOKcPBcuPhyELBGvZpoU1UBVKq26JTGBGjXJyPWFLmOjdcBJYaSYT6gnz6OGM_3M6fyMV25ZmBBA/s1600/every+15+minutes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmddPx7NzOpXglE6yKcVckxGyqG3N7qk6JVWkOzrJJzSm5rA16xiCwCNpp93S_jSIrOKcPBcuPhyELBGvZpoU1UBVKq26JTGBGjXJyPWFLmOjdcBJYaSYT6gnz6OGM_3M6fyMV25ZmBBA/s640/every+15+minutes.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<b><u>How Mitochondria Work:</u></b><br />
Inside of nearly every cell in your body are tiny organelles called "<i>mitochondria</i>." <b>These organelles act as "<i>cellular power plants</i>" because they produce more then 90% of your body's cellular energy. </b>When
you eat, mitochondria convert the food into its energy form called
adenosine triphosphate or ATP through a process called cellular
respiration which occurs in the electron transport chain. The energy
(or ATP) is necessary to sustain life as they provide cellular energy
for organ function.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZQQ5GjTCADXUJ70Mk0KCpWu0Ce3SH8WxcrVCqGLda-9T_HJDNForU18MePCBV08RBBQ9O0DLfGzNVk7noBQNbMGyqe0bhgePBdJr3DtWR9vUDDg647LI4SlBGAjthMwkxVF5fNMPxx4/s1600/50+million.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZQQ5GjTCADXUJ70Mk0KCpWu0Ce3SH8WxcrVCqGLda-9T_HJDNForU18MePCBV08RBBQ9O0DLfGzNVk7noBQNbMGyqe0bhgePBdJr3DtWR9vUDDg647LI4SlBGAjthMwkxVF5fNMPxx4/s640/50+million.jpg" width="344" /></a></div>
<b><u>What Happens When They Don't Work?</u></b><br />
Research shows that if the mitochondria malfunction, it can lead to a
number of diseases depending on which cells in the body are affected.
Mitochondrial dysfunction plays a role in several neurodegenerative
diseases including <b>Alzheimers, Parkinsons, Huntingtons, and Lou Gehrigs disease (ALS - Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis)</b>, and studies have shown mitochondrial dysfunction to also be a piece to the puzzle for more common conditions including <b>diabetes, certain cancers, heart disease, blindness, deafness, kidney & liver disease, stroke, and <u>autism</u>. </b>
Mitochondria also play a role in the aging process!<br />
<ul>
</ul>
<br />
In addition, <b>as many as 2 million American's suffer from mitochondrial diseases</b>
- a group of diseases resulting from gene mutations in the
mitochondrial and/or nuclear DNA. When these mutations occur, they can
also lead to malfunction along the electron transport chain resulting in
cell injury due to insufficient energy from their cellular powerplant
(the mitochondria). Cell injury can lead to cell death, and when
multiple cells die in one organ, that organ won't have sufficient energy
for functioning. As this happens in multiple organs as the disease
progresses, the individual can portray a <i>wide variety of symptoms</i>.<br />
<br />
For me, mitochondrial disease has effected <b>my heart</b>, <b>neurological
system</b>, <b>muscles & lungs</b> the most. <b>These organs require the most
energy to function</b>, so with insufficent energy it has caused symptoms
such as <i>seizures</i>, <i>stroke-like episodes</i>, <i>dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system</i> (which regulates things such as heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature), and <i>muscle breakdown</i> (myopathy) resulting in me needing to use a wheelchair for mobility and a ventilator due to lung muscle weakness causing <i>pulmonary failure</i>. I also use IV infusions to help stabilize the autonomic nervous system and increase my heart rate & blood pressure. <br />
<br />
Another person with mitochondrial disease may present completely different. Some individuals may have less trouble walking and more trouble with issues like <b>learning disabilities</b>, <b>autism</b>, <b>cognitive problems</b> or <b>developmental delays</b>. Some may become <b>deaf</b> or <b>blind</b> while others rely on feeding tubes for nutrition. No two individuals (even within the same family) will present the same way. Because of this, it makes it harder for many doctors to recognize the signs.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><u><b>Did You Know:</b></u> There are more children in the US affected with Mitochondrial Disease then all forms of childhood cancers combined! Mitochondrial Disease may be considered a "rare disease," but it's far more common then you'd think! <b>At least 1 in 4,000 people in the United States are living with Mitochondrial Disease! </b></span><span style="font-size: small;">Who are some of these people?</span> Here are a few familiar faces:<br />
<br />
<b>Actress Chandra Wilson </b>(Dr. Miranda Bailey from <i>Grey's Anatomy</i>)<b>'s daughter, Serena </b>is living with Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome (CVC) - a Mitochondrial Disorder. She shared her daughters story on <i>The Doctor</i> last year:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/RB3loP-T844?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
<b>Baseball Player, Rocco Baldelli</b> put mitochondrial disease in the news in 2008 when <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/07/sports/baseball/07baldelli.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=rocco&st=cse&oref=slogin">he was diagnosed with Mitochondrial Disease</a>. He was later diagnosed with a channelopathy, but <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/17/sports/baseball/17baseball.html?pagewanted=all">his story inspired many young children also affected by Mitochondrial Disease</a>. During his career, he played for both the Tampa Rays & the Boston Red Sox, but after numerous injuries, his health forced him to retire at age 29. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<center><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,47,0" height="412" id="flashObj" width="486"><param name="movie" value="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1" />
<param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" />
<param name="flashVars" value="videoId=762565243001&playerID=2441023001&playerKey=AQ~~,AAAAAFif1zs~,HOg5vNGW0TIBo6eV2AIpHfaqwfy2rSg0&domain=embed&dynamicStreaming=true" />
<param name="base" value="http://admin.brightcove.com" />
<param name="seamlesstabbing" value="false" />
<param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" />
<param name="swLiveConnect" value="true" />
<param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" />
<embed src="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashVars="videoId=762565243001&playerID=2441023001&playerKey=AQ~~,AAAAAFif1zs~,HOg5vNGW0TIBo6eV2AIpHfaqwfy2rSg0&domain=embed&dynamicStreaming=true" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="486" height="412" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" swLiveConnect="true" allowScriptAccess="always" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed></object><br /><i>"I physically don't feel like I should be playing anymore.''</i> - <b>Rocco Baldelli</b></center><center><b> </b></center><center><div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Charles Darwin</b> <i><b>(father of evolution)</b></i> spent his life battling a chronic medical condition which multiple researchers believe to be a maternally inherited (mtDNA) Mitochondrial Disorder. Here are some articles about it:</div>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li><a href="http://www.lifescientist.com.au/article/359136/feature_diagnosing_darwin/?">Feature: Diagnosing Darwin</a></li>
<li><a href="http://johnhawks.net/weblog/topics/history/darwin/darwin-mitochondrial-disease-2010.html">Darwin's mitochondria</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://www.bmj.com/content/339/bmj.b4968">Darwin’s illness revisited</a></li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="panel-pane pane-node-title clear-block">
