Aveeno Products Review {Giveaway}

I’ve written about the Johnson & Johnson products quite a bit, and today I am focusing on the Daily Moisturizing Lotion and the Nourish & Moisturize Shampoo/Conditioner. When I first tried these out, I was kind of left a little unimpressed, but now…not so much.
I’ve been using them religiously for a few months now, and I just love it. I have these crazy phases where my legs itch like crazy. I’ve never been one to experience that kind of thing, and even Benadryl or antihistamine meds won’t help when I go into one of my crazy itchy phases. Even worse, my head sometimes gets like that, too. My initial impression was that because they weren’t scented, I wasn’t gaga over them, but I am thinking the all natural, no fragrance formula is definitely worth not smelling like flowers and rainbows. It soothes the skin, and during nights when I am itching so much I can’t sleep, it is my SAVIOR.

The shampoo and conditioner don’t do much for my curls or my dry hair, but it does a lot for my scalp. Gotta have priorities! I have less itchy/dry scalp feeling, and that’s worth a million bucks. Scratching your head constantly is NO FUN y’all, and it can be embarrassing. I think I straighten my hair too much to see a huge improvement, so please keep that in mind. My hair is fried!
I am in love with all the Aveeno products I’ve tried thanks to the Johnson & Johnson campaign with the Latina & Latino Lifestyle Bloggers collective, and I am thrilled to giveaway the entire line of products shown above in the first photo. I’m sure after you try them, you’ll love them just as much as I do. To enter, just use the Rafflecopter widget below:
THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. CONGRATS CANDY!

Mi Best Buy {Review #MiCultura}

Although I am a bilingual Latina, I truly appreciate companies that take the extra step to cater to Spanish speakers and promote the Hispanic culture. Best Buy is one of those companies leading the initiative, and I’m proud to support a store that realizes that the Hispanic market is important. I will never forget all those moments when out and about with my grandmother at various stores and there was no one who spoke Spanish on staff. As a kid, I felt bad for my grandmother, and now as a grown woman who works in higher education and public relations, I truly realize the important of having Spanish speaking associates on a staff.

The “Mi Best Buy, Mi Cultura” initiative is a joint effort between Best Buy and some of its key vendor partners to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs through October 15, 2012. I’m so honored to be part of this campaign and help spread the word about what Best Buy and Panasonic are doing for the Hispanic community in such simple, yet meaningful and impactful ways.

I went to the Best Buy location in Victoria, Texas and was assisted by Adrian Lopez—he’s one of the Spanish speaking associates you can find in over 300 Best Buy locations nationwide. I had to pick-up my Panasonic sound bar at the customer service/in-store pick-up area, which to my total surprise was also Spanish friendly by having Spanish translations on the bottom of the sign:

I looked around and noticed that all the major department signage also had Spanish translations on bottom.

Adrian took care of my entire transaction with a helpful, cheery demeanor, and I would not hesitate to send any of my Spanish-speaking relatives over to that location. And if someone wants to shop online in Spanish, Best Buy has offers a total Spanish-language shopping experience via Best Buy ESP.

I signed for my Panasonic Sound Bar, and then I was out the door and on with my evening. Even though I didn’t have to spend much time in the store, my experience was very positive.

My husband was also quite excited about our new toy!

We host a lot of family get togethers, so this will be a nice addition to our home audio set-up. We love spending time with the familia watching football games and TV shows, so now we get to enjoy those gatherings with our new sound bar! It’s nice how something so simple can bring together loved ones to celebrate our cultura over some cervezas and nachos!

In a few weeks, I’ll have a video review of the sound bar and I’ll be hosting a giveaway for a $100 Best Buy gift card! :)

And if you need to give a Best Buy gift card… Best Buy created an eGift-Card bbyurl.us/eGiftCard. Check out their assortment of eGift-Cards in Spanish for your shopping convenience and have them delivered immediately via email. Perfecto!

What are you doing (or your friends/family) to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month?

This is part of a sponsored campaign with Latina Mom Bloggers and Best Buy. However, all opinions expressed are my own.

