Fun Gift Idea For Christmas

My son experienced playdough for the first time about a month ago in his little Nursery class at Church. A few weeks ago I decided to make some. I googled and found this great recipe! In the comments people were saying it only lasts for a week or so, then it becomes too sticky, but I have had mine for a month now and it is still in perfect shape, just follow the directions carefully and it will work.


A couple months ago I went to a craft fair and they had some cute little kid aprons with lots of pockets for cooking tools. I made one tonight using the leg of an old pair of jeans I had that had a hole in the knee. Not the greatest apron, I was kinda' winging it..I need a pattern before I make any more, but it works! And my son will keep his clothes clean! I love recycling!

Then I found this cute little baking set in the dollar bins at Target..it was $2.50, but sooo cute and the kids thought it was great. It comes with a rolling pin, spoon, a bunch of cookie cutters that are perfect for little kids -and wire whisk (which doesn't work too well for play dough, but the rest of it does!) My son and his little friends have had fun playing with it.

Easy Belts for Kids!

I love getting hand-me-downs for our son. Since clothes can be costly (especially on a student budget) we greatly appreciate, have, and continue to receive them from a few different neighbors (thank you), then we use and pass them on to someone else! At this age they grow out of clothes so quick that the clothes are usually still in great shape. Since he is between sizes right now, all of his pants are a little bit too big, but I don't want to buy any either because he already has so many. I have been looking everywhere for a belt that would fit my little guy (18 months) and finally decided to make some. Even if I had found ANY, they probably would have cost $8-$10. These were VERY inexpensive ($2 I think) and SO quick to make. Hooray! Now we can keep the pants up!

I found the belt loops at Jo-Anns. The buckles were in the 'make your own purse' section, but they were the smallest I could find in the store and a perfect size for a little guy, or gal! I used a crop-a-dile for setting the eyelets in the belt for the buckle holes. The other buckles are in the buckle section. Hope you can use this idea!

Halloween Costume

Last year my son was a "Hot Red Chili Pepper" for Halloween. I found the costume at a 2nd hand children's store for $4. Great money saving tip! $4 vs. $15 for a costume they'll use once or twice!

This year he'll be a dinosaur! I made the costume from some pajamas and some felt I already had on hand. I also already had a green ear muff hat so I just sewed some triangles and stuffed them onto the pajamas and hat and tail (that I also stiched) and voila! Easy, cheap and so cute! I used light stitches so I can take them out when he's done and he can still use the hat and pajamas all winter! The greens don't match perfectly, but they are good enough for 1 night costume anyway!

Going Green!!

My son was just picked to be a part of his schools new GREEN TEAM!! We are so proud of him, as only a few students were selected. As a part of the program, they will help facilitate a recycling program, and will be planting a school garden.

This has inspired me to think about what it is that I do to help with going green. I must admit that recycling has been a hard one for me. I always thought that I would do it as soon as we had a house. I hated all that garbage piling up in my apartment. Now, we have a garage, and I had planned to make a recycling center with our kids this summer. However, our city does not make it easy on us to recycle. It has been difficult to find somewhere to take it. I am excited to get some more information from my son's school. Maybe they know the secret. I hope to get to work on our families recycling center this month. I plan to make it a FHE event.

However, there is something else that I want to share with you that I feel makes a big difference. You know the saying, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle? Well, I REUSE!! This is something that I absolutely love to do. I wanted to share a few great ways that I feel can make a difference.

Instead of sending more "things" to a landfill, find a way to reuse it. If you can't reuse it, I am sure someone else can. For example:

*I know we all have closets or boxes full of clothing that are taking over our attic. Instead of throwing them out, sell them to a consignment store. That way someone else will REUSE it, and you will get a little cash in your pocket as well.

*Also, shop consignment. I love buying my kids clothes from consignment stores, for three reasons. One, I know that I am reusing something that is in perfectly good condition. Two, I save money. Three, my selection is better. I get to shop the Gap, Old Navy, Gymboree, etc., all at the same time.

*Another one of my favorite ways to reuse is to check the local thrift stores. One Christmas, my kids whole Christmas was thrift store finds. It was amazing. I was able to buy a fisherprice pirate ship with the pirates, and fisherprice cowboys, horses and wagons. I paid $1 each for these. I also found the Target kitchen still in it's box for $15.(it was missing the hardware to put it together, but that was an easy fix.) An art easel for $2, wooden blocks for $5, and I could go on and on.

*If you are looking for a random appliance like; a rice cooker, check the thrift store first. They may have one that works great.

*My all time favorite way to REUSE, has to do with.... you guessed it; Decorating my house!! I will find items at a thrift store, in the dumpster, and some are hand me downs. My friend Krysta, her mom, and my mom give me items to add little touches to my house all the time. I just love it. When I am done with them, then I pass them on to a friend or a sister. I love it because even though Krysta might be tired of it, I am excited to have something new.

