Cardboard picture frame and Giveaway (closed)

As a child and even to this day I have been fascinated with how things are made or how things work. When I was little I have vivid memories of  watching Mr. Rogers' crayon factory tour and thinking it was  the greatest thing ever. When I was recently sent a few Curiosity Quest DVDs I was pretty excited. If you haven't heard of Curiosity Quest it is a family show that airs on PBS. Kids submit things they are curious about and host Joel Greene goes out and answers it a very hands on unscripted way. It sounded right up my alley. 

Here's what I loved about the show. I appreciate that although it is a kids show it engages the whole family, I was entertained and actually learned a few things along the way. Joel is a great host, he is  engaging and friendly but not talking to my kids through the screen (i.e. Blues Clues, Dora type shows). Bear totally loved it. (We don't always watch TV so it is nice to have a few quality shows I use as a special treat from time to time). You can be inspired and actually opens a dialog between your kids.

We watched the Family Recycling episode from their CQ goes Green series. I was automatically interested in scaling this down to something that made sense to the boys. Here is what we came up with.

                                            Upcycled cardboard box picture frames

What you need: cardboard box, scissors, glue, scraps of paper or paint, masking tape

1. I sketched out and cut the shape of the frame and measured and cut out the center according to the size of my picture. My picture was 4x6 so I cut the center half an inch smaller all around (3.5x5.5). 

    2. I had a few scrapes of construction paper that I tore into small pieces and had B glue around the frame 

      

I also had W finger paint his frame since that is easier for him to do.

Once dry I cut out a small square of cardboard to stick to the back I tried glue but later realized that it was hard to get the picture in once dry. I opted for placing my photo inside the frame first and then taping the back with painters tape since it can be easily removed if I choose to change the picture.

3. If you have takeout restaurant magnets you can glue one on the back and hang it on your fridge, or you can glue some ribbon to hang. 

I love that these can be great holiday gifts for the family made by your little ones and even better that it is all recycled material. 

I have even better news. Curiosity Quest also sent me two extra DVDs to giveaway to one lucky reader. These are great gifts and stocking stuffers so it's a perfect time for it. Good Luck! The winner will be announced here December 12th. Sorry, USA and Canada residents only. 

For more information and list of episodes be sure to check out their site. Just click on the image below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
**This is a sponsored post and giveaway. All opinions were my own and would only recommend things that I would sincerely use on my own**


UPDATE 12/11: Congratulations to Jamie R. Please send me your info at cuteandpeculiar (at) gmail

The Book and (Leading Lady review)

As I mentioned a few times here I am in the process of self publishing a children's book about breastfeeding. The image above is actually one  taken by my partner Heidi Helser (also the lady behind in images in the last post) 

I don't often mention it here but breastfeeding very much a part of our everyday life. In fact is has been for the last 2 and a half years. I am still currently nursing both Bear and Wolf. It was actually the inspiration behind this book idea. When I found out I was pregnant with W, Bear was only 6 months old and as the time went on and my lap got smaller and nursing with a growing belly became more of a challenge I started looking for children's books to help explain the idea of another baby breastfeeding to a still very young toddler (by this time he was 13 month) every book I came across was set for an older child and a bit wordy or had images that looked a little too dated. I wanted something fresh and new with beautifully simple images that would be engaging enough and that even babies could follow. Here is where The {Breastfeeding} Initiative came alive. After finding Heidi Helser I knew that this was a dream that could come true. We are still in the process of developing the book but you can see a little more of our progress HERE. 

When Leading Lady approached me about doing a review for a few products of my choice I was pretty excited. I was in need of some new "support". I was able to order two items and here is what I chose the Molded Seamless Underwire Nursing Bra and the Lace-Cup Underwire Nursing Bra.  

Just to give you a little background on Leading Lady they have been around for over 70 years and carry a ton of great intimate apparel not just for nursing but regular items too available in a large selection of sizes. Okay back to the review. The package came within the estimated delivery date which is always a bonus. Both the bras are lovely and constructed very nicely I especially loved that it came with a small booklet with information on breastfeeding  tips tricks and resources  I thought this was such a thoughtful add on. 

