Author: Liv

Mom, artist, blogger, animal lover and travel enthusiast.
Posted on by

How to Make a Push Pin Travel Map

How to make push pin travel map easy

I love our world travel map with push pins. It is displayed in my office and it brings me joy every time I look at it. I decided to make a similar one for our family’s Texas State Parks adventures. This Push Pin Travel Map was so easy to make I decided to share it with you! This project should only take you less than 10 minutes to complete.

Time

Takes less than 10 minutes to complete.

Materials

Choose Your Map

Our family wants to visit all of the Texas State Parks. If you share the same mission and like this design, I have made this print available for sale. It also comes in two other colors (i.e., pink and dark blue). Just remember to customize this print with your own header (“Johnson’s Family Texas State Parks Bucket List”, “Adventures of Alice + Adam”, “Sophia’s Solo Adventures,” etc.). The map size I am using is 11 x 14 inches. However, you can choose any map size you want as long as you choose the correct frame size and have enough cork backing.

Trim the Cork Backing to Size

Tracing a blue guide line on cork board with blue BIC pen on the side.

Use the map (or the insert that comes with the frame) as a guide to cutting the cork backing to size. I am using a 11 x 14 inch map print to fit an 11 x 14 inch rustic farm house style wooden frame.

Arrange two 12 x 12 inch tiles in a column. Then place the map (print side down) against the cork tiles.

Use your ball point pen to trace around the print.

Then take a pair of sharp scissors and cut the outline.

Scissors cutting cork board.

Frame your Map

Open the frame, and remove the glass or acrylic front.

Then place the layers in the frame in this order:

  1. Map (print side down and positioned correctly for hanging)
  2. Cork pieces
  3. Frame backing

Then secure the layers in place with the frame’s fasteners.

Use Your Travel Push Pins

Closeup of orange travel push pins on a State Parks of Texas map.

Now for the fun part! After you hang your new travel map, use your travel push pins to track your travels!

Travel push pins come in assorted colors. You can choose a color for the places you visited. You can choose another color for the next place(s) you plan on traveling to. You can also choose a color for favorite places that you really enjoyed and would either re-visit or recommend others to visit. I love these metallic travel push pins for marking favorite destinations.



Metallic Travel Push Pins (Gold, Silver, Champagne, Bronze, Rose Gold, Metallic Black)



What colors will you choose? I used orange push pins to nicely contrast the greenish-blue map.

Related Posts

Posted on by

Personalized Texas State Parks Bucket List Map

Personalized Texas State Parks Travel Map

My family and I recently purchased a Texas State Parks annual pass! We eventually want to visit all of the State Parks in Texas so I am tracking our progress with our new Texas State Parks Bucket List Map!

The Design

Texas State Parks Bucket List or Check List Travel Maps that can be personalized with your name or family's name.
Texas State Parks Check List Travel Maps

This Texas State Parks Bucket List features an illustration of the state of Texas. There are three different color options (i.e., light salmon pink, dark blue and a greenish-blue color). All appear on a neutral background. I wanted a simple, uncluttered look with clean lines. A list of the 89 Texas State parks listed on the Texas Parks & Wildlife appears below under a heading that can be customized with your own text.

Personalize It With Your Name

Make this bucket list your own by personalizing it with your own heading. Ours says “Lewis Family’s Texas State Parks Bucket List” but you can customize this line to suit your needs. For example, for a couple you can use “Adam + Alice’s State Parks Checklist” or for an individual you can say “Sophia’s Adventures Since 2021.”

How to Use This Bucket List

Markers

The print has a list of Texas state parks numbered from 1-89, and there is a corresponding numbered bubble on the map. After you visit a park, find that numbered bubble and fill it in. You can use sharpies, but I cannot speak to its long term effect on the print. If you want a safer option, you can use archival or photo-safe markers.

Frame the print without the glass, so that you can mark your progress as you go.

Travel Push Pins

Orange travel push pins laying against cork board

Alternatively, you could frame the print against a cork tile backing. Remove the glass, and you will be able to use travel push pins to mark off each park you visited.

Or if you get a large enough cork board, you could also display some of your favorite photos of the trip on the empty space.

