Yonanas review and honest opinion

For a very long time I had been wanting a yonanas. The promise of changing a boring 'ol banana into ICE CREAM was quite wonderful to this once morbidly obese girl. I did a lot of searching and reading online and a lot of reviews complained of the price of shipping. I cannot find the shipping cost on the yonanas site or online. My husband just happened to see one in a cooking store and I saw that as a sign that I must have it. So we toted our wonderful new toy home.

Since I have had the machine for four months now, I think that I can give my honest opinion.

I've only used it twice.

For me, one banana is all I need in a day. I know that bananas are healthy but they are also high in calories. To make a single serving of yonanas you need at least three bananas. Approx. 170 calories and 40 carbs in one banana. So one serving is 510 calories. Honestly for that I'd rather have some cookies or some REAL ice cream. In the yonanas defense, they do provide a recipe book that I made none of. It was really just adding ingredients after you pushed the bananas through. The one good thing about this monster machine is that it IS easy to clean. So after realizing how many calories I threw into my face so easily, I put it away.

The second time I cracked out the machine was for my daughter. She is 9. When I handed her the bowl, she picked up a spoonfull and made a funny face. She took a bite, told me it tasted 'gooey' and set it down, saying she'd eat more later (which she didn't). And so, our big machine sits on a shelf in the kitchen until our next yard sale. I hope that no one thinks I'm a meanie for posting my honest review, but I wish I would've realized and known all of this before I shelled out $70. I don't like how many bananas it takes, my daughter doesn't like the texture and my husband doesn't want to have to wash the machine when he's done. So it's a no go for us.

My project for U Create challenge ~Tohoku Pattern~

I've been wanting to do a project from U Create FOREVER. This months challenge was a bag made with the pattern from I Am Momma Hear Me Roar. The bag she had posted looked a little difficult because there is a pleat in the front. Her tutorial and directions walk you right through it, though. I really think anyone could make this one. For the fabric I used a baby lulu velvet that I've been saving for just the perfect ocassion. The red velvet went really well with the texture of the lulu. The lining I used is from an estate sale I went to last week. At first I thought it would look odd together but it really looks quite smashing.

I meant to make this as a Christmas gift but I really think I'm going to have to keep it! The pattern is only three pieces and didn't take long to make at all. Instead of the straps she made, I decided to use just one strap. I also made the strap ruffled to add a little more frilliness. The pattern also called for a different inside pocket. Mine is a zippered pocket sewn into the lining. Since I made it for me I also added a makeup bag so the inside wouldn't get dirty. If you are the crafty type, I encourage you to follow and try the challenges! I'm already looking forward to next months!!

Fabric Birthday Card

Today is my nephews first birthday party!! There really wasn't a birthday card cute enough for my little man and I didn't want to spend six dollars for a piece of paper that would be thrown away at the end of the day. So aunt Lacey came home and created a 'card' perfect for this special ocassion!

I realize the bottom doesn't exactly measure up correctly but this is my first one. Tutorial on the way!

Birthday Board and How-To

True Story: I texted my sister in law and told her to give my one and only nephew 'LOTS OF BIRTHDAY KISSES'. Then I realized that his birthday isn't for 2 more days....

I'm pathetic when  it comes to remembering important dates! I saw the cutest birthday board on Pinterest and couldn't resist making my own.

I was going to take pictures for a tutorial but it is really so simple it's easier just to explain.

I started with a scrap piece of wood I found at my moms house (My hoarding of crafts does help out sometimes). I sanded and painted my beautiful board. For the graphic I printed off this amazing picture onto fabric and then mod podged it onto the board. I can't resist a little pink so I dabbed pink onto the edges then sanded the edges down for a shabby look. A final layer of clear spray paint adds a little shine.

For the tags I had some new ones from last Christmas left over. I dunked them in vanilla flavoring for about 15 minutes then I baked them in the oven for about 10 minutes. The tags come out all warped so I stack them in between foil and put something heavy on them until they flatten out and cool down.

Not sure that it matters but I put everyones birthday on the tags with Sharpies new paint pens. I swear I've used them every day since my daughter unwrapped them on her birthday :)

The knob I bought at lowes. I am NOT savvy with electric tools so I super glued it to the board and let dry overnight. I used twine to hang the tags and think it turned out pretty swanky! I will be making these for Christmas since they are basically free to make and super cute!