Thrifty & Fabulous!

Sometimes I am a "bad" blogger and don't post for weeks at a time. Life happens, what can I say? And sometimes life happens so fast that, even with the best of intentions, I will start a little bitty thrifty and fabulous project and before I know it: Oops! I'm done. And I didn't document it with pictures!
Such is the case with today's post.
I was recently browsing the clearance aisles at Michael's craft store when I saw some adorable fabric flowers in bright colors and polka dots. (I don't know if you've heard, but, I love me some bright colors and polka dots!)
Ideas drifted in and out of my head about what I could do with them: Fasten them onto some barrette's for Lulu...? Glue them onto a frame...? Aha! I know! I will make some sassy refrigerator magnets out of them and give them away in sets as small tokens to teachers, my Mom because she just rocks, and so on. Yes! That's what I will do, I thought.
And, yes, that is what I did!
I bought several colors: hot pink, bright blue, black and white and white and black. (Heh.)

(I did manage to take two photos at some point during the process!)

While I was still at Michael's, I found a package of round peel and stick magnets for $1.99 at the check-out. I knew the flowers would need something more adhesive than that though and I had my handy glue gun at home. 
So, a bit of hot glue-gunning later and voila!

(small, round magnet glued to the back of the flower.)

They aren't going to win a crafting contest, but a set of these magnets are a cute, cost effective (for about $12.00 total I made 5 sets of 4 magnets) hostess gift, teacher gift or just because gift. It couldn't be easier!

Fun & Easy Ways to Celebrate the 4th of July!

I don't know how it got here so quickly, but, here we are on the cusp of July already!

Happy Summer!

I love the 4th of July. No, scratch that. I love the days leading up to the 4th and the holiday itself. In my little neck of the woods, and I am sure in yours, too, we celebrate for a couple of days prior to the main event. Festivities including craft sales and street dances happen at our Town Hall before culminating in a parade down our "Main St." Titus Avenue on the big day. It's fun. It's familiar. It's tradition. 

Whatever your plans may be, here are some easy ways to celebrate next week yourselves!

Hosting a party? It really couldn't be easier than these fruit skewers:

And, how great does this look?

I love trifle.
LOVE. 
Did I say love? Because I really LOVE trifle! The recipe that goes with this particular fruit trifle can be found here, however, I will share my even easier recipe:
I buy a pre-made angel food cake, any variety of fruit, cool whip and any flavor pudding that strikes my fancy. After preparing the pudding, cutting up the fruit and the cake into bite-sized pieces, I simply layer each ingredient one atop the the other until I finish it all off with a layer of whipped cream and decorative assortment of berries. I let it set and chill in the fridge for a bit before serving. It's always a big hit, and being angel food cake, it's not a heavy dessert. Preparing it with real whipped cream and homemade custard saves you from preservatives and other unsavory things, but, naturally, takes more time. Up to you and your personal preferences, of course, but a trifle is always a hit!


Bomb Pops are a classic kid summer favorite. Here's an "adult" version in cocktail form!

I love this idea below! This is simply rough cut fabric turned into napkins!

How about showing some 4th of July love on your finger nails? (That anchor could simply be swapped out for tiny stars!)

Lastly, any festive, patriotic gathering should have a soundtrack. (Well, honestly, I think life in general should have a soundtrack!)
Please, please, please, for the love of all that is Red, White & Blue, don't forget to blast some Neil Diamond "America." 

Tips-y Tuesday

Hi! 
Happy Tips-y Tuesday!
For some really clever ideas on simplifying your life, hot tips on making your everyday household chore list easier, and creative projects to do with your kids, check out one of my new Pinterest boards: Kids! Family! Home!


Learn how to make glittery "tooth fairy money"....

Homemade sunburn relief...

Find out how to clean your toilet with Coke.
(Wha???!!! Yes. Coke!)

And my personal favorite, completely genius, tip of the day: 

Get pinning!

Thrifty & Fabulous!

Straight away I will offer that I can't take credit for this post.  I can say I was well aware of a several of these tips, but, not all, so I owe this one to my Mom! (Props to you, Mom!)
She sent me this... it's one of those mass email thingamabobs. There's no way of know exactly where it originated, but, man, these are some share worthy, thrifty & fabulous tips!

Coffee Filters rock! (And, you can totally buy them at the Dollar Tree.)
Here we go...

1. Cover bowls or dishes when cooking in the microwave. Coffee filters make excellent covers.

2. Clean windows, mirrors, and chrome... Coffee filters are lint-free so they'll leave windows sparkling.

3. Protect China by separating your good dishes with a coffee filter between each dish.

4. Filter broken cork from wine. If you break the cork when opening a wine bottle, filter the wine through a coffee filter.

5. Protect a cast-iron skillet. Place a coffee filter in the skillet to absorb moisture and prevent rust.

6. Apply shoe polish. Ball up a lint-free coffee filter.

7. Recycle frying oil. After frying, strain oil through a sieve lined with a coffee filter.

8. Weigh chopped foods. Place chopped ingredients in a coffee filter on a kitchen scale.

9. Hold tacos. Coffee filters make convenient wrappers for messy foods.

10. Stop the soil from leaking out of a plant pot. Line a plant pot with a coffee filter to prevent the soil from going through the drainage holes.

11. Prevent a Popsicle from dripping. Poke one or two holes as needed in a coffee filter.

12. Do you think we used expensive strips to wax eyebrows? Use strips of coffee filters..

13. Put a few in a plate and put your fried bacon, French fries, chicken fingers, etc on them.. It soaks out all the grease.

14. Keep in the bathroom. They make great "razor nick fixers.."

15. As a sewing backing. Use a filter as an easy-to-tear backing for embroidering or appliquéing soft fabrics.

16. Put baking soda into a coffee filter and insert into shoes or a closet to absorb or prevent odors.

17. Use them to strain soup stock and to tie fresh herbs in to put in soups and stews.

18 Use a coffee filter to prevent spilling when you add fluids to your car..

19. Use them as a spoon rest while cooking and clean up small counter spills.

20. Can use to hold dry ingredients when baking or when cutting a piece of fruit or veggies. Saves on having extra bowls to wash.

21. Use them to wrap Christmas ornaments for storage.

22. Use them to remove fingernail polish when out of cotton balls.

23. Use them to sprout seeds. Simply dampen the coffee filter, place seeds inside, fold it and place it into a zip-lock plastic bag until they sprout.

24. Use coffee filters as blotting paper for pressed flowers. Place the flowers between two coffee filters and put the coffee filters in phone book.

25. Use as a disposable "snack bowl" for popcorn, chips, etc.

26. Great in the tool room when separating nails and screws then use in to bottom of containers to remove moisture and prevent rust.


Here is where I throw in my 2 cents:
They can be used to make some seriously lovely crafts! Just look at these coffee filter flowers and wreath.

I will tackle one of these projects soon for another Thrifty & Fabulous post.
In the meantime, make use of this handy, everyday item!