Posted on by

Save Money With a State Parks Pass

Dinosaur Valley State Park and Save Money with a State Parks Pass

Save money with a State Parks Pass! We plan on visiting several Texas state parks this year, and after pricing out the day use and camping fees, it made more sense to purchase a Texas State Parks annual pass.

The Texas State Parks annual pass gives us unlimited free entry to 89 state parks and it gives us additional perks like discounts on camping. The standard pass costs $70 + shipping and handling fees ($5.95). However, if you are a senior, disabled veteran or have a substantial physical or mental disability, you may qualify for a free Texas Parklands Passport. For additional information, visit the Texas Parks & Wildlife website.

If you are planning to visit your state parks this year, check to see if your state offers an annual pass or other discounts. If you live near bordering state(s), check out that state’s details as well. We were pleasantly surprised to learn that Arkansas does not charge entry fees to their state parks.

Posted on by

Hello Fresh Review: Is it Worth it?

I have seen Hello Fresh ads for months but never had a reason to try it because my husband and I already love to cook. However, one day I was catching up with an old friend who wanted to break the cycle of eating out all the time. It was an unhealthy and expensive habit. I offered to share some of my easy, go-to recipes, but she said she did not know how to cook. So instead, I suggested she consider trying a meal prep program like Hello Fresh. When I saw Upromise had a $40 cash back offer on Hello Fresh, I decided to give it a try too and I am glad I did.

Jump To

Hello Fresh Discount Codes & Cash Back
My First Hello Fresh Order
Hello Fresh Would Be Good For…
Hello Fresh: Pros & Cons
Overall


One of our favorite Hello Fresh meals: White Cheddar Wonderburgers with caramelized onion, special sauce and old bay fries.

Hello Fresh Discount Codes & Cash Back

Hello Fresh has generous coupon codes and cash back rewards that makes it a no brainer to try out. My first order of Hello Fresh was less than what I would have spent on groceries, and they delivered the ingredients to me.

Upromise

Upromise has a $40 cash back on the first Hello Fresh order. If you have not heard of Upromise, it is a website that allows you a unique way to save up for a college fund. Basically, it allows you to earn cash back from purchases. It is 100% free to sign-up, and they give you a $30 bonus.*

Rakuten

Rakuten is currently offering $10 cash back.* Rakuten is another cash back rewards program. It is also 100% free to sign-up, and they give you a $30 bonus.*

Coupon Cabin

Coupon Cabin is currently offering $10.10 cash back.* Coupon Cabin is another cash back rewards program that is 100% free to sign-up.

Hello Fresh Discount Codes

14 free meals from HelloFresh when you buy a 4-week subscription, plus no shipping fees (new customers only): KX-299Y9B6WE Expires 9/29/21

My First Hello Fresh Order

How it Arrived

My first order arrived in two boxes. I loved that the fresh ingredients were organized by meal in labeled paper sacks. The meat was labeled and separated in portions. I was disappointed I only received 5 of the 6 recipe cards, but there was an easy fix. If this happens to you, you can go to their website and download a copy of the recipe card from your “My Menu” page. When you open up the recipe, click on the download icon (i.e., down arrow) that appears in the upper left corner of the recipe.

Remember to Freeze Your Proteins

Hello Fresh recommends freezing all proteins until a few hours before you want to cook them. Once the protein is thawed, you need to use meats within 5 hours and seafood within 2 days. To defrost the meats, I just placed them in the refrigerator the night before I wanted to cook the meal.

Szechuan Beef & Green Beans with Ginger Rice & Candied Peanuts

I chose to prepare Szechuan Beef & Green Beans with Ginger Rice & Candied Peanuts as our first meal, and it was delicious!!! The fresh ingredients were in good condition and everything came pre-measured. The Hello Fresh meal kits do not include sugar, salt, pepper, cooking oil or butter. They assume that people have those ingredients on hand, and we did. The directions were very clear.

I am not new to cooking so I did make changes to suit my preferences. For example, instead of steaming the green beans in the microwave, I chose to steam them in a pan. I just threw them in a pan with 1/4 cup of water, covered it up and heated them on the stove for a few minutes on medium heat until the green beans were tender.

