Thursday, April 30, 2015

My Dexas Win from Being MVP!


 Good morning to all of you. 

I hope your day is full of sunshine and laughter.

Reason for this post today?

I want to show you all the products I won from BEING MVP and DEXAS.






 Last month sometime I got an email telling me I won $100.00 in Dexas kitchen products. I was super excited. Once the box got here there were 2 things missing. 2 cutting boards. I also thought that I was missing a klip cup and a scraper but they were in the picture of the review from Being MVP, that was in her box.

Well, I wrote the email and talked to Jeff about the missing products and he was very nice in fixing the problem. Before you knew it, I had the tracking number and my missing cutting boards finally came, and with them? A Klip Kup, and the Scraper. How about that? He sent me a few extras, and I am truly grateful. They have very good customer service.

Here are a few pictures of my goodies...


I have never used a salad spinner but I do hate it when my dressing gets watery. This salad spinner from Dexas is collapsible. 


This is a big 5qt Salad or Party Bowl. It's all purpose. I love the handles in the purple grips. It is also dishwasher safe, non-slip. This will get used a bunch at our house. I needed a big bowl.


This is a Klip Kup. It clips onto the big bowl to keep your dressing away from your salad or it's perfect for a side of dip. No double dipping please. :-) It is 1 cup or 8oz. Perfect for dips, dressing, salads, ice cream toppings and more. I got the purple. They also come in red and green.

Here is a picture with the Klip Kup on it.



Great idea! I love the way it looks and it matches!



This is the Mezzaluna. You cut you lettuce with this. If you use a knife the edges will turn brown, and nobody wants brown salad. I also got this in the purple. It matches the bowl and the Klip Kup in the purple. You just get out your cutting board or do it in the bowl, and run this through your lettuce or greens until it is the way you like it. This Mezzaluna has a cushion grip too. This will come in handy since I eat salads almost every day. This is dishwasher safe too.


This is the "extra" gift I got. It's a scraper that fits the bowl. I can be used for pastry as well since it has a cutting edge. I will put this to good use.


Here is the large cutting board. 10 in X 14 in. It is called a Grippboard. The wrap around border keeps juices on board, it's reversible, non-slip, fully wrap-around, non-porous, odor resistant and safe for fine cutlery. BPA Free.


This is the small grippboard with a non-slip edge. It is 7 in X 10.5 in. It is exactly the same as the big grippboard. I like having 2. One just for meats, the other for vegetables and fruit. It is nice to have 2.


This is the Spoon & Strain Tongs with a soft cushion handle. It is 2 Tbsp serving. Use one side to spoon sauces or use the flip side to strain. Great for tossing salad or pasta and turning meats and vegetables. I got this in purple too. I love these tongs. They have a lock on them at one end to keep them from slipping open and closed. Since I don't own tongs I was super excited to get this too. 


This is my Collapsible Klip Scoop.This is good for portion control. 3 tools in 1. Food scoop, Multi measuring cup, Bag Clip. This is a one cup/8oz.


It's open.


Here is is closed. You can use it from 1/4th to a half cup, on up to 1 cup. I really like this. It helps with portion control of snacks. One scoop is plenty! This came in green and blue, no purple. I don't care. It will get put to good use here at our house.


All of the items, 8 pieces. 

This was a great win and will get put to good use. I am a vegetarian so I could have not won anything more fitting to my lifestyle. 

I am super impressed with the Dexas line.

Here is some more information on Dexas.


MADE RIGHT, RIGHT HERE.
In 1969, Dexas produced its very first cutting board in Dallas, Texas. Today, we've become the leading designer and largest manufacturer of cutting boards in the U.S. Today, 80% of all the cutting boards we produce - and 100% of our office products - are made right here at home. We're committed and proud to be 'Made in the USA' .

ABOUT DEXAS INTERNATIONAL
icon-gotexan2.pngDexas is a Texas-based designer and manufacturer of cutting boards, kitchen tools and gadgets and silicone heat-resistant items. Dexas provides innovative kitchenware in today's trending colors to the world's leading retailers. We design products that stimulate the home chef's culinary creativity. The company is also a leading manufacturer of storage clipboard cases that protect and organize documents and supplies for the office, school or job site. These durable, weather-proof cases ensure that work documents and projects are portable and protected.

ABOUT POPWARE™ FOR PETS
Based on the design innovation of our Popware® collapsible strainers and colanders, Dexas created the Popware™ for Pets line of pet care and pet travel products. The food and water bowls and cups are durable and collapsible, which means you can take your pet anywhere you go. Pets are such an important part of the family!