<div class="block-content">
</div>
</div>
<b>Mattie Stepanek</b> (MDA National Goodwill Ambassador 2002-2004) also lived with Dysautonomic Mitochondrial Myopathy and died shortly before his 14th birthday. Since Mitochondrial Disease is genetic, Mattie's entire family was affected by the disease. His mother, Jeni, lost all 4 of her children to the disease. Here's his story as told by his mother:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/KJgdAjFHW3A?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>They're not going to find a cure to this disease, in my lifetime. </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>But like Mattie, I believe that finding a cure to <u>any</u> of the diseases is not about a <i>specific</i> lifetime, it's about being a part of the effort because it's <i>somebody's</i> lifetime. </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b> <u>I am a part of the cure</u> whether that cure is found in 10 years or 100 years.</b> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>- Jeni Stepanek</i><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>My Blog Hop GIVEAWAY: </b></u></span><br />
In celebration of the R.A.R.E. Project Blog Hop, I'm giving away a copy of Jeni Stepanek's book, <i><b>Messenger: The Legacy of Mattie J.T. Stepanek and Heartsongs </b>(a $15 value)<b><br /></b></i>By Jeni Stepanek (author) with Larry Lindner (collaborator)<br />
<br />
<b>An
inspiring look at a young man who embodied the best of human nature,
touched millions, and worked tirelessly for peace-told through the eyes
of the woman who raised him. </b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgterX0HHoggjipex6CGHZw5I-S-gDNX0niSjAzB9qtWTFNeDYHW3l9ydUy5t9RsDvKKM1wNi3194kXHZUty4xHUPKqXF-qzLQPr3T5-1uRzI6lhNLRUmIKeTvr1TKx6pQPNK0JrCaEuAE/s1600/51oXoCBvHmL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgterX0HHoggjipex6CGHZw5I-S-gDNX0niSjAzB9qtWTFNeDYHW3l9ydUy5t9RsDvKKM1wNi3194kXHZUty4xHUPKqXF-qzLQPr3T5-1uRzI6lhNLRUmIKeTvr1TKx6pQPNK0JrCaEuAE/s320/51oXoCBvHmL.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
Oprah Winfrey has called him "an inspiration," Maya Angelou saw him as a kindred spirit and fellow poet, and Jimmy Carter described Mattie Stepanek as "the most remarkableperson I have ever known." When Jerry Lewis received his lifetime achievement award at the Oscars, footage of Mattie played behind him. Five years after his death from a rare neuromuscular disease, Mattie is still being celebrated for his indomitable spirit and message of hope. Now the world will get to know the full story of the poet, the peacemaker, the philosopher, and New York Times bestselling author in
the first book to share all of the intimate details of his incredible life. <br />
<br />
In <i>Messenger</i>, Mattie's mother, Jeni Stepanek, recounts the years before Mattie got sick; how he handled the loss of his siblings from the same disease he had; his decision to spread the message of peace and hope; and how, when he became a celebrity, Jeni helped to keep him grounded, and remember to embrace being a kid. Including never-before- seen poems, journal entries, photos, and correspondence with famous friends, <i>Messenger</i> is an inspirational book about a life lived to the fullest.<br />
<br />
<b>You can enter for your chance to win by entering this giveaway via Rafflecopter.</b> <i>If you haevn't already, you must open the post for the giveaway widget to appear </i> (click on the post title). Rafflecopter makes entering giveaways super quick and easy!<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span"><u>Mandatory Entry:</u> Tell me in a <u><i>comment</i></u> below why Rare Disease Day matters to YOU! </span></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Additional entries are in the Rafflecopter widget (to improve your chances to win).</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Giveaway ends 11:59pm on Rare Disease Day - February 29, 2012</b></span></span></span><br />
<script id="raflin-4f427156" type="text/javascript">
/*{literal}<![CDATA[*/
window.RAFLIN = window.RAFLIN || {};
window.RAFLIN['4f427156'] = {id: 'ZDQ2ZjQ0NjgyMmM1ODdiZGE1ZGRjMWVkNmU5NDVkOjU='};
var url='//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/static/js/raflcptr/build/raflcptr.min.js', head=(document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0] || document.getElementsByTagName('body')[0]);
(function(d,n,h){if(!!d.getElementById(n))return;var j=d.createElement('script');j.id=n;j.type='text/javascript';j.async=true;j.src=url;h.appendChild(j);}(document,'rsoijs',head));
/*]]>{/literal}*/
</script>
<a class="rafl-powered" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/" id="rpow-4f427156" style="color: #999999; display: block; font: 10px sans-serif; text-align: center; width: 100%;" target="_blank">a <i>Rafflecopter</i> giveaway</a>
<noscript>&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://rafl.es/enable-js"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;You need javascript enabled to see this giveaway&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;.</noscript>
<script src="http://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=127101" type="text/javascript">
</script>
</div>
</div>
</center></div>
</div>
</div>
Little Free Radicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09428697010521420797noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4552643713122941077.post-73064182150623031532011-12-23T23:19:00.001-05:002012-05-05T13:32:08.981-04:00last minute d.i.y. gifts from kids | d.i.y. | little free radical<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Here's a quickie D.I.Y. project I did with Sophie tonight for her grandparents:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<img border="0" height="536" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwy6zEW_yZf1uhf52Osp1cu2sJnpnDDrpbTIN2oi4L8IM5adKZhoZ5R1jxOaQScEStWGYxvUJNrxt03pU03l3BGqynvgE3R9ccc9s4bA8bUjHAuKuO1IBTY8lY6Rz3MBQ5mUikGo40r-w/s640/diy+gifts.jpg" width="640" /><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I was a bit 'stuck' on what to get my parents. Really, when you're in your 50s, you don't <i>need</i> anything. But I also didn't want to give them "junk."</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
When it occurred to me in IKEA a week ago, why not get two of <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00078032/">IKEAs 9x9" RIBBA frames</a> for $9.99 and let Sophie paint the mats and put her picture inside... then they can bring it to work for their desks. :)<br />
<div style="line-height: 0px; padding-bottom: 2px; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/35677022017745010/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="500" src="http://media-cdn.pinterest.com/upload/35677022017745010_ZbSwxVyr_c.jpg" width="500" /> </a><br />
<br />
<div style="float: left; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<div style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px;">
Source: <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00078032/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;">ikea.com</a> via <a href="http://pinterest.com/lilfreeradical/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Crystal</a> on <a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
I already knew Sophie would love painting them - I had her <a href="http://littlefreeradical.blogspot.com/2011/09/sophies-first-paintings-my-mini-human.html">fingerpaint a canvas for Father's Day</a> in June.So, after she was done making art all over her high chair tray with her macaroni and cheese, I washed her hands and took her to the bathroom for her D.I.Y. project! <br />
