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Google™ Nexus 7 Tablet A Fabulous Tool for the Whole Family

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The post brought to you by Staples // I have to admit, I'm a gadget girl. I told my husband when we were dating. Don't waste your money on flowers, save it, and surprise me with something with buttons & pixels. Even as a girl I was fascinated with technology. I was dreaming about what it would be like to talk on a phone in your car since I was 4 or 5, long before most kiddos were even aware of phones. With that said, I love to expose my children to all kinds of technology and quite frankly, I think they are smarter for it. My kiddos are quite proficient with computers, tablets, cameras & smart phones and I am glad that they have those skills. Not too long ago the lovely folks at Staples contacted me and asked if I would be interested in taking a Google™ Nexus 7 for a test drive. Well sure… I would be more than happy to.

Google Nexus 7 Table

As a matter of fact, I got the kiddos in on the test drive as well. Right off the bat, we were impressed with how easy it is to hold in your hand. That may seem like a small detail, but especially when it come to little hands. I've used the Apple iPad and the iPad mini and the Google Nexus 7 was by far the easiest to handle. 

Another great selling point… The price! The Nexus 7 16 GB is only $229 at Staples.com. A steal of a deal if you ask me. At that price with just a little bit a saving, the whole family can have their very own tablets. It was super easy to set-up and the feature I love the best… You can set-up different user profiles for each person who may use the tablet.

setting up different users

See those photos at the bottom of the screen? You select your profile picture and that what opens your user profile. That is perfect for when Gage (my 3 year old) wants to work on his letters and numbers on the tablet. All he has to do is select his photo and his screen opens with all of the apps that I have set-up for him. 

Different Users on the Google Nexus 7 Table

No longer do I have to worry about him busting into my email or Instagram account and causing all kinds of 3 year old havoc on my accounts. Seriously… As a Mom, that is my top #1 feature!

Gage can log onto Danielle Tiger and play/learn to his hearts content and I know my work is protected and he's having a ball learning. 

Gage with the Google Nexus 7 Table

It didn't take him long to learn how to use it and many times we have to remind him that he is not the sole owner of the tablet. 

Emily love to use the Google Nexus 7 for her math facts. She can sit for hours going over her math facts. The app is fabulous, a perfect way to become more proficient with math!

flash cards on the Google Nexus 7 Table

Not only that, but she ENJOYS working on her math facts. I can honestly say that those paper flash cards that I had a kid weren't any where near as fun as this tablet!

With the amount of amazing educational apps available out in the marketplace these days, my kiddos won't ever want for fun and new ways to challenge themselves. My older girls use it to connect with their teachers via the schools websites and I know that they are always connected and building a good relationship with their teachers. It's wonderful!

If you are in the market for a tablet or haven't even really thought it was something you could afford, take a minute to check out the Google Nexus 7. I think that you will be pleasantly surprised at all the wonderful things that you can do with it and equally impressed with the low price!

Head on over to Staples and tell them that WhipperBerry sent ya!!

Disclaimer // This is a post sponsored by Staples. They sent product for me to review however, I was not paid for the review. 

6 Tips for Painting with Stencils

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This post brought to you by DecoArt // I am a sucker for a good old wood caddy. Even better, is an old caddy that I have dressed up with some paint and maybe a stencil or two. I have a fabulous picnic caddy that I dressed up not too long ago and I have recently found another rustic old caddy to dress up. When it comes to adding some graphic elements to anything, I turn to the Americana Multi Surface Satin Paint and the Americana Mixed Media Stencils for sure. But… I also have a few tricks up my sleeve when it comes to using those stencils. Below you will find 6 tips on painting with stencils.

6 tips for successful stenciling from whipperberry

I found another great caddy from Antique Farmhouse (they also have a sister site called Decor Steals)…

Dress-up and old wood caddy with DecoArt Americana Multisurface Paint and Stencil

… And I thought it would look fabulous with a fun geometric design on the floor of the caddy using the new Americana Multi Surface Satin Paint.

DecoArt Americana Multisurface Paint

This paint is fabulous for all kinds of surfaces. Wood, glass, metal, plastic… You name it, it will look wonderful. I recently had a chance to travel to Kentucky to the home of DecoArt and learned all kinds of goodies about all of their different paints. It’s amazing how so many of us just grab a bottle of craft paint at the store without really thinking about what surface we are going to use as our canvas. Sometimes… the paint we pick just won’t work with our desired surface. With the Multi-Surface Satin, you won’t have to worry about that!

For this project, I used a mixture of Coastal Waters and Cottonball. I wanted the blue to be a little lighter, that’s why I added a little white. I used one of the new Americana Mixed-Media Stencils called Busy Bee and some painter’s tape as well.

DecoArt Americana Mixed Media Stencil

I taped down the stencil on the surface of the caddy, just so I didn’t have to worry about it moving around.

Americana Stencil

How to Paint with Stencils

Next, using a Dual-Sided Paint Pouncer, I carefully paint the surface of the caddy. Now, here are a few tips when it comes to getting good stencil lines. It’s important that you know how to use stencils if you’re doing this for the first time.

