Santa ornaments

Project 2 of 52

Have you seen all the fun things you can do with pop tabs? 

The list is growing longer and longer. 

Here is another....

 They were a bit messy but easy.

Gather your tinsel, bulbs, ribbon, pop tab, and a bit of glue.

Turn on your favorite movie and enjoy while you mindlessly stuff the tinsel into the bulb. 

I tried different "tools" to help with this but ultimately it came down to my fingers. Tucking, tucking, twisting and tucking. When the bulb was full I just cut what was still sticking out the top. 

Put the cap back in place.

Then tread the ribbon through the pop tab and glue around the belly of the bulb.

See, nice and cheery.

I made several up one night while hubby watched old Star Trec episodes on Netflix.

I used these for teachers gifts this past Christmas. They all loved them.

Ahh a new faucet

I have a wishlist of great things to do in my home. Most of them fall into the "want" category more than the "need" so in our endevor to be frugal and debt free they generally remain low on my shopping list...VERY LOW.

That is why I have come to love getting gift cards.

For Christmas we were given several gift cards to Home Depot. I asked my sweet hubby what he thought we should use them for. Something practical like adding to the supplies to finish the basement? Tools? Organizing supplies? Gardening gear? What?

Can you imagine my thrill when he said to get the new faucet we have been eyeing for a while!!! We have wanted it but could never justify the cost when our current (boring) faucet worked just fine. Now...well now I am wearing a smile whenever I walk into my kitchen. Who knew a faucet could make me so happy. But it is SOO pretty!!

 See, basic builders grade (ultra boring) faucet....

 Sweetest man who knows just how to make his wife happy!

Ahhh, new stylish, functional, lovely faucet.

Truth be told, sweet hubby comments all the time how much he likes the new faucet.
Thanks family and friends for the gift cards for a "want" item making us very happy!

Marble Earrings

This idea came from a combination of pinterest posts. One about shattered marbles the other of marles made into earrings....why not combine the two?

 I'm sure someone has already figured this out but I still love it!

 I plan to add these to our PTA Santa shop. What little boy wouldn 't think it totally awesome for mom to wear marbles as earrings?!

They all turned out cool but the blue were just my favorite. They are so pretty!

So here's the how to.

Supplies:

Marbles (got mine from the $1 store)

Gem glue or superglue

earring hooks

Bead caps and small rods

Heat the marbles at 450 degrees for 20-30 minutes. (I did 20 but some of them didn't shatter as much as would have liked. I will do 30 next time).

Remove from the oven and immediately immerse in ice water. Let sit until cool. You will hear them cracking. I did have one split in half but that's it. They are tempered glass so the crack but not really 'shatter'.

Thread the rod through the bead cap and glue onto the marble. Let dry completely. Make a loop on the end of the rod then just add your earring hook.....

TA-Daaaah!

They work out to be less than $0.30 each!

Homemade Birthday Cards

Sometimes we just need time to visit and relax. That's what I get when my dear friend comes to visit. We had a great time putting these cards together.

I am trying to send birthday cards to family members so I needed to stock up on them. I get the out, not always on time though so it is a life saver to have some already made and ready to go.

Girl cards are easy, boys well, they can be too they just take a bit more thought. I love the polka dots and bright colors of this one. The dotted edge added just enough to spiff it up a bit.

I LOVE this card. The bright pink. The sharp black. The crisp white. But mostly I love out the tack hangs free. It adds great dimension to go along with the flower. 

Now, if I could just see the smile on their faces. Of course that is probably for the $ in the card. ;-)

Yep, I am the favorite aunt! I earned it with each incentive!

Homemade Hand Cream

This is the best hand cream I have ever used. My sweet mother in law gave me a jar of it for Christmas. As a nurse my hands are always getting washed. Washing away all the germs and along with them all my natural oils. Add to that, living in the mountain desert and you have the perfect recipe for ultimate dryness.....

Until now!

