I can't believe how easy it was.

 

Every year we buy a few loaves of Irish Soda Bread even though I have heard how easy it is to make. This year we needed to cut a few corners so we decided to try making one ourselves. I was supposed to help but rest is what I am getting so my husband took over the process and it came out fantastic. The recipe was for one loaf and this loaf is about the size of 4 loaves you get from the store. The taste is terrific and even Dennis said it tastes better than what we get from the store.We followed the recipe found here.

Screen Patch Repair Kit

 This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

We rent a apartment that is very old and most things are really hard to replace. Take for instance our screen door. I think it was handcrafted for this house and if I had to guess was last updated in the 70's. You can take out the mid part of the door, changing out the glass panes for the screen piece. My daughter booty bumped the door to get it open because it sticks in the humidity and did some damage to it. Check out my blog about fixing it here. 

Before we did that we tried out the above product to see how it would work on just holes. Since we were replacing the whole screen anyways my husband caused a hole so that we could we could give it whirl. As you can see from the close ups there were tiny holes everywhere in the screen where it had rusted through. Like I said it was old. 

Anyways we have a hole where just using a piece of the mesh tape on each side was enough to fix it. It is noticeable but it is also a quick fix and much less expensive then replacing a whole screen. 

Then we have a much bigger hole here that had to have the whole treatment. The kit comes with a rounded needle so that you can literally sew the screen and then apply tape. As you can see in the second middle photo below that it isn't very neat, that is because everytime we tried to sew it the screen gave way because it was so rusted. Mind you if your screen is not as old or rusted through like ours was this would have looked amazing. After sewing you put a piece of the mesh screent tape on both sides and you are done. Again it is noticeable but less expensive then replacing a whole screen. 

We thought this would be great for use on tents or those pop up houses as well. Most of the time you need to get rid of your tent if there is a hole and for safety you do that with the pop up houses as well. Now you can get a little more use out of your products with a quick patch job with this kit from Magzo. Check it out here https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0798N7ZG5.

Screen Door Repair

 This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Our front screen door opens hard when it is humid out. One day my daughter booty bumped it forgetting the screen was in which can be changed out for a glass panel in the colder months and damaged the screen. As you can see from showing you how to repair just a hole on the same screen, you can see this screen had mini holes all over the place when you zoom in on the screen and it had to be replaced either way with the side damage. Check out the repair patch kit here. The video for this repair is here.  

This door looks like it was hand crafted so everything had to be done in steps. Since we rent we wanted to be very careful as I don't think we could have found a replacement. My husband was more then a bit nervous doing this as he did not want to ruin it more. As you can see the results were way better then we thought they would be and we are very impressed with this replacement screen from Magzo. It was a large piece and did our screen door and can probably do a large window in our home if need be and a smaller window. For the price and time we spent on this project we saved tons of money. 

With this screen door there was no spline so my husband had to take the molding off carefully. It has to be from the 70's at least. Then he tore off the old screen removed the staples that were originally there then layed and measured the new screen. Once he adhered the new screen to the door he was able to replace the molding and finished it up with a fresh coat of paint. 

He then placed the screen in the door and it looks better then before. Like I said it came out better then we had hoped. All the anxiety he had over starting this project was unwarranted. My husband was very happy and relieved with the outcome.

x

Below is the replacement screen we used from Magzo which was 48"W x 99"L. You can find it here. 

Family Wall Art

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

We have had this idea forever and it seems like others had the same idea as well. We wanted something for our walls that was personal and customized to just our family. What I wanted was to make our family names into a Scrabble like look on our walls. We couldn't find anything at the time to do this. My husband didn't want anything too heavy for the walls, and wanted to be able to re- position if ever we had to add a name in the future. He did a layout on Graph paper years ago, of course we had added quite a few names (we are now grand parents) since then so we are still a work in progress.

A company asked me if I wanted to review their product and I took one look and knew this is exactly what we need to do our project. I went with rounded corners as you can see above but they do have square corners and they have completely round tiles to choose from.  Each tile is 4 by 4 inches which is the right size we were looking for. They come with a sanding block and you can stain or paint them which ever way you would like too. These tiles are versatile, think coaster, art projects, ect. We are currently looking for the templates for the letters and numbers and we found a few options for hanging them on the wall. I have links to the tiles which will take you to all and to the options we came up for hanging tiles. 