Great company, great products. Made in USA.

I can honestly say that this was a great win. So many items that will actually get used at our house. 

THANK YOU DEXAS!

If you are looking for kitchen items and products I would suggest you grab up some DEXAS and get to using them and then you will see how great they are. Summer is coming and it's just the right weather to put all these goodies to good use. 

I really loved all the products and I can HONESTLY say that I feel good about the company and this review. Just because I got it free (all but the time it takes to fill out the rafflecopter) does not mean that I make up lies to tell to you to get you to purchase. Thats not what reviews are for. Be honest. 

No one from Dexas asked me to blog about this win but I want to share this great company with all of you and tell you how pleased I am with all they sent. 

Very lucky, and very happy!

They have ALL kinds of neat products. 

Take a look at their website...HERE~DEXAS



I want to say a big "THANK YOU" to Dexas and BEING MVP for my great prizes.

I enter a lot of giveaways through BlogLovin' but this is my best win yet.

Please go check out DEXAS and get some new items for your kitchen or your PET!

I will leave you with a few pictures of other items they sell....

These are from School & Office...


E-Clips, 5 stars, $14.99


Slim Case 2, 5 stars, $10.99


Loom Case Lap Case, $19.99

and...

  POPWARE FOR PETS


Adjustable Pet Feeder $44.99

Pet Bowl Grip Mat $12.99, 5 stars

Flexible suction Lid $4.99


Collapsible Klip Scoop, 5 stars, $6.99


Collapsible Travel Cup with bottle holder and carabiner. 5 stars, $9.99

Aren't their products nice, I could spend, spend, spend at Dexas.

Check them out, do your research, and put your new items to good use. 

Remember, DEXAS for all your kitchen, school, office, and pet needs.

Thanks for being here today. 

I just wanted to show off my win.

I never win a darn thing, but BlogLovin has served me well the past 2 months.

I wouldn't have known anything about them if it was not for BEING MVP. Go check out Being MVP. The host lots of giveaways. Go enter and see if you win a great prize. 

Glad I got to share with you today.

See you next time!
~Crystal

THANK YOU DEXAS!





















Wednesday, April 29, 2015

WIP Wednesday

Good Morning my friends!


Ain't that the truth this morning. Here in West Virginia I woke up to the birds singing. I even got my wash on the line, to enjoy the sun.
I love my sun dried sheets.

I wanted to share my WIP Wednesday, and finished projects.

I finally finished my blanket and shams.


#WIP


My Shams...


My queen size blanket.

I started this project the last of Oct. I put it away for awhile and just now finished it up. The shams turned out lovely too. Although I had a hard time getting them to match. I had to tear one sham out 5 times. Yeah, not good.

They are finally finished, looks beautiful on my bed. 
I was going to make matching valances but I have to have more yarn for that and I am a little tired of Charcoal. ;-)

I have 30+ skeins in this set and I used a G hook, and a J for the tc on the back of the shams. (easy and covered fast)

The colors are Red Heart Super Saver in Charcoal and a med pink with no label from my partners grandma. 

I am thrilled with it. It's huge and warm. 

Moving on...

I just finished the #CallieBag that I made for a friend. One of my first sales.


This bag is made from Red Heart. It is their new variegated yarn in Lagoon.

It is bright and beautiful.

This was a simple bag until I had to figure out how to put it together. I posted about the problems with this bag HERE.

All in all I am happy with it. 

I think every time I am working on something it gets tore out about 5 times. 

This bag was no exception.

I hope Callie is happy with it, I would carry it. :-)

Ok, those are my finished projects, let's move on to what's on my hook...


The Navy yarn on the top is Lion Brand Chunky in Navy.

So far it is just 30 sc across. 17 rows so far.


Isn't this a great bag? It was my inspiration...


Only thing wrong? This bag is not crocheted or knitted. It was made from a sweater and a belt.

Once I seen this bag I knew it was going to get made. I went through tons of stitches to get the look but sadly the yarn is so heavy that the waistcoat stitch I was going to do was just too hard. I couldn't hit the post or the hidden 3rd loop with this chunky yarn, and a bigger hook would not do.

So I went with a regular sc and it is tight and strong. No liner needed.

I went to our local pantry and got an old belt. 

Now I can't find the darn thing, but it is here. I WILL find it.

Simple project. I think it is going to be fine. I am half way on the bag itself, and once I cut the belt in the right pieces to fit, it is going to look awesome. 

Sorry that I couldn't get a picture of the belt. It is MIA. I made sure to get a long one, not to skinny, with a decent size buckle. Remember to think about the length of the belt. Throw the belt over your shoulder to make sure that your bag is going to hit where you want it too.