Now I have the perfect recipe to replace the moisture and keep my hands soft, even at work.

Ingredients:

16 oz Johnson's Baby Lotion (it must be this brand, any scent but this brand)

8 oz Vitamin E cream

8 oz Vasoline

  

 Just place it in your mixer and whip it nice and smooth.

I picked up some great little jars from Target....hmmm, guess it makes quite a bit more than I thought. Mason jam jars work great too!

Place the cream in a zip-lock bag.

Cut a small piece off the corner and you can easily squeeze it into the container of your choice.

Print this little tag to give with it and you have just made someone very happy!

Click on the picture to download it.

ENJOY!

Homemade washcloths

Each Christmas our PTA has a Santa Shop for the kids to do some Christmas shopping of their own. The kids love it and get to learn about money and giving all at the same time. 

The problem this year was the stuff the company sent us was a lot of crap. Other items were spotted at the Dollar Store. *ugh* Really?!

So as frugal moms we said we can do better. So throughout the next year we are on the lookout for clearance items and fun gift ideas the kids can shop for. I am super excited! Just seeing the ideas and deals we have found already I think this will be the best Santa Shop ever!

Even my sweet hubby is watching out for toy deals. He picked up some great Lego sets for 1/4th the original price. SAWEET!~

I decided to focus my crafting efforts on the Santa Shop this year as well. I have several ideas and have others started.

Homemade washcloths are simple to make.

Put with a scrubbie and voila~ one great gift for mom or grandma.

They take about an hour each to make, maybe a bit more.

So during any down time; watching a movie with the family, waiting in car pool, waiting at the Dr office, waiting in car pool....I just pulled it out and do several rows. I have about 10 made already. I think I am gonna try to do about 30. It has been fun to try a couple of different patterns too. Such a  fun, easy, and portable craft. It feeds my addiction and fills a need at the same time. Perfect!

Check back for the next project next week. 

If you have any ideas I would love to hear. Just LMK! ;-)

ETA: This pattern came from a little book I picked up at Joann's but here are a couple of freebies some lovely ladies have shared. I am in love with the Waffle Crochet Spa Washcloth. It is simple and fast. Just my style!
 Waffle Crochet Spa Washcloth
Dishcloth

Make your own lanyards...

While at Disneyland we decided to try the Pin Trading. You get to trade pins with all the cast members. There are soooo many you will never get bored. And if you don't get what you want there are oodles to choose from to purchase. We needed lanyards to put all our pins on and I didn't really want to buy them. So, like the self respecting, frugal crafter that I am I decided I could make some.

Lanyards really are easy to make. Just 15 minutes and you've got it. I don't use exact measurements when I craft but that is ok with these.

Gather your supplies:

Sewing machine

Ribbon

Key ring or other attachment piece

Scissors and thread Yeah, you get the point ;-)

I found this ribbon at Walmart of course and got 2 long lanyards from it. I had enough left that if I had made them a bit shorter I could have gotten 3. Just placed the ribbon around your neck to determine it's length. Remember to adjust for any little ones you will be making them for.

 Grab your key ring or whatever attachment do-dad you are using and thread the ribbon through it then sew a strong seam. This will be pulled on a bit so make sure to sew it well.

Use some pinking scissors to keep the end from fraying. If you are lucky enough to have a serger YEAH! Just serge the end before you fold it over the ring.

 

 Perfect! Just a couple of minutes and now you are ready to add your favorite pins.

This is Mr. Matthews. Can you tell who his favorite characters are?

Onsie Cupcakes Gift Idea

 My sweet friend is finally having another little one. She has been wanting another baby for several years but it finally happened. They are adding a little boy to their home. With a house of boys I know just what she has in store. Hold on lady, it's gonna be a ride....a FUN one!

I usually give a basket of goodies for a new mom but with the holidays and my work schedule lately I just didn't get it together so I went to Pinterest to find some new inspiration.

