Another post about my Influenster Summer Beauty VoxBox!

I've now had time to try out the Quaker Soft Baked Bar that I received in my Influenster Summer Beauty Vox Box. I thought it would be perfect to take to work for breakfast, since I'm always in a rush in the morning to get to work on time.

I got the Banana Nut Bread flavor, which was exciting, since I do like banana bread! 

Things I really like about the Quaker Soft Baked Bar:

• 5 grams of fiber per serving
• B vitamins
• 6 grams of protein

The packaging suggests heating it for 30 seconds or so, but it's been so ridiculously hot here lately that I just ate it as is and it was still pretty good. My only complaint is that it tasted more like coconut than banana. I'm not sure why they used coconut flavoring, when banana would have been much better, since it is banana nut bread, after all. This isn't a flavor I would buy now that I've tried it, but I'm interested in trying another flavor.

I've also had a chance to use the Sally Hansen Nails & Cuticle Hand Creme several times. 

Things I love about this hand creme:

• light scent
• not greasy
• has shea butter
• soaks into my skin
• makes my cuticles look healthy

I can't find anything bad about this product. I probably will buy this when I run out of my sample.

Disclaimer: I did receive both of these products for free through Influenster's Summer Beauty VoxBox.

Influenster Sumer Beauty VoxBox

I was lucky enough to receive the Summer Beauty VoxBox from Influenster full of products to try for free.

It included:

• Sally Hansen Magnetic Nail Color in Polar Purple
• Sally Hansen Nails & Cuticles Hand Creme
• Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration SPF 30
• Always/Tampax Radiant sampler pack
• Quaker Banana Nut Bread Soft Baked Bar

I received it yesterday, and so far all I've had time to try is the magnetic polish. I had been wanting to try it for a while, but always talked myself out of buying it, so I'm glad I got it in my VoxBox!

I'm really happy with the outcome, although the photo certainly doesn't do the polish justice. I'm not the best photographer, and also the true effect is hard to capture.

I really like that when I messed up applying the polish (as I tend to do with any polish), it's really easy to correct. I just added another coat of polish and used the included magnet to get the desired effect.

There will be more product reviews to come, once I have time to try the other items I received.

Time to start using this blog again... I recently joined Influenster, so I'm excited to see what comes from that. I love getting free stuff, as well as new stuff to try.



I've been a member of Swagbucks for about two years now, and I've earned enough SB to redeem for around $300 in Amazon gift certificates. All you have to do is join, set Swagbucks as your default search engine, search and earn! There are other ways to earn SB as well, like taking the daily poll or filling out surveys.

Join Me at HitPredictor.com

This used to be Promosquad, and I've been a member for probably 10 years. You rate new music to earn points to redeem for prizes. It's easy to do while you're surfing the net.

I've been keeping busy crocheting pet beds for the local animal shelter. Since I watch so much TV, it's a good activity, because I can crochet while I watch, and feel like I'm doing something productive!

I love TV

Here's a list of the shows I am currently watching.

Weekend shows: Merlin, Dexter, and Three Rivers

Mondays: The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, House, Gossip Girl (tbh, I only watch for Chuck and Blair), Castle

Tuesdays: Currently nothing since Melrose Place is so boring I stopped watching, but V starts up soon... hopefully it's good.

Wednesdays: Glee and Eastwick

Thursdays: The Office, The Vampire Dairies, Supernatural, Grey's Anatomy, Fringe, Bones, Private Practice, Community, It's Always Sunny...

Fridays: Dollhouse

And there are at least 10 more US shows that I watch that haven't started airing new episodes yet, and the shows like True Blood, Weeds, and Warehouse 13 that are over for the season already. Then all of the British shows I watch that will start up again soon.

Why are there so many awesome shows on Thursday nights? FOX sucks for moving Fringe and Bones to Thursdays. How I wish they were Tuesday night shows!

Moving on from TV...

I'd been debating adopting a soldier (Army) through Any Soldier for a while now. I was browsing the site at work a few weeks ago and finally picked one. I filled up a Priority Flat Rate box with assorted granola bars, microwavable meals (Easy Mac cups and Hormel meals), drink mix-ins, instant coffee, hot cocoa mix, magazines, books, a DVD, a toothbrush, and a letter. This particular group of soldiers are lucky enough to have electricity. The next box I send them will have hygiene products. It's not wise to mix food with smelly soaps... And because packing and sending that package was so much fun, I decided to adopt another group of soldiers (Air Force) today. I've already started another box for them. They specifically requested books, which makes me happy, because I love to read. A nice lady over at Paperbackswap donated a credit for me to order a book to send in a care package. I ordered Storm Front by Jim Butcher, because it's something I've already read and liked, but also something I think both men and women would want to read.

Pay it Forward

So, at the end of January, I decided to participate in a Pay it Forward meme on LiveJournal. I made a post in my LiveJournal that said:

Pay It Forward: I will send a handmade gift to the first 5 people who leave a comment here on my LJ. The gift could be anything, but you will receive it within 365 days (probably sooner). The only thing you have to do in return is "pay it forward" by making a similar agreement on your livejournal or blog.

(Obviously don't comment if you don't want to give out your address, which I will ask for once I am ready to send the item...)

I reserve the right to ask endless questions, to help me get ideas.

I actually only got 3 replies. I think some people were either scared to give out their address over the Internet, or too insecure to make something for a gift. Whatever the reason, they missed out on some neat gifts!

I've been doing RAOK (random acts of kindness) through the PaperBackSwap forums, so I've sent out more than 5 handmade gifts, anyway. I'm always making things for friends.

Recently I purchased some beads from an Etsy member for the cost of the listing plus postage. There was a note attached to the listing to Pay It Forward. I decided to start a blog separate from my LiveJournal to keep track of my PIF/RAOK gifts.

Around the same time that I posted the meme, I learned how to make paper beads. I made some necklaces using beads leftover from another craft project. There was one in particular that one of my LJ friends requested. I didn't want to charge her for something I made with recycled materials, so I counted that as one of my handmade PIF gifts. (Please excuse the camera phone picture.)



The first official PIF gift from the LJ meme was a tote bag made with plarn (upcycled plastic shopping bags), yarn, and cassette tape. The recipient told me that she liked earthy colors. I had some yarn that I thought would be perfect for the project. Once she received the gift, she told me that she has quite the purse collection, and that it looked like something she would purchase.


As I said before, I'm a member of PaperBackSwap, a book swapping site, and participate in the RAOK's. There is one lady that goes out of her way to grant wishes and sends me something every few weeks. I wanted to do something nice and unexpected for her. She wished for a Betty Boop tote, which I did not have, but I did make another beautiful tote bag with plarn and some ribbon yarn that I bought on sale at Big Lots. Once she received it, she told me how much she loved it, but also that she had been wanting a plarn bag.


I had been wanting to try making jewelry by crocheting craft wire and beads ever since seeing this tutorial on YouTube. Two lovely members of PBS sent me craft wire and beads, so I had materials to practice. Last weekend I made 5 necklaces with the supplies. Another commenter on the LJ PIF post told me that one of her favorite colors is pink, so I will be sending her this necklace as soon as I can find a protective box to mail it.

I have one more official PIF gift to make. The recipient is a man, so I've been racking my brain to come up with something to make him. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know!

I will be updating more about this project and other things.

Also, I do not have patterns for the bags. I kind of come up with it as I go along.