Messed up Links

My friend Bobbi, just emailed me and told me that none of my links worked on the Queen Bee Market Inspiration post. Sorry, I had no idea. I tried to fix it but am having troubles. So I will let you know when I get the links work.

Being Frugalicious

**I know a lot of words, little picture. If you would like to learn more about saving money on your shopping trips read on. Don't get overwhelmed! I hate wordy posts myself. Just so you know "The Weekly Tools" are only for Southern California. But I would think that you might be able to use them for stores like Rite Aid. Not sure though, you will have to compare your local prices. My extra tips are in green.

Over a year ago my friend Misty introduced me to shopping frugaliciously (is that a word?). I was already cutting coupons and shopping sales but Misty took it to a whole new level for me. She started up a program consisting of 3 databases to help make shopping more efficient and cost effective. I slowly started to use the program but to tell you the truth I wasn't sure if I loved it. It took some getting used to. But I love getting good deals and knowing when to stock up on items that had rock bottom prices.

When I started Misty was keeping up all of the databases on her own. She found it to be very time consuming so she asked friends to do a co-op where we split up the work and shared in the information. I have been doing this for several months. My job is to enter in Sunday's newspaper coupons. After splitting up the work I am not sure how Misty ever did it all by herself.

Since I started the co-op I have really applied myself and have been saving crazy amounts of money. I found that shopping drug stores really saves a ton of money. There have been countless times where a store is pretty much paying me to take a product out of their store. I love that. My food storage is going up and I am starting to have a hard time finding space for all my storage. In some instances I end up buying a nicer brand product because it is cheaper than the store brand. And I will tell you that I will never buy toothpaste, toothbrushes, or deodorant again because my stock is built up and you can often get good brands for free.

So why am I telling you all this? Well, today Misty is opening up the databases called "The Weekly Tools"to the public for FREE!!!! That's right ... FREE!

So if you have ever wanted to start using coupons or save money on your grocery budget this is the time to start.

Go to Frugalicious and check it out.

She has so many great resources and information that can be helpful even if you don't use the weekly tools.

To find out more and use the Weekly Tools click HERE.

Now don't get overwhelmed, but if you want to learn more about using coupons click HERE.
- When I get my coupons on Sunday I mark the date on them and put them in a three ring binder. No need to cut the coupons. The Weekly Tools tell you where to find the coupons when you need them.

Check out the Useful Downloads HERE.
-I like that what not to buy at a warehouse list.

You can also read more from a Press Release HERE.

Here are my tips if you are going to get started.

• Subscribe to a newspaper. If you are getting the newspaper for coupons get the LA Times over the Union Tribune. The Union Tribune only carries the Smart Source and Proctor and Gamble inserts, not the Red Plum coupon inserts. The LA Times carries all three so you will get more savings. I do prefer reading the UT over the LATimes. You can also compare prices at discountednewspapers.com. it is only sometimes cheaper using that site.
• It will take a couple of weeks to build up you coupons and really see some savings.
• Honestly there are some weeks where there are NO deals that interest me, just wait you will also have weeks where you have to go to 5 stores to get all the awesome deals.
• You don't have to go to multiple stores to see savings. I only go to multiple stores when it is really worth my while. I prefer to shop at Vons so I usually always shop there.
• It can be really time consuming in the beginning. Honestly, sometimes it can be very time consuming to plan the trip and then to go. I just see it as this is my way of "making money" for our family. The more you use the Weekly Tools the easier it gets.
• Sometimes the cashiers have no ideas about deal, coupons, etc. That is why it is good to know what you are talking about. If for some reason it doesn't ring up like you thought don't be afraid to go over to customer service and figure it out.
  
• Allow yourself time to learn. It takes a while to get the hang of it (at least it took me a while).
  
• Have fun!

Queen Bee Market Inspiration

I went to the Queen Bee Market on the first and LOVED it! I know the purpose of a market is for people to buy things. I didn't walk away with much.

Only this awesome picture by Stacey Winters.

I loved all of her stuff. But I had to buy this because it reminded me of Justin and me. I also love the title "Love Your Haircut". I brought it home, put it in a frame, wrapped it up and gave it to Justin for our Anniversary of getting engaged (we don't really celebrate the day, it just happened to be the same day). You can check out her etsy site HERE.

I also walked away with lots of inspiration for getting crafty. I walked around and thought, "And I want to make that, and I want to make that, and I have to make that." So I got every one's card, checked out their online shops and made a list of all the things I want to make. I used my own names for things, but here is the list. I wanted to add pictures but didn't feel comfortable using them without permission, so you will just have to link over to take a look. And if you are not feeling too crafty just buy it already made.

