Wipes Set Giveaway Winner!!

Thanks to everyone that entered the cloth wipes set giveaway! The winner is.....

Tiffany!!!!

Tiffany said "I love the wild animals wipes. We would use them instead of disposable wipes! So cute."

Thanks to Random.org for picking the winner!!

Tiffany, I will be sending you an email for your shipping information from taranicoledesigns@hotmail.com.

♡

Giveaway!! **Updated**

My little man is turning 1 this week!!! I just cannot believe how big he is getting – I swear he grew at least another inch last night!! There were so many firsts this year, for all of us. First time parents, my first time not having a job outside the home, first serious injury (thank God that one’s over with!!), and I’m surprised I have not had my first gray hair yet!

So, since I will be getting everything ready for his 1st birthday party, I will be taking a little hiatus from blogging this week. But….I will be leaving you with something….

A GIVEAWAY!!!!

I will be opening my shop back up at the end of this month after a major overhaul and one of the new items I will be carrying will be these super cute, super soft cloth wipes. (Lovingly called ‘Ucky Wipes’.)

These 8” x 8” wipes feature adorably soft flannel on both sides and come in a variety of patterns. Ucky Wipes are extremely versatile and can be used to clean up many ‘uckies’. Use them on your baby’s bum as a gentle alternative to disposable wipes. Use them as face wipes to clean off the meal time uckies. Use them as tissues for those runny nose uckies (What kid wants to use those ugly, scratchy kleenexes anyway?). Fold these wipes in half and they fit perfectly in most disposable wipes containers.

Today’s giveaway is for a set of 4 Ucky Wipes in your choice of patterns!!

***UPDATED*** I will also be giving the lucky winner a customized travel wipes case to match their choice of wipes!!!

Browns & Blues

Wild Animals

Polka Dots

Little Ones

How to Enter: (You will be entered for each task you complete.)

1) (You must complete this first task to be entered.) Leave a comment on this post telling me what pattern set is your favorite and what you would use these wipes for.

2) Become a fan of Tara Nicole Designs on Facebook.

3) Write on your Facebook wall or blog telling about this giveaway. Leave a link to your post either on the fan page or on this post.

The drawing will be open until next Monday, June 14th at 12:00pm central time and I will announce the winner on Tuesday, June 15th. Good Luck!!!!

♡

Thrifty Thursday: Deal A Day Sites

Geez...I picked a heck of a week to overhaul my blog! I won't be around the computer for a couple days so this is going to be a pretty stingy post for Thrifty Thursday. I promise Friday's post will be better, but don't plan on seeing it until at least Friday afternoon! :)

For this week, I just want to share some of my favorite deal a day sites with you.

My absolute favorites are the steals network sites:

Babysteals.com

Kidsteals.com

ScrapbookSteals.com

These sites have the all-time best customer service!!! When your chatting with them on facebook, it feels like your talking with old friends. They definitely know how to run their business!!

Some more deal sites for kids and babies are:

Greenbabybargains.com

     Good selection of products. I don't feel like they just keep rotating the same old stuff all the time.

Mamabargains.com

     I haven't purchased anything from here for awhile. The customer service is good but they don't have big    variety of products and their shipping costs can be kind of high at times.

A couple others that I haven't purchased anything from yet are Ecobabybuys.com and Babyhalfoff.com

Deal sites for scrapbooking and crafts:

Craftysteals.com

PeachyCheap.com

Flowerstoflourishes.com

I really love Target's Daily Deals! I've bought many things from there at really good prices and their daily deals all have free shipping!!

Just remember that it is really easy to get caught up in the daily deals. One of the biggest marketing tactics of some of these sites is to make you feel like you need this product right now because it's at a great price and if you wait, you'll miss it. When in reality, you can sometimes find it at a better price on a different site. I almost always google the product before I buy it. I've also realized that it's worth a couple more dollars to buy from a company that I like and that treats their customers good. If a couple deals sites have the same product, I will always buy from the company with the better customer service.

