Goodbye 2014 and Hello 2015

As I say goodbye to 2014, I look back on the year and everything that has happened.  I can truly say that it has been an amazing year and I was able to accomplish my goals.  

The first was to get healthier in body and mind.  This year I was able to drop 20 pounds and even ran in 10...yes TEN...races.  I came in third in one and last in another but it still feels amazing to have completed just one.  I'm not much of a fan of running so for me to sign up for TEN is worth wild anyway!  I now go to the gym at lunch and either run or work with weights each day.  I have even put in a small gym at home so that I can keep it up over the holidays and winter months.  

You can check out my Nutrisystem post in regards to how I started eating right.  I'm no longer on the program but still use the idea of it as my base for making better choices in what and when I eat during the day.  I can't say that I still don't have a treat more then I should but I have been able to keep the weight off...even over the holidays!

Another goal was to build more confidence in myself and to not shy away from dating anymore.  Lets face it...I'm not getting any younger and I don't want to end up a cat DOG lady.  Although I really do love my fur baby.  To get myself started in this challenge was not easy.  I've been divorced for 5 years now and I spent most of that time making peace with everything that happened and finally letting those feelings (good/bad) go.

I waited months before I finally signed up for Match and Plenty of Fish to try my luck at online dating.  Let me just give you a hint on this one.  If you are looking for a relationship...try Match.  If you are looking for a good laugh, nut jobs or a hook up...try Plenty of Fish.  Boy was it a rollar coaster ride.  

I really did have some great dates with only one being BAD.  I literally had to run away from this guy and almost crashed my car.  Note to ladies...never go to a guys house who wants to "fix you dinner" even if you respect him because he is in the military.  I learned my lesson.  He was a nice guy and all but we wanted totally different things (hint my match vs. plenty of fish comment earlier).

Now most were really good dates and even though there was no "love" match, I was able to make some pretty cool friends with some great guys.  One date we laughed so hard at dinner that the staff gave us a free bottle of champagne because they thought we were celebrating our anniversary.  Another one was a kayaking/hiking date.  That knocks a movie/dinner date off the charts any time.  I'm a huge fan of anything to do with water so I was in heaven that day....and the guy wasn't bad either.     

  

There was other goals like getting back into church, working on the house and getting organized that I was able to also complete as well.  

So I'm ready to let 2014 go and work on my goals for 2015.  With each year I find the old me again and I feel stronger...happier.  This upcoming year, I hope to travel....A LOT.  There is so many places I want to see and so many things I want to do that I'm finding now is the time to do it.  I also want to continue to better myself and I need to do more volunteering.  I was lacking in that area in 2014 and really kind of missed it.  Another goal is to write more and stay off of social media as much.  Writing has always been my lifeline so I really need to focus on that more which is why I'm blogging.  Last will be to challenge myself a lot more.

I had a boss once tell me that my mind was always busy and I'm the type of person that will always need a challenge to keep me going.  I think he was right.  That is what I crave and seemed to do good at. 

I've found a bunch of these 30 day photo challenge things that I am planning on doing all year.  My goal is to post one for each month with the daily challenge listed within.  It should be something to keep me busy all year!

Thanks to all who take the time to read this.  I hope all have had an amazing 2014 and that 2015 is even better for you.  Best wishes to all!  Until next time...

Make a Cub Scout Belt Loop Display for $1.50

My son as been active with scouts since he was a Tiger Cub and is just getting ready to cross over to a Boy Scout.  In my search of getting all his belt loops, patches, pins and other awards together, I realized he has a ton of stuff.  One item that cub scouts work toward is belt loops.  In order to earn a belt loops, a cub scout must preform certain tasks associated with whatever belt loop they are trying to earn at the time.  Right now there is a total of 53 different belt loops a cub scout can earn but as of 2015, these belt loops will no longer be part of the cub scout activities.  My son is lucky to have earned most of them already and I wanted to come up with a way we could display them for years to come.  I also wanted an idea that would be easy enough for my Webelos II to complete as one of their Craftsman Activity Badges.  

I've been tossing the idea around to use rulers as a base because they seemed to be the right size and shape for what I had in mind.  When the schools supplies went on sale at Wal-mart, I grabbed up a few to see if my idea would work.