Simply Delicious Spanish Rice {Recipe & Giveaway}

Spanish rice is a tasty food I love as a side dish or as a filling addition to my burritos/wraps. Problem is I could never quite make rice as well as my grandma did. It’d be a bright orange/red color and it’d be so tasty. I finally whipped up some Spanish Rice that I think my grandma would be proud of. It has the vibrant color and yummy taste that hers had…but all in about 20 minutes!

I kind of don’t like using bouillon cubes because it never fails that it doesn’t totally dissolve in the food and someone ends up eating a block of it. That’s why when I was asked to create a recipe using the new Mazola® Sobrecitos® bouillon packets, I was thrilled that they completely dissolve without needing to massacre a cube.

And 1 pouch=1 cube making it a fool proof, no need to measure when adding it to food.

The Mazola® Sobrecitos® bouillon packets come in a chicken and tomato flavor, so it’s easy to find a way to use them in soups, rice, beans or even taco night.

Now, let’s make some tasty rice!

Ingredients:

-1 Mazola® Sobrecitos® chicken flavor bouillon packet

-1 cup enriched rice

-1 tbsp of Mazola Corn Oil

-1 tsp of Sazón with Garlic and Onion

-2 cups of water

-Optional: Avocado for garnish

-Salt/pepper/cayenne to taste

First, heat your pan and add the Mazola Corn Oil in. Then, once that was nice and hot, I started browning my rice over medium-high heat. While that was cooking, I dissolved my bouillon packet into my water. A few turns with a spoon and it was all easily dissolved. I’m officially a convert to packet bouillon now! It’s convenient and saves this Latina lots of time and effort. I like cooking that involves no fuss.

After your rice is nice and golden in color, add in your bouillon water + Sazón. Let it come to a boil, then cover your pan and reduce the heat to medium, stirring occasionally until your rice is nice and fluffy. You’ll know when it’s done, trust me. It took about 15 minutes for my rice.

I served mine up with my beefy enchilada casserole and some sliced avocados on top. It was SO tasty. It had the authentic flavor I was seeking without much work. I got the pretty color by adding a dash of cayenne. It also adds a dash of spicy!

This recipe makes about 6-8, 1/2 cup servings. It’s the perfect amount for 2 people to end up with leftovers for the next day.

See? Yummy leftovers the next day. I love how Mexican food is always vibrant in color. Feast for the eyes and stomach.

If you’d like other recipe ideas, you can visit Mazola on their

• Facebook page: www.facebook.com/MazolaEspanol and
• Mazola’s website: http://www.mazola.com/spanish/inicio.aspx

And to help you get started, I’m giving away a $25 Walmart giftcard AND some Mazola Sobrecitos!! YAY!!!

You can enter below using the Rafflecopter widget. You must be 18 and up, US only, closes on October 3, 2012 at 8 pm CST. Good luck!!

This is part of a sponsored campaign with Latina Mom Bloggers and Mazola® Sobrecitos®. However, all opinions expressed are my own.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Pottery Barn Halloween Votives {DIY Knock-Off}

Halloween is just about a month away, so this means it’s time to think about all those spooktacular things you can create to decorate your home. We don’t have many trick-or-treaters, nor a Halloween soiree, so I tend to keep my Halloween décor minimal, chic and no fuss. But, this doesn’t mean I don’t thoroughly enjoy the things I do make.

Last year I made spider web votives, and this year I spotted some votives I love from Pottery Barn. Problem is…I don’t love the price tag. Never fear, Monica is here with a version that is so easy and inexpensive. Chances are you have most everything you need already, and if you don’t it’ll cost about $1.50 per votive if you have to run to your nearest Walmart & Dollar Tree.

Let’s do this.

Supplies:

-Vellum (Vellum gives the frosted appearance of a candle, and individual sheets are about 20-cents at craft stores.)

-Printer

-PDF Template (Created by yours truly…you’re welcome!)

-1 LED Tealight (They’re 2 for $1 at Dollar Tree, which is where I bought mine)

-Votive/tealight holder (I have a TON on hand, but if not, they’re 50-cents each at Walmart or Amazon)

-Scissors/paper trimmer

-Double-sided tape (Regular could work, too)

Total Cost: ~$1.50 each

Savings: $8 per candle holder or about 80% each

Time: Should take no more than 5 minutes per votive holder

Step 1:

Plop your vellum into your printer, and print out the votive templates. Cut out each votive using scissors or a paper trimmer.

