Monday, December 31, 2012

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Frugal Philly Presents : Macaroni Kid

My Resolutions
by Sally Pyle (Frugal Sally)

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Sunday, December 30, 2012

15 Free Goal-Setting and Home Management Printables | Money Saving Mom®

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Being creative to keep my sanity: Homemade Laundry Soap!!

Six Money Moves You Should Make in 2013 - Yahoo! Finance

Friday, December 28, 2012

TLC Style "How to Make Facial Products"

7 Steps to Creating Lasting Financial Resolutions

The best stain removers for those holiday mishaps

Cooking Up a Sale: 31 Days:: 8 Ways To Save Money on Beverages

Thursday, December 27, 2012

I Love You S'more - Valentines Day Idea

From first-grade-friends.blogspot.com

What's for Dinner?: Oven-Baked Frito Pie

Honey Lemon Face Wash :) ~Frisky

Honey Lemon Face Wash :) ~Frisky

Ingredients:

1/4 C Olive Oil
1/8 C Liquid Castile Soap
1/4 C Honey
1/8 C Organic Lemon Juice
1 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
2 Tbsp Vitamin E oil
10 Drops of essential oils: grapefruit, sweet orange, lemon (optional)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients and blend together with hand blender. Pour ingredients into a a beautiful and convenient bottle (as shown). To use: Pump small amount in hand and lather with water. Wash face with special care to avoid delicate eye area in case essential oils causes irritation.

Sunday, December 23, 2012

do it yourself divas: DIY: Decoupage

First Christmas Ornament

Squash Casserole Recipe — Pauladeen.com

24 Things to Make with Mason Jars - Tip Junkie (gift ideas)

24 Things to Make with Mason Jars - Tip Junkie

Dog Biscuits | Sams Kitchen - Gift Idea!

Dog Biscuits | Sams Kitchen

The Easiest-Ever Holiday Roast | Shine Food - Yahoo! Shine

How to Cook a Rib Roast for Best Results | eHow.com

Saturday, December 22, 2012

NRA Solution Shot Down – Armed Guards At Schools Don’t Prevent Mass Shootings | Addicting Info

Friday, December 21, 2012

5 Creative Homemade Bridal Shower Gift Ideas

12 Ways You Could Be Wasting Money

8 Lessons From Christmas Movie Characters

http://www.daveramsey.com/christmas/blog/id/8-lessons-from-christmas-movie-characters?ectid=1212_cmas_weekly_7&et_cid=2238602&linkid=content_article_2_txt

TLC Style "How to Make Hair Products"

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

How To Clean and Season Old, Rusty Cast Iron Skillets

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/how-to-clean-and-season-old-ru-151535

Homemade Beauty Solutions- With Baking soda, Lemons and Vinegar

High quality toilet paper comes cheap | www.clarkhoward.com

DIY Christmas Craft Ideas - DIY Gifts to Make for Christmas - Country Living

Monday, December 17, 2012

19 ways to cut hair care costs- MSN Money

8 Reasons Why Pets Make Bad Gifts

http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5112023339445497285#editor/src=header

Blissful and Domestic- Thrifty Living, Homeschool, and Big Smiles: Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half: Tips and Tricks

Sunday, December 16, 2012

The Best Last-Minute Money Moves for 2012 - Yahoo! Finance

Uses for Leftover Egg Nog

Uses for Leftover Egg Nog
http://www.thekitchn.com/leftover-eggnog-10-delicious-uses-181208

Wise Bread Gift Guide: Gifts That Save Money | Wise Bread

6 Essential Car Maintenance Tips for Winter

Hanukkah Latkes Five Ways : Recipes and Cooking : Food Network

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Eco-Friendly Holidays : Macaroni Kid

14 Things to Do if the World Doesn’t End

http://www.moneytalksnews.com/2012/12/14/14-things-to-do-if-the-world-doesnt-end/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=email-2012-12-14&utm_medium=email

HOLIDAY UPCYCLING

http://www.savvysugar.com/DIY-Christmas-Ornaments-26255266?slide=9

Friday, December 14, 2012

The DIY Life: Candy Cane Sugar Scrub for holiday gift giving!