<br />
I typically don't do DIY projects IN the bathroom, but seeing as a <b>17-month-old + paint = very very messy</b>, I figured it would be easiest to plop the painted mini-artist right in the tub as soon as her masterpiece was done, and tile + tubs are MUCH easier to clean then walls & carpet. (<a href="http://littlefreeradical.blogspot.com/2011/09/sophies-first-paintings-my-mini-human.html">last time I let her paint, I took her out in the grass</a>). <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ_YJOnr4GhqRumMAvApafQzdC755JOP5lHsZC2lV9lsoC7VpYxDtw2tNf44EuA7awbuqx4Z3WI53Jb98ej7PFlOwDjjzYB6Q2B6Bp-1O3jd5MsFcN50mHkdJaDDovN51zm2n02G8S1QI/s1600/DSCN0744.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ_YJOnr4GhqRumMAvApafQzdC755JOP5lHsZC2lV9lsoC7VpYxDtw2tNf44EuA7awbuqx4Z3WI53Jb98ej7PFlOwDjjzYB6Q2B6Bp-1O3jd5MsFcN50mHkdJaDDovN51zm2n02G8S1QI/s320/DSCN0744.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
So, I got a couple containers of <a href="http://www.michaels.com/Satin-Acrylic-Paint/cp0469,default,pd.html">Martha Stewart Acrylic Paints</a> (non-toxic), the weekly grocery fliers and the mats from the RIBBA frames ready for her arrival. Boy was she excited when she saw!!!! but I quickly had to explain that the fliers were there to sit on so we can play with paint, NOT so we can tear them up. ;)<br />
<br />
I'd let her pick which color, then I'd squirt a little paint on the mat, and she would paint with it. Then I'd let her pick another and let her go at it! <br />
<br />
As soon as she was all done, I put her right in the tub and cleaned up the floor!!! Then I let the paint dry, then re-assembled the frames! :)<br />
<br />
<u><b>Supplies Needed:</b></u><br />
<ul>
<li>Frames with mats</li>
<li>Photos (or additional art to frame)</li>
<li>Non-toxic Paint</li>
<li>Newspaper or Fliers</li>
</ul>
<b><u>Time Involved:</u></b><br />
<ul>
<li>5 minutes prep gathering supplies</li>
<li>10-15 minutes to paint both mats</li>
<li>PLUS: 10 minutes in the tub!</li>
</ul>
So it took about half an hour start to finish! <br />
I'm sure she will be very proud of herself when she wakes up and sees the framed art! <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-jRt2u404TBY8AsrPep6LzKlMQdNpMzzfMcCNLE9l62wQZiviLK1LmydMLbq6QFaKJ4CNzy3S_IKHM31OWIdnHte69lr88GmNVlGq83pYgAm7BRKYRk5daThYy__6fPYh5U8OHT_B95c/s1600/DSCN0754+LFR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-jRt2u404TBY8AsrPep6LzKlMQdNpMzzfMcCNLE9l62wQZiviLK1LmydMLbq6QFaKJ4CNzy3S_IKHM31OWIdnHte69lr88GmNVlGq83pYgAm7BRKYRk5daThYy__6fPYh5U8OHT_B95c/s640/DSCN0754+LFR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
Little Free Radicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09428697010521420797noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4552643713122941077.post-17641822731513055422011-12-21T02:09:00.001-05:002012-05-05T13:32:31.193-04:00sharing our favorite toys | holiday B. toys shareaway | little free radical<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
It seems that every festive occasion in our family involves <b>B.</b> toys! At my baby shower, Sophie got <a href="http://justb-byou.com/toys/smart/elemenosqueeze/">Elemenosqueeze</a>, <a href="http://justb-byou.com/toys/caring/dr-doctor/">Dr. Doctor</a>, and <a href="http://justb-byou.com/toys/smart/zany-zoo/">Zany Zoo</a> - before she was even born! <a href="http://justb-byou.com/toys/curious/poppitoppy/">Poppitoppy</a> joined our home soon after and immediately became one of her favorite toys!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy62j3tycAcUR0PYwXsf9-ASgmrrcDkjBFRNeY8C5a7Y7vNlWXiELCw7qznEKDFX9FQEhfuD8e9YtfD-iTepc40fjTcf-7TzsJjrwLFZOQE1XaOe0PmbPVBF9_NxZoAtvLRhLiNRdMOAA/s1600/popitoppy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy62j3tycAcUR0PYwXsf9-ASgmrrcDkjBFRNeY8C5a7Y7vNlWXiELCw7qznEKDFX9FQEhfuD8e9YtfD-iTepc40fjTcf-7TzsJjrwLFZOQE1XaOe0PmbPVBF9_NxZoAtvLRhLiNRdMOAA/s640/popitoppy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Last Christmas at our house was a <i>very</i> <b>B.</b> toys Christmas. Under our tree sat an <a href="http://justb-byou.com/toys/smart/alphaberry/">Alphaberry</a>, an orange <a href="http://justb-byou.com/toys/lively/hellophone/">Hellophone</a>, red <a href="http://justb-byou.com/toys/lively/funkeys/">Funkeys</a>, <a href="http://justb-byou.com/toys/curious/snug-bugs/">Snug Bugs</a>, <a href="http://justb-byou.com/toys/curious/fish-splish/">Fish & Splish</a>, and <a href="http://justb-byou.com/toys/curious/whacky-ball/">Whacky Ball</a>. And of course we've gotten a few new B. toys in the past year including a <a href="http://justb-byou.com/toys/caring/critter-clinic/">Critter Clinic</a> for her 1st birthday, <a href="http://justb-byou.com/toys/curious/hugs-links/"> </a><a href="http://justb-byou.com/toys/curious/sugar-chute/">Sugar Chute</a> instead of an Easter Basket, and for random special days we got <a href="http://justb-byou.com/toys/curious/hugs-links/">Hugs :) Links</a>, <a href="http://justb-byou.com/toys/smart/times-square/">Times Square</a>, <a href="http://justb-byou.com/toys/curious/-maze-loopty-loo/">A-Maze Loopty Loo</a>, <a href="http://justb-byou.com/toys/creative/h2-whoa/">H2 Woah!</a> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>It's so hard to pick our VERY favorite toy! but <a href="http://justb-byou.com/toys/curious/poppitoppy/">Poppitoppy</a> is right at the top of our list</b>!!! - right up there, to the point that<b> <a href="http://littlefreeradical.blogspot.com/2011/12/b-toys-inspired-poppitoppy-costume.html">Sophie dressed as</a> <a href="http://littlefreeradical.blogspot.com/2011/12/b-toys-inspired-poppitoppy-costume.html">Poppitoppy for Halloween</a>!</b><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Of course when a company makes a very awesome toy, sometimes you end up with duplicates - or in our case triplcates! Yes, we managed to receive 3 Poppitoppy toys! While Sophie was excited to see Poppitoppy #2 - and be able to carry one in each hand and press them at the very same time we decided to save the extras to SHARE with people who didn't have their very own Poppitoppy! :)</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Sharing Poppitoppy #2 with our clinic:</b> After a visit to our "Family Practice Clinic" when my bored one-year-old found a drawer of <i>plastic speculums</i> that she felt made perfect drum sticks for the <i>metal biohazard trashcan</i> (the result of what happens since the clinic didn't have <a href="http://justb-byou.com/toys/lively/parum-pum-pum/">Parum Pum Pum</a> for making music), we decided Poppitoppy #2 looked like an awesome clinic toy to entertain kids while waiting for exams or to distract from the pain of getting a shot. There are no little pieces that can get lost, and it's easy to clean between small patients! <br />
<br />
<b>Sharing Poppitoppy #3</b> <b>(and #4) with YOU!!!</b>: Of course we still have one more Poppitoppy toy we still need to share! When we told our friends at B. toys that we'd love to share our extra toy, they loved the idea - to the point that they wanted to share a Poppitoppy too! So here is what we are going to do:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4s1nO-UPBS0dvDDTDEcjKuj0kXMFuGwdnmoItrMP-tysDBhQF-xVsRRdibyHj0h_y0844aihC79TirkxS9dM5G9SH-joOWfqMmKS2mScVDSvfRKBWkUelOQ5tvZoEklYLe9dzKxdDdp0/s1600/holiday+shareaway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4s1nO-UPBS0dvDDTDEcjKuj0kXMFuGwdnmoItrMP-tysDBhQF-xVsRRdibyHj0h_y0844aihC79TirkxS9dM5G9SH-joOWfqMmKS2mScVDSvfRKBWkUelOQ5tvZoEklYLe9dzKxdDdp0/s1600/holiday+shareaway.jpg" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<b>One lucky reader will have a chance to win not just one, but TWO Poppitoppy's </b></div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>One is for your favorite child (or your favorite kids to SHARE)</li>