♡

Cloth Beginnings

When I first became pregnant, I never once imagined I’d be using cloth diapers. Put my baby in pieces of leaky cloth with pins and rubber pants? Are you kidding me?!? No thank you!

Of course, like any first time mom, I did my research on the best disposable diapers and I was a little concerned with some of the instructions and warnings – if you see pieces of gel on your baby, just wipe it off. Hmmm, is that really safe? What exactly is that gel made of?? Still, that had to be better then wounding my precious baby with those diaper pins!

I became slightly curious about cloth diapers when my son was around six months old. Due to a health issue with my son, I was now a stay at home mom and we were looking for ways to save money. Little man had also outgrown the Pampers Swaddlers by now and he had started getting rashes that we assumed were from his new diapers.

Fast forward four months later, after numerous diaper rashes, leaks, blow outs, and many brand switches, we decided to take the plunge into cloth. During all my research, I found out that cloth diapers had changed so much from the diapers our grandmothers used. No more pins and rubber pants with the same old dreary colors. In fact, there were so many choices that I was completely overwhelmed! There were All-in-ones (AIOs), pocket diapers, hybrids, fitteds, pre-folds, flats, covers…Ugh!! I had no idea where to even start! Through a friend (the one person I knew in the whole state that was using cloth!) and some ladies on the Babycenter.com Cloth Diapering Board, I found out that some stores offer trial packages of cloth diapers. This is perfect for an overwhelmed newbie! You get to try out different types of diapers, keep the ones you like, and send back the ones that don’t work for you. I decided on a trial pack from Jillian’s Drawers. (You can learn more about that here.)

We ended up keeping the whole trial package plus we bought some more diapers to set up our stash. We now have:

4 Grobaby shells + 8 inserts, 2 soakers, and 50 disposable biosoakers

1 BumGenius! 3.0 AIO

2 FuzziBunz Perfect Size Pocket Diapers

1 Thirsties Duo Pocket

1 Rumparooz Pocket

1 Bum Genius! Pocket Diaper

2 Blueberry Pocket Diapers

1 Ecobumz Supreme Stuffable AIO (2 more on the way)

1 DreamEze Organic AIO

1 Baby Beehinds Fitted

2 Bumboo Fitteds

1 Thristies Fab Fitted

4 Prefolds

4 Diaper Covers

20 Gerber Prefolds to use as extra inserts and soakers

Considering my addictive personality and ADD tendencies, it’s no surprise that I couldn’t decide on just one type or brand of diaper!! My favorite dipes so far are the Rumparooz and Ecobumz. I also use the prefolds more than I thought I would and the Grobaby Diapers a lot less than I thought I would. The diapers with the velcro are easiest to put on our little man, but the diapers with the snaps are easier to wash and stay on better. The pocket diapers with extra soakers or the fitted diapers and covers have worked best for nighttime diapers. My hubby’s favorites are any of the diapers with Velcro and I make sure that there are AIOs or Pocket Diapers always stuffed and ready for him.

All in all, we have enough for at least 26 diaper changes with 2 more diapers on the way. Plus, I ordered some fabric so I can start sewing some diapers. I am washing about every other day right now and I’d like to have enough diapers so I only need to wash every third day. When I wash the diapers, I use a cold rinse/hot wash/cold rinse cycle. I dry the inserts and soakers in the dryer and line dry the diapers. I bought some flannel fat quarters on sale and made them into 8”x 8” wipes by sewing two pieces together. I bought an adorable hedgehog print wetbag from Monkey Foot Designs and I am just using a $4 nylon laundry bag from Target for a pail liner. I did splurge and get a diaper sprayer for some of the messier diapers.

Of course, it wasn’t smooth sailing right away. We had quite a few leaks the first couple days due to user error and/or the diapers not being completely prepped. We had one big leak at church and I had to strategically hold little man and his blanket so people couldn’t see the wet spot in my lap! After a few days, we had it pretty well figured out and we may have a leak now and then, but we still had more leaks (and rashes and blowouts) with disposables.

