I recently moved, and I wanted to make some new address labels instead of buying the overpriced ones online. I used Avery labels(5195), they come with an online program called “Design and Print” that allows you to create your own designs. You can import whatever designs you like and adjust them to your liking. I used the font called “Gasoline Alley NF”, and it came out pretty nice. Sweet and simple, just how I like my projects.
Well, my little darling Madison has discovered Amercian Girl dolls. Which is wonderful- they were a huge part of my own childhood. However, American Girl doll stuff is crazy expensive! We love craft projects, so we decided we were going to start making some projects geared toward American Girls. First off, her dolls (Kirsten and Samantha) have been “freezing cold” this spring. So I took a trip to Hobby Lobby to find some material that would be worthy. And for $3, I found some gorgeous pink fuzzy fabric that I knew would be more than enough to make a comforter set. I had already had a bag of fiberfill that has been sitting in the closet forever, so we were pretty much ready to go. It was a super easy project and ended up costing about $4 instead of the $30+ bed sets listed on the American Girl site. Plus there was the added bonus of getting to do a project with the kids. Riley and Madison learned how a sewing machine worked and really enjoyed helping the project come together.
During the project:
And I’d say she was pretty happy with the result.
“Hoarders” is a show that will scare the absolute crap out of anyone, especially us thrifty ladies who like to find ways to upcycle or recycle things. I have to admit, the first episode I watched had me throwing away EVERYTHING I had saved in the name of saving a penny- the three empty Country Crock containers I sometimes use to store leftovers in, the basket of my husband’s old shirts that I use for cleaning rags, and the slightly out of control pile of scrap paper. I was pretty proud of myself.
Enter my Aunt Patsy. Aunt Patsy is my Grannie’s sister, and has always been a sweet, lively, crafty lady. She’s also known for going a little overboard on her craft stashes. So when Patsy asked if I wanted to get some boxes full of vintage jars out of her garage, I was like, “Heck yeah!” Jars don’t just sit around like lumps doing nothing- haven’t you seen Pinterest? They become lamps! Storage! Decorations! Cups! The possibilities are endless. But I promised myself if I was going to take two boxes full of jars like this:
I would make at least one project a week with them until they were all gone, or I had given or (eek!) thrown them away. First order of business: getting my house organized a little bit better. I was in awe of the pantries on this post about fabulous pantries.
And while I, unfortunately don’t have the space in our current little rent house to do something so fabulous, I am able to do something about little things like this:
I don’t have the cabinet space to spare, and these are some of my most used cooking herbs and spices, but the above post gave me some inspiration to streamline and bring a little uniformity to what is displayed. So, I cleaned out the jars, ran them through the dishwasher a few times, spray painted the lids, and they turned out gorgeous! I just needed the right labels. Then I came across 101 Pretty Printables on Everything Etsy, and low and behold, was Round Vintage Labels, free for printing! A little spice dumping, label printing, lettering, clear-contact papering later, and I have a much prettier contertop. At least I think so!
And even if not, there’s a few less jars in sweet Aunt Patsy’s garage for her to trip over.
Love, Mandy
P.S. I did have to crop that last picture in order to hide a speck of spaghetti sauce that had fallen down the crack of my stovetop. The magic of photo editing!!
While “puppy” was asleep i was able to sew together a little pillow from some fabric i bought at the trade show.
As i was wrestling with the sewing machine for the 9th time, i realized there are many people who don’t even know how to use one of these contraptions. So here is a video on how to get started. How to Use a Sewing Machine . You can also search for your particular model.
I love wearing scarves, they keep you warm and look adorable. This tutorial is great because I’m always looking for new ways to tie a scarf. Let me know what you think.25 Ways to Wear a Scarf By: Web Goddess
I found an invaluable way to curl my hair in 5 minutes that really works! The only catch is that you have to sleep in it or at least wear it for a few hours. Check out the tutorial. No Heat Curls By: The Paper Mama
Kids Eat Free tomorrow March 22nd. To get the coupon just join Chili’s email club.
I thought this was a great idea for kids and college students to make on their own. Kids should still be supervised however.
SO, I created this blog to keep up with my favorite things from East Texas and other places in the world. I’m 29, and I live in Tyler, TX the “Rose” Capital. I have never actually seen these roses but I’m sure they are nice. I am now a new stay at home mom, (SAHM) and so i have many things going on in my life that i would like to post about. My interests are crafts, exercise, community, couponing, food, movies, music and dancing just to name a few.. Come join me on local happenings and other fun stuff.
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