<li>The other is for your favorite charity!!</li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>How To Enter:</u></b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><b><br />
</b></span>You can enter for your chance to win by entering this giveaway via
Rafflecopter. You must open the post for the giveaway widget to appear
(click on the post title). Rafflecopter makes entering giveaways super
quick and easy - and allows for a random winner to be easily chosen!</div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Mandatory Entry</b>: leave us a comment below<b> telling us what your favorite children's charity</b> is, and why that charity is important to you! </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Extra Optional Entry</b> (to increase your odds)<i> in a <u>separate</u> comment</i>: <b>Tell us about your own favorite toy in childhood! Why was it special to you?</b></span></li>
<li>Be sure to check off each of these tasks as complete for rafflecopter to 'recognize' your entry!<br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"></span><b> </b><u>DETAILS:</u><b><br /></b></li>
<li><b>ONE winner will be chosen </b> - <b>plus a Poppitoppy for your favorite charity</b>! <span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Live outside of the US? no problem! <b>We are happy to SHARE with readers all over the planet</b>!!!</span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<script id="raflin-4f427146" type="text/javascript">
/*{literal}<![CDATA[*/
window.RAFLIN = window.RAFLIN || {};
window.RAFLIN['4f427146'] = {id: 'ZDQ2ZjQ0NjgyMmM1ODdiZGE1ZGRjMWVkNmU5NDVkOjQ='};
var url='//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/static/js/raflcptr/build/raflcptr.min.js', head=(document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0] || document.getElementsByTagName('body')[0]);
(function(d,n,h){if(!!d.getElementById(n))return;var j=d.createElement('script');j.id=n;j.type='text/javascript';j.async=true;j.src=url;h.appendChild(j);}(document,'rsoijs',head));
/*]]>{/literal}*/
</script>
<a class="rafl-powered" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/" id="rpow-4f427146" style="color: #999999; display: block; font: 10px sans-serif; text-align: center; width: 100%;" target="_blank">a <i>Rafflecopter</i> giveaway</a>
<noscript>&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://rafl.es/enable-js"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;You need javascript enabled to see this giveaway&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;.</noscript>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />Oh, and while you wait for the share-away to end, be sure to stop by the <a href="http://justb-byou.com/quotes/"><b>B. Quotes</b> and read some words of wisdom from kids</a> - or share some of your own child's quotes!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><br />Don't forget to come back on January 1, 2012 to see who we are sharing these great products with- winner has 48 hours to claim their prize! - </b><i>and we have a few more upcoming giveaways so "<a href="http://www.blogger.com/follow-blog.g?blogID=4552643713122941077">follow us</a>" to stay tuned for future share-aways & giveaways!</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><span class="fbUnderline"><b>Links You Might Love:</b></span></u><br />
<span class="fbUnderline"><b>B. toys: </b></span><b><a href="http://www.facebook.com/B.toys%20">facebook</a> | <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/BYouToys" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">twitter</a> | <a href="http://justb-byou.com/blog/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">blog </a> | <a href="http://justb-byou.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">website </a></b><b><br />
</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="fbUnderline"><b>Little Free Radical:</b></span><b><a href="http://www.facebook.com/littlefreeradical"> facebook </a> | <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/lilfreeradical" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">twitter</a> | <a href="http://littlefreeradical.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">blog </a> | <a href="http://littlefreeradical.etsy.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">etsy</a> | <a href="http://littlefreeradical.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">website</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br /></div>
</div>
Little Free Radicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09428697010521420797noreply@blogger.com50tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4552643713122941077.post-91777579331644588922011-12-21T01:23:00.000-05:002012-05-05T13:32:51.488-04:00B. toys-inspired Poppitoppy Costume | Sophie's Halloween Costume| little free radical<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
You know when you go to the store in August and see the Halloween costumes are out "already" - or go in October, and Halloween isn't over, but the Christmas stuff is already out? Yeah. Well, I'm going to do the opposite: It's 4 days away from Christmas, and I've <i>finally</i> found a few minutes to tell you about my daughters Halloween Costume. ;)<br />
<br />
So I sorta "missed" Sophie's first Halloween in 2010. My husband thought we NEEDED to go to Washington DC that weekend to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rally_to_Restore_Sanity_and/or_Fear">March to Keep Fear Alive/Rally to Restore Sanity</a>. I figured we weren't missing much - Sophie was just 3 months old. And all the infant costume options were pumpkin, cow, ladybug, butterfly and dog. I thought I'd wait til this year when she could actually enjoy dressing up. <br />
<br />
Of course the question was, what would Sophie want to be? I really couldn't see her as a pumpkin, she's not the ladybug or butterfly type - plus I couldn't imagine getting her to wear wings... So I watched for several weeks to see what Sophie loved... Then one day as I was watching her play with her <a href="http://justb-byou.com/toys/curious/poppitoppy/"><b>B.</b> toys Poppitoppy</a> - one of her favorite toys - I realized it looked like something I could turn into a costume. After all, <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/LittleFreeRadical?section_id=7550801">I sew cloth balls for a living</a>, right? :) <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf_QVOxul2HXyNOFhVx6SVd7g47CGHosqQE9et7oQmXR7uUeasy2h28b9JPkjFEdxu8_KB0rlpBJp7SkdfEVF3UV_ooU6EaoDFhVNXZ-7aj9jRFuon1Av2SzpDdJc-M5_Wv3uuh7R_dpw/s1600/nov4-blog.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf_QVOxul2HXyNOFhVx6SVd7g47CGHosqQE9et7oQmXR7uUeasy2h28b9JPkjFEdxu8_KB0rlpBJp7SkdfEVF3UV_ooU6EaoDFhVNXZ-7aj9jRFuon1Av2SzpDdJc-M5_Wv3uuh7R_dpw/s200/nov4-blog.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<br />
Of course the question was HOW to create a Poppitoppy out of fabric - beyond the balls! So after spending a weekend going store to store at the mall, looking at various halloween costumes to see how they were assembled, I went home to attempt it! <br />
<br />
I started with a dress top. I went through my patterns and found my <a href="http://www.sisboom.com/patterns/">Sophie Tunic from SisBoom</a> and decided to use the back of that bodice & sleeves. <br />
<br />