When I got home, I brought out my hot glue gun, sand paper and some old Java color stain left over from redoing my bathroom cabinets.  I decided to use the hot glue gun because I wanted something that would be fast drying so that the Scouts could complete the project all in one den meeting.  I also thought about tearing out the bendable paper holders in folders to stick through the holes but changed my mind at the last minute because of the extra two rulers and no wholes for them. 

Step One - Before you glue, you must first remove the plastic straight line edge attached to the ruler.  Save yourself some trouble and just use pliers.  I used my nails for the first two and it was a pain.  The pliers makes it very simple to remove.  

Step Two - Take your sandpaper and sand the ruler down.  To make this easier, hold the sandpaper and ruler in a way that you can sand both sides at once.  Keep stopping to check to see if the Belt Loops will slide on rather easy.  Keep in mind that if you are going to paint/stain the ruler then you will need to sand it a little more to allow the Belt Loops to fit once the paint/stain is on.

Step Three - Hot glue your ruler together, making sure each one is straight.  I matched the three up with the the holes from the back piece and then filled in the other two rules in the extra space.  Make sure that the glue drys before moving on.

Step Four - Paint/Stain the ruler and leave overnight. 

Step Five - I used thin cord to make a decorative X and to add extra support to the center.  

If you completely fill this up, it will hold a total of 50 Belt Loops.  Five per row and side.  For a total of $1.50 for 6 rulers and with the use of a few items I had on hand, this Belt Loop display turned out great and will be a huge hit for my next Webelos Den Meeting. 

You may also like  Cub Scout Patch, Belt Loop and Arrow of Light Display

 

If interested in a fun Boy Scout Activity, read about how to plan a Boy Scout Escape Room!  It was so much fun.

 

Kenwood Yulupa Cuvee Brut Sparkling Wine

Kenwood Yulupa Cuvee Brut

This summer, like most, has completely pasted me by in a blur.  Lots of fun in the sun and of course some great new wines that I have stumbled upon and need to write about.

This bottle, Kenwood Yulupa Cuvee Brut, was actually a gift from one of my favorite restaurants,  Tidewater Grill.  My date and I was having such a good time that the staff thought we were celebrating our anniversary and wanted to surprise us with a bottle of wine.  The surprise was actually on them when we spilled the beans that it was only our third date.  They took it in stride and gave us the bottle to wish us many more years together to come. 

If you have reviewed my other wine posts, you will have already figured out that I love a dessert wine or as my friends say "sugar water".  Call it what you will but I find them refreshing and very enjoyable.

I'm not much of a drinker but since it was a gift, I felt I had to drink at least one glass.  With the first taste of this wine, I was hooked.  I loved the light fruit flavor and citrus aromas.  I had no trouble drinking my first glass or the second.  It also went wonderful with my blackened chicken breast, steamed broccoli and rice pilaf; which you will have to ask for because Tidewater no longer has the blackened chicken on the menu.  Be warned before you get this dish because it is extremely spicy and you will want to have a huge glass of water while eating it.  If you love spicy food, then this is a must try if you ever find yourself in the area.  

Now that I have found the time to write this blog, I did a little research on how the wine is made and its makers.  Yulupa Cuvee Brut (a blend of Chenin Blanc, French Colmbard, Chardonnary and Pinot Noir) is a medium dry sparkling wine made in California from harvested grapes gently pressed (using traditional "whole cluster" system) before they reach full maturity.  Kenwood states that it's this gently pressing that helps the wine retain the fruit essence.  The wine ages for approximately 10 months in stainless steel tanks before 1.5% sugar (also known as "dosage") is added before it will be ready for bottling.  The alcohol volume is listed at 11% and a 750 ml bottle will run you about $10.00.

For any dessert wine drinking, I would suggest you give this bottle a try.  I will be adding it to my personal wine supply and look forward to my next glass soon.   

Dirty Girl Mud Run is Just Plain Dirty and NOT in a Good Way!

The ladies of Charleston, West Virginia, are steaming this week over the controversy of the cancelled Dirty Girl Mud Run scheduled for Saturday, July 26, 2014.  I hate to admit it but I am one of those ladies that was duped out of  $71.57 fee plus the money for costumes my group spent in preparation for this event.  This event was originally scheduled for April 5, 2014 but when I went to sign up, I saw that it had been moved to July.  This should have been a warning that something was wrong from the start.