Birdie Polymer Clay Clippies at Creme de la Gems

Wall Hooks and Magnets at paisley mill

Little Felt Flowers and Big Felt Flower and Fabric Flower and Another Fabric Flower at Baby Flair Boutique

Covered Notebook, Crayon Roll, Covered Button Clips at The Pleated Poppy

Word Signs at Joy's Hope

Security Blanket from MEG original

I also have a mental list of all the other thing I want to make. Maybe I should write that down too. But for now here is part of my never ending to do list.

Queen Bee Market

Sometimes when I am hopping around crafty blogville I come across awesome gift/craft shows. They are never nearby. NEVER!! Okay, sometimes I have come across ones in LA but I have never been able to go.

So when I saw that Mique, from one of my favorite blogs 30days, was having an art and gift show in CARLSBAD I about died from excitement. I immediately informed Justin that on May 1st I would be attending the Queen Bee Market. And don't you just love the name: Queen Bee Market. You would think they named it after me and this tiny little blog.

Check out the awesome vendors and their site HERE!

If you want to carpool with me and my small sidekick Claire (and are not creepy) let me know.

My Latest

Did you know that March was Craft Month?

I think it was my least craftiest month in over a year.

I spent most of March working on this:

I spent a lot of my "free" time sleeping and resting. Now that she is finally here I feel so motivated to get back on the horse and get back to crafting and blogging again. But we will see if I am able to find the time with all the extra cuddling and snuggling going on around here.

A Hidden Talent

A couple of weeks ago we went to Utah to go visit Justin's family. While we were there I learned something new about my husband. We have been married 5 1/2 years and I never knew that he was an Etch A Sketch artist. Seriously. Check out the work he did.

The Dragon Scene

The Underwater Scene

There you have it, my Husband is amazing (if you didn't already know).

The Wants

Last night I had a bad case of "the wants".

If you ever have "the wants" don't combine it will blog hopping.

It just makes it worse.

I grabbed an Ensign to distract me.

I found this article about gratitude.

I need to work on being more grateful for all the many things I have been blessed with, instead of what I don't have.

Sorry, no picture.

Peanut Butter Truffle Brownies

Can someone please tell me where

February went and how it is already March 11????

I am feeling like a ticking time bomb. Officially 5 weeks until this baby is due to arrive and there is so much I want/need to do before its arrival. I reduced the days I am going to preschool so that I can have more time to get things done and more importantly go fun places like Sea World, the zoo and the beach. I think it is time to start crafting and blogging again. I don't know what I have been doing but it hasn't been crafting or blogging.

I signed up for a Betty Crocker coupon book. It came in the mail and it was filled with delicious pictures of food and desserts. I about died when I saw these brownies. I made them that night. Justin and I agreed that they tasted better the second day and straight out of the fridge.

(picture from here)

You can find the recipe HERE. Thank you Betty Crocker.

A Girl Can Dream

Can you tell that my life goes in cycles. Some weeks I am super woman, my house is clean, we do lot of fun things, I somehow find time to craft and blog about it all.

Other weeks I struggle to keep my house remotely clean, keep my sanity and I can't even manage to get dinner on the table. During those weeks once the kids are in bed all I can think about is taking a HOT shower and going to bed myself.

Life has been busy. As I get closer to my due date (April) the time goes faster and the to do list gets longer. Our family has been living at the doctor's office the last couple of months. I have driven to the doctors at least 2 times a week for the past 2 months and we are not even sick (okay, maybe a little off the norm)! OB's, Pediatricians, Neurologist, extra Ultrasounds, and the Gastroenterologist. Luckily we have good insurance and are all looking healthy.

But on the crafty side I saw this and I want it. BAD!

I love, love, love it!

Here is the link to V and Co and her tutorial at moda bake shop. I don't think I have it in me to make it or even put it on my to do list. So if anyone wants to make it for me, please do. I will be watching the mail. I want that exact fabric, even if I have a boy.

A girl can dream.

Polka Dot Heart Pillow

I am just loving this polka dot fabric. Especially for Valentine's Day. This pillow was very simple to make.

*** I have had this ready to post for almost a week. This week has been much busier than anticipated. If you want directions on how I made this pillow let me know. I typed it out but when I saved it the format got messed up so I deleted it. I am hoping life will slow down next week.

Have a Happy Valentine's Day!

Lily's LOVE Shirt

I found this turtleneck at Target for $2. There was a huge rack of them. I guess San Diegans don't want white turtlenecks. I appliqued LOVE on it for Valentine's Day. Super Easy!

My Crazy Heart (repost)

I made this heart two years ago for Valentine's Day. The only problem is I can't find it. I need to go dig around in my storage. Yuck! I posted it on my family blog (2 years ago) so go HERE to check out all the info on it. I said I didn't think I would do this kind of thing again but I am starting to warm up to the idea.

It is a la Martha.

Rainbow Cupcakes

I have seen these rainbow cupcakes all over the Internet. I decided it was my turn. So here they are. To find directions you can go here or here, just to name a couple.

