Guest Post: How to display DIY projects

Creating crafts and works of art serves as a hobby for many adults and youngsters. However, once they have finished these expressions of creativity, they’re never quite sure what to do with them. What are some types of crafts that serve well as art displays around the house?

Paintings and Drawings
For the individual who has dabbled with colors and perfected art with palettes, drawings and paintings are likely the apple of your eye. Choosing some of your more sophisticated works can certainly serve to enhance any room in the house. If you’re still in the earlier stages of working with these mediums, you may wish to put the painting in the office or den as opposed to the living room or dining room. Selecting a space where the color schemes match is wise.

Wreaths for the Season
Putting together wreaths is a fun activity that the entire family can be involved in and that your children will likely love. As long as you have a solid base, you can decorate the wreath with virtually any materials such as wrapping paper, glitter or natural items found in the outdoors. Always make sure all of the supplies are non-toxic in case anything falls off and children or pets are nearby.

Models and Sculptures
If you are interested in modeling and sculpting, you can make art displays that have a chance to serve a dual purpose. For example, let’s say that you are interested in sculpting and working with ceramics. You could make a flower pot or a tabletop decoration. Then, you will have a home for some flowers in the warmer months or some little odds and ends when the Christmas season rolls around. Chances are you are going to save some money by using these art works as decor in your home.

For The Children
When you are busy working away with your art projects, your children are likely going to want to join in as well. Depending upon the age of your kids, you may invite them to start helping with the art displays you create. However, they might have their own interests to explore. You can set up a shelf in the playroom or the den where they are free to display whatever works they would like.

When you have a crafty side, using these skills can help to make your home a beautiful space that is a representation of you.

(This post was sponsored by Diane Langly, a home decor expert and enthusiast. When she’s not busy creating decorating ideas, she is writing about them. Her other passions include travel, food, family, and arts. Thanks so much for continuing to support So About What I Said’s wonderful sponsors!)

[Bottom photo via We Heart It]

Sponsor Spotlight: StickyGram

As I mentioned last week, I was pretty pumped when I discovered the awesomeness that is StickyGram, the London-based company that brings your Instagrams to life with everything from magnets to phone cases to even tablet cases. How neat is that? I recently had the chance to chat with Hugo Topping, StickyGram’s social media guru, about the company’s early days and some great tips for taking the perfect Instagram photo. Plus, read on for a special discount at the end! xoxo


Keep in touch…
Official Web site: StickyGram
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Tell me about StickyGram. What’s the inspiration behind its launch?
StickyGram launched in 2011 with a passion for Instagram and making beautiful products to share your world. We started with fun little magnets and now sell customizeable iPad covers and phone cases too. We are based in London, and all our magnets are printed in the sleepy town of Oxford.

What has the response been like so far? Why do you think people like it so much?
StickyGram is loved the world over! As a small team, it has been incredible to see a global following who have fallen in love with our magnets. We try to be creatively awesome in everything that we do.

What are you top 3 tips for taking a great Instagram photo?
*Tip 1: The world is your oyster; be creative!
*Tip 2: Instagram is so easy to get right and hard to get wrong. People use it in so many different ways. We have hundreds of examples of Instagram art on our blog.
*Tip 3: Smile!

Does StickyGram have any plans to expand its offerings in the future?
This month, we launched “The Jigsaw” — one image over nine magnets, our first new take on magnets since 2011! We also introduce new phone cases and iPad covers each month. We are super excited for 2014!

**Bonus: StickyGram is offering 25% off phone cases and iPad covers through February 28th.

Guest Post: Brighten your space with outdoor artificial flowers

With winter continuing to barrel down on us (snow and cold, anyone?), spring can feel like a million years away. But! There is a bright side — literally! Now is the perfect time to add colors of nature to your exterior landscapes with outdoor artificial flowers.

Artificial outdoor flowers have all the attributes of being the perfect solution for you. With so many colors to pick from, and a guarantee of world-class quality, there’s hardly anything amiss with these artificial flowers.

Why opt for outdoor artificial flowers over real botanical specimen?