Step 2:

Now we want the appearance of beefier candle holders, just like the PB version. So, grab a piece of double sided tape, and add it to one of the ends of your wrap. Circle the other end over and press until you have a nice cylindrical tube of sorts.

Step 3:

As you can see, my sleeve is quite larger than my votive holder (which still has candle wax in it…oh well!) This will create the “look” and this is also why we are using LED tealights and not real tealights that could catch on fire and burn your house down. Don’t be cheap; get the LED tealights!

Plop an LED tealight, upside down, into each votive holder. Like this:

Not only does this actually illuminate the design by forcing the light to the middle/bottom, it also means you don’t have to flip each one over to turn them off. Just reach, switch it to off, and move on. Easy peasy.

Step 4:

Place sleeve over the glass and place wherever you want some mood lighting.

So easy! This seriously is a super simple craft that packs a lot of punch, without worrying about creating a fire hazard.

But, if you want some classier backgrounds instead of black, I got ya covered.

Here’s moroccan skeleton head:

And damask skeleton head:

And if your pair all of them together, you have yourself quite the trio.

So, at a savings of over $8 per votive holder + super easy directions= FAB, nearly free décor.

Hope you enjoy the free printable, and if you make any please send me pics! I’d love to see how you all use the printable. Would also make for good napkins rings!

What’s your favorite décor for Halloween?

Jazzercise Burlesque DVD {Workout Review}

I’ve tried it all when it comes to exercise DVD’s. From the age of 16 or so (when I started working at the Target 1-hour photo lab), I bought into the latest exercise crazes. If it had an infomercial, even better.

Winsor Pilates? Check. Hated it. Sold it on eBay.

Original Zumba on VHS? Loved it. Til VCR’s became extinct.

Carmen Electra’s Striptease Workout? Liked it. Til I got bored. Sold it on eBay.

Turbo Jam? Loved it, was too cheap, burned copies from a friend. Still love it.

Richard Simmons Sweatin to the Oldies? Adore. Still have them.

The Shred? Loved/hated/despised it. Sold it on eBay.

See? I’ve done it all. Now that I have to ahem, budget, I don’t go nuts and buy too many of those gimmicky kinds of things. I tend to only buy DVD’s that I can do and that will be fun. No need to torture myself doing something like P90X. No offense to those of you who love them and think they’re fun—it’s just not my style of workout.

Honestly, when I workout I like to pretend I am a backup dancer for Britney Spears. And I have to be DAMN NEAR PERFECT, because by golly, I am dancing behind Britney effing Spears.

I can’t be the only one. You don’t pretend you’re a pop star back-up dancer when you workout?

You should.

Image Credit: Amazon

While working out to the Jazzercise: Burlesque DVD. First of all, the workout has songs 90% of us will recognize. It has 2 Britney songs (“3” and “Slave For You”), 2 Pussycat Dolls (“Dontcha” and “Wait a Minute”) songs, a song from the movie Burlesque, a song by JLO (“On the Floor”), one by Beyonce (“Girls”)and a song that sounds like it maybe could be by Marc Anthony. Don’t hold me to that. It’s Latin-ish, not by Pitbull, so Marc Anthony is a safe bet.

As someone who has done Jazzercise before, I adore the format of their classes. They stay true to that in this workout DVD. The warm-up and stretch part lasts a good 6 minutes or so, unlike other workout regiments I do where they’re like “shake your hips, clap twice, now let’s hurt ourselves by jumping around like crazy people!”

None of that here folks. After about 6 minutes, you go into the JLO “On the Floor” routine, and it’s challenging. I’ll be 100% forthcoming in admitting if it involves jumps, I am NOT doing it. A year ago I landed in physical therapy due to Zumba classes, so I do not want to go down that road again. While they’re jumping, I march in place or shake my ass.

Also, minutes 6-20 are the absolute hardest. You will be huffing and puffing, but you’ll also be having FUN. The moves are fun, and you don’t feel dorky. The moves are a bit sexy and don’t require you to be a proficient dancer. Again, just to be real with you all, I am the type that picks up on dance workouts very quickly, but for someone who doesn’t it might take 1-2 workouts to get in the groove. As long as you’re moving, don’t sweat it.