A box of cupcakes....how sweet!

These of course would not be your ordinary cupcakes however. Instead of edible they are wearable.
Club Chica Circle has a great tutorial on just how to do it.
In all my excitement (and trying to hurry) I forgot to take pictures of the rolling process, oops. I used 3 onsies and 3 pants. I just rolled the pants together to make the last cupcake. It's a bit bigger than the others but the effect is still there.

She loved it!

Welcome home little man! You are already loved more than you know.
Congrats Millie! You are in for awesome times....get your lego's ready mom!

A fun way to give money

 Our oldest just turned 13. He is a simple kid and didn't want much. 

Dad took care of the toy gifts (he is perfect for shopping for boys toys ;-p)

He does however enjoy a bit of money to spend for himself.

So I took the 'money' into my own hands. 

$1 bills taped together in a long string....

 Rolled all up nicely...

 Then a little packing filler. We had this bubble pack that worked wonderfully...

 Add it to a kleenex box. See it tucked in there nice and snug?.....

Now add your roll of $1 bills....And VOILA! a fun little way to give some cash.

Just wrap the tissue box and you are ready to go!

A little Visit Teaching treat.

 Another great Pinterest idea. 

I threw these together for my visit teaching ladies Conference weekend.

Just POPPING (popcorn) by to wish you a meaningful
conference weekend. Sit back, relax and SOAK (lotion) it
all in. Hope you learn something EXTRA (gum) and take
NOTE (notepad) when you feel the spirit. Enjoy!

From Everyday Food Storage.

Funny, I never got one put together for myself....lol!

4x4 Snowmen

My sweet friend and I finally got to craft again. We have both missed our crafting days so much. For me they help to keep me grounded. I love having a day I can create. A day to beautify my home. A day to be with friends. Yeah, mom's need that too!

 I took advantage of the leftover 4x4's from the deck.

Simply paint them white. 

I wanted a rough look so 1 coat did just dandy.

Then a dab of black for the coal eyes.

And something to resemble a carrot nose. I am not much of a painter so this added to the "rough" feel.

The scarves were just a 3 inch strip of fabric.

Then I measured around the 4x4's. They were about 14 inches around.

A simple rectangle that was 14 inches wide, seamed together, the a slight hem at one end gave me a nice little hat.

I tied it with a bit of ribbon then snipped the top end to give a fringed look.

Using a sharpie I added eyelashes and eyebrows and accented the carrot nose. 

I love them! They were simple and turned out great. 

This weekend I hope to get the Halloween down and these cuties out on the front step. 

My favorite holiday is just around the corner. Horray!

*sigh*

Days like this are wonderful to the soul!

School supply cake

 We love our teachers! At the end of the year there are oodles of ideas of thank you's to give teachers. I have several friends that are educators and they have always said they end up with so many crafty nick-nacks that they don't know what to do with they all. They prefer consumable gifts. Great! Shoots all sorts of ideas for this crafty mom down the drain. So, what's a thrifty mom to do? Start by looking at what I have on hand already. Thanks to stocking up during fall back to school sales I had lots of supplies.

 Have you seen this stuff? Fun-tak?! It is sticky for wall hangings but can be easily removed. I used it to help stick the pencils to a box of kleenex. Then I wrapped around a rubber band.

 Add a few glue sticks, ribbon, post-its, and pens and.........

 Voila. One fantastic teachers gift. I don't have a clue how much this cost regularly....it was all purchased previously on screaming deals. That's what I like the best about it. I had all the supplies on hand. Everything can be dismantled and reused. And it is exactly what the teachers need to help MY boys out. Gotta luv it!

 I made another for a different teacher with some touches she prefers, like Clorox wipes. ;-)

 We also hit the Scholastic Warehouse sale to get screaming deals on books. I love helping the teachers add to their classroom supplies. We purchased book series. Hopefully some other student will love these as much as we have!

Thank you teachers for all you do!