Next project...



This is the start of my Road Trip scarf. You can find the pattern HERE

I used Unforgettable Boutique in Parrot. Everyone who sees this comments on how pretty the yarn is. I concur. :-)

.

Here is where I am now...


I still have about 10 rows to go, and the edging, plus the little flowers. They HAVE to get made and put on as well. I fell in love with this scarf the first time I seen it. You can look and see all the other color options that people have made at RAVELRY~Road Trip Scarf. Please do this. You would not believe how beautiful this scarf is in different yarns. Just gorgeous. They really are beautiful. The pattern is simple so far. I want to wear it tied like a bandanna around my neck with jeans and a Tee.

Much Thanks to Zelna Olivier, Zooty Owl's Crafty Blog where the lovely pattern came from. It really is beautiful. Check out Zooty's, it's a great blog.



It just so lovely. I can NOT wait to wear it. 

I think thats it for today for crochet.

I went to the dr. yesterday for more Xrays. I was there almost 2 hours. Good news! The Dr. could see the inflammation from my hip to my toe. Nothing torn. It is my Sciatic Nerve dripping. I know it's common but I have never had something so simple be so painful. The Xrays did show old Arthur too. He runs in my family, and I had years and years of gymnastics and cheerleading and I am sure that did not help any either. 

The verdict? More bedrest until my appt. next week. I came home with 4 bottles of meds, and I got 3 shots while I was at the Dr. office. I am glad its over. I had not been to a "regular" dr in 2 years. Matter of fact, I had Bells Palsy then. I only go when I have something major. Once I had my breast surgery's and they got all of it out I just go to my Gyn and she treats me for what I need. 

I hope to be up and moving soon. Yesterday I piddled in the kitchen. Putting up my sunflower curtains and my matching table cloth. I still have no clue about the rugs on the floor. Huge oriental rugs, I can't move by myself. I need to get better so I can go help my gran spring clean. I promised her I would, me getting hurt didn't help any.

So I have extra time to crochet because I am not supposed to be up a lot. Some movement is ok, if I get stiff it really hurts. I will take the extra crochet time anytime!

I hope this post find all of you well.


I enjoyed spending the morning here in the little piece of my heart and having visitors is the best part. 



HAPPY HOOKIN!
~Crystal















Sunday, April 26, 2015

Crochet Flower Pot for Mother's Day


Ok, maybe not, but "almost" anything, I can do, and some of that I want to show you today. How are you on this dreary Sunday afternoon? Me, I am still somewhat bedridden (although, I am moving around a bit more) but I have so many awesome things to share this post that I have wanted to get started all day!

Hang out with me for a bit, and share in my CROCHET happiness! :-)

Let's start this post out with a couple good things that have happened to me lately. I won a giveaway from Divas With A Purpose and I can't remember if I showed you a picture of my win, plus it had a cash prize.


It has a drinking cup, an awesome t-shirt, a journal, and a sticker. I was thrilled with this prize. Thanks to Divas With A Purpose!

I enter a lot of contests but I never seem to win yarn (other than the Merino I won from Little Things Blogged). That was a previous post HERE.

Well, I have broken that streak and I won some yarn! I got a congratulation email that said this...

Crystal,

My original winner never claimed her prize, so do you know what that means?

Congrats! You are the big winner for my yarn giveaway in conjunction with the Crochetville Blog Tour.  

What have you won? Three skeins of Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash in the colors of your choice. You may choose up to three colors.  Please go to this link: http://www.cascadeyarns.com/cascade-superwash.asp to choose your three colors.


Now, I ask you, ISN'T THAT WONDERFUL!!!! 3 skeins of lovely Cascade Yarn 220 Superwash in my choice of color! I went through and picked out Duck Egg Blue 1985
Spring Bud 1997
Banana Cream 1915
You can find Cascade Yarn and my 3 choices HERE
I have never used this yarn before as I haven't been crocheting long but do you love it? Let me know! 

I had another great surprise too! I won TWINKIE CHAN'S April Blog Sponsored Giveaway!!! Whoo-Hoo! Seriously folks, I am super stoked about this win. Not only for me, but there are a few of the prizes that will make great X-Mas gifts for my niece. There are a pair of made to order cherry leggins, I love the cards and especially the stationary set. This was a great win to a couple good Etsy shops as well. All in all....9 pieces total!

Moving on...

I finally got my shipment from my win from Being MVP & Dexas. Sadly, all the items were there but the grip board cutting boards. Here are a few pics of what I did receive. I plan to make a blog post once I it all gets here and I can pull it all out to use it. 