After you finish the super hard part (minutes 6-20) you do a few more dances until about minute 30 when it switches to Beyonce. It’s a standing ab workout that I find to be effective and not torture. The next toning song is Britney “3” and it’s toning for legs. I do about 1/2 of this one—anytime there’s lunges I lightly march/jog in place. I’m not willing to hurt my knee over a $15 DVD. Toning lasts from about minute 30 until 40. Then the last song comes in and you cool down and stretch.

Super fun, not super easy. This workout is great for those who find working out to be a chore, are overweight, don’t like dancing in public, but are willing to shake what their momma gave them…in the privacy of their own home.

I hope this review helps someone who has been wanting to workout, but dreads doing a super “serious” DVD and wants something that feels like a night of clubbing with friends.

If all else fails, I swear that pretending you’re a back-up dancer for your favorite pop star is a good way to have fun and dream a little.

What workout DVD’s do you love?

Fall Fashion for a Fall Wedding {Lifestyle & Beauty}

Yesterday on my blog, I wrote a little about my frustrations with being overweight at the present time, especially when shopping. And I also mentioned that there's a particular brand and store I love, and today I'm here to dish on why I love the Liz Claiborne line at jcpenney.

I bought a few things from the clothing line over the summer after I got my new job at the college. The sizing is true to size, which is nice because I hate vanity sizing. And although I have a cute sweater and a dress from the Liz Claiborne line that I use constantly when constructing my work outfits, I find myself needing a fancy, body flattering outfit for a wedding I am attending on October 20.

And guess what, you'll get to help me choose! I'm going to use a jcpenney gift card to purchase 2 outfits, and I'll post photos on here and you'll get to vote on which one I wear to my friend Mau's wedding. Her wedding will be held at a gorgeous, upscale venue in Austin, TX in the evening, so I want to make sure I look very pretty and that I also feel confident and comfortable.

I am the type of girl who adores dresses, but I am not against wearing some great slacks, heels and blouse with some sparkly jewelry. Just browsing through the options, here are a few that caught my eye.

 

 

I can't wait to go shopping and see what I find in store. What sorts of styles, trends or colors should I keep an eye for if I want to look good at a fall wedding and am a plus sized gal? Help! And please stay tuned for my next post so you can vote on which outfit looks best for my night on the town at my friend's wedding.

Remember, jcpenney carries lovable fall styles for ALL sizes. Go to jcpenney to shop for great brands like Liz Claiborne. With so many options, I need everyone's help to find the perfect outfit!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of jcpenney. The opinions and text are all mine.

Weight Loss for Lazy People

You all know my struggles, and boy do I struggle, with weight loss.

The last time I wrote about it, I then committed to about 4 weeks of counting points and doing well, but without exercising at all. Then, I went out-of-town to see my mom, decided to splurge, fell off the bandwagon and have been half assing it since then.

So, I lost 5 pounds, gained them back, and here I am, oh about 6-8 weeks later?

And let’s rinse and repeat because, hey, it’ll probably happen again!

And again.

Dear God why is this so hard?

I know a lot of people say that fat people are fat because they are lazy. Then fat people get all upset because they have a thyroid issue or some medical attention or are big boned or whatever…

Personally, I’m coming to terms with the fact I am fat because I AM lazy. I know, sounds harsh, but truth hurts. And it hurts to be fat.

Big time.

Pun intended.

I want to lose weight, look like a JLO/Jessica Alba hybrid and still eat what I want and sit on my ass watching my TV shows every night in my super huge night shirt that hides every ounce of fat.

Wow, I sound pretty pathetic now that I said that out loud.

But it’s true. So. I know I’m not alone. Perhaps you’re feeling this way, too. I guess what I need to think about during these moments is that being lazy and overweight not only leads me to be unhealthy, but it leads me to be unhappy. Since I’ve put on all this weight since my wedding (like a ton…it’s awful…omg…), I now don’t go to the mall to shop for clothes. I go to the mall and stick to buying pretty shoes, handbags and jewelry or stocking up on stuff that smells like donuts at Bath & Body Works. You know, stuff that doesn’t revolve around getting my thunder thighs into the latest trendy, cute clothes. With the exception of plus size stores, I can’t really buy any clothes at the mall.

