Best Buy Product Testing | Claro Acne Clearing System

When I was asked to review the Claro Acne Clearing Device I was beyond thrilled. You see, I never had bad skin as most people do as teenagers. For the most part, I had clear skin with only the occasional blemish or breakout. Then somewhere along the way after pregnancy something changed. I’m thirty something years old and I have blemishes (isn’t that such a fancy word for zit?) on my lower jaw at least 2 weeks a month. Isn’t that lovely? I will be the first to admit I don’t have the greatest skin care routine, but I don’t wear makeup much either. I use a foaming face wash and a moisturizer daily and that’s about it but it just isn’t cutting it. The Claro claims to treat blemishes making them less red, less noticeable and heal faster so you see why I was excited to give it a try.

When I received the package, I immediately opened it up to see what this thing was all about. The device comes with a power cord, a pair of safety goggles like you would use in a tanning bed and a very detailed instruction booklet.

When I started reading the instructions, the first thing was to give it an initial charge of 15 hours. I’m ready to start zapping zits… tomorrow! It is important to wear the safety goggles but I was so intrigued, I think I forgot to use them the first time. Now, I will usually just close my eyes. It’s a bit cumbersome to hold the goggles and line up the Claro at the same time.

To use it, you simply press the power button, line up your blemish between the two posts and it will beep letting you know it made contact. Then you press the button again and it begins pulsing lights and heat to the blemish for 6 seconds. Then you repeat for the second treatment. The Claro website says that it is painless and for the most part it is, but I did come across a few places where it was a bit more uncomfortable. It is definitely more noticeable in the areas where the skin was broken. It wasn’t a “pain” just a little pricking feeling. It’s only 6 seconds though so it’s no big deal.

What are all those flashing lights? It’s called IPL. The Claro website says that “Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) is a clinically-proven, safe technology that combines HEAT and LIGHT for fast, effective treatment of acne. CLARO uses heat and light to stimulate porphyrin, bacteria that cause acne to produce singlet oxygen that attacks and eliminates the acne bacteria.”

So, did it work?

I think in my head I was hoping for a magical disappearing act of blemishes. That wasn’t the case. That wasn’t Claro’s claim either though. It says that it reduces redness, makes blemishes heal faster and makes blemishes less noticeable. It did just that. After a few days of using the product, I noticed an overall decrease in redness and puffiness of the blemishes. I also used it on an area that felt like there was a new blemish on its way and it literally made a U-turn and went away before it ever really surfaced. Since using the Claro, I haven’t had an actual breakout in weeks.

What do I like most about the Claro? Obviously its effectiveness is number one!
Other pros…
- It’s lightweight and portable.
- It doesn’t require a prescription unlike other acne treatments.
- It’s more cost effective than dermatologist or spa visits.

The cons…
- The device needs a guide on it to show you the position of the light window. Sometimes I would wonder if I had it lined up correctly or missed the spot.
- To effectively use the safety goggles, they need an elastic strap to use them hands free.

For more information on the science behind Claro and to see actual user submitted photos, visit the Claro website at www.clrstechnology.com.

If you have monthly breakouts like me or a teen with mild to moderate acne, visit Best Buy to purchase a Claro Acne Clearing Device. While it does carry a retail price of $195.00, the initial investment is far less expensive than dermatologist appointments and prescription medications and similar costly spa treatments.

The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the reviewed product at a reduced price or for free.

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An Angry Birds Birthday Party

Hello there My Pretties! I haven't abandoned you, I promise! I have been so busy this year. I started a new business in January that has taken off like wild fire and it has consumed lots of my time. If you are a photographer in need of vinyl backdrops and faux floors, visit me here. Sorry for the shameless plug!

On top of all that going on, I began planning my little man's 8th birthday party. He wanted an Angry Birds theme so I happily obliged. I thought it would be easy, right up until all you people on Pinterest raised the bar on birthday parties. Cake and ice cream just won't do. Oh, no it won't! I put myself through 3 weeks of torture getting ready for this shindig and let me tell you. I don't care if we have to go to Disney next year for his birthday, we aren't having a party. In fact. he'll be lucky if he even gets a cake. I'm sure the memories will fade and I'll get wrapped up in party planning in 2013 just like I did last year, but for now, the pain staking memories of making fondant angry birds and smoothing butter cream icing just hurts too much. We won't even mention the Angry Birds sugar cookies that didn't make it to the party.

At least I had enough sense to have the party outside of our home this year. If you are a long time follower, you might remember last year, we gutted a room to the studs in our house 2 weeks before his party and the paint was still drying when our guests began to arrive.