Awesome salad spinner. I am a vegetarian so this will be used in my house.


Spoon & Strain Tongs, Mezzaluna, Collapsible KlipScoop (this is awesome for practical portion control.


and a very nice 5 qt salad bowl. Jeff @Dexas gave me the option to pick a color. Purple of course! Salads brighten up the table and in this bowl its going to look awesome.
All I am waiting on is the FedEx truck to bring my cutting boards (3). I already have the tracking number. This is a great company. I will share more once the AWOL items get back home.

When I got the email from Dexas, I also had a email from Her 3 Little Thinkers telling me that I won 2 Body Wax kits from BodyHonee. I have never waxed myself at home so I may need a helper. I think I have someone in mind. Oh, Bub! ;-) ( I will let you know how that goes :-))

Last but not least, the big one. 
Here is the email I got...

HI Crystal,


I am about to make your day!  You just won the Kohls GIveaway from our blog, Still Blonde after all these YEARS.  You can visit your prize here:


As you may remember, you won :
$100 Kohl's Card
Please provide your correct email, phone number and address.  If you do not respond within 48 hours, I will have to award your prize to someone else and that will make me sad!  

Again, CONGRATS!  Who is you favorite blogger now????  HMMM?????




Shelley Zurek
Chief Blonde and Blogger
Email: Stillblondeafteralltheseyears@gmail.com
Still Blonde after all these YEARS!THE Blog for Women over 45! 
High Value Giveaways for ALL!


Pretty awesome, and I am so happy. Usually Kohl's is not a place I normally shop because I am a bargain shopper but I love their clearance!

So, not too bad of a start to the spring. I am thankful for all the hosts, blogs, and their owners for making my mailbox happy! 

Thanks so much!

Ok, now back to crochet....

Here are a few of my Mother's Day gifts for my mom. A kitty card (she has that cat on the front :-)), a glade candle in Berry Passion and let me tell you, you can smell this candle from OUTSIDE the box. Lastly, a fabric covered box that I am going to put the candle and some chocolate truffles in. All of this came from our Dollar Store on clearance! About $2.50 in all!


Inside of box, and the little ditty in the card.


The box would work great for index cards. I can think of a million ways to DIY this box and use it!

Did I show off my yarn bowl? Its from Carl ODell@hotmail.com~Pottery
I bought it at a craft show, and at such a reasonable price (I mean REASONABLE) that you should email him for one and say Crystal Walker sent you! I am in love with mine, I am going to start collecting. He lives at the end of my street. My mom got one and her's is black with gold flecks in the pottery. Its beautiful too. 


I have good news on the #WIP for my bedroom. I am down to 5 rows of TC on the back, seam it up and insert pillow. DONE!!! I have 30 skeins in it and that is without the cafe curtains that are supposed to go with the set.


Here is the ROADTRIP scarf that I am working on....


At the start...


I still have many rows to go, plus a edging. This is going to turn out lovely for a spring scarf. I want to wear it bandanna style with jeans and a t-shirt. I am in love with this pattern. 
You can find the ROADTRIP SCARF HERE on Ravelry.com

Now, my proudest moment of the past few days...A Crochet Flower Pot for my mom for Mother's Day. 


It's a free pattern from Lion Brand HERE

It needs to relax a little but it turned out so cute. 

Here is the progress....


The pot


the grass (what ur flowers attach too)


all of the flowers ( I made about 10 more of each)



My leaves (I made more of these too)


All the little bits and pieces.


the flowers on top of the green grass. I left a long tail at both ends so I could tie underneath to secure them. I used a gold yarn for the knot in the middle. Once again long tail, and I tied them underneath with the flower tails.


You can see how I tied them on. Neatly as I could.


The pot once I stuffed it with a recycled stuffed animal tore apart.



I am very proud of it and I know my mom is going to love it. 
I can see it sitting on her kitchen window sill with the rest of her African Violets. 

I started this yesterday evening, and only worked on it a few hrs today. It's a simple, fun project and very easy. I had to add the turquoise around the pot. My fave color that HAD to be used with that Cayenne kitchen cotton. The pot is cotton, and the band around it. The rest is With Love, from Red Heart.

Make yourself one and send it to me! I am going to make a million and set them around my house. I DO NOT have a green thumb and this is the way around that! It turned out so good, and so cute. 

As you can tell I have been pretty busy.

I wanted to share, I will have more coming this week. I want to show you what came in my mailbox!

Have a great evening!
Happy Hookin!
~Crystal