From there, I created a clear vinyl dome - like a large ball! I attached that to yellow material with piping & coat hangers to give it a nice round shape... and then attached the pink base to that with an orange band filled with elastic, and connected that to a holographic material attached to the bodice! Then, I made a mini-version of my cloth balls and filled it! <br />
<br />
Sophie was SO excited to see it done! It was quite heavy for a costume but she did just great running around in it! She knew she was Poppitoppy and kept carrying her toy around with her. :)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKX0GCzFH5WsnAM2vlC-gkUUNVM_P7mpoyZLQS9fA-kcj02fF21sWXQ9kcUZoKL0KDKBvGbZXCB-WUFzomBSe_to_0mkrteXpRb3GgzEZbJbZ0_s5Klx3r_utGCYbAFJY_R6tLn2xAB54/s1600/Poppitoppy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><br /><img border="0" height="619" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKX0GCzFH5WsnAM2vlC-gkUUNVM_P7mpoyZLQS9fA-kcj02fF21sWXQ9kcUZoKL0KDKBvGbZXCB-WUFzomBSe_to_0mkrteXpRb3GgzEZbJbZ0_s5Klx3r_utGCYbAFJY_R6tLn2xAB54/s640/Poppitoppy.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
We went trick or treating at 2 malls. of course she only brought home 2
pieces of candy because she was too busy making the balls bounce around
by running & showing people her toy Poppitoppy to be bothered by
collecting any loot! <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs377TsnpRxW1uu-HKhUyrUEkqDrcdu5wwM603aXXHhifZYCtnzi9BAH7C7JEvlQ0_2pF5SEe1evbjUYXG4iMhBrtBtqSnKZeKpZQZFmpSWrusBRPkAY0UMRwy2hxDVBc118qpLc5IrA4/s1600/inhabitots-green-halloween-2011-1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs377TsnpRxW1uu-HKhUyrUEkqDrcdu5wwM603aXXHhifZYCtnzi9BAH7C7JEvlQ0_2pF5SEe1evbjUYXG4iMhBrtBtqSnKZeKpZQZFmpSWrusBRPkAY0UMRwy2hxDVBc118qpLc5IrA4/s200/inhabitots-green-halloween-2011-1.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
But she did end up getting an awesome treat in the long - run when <b>she won <a href="http://www.inhabitots.com/greenhalloweencontest/mom-made-poppitoppy-costume/poppitypop-costume/">Inhabitots Costume Contest</a></b>! <br />
<br />
She was beyond thrilled to open the package from them when it arrived, only to find out she had won her very own<a href="http://www.inhabitots.com/2010/09/27/oeuf-mask-tail-sets-for-halloween/"> Oeuf Ghost with Removable Mask</a>! Plus a $100 gift certificate, but she's more interested in the ghost for now. :)<br />
<br />
Of course since it was Halloween, we had to make our OWN treats to share, so why not make Poppitoppy out of candy too??? <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKTbGTod2asW8x6hdnbS0FQg6wQcHpmYbW0H7syENCKt_x-Njxqf8mz1Gkp5vX-3p2BtZVJXkWzaAnyPuNRDrLwiNAIS0JmB20rDOAFailaGeF7GOnRf9dwzUo3TZ4mFj0Z5vp5HZn4OM/s1600/297767_10150365646531725_271881661724_8379032_778682913_n.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKTbGTod2asW8x6hdnbS0FQg6wQcHpmYbW0H7syENCKt_x-Njxqf8mz1Gkp5vX-3p2BtZVJXkWzaAnyPuNRDrLwiNAIS0JmB20rDOAFailaGeF7GOnRf9dwzUo3TZ4mFj0Z5vp5HZn4OM/s200/297767_10150365646531725_271881661724_8379032_778682913_n.jpg" width="200" /></a>Because, is it me? or does Poppitoppy also look a lot like those candy eggs you get from the vending machines? add some Sixlets, and you've got mini Poppitoppy candy! :)<br />
<br />
So yes, we had to share some of these with <a href="http://justb-byou.com/blog/2011/11/4/unbelievable/">Team <b>B. </b>- who thought our Poppitoppy costume was Un<b>B.</b>elievable!</a> :)<br />
<br />
Stay tuned to our blog to enter another Share-away - this time for your very own Poppitoppy!!!<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
Little Free Radicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09428697010521420797noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4552643713122941077.post-13039254582511914252011-12-07T00:00:00.000-05:002011-12-07T00:19:42.334-05:00the ultimate christmas giveaway event! | wilton ultimate decorating set worth $199.99| little free radical<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h1 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red;">Welcome to </span><span style="color: green;">The Ultimate Christmas Giveaway</span><span style="color: red;"> Event!</span></h1>
<br />
<center></center><center></center><center></center><center></center><center><img alt="" src="http://i42.tinypic.com/o0qv60.png" /></center>
<br />
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
You have a chance to win the <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Wilton Ultimate Decorating Set worth $199.99</span>!</h2>
<div style="text-align: center;">
If bought <i>separately</i>, the items in the kit would cost $<i>250</i>!</div>
<b>The Ultimate Decorating Set contains the following</b>: 9-inch & 11-inch Straight Black Handle Spatulas, 9-inch & 13-inch Angled Black Handle Spatulas, 10-inch Featherweight Bags - 2 Pack, 12-inch Disposable Bags - 50 Pack, Practice Board with Patterns 4 - Standard Couplers, 6 Pc Forming Cups, Large Lily Nail, - 2 Pack 15-inch Parchment, Triangles Round Tips: #1, #3, #5, #12 Star Tips: #14, #16, #18, #21, #1M Petal Tips: #59s, #101, #104 Leaf Tips: #352 and #366 Bismarck Tip #230 Drop Flower Tip #2D Multi Opening Tip #233 Thin and Thick Foams Flower Nail Templates Brush Set, Gold Foil Cut, & Press Button Flower Pansy Cutter, Wave Flower Former, 2 Pack 2 Pc Mum Cutter Set, Calla Lily Cutter, Calla Lily Former, Scallop Ruffle Cutter, Lily Stamen Set Tip, Dishwasher Pouch, Dusting Pouch, Green Ball Tool, Green Veining Tool, Fondant Smoother Ribbon Cutter/Embosser, 12-inch Dowel Rods, Round Cut Out Set, Rose Cutter Set, 5 pc 8-inch Cake Circle, Silicone Tip Covers, 9-inch Rolling Pin Thin, and Thick Modeling Sticks, 4 Pc Decorating Nail Set, & The Ultimate Tool Caddy!
<br />
<center><img alt="" height="503" src="http://i41.tinypic.com/1zdrmep.jpg" width="389" /></center><center></center>There are 28 blogs participating in this event. To not make the Rafflecopter entry list too long - all entries are <i><b>MANDATORY</b></i> (worth 5 entries each) with <b><i>JUST ONE </i></b>optional entry (to Tweet about the giveaway - worth 5 points as well)! <b><i>Going through 28 blogs to win a $199.99 prize is not hard to do at all!</i></b> I went through the list myself & didn't run into any problems - I was done in less than half an hour. :)
The giveaway is <b>December 7 till the 14th</b> (ending at 11:59PM EST on 12/14) but the winners will not be announced until December 16, 2011 so we can make sure that everyone who entered followed all the rules.
I know Google Friend Connect widgets can do disappearing acts so please give all of the pages time to fully load or refresh a page to see if the widget shows up.
This giveaway is<b> open to U.S. & Canada readers only</b> – we wish we could include international readers as well but we hope you guys understand. (<i>If you're in Canada, please check our <a href="http://lifeaccordingtodamaris.com/about-me-the-blog-disclosure/" target="_blank">Giveaway Policy</a> to make sure you qualify to enter You may be asked to answer a question if you win.</i>)
<b>Must be 18 years old & older to enter.</b> Winner will be chosen using Random.org. Winner will be e-mailed & will have 48 hrs. to reply or we have no choice but to pick another winner.
Below are the following blogs participating in this giveaway along with the Rafflecopter! It’s only 28 blogs total so not a lot of work on your part! We all have the same Rafflecopter code so just as long as you enter in one blog, it’s okay – as long as you make sure to visit each blog to follow them according to the Rafflecopter form below (we check for duplicate entries)! Happy linking & Good Luck!