And that is sad. I miss the days of being able to fit into clothes at New York & Company or Anne Klein or White House Black Market. Now I shamefully do the walk to the “woman’s” section of the department store or I try to be blissfully oblivious and shop from home to avoid seeing my rolls magnified in a 3-way mirror under harsh lighting and dressing rooms that smell like armpits and pee. Oh, oh, and I also hate to see the “W” behind my size. It’s bad enough it’s a LARGE number, do we hafta add a W for like “WIDE ASS” after it? I mean, gosh.

BUT, rather than give up, I somehow never lose sight of what I want. I want to be healthy. I want to be thin. I want to shop in normal stores again.

I want to feel better about myself.

So, I’m devising a weight loss plan for lazy people, like myself.

I do so much sitting around at home in the evenings from about 6-11 pm, so part of my lazy people weight loss plan involves scheduling stuff in the evenings so I am more productive and more active.

4 times a week, from 6:30-7:30 pm, I will engage in some form of exercise. At 6:30, I will stop what I am doing, change into workout clothes and MOVE. Then from 7:30-8, I will shower and all that jazz. From 8-9 pm I will work on blog posts, with original content, so I can actually try to get in the habit of posting regularly instead of sporadically. Then from 9-9:30, I will do stuff around the house in order to not have to spend all my weekend doing housework. Then from 9:30 until bedtime, I will watch TV or troll online, etc.

Just 4 evenings a week. The other evening I can use to catch up on my DVR or do grocery shopping, menu planning, etc.

On weekends, I have to exercise on Saturday or Sunday.

And as far as eating goes, I get off track when I don’t plan, or when I allow myself to totally splurge. Oh and when I go out drinking. This means I have to think ahead and plan, plan, plan. I will stick to what has always worked for me…the old school Weight Watchers flex points plan.

Will this work? Who knows.

There has to be a way for lazy people to lose weight. If only desire produced results.

But speaking of shopping, there is a new line of clothes I am in love with (especially for work!) that I will be writing about tomorrow. I know it’s so hard to be plus size and confident, so I am excited to write about some of the stuff I’ve bought from this fab brand/store.

What do you do when you have no energy to focus, workout and lose weight, but tons of desire to?

Fulfilling Your Dreams {#VZWDreamDay #LATISM}

I’ve been asked to write about my “dream” today. Am I living it? Is it all I thought it would be? Quite honestly, it’s something I’ve been thinking of even before getting the opportunity to write about it. Sometimes I feel like an old soul because I am only 27, and sometimes I get stuck into a mentality of thinking, “Is this it? Is this what my life will be like forever? Will I really make in the low $30Ks ALL MY LIFE?!”

So every once in awhile, it’s good to dream. Big or small, it’s necessary to strive for something better in order to keep improving and working hard. That’s the attitude I approach my career in because sometimes I feel stressed and like I will never get to advance or earn more money, but I know that by working hard and improving my skills, the dreams I have will hopefully come true.

My dreams as I am approaching 30 revolve around being able to afford to travel, being able to afford to pay off my student loans and being able to afford that new SUV I’ve been lusting after for 3 years now. I thought it would happen this year at Christmas, and like some of my dreams, they’re just not going to happen right when I hoped they would.

But they will happen someday.

And then there are those fun dreams that will likely never come true like hopefully getting to meet celebrities I adore (Jennifer Lopez, I’m talking to you!), or winning an HGTV home makeover or simply fitting in a single digit jeans size. Oh, and winning the lottery, of course. Those are fun dreams— Harmless, fun, and great conversation starters.

For me, dreams keep me going even when I don’t feel like I can push myself anymore. Dreams keep me inspired. Dreams give me hope for something better.

As of today, I continue working away at my dreams, big and small, by staying positive, helping others and relishing in the dreams that do come true. And I get to chronicle some of them here on these very pages you’re reading.

I’d really love to thank LATISM for selecting me for this opportunity in partnership with Verizon Wireless. I know you’re probably thinking, “What does Verizon have to do with making dreams come true?” Well, in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, Verizon Wireless is hosting an exciting sweepstakes to win a day with celebrities that inspire Latinos to keep thinking BIG and keep working towards careers that fulfill their dreams.