I was excited to learn a new way to make candied peanuts. Normally, I would just toss a little sugar in a pan with the nuts and let the sugar caramelize and coat the nuts, but I prefer the directions in this recipe, which says to add a little water. Adding water allows the sugar to coat the nuts evenly.

Hello Fresh Would Be Good For…

People Who Are Constantly Dining Out – It is unhealthy to eat out all of the time and it gets very expensive. If you are dining out because you do not have the time to go grocery shopping and plan out meals, this is a good option for you.

Spouse or Significant Other – Let me specify, a spouse or significant other who has expressed a wish to learn how to cook. This might not go over well if they never mentioned wanting to learn how to cook in the first place.

Date Night – The exception to the above is if you present Hello Fresh as a way for both of you to learn a new skill. Couples cooking classes are a great bonding experience! This would be an easy, inexpensive and fun date night activity.

Seasoned Cooks Who Want to Try Something New – My husband and I cook all the time, but we enjoyed trying something new.

College Students – This would be a thoughtful gift to a college student who has access to a kitchen and is new to cooking. No one should have to eat ramen 24/7.

One of our favorite Hello Fresh dinners: One-Pot Longhorn Turkey & Black Bean Chili

Hello Fresh: Pros & Cons

PROSCONS
– Several easy to make recipes
– Delicious meals
– Cheaper than dining at a restaurant
– Meals are ready under an hour
– Generous portions
– You can skip weeks
– Hello Fresh gives back to the community
– They have a rewards program		– Only some of the ingredients are organic
– Meal kits do not include salt, pepper, sugar, oil and butter
-More expensive than the grocery store
– $8.99 shipping fee per delivery


Overall

Overall, Hello Fresh is a good value for those who tend to dine out. The meals have generous portions and are cheaper than dining out at a restaurant. This is also a good introduction for those who are new to cooking. Your meals are planned for the week, food is delivered straight to your door and they arrive in pre-portioned packages. This minimizes the stress in cooking and makes the process enjoyable. Even if you are a seasoned cook, this would be an easy and fun way to spice up a week of cooking with pre-planned, tasty recipes.

Want to get cash back on Hello Fresh and other stores? Make sure you check out the articles I wrote on Upromise and Rakuten.

*See program’s website for current offers and terms and conditions.

Posted on by

Save Money for Your Kid’s College Fund While You Shop

Woman holding shopping bags over her shoulder with text Save Money for College While You Shop.

Save money for your kid’s college fund while you shop by using Upromise! It is completely free and easy to use! In less than one month, I earned $75.21 in rewards towards my child’s college fund. You get $30 free just for signing up (i.e., $5.29 just for sign-up + $25 for linking a 529 plan).*

Upromise schedules payments on a monthly basis. However, your account balance has to meet the minimum threshold to transfer funds. The amount of the minimum threshold varies. Mine happens to be $50.

You do not have to have a 529 College Savings Plan to use Upromise. However, if you do and choose to link it to your Upromise account, you will receive a $25 bonus (which is part of the $30 sign-up bonus).* You get the additional advantage of having funds directly deposited into your child’s 529 college savings plan. This is great because it is just one less transfer you will have to make.

Get cash back on shopping, travel, dining and even on your groceries! Upromise also has special offers where you can earn significant cash back rewards. For example, you can earn up to $200 with Stash.

After you sign-up, all you have to do is visit Upromise and click on the store or the offer you want to take advantage of. Then shop as normal or complete the offer. Simple, right? Just make sure you check their terms and conditions for each store or offer. For example, if you decide to make a purchase through their Walmart link, you will notice they will list certain categories that will be excluded from cash back earnings.

Saving for a college fund has never been easier. You are going to shop anyways so shop smart and get free cash back towards your kid’s college fund! If you find that Upromise does not have a store you wish to purchase from, consider checking other cash back programs to maximize your rewards. Two of my favorite cash back programs are Rakuten and Coupon Cabin, which are also free to sign-up. I have personally saved over $2,500 alone through Rakuten (f/k/a eBates). If you are interested in more information, read my post here.

Essential School Supplies!

*Note: Please check the programs directly for current terms and conditions. My earnings is just an example of what someone can earn on Upromise. Individual results will vary.