We decided on 3 inch letters and 1/2 inch numbers, found them while putting this blog together for you. We have to order more tiles to  get all of our names done and work it out on our walls. We went from smooth walls to wood paneling. We rent so we have to deal with the walls we have at the moment. We live on a small income so we are still getting the supplies together to complete this but hope to get it up soon. Until then there are some inspirational pictures below to see just about how we would like to do ours. I hope you like this and hope to show you ours as we get it up. I am sure it will be years in the making for all of the extra bits around the letters but I am so excited we can finally make this happen.

Getting ready to learn how to sew

I am just getting into sewing. You must be thinking she has 6 kids and is just learning to sew? Well I can sew a button on by hand and make a small gap in clothing closed with no problem but I want to learn how to use a Sewing Machine.

With our move and now another move I had to put it off once again, but I learned that there are different presser feet for different kinds of sewing. Who knew? OK well I didn't.

This 42 piece presser feet kit from Simpzia is just what I needed. It comes with pictures of each foot and what you use it for. Can not wait to get my machine open and learn to sew. The biggest project I want to make is a quilt for each of my children made from their shirts, jerseys, and favorite lovies from their child hood. After that I am not sure where it will lead me but this is something I have been saving up for over 27 years so far. I am sure I will be using several of these presser feet to obtain my goal.

Check them out below at my affiliate link.

Included in package  • 1 x Stitch Guide Foot • 1 x Universal Presser Foot • 1 x Open Toe Foot • 1 x Zipper Foot • 1 x Nail Button Pressing Foot • 1 x Plastic Invisible Zipper Presser Foot • 1 x (A9) Applique Foot • 1 x Round Bead Foot • 1 x Sewing Press Foot • 1 x Satin Stitch Foot • 1 x 6mm Roll of Lace Presser Foot • 1 x Zig Zag Foot • 1 x Open Toe Embroidery Foot • 1 x Large Opening Presser Foot • 1 x Cording Foot • 1 x 1/4'' Quilting Foot • 1 x Braiding Foot • 1 x Standard Presser Foot • 1 x Straight Stitch Foot • 1 x Overcast Foot • 1 x 5 Hole Cording Foot • 1 x 7 Hole Cording Foot • 1 x Edge Joining Foot • 1 x Double Welting Foot • 1 x Invisible Zipper Foot • 1 x Fringe Foot • 1 x Adjustable Bias Tape Binder Foot • 1 x Shirring Foot • 1 x 3mm Narrow Edge Presser Foot • 1 x 6mm Wide Edge Presser Foot • 1 x 3mm Roll of Lace Presser Foot • 1 x Roller Foot • 1 x Sewing Beads Presser Foot • 1 x Buttonholing Presser Foot • 1 x Darning Foot Low Shank • 1 x Blind Stitch Foot • 1 x Darning Foot • 1 x Zipper Foot Low Shank • 1 x Kint Foot • 1 x 7-Groove Pintuck Foot • 1 x 9-Groove Pintuck Foot

Find out more about Simpzia on:

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Facebook

Disclosure:  MarksvilleandMe received one or more of the products mentioned above as part of a promotion with Tomoson and Simpzia. Regardless, MarksvilleandMe only recommends products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers. Some of the links in the article may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive compensation.  If you would like MarksvilleandMe to review or promote a product or service please contact us at marksvilleandme@gmail.com.

Making slime with foam balls

OK so I am sure if you have children you have either been making slime or your child has been watching how to make slime. We have made slime for a long time starting with our now 27 year old son. Then all of his siblings and child care children after him. 

One of our simple recipes are below. For this fall the girls wanted to try some colorful slime with colorful styro foam balls, and since this set also had a package of white I thought we would also make a winter themed crunchy slime too. 

We have just moved so our arts and craft supplies are not all here yet but once they we are going to get back into making crafts on a regular basis again. You can find affiliate links for the foam balls and the ingredients for the below slime towards the bottom of this post. 

You will need a bowl, spoon, 1/4 measuring cup, Elmers Glue (although you could use any white school glue),  Liquid Starch (we buy Sta-Flow because it is the only brand I know of, but if you have another liquid starch available I am sure that would work just fine too), and some tap water. Food Coloring if you want to make different colors.

1. Put a 1/4 cup of glue in the bowl.

2. Then a 1/4 cup of water.

3. Now add your food coloring if using. 

    To make lavender we used 2 drops of red and 3 drops of blue.

4. Then Stir until combined.

5. Next add 1/4 cup of the Liquid Starch.

This is what it looks like hanging from a serving spoon.