And who doesn’t need a little reminder to dream BIG for our careers? When I get in a slump at work, I remind myself that every day that I work hard leads to better career opportunities and prosperity down the line.

From NOW until October 15, enter to win the Día de tus Sueños (Day of your Dreams) Sweepstakes at www.verizoninsider.com/dreamday and you might get a dream-come-true experience! Adding to the excitement, is can be a little easier to get closer to your goals with the additional cash prize of $1,000 and a Verizon Wireless 4G Tablet to help record your thoughts and plans through a video diary.

Are you following your dream? Go to www.verizoninsider.com/dreamday and take a step closer to your dream.

Check www.verizoninsider.com/dreamday for complete rules including eligible zip codes. Prize package includes bringing a friend for the experience – so go enter right now! I just checked who the celebrities are for the Texas/South region—I would love to meet Helio Castroneves. He was on Dancing with the Stars, and he was so fabulous that he won! And that accent…swoon.

I am dreaming right now… And it’s a simple dream involving a salted caramel mocha frappucino and some glitter to craft with. And I promise I have some great tutorials/recipes coming up in the next week or 2.

What are you dreaming of?

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post that I was selected for by LATISM. All dreams, opinions and stories are all my own.

Mod Podge Damask Pumpkin {DIY Tutorial}

Yes, yes. I’m obsessed with pumpkins.

Aren’t we all this time of year? It can’t just be me.

For this pumpkin, I didn’t pull from my usual bag o’ tricks (paint, glitter and ribbon), instead I tried something I’d never, ever tried before.

Mod Podge.

You see, it sort of scared me off a bit. Decoupage is such a fancy word, and I am just a simple girl from Texas y’all.

I read some tutorials to get the basic gist of it, and I am proud of my damask pumpkin. The whole project took maybe an hour? Probably less, but the Oprah episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians was on while I was working on it, and I got distracted by the Oprah.

If you’re afraid of Mod Podge, too, or don’t know where to start, you need one of these kits. I feel they are perfect for someone like me who had never used the stuff before and didn’t know which types I’d need.

Supplies Needed:

-Gloss/Matte Mod Podge (doesn’t really matter which one)

-Sparkle Mod Podge

-Sponge/Foam Brush

-Paper (I used 1 damask gift bag I had on hand)

-1 Foam Pumpkin (Mine is from Dollar Tree)

-Flat, White Spray Paint.

To get started, cut your paper into 1-inch strips and make sure the strips are long enough to cover your pumpkin. Originally I started off with 2-inch strips and it was a pain in the arse! Smaller is better. Also, make sure you prime your pumpkin with some flat paint. The Mod Podge sticks better to it.

Apply a generous amount of gloss/matte Mod Podge to your pumpkin AND to the back of the paper. Smooth it onto the pumpkin. Now, with oddly shaped things like pumpkins + thicker paper, it’s nearly impossible to not have creases here and there. I tried to smoosh (that is TOTALLY a technical term) the creases down to the bottom, but it’s not always possible.

Now, below you can see a gap. I found it was best to go straight down (not necessarily right next to one another) and then cut smaller pieces of paper in to fill in those gaps.

Go all the way around until you see no more primer/orange… then seal with sparkle Mod Podge. The sparkle is subtle. You can see little flecks of glitter below.

And even more here. You can also see that I didn’t obsess over lining up the pattern or get out all the creases. That’s the blessing of damask- it’s so busy that it all just kinda works together anyway.

I painted the stem a pretty silver color, and I was done!

This damask pumpkin will fit in with all my mercury glass pumpkins, as well as the new black rhinestone one I bought at Kirkland’s.

I really do love the way it turned out, although it’s so far from perfect. I think I am a Mod Podge addict now. Besides it being damask, my favorite thing is that this pumpkin would look good as fall décor or Halloween décor.

What else can I make with Mod Podge? Now that I have a small stash, I am eager to make more things. MOD PODGE ALL THE THINGS!

Any other Mod Podge tips for me? This website has oodles of Mod Podge ideas and Amy is super fab.