Not only was this event cancelled at the last minute but Dirty Girl (aka 100 LLC) has refused to refund any of the money nor give credit to a future event all because it has been reported they refused to pay the $20,000 event cost per contract.  This cost was part of the contract signed in March 2014 between Human Movement and Cato Park to pay $10,000 for venue ($5,000 down and $5,000 due at the end of June-which was not paid); $12,000 for shuttle service; and remaining amount for porta potties and emergency services.  Charleston even waived the newly added event fee that took in effect July 1 in order for this event to continue as scheduled.  So if you look at the date I signed up for this event (March 19, 2014) you can figure out that Dirty Girl was taking entry fee money even before a contract was signed and the event was planned.    

I ran this mud run last year with 1,700 other ladies and was happy to do it again this year with a group of friends.  In fact, after this race I started entering other mud runs and 5k's and felt like the Dirty Girl was way to easy compared to others.  But in March, I purchased my 11 am slot, along with my friends and started planning our costumes.  We were going to go with a baseball theme with our shirts saying "Save Second Base."  We had hats, gloves, pants and even the black smug for under your eyes to give us the baseball girl look. 

So imagine our surprise when we wake up Monday, July 21, 2014 and hear on the news that the Dirty Girl Mud Run had been cancelled four days before the event was to take place.  Of course we all thought it was a joke because we had not received a cancelled notice from Dirty Girl.  So the ladies start calling, emailing and posting on Facebook to Dirty Girl.....with no response.  Dirty Girl finally sent an email that afternoon telling everyone that the event was not cancelled.

It was a yo-yo day with 2,600 women just waiting to hear what was going on.  Keep in mind that some of these women are traveling from out of state and have the extra cost of hotels and gas to think about.  Hotels need a notice to be cancelled in order to get money back so for these ladies to just wait, must have been awful.  Everything was on hold while our city was saying NO and Dirty Girl was saying YES.  At this time, we still had the option to change our race date to another date and location but everyone held off because Dirty Girl said it was still a go.

Charleston finally gives us a little good news that a meeting was scheduled for July 22 at 9:30 am.  We all waited the rest of the night and early morning to hear some news of what was going to happen.  By 9:30 am it was announced that the meeting had been pushed to 2:30 pm.  Another five hour wait.  Charleston waited until 4:30 pm to hear from Human Movement, the event coordinator, only to be left hanging and Park Tours, the shuttle service hired by Human Movement, could not hold the buses any longer.  Without the bus service, there would be no way to hold this event at the location planned.  It is quoted that Dirty Girl and Human Movement could not come up with the cash ($12,000) in time for the deadline needed by Park Tours.  Which really sounds kind of strange to me if they had already collected between $169,000-$257,000 (between $65-$99 fee) depending on the entrance fee collected.  Charleston informed us that the race was cancelled that afternoon.

Dirty Girl didn't get around to telling us until July 23 with just a short email claiming they took "all possible steps" to make this event happen.  They also had to give us the final slap with "we will not be issuing refunds under any circumstances."

Dirty Girl's Facebook page started blowing up with women from all over the United States telling them how wrong this was.  Dirty Girl quickly shut down the option for us to change event dates and location to another state.  I even posted a comment just asking about how much went to Breast Cancer and had close to 200 likes and another 20+ comments.  After thousands of comments, likes and shares....Dirty Girl deleted this post and added another one saying the same thing, just to wipe out everyone's comments, likes and shares.  I again re-posted the same thing and added that the Company is not named Dirty Girl Mud Run but goes by 100 LLC for the ones filing a complaint and that I couldn't find anything about them giving money to charity other then them quoting they gave $475,000 to different Breast Cancer Charities and $125,000 to their new partner Bright Pink.  My comment was the only one deleted off the new post and I was promptly BLOCKED from posting to their site. 

Today they posted this one regarding comments being deleted.  I'm still blocked from posting a comment. 

Dirty Girl is claiming they have the right to keep all entry fee because of the below section of the waiver we signed upon paying.  Truly, who signs these things thinking it means they can cancel an event AND keep your money?  It does state "no refunds" but does not say anything about NOT giving us a credit for a future event.  The next section states official race directors have the right to cancel an event because of "emergency, severe weather, local or national disaster" and I did not see any of these things going on in my wonderful state this week.