The most obvious reason: People visiting will instantly notice the difference in terms of the vibrant and blooming landscape. Secondly, the amount of time and efforts you have to invest in the maintenance of these artificial botanical beauties is nothing compared to what would have been the case with real flowers. Made from sturdy material, these faux flowers manage to retain their brilliant looks and shapes for several years at a stretch, ensuring their long life and vibrance. Then, you have a whole world of flexibility when you opt for artificial outdoor flowers for your exterior landscaping, as these can easily be rearranged and shifted from one place to another. Plus, here are a few other benefits that these wonderful landscaping products bring to create the perfect outdoor ambiance…

*There’s absolutely no need for you to employ gardeners for the pruning and cleaning of these flowers.
*There’s no undesirable growth, so space constraints will never trouble your landscaping appeal.
*With UV-resistant materials being used in the manufacturing of these flowers, you can be certain that they’ll retain their vibrant colors and outlook for a long time.
*The problems of landscaping flowers being deformed because of careless employees mishandling them or pets roaming in the flowers are alleviated with outdoor artificial flowers at your disposal.

Whether you wish to arrange these flowers in bunches and place them in decorative pots or wish to let them impress visitors with their unique colors, you can expect great results with these outdoor artificial flowers. Moreover, you can keep them close to your garden benches and accentuate specific portions of your landscapes in this manner.

Guest Post: 14 ways to pass the time at the airport

Flight delays, missed connections and long layovers usually lead to bored, cranky travelers. And while muttering under your breath and asking the ticket agent for updates every 15 minutes may seem like your only options, there are actually more proactive — or at least enjoyable — ways to pass the time. So whether you have five minutes to spare or several hours, here are 12 fun ways to pass the time at an airport.

Get out of the airport (don’t go too far)
If you’ve got a few hours to kill and the airport is not in the middle of a field, get out and explore the area. For example, just past the taxi line at Puerto Vallarta’s airport are food stands. For just a few dollars, you can sample local tacos and watch the people go by. Not too keen on street food? Order a soda and people watch.

Get Out of the airport (go far)
If you’re in London, Amsterdam or Vancouver, for instance, take advantage of the train connections and explore the city. Pick a stop with tourist attractions, or, if you’re really up for an adventure, pick any stop, get off and explore.

Drink
Whether you’re alone or with a travel companion, pick a bar and make sure to actually sit at the bar. That way, you’re more likely to meet people. At the very least, someone’s bound to have a good story!

Eat
If you’re stuck in an international airport, use the opportunity to sample some local cuisine. No local cuisine? Find a McDonald’s and try something different. Try the Shaka Shaka Chicken in Singapore, the McVeggie in India or the McSahara if you’re in Morocco. Or just order fries and marvel at their ability to taste the same all over the world.

Tacky Souvenir Challenge
Yes, you could use the time to shop for souvenirs, but your family and friends will know that you bought their keychain/pen/snow-globe at the last minute in the airport. Why not go all out and try to find the tackiest souvenir as a memento of the longest day in your life? Or, if you’re with a friend, buy each other the most embarrassing t-shirt you can find. Whoever keeps it on the longest wins.

Get a Room
Many hotels located near airports offer special rates for travelers on layover. For example, the Ottawa Days Inn, just 2 kilometers from MacDonald-Cartier Airport, offers a $99+tax rate for a standard room with two double beds where you can stay between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Sleep the day away or use the hotel’s pool, hot tub and gym.

Kick it Old School
Take things back to 1999 and actually call someone. Yes, your smartphone can be used for speaking to people! Another blast from the past idea: Put down your Kindle and go buy a cheesy romance or mystery novel. Leave it in the airport for the next bored traveler for good karma points.

Talk to a Flight Attendant
If anyone’s having a worse day than you, it’s probably a flight attendant. Find one that looks especially bored/jet-lagged/disoriented and keep each other company. They’re bound to have good tips for most major cities.

Airport Bingo
Take people-watching to a new level. Make a BINGO grid but instead of numbers have items like ‘frazzled ticket agent,’ ‘man with sunburn’ or ‘frantic family running to their gate.’ Stay in your chair or turn it into a scavenger hunt. Tacky souvenirs for the winner!