Disclaimer: I begged for some Mod Podge to try out, and Plaid sent me some! I was not otherwise compensated for this post. All other supplies and ideas are all mine. :)

Metallic & Glittered Dollar Store Pumpkins {DIY Tutorial}

Anyone who’s read my blog during the fall/holiday season knows I am absolutely obsessed with metallic and glitter finishes in home décor accessories. I love the shiny finishes, and how most of the accents catch the light and bounce it around the room. Metallic and glitter pack a punch if you want to create a wow factor.

And obviously I am not the only one who feels this way because all the popular stores carry these sorts of finishes: Pottery Barn, Home Goods, ZGallerie and even Target all cash in on those of us who love the shiny things in life.

What’s fortunate for us DIY/crafty people is that with some simple dollar store décor and some great craft supplies, we too can create shiny, glittery things. Ooh. Aah.

I had emailed the folks at Plaid crafts to see if they wouldn’t mind sending me some glittery stuff to play with from the uber fab Martha Stewart line. Luckily, they said yes, so I am here today to show you 2 SSC (super simple crafts) using some of the cool stuff they sent me plus some stuff I bought. From start to finish they take less than an hour to do both, and they’re both kiddo friendly if you want to get them in on the fun. And unlike using glitter in powder/normal glitter form, using glitter paint is SO MUCH EASIER to clean up.

Supplies:

-2 pumpkins (ceramic, foam, plastic…it’ll all work) The ones I used are from Dollar Tree, $1 each

-Martha Stewart Metallic Paint in Rust

-Martha Stewart Glitter Paint in Brownstone

-Dark Brown Craft Paint (Normal Acrylic Craft Paint)

-Paint Brush/Sponge Brush (I used these and LOVE them)

-White Spray Paint in a Flat Finish (I use the 97-cent spray paint from Walmart)

So, you start off with your pumpkins. I usually take the price tag/UPC stickers off, and then I prime them with some super cheap flat spray paint. Usually, I just use white spray paint, but they also have gray and black, so if you’re doing something dark, you might want to use gray or black. Personally, I feel white is a great color to start with. Much like a blank canvas.

Once you’ve primed, let it dry about 15 minutes, and you’re ready to go. Remember that when priming you don’t need for it to be solid white to be “primed”.

For the glitter pumpkin, take your glitter paint and do a light coat. It’ll look a smidge splotchy, but remember that light/thin coats work and dry so much better than thick coats. Not that I am speaking from experience…

Here’s coat 1. Very pretty and sheer. A little ethereal. I almost stopped here because I liked it so darn much.

And onto coat 2:

And finally coat 3:

While each coat was drying (about 5 minutes/dry to the touch), I flip flopped between glitter pumpkin and metallic pumpkin. This way I could knock out 2 pumpkins at one time.

Here’s coat 1 of the metallic rust colored paint:

Rust is such a gorgeous, metallic orange. It’s not your basic Halloween orange, it’s deep and almost copper like. I am in love.

Here it is after two coats…

Once the third/final coat was done on each, I painted the stem of the pumpkin using a dark brown color (burnt umber). On the metallic pumpkin, I painted the leaf the same color, but on the glitter pumpkin I wanted a pop of color, so I painted the leaf the rust color.

I love the brownstone glitter because it has brown, silver, gold, orange flecks of glitter in it. I’ve never seen anything like it. It would make a marvelous nail polish. Martha, please make one.

The metallic is so rich and opaque. I didn’t think it’d work as well as it did.

I love them! I can’t wait to put these new pumpkins alongside my collection of other pumpkins. My collection has grown quite a bit the past 2 years, so adding in smaller, inexpensive pieces like these allow me to create a new feel with little money. This craft is something anyone can do. Wouldn’t they make great placecards, too?

If you need other pumpkin ideas, check out my other pumpkin related tutorials:

{Mercury Glass Pumpkins}

{Faux Mercury Glass (for non-glass pumpkins)}

And coming up on Thursday… DAMASK PUMPKINS! <insert confetti here>

Have you done any pumpkin crafting lately? I shy away from carving pumpkins, but I may give it a go this year. :)

Disclaimer: Plaid sent me some free craft supplies to use + I used/bought some other supplies of my own, but I was not otherwise compensated for this post.