Getting ready for the holidays...all of them!

Since we have tightened our budget even further for 2012, many more gifts will be thrifted or homemade. For that reason, and not wanting to get stressed at the last minute, I've decided to start early.

I just went to the library and checked out many books on crafting, holidays and money saving. I will research and take notes. I will make many copies. I will get started next week, preparing for Valentines Day. The next gift giving holiday will be Easter and then summer birthdays.

I plan to be prepared this year. No more stressing out two weeks before Christmas when my crafting has barely begun. I will have my Christmas cards made by the end of summer.

Oh yes, I will!

frugal b-day gift

I have a friend with a birthday coming. She loves to sew and also loves vintage treasures. So, I've spent the past couple of days treasure hunting. {my favorite thing to do} We have 5 thrift stores within a 5 mile radius. We are so lucky!



So far, I have found a beautiful vintage sewing box. {I let out a little whoop when I found it} I've also found various sewing supplies. I had a small Mason looking jar and many buttons, so I filled the jar with buttons. It looks so pretty!






I have a 40% off coupon for the sewing store, so I thought I'd go get a couple yards of fabric.



All in all, I may spend about $10-$15, but I know that she is going to love this new treasure.



It's the time that you take and the thought that you put into a gift that matters most. I really believe that!

free photo greeting card

This would make a great Valentine's card for your sweetie! You just pay $0.99 for shipping.

Hurry! Valentine's Day is coming!


http://www.mommysavers.com/2011/01/free-5x7-folded-greeting-card-from-shutterfly/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mommysavers+%28Mommysavers.com%29


And after you check out this link, spend some time at MommySavers.com! I know that I will!

extended family Christmas party

We had our extended family Christmas party this weekend. It was a blast!

We started out at the ice skating rink. {I know, not a frugal way to start a party} Let me explain that I have a change jar for just this outing. I use cash when grocery shopping, and all coins go into the jar as soon as I get home. {I never spend change} It really adds up. I took the jar to the bank, and it had about $60.00 in it. Perfect.

I had a pot of soup simmering on the stove, so after skating we all went to my house. Everyone brings a dish to share, so it was a wonderful feast.

After eating and visiting, we have a White Elephant gift exchange. It was just getting to be too expensive to buy gifts for everyone. This works out great and it is so much fun. We have a limit of $5 per gift and we always get the most bizarre items! There was even a pair of Captain America underwear, new of course, that was actually stolen! ha ha

I do make gifts for all of the nieces and nephews. This year it was a photo Rubiks Cube. I found the Rubiks Cubes at the dollar store. I then went through all of my photos to find 6 for each cube. I measured, cut them into 6 pieces and glued them to each square. They turned out awesome and the kids LOVED them! It cost about $1 per cube and a 1/2 hour per cube of my time. So easy and fun. I forgot to take pictures of them. Silly me! I'll try to get a pic and post it here soon.

declutter update and a simple Christmas

I have been so busy with getting ready for Christmas, that I have fallen behind in my decluttering challenge. The past two days, I have been going through closets and drawers like a crazy woman. I will have 2 bags to donate today. That feels good.

I have been receiving small gifts from friends lately. My friends and I agree that giving a gift to someone that you found in your home has just as much meaning as one that you went out and purchased! I had two books that I really enjoyed,{both bought on clearance} and I knew two friends that would enjoy them as well. One friend gave me a lovely teapot that she had loved, but she knew that I would enjoy it. I love that idea! Why go broke looking for the "perfect" gift

I also received a gift that I know was found at a thrift store. How cool is that? She went out, thinking of me, and spent a small amount on a gift that she knew I would adore! That makes my heart happy.

I found gifts for my children at the Goodwill. Will they care? Not likely. I found my son some brand new guitar strings. I was in a music store recently and found the same strings for $99! The set that I found is missing a couple, but was $5! He will be thrilled.

homemade gifts, a gift recipe and a simple Christmas

I feel very strongly about home made gifts. Especially at Christmas! It just means so much more to me, if you give me something that you have made. I don't care if it cost you less than a dollar to make. It's the time that you took. You were thinking of me when you took time to create something! It's like a hug everytime I look at it, or eat it! =)

I really enjoy making gifts and my family and friends seem to enjoy receiving them.

I always make something for my extended family. In the past, these have included: candles, soap, smelly jelly {air freshener}, scrapbooks and just last year I made photo candles. These were super easy and looks amazing! The candles looked like they had pictures printed right onto them. My family loved them!

Our extended family gets together every year before Christmas. We have a potluck dinner and a White Elephant gift exchange, with an emphasis on really silly gifts. We keep a max on the dollar amount spent. It is so much fun and we can just enjoy each other without the stresses of shopping.

I always bake yummy goodies for Christmas. These are included as part of our gift. I only bake certain items for the Holiday, so that they are more special. For example, my family knows that they only get peanut brittle, fudge and molasses cookies once a year!

I also bake for my neighbors. I have never had a neighbor give us a gift, but I honestly don't mind. I would prefer that they didn't. They all seem genuinely happy to receive my home baked goodies! {I always wrap them some pretty way, so it seems more like a gift}

photo candles:

1 candle, any size, white {I bought mine at the dollar store}

digital pictures or scanned pictures ready on your computer

tissue paper, white or light colored

hair dryer or heat embossing tool

straight pins

To print the picture onto tissue paper was the only tricky part. Tape a small piece of tissue paper to copy paper. {I discovered that the tissue would wrinkle if I didn't tape all sides} The size I used was approximately 5X7 inches.

The best way to figure out where to tape it onto the paper is to print a picture on a sheet of copy paper first. Then you know where the pictures will be printing.

Next, print the picture. After testing it, it should print right onto the tissue paper. Remove tissue paper from copy paper. Then you want to trim the tissue paper picture to fit the candle. Use the straight pins to secure the tissue to the candle.

Here's the fun part. Take the hair dryer or heat embossing tool and glide it side to side all over the picture. You don't want to leave it too long in one place. It's okay if some of the wax drips. You can smooth it out with your finger or a popcicle stick. The effect is a picture that looks like it was printed inside the candle. You want to make sure to completely melt wax over the entire picture. When it cools, you will see any spots that you may have missed. You shouldn't see or feel the tissue paper. Just keep melting the wax until effect is achieved.

Let cool and wrap in cellophane and tie a ribbon at the top.

I'd post a picture, of the ones I made for my family, but I like for the blog to anonymous. =) sorry