Help Someone
Flying can be stressful and emotional for travelers and airport employees alike. Offer to help a mother travelling with young children with her luggage, or send a sympathetic smile to aforementioned frazzled ticket agent.

Work Out
Many airports have fitness centers where you can buy a $20 day pass. San Francisco and Dallas-Fort Worth Airports both have free yoga studios featuring yoga mats and a looping video to follow.

Zone Out
If your airport doesn’t have a yoga room, find your own quiet corner and make a meditation zone of your own. When is the last time you simply sat quietly with your thoughts?

Get creative with your smartphone
Take pictures of the art, architecture, views, people sleeping with their mouths open, etc. Make a video set to music about your day at the airport. Or, download the Karafun app ($5.99 for 48 hours) and host a karaoke party. Particularly applicable if you’re still at the bar with your new friends.

Sleep
If you’re one of the fortunate ones that can sleep anywhere, find a row of chairs or a spot on the floor and take a nap. If you’re a really heavy sleeper, set a phone alarm.

How do you pass the time? Any advice you’d add to this list? As with all delays in life, prepare as best as you can (water bottle, snacks, change of clothes, electronic devices fully charged) and try to cultivate Zen-like calmness. That’s something airports could use more of!

(This post was sponsored by James Houde from iProspect, the Chicago-based leading digital marketing company. Thanks so much for continuing to support So About What I Said’s wonderful sponsors!)

[Photos via We Heart It]

Guest Post: 3 holiday ideas for kids

It’s not any secret that Christmas is one of the most anticipated holidays for both children and adults. However, I suspect the reason for this anticipation differs between children and adults.

For many adults, the holidays bring a lot of mixed emotions, ranging from excitement to anxiety, and for some, even a sense of dread. Why? Things like spending extended periods of time with family, the financial strain buying gifts, preparing the house for holiday guests, traveling with children, etc. It can all cause holiday stress and anxiety for adults.

Although it is easy to buckle under the various pressures surrounding the holidays, it is important that parents do their best to hide these feelings from their children. Christmas is a magical time that most children look forward to all year long. In fact, according to the executive editor of Kidspot, an Australian parenting Web site, it is very possible that children look forward to Christmas more than they do their own birthday.

If parents would take the time to think back to when they were kids, they would most likely remember how excited they were in the days leading up to Christmas. Christmas traditions such as hanging lights, trimming the tree, building gingerbread houses, visiting Santa, etc. are all traditions that made Christmas exciting. Of course, their parents all had moments when they felt overwhelmed by all the little details of Christmas, but by keeping these feelings suppressed when they were around their children, they kept the excitement of Christmas going for their kiddos. So, how do we do this?

Make a Big Deal About the Little Things
As adults, the details that were once so exciting for us have lost their magic over the years. That doesn’t mean they have diminished in importance for our kids. So, we must make a point to make a big deal about these things!

Continue Family Holiday Traditions
Most families have their own special traditions that have been handed down from generation to generation. Continue to do this. Family traditions make children feel secure and give them a sense of identity because these traditions belong to their unique families.

Make New Traditions
While continuing the family traditions from generations past is important, it is also important for families to start their own traditions. Again, this helps build the excitement and magic of Christmas up for kids. Whether it is spending every Christmas Eve driving around looking at lights, taking your little girl shopping for the perfect holiday dress or picking out a live Christmas tree together as a family, these new family traditions will all give children even more to look forward to at this special time of year.

Hopefully, you can see the importance of keeping the magic of Christmas alive for your children. One last thing to consider as you think about how you can give your children positive memories of Christmas is that by nurturing their excitement for the holiday, you will also be boosting your own level of excitement.

Now it’s your turn! Please share how you make the holidays exciting for your children! What are your special traditions? What traditions do you remember from your own childhood?

(By Andrea K. Clark of Kids Formal, one of my long-term sponsors. Thanks so much for continuing to support So About What I Said’s wonderful sponsors!)

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[Photos via We Heart It]