So, to set the stage, we had the party in the fellowship hall of a friend's church. We sent out these invites that I made in Photoshop. (A Pinterest Idea. I can't take the credit for the concept.)



I made this banner to go behind the cake table out of scrapbook paper and ribbon.



I made a few props for an Angry Birds photo booth.


We had lots of goodies to get everyone's tummy full before the full scale angry birds game we would soon play.

I outsourced the sausage balls and pigs in a blanket to my mom. (Thanks Nana!) If you haven't tried the sausage ball recipe that adds a block of cream cheese, you are missing out. They are delish!



I was planning to order Chick-fil-A chicken minis too but seeing as I was already about, well, lets just say way over budget on this party, I decided to order chicken fingers from Zaxby's and get Sister Schubert's rolls from Sam's and DIY the minis. The crowd said they were better than Chick-fil-A. (Thanks Candi for cutting up what seemed like 2,000 chicken fingers!)



My sweet friend Emma and I cut up the fruit and made fruit kabobs.


The risers were upside down baskets courtesy of my bathroom closet. I am resourceful if I am anything!



I made chocolate dipped pretzel sticks because they were cheap fun . (Thanks Pinterst for that idea too.)



I made chocolate dipped Oreos too. If you want to try these, let me give you a little secret. Take one of the cookies off the Oreo and spread some of your candy melts on the cream, then place your stick in and put the top back on. Let me tell you how many I goofed up before I figured that little tidbit out. Or, no, I won't. Google is your friend people!



And what started it all, I bough these little paper straws on Etsy. I put them in color coordinating Hawaiian Punch bottles for the kids. Cute, yes. Weird feeling, double yes. My jury is still out on whether or not I like paper straws. Maybe I got bad ones or something but they felt gooey to me after a few minutes.



And the piece de resistance... The cake.


Pinterest, why do you do this to me? After seeing all the super cute Angry birds cakes, just a plain old cake wasn't going to cut it. I decided to tackle a 3 tier, covered in butter cream, decorated with little fondant Angry Birds cake. What was I thinking? Obviously, I was not! I made the fondant decorations a few days in advance thank goodness. The day before the party I started icing the cakes and I was still icing 20 minutes before the party. Butter cream will not get smooth for me. I think I watched every you tube video on smoothing butter cream and tried everything from a hot spatula to paper towel rubbing and it wasn't as smooth as I wanted it. Luckily I had enough decoration to cover the hot mess up! I think it turned out cute and it was perfect from across the room or for anyone who put their contacts in backwards that day.





My big man! I can't believe he is 8 years old already!




Happy Birthday Bud! I hope your wishes come true!



And just because I was skeptical that my cake would turn out, we had enough cupcakes for everyone on standby.



After everyone ate, we went to the church gym to play a game of Angry Birds. I collected boxes for weeks and the kids had a blast knocking them down with kick balls.





When everyone was ready to go, they got one of these candy bags with tags I made in Photoshop.



I am kicking myself because there is so much I didn't get photos of. Like the whole cake table. It was so cute. And the Skittle tubes I made that had the cutest little Angry birds tags I made on them. And the food labels. Well, actually, they didn't even make it to the tables. I printed 1 of each and in the end, my table design had double plating's of each food item and I couldn't put them out not having two. They were so cute. Bummer!

The party was great anyway. Everyone had a ton of fun. I think I slept for 15 hours after the party but it was sort of all worth it in the end.

Thanks for reading about my little birthday party adventure! I promise I am going to come back and post more soon. I have made lots of super cute things to share with you. I just haven't found enough hours in the day yet to get them all blogged about.

Are you a cake and ice cream party kind of mama or do you go all out? I'd love to hear your stories.

Until next time...

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Sunday Silly

I must have one of these. Hey, it's your phone... Zac Morris is calling! I'm embarrassed to admit I wanted to be Kelly Kapowski when I grew up.

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What's Cooking on Thursdays | Super Easy

Those of you who are low-carbing it for the New Year, go ahead and skip over this one. Believe me, it's not for you! This week I'm featuring 3 recipes all wrapped around bread, mostly crescent rolls. These super easy recipes are great for that short notice dinner company. They look really complicated and all Martha Stewart but they are simple to make. Yes, please!


Chicken Roll Ups
There are no words. These look so incredibly delicious!