This just made me mad so I have made it my mission to track down everything I can on this company.  I love running in Mud Runs/5k and I also try to give back to others as much as possible.  In fact, I ran the Wild Warrior Challenge on April 19 of this year and found it much better then last years Dirty Girl.  I would recommend this Mud Run to all ladies next year.  It was way more of a challenge then Dirty Girl.  I also want to give a shout out to the guys that put the Be A Hero 5k together on July 12.  This organizer had his ducks in a row and not only was he able to get us great shirts, dog tags at the finish line, a bag full of goodies, he also posted where all the money went so nobody was left wondering.  This, in my book, is what a true leader is and someone that cares; not one that hides how much they make and give back to a charity that is claimed.

I have also paid a fee for an event that was cancelled earlier this year.  I was signed up for the GoRuck Light on May 17 but it was cancelled because of low participation.  Was I upset?  Yes!  I had trained for this event for 6 months.  I also spent a lot of money on a backpack to hold the weights needed for the event.  But after reading the message I got for GoRuck, I was ok with why they had to cancel and fine with how they handled the credit.  THIS is how a company handles an event cancellation and Dirty Girl could learn a thing or two about this from other organizers. 

West Virginia is not the first event cancelled by Dirty Girl.  Boise, Idaho's event scheduled for May 4, 2013 was also cancelled.  I'm still searching to see what the outcome of this was and if the ladies received their funds back or moved to another race.

And if you think the rest of the Dirty Girl Events planned is safe...think again...

At this time, there is still 17 Dirty Girl Mud Run events collecting entry fees.
1)  Aug 02 - Twin Cities (Metro Gun Club in Blaine, Minnesota)
2)  Aug 09 - Cleveland, Ohio
3)  Aug 16 - Maukesha County Fair in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
4)  Aug 17 - Maukesha County Fair in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
5)  Aug 23 - High point Farm in Clarksburg, Maryland
6)  Sept 06 - Elegant Builders Raceway in Lancaster, New York
7)  Sept 13 - Lancaster Event Center in Lincoln, Nebraska (Cancelled)
8)  Sept 20 - The Recess Factory in Erie, Colorado
9)  Sept 27 - Cycle Ranch in Floresville, Texas (Cancelled)
10)  Oct 4 - Skyline Ranch in Dallas, Texas (Cancelled)
11)  Oct 11 - Sundance Horse Ranch in Houston, Texas (Cancelled)
12)  Oct 25 - Alameda County Fair in Pleasanton, California (Cancelled)
13)  Nov 01 - Action Movie Ranch, Acton, CA (Cancelled)
14)  Nov 15 - Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park in Chandler, Arizona (Cancelled)
15)  Nov 22 - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
16)  Apr 25 - Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia
17)  May 02 - The Pavilion at Montage Mountain in Scranton, Pennsylvania

The Idea for Dirty Girl

From what I can uncover, Dirty Girl may have been originally called Purty Dirty in 2011 and was a dream of Robin Gohsman (father to Jimmy Gohsman) as a mud run 5k designed for women at any fitness level.  Like all ideas, it started off sounding like an awesome adventure and would help women regarding breast cancer research.  The original idea was to use organic and Eco-friendly obstacles that could be recycled back into the earth once the event was done.  As I'm finding out now, that did not happen at last years event and Coonskin had to clean up the park themselves.  This event also states that a portion of the proceeds would go to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. 

Company

100 LLC (aka Dirty Girl) is licensed as a Foreign Limited Liability Company in twenty-seven (27) states with the nine (9) listed with the address 405 Genesee Street , Delafield, WI 53018, which is listed on the Dirty Girl website as contact.  These states are; Alabama, California, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Florida, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, Oregon, North Carolina, Indiana, Massachusetts, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin and West Virginia. 

ZoomInfo lists Dirty Girl Revenue at $5-$10 million dollars in 2012.  I'm guess it is way more then that now.

Chris McIntosh (Former Seattle Seahawks Offensive Tackle) is listed as President (2010-Present) of 100 LLC and BE Fitness & Wellness, LLC (which is also located at 405 Genesee Street).  McIntosh also founded Body Basix (with Robin Gohsman).  I was able to find an article regarding how to be an authentic leader.  I thought this seemed to fit in as to what is going on now since McIntosh was quoted as saying, "A good leader is the bi-product of one's core values.  You're either an authentic person or you're not" and my favorite, "My core value is honesty."  Although McIntosh refuses to state the companies revenue, it was said by enterpreneur.com that it would be bringing in close to $22 million in 2013.