Something that really surprised me about the switch to cloth was that little man started sleeping better. He was taking longer naps and sleeping better at night! We all know that a well rested baby makes for a well rested Mommy and that makes everyone happy! : )

♡

Tuesday's Tutorial - Barn Window Message Center

Living on an old farm, I always have a great variety of old materials that I can use for crafting.

I found a whole stack of these windows just sitting in one of our old farm buildings a couple years ago. I dug them out, cleaned them up and I was planning on making some sort of cold frame or small green house with them. Turns out, old and extremely weathered windows don’t hold up to any sort of construction very well. I set them aside and moved on to my next projects, figuring that I’d find a use for them sooner or later…

I’ve wanted some sort of message center for our kitchen for awhile now and it hit me that this would be a great way to repurpose these windows. Because I still wanted to hold on to the weathered and distressed look of the windows, I didn’t bother using primer. By skipping that step, the paint really soaked into the wood showing off the grain and cracks. I used a bluish teal color for my base and then a thin coat of white on top. I finished it off by sanding the edges and adding a couple coats of polyurethane.

I used some fabric covered cork to replace the window panes. I just cut an old corkboard to the sizes I needed and then used some spray adhesive to attach the fabric to the cork. I used my hot glue gun to fasten the panels to the window.

I painted a hanging basket for our mail and used a couple thumbtacks to hold it on one of the panels.

On another panel I used my glue gun again to attach a magnet strip. Then I glued some fabric on one side of another magnet and we use this to hang small items like business cards.

I used some little screw-in hooks on the sides to hold keys and some bigger hooks and a dowel on the bottom for a towel rack and apron hanger.

I think it turned out pretty good! Even hubby likes it! I love the distressed look of the wood and the fabric is the perfect color. The only thing I might have changed would be to make a chalkboard panel using a thin piece of plywood or panel and chalkboard paint. There’s always next time. :)

♡

Menu Monday: 6/1 - 6/7

I know I said I was going to start my healthy weekly menus today…but that was until I decided to clean out my pantry. After throwing away some things that expired in the beginning of 2009 and seeing multiple open containers of the same thing, I decided that it might be time for a pantry cleanout.

I’m challenging you, and myself, to cook this week’s meals using ingredients from your pantry. If you’re like me and stockpile when you see a good deal, you should have plenty to eat. : ) The only things I’ll be buying at the grocery store this week will be milk and salad veggies like lettuce and tomatoes.

Here are some great links for pantry meal planning…

Living out of Your Pantry: Meal Plans – Mom Advice

Find Recipes based on the Ingredients in your Pantry.

Meal Planning and Taking Stock of What’s in Your Pantry – Life As Mom

Save Money by Eating Out of Your Pantry

♡

Googly Eyes

This might not be the most intricate page I have done, but it's definitely the most fun I've had after finishing a page! It's all because of the googly eyes! I made them out of some baby food jar lids and packaging from some scrapbook embellishments. The button 'pupils' move around whenever the page is moved and I seriously can't stop shaking the page!!

Of course I want to share all the fun I'm having! So I'm including a small tutorial at the end of the post.

But, before we get to the instructions...here are some close-ups of the page...

I used some foam adhesive to give one of the flowers a little lift.

 Close up of the googlies. hee hee!

I also used the foam adhesive on the buttons to help them stand out a bit more.

Now to the fun part...

I started with two baby food jar lids,

two small plastic packages that some brads and embellishments came in,

Aleene's clear tacky glue,

two buttons,

paper

First, I cut out two pieces of paper to fit the inside of the lid and two pieces of the packaging for the outside of the lid. This is what will hold the button inside the lid so make sure it is a tad bit bigger than the diameter of the lid.

To assemble the eyes, just glue the paper to the inside of the lid,

set the button on the paper,

put a line of tacky glue around the lip of the lid (try not to let it drip into the lid because you might end up accidently gluing your lid to the jar).