1) <a href="http://lifeaccordingtodamaris.com/" target="_blank">Life According to Damaris</a>
2) <a href="http://www.buildingourstory.com/" target="_blank">Building Our Story</a>
3) <a href="http://forcefamilyjourney.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Force Family Journey</a>
4) <a href="http://gumdroppass.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Gumdrop Pass</a>
5) <a href="http://thewhitefamilyof6.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Our Crazy Bunch</a>
6)<a href="http://littlemissnerdgirl.com/" target="_blank"> Little Miss Nerd Girl</a>
7) <a href="http://www.itsavol.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">It's a Vol</a>
8) <a href="http://www.the-mommyhood-chronicles.com/" target="_blank">The Mommyhood Chronicles</a>
9) <a href="http://www.mamaluvsbooks.com/" target="_blank">Mama Luvs Books</a>
10) <a href="http://www.frugalplus.com/" target="_blank">Frugal Plus</a>
11) <a href="http://ourlifeisajungle.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Our Life is a Jungle</a>
12) <a href="http://www.daisyraedesign.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Ever Changing</a>
13) <a href="http://themamapirate.com/" target="_blank">The Mama Pirate</a>
14) <a href="http://bananahammocksandtutus.com/" target="_blank">Banana Hammocks & Tutus</a>
15) <a href="http://littlefreeradical.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Little Free Radical</a>
16) <a href="http://tidbitsfromamom.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Tidbits from a Mom</a>
17) <a href="http://keenlykristin.com/" target="_blank">Keenly Kristin</a>
18) <a href="http://www.anotherdayinparadiseblog.com/" target="_blank">Another Day in Paradise</a>
19)<a href="http://domesticallyunemployed.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> Domestically Unemployed</a>
20) <a href="http://healthymomontherun.com/" target="_blank">Healthy Mom on the Run</a>
21) <a href="http://www.pregnancyroadtripandbeyond.com/" target="_blank">Our Pregnancy Roadtrip & Beyond</a>
22) <a href="http://sweetpeasandbumble-bees.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Sweet Peas & Bumblees</a>
23) <a href="http://www.thriftyandfrugalliving.com/" target="_blank">Thrifty Frugal Living</a>
24) <a href="http://mymessmerizedlife.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">My Messmerized Life</a>
25) <a href="http://lana-bradstream.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Ethereal Influence</a>
26) <a href="http://mamalousgems.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Mamalou's Gems</a>
27) <a href="http://africasblog.com/" target="_blank">Africa's Blog</a>
28) <a href="http://www.whywelovegreen.com/" target="_blank">Why We Love Green</a>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><b>(Make sure you have Javascript enabled to see this giveaway!)</b></i></div>
<a name='more'></a><script id="rafl-script" type="text/javascript">
// <![CDATA[
RafflecopterSettings = { raffleID: 'OTFjOTViNzY1YzIxMWEyNDA1OWM0Y2ZmZDQxZWVkOjg=' };
// ]]>
</script>
<script src="https://rafflecopter.ssl.dotcloud.com/static/js/widget/rafl-widget.js" type="text/javascript">
</script>
<noscript>&amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://rafl.es/enable-js"&amp;amp;amp;gt;You need javascript enabled to see this giveaway&amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;gt;.</noscript></div>Little Free Radicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09428697010521420797noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4552643713122941077.post-1936915471363184132011-11-22T17:52:00.001-05:002011-11-22T18:12:43.249-05:00an elephant for hilary duff | the artisan group | little free radical<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPnIS9Q18s9qTXaoXyuPeQVUiMIwWB7rgMhfIyzOZvRbg1QF4f_zGbvoKcr6lzqKsXnTr6PuUIZx-CQuEXrLQ0ShzwnuXKzmyaPDvb6mW-rkTprDM2MdG19oys2aTK9-kskBVG5XJZ1og/s1600/elephant+LFR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY8btY70DOXbGMsN5GBwxvD-D1ns-FwJTbuT8g3xtRElSVjo4SbXddfZTJuiealHW5OD9hv2N0kEe1iRAOsaIxhZugZx72Ow5MFJnXvBkTxsFCvVXYYdPA4vN3Bfw18eOIL21GXS0R3Ig/s1600/Hilary-Duff-Pregnant-2011-pictures-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY8btY70DOXbGMsN5GBwxvD-D1ns-FwJTbuT8g3xtRElSVjo4SbXddfZTJuiealHW5OD9hv2N0kEe1iRAOsaIxhZugZx72Ow5MFJnXvBkTxsFCvVXYYdPA4vN3Bfw18eOIL21GXS0R3Ig/s200/Hilary-Duff-Pregnant-2011-pictures-1.jpg" width="125" /></a>As I've previously mentioned, I've been a member of <a href="http://theartisangroup.org/">The Artisan Group</a> since April 2011. In September, I had the opportunity to send some of my <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/LittleFreeRadical?ref=si_shop">cloth balls</a>, <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/LittleFreeRadical?section_id=7742148">elephants</a> & a <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/LittleFreeRadical?section_id=7845744">stacking ring toy</a> to <a href="http://littlefreeradical.blogspot.com/2011/09/celebrity-photos-from-primetime-emmys.html">GBKs Primetime Emmy's Celebrity Gift Lounge</a> before the Emmy's. <br />
<br />
Recently, I had another opportunity to include a product in a gift bag from members of The Artisan Group for actress and singer-songwriter,<b> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hilary_Duff">Hilary Duff</a>, who is expecting <a href="http://celebritybabies.people.com/2011/10/14/hilary-duff-expecting-baby-boy/">a baby boy - due in March</a>!</b> Other members were sending gifts such as jewelry for Hilary, onesies, hats & bibs, so I thought I'd include an elephant from Little Free Radical. :) </div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
I only had 2 weeks to get it completed & shipped, so I had to make a fast decision on what materials I'd like to use... I contacted one of my favorite companies - <b><a href="http://www.birchfabrics.com/">Birch Fabrics</a></b> - an awesome organic fabric company - since I knew their <a href="http://www.birchfabrics.com/storyboek.html">storyboek</a> line was a <a href="http://birchfabrics.blogspot.com/2011/10/birch-fabrics-emmys.html">hit with celebs at the GBK Primetime Emmy's Celebrity Gift Lounge</a> - and they offered to sponsor the elephant for Hilary's son with materials from their <b><a href="http://www.birchfabrics.com/mod_basics1.html">Mod Basics collection</a></b> - which is scheduled to be released in January!</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL9HEZbmhQ81MZS9pbD6wvTdYTl7fZwolncZjm7z20-fAKrH3y7c-x9T3xMsRyanpKKZiqsFMWS9ZmPt8fr3x_XlLbVbrKKnEDyG8i_2uVUSc8xvU26JVKkFknbcqaPXlf_C4jadj0oKU/s1600/Birch+Fabrics+Mod+Basics+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL9HEZbmhQ81MZS9pbD6wvTdYTl7fZwolncZjm7z20-fAKrH3y7c-x9T3xMsRyanpKKZiqsFMWS9ZmPt8fr3x_XlLbVbrKKnEDyG8i_2uVUSc8xvU26JVKkFknbcqaPXlf_C4jadj0oKU/s200/Birch+Fabrics+Mod+Basics+1.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1QgscIS1MZpmFmr3sfKNliMr2VfvVOmqWe7gLqEr8BOeIeAnfTatD-_TpCs4OLcX579lD1hxk80A7OGr_A2Cgq8CjrvpnQBdE8YxdlKSebVa-5f1E7CfQrDcshhXEwYlquk-yuKE6tZk/s1600/Birch+Fabrics+Mod+Basics+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1QgscIS1MZpmFmr3sfKNliMr2VfvVOmqWe7gLqEr8BOeIeAnfTatD-_TpCs4OLcX579lD1hxk80A7OGr_A2Cgq8CjrvpnQBdE8YxdlKSebVa-5f1E7CfQrDcshhXEwYlquk-yuKE6tZk/s200/Birch+Fabrics+Mod+Basics+2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Of course the hardest part was choosing <u><i>ONLY</i></u> 2 fabrics to use! I showed 2 fellow TAG members, Kassi (owner of <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rumour-Has-It/108223172588185">Rumour Has It</a>) and Shannon (owner of <a href="http://www.facebook.com/SweetStellas">Sweet Stella's</a>) - both of whom are moms of little boys - and we decided on the birdie spokes in aqua & abacus in orange! I love how it turned out!!!</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPnIS9Q18s9qTXaoXyuPeQVUiMIwWB7rgMhfIyzOZvRbg1QF4f_zGbvoKcr6lzqKsXnTr6PuUIZx-CQuEXrLQ0ShzwnuXKzmyaPDvb6mW-rkTprDM2MdG19oys2aTK9-kskBVG5XJZ1og/s1600/elephant+LFR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPnIS9Q18s9qTXaoXyuPeQVUiMIwWB7rgMhfIyzOZvRbg1QF4f_zGbvoKcr6lzqKsXnTr6PuUIZx-CQuEXrLQ0ShzwnuXKzmyaPDvb6mW-rkTprDM2MdG19oys2aTK9-kskBVG5XJZ1og/s640/elephant+LFR.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>Birch Fabrics are 100% organic cottons - treated with love, not pesticides. </i></b><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