Robin Gohsman, Jennifer Baumann, Peter Bethken and Timothy Abair are listed as Managers for Dirty Girl, LLC and/or 100 LLC in Delafield, WI.  100 LLC was filed in WV on March 21, 2013 and lists Christopher McIntosh, Jennifer Baumann, Peter Bethke and Timothy Abair as principals.

The past CEO of Dirty Girl is listed as Kent Ebersole who is now President and Director of Development for Human Convergence, LLC for the past 11 months (starting on September 2013).  He is listed as CEO of 100 LLC/Dirty Girl Mud Run from February 2013-August 2013 (7 months) and Chief Marketing Officer for July 2012 to February 2013 (8 months).

On June 28, 2013, it was announced that Dirty Girl Mud Run will partner with Bright Pink.  They promised $250,000 to Bright Pink for the year 2013.  Bright Pink does list their financials online for the past two years and Dirty Girl is listed but it does not say how much was given. (Press Release)

Sponsors

As of July 25, 2014, Dirty Girl has removed all sponsors from their Facebook page. 

Fruit2O has since terminated the relationship with Dirty Girl.  Good for them in doing what is right!

In Conclusion...

I could go on and on but really...what's the point?  It would seem this company is just like a lot of others ones.  They claim to give to a charity that touches the hearts of many enough to open our wallets to pay a huge amount we wouldn't normally do.  In the end...we were stupid. The company and everyone that works for them should be ashamed because every penny they stuff deeper into their pockets is one less penny being spent toward breast cancer research.

So enjoy your expensive homes, nice cars and vacations while taken the money of the hard working women of West Virginia that was under the impression, as a lot of other are, that most of the money was being spent toward research.  I for one have learned my lesson and will now be sticking to charities that I can donate my time like Manna Meals and Habitat for Humanity rather then handing over money that will never be seen by the promised charity.

To the ladies of West Virginia who, like me, refuse to stand and take this slap, there is a few things you can do.

1)  Contact your credit card company and try to get your money back that way.  If it was within 60 days, they may be able to help you.

2)  File a complaint with the West Virginia.  The more complaints they get the better the file will be to open an investigation.

3)  Contact Preston & Salango, PLLC who has filed a class action lawsuit against Dirty Girl (aka 100 LLC) to have our fee returned.  They have also promised that any Attorney Fee collected will ALL be donated to Breast Cancer Research. 

4) Eventbrite is the company that took some of our payment for fee.  I contact them via email because I heard a rumor that they hold all the fund until a few days after the event before handing it over to Dirty Girl and am waiting for their response.  I'm just not sure why they would continue to take people's money for upcoming events that may or may not still take place.

5) You can also join the Facebook page Dirty Girl Rips Off Charleston WV to keep up to date as to what is going on, since Dirty Girl keeps blocking the ones that are posting what they find on their page.

UPDATE 

 

As of today (August 1, 2014), I have received a full refund for my purchase of the Dirty Girl Mud Run.  Although, I am still out the money spent on the outfit my group was going to wear.  I will just hold on to it and maybe wear it at Halloween or another run in the future.  

I do want to mention that a local rafting company heard about what happened and stepped up to create a mud run course for the women that were going to run in Dirty Girl.  They even offered for the first 500 to sign up, free entry.  All others would be $25 and all money would be donated to charity.  I unfortunately could not make it on this date but it looks like a lot of ladies did enjoy the run.  And from the pictures, it looks like it would have been more fun then the Dirty Girl anyway.  Thank you ACE Adventure Resort for stepping up to the plate for your WV girls.  I knew there was a reason I love coming to your resort for my whitewater rafting adventures :-)

And although Human Movement Management and Eventbrite was about to refund some of the money (mine being one), this has left a really bad taste in my mouth for this kinds of runs in the future.  I will not be more cautions as to which race I decided to sign up for.  The truth is there is so many races in West Virginia that most, if not all, the money goes to a good cause that you can pretty much pick and choose which ones you want.  Dirty Girl, no matter who took it over, will never be a mud run I do again. 

Cub Scout Pinewood Derby Race Party

One of the biggest events in a cub scouts year is the Pinewood Derby Race.  In our pack, our leader hands the kits out in December which gives our scouts around two months to create their master pieces.  The kits contain a block of wood, four wheels and metal rods.  Each scout is allowed to use his imagination and create whatever they want as long as it stays within the rules.  The night of the race, each scout will have his car inspected and then wait his turn to race against his fellow scouts.  The winners receive an award and will get to race their car against the winners from other packs.  