As far as the fit  the Molded Seamless Underwire Bra is amazing, it's comfortable lays smoothly under my tops, even t shirts and although it is a molded cup they are soft enough that they are easy to fold down to make for easy nursing. Which is so important when you have a a fussy boy demanding to feed ASAP. The second bra was the Lace-Cup Underwire Nursing Bra.  This bra is lovely and fit well and the cups are also easy to fold down to feed. The only issue I did find with this bra is that the actual mesh back has spandex. So the whole bra is stretchy which makes for a comfortable band but I never felt like I was completely supported, that said I think someone with a smaller chest would find this one great. 

In conclusion I am 100% sold on the Molded Seamless Bra I think I found my go to bra for my whole nursing carrier. With timely delivery and a great product I would highly recommend Leading Lady to any and all nursing moms. 

Be sure to check out all their selection HERE. And if you would like to keep posted on my little book adventure be sure to check us out HERE. 

** this post was a sponsored post, The review was my honest opinion on the products**

Have your paint and eat it too *Wee Can Too**

If you follow me on Twitter (@cuteandpeculiar) you know how excited I was to receive our Wee Can Too paint. If you are not familiar with Wee Can Too they are an all natural, vegan, edible paint specifically aimed to babies and toddler. As I have mentioned before W is still very oral and most of his art projects end up in his tummy. I was so thrilled to hear that with Wee Can Too paint that is 100% okay. SWEET! I host an art group at my house from time to time and it is so reassuring to know that I am able to offer such a safe product for even the youngest artist. (once they are eating solids of course). 

I had to try them out the minute we got them. The first product to sample was the Baby Finger Paint.  It calls for equal parts water and paint mixed in a separate container. ( I ended up using more water than this to make the paint more spreadable. The texture is a bit grainy but I was so pleased with the pigment in the paints especially the yellow. Both the boys loved it and I was so excited to not have to worry about W eating it. I was also very surprised by how much paint you get from such a small amount. I used a little less then a tablespoon of each paint color and that was more then enough paint for both the boys. I still have a few products that I received and will let you know how those work out as well.  I can't wait to try them. 

**paint courtesy of Wee Can Too all opinions were my own**

I am sharing this post on: Two in Diapers Mommy-Brain mixer

puddle jumping and Keen shoes

pictures of shoes after being outside

So I mentioned yesterday that it was a stay inside kind of a day. We changed our minds and decided to test out these new shoes in the backyard. B had a blast jumping in puddles and collecting rocks to stack. Despite the fact that I was freezing we had a great time.

So now the verdict on the Keen Coronado High Top. I loved them. Here are some important factors for me.

They had to look cute. I am a sucker for Chuck Taylor Converse but they make no sense in the Pacific Northwest unless you plan on your kids having cold wet feet all the time. I think these shoes translate pretty similarly as far as being fashionable and don't look totally outdoorsy.

They had to be comfy. So far B has been wearing around the house and outside with no complaints. I like the removable insert that seems to have some extra cushion.

They had to work in rain. What better place to test that out than in Oregon. Although we did go out with full intent to puddle jump these are obviously NOT rain boots and some water did seep in though the "tongue" of his right shoe but honestly not bad. And a better option than a rain boot for us as the ones we have tried seem pretty heavy and B really couldn't move well in them. His feet besides the top of his right foot were still dry and warm.

They had to clean nicely. We really like getting our moneys worth with shoes so we would rather have a few pairs of good quality shoes that B will wear until he grows out of them. So these really needed to clean well to be able to wear for all occasions. When we first got back in the house I was really scared that I may have overestimated the "waterproof-ness" and they were doomed to be dirty looking from here on out, but I wiped them down with a damp rag and they cleaned up great. With exception to the the inside of the straps being that the inside of the shoe is canvas.

All in all I am super pleased with these shoes and seem to fit exactly what we were looking for in and indoor, outdoor toddler shoe. I would definitely recommend them. Time to get your kids outside :)

*this is NOT a sponsored post. Just my personal review*