And this little elephant is filled with love & environmentally friendly bamboo-blend silky fiberfil. </div>
<br />
If you love this elephant, <a href="http://littlefreeradical.etsy.com/">Little Free Radical</a> will be adding to <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/LittleFreeRadical?section_id=10571397">our eco-friendly selection of toys</a> in January when <a href="http://www.birchfabrics.com/mod_basics1.html">Mod Basics</a> & <a href="http://www.birchfabrics.com/commute.html">Commute</a> are released - but keep your eye out for some other new products coming soon - made with <a href="http://www.birchfabrics.com/storyboek.html">Storeyboek</a> - as seen at GBKs Primetime Emmy's Celebrity Gift Lounge! </div>
</div>
</div>Little Free Radicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09428697010521420797noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4552643713122941077.post-80142666921265139312011-10-26T14:23:00.001-04:002011-11-22T18:12:18.084-05:00my little pakora giveaway | spirit of diwali | little free radical<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;">In the spirit of Diwali, Little Free Radical is teaming up with <a href="http://www.mylittlepakora.com/">My Little Pakora</a> to bring you a festive giveaway! </span></b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguB3bAZ1g7XdOkAlSnIXRcmQchXpjGmpjQ1QsSvEDiqCX2nu815XaIn_3Wi0c0lupBGgql-sd4PoYPq2sPczpE18IeiBM3ohFh3qaI2akfsPjCS87SjolkMZXRw6YVugwmlbJ6WAp_NvI/s1600/traditional-indian-lamps-diwali-thumb16677938.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguB3bAZ1g7XdOkAlSnIXRcmQchXpjGmpjQ1QsSvEDiqCX2nu815XaIn_3Wi0c0lupBGgql-sd4PoYPq2sPczpE18IeiBM3ohFh3qaI2akfsPjCS87SjolkMZXRw6YVugwmlbJ6WAp_NvI/s200/traditional-indian-lamps-diwali-thumb16677938.jpg" width="200" /></a><b><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diwali">Diwali</a> (festival of lights) is India's biggest holiday of the year. It's name comes from the row (avali) of clay lamps (deepa) that Indian's use to light outside their homes - symbolic of the inner light that protects them from spiritual darkness. Diwali to Hindu's is similar to Christmas for Christians. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfsofAFBnEgxXaFH35rv5ag7DuWAJ5Ik7kqI4ld_JTZ9hex7oHTsXW_47L3O-sCqF2lqAOW7lHaePMA51QRpoNEqgbFbFf4a1eR8tVTjxzvodtFF9j1NZqqbPdiZ253tsFpxoWz4fK5wg/s1600/my-little-pakora-77646542.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfsofAFBnEgxXaFH35rv5ag7DuWAJ5Ik7kqI4ld_JTZ9hex7oHTsXW_47L3O-sCqF2lqAOW7lHaePMA51QRpoNEqgbFbFf4a1eR8tVTjxzvodtFF9j1NZqqbPdiZ253tsFpxoWz4fK5wg/s1600/my-little-pakora-77646542.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfsofAFBnEgxXaFH35rv5ag7DuWAJ5Ik7kqI4ld_JTZ9hex7oHTsXW_47L3O-sCqF2lqAOW7lHaePMA51QRpoNEqgbFbFf4a1eR8tVTjxzvodtFF9j1NZqqbPdiZ253tsFpxoWz4fK5wg/s1600/my-little-pakora-77646542.jpg" /></a>In September, I had the privilege of meeting Sonia Gupta, owner of My Little Pakora. We both sell our products at <a href="http://www.shoptwinklestar.com/">Twinklestar Boutique</a> in Porter Sq (Cambridge, MA) and Twinklestar was hosting a "<a href="http://blog.mylittlepakora.com/2011/09/baby-bollywood-at-twinkle-star-baby.html">Baby Bollywood Party</a>" to celebrate My Little Pakora. My daughter is a HUGE fan of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bollywood">Bollywood</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bollywood"> </a>music, so it seemed to be the perfect way to entertain her on a Saturday afternoon! So I thought I'd bring Sophie for some fun. <br />
<br />
As an environmental science major, I <u>love</u> talking to business owners who have really done their research and know every detail about how their products are made and exactly what is in them! So many people are focused on buying "locally made" products which I think is awesome - but I was amazed when talking to Sonia about how <i>responsible</i> you can be when choosing a "non-local" producer of your goods. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh83obaX1fgXeeZ85XJ3zJNFXlbA8B1_2LD7CHOFePr1-0-UQ-6Na5EX1BvKmLKHSA25eBYPWD8kVZYPfWkE_VA3Bpl2uUFBKiOq1x3tlybf8VaS01QTNSLB9c_mcTsMgXs5nRqXzDmZ7s/s1600/IMG_0310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh83obaX1fgXeeZ85XJ3zJNFXlbA8B1_2LD7CHOFePr1-0-UQ-6Na5EX1BvKmLKHSA25eBYPWD8kVZYPfWkE_VA3Bpl2uUFBKiOq1x3tlybf8VaS01QTNSLB9c_mcTsMgXs5nRqXzDmZ7s/s320/IMG_0310.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
I know I've personally been in shops and seen clothing tags and figure "made in India" or "made in Pakistan" or "made in Bangladesh" could mean that some underpaid 9-year-old working in a sweatshop is how I now have my t-shirt. But seeing as <a href="http://www.cotton.org/econ/cropinfo/cropdata/rankings.cfm">India is the worlds second largest producer of cotton</a> (China is first, Pakistan being 4th), of course a lot of cotton products are being produced in Asia, and <b>not all factories are the same</b>. <br />
<br />
Sonia shared with me about how she contacted multiple factories to question them about their process and materials used before finding one who shared her values in Southern India. She visited the factory earlier this year, and <a href="http://blog.mylittlepakora.com/2011/03/manufacturing-in-india.html">photographed their process</a>. Workers are provided with food - including fruit and veggies from an organic farm, they recieve free medical care, and the farmhouse at the factory uses solar power! How cool?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqcyGEPo5XspMgLfJ4KAvcy4TzjvXYqRaIqu9Td5qp9HkcP2vVKqqxJSbL_QM2mfBNu3hcMnulEmWSYxeuwJeIH6h0BB5VTWePuutnH_CNSvQApXXAwtoqAjh4C7RexA5oBF_XfbIGIZM/s1600/GIRLSET-fall-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
My Little Pakora products are produced start to finish under the<b><span class="Apple-style-span"></span></b> <a href="http://blog.mylittlepakora.com/2011/03/manufacturing-in-india.html">GOTS: Global Organic Textile Standard</a> - <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>"The Global Organic
Textile Standard (GOTS) is recognised as the leading processing standard
for textiles made from organic fibres worldwide. It defines high level
environmental criteria along the entire supply chain of organic textiles
and requires compliance with social criteria as well.</i></div>
<i>
<span class="leading_separator"></span></i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqcyGEPo5XspMgLfJ4KAvcy4TzjvXYqRaIqu9Td5qp9HkcP2vVKqqxJSbL_QM2mfBNu3hcMnulEmWSYxeuwJeIH6h0BB5VTWePuutnH_CNSvQApXXAwtoqAjh4C7RexA5oBF_XfbIGIZM/s1600/GIRLSET-fall-2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqcyGEPo5XspMgLfJ4KAvcy4TzjvXYqRaIqu9Td5qp9HkcP2vVKqqxJSbL_QM2mfBNu3hcMnulEmWSYxeuwJeIH6h0BB5VTWePuutnH_CNSvQApXXAwtoqAjh4C7RexA5oBF_XfbIGIZM/s320/GIRLSET-fall-2.jpg" width="320" /></a>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Only textile products that contain a
minimum of 70% organic fibres can become certified according to GOTS.