Here is an example of a project I did with a dumpster find. My husband found these old windows next to a trash can. I cleaned them up, and made a creative head board out of them. This is one of my most favorite parts of my house.

I recently had this lamp that I took out of my kids room. Instead of throwing it out, I put it in my laundry room. I love walking in through the garage at night, and having some nice mood light. Think outside the box when reusing something. You might think a laundry room is weird place for a lamp. Try it, you just might love it.

My lastest project has been my entry way. I have wanted to spruce up my entry way some, but our funds are a little low at the moment. So... I took a walk around my house and gathered up some things. Here is what I came up with. I was able to move this chair out of my laundry room. I had the flowers, picks and old wreaths in a Fall decoration box in my attic. So I just combined them. I had the ribbon stashed away in a box somewhere, and the basket was in my living room. Now... I did buy the welcome sign, but I had a gift card for my birthday from my friend Krysta. Thanks Krysta. I love the way turned out. I was able to accomplish three of my favorite things... Save money, finish something on my to-do list, and REUSE.

I know when we think about going green, we think about recycling, and saving energy. Don't forget to go green by reusing as well.

Gift Ideas

One of our Ward Enrichment Groups is called the 'Get R' Done' Group. The ladies that want to come are able to bring their unfinished projects that are piling up in a little corner of their home (..or maybe that is just me), and we all sit and visit while we get them done! I have recently started hosting them and we are going to have an optional craft every other month. Those who don't want to make the project can still come and visit and bring their own projects.
These shoes are a fun craft project that we are making next month. It's an optional project, and those whom don't want to make them will still bring their own unfinished projects. I have made many of these and given them away as part of a baby shower gift. I have made some for my son and used leather from an old purse for the bottom so they would last longer, as he started walking. You can get the pattern by going to this blog stardustshoes. They are fun and easy to make, and once you get the hang of it they only take about 15 minutes! They are definitely a money saver as many baby shoes cost $10+.. and before you blink the baby has grown out of them. I made a coordinating onesie with a tie and some burp cloths to match! They were a hit! Hope this idea helps and you have fun making them!

If Brides Only Knew

In my previous life (you know, when my career was my life, and I was able to take a shower without a toddler opening the curtain) I owned a Bridal Store. I learned very interesting things in this business, and some tricks that are just worth sharing.

My sister Jenn called the other day, asking for my “Professional Wedding Gown Advice." This topic always seems to challenge my memory because part of me has tucked away those bad memories in a very, very, safe place, the other part of me feels like that was such a lifetime ago, (okay, like three years ago) do I really remember anything? Well, the mind is an amazing thing. Even after you have had a baby and been vacationing on a teeny tiny island in the middle of nowhere for the past two and half years, you can STILL REMEMBER STUFF.

Here’s the situation in a nutshell: Her friend bought a wedding gown. The wedding gown is dirty. How does she clean it? Well, the answer is very simple. You throw it in the washing machine. What? You’re gasping too? I forgot how sharing insider information about the bridal business can make someone have an instant brain aneurysm. YES, YOU TURN THE GOWN INSIDE OUT, AND WASH IT ON A DELICATE CYCLE IN COLD WATER WITH LIQUID DETERGENT.

Now I must make a disclaimer, this is for MOST wedding gowns. There are a few fabrics out there for which this would not work. Like silk-satin for one. However, if you paid less than $1,500 for your gown there is a 99.9% chance the tag on your wedding dress says POLYESTER, (regardless if it feels like Italian Matte Satin, or Satin, or whatever. Polyester is made to look and feel like a lot of fabrics. Again, don’t gasp when you find out you actually wore polyester to your wedding.) and it is safe to throw it in the washer. Now, this may be a shocker as well, but almost all Bridal Stores have a washer on site, in their back room. I know, this seems deceitful and wrong, but lets face it, do you really care how your dress was cleaned?

To prove the truthfulness of this crazy concept to my sister, (who had a mild heart attack over the phone when I explained how to how clean the dress) I sent her some photos I took while visiting a major factory in China that produced most of our gowns. It shows them washing BRAND NEW WEDDING GOWNS IN A WASHER. How do you think we learned this great trick? From “the people in the know” of course! Here is a peek into what goes on in a Chinese factory:

The worker is hand washing one gown in a RUBBERMAID CONTAINER. Check out the washer, and the other gowns just hanging out in their very own Rubbermaid containers.

So please, if you have a stinky old wedding gown in your closet just sitting there waiting for you to justify spending $200 on dry cleaning it, WAIT NO LONGER. Go get your dress, AND WASH IT TONIGHT. It will feel like you saved a TON OF MONEY.