http://seasonedwithsarcasm.wordpress.com/2012/11/13/the-diy-life-candy-cane-sugar-scrub-for-holiday-gift-giving/

Thursday, December 13, 2012

DIY Monogram Mugs -Design Mom

DIY Monogram Mugs

November 22, 2010

Friends! I’m so pleased to share our first gift DIY of the season. Maude made these fantastic monogrammed mugs over the weekend. Don’t they look terrific? The idea came when we saw these fun initial cups at Anthropologie and remembered our kitchen was lacking in hot cocoa mugs. We decided to create a whole set.
It’s a very doable project. Inexpensive. Eco-friendly. And family-friendly too — these mugs are dishwasher safe. I can’t wait to tell you all about it.

1) We started with a trip to Goodwill, where we collected 8 plain white mugs. Enough for the entire family. There was even a little one without a handle that we thought would be perfect for baby food for June. Mugs were 50 cents each and we had dozens and dozens to choose from.

2) Then we gathered supplies. Scissors, pen, tape, graphite transfer paper, Black Pebeo Porcelaine Pen in Fine Point ($4 at Michaels, also available here) and a print out with the family’s initials.
For the font, I had something very specific in mind. I love the look of this Sketch Block Font and had it mentally filed away as the sort of thing a kid could replicate well — because it’s inherently imperfect. For this project, it worked like a charm! Since we were adding our own sketchiness, I started with a similar, but non-sketchy Rockwell font. Look for any slab-serif font (with names like Egyptian or Glypha) and they should work equally well.

3) Cut out an initial and a piece of transfer paper. Tape the initial and the transfer paper (dark side down) to the mug.

4) Trace the initial. Any pen or pencil will work and you’ll want to experiment with different pressures to see what’s best. You’ll just need a light outline. If you want, you can make your own transfer paper by rubbing a graphite pencil all over a sheet of plain paper.

5) Take your Porcelaine pen and trace over the lines of the initial. Get the edges nice and thick then fill in with diagonal sketchy strokes. A few notes:
- The sketchy strokes look best if they’re all one direction.
- The pen didn’t produce very smooth lines for us — which was fine because of the sketchy nature of the lettering. But later, I tried a red Porcelaine pen and produced very smooth strokes. So, I’m thinking my black pen was an old, dried out one. Who knows? This was my first experience with Porcelaine, so I’m not sure.
- It helped to have a blank paper handy where we could test the paint pen.
- We definitely got better at it as we practiced. So plan on it. Until it’s baked, the paint will scrub right off in soap and water. We redid mugs at least 4 times.

6) Once the lettering is done, let the mugs sit for 24 hours. Then bake them at 300 degrees for 35 minutes. It’s fine to bake them with graphite residue. The graphite will wipe right off even after they’re done baking.

7) And that’s it! Once they’re baked, they’re done. We pulled them from the oven, wiped them up and they were ready to go. For fun, we filled cellophane bags with hot cocoa mix and marshmallows and put them in the mugs.

The project turned out so well that it has my mind spinning with other possibilities. Maybe we’ll make a monogrammed mug for their teachers with a Starbucks card inside. Or a matching 2-cup set for Grandma and Grandpa. Fun for Christmas, but equally fun for other events too.
What do you think? Is this a project your kids would enjoy? Are the mugs cool enough that you would buy one in the store if you saw it for sale?
P.S. — You can find links to gifts we’ve made in past years here.

Thanks Design MOM

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

HowDoesShe Gift Guide | How Does She...

Over 36 Neighbor Gift Ideas and Counting | How Does She...

Personalized Tote Bag

Martha Stewart Living, May 2006

Instead of carrying pictures in your wallet, why not put them on your tote bag? Choose an image of a pet, child, or just about anything for a personalized fashion accessory. To make this bag, we printed a black-and-white photograph on transfer paper (available at crafts stores) and cut out the photo with a utility knife. Then we transferred the image to a canvas tote bag with an iron, following the manufacturer's instructions