Place the plastic circle onto the lid and let the glue dry.

To cover up the lid lip, I just went around the edge of the plastic circle with a black marker. Plus this helped give some definition to the eyes. If you want to cover up the sides of the lid, a small strip of ribbon works perfect!

Finish it up by adhering the eyes to the page with some regular sized glue dots and your googlies are ready for a good shakin'!

Menu Monday - Weekly Menu for May 18-May 24

Tuesday, May 18
Beefy Broccoli Pie (Recipe Below)
Salad

Wednesday, May 19
Easy Broiled Pollock
Rice Side (I'm using Uncle Ben's Ready Rice because I have a coupon for a free package)
Green Beans

Thursday, May 20
Coffee-Sauced Rump Roast (Seriously, this is awesome!!)
Roasted Potatoes and Carrots

Friday, May 21
Enchiladas
(Recipe Below for flour tortillas)

Saturday, May 22
Mushroom Alfredo (I usually make this homemade, but I got some alfredo sauce at a great price so I'm just going to add some mushrooms into it)
Salad
Garlic Bread

Sunday, May 23
Grilled Hamburgers
Homemade Fries

Monday, May 24
Broccoli Beef Lo Mein (Recipe Below)
Egg Drop Soup


Recipes

Beefy Broccoli Pie
(From Taste of Home: Ground Beef Cookbook)
1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 package (10 ounces) frozen cut broccoli, cooked and drained
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
2 tubes (8 ounces each) refrigerated crescent rolls, divided
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

In a skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add broccoli and soup; mix well. Unroll one tube of crescent rolls. Press into a greased 13x9 in baking pan. Seal seams and perforations. Top with meat mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. Unroll remaining crescent dough and place over meat mixture; seal seams and perforations. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Yield: 6-8 servings.


Flour Tortillas
2 Cups flour

1 tsp honey
2 Tablespoons soft butter
2/3 Cup cold water

Mix flour, honey and butter with pastry cutter or fork. Add water a little at a time til dough sticks together. Pinch off golf ball size pieces and roll out very thin on a floured surface. Fry on ungreased griddle or pan (cast iron works great) until several large bubbles rise. Turn and cook 30 – 45 seconds until LIGHT brown spots appear. Do not overcook. Leftovers should be lightly wrapped and stored in refrigerator.


Broccoli Beef Lo Mein
1 pound ground beef
1 large onion, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 jar (4-1/2 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained
6 ounces vermicelli or thin spaghetti, cooked and drained
2 to 3 cups broccoli florets, cooked
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 teaspoons ground ginger

In a large skillet, cook beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add mushrooms. cook and stir for 3-5 minutes. Stir in the vermicelli, broccoli, soy sauce and ginger; toss to coat. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until heated through. Yield: 4-6 servings.

♡

5/16 Sunday Coupon Preview

According to Sundaycouponpreview.com, there will be a Redplum and a Smartsource coupon insert in this Sunday's paper.

5-16 Redplum coupon insert


Regional coupon inserts & value differences are to be expected!