  1. Load your stencil pouncer or brush carefully,  A little paint goes a long way. Never just dip your brush into the paint and then go directly to your surface. Always dip your brush into the paint and then have another surface like a paper plate to work out all the paint kinks before you start working on your surface.
  2. Light, up and down movements are best when it comes to working with stencils. Never brush side to side or press down firmly. This is just asking the paint to slide right under that stencil and create muddy, unattractive lines.
  3. Work in layers. If you want a light weathered look, you may only need one coat. But, If you want a strong vibrant stenciled image, work in light layers. This way you are slowly building your image and will have cleaner lines and a professional-looking finish.
  4. Secure your stencil with painter’s tape so that you don’t have it moving around while you are trying to work with it.
  5. Don’t let the stencil dry for long before you remove the stencil. This will help keep the lines sharp. More on this below.
  6. Use a good brush and stencil cleaner to clean and preserve your brush and stencil for future use.

Should You Remove The Stencil When The Paint is Wet or Dry?

You should actually remove the stencil it’s wet. This may seem backwards but it always turns out better in my experience. When you do it this this way, the paint cannot bleed underneath and ruin the crisp lines. It can be a bit more difficult if the paint dries to the stencil too. This is how you keep the paint from peeling when removing vinyl stencil

For this project, I wanted a light weathered look so I carefully loaded just a tiny bit of paint, prepped my brush on a paper plate, and then with careful up and down strokes started covering my surface.

Stenciling with Americana Multisurface Paint and Stencils

Because I was only going to do one light coat, the paint dried within just a few minutes. I removed the stencil and then waited for a couple of hours before I distressed the paint. The paint needs time to cure and ideally, I should have waited overnight but, it turned out fine this time. You just gotta love painting with stencils!

I used some sandpaper to lightly distress the paint so that the graphic design matched the patina of the piece itself. When you are distressing, think about how you want the finished product to look. Do you want to work in circles, up and down, side to side, or criss-cross, there are so many ways to create 100 different looks for your finished product. I chose a simple side-to-side motion to match the grain of the wood.

Here is how the caddy looks finished…

stenciled wood caddy with Decoart Multisurface Paint

Isn’t it fun?! A perfect addition to my picnic caddy collection. You bet we are going to be picnicking in style here at the WhipperBerry house!

You can find all of the products that I used for this project at Michaels, A.C. Moore, Hobby Lobby, and other fine craft retailers. To sweeten the deal, DecoArt has even offered a fabulous rebate offer to each of you!!

Americana Multi Surface Satin Rebate from DecoArtDisclaimer // This is a post sponsored by DecoArt. I have received payment along with the product to create this project and post. However, all thoughts, ideas, and opinions are my very own!

The Ultimate Ice Cream Social with International Delight

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It is no secret that I am a huge fan of International Delight Coffee Creamer. I love it in my drinks, I love to bake with it, heck… I even craft with my empty bottles! So… When International Delight™ introduced their new line of Cold Stone Creamery™ Coffee Creamers you know I was first in line to give these new flavors a go!

They are sweet and luscious and summer in a bottle. Somehow they managed to bottle those special summer days in those Cold Stone Creamery™ bottles. Days that you look back and remember walking down the boardwalk at the beach with your favorite ice cream melting down the waffle cone with your best friends chasing after some cute boys.  Catching fireflies in the back yard with a cold mason jar full of vanilla ice cream, topped with fresh chocolate chip cookie crumbles and another jar collecting those magical little bugs. Swapping stories with your grandpa on the front porch sharing a pint of Sweet Cream. You know… Those kind of summer days! 

We have four new flavors to test out. Sweet Cream, Hot for Cookie, Founder's Favorite & Churro Caramel! Four new flavor combinations to inspire you as we wrap up this summer.  Doesn't that just make you want to plan the ultimate ice cream social? We are hitting the home stretch and the summer is almost over. My kiddos actually head back to school today, wouldn't it be fun to send summer out with a bang with the best ice cream party on the block? I've pulled together a fun Pinterest Board with all kinds of ice cream social ideas, here's what I would love to create to celebrate the last few weeks of summer…

… Are you inspired? I know my taste buds are a buzzing! Want some more inspiration? You can check out International Delight's Boards for even more fun.

How would you like the chance to throw your very own Ultimate Ice Cream Social with the help of International Delight? FIVE lucky readers will get to do just that in International Delight's Pin to Win Sweeps! Here are the rules.

Love ice cream + coffee? This summer, International Delight is bringing your favorite Cold Stone Creamery ice cream flavors to coffee and they're celebrating by giving away five $400 grand prizes to throw this summer’s ultimate Ice Cream Social!  To enter, visit the ID + Ice Cream Pinterest board and pin your favorite image using the #IScream4ID hashtag. Good luck! 
 

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of International Delight. The opinions and text are all mine.

 

Gone Fishing

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gone fishing

img source // gone fishing sign from okio b. designs

Well, I have finally cried UNCLE. I have been trying to work and participate in a family reunion this week and it hasn't worked so well. So, I am admitting defeat and will have to call off this week's party. Don't you worry, Friday Flair will return next week.  Thanks guys… I'll miss you!