phenom farfaria and a GIVEAWAY.

Y'all. Be ready to be rocked. A couple of weeks ago, I was asked to explore and review a new story time, reading app, FarFaria, and I'm not lying when I say the app is as magical as the name.

Don't you feel like you should sing that name aloud whilst waltzing in the clouds with Prince Phillip? Yeah. Me and Aurora agree. But let's get down to business, shall we? FarFaria is a story time app that provides over 750 engaging and entertaining children's stories for ages 2 to 9, with five new stories added each week! It's purpose is to develop a passion for reading in children - could there BE a better purpose for an app?

Upon opening the app, you are immediately directed to the app's home page which highlights some recommended and favorite texts for you to browse.

You can choose to scroll through the home page and select a text or choose to "explore" which will direct you to this magic kingdom of a page:

Every category from "Mt. Make Believe" to "Genius Jungle" contains a variety of fiction and non-fiction texts including classic fables, Bible stories, biographies, and fantasies, all leveled so you and your kids can know how challenging the story will be! I'm sorry, but an app that already has the stories leveled FOR you? Sign. Me. Up.

Once you have selected a category and text, your kids have the option to read the text independently or have the story read aloud to them.

Now, when I say they can have the story read aloud, I don't mean in some computerized robotic voice. These read alouds are full of expression, emotion, and are so engaging that even I couldn't exit one of the stories without finishing it! The narrators are incredible!

As I start to get ready for my bitty babies, I think we will be spending most of our time exploring "Preschool Playground" and "Sing Along City"!

"Preschool Playground" is full of vocabulary and story books all about animals, colors, numbers (in Spanish, French, Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, and Korean no less), holidays, seasons, shapes, community helpers, and transportation. "Sing Along City" has fabulous sing alongs (shocking, I know) of all of the classics - Old MacDonald, If You're Happy and You Know It, Jingle Bells, The Wheels on the Bus, and more! Gracious! These people thought of everything!

Now let's get down to the logistics. FarFaria can be downloaded to your iPad, iPhone, and Android device! You can try FarFaria for free by clicking here and enjoy reading one story every day for free! Unlimited access to all 750+ stories starts at $4.99 per month - a small price to pay for an abundance of leveled, fiction and non-fiction texts!

But do you want some really GREAT news? The kind folks at FarFaria are offering a FREE 3 month subscription to FarFaria to one of my readers! Want to be that lucky guy or gal? Then leave me a comment WITH YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS (only one entry per person)! The drawing will close at midnight on Thursday, August 21. I will announce the lucky winner right here on Friday, the 22nd! So comment away, people!

In the meantime, check out FarFaria on:

Facebook

Twitter

and

Pinterest

Or visit their website (www.farfaria.com) for more information!

Leave me a comment with your EMAIL ADDRESS to be entered into the drawing for a FREE 3 month subscription now!

quite a crafty closet {part two...finally}.

So remember that craft closet I started re-doing MONTHS ago? Ya. That one. No, your eyes aren't deceiving you. While it only took one weekend to actually redesign the closet, it's taken me forever and a decade to post about it. Horrible blogger award right here. So let's not waste anymore time, shall we?

I left y'all with the closet completely stripped and painted with totes adorbs black polka dots.

As I told y'all in my last post, I purged a ton of the junk that was taking up space in the closet, but the rest I wanted to be sorted into perfectly colorful boxes. But still wanting to keep costs as low as possible, I chose to re-purpose and re-paint boxes that I already had laying around the house.

Yup, that meant old file boxes, CD boxes, and even cereal boxes. I used them all! I painted most of the boxes using bright, acrylic paints I already had, and I covered some of the boxes with wrapping paper. Any metal components on the boxes got updated with a dab of Rub 'n Buff, and before I knew it, I had a closet full of lovely storage!

I spray painted some plastic drawers I already owned and labeled them with vinyl I cut using my Silhouette for an updated paper storage system!

I did allow myself to buy one item for this closet re-do, and it's something I had my eye on for a while. I always wanted a rolling cart that could not only store some of my smaller, less bulky items, but would also serve as a home for my sewing machine. I found this chrome rolling cart on Amazon:

After a fresh coat of gold spray paint (duh) and some stellar labeling, it was the perfect storage piece!

The drawers hold all of my smaller office and sewing supplies and Silhouette tools:

And my sewing machine sits happily perched on top of the cart!

I love that instead of taking over my entire dining table every time I need to sew something, I can just roll this cart out and keep everything contained in the office!

To say I'm obsessed with how this closet turned out would be the understatement of the century.

I'm trying to convince Mr. Spouse that the logical next step in our office is to take the closet door off...

it's baaaaack.

Y'all. How in the WORLD is it already August?!

I mean, come on. Well, at least TPT is making this harsh realization a bit easier to swallow by throwing their annual Back to School Sale!

That's right, sisters, my entire store will be 20% off for the next two days! So shop away, dear ones! Be sure to enter the promo code "BTS14" to save up to 28%!

This is a super time to snag my 2014-2015 Curriculum Planning Calendar in Moroccan Tile, Polka Dot, or Chevron!

Or, do a bit of personal life planning with my 2014-2015 August to August Calendar and Planner!

So after weeping for a moment that August is upon us, head on over to TPT and shop your sorrows away!