Spaghetti Bake
I'll definitely be trying this one soon. So much prettier than a plate of spaghetti. This recipe calls for a bread dough, but I think I will try it with crescent rolls instead. I don't think my culinary skills are ready for bread rising yet! :)


Chicken Taco Ring
I love ring/braid recipes. The Pampered Chef introduced me to these years ago and I love making them. The sky is really the limit on what you can do with crescent rolls and a ring/braid. Ham & Swiss with Dijon mustard, add some chips and it's a great lunch or dinner. Taco meat and the fixings with Mexican Rice and you have a very filling and inexpensive dinner. Pepperoni, mozzarella and some pizza sauce- It's cheaper than Pizza night.

Have you tried any of these recipes? What do you put in your crescent rolls?

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Sunday Silly

There are no words. I hope you are having a great weekend... or at least better than this little girl!

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Featured Friday | The Crafty Cupboard

I found The Crafty Cupboard on Pinterest a few weeks ago. Melanie has a boat load of easy to follow tutorials for simple sewing projects on her blog. Here are a few that caught my eye.

The Business Card Holder

I so need one of these. I can't tell you how many business cards I have had to throw away because they either got dirty or wrinkled in my purse. This would be so cute too to put a gift card in as a gift as well.

The Pacifier Clip

What a great baby shower gift! I am always torn between buying cute and buying practical when it comes to baby gifts. This is the best of both worlds. Plus it's inexpensive enough for those people who you would like to give a useful gift without breaking the bank.

You can find a whole list of Melanie's tutorials here. I hope you will stop by and check them out.

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What's Cooking on Thursdays | Crock Pot Love

I had to feature the Crock Pot for the first installment of What's Cookin' on Thursday. One of our resolutions for the New Year was to eat out less to A. Eat healthier and B. Save moola so my sweet hubs bought me a shiny new stainless crock pot for Christmas. What is easier than throwing a few things in the Crock Pot in the morning and dinner being ready faster than you can run through the drive through?



Since I'm not all Crock Pot savvy, I called my BFF, Pinny for help. You might know her as Pinterest. Oh. Em. Gee. What have I been missing for so long? Seriously, so many recipes that look absolutely delish and take just a few minutes to prepare. And even better than that, there is very little clean-up. SOLD!

Here are a few recipes that are on my must try soon list.

Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken

I love buffalo chicken! Whip this up and throw it on a Hawaiian King Roll with a dollop of Ranch dressing and call it dinner.

Crock Pot Lasagna

This looks ah-mazing! So much better than Stouffer's and Lord knows I'm not going to make it from scratch in the oven!


Crock Pot Baked Potato Soup

Baked potato soup and a grilled cheese. You can't beat it with a stick!


Crock Pot Pot Roast

I'm dying to try this recipe. Nobody makes pot roast better than my granny and I'm praying that this is as good as hers. It looks like an exact match so I have my fingers crossed!

I'm really hoping that my crock pot will help me stick to my resolution this year. I don't think it could get any easier than this so hopefully I will. Do you have a good crock pot recipe to share?

If you need more Crock Pot ideas, there is a facebook page dedicated to cooking with your Crock Pot. You can check it out here.

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Sunday Silly

Sommecards.com

Maybe I think this is funny because it's true or maybe it's because the guys glasses look older than the van parked behind him. The world may never know!

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Rocketfish iPad2 Accessory Review

Several years ago I joined the Wolf at Best Buy group to do research for them. To be honest, I signed up because I thought it would be an easy couple hundred bucks. I had no idea how much I would learn and be influenced by such a huge company. To get a glimpse behind the scenes at how much thought goes into every decision made was intriguing but to be a woman whose opinions were valued by part of a massive corporation was a phenomenal experience. This relationship led me to become a member of the Wolf at Best Buy Blogging Network. From time to time I will be testing products for them and providing you with my honest opinions and review. For my first assignment, I am reviewing the Rocketfish Keyboard Capsule for iPad2 and the Rocketfish Pad-Pivot. Let’s get started with the Keyboard Capsule.



Right out of the box the 2.2 pound Rockfish Keyboard Capsule for iPad 2 is constructed of a durable hard plastic shell with a sturdy aluminum hinge.


The Rockfish Keyboard Capsule for iPad 2 features an internal rechargeable battery that is easily charged with your computer using the included USB charger. You will also easily find access to you iPad’s ear phone and charging ports.

Let's open the capsule and see what is inside. As you open the capsule, the aluminum hinge feels sturdy providing balance and stability to the unit. The capsule boasts a full size keyboard with large, well spaced keys to truly make your iPad look and feel like a laptop. The keyboard also features 20 quick function "hot" keys for an even easier navigation. Now let's get everything set up and take this Rocketfish for a test drive.