(x) before coupon = multiple of same coupon

ETS = excludes trial sizes


3 Muskeeters Brand Truffle Crisp, Mint or Original Save $0.25/1

All Liquid Laundry Detergent 28 load or larger Save $1.00/1

All Oxi Liquid Laundry Detergent 28 load or larger Save $2.00/1

Aunt Millie’s Bread Save $0.55/1

Aunt Millie’s Hamburger or Hot Dog Buns Save $0.55/1

Aunt Millie’s Slimwiches Save $0.55/1

Aussie Shampoo or Conditioner Aussie Styling product B1G1

Aveeno Sun Care products Save $1.50/1 ETS

Band-Aid Dryfit Save $0.50/1

Bar-S 16oz Franks or Bologna Save $1.00/2

Benedryl Topical Save $1.00/1

Bengay Save $2.00/1

Bestlife Buttery Spread or Buttery Spray Save $1.00/1

Blink Tears or Blink Gel Tears Lubricating Eye Drops Save $2.00/1

Blink-N-Clean lens Drops or Blink Contacts Lubricant Eye Drops Save $1.00/1

Centrum Save $1.00/1

Centrum 200ct or larger box or Centrum Kids 150 ct or larger bottle Save $2.00/1

Centrum Kids Save $1.00/1

Citrucel Bulk Fiber Therapy Save $3.00/1

Complete Multi-Purpose Solution w/ Free lens case inside – 12oz or larger Save $2.00/1

Contac, Sominex, Nytol, Feosol, Debrox or Massengil Save $2.00/1

Contessa MicroSteam or on the Stove Meals Save $1.00/1

Dial Body Washes Save $1.00/2

Dial for Men Body Wash Save $1.00/1

Dovebar Miniature Ice Cream or Dovebar 3-Pack Ice Cream Save $1.00/2

Ecotrin Aspirin Therapy Save $2.00/1

Gaviscon Antacid Save $2.00/1

Gillette Antiperspirant/Deodorant Up to $4.99 B1G1

Gillette Clinical Antiperspirant/Deodorant Save $3.00/1

Gillette Odor Shield Antiperspirant/Deodorant Save $2.00/1

Herbal Essences Shampoo, Conditioner or Styler products Save $1.00/1

Hillshire Farm Smokes Sausage Save $1.00/2

Jerky Treats Dog Snacks 6oz or 10 oz pkgs Save $1.00/1

Johnson & Johnson Red Cross Product Save $0.75/1

L’Oreal Cleanser Save $1.00/1

L’Oreal Haircolor Save $3.00/1

L’Oreal Moisturizer Save $1.00/1

L’Oreal Sublime Save $1.00/1

Listerine Antiseptic Mouthwash 1L or larger Save $0.50/1

Listerine Pocketpacks 24 ct or larger, Listerine Pocketmist, Plax Rinse or Listerine Essential Care Toothpaste Save $0.50/1

Listerine Smart Rinse Anticavity mouthwash or Listerine Agent Cool Blue Tinting Rinse 500 ml or Reach Kids Toothbrush Save $1.00/1

Listerine Whitening Rinse 16 oz or larger Save $1.00/1

Meaty Bone, Chew-lotta or Denta-Delicious Dog Treats Save $2.00/2

Neosporin Save $0.50/1

OsCal Calcium Supplement Save $3.00/1

Perdue Perfect Portions Boneless, Skinless Chicken Save $1.00/1

Phazyme Anti-Gas Save $2.00/1 ETS

Pup-Peroni dog snacks – 4.8 oz or larger Save $1.00/1

Purell Save $1.00/1

Purina Chef Michael’s Canine Creations Can Dog Food Up to $1.19 B1G1

Purina Chef Michael’s Canine Creations Dry Dinners Save $3.00/1

Reach Dental Floss, Reach Access Flosser or Reach Toothbrush or Value pack Save $1.00/1

Reach Total Care+ Massage or Reach Total Care Multi-action Toothbrush – B1G1

Rembrandt 2 Hour Kit or any Rembrandt Whitening Toothpaste Save $2.00/1

Renuzit Crystal Elements Save $3.00/1

Restoring Listerine Anticavity Mouthwash or Listerine Total Care Anticavity Mouthwash 1L or larger Save $1.00/1

Scotties facial tissues 1 Multi or 3 Single Packs Save $0.50/1

Smuckers Toppings Save $1.00/2

Snausages or Snaw Somes dog snacks 9.75oz or larger Save $2.00/2

Surf Laundry Detergent Save $2.00/1

Tagemet Heartburn Relief – Excludes 6 count Save $2.00/1

Uncle Ben’s Plain White or Brown Rice Save $1.00/2

Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice Save $1.00/1

Vivarin Alertness Aid Save $2.00/1

 
 
5-16 Smartsource coupon insert


Regional coupon inserts & value differences are to be expected!



