Shamrock Wreath

*Don't forget to link up to my weekly Marvelous Mess Party.... one project from each party will be featured on my sidebar for a week!!*

We decorate our houses with wreaths for so many occasions, I though it would be fitting to make a Shamrock Wreath for St. Patty's day. :-) 

I went with a four leafed clover, for luck, rather than a three.....because I just like the number four. 

If you would like to make this very simple wreath here is a list of supplies you'll need:

Green Garden Twine

Foam Wreath

Green Floral Wire

Hot Glue

Jon Stewart

~Take the hot glue and attach an end of the twine to the foam wreath:

~Wrap it tightly around and around and around and around and around and around and around and around...........until you cover the whole wreath and then hot glue the end of the twine in place. 

~Make a little loop out of twine and hot glue it to the back of the wreath (you'll use this to attach your wreath tot he wall, etc). 

~Take a long piece of floral wire and begin threading it through an equally long piece of twine. Don't worry if it's tricky, Jon Stewart will help you.

~Shape it into a shamrock. Call upon the powers of Jon Stewart to aide you in this endeavor:

Thanks Jon!!!!

~Use an end piece of wire from the shamrock to make a stem and attach the base of the stem to the inner bottom of the wreath. 

~Cut a little extra piece of wire to secure the top of the shamrock to the inner top of the wreath like this:

~That's it!! Now you've got a sweet little St. Patty's day wreath. :-) 

I shared this project at these funky blog parties:

Get Your Craft On
Frugalicious Friday
Works For Me Wednesdays 

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Marvelous Mess #2 Feature!! Chaps!!

The second week of A Marvelous Mess party has past and we had a total of 77links!! Woo hoo....that is 27 more than last week. Aw yeah. :-) 

Here are some of my favorite projects from this past week:

Antique Silverware Mold Knockoff from Vintage Skye

A beautiful Ballard knockoff with a great looking patina!!

Lego Star Wars Cookies from the Domestic Sugar Bake Shop

I totally cracked up over these. SO funny....and, yeah, they look super tasty. :-)

Mocha Brownie Torte from One Happy Little Farm .........and, I think there should be a warning before viewing such deliciousness that it may cause quick trips to the grocery store for ingredients not on hand. I just gained, like, 15 pounds. 

And, the project I have decided to feature on my sidebar for a week is.......dun dun dah:

Rodeo Chaps from Lilybug Designs. Are these not the cutest, sassiest chaps you've ever seen. Go on over to Lilybug and get the quick and easy tutorial!!

Thank you so much to everyone who linked up. Tell your blog friends to join you next week for 

A Marvelous Mess!!

 If I featured you, feel free to grab this button for your blog:

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Britax Frontier 85 CSN Review!!!!

I was lucky enough to participate in a review with CSN Stores (did I mention I LOVE CSN??) and I used the gift code they gave me to go towards buying the *incredible* car seat you see above. It's the Britax Frontier 85 and it is the new thing in my life to be thankful for. You see, I was diagnosed with OCD a few years back and one of the many ways that it affects me in my day to day life is with checking (and rechecking and re-rechecking) the safety of locks, buckles, straps, etc. I'm quite capable of spending 15 minutes trying to buckle my Munchkin into the car seat. I just haven't found a seat that I feel totally comfortable with. After some exhaustive research, the best brand that I came up with by far is Britax. 

Here is what I LOVE about this booster seat:

- the 5 point harness (the same buckle system used for infant seats) can be used up to 85lbs....this is incredible!! Tests have proven that the shoulder belt is no where near as effective at safely containing a child during a collision as the 5 point harness....it makes so much sense to keep it as long as possible (this was the BIG reason why I dreaded switching to a booster seat). You know who else uses a 5 point harness?? Race car drivesr and fighter pilots....because it is the safest way to contain a body during a crash.

- has True Side Impact Protection which shields against a vehicle intrusion, helps to contain a child's body during a crash, and also keep the child's head an neck in good alignment. This is done by have a good frame around the shoulders, energy absorbing foam with a firm layer underneath to help distribute the energy, and a head restraint (also lined with the energy absorbing foam)  to keep the child's head and neck in alignment. 

 - HUGS. Harness Ultra Guard System. This are chest pads for the harness that are made of an elasto polymer with treads on the back. They minimize the movement of your child during a crash.  

- Ease of Use: it is so easy to adjust this seat to fit your child!! The harness has ten different positions it can move to and the buckle has three. Simply pull a strap to tighten the belts. 

Here is what I don't LOVE about this seat:

- It is not incredibly easy to install this car seat into your car. You definitely need to fiddle around with it for a while (maybe 15+ minutes) to get it to perfectly fit. 

 - It is heavy....you won't want to be hauling this car seat around (say, in the airport....) it weighs almost 20lbs. (19.6 lbs to be exact) 

All in all, this car seat is wonderful. I am really pleased with it....and my munchkin and I are both pleased with the fact that it doesn't take me so long to buckle up!!

So, what are you waiting for?? This car seat is worth it. You child's safety is DEFINITELY worth it!!

Britax Frontier 85

~I was provided with a gift code from CSN Stores for the purpose of a review. All opinions in this post are written in my own words and entirely my own.