Rocketfish recommends fully charging the battery before your first use. Not a bad idea to begin but in the future you can charge the unit while in use if need be. Once your battery is charged, you place the upper shell into the tray and simply nestle your iPad in the upper compartment where it is safely and securely held in place with the upper latch. I did have to remove the costly Otterbox from the iPad to install into the capsule; however, the snug design of the capsule felt equally, or safer than that of the previous Otterbox. When you do not have a need for the keyboard you can also remove the upper shell from the tray and fully extend the hinge to rest on the bottom on the keyboard. This provides the perfect angle for streaming movies, gaming or reading. Connecting the capsule to the iPad was relatively simple with the Dual Bluetooth Connectivity. You simply pair the capsule with the iPad by pressing the Bluetooth Function and the pairing keys on the keyboard, powering your iPad then navigating to your general settings and selecting Bluetooth on your iPad. The iPad will automatically find your device to pair and by selecting iPad2 Keyboard Capsule; an on screen message will appear with a passkey for you to enter on your keyboard. Once paired, you should not have to repeat these steps again in the future. If you notice, I mentioned the capsule has Dual Bluetooth Connectivity so you can also pair your iPhone or other Bluetooth enabled device if you have a need for that as well. Setup and installation of the capsule to your iPad is literally a 60 second job tops. As you can see, Rocketfish has made setup a snap.


So, how easy is it to actually use? I had a bit of an adjustment with the part touch screen, part laptop functions of the capsule. While testing this product, I would notice myself trying to use the on keyboard mouse that I'm used to having with a laptop but isn't there with the keyboard capsule. That aside, the 82-key keyboard is well designed with large, well spaced keys in all the right places. With the 20 hot keys, you can quickly and easily access things like your iPad's home screen, the search function, and the iPod controls like track selection and volume control. Having a full size keyboard paired with the iPad makes emailing, blogging and social networking extremely easy and far less time consuming than with the iPad alone. Another benefit of the capsule is the hands free placement of the iPad within the capsule. This makes Facetiming a far better webcam experience as well. No more nauseating Blair Witchesque video production when the kids want to Facetime grandparents far away. The Rocketfish Keyboard Capsule for iPad 2 is extremely user friendly and easily provides a laptop like experience for its users.



Overall, I think the Rocketfish Keyboard Capsule for iPad 2 is a quality product at an affordable price. With a MSRP of $99.00 at Best Buy, you get the durability and protection of a hard shell case as well as a fully functioning keyboard for a laptop experience. The only drawback to the capsule I have found is that you cannot use your iPad’s camera while in the capsule so it’s an on again off again production with the Otterbox. That is a small price to pay for the convenience of the keyboard and the security of your iPad while on the go. The Rocketfish Keyboard Capsule for iPad 2 is a great investment for anyone who uses their iPad for more than a game of Angry Birds.

Let’s move on to the Rocketfish Go Anywhere PadPivot Stand



The Rocketfish Go Anywhere PadPivot Stand is also a great little gadget to have in your arsenal of iPad accessories. The PadPivot is a fairly simple product made for hands free use of your tablet, e-reader or even your cell phone. It is constructed of a virtually indestructible hard plastic material. The bottom is ribbed with a rubbery type finish allowing a safe and steady hold onto whatever surface you have it placed. The top assembly is screwed into the ball bearing base that allows the surface to tilt, pivot and rotate 360 degrees to suit any viewing angle. The pad comes with a removable dust cover to ensure a long life of your sticky pad and also an adjustable leg strap.



To use the PadPivot, you simply remove the dust cover and place your iPad, e-reader or phone centered onto the sticky pad. Unfortunately, like with the Capsule, you cannot use any type of leather or silicone case for your device in conjunction with the PadPivot. I will admit that I was a bit hesitant to let go of the device fearful that it wouldn’t hold and I would have a relatively expensive iPad crash to the floor, but it held tightly with no issue.


My favorite feature of the PadPivot is the included adjustable leg strap. The leg strap is just an elastic band with hooks to connect to the PadPivot. You can attach the leg strap and sit in bed or with your feet propped on the coffee table for comfortable hands free use without the fear of your device falling. Another great feature of the PadPivot is that you can angle the pad all the way forward and place your iPad or reader in the grooves of the base for display. You can use the PadPivot in both portrait and landscape mode this way. I used the PadPivot when preparing Thanksgiving dinner this year. I simply found my recipe online using my iPad, propped the iPad into the PadPivot and had it there hands free to refer to as needed. You could use the PadPivot this way to watch a movie or show a photo slideshow at a birthday party.