All chemical inputs s.a. dyestuffs and auxiliaries used must meet
certain environmental and toxicological criteria and also the choice of
accessories is limited under ecological aspects. A functional waste
water treatment plant is mandatory for any wet-processing unit involved
and all processors must comply with social minimum criteria. The key
criteria of GOTS, its quality assurance system and the principles of the
review and revision procedure are summarized in this section." - <a href="http://www.global-standard.org/">www.global-standard.org</a></i></div>
</blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh83obaX1fgXeeZ85XJ3zJNFXlbA8B1_2LD7CHOFePr1-0-UQ-6Na5EX1BvKmLKHSA25eBYPWD8kVZYPfWkE_VA3Bpl2uUFBKiOq1x3tlybf8VaS01QTNSLB9c_mcTsMgXs5nRqXzDmZ7s/s1600/IMG_0310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
So, when you are buying My Little Pakora, you can be assured that:<br />
<ul>
<li>Their clothing is made from <b>certified organic cotton</b> </li>
<li>Eco-friendly pigments and screening processes are used in production are <b>free of harsh chemicals</b> like <a href="http://www.ewg.org/chemindex/term/480">phthalates</a> and <a href="http://chej.org/campaigns/pvc/">PVC</a> </li>
<li>You are buying clothing manufactured in a <b>socially responsible facility</b> that practices <b>fair labor</b> </li>
<li><b>S</b><b>ustainability</b> is ensured from the way the cotton is grown to the end product </li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhYuhL7kTZm3CxT1s0gBpFrndgL71OQYO6E7yRwuQwS2uqFCBpBus1kId4Iauz2N7L7oeOPEaNfNYUoT6_O9c3MYnIBwapqjRvR5t9ynMw-7HLOej75NUItTsgbfq_aKnMjuMCpvCM7LA/s1600/SET5-2T.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhYuhL7kTZm3CxT1s0gBpFrndgL71OQYO6E7yRwuQwS2uqFCBpBus1kId4Iauz2N7L7oeOPEaNfNYUoT6_O9c3MYnIBwapqjRvR5t9ynMw-7HLOej75NUItTsgbfq_aKnMjuMCpvCM7LA/s320/SET5-2T.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Sonia also put a lot of thought into the design of the clothing - ever try to put a cloth-diapered baby into a onesie, only have trouble snapping it because of the extra "bulk?" <br />
<br />
Well, she factored in the diaper bulk too when doing her sizing! if you look closely at the kimono bodysuit, you'll see that it slightly widens towards the hips - to allow the baby to be comfortable playing/moving despite a bulky diaper! <br />
<br />
The organic cotton is excellent quality as well! Sophie has the <a href="http://www.mylittlepakora.com/Kimono-Bodysuit-Pink-Elephant-p/bglsk04.htm">pink elephant kimono bodysuit</a> and it's <u>by far</u> the best quality shirt we've gotten! :) <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.theminisocial.com/invite/CrystalEvans"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheo_F14S7kUc2ry9sxhyphenhyphengKNwjyPAHcNuB-XnNTq88psbHbsDqAYnHrlbHJPH2zWhlvPwWDnQTFs5TTop9vPQGT8I-nJS6B8PqbWymBLKxmhZs5OLrmwvPIRlG7pUXKzDq-qwpwtVg8jOY/s400/460_00010228010100000000.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Currently, there is a <a href="http://www.theminisocial.com/invite/CrystalEvans">My Little Pakora SALE at The Mini Social</a>! (ending Friday 10/28) with prices ranging from $14-26 (regularly $24-45) so be sure to take advantage of that deal while it lasts! and of course we have a giveaway too!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><u>GIVEAWAY:</u></span><br />
So, in the spirit of Diwali, I'm hosting <b>a giveaway for a $60 gift certificate to <a href="http://mylittlepakora.com/">mylittlepakora.com</a><a href="http://www.mylittlepakora.com/"> </a></b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL43krF26T2gHgpF_wd9ex0OPfzRvGJ-3ES0euHWqtzUlBe0JIBmVYq-m7VM9zRWg1iyDUKFHR0GmNNp4KpMUIESdjhe6gsKD8K7X4VwBjp53irfDlx7jk5atFGewtAl6DkegJAUfUMQ0/s1600/SET1-BOYS+KURTA-2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL43krF26T2gHgpF_wd9ex0OPfzRvGJ-3ES0euHWqtzUlBe0JIBmVYq-m7VM9zRWg1iyDUKFHR0GmNNp4KpMUIESdjhe6gsKD8K7X4VwBjp53irfDlx7jk5atFGewtAl6DkegJAUfUMQ0/s200/SET1-BOYS+KURTA-2.jpg" width="200" /></a>You can enter for your chance to win by entering this giveaway via
Rafflecopter. You must open the post for the giveaway widget to appear
(click on the post title). Rafflecopter makes entering giveaways super
quick and easy!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-size: small;"><u>Mandatory Entry:</u> Tell me in a blog <u><i>comment</i></u> below what inspires YOU!</span> </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Additional entries are in the Rafflecopter widget (to improve your chances to win).</span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Yes, International Entries are welcome! </b></div>
<br />
<script id="rafl-script" type="text/javascript">
RafflecopterSettings = {
raffleID: 'ZDQ2ZjQ0NjgyMmM1ODdiZGE1ZGRjMWVkNmU5NDVkOjI='
};
</script>
<script src="https://rafflecopter.ssl.dotcloud.com/static/js/widget/rafl-widget.js" type="text/javascript">
</script>
<noscript>&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://rafl.es/enable-js"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;You need javascript enabled to see this giveaway&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;.</noscript>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Confused by Rafflecopter? watch this video to see how to enter!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="250" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/26969911?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="400"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://vimeo.com/26969911">How to Enter Rafflecopter Giveaways</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/rafflecopter">Rafflecopter</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Also, be sure to check out <a href="http://blog.mylittlepakora.com/2011/10/diwali-festival-of-lights-giveaway.html">My Little Pakora's blog</a> for a Little Free Radical Elephant Giveaway!</b></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br /></div>
</div>Little Free Radicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09428697010521420797noreply@blogger.com12