Sta Flo

Elmer School Glue

Disclosure:  MarksvilleandMe received one or more of the products mentioned above as part of a promotion with Tomoson and SANC foam balls. Regardless, MarksvilleandMe only recommends products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers. Some of the links in the article may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive compensation.  If you would like MarksvilleandMe to review or promote a product or service please contact us at marksvilleandme@gmail.com. 

Easy Bun Hairstyle

So about a month ago I learned at the age of 45 to do French Braids. With having had 4 girls you would have thought I would have learned long ago but alas I didn't and taught myself and did pretty good the very first time and it is getting easier everytime I do it. 

Now my 9 year old who asked for the French Braids wants her hair in buns all of the time, and to be honest it is just a pain in the butt. I wanted something that would give me great results with very little effort. School mornings are rushed already so I wanted to be able to give her the hairstyles she wanted as quick as possible to get her out the door on time. 

This DIY synthetic bun makers is so easy to use, it literally takes seconds to do. I start with a ponytail, then I put the ponytail between the attached bun maker and slide down to end of ponytail then start wrapping, when I get it to the base of the ponytail I let it make a circle which it will do all on it's own. You may need to adjust depending on thickness of hair and then spread the hair around the circle and you are done. This can be done low, mid, high, or even in my older daughters case if you have more then one you can do more then one in the back or with two ponytails on the sides. 

I love it when my daughter is excited about a hairstyle and mommy can actually pull them off, making her happy which makes me happy too. 

The Synthetic DIY Bun Maker can be found in 6 different colors here. 

You can find out more about the MyBruneiStore on:

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Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Pinterest

Disclosure:  MarksvilleandMe received one or more of the products mentioned above as part of a promotion with Tomoson and MyBruneistore. Regardless, MarksvilleandMe only recommends products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers. Some of the links in the article may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive compensation.  If you would like MarksvilleandMe to review or promote a product or service please contact us at marksvilleandme@gmail.com. 

Rainbows & Storms Make your own Board Game

How many times have you heard a child say " If I made a game I would play it this way?". Well now they can put those ideas right on a game board of their very own. With their own rules, and decorating it with the included stickers. This set comes with everything you need to make your own board.

When my girls come home from vacation we are going to use this one the next rainy day that comes along. They are going to have a ball coming up with their very own game. Very colorful and exciting. It also comes with suggestions as well as ideas on how to make it educational.

Great for a classroom project, homeschool project, or just for plain old fun. Family games nights just took another turn with a game made by the very family who will play it.

Rainbows & Storms can be found on Amazon.


What Griddly Games has to say about their product.

Griddly Games are games and kits that #getyougoing.  Proud to offer you a chance to play our Rainbows and Storms game. For ages 4 and up, this is a make your own board game kit. Simply Design, Stick & Play. Children have the opportunity to place over 300 adhesive shapes and colors on their board to envision their own rules, chance cards, and ultimate strategy for success. You can create your own chutes and ladders style game but where the rainbows bring you up and the storms take you down. The kit comes with rewritable chance cards and an erasable marker, so that every game is a new experience. This game can be used in educational settings as well. The common core standards can be incorporated into game play.

Be the master of your own destiny with this Create-Your-Own-Board Game Kit.

Create and play with others, or work together to build a game as you go!

Contents:

1 die

1 erasable pen

4 playing pawns

1 blank playing board

12 coated erasable chance cards

Instructions

You can find out more about Griddly Games on:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

#getyougoing

Disclosure:  MarksvilleandMe received one or more of the products mentioned above as part of a promotion with Tomoson and Griddly Games. Regardless, MarksvilleandMe only recommends products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers. Some of the links in the article may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive compensation.  If you would like MarksvilleandMe to review a product or service please contact us at marksvilleandme@gmail.com. 

How to use a Leather Belt Hole Punch

With my daughter being small we are always having to put holes in her belts and this is a much better way than the old nail through the belt because it does it so it doesn't rip and gets the hole perfect every time.

Great for those who work with leather or other crafts as well. I love the idea of making holes into my store cards and keeping them on a key ring, better then having to sift through your wallet for them every time.

Super easy to use, you don't have to be a muscle builder to get the punch to work, and does a great job. no more using nails for us.



You can find this leather hole punch on Amazon.


What Ohuhu has to say about their product.
This Ohuhu leather hole puncher is made of heavy and duty material, the punch ability is much stronger than others. Other punchers may become inefficient or useless after the puncher base is scratched or scuffed, but this Ohuhu puncher has the removable puncher base and you can simply change the surfaces by moving the srew and turning around and over.