When you are finished using the PadPivot, you simply gently pull from one corner until the device is removed and replace the dust cover to ensure a long life of your sticky pad. The sticky pad leaves absolutely no sticky residue behind on your device. I have put on and removed the iPad several dozen times and the sticky pad shows no sign of losing its sticky factor anytime soon so I think it will be a product I use for a very long time.

The Rocketfish PadPivot Go Anywhere Stand is a fairly simple device that does its job and does it well. Its hands free capabilities make reading, gaming and movie watching far more enjoyable and much more convenient than using your iPad or e-reader alone. I hope that Rocketfish will one day make replacement sticky pads for the PadPivot because naturally this one won’t last forever. With its minimal cost however, it will be worth it to me to purchase a new one when that time comes. In the meantime, I will enjoy being hands free.

I hope you will check out Best Buy for these and all of your tablet accessory needs.

Disclaimer: I have received the reviewed product from Best Buy for free.

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Learning to Ruffle

I would love to do a great sewing tutorial on my latest sewing project but I think my backspace key would break before I could get through it. One day I'll actually know what I'm doing enough to share a tutorial but it ain't today! This post isn't even really about the bag though. It's about the ruffles. I have been "ruffling" by sewing a basting stitch with my machine and pulling one of the threads to make the ruffle. It works I guess, but this is so much better. I found a ruffling foot at the thrift store in a bag of odds and ends for $0.79. Score! It just so happens that I was going to a purse class hosted by a friend and the purse had ruffles, it was all ruffles in fact, so it was a great time to try out my new foot. What is a ruffling foot you ask? It's this contraption. It looks scary, to me anyway. Once you figure out your machine settings, it works like a charm.

With this foot, you can easily get great ruffles like this

to make a bag like this.

If you want to try a ruffle purse pattern, I found a few on my Pinterst Sew Many Idea's board like this one at Mommy By Day. Crafter by Night.

Do you use a ruffling foot or sew a basting stitch and pull your threads? Check out the link parties where I am sharing this sewing tip this week.

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Project Closet Organizing

One of the many downsides to living in an older home is closet space. Apparently nobody thought about walk in closets until sometime in the 80's. We have one tiny little 42" closet in our master bedroom that really isn't big enough for diddly squat! Since the only thing it really had going for it was that it is 8' tall (thank God for that being a 1950's standard!) we decided that we were going to have to rethink our storage options and go high. You see, the closet only had 1 bar for hanging and that left the bottom constantly filled with other random stuff that was quite disorganized.

So the hubs and I take off to Lowe's to get some wire shelving to create a shelf and 2 hanging bars. We were going to get this done. But by the time we got home, got homework done, and the little man ready for bed, it was about 10:00 and the hubs says we should wait until tomorrow to do it. I went to bed sulking. Poo! I wanted my closet done, like yesterday. The next morning I got up raring to go and get er done. Once I unloaded the closet, I realized how yuck it really was. I mean, it's been cram packed full for 8 years. Here starts the embarrassing photos. Look at the stuff that was on the top shelf... my scrapbooks, high school yearbooks, a Lite Brite, a stuffed animal and the quilt my Mamaw made for me. (Random stuff, I know!)

Can you see why this took forever? I obviously can't relocate the scrapbooks without thumbing through them. Isn't my little guy the cutest thing?

The one bar that we had was so unorganized. Mine and the hubs clothes all mixed together, random hangers going in all directions. Yuck! How did I let it get like this?

I pulled the old shelving (and I use that term loosely) down with my bare hands. It didn't even require a claw hammer. That's how rickety it was! And I was left with one fugly closet. I decided to give it a quick coat of paint. Look at the difference. Paint- I love you! Just painting it made it so much brighter which we needed since there isn't a light in there either. The left side obviously already had a coat of paint.

It was time to install the wire shelving. I'm going to save you the play by play because it contains quite a bit of colorful language that your ears might not like to hear. My studs, my drill, my level and my hands just weren't working well together. But I wasn't giving up. I mean, I have a sea of clothes and junk that are piled on my bed that came outta there and I can't sleep until it's done.

Now I'm ready to refill the closet and there is no way all these random hangers are going back in.

So I headed to Dollar General to get 10 packs of new hangers for $10.

After sorting through our clothes and finding 3 big bags to donate, I'm left with a super clean, organized closet. Mine on the left. Hubs on the right. I thought about arranging by color, but then I remembered that I'm not THAT organized so it's just arranged by short and long sleeve. Baby steps people! Baby steps!

Do you keep your closets neat or do they end up a mess like mine was? Check out my link parties tab to see where I am sharing this week! :)

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