(X/X) after coupon = expiration date

() before coupon = multiple of same coupon

ETS = excludes trial sizes

DND5 = coupon states Do Not Double, but barcode starts w/a 5


Air Wick Aqua Mists BOGO up to $3.29 value (6/27)

Air Wick Freshmatic Compact i-Motion Starter Kit Save $4.00/1 (6/27)

Air Wick Scented Oil 1 Twin Refill Pack or 2 Single Refill Packs Save $1.00/1 (6/27)

Air Wick Warmer Unit FREE wyb any Air Wick Scented Oil Refill Save up to $2.19 (6/27)

Athenos Feta Save $1.00/1 (6/30)

Atkins Shake 4pk Save $.50/1 (7/31) DND5

Bob Evans Frozen Breakfast item Save $.75/1 (7/18)

Bob Evans Refrigerated Side Dishes Save $.50/2 (7/18)

Bob Evans Sausage items Save $.50/2 (7/18)

Chiquita Bites Singles, 3 any size OR any 1 10oz+ Save $1.00/1 (7/11) DND5

Colgate PRoClinical Toothpaste, 4.0oz Save $1.00/1 (6/5)

Command Picture Hanging Product Save $1.00/1 (6/30)

Curad Comfort Fabric or Sensitive Skin Bandage Save BOGO (6/30)

Depend Guards for Men Save $1.00/1 (6/27)

Depend Underwear in Prints & Colors Save $1.50/1 (6/27)

Digiorno Deep Dish Pizza Save $1.00/1 (6/30)

Digiorno Flatbread Melts or Small Pizzas including traditional and thin crust Save $1.00/2 (6/30)

Dulcolax Balance bottle Save $4.00/1 (8/31)

Dulcolax Laxative Tablets Save $1.00/1 (8/31)

Dulcolax Stool Softener Save $1.00/1 (8/31)

Fancy Feast Appetizers, 2oz tray Save $1.00/2 (8/15)

Frito-Lay Variety Pack, 20 or 22 ct Save $1.00/1 (6/30)

General Foods International Save $.75/1 (7/31)

Heluva Good Dips Save $1.00/2 (6/30) DND5

Herr’s Kettle Chips, 8oz+ Save $1.00/1 (8/31)

Hershey’s Milk Chocolate 6pk AND Honey Maid Grahams, 14oz+ AND Kraft Jet-Puffed Marshmallows, 10oz+ Save $1.00 off wyb ALL 3 (6/30) DND5

Hidden Valley Farmhouse Originals Save $1.00/1 (7/15)

Huggies Little Swimmers Disposable Swimpants Save $1.00/1 (6/13) ETS

Huggies Little Swimmers Sun Care product Save $1.00/1 (6/13)

Huggies Pull-ups Flushable Moist Wipes Save $1.00/1 (6/12)

Huggies Pull-ups Training Pants, jumbo pack+ Save $2.00/1 (6/12)

Jack Daniels Barbecue Sauce Save $.55/1 (7/31)

Jack Daniels Barbecue Sauce, 28 or 40oz Save $.75/1 (7/31)

Jack Daniels EZ Marinader products or Barbecue Sauce Save $1.00/2 (7/31)

Jergens Natural Glow Moisturizer, excludes 2fl.oz body moisturizer Save $2.00/1 (7/18)

Kemps IttiBitz Ice Cream, 5fl.oz/2.9oz Save $1.00/4 (6/30)

King of Shaves product Save $2.00/1 (6/30)

Kotex Liners or Security Tampons Save $1.50/2 (6/27)

Kotex Pads Save $2.00/2 (6/27)

Kraft 100 Calorie Pack Cheese Bites Save $1.00/1 (6/13)

Lance Sandwich Crackers or Cookies, 8ct+ Save $1.00/2 (8/31)