Features:
*The punch wheel made of zinc alloy, stronger punch effect
*Replaceable puncher base, the base has 4 surfaces can be use by turn around and over
*Polished puncher head, made of medium carbon steel
*Can be used on watch strap, leather belt, paper card, plastic, etc
*Easy to use, comfortable and sturdy grip

Specifications:
-Item Weight: 1.25 lbs
-Production Dimensions: 12-3/4" x 4-3/4" x 1"

Package Includes:
-1 x Leather Hole Puncher

#holepunch

Disclosure:  MarksvilleandMe received one or more of the products mentioned above as part of a promotion with Tomoson and Ohuhu. Regardless, MarksvilleandMe only recommends products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers. Some of the links in the article may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive compensation.  If you would like MarksvilleandMe to review a product or service please contact us at marksvilleandme@gmail.com. 

Floral Picks

Until recently when I did a flower arrangement, wreath, or any other project with fresh, dried, or silk flowers I kind of just did it by eye, no measuring. Sure they came out ok but now that I know how to use floral picks I can really make a better arrangement or project. Floral picks come in kinds of sizes but I find that the 4 inch work best for the projects I do. 

It really is just amazing how the use of an item like floral picks can make a project go from that looks good to where did you get that from, you can proudly just say I did it myself. Floral picks are great for do it yourselfers to professionals. 

You can purchase Royal Imports Floral Picks on Amazon.

You can find out more about Royal Imports on:

Website

 #RoyalImportsPicks

Disclosure:  MarksvilleandMe received one or more of the products mentioned above as part of a promotion with Tomoson and Royal Imports. Regardless, MarksvilleandMe only recommends products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers. Some of the links in the article may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive compensation.  If you would like MarksvilleandMe to review a product or service please contact us at marksvilleandme@gmail.com. 

Premium Office Chair Caster Wheel

When our wheels broke on our office chair we put it in the back and bring it out only when we need an extra chair. Now that we have these Premium Office Chair Caster Wheels we are back in business. We couldn't believe they fit perfectly and took our broken chair and made it totally usable to us. 

You can purchase Premium Office Chair Caster Wheel on Amazon.


Features
- Premium casters made specifically to protect hardwood, laminate, tile, slate, and all other hard floors 
- Made With Highest Quality Materials Available 
- Soft Polyurethane wheels prevent scratches and damage to hardwood floor 
- Beautiful Design in Black and Gray Color.

Benefits
- Eliminates need for floor mats at home and office 
- Polyurethane wheels prevent scratches and damage to hardwood floor 
- Very Easy To Clean 
- Lithium based grease lubricated for smooth movement

Measures:
- Inches: 7/16" Steam Diameter x 7/16" Steam Length 
- mm: 11mm Steam Diameter x 22mm Steam Length

#zitriom

Disclosure:  MarksvilleandMe received one or more of the products mentioned above as part of a promotion with Tomoson. Regardless, MarksvilleandMe only recommends products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers. Some of the links in the article may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive compensation.  If you would like MarksvilleandMe to review a product or service please contact us at marksvilleandme@gmail.com. 

10 in 1 Bike Wrench Review

Every time our children have needed help with their bikes they ask for Daddy, well not anymore. I have a tool that helps me be able to help them instead of having to wait for Daddy to have time to fix their bikes. 

I know I can't fix it all but the easy stuff I can do so that my husband can have a little break now and then. I was surprised by how much this little wrench can do. This is really a neat tool to have in your tool box or on you if you are a avid bike rider. I know my husband was happy to get another new tool to make his and my life a little bit easier. No more searching for the right size it has them all at least for our bikes it does. 

You can purchase the 10 in 1 Bike Wrench on Amazon.

What they have to say about their product.

Why CLD BrandsTM 10 in 1 Wrench? 
Your search for the Best 10 in 1 bike wrench is over. Now you will be ready for any on the road maintenance your bike needs with the CLD BrandsTM wrench. 

Features: 
• Right sized tool to fix and maintain your bike 
• 45# galvanized steel 
• Premium quality 
• Fits in your pocket 
• Specially designed to remove and install screws 
• Perfect for adults and teens 

CAUTION: This is NOT a toy. 

Contents 
• One (1) 10 in 1 wrench 

You can find out more about Ramini Brands on: 

Website

#bikewrench10in1tool

Disclosure:  MarksvilleandMe received one or more of the products mentioned above as part of a promotion using Tomoson.com. Regardless, MarksvilleandMe only recommends products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers. Some of the links in the article may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive compensation.  If you would like MarksvilleandMe to review a product or service please contact us at marksvilleandme@gmail.com.