These are two examples of my sons derby cars.  His Mario won first place in 2013 but the Angry Bird lost in 2014 and it was to big and we had to remove the sling shot so it would fit under the finish line. 

 

As for the party and the reason for this blog....one year I got creative and decided to make treats for the kids in the Pinewood Derby Theme.  Below find my treat creations and directions to make each of one.

 

S'MORES CARS

My first idea was S'mores Cars.  These are really simple to make. but the end result was amazing.  You will need:

• Marshmallows
• Mini Oreos
• Teddy Grams
• Gram Crackers
• Melting Chocolate

I made the white hearts but you can use anything as a grill to cover the whole I made dipping the Marshmallows.  To make it easy, have all your ingredients ready to assembly the car.  I broke up the gram crackers and separated the mini oreos in advance as my chocolate was melting.      

To melt the chocolate, I always us a double boiler.  Once your chocolate is melted, dip the marshmallow and place on gram cracker base.  While the chocolate is still melted, add the oreo wheels and teddy gram.  Once the chocolate hardens, everything is stuck together like glue.  The kids loved these and it was a huge hit for the parents as well.

CHOCOLATE DIPPED CAR PRETZEL RODS

 

My next treat was Chocolate Dipped Car Pretzel Rods.  You will need:

• Melting Chocolate
• Pretzel Rods
• Car Candy Mold

There really wasn't much to do on these but melt the chocolate and pour into the car pretzel rod candy molds I found at my local Micheal's Craft Store.  Make sure to gently tap the mold after you pour in the chocolate to allow air bubbles to escape.

CELERY CARS

To balance out all the candy treats, I also made these celery stuffed with cream cheese cars with grape wheels.  As you may have figured out, these were the last to go.  You will need:

• Celery
• Light Cream Cheese
• Grapes
• Toothpicks

Cut up your celery and add cream cheese.  Add the toothpick and grapes for wheels.

Next time I would not use the teddy grams because the longer they sat in the cream cheese the softer they became and ended up not being a good fit.  I would try gummy bears because they may hold up better.
 

STOPLIGHT RICE CRISPY TREATS

Rice Crispy Treats are so easy to make and should always be at any party.  Young or old, they are a party hit. For the derby party, I turned regular rice crispy treats into stoplights using M&M's as the different color lights.  You will need:

• Rice Crispy Cereal
• Marshmallows
• Butter
• M&M's (Green, Red and Yellow)
• Small tube of icing

Follow the directions on the rice crispy box to make the treats.  After they have cooled, cut into rectangles.  To make the M&M's stick to the rice crispy, put a tiny bit of icing on them and it will hold them on like glue.

I hope you enjoyed my treat ideas and end up using them for your scout party or race car theme birthday.  Thanks for read!!!

Rainbow Party Favors

Coming up with a creative and fun favor for a thirteen year old's birthday party was a little challenging.  I wanted something different, with a lot of colors and not to kiddish for young teenagers.  For this party I created two different favors.  

The first was personalized suckers with the birthday girls name.  I found the suckers at Oriental Trading in bulk.  I found the rainbows on yahoo images and then added the personal touch and printed them on labels.  If you use the 2"x4" you should be able to fit 2 rainbows on one label.  I then printed out and cut to fit the sucker.  This was simple and easy to do.

Also at Oriental Trading (one of my favorite online party stores), I found these make your own puzzles and rainbow crayons.  An idea formed to use these so that the teenagers could make their own master piece puzzles to pass to each other to solve. 

Step One:  I found the rainbow I wanted to use on Yahoo Images and then added the personal message.  I printed the rainbows on labels and then used different colored card stock to make the top.

 Step Two:  Cute the card stock into two different pieces.

 Step Three:  Cute each side into equal threes and fold in the center.

Step Four:  Add your stickers.  Pretty simple.

Step Five:  Gather the above items...plus a stapler (not pictured).

Step Six:  Place the items in the baggy, making sure that the pen is standing up before you move on to the next step.

 

Step Seven:  Flip the bag over, fold to fit the puzzle, tuck the corner up and then tape to hold it together.

Step Eight:  Fold the top down and tape.

Step Nine:  Add the top and staple together.

This was a pretty simple favor to make.  I would have liked to use paints (water colors) but the room the party was in did not allow such things. Enjoy :-)