Birthday Crown

I have been wanting to make this birthday crown for over a year. I was going to make it for Lily's first birthday but ran out of time. I finally got around to making it just in time for her second birthday. I used the tutorial over at Juicy bits.

To tell you the truth, after making it, I am not a fan. It looked cute in the pictures but I really don't love it. I told Justin my only goal for this crown is for Lily to wear it for 3 seconds so I can get a picture. That has yet to happen. I think I will just toss it in her dress up box and try to forget it ever happened.

Valentine Wreath

**I don't know why this picture is turning fuzzy. I keep reposting it. It looks great for a day or two and then gets fuzzy again. I don't know how to fix it for good.

Yesterday morning I saw this wreath on my friend Chelsea's crafty blog It's Good for the Heart.

I wanted to make one and I did in ONE DAY!!! I never finish projects in one day. I would like to thank both of my kids for taking 3 hour naps (that NEVER happens!), and a husband who doesn't mind if I craft during a movie.

I used the tutorial from The Idea Room.

She got the idea from Design*Sponge.

Who was inspired by this pillow.

And now you have seen it here. So now you go make one.

Diapers, Anyone?

Did you know that I know Super Woman? Well, I do. She goes by the name of Misty. She started up a website kind of like the grocery game that tracks stores' deals and helps you match coupons so that you don't have to do all the work. Oh and did I mention at the time she had toddler twin boys AND a baby girl. Well, it got kind of busy for her (can you imagine doing all the work for a website and 3 kiddies under 2) and she asked if a couple of us (9, I think) to split up the work so we can still get all the amazing deals. Only people who contribute get access to the deals but now Misty has a blog, Frugalicious, that lets you know when you can get things for great deals. Awesome Deals.

Now you are wondering what does this have to do with Diapers. Well, check this deal out. For details on how to do it make sure you scroll down to "Diapers for less than $0.02 each!" Diapers less than $0.02!?! Now that is Amazing. And that is why Misty is Amazing.

Baby Boys

I made up some onesies and burp cloths for two of my friend's baby boys. Everyone I know is having a boy right now.

This scooter was cut out of some baby flannel I had.

When I make these onesies I use a double stick fusible web to attach the fabric. To secure the fabric I hand stitched around the design. I was worried about the inside stitching and knots being too rough on the newborn's skin so I covered it up by attaching a white piece of fabric using the fusible webbing.

Above is the inside of the onesie, showing off my messy stitching. Below is showing it covered up with the white piece of fabric to protect the baby's skin. (Do you like how huge these pictures are? Oh well.)

In my opinion (and my husband's) cloth diapers are by far the BEST burp cloths. They are absorbent, soft and have minimal runoff. I dressed some up with a strip of baby flannel.

Reversible Baby Hat

In December I checked Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing for Baby from my local library. Due to the busy Christmas season I didn't get the time I wanted with the book but asked Santa for my very own copy. Lucky for me I got two sewing books Simple Sewing for Baby and InStitches by Amy Butler.

Nothing in Simple Sewing for Baby is super unique or hard. They are just a bunch of simple projects for baby. This book is for someone like me who is just getting into sewing and likes to have a pattern, even for small projects.

This Baby hat was the first thing to catch my eye, where I thought, "I have to make one of those." I made one and was so happy about how fast and easy it was that I made another. One side is a cute pink flannel and the other is a cream fleece material.

4 Giveaways down, 1 to Go. It has almost been an entire year. yikes!

P.S. If you are one of my friends and are wondering why you didn't get a Christmas gift (mentioned here) this year. It is because I ran out of time, got too stressed and am saving all my grand plans for next year. So sorry, no presents this year, except that I survived Christmas, that should be present enough (maybe).

Lily's Kitchen

Last Summer we picked up this Pottery Barn Kids Kitchen at DownEast Home. It needed a little bit of love so it sat in Lily's closet for the last couple of months as a shoe/ toy rack. For Christmas, Santa's elves fixed it up. Justin did all the handy work and I did all the sewing.

Before: No Doors, Loose Knobs, No Curtains, No Accessories

After: Fold down oven door, Cabinet Door, Curtains, Hot Pads, Pots and Pans (Ikea) and tight knobs.

Smoother Transition

In the LDS church when kids turn 18 months they go to Nursery (a room full of toys, lesson, and snack) during the last two hours of church. When kids are 3 on the New Year they go to Primary (for kids 3-11). My son, Tanner, started Primary this past Sunday. I figured that this would be a hard transition. You know, one week you go to a room full of toys the next you are expected to sit quietly and participate (Don't get me wrong Primary is fun).

To help him get excited we told him how now he is a big boy and got him his own scripture case and hardback Book of Mormon. Tanner was so proud of his new scriptures and I think it helped make him feel like he belonged in Primary.

Disclaimer: I know this is a simple thing but I wanted to share our little family tradition here.