Land O Lakes Deli Cheese products Packages Save $1.00/2 (7/31) DND5

Land O Lakes Deli Cheese products, 1lb+ Save $1.00/1 (7/31) DND5

Land O Lakes Eggs Save $.50/1 (7/2) DND5

Lloyd’s Ribs or Tub Save $.75/1 (7/12)

Marcal Small Steps Towel, Bath Tissue or Facial Tissue Single Roll FREE or $1.00 Marcal Small Steps Towel, napkin, Bath Tissue or Facial Tissue Save $1.00 (6/12)

Marzetti Salad Dresssing in produce section Save $.50/1 (8/31)

Maxwell House Coffee, 10.5oz+ Save $1.00/1 (7/31)

Mrs Dash Seasoning Blends Save $1.00/2 (6/30)

Mrs Dash, save on beef Save $1.00 off wyb both (6/30)

Nabisco Crackers Save $1.00/2 (7/25) DND5

Off! Clip-On Mosquito Repellent Refill Save $1.00/1 (6/26)

Off! Clip-On Mosquito Repellent Starter Save $2.00/1 (6/26)

Off! Personal Insect Repellent Save $.55/1 (6/19)

Olay Definity Facial Moisturizer Save $3.00/1 (6/30)

Olay Facial Moisturizer or Facial Cleanser Save $1.00/1 (6/30)

Olay Regenerist Facial Moisturizer Save $3.00/1 (6/30)

Oscar Mayer Deli Creations Sandwiches or Cracker Combinations Save $1.00/1 (7/11)

Oscar Mayer Hot Dogs Save $1.00/2 (7/11)

Oscar Mayer Lunchmeats Save $1.00/2 (7/11)

Pillsbury Toaster Strudel Pastries Save $.55/2 (8/7)

Pledge Muli Surface product Save $1.00/1 (7/11)

Poise LIners Save $1.00/1 (6/27)

Poise Pads Save $1.00/1 (6/27)

Post Cereals Save $1.00/2 (6/27)

Post Kids Cereals Save $1.00/2 (6/27)

Purina Dog Snacks Save $1.50/2 (8/15)

Purina Dog Snacks Save $4.00/4 (8/15)

Purina Friskies Cat Treats or Whisker lickins Cat Treats Save $1.50/2 (8/15)

REynolds Wrap Foil, excludes 20,25,30 sq.ft Save $1.00/1 (6/30)

Reynolds Wrap Non-Stick Aluminum Foil Save $1.00/1 (6/30)

Scotch Easy-Grip Packaging Tape Dispenser Save $2.00/1 (7/31)

Scotch Packaging Tape Save $.50/1 (7/31)

Slim Jim Meat Sticks, 16ct canister Save $.75/1 (7/16)

Stella D’oro Baked Goods Save $1.00/2 (6/30)

Stride Shift gum FREE wyb any Stride Gum Save up to $1.49 value (10/31)

Texas Toast Croutons Save $.50/1 (8/31)

Texas Toast Tortilla Strips Save $.50/1 (8/31)

Tyson frozen Grilled & REady Chicken or Beef product Save $.55/1 (8/16)

Tyson refrigerated Grilled & Ready Chicken or Beef product Save $.55/1 (8/16)

Valio Real Goodness Lactose-Free Milk, 32oz/quart Save $.50/1 (8/15)

Valio Real Goodness Lactose-Free Milk, 64oz/half-gallon Save $1.00/1 (8/15)

Wacky Mac, any size Save $.50/1 (12/31/10) DND5

Weight Watchers 6oz Yogurt Cup Save BoGO (6/30)

Yoplait Delights Yogurt Mulitpack Save $.50/1 (7/10)

Yoplait Fiber One Yogurt Multipacks Save $.50/1 (7/10)

Yoplait Yogurt Cups, includes: original, light, thick & creamy, whips, or original or light smoothie Save $.40/6 (7/10)

Yoplait Yogurt Cups, includes: original, light, thick & creamy, whips, or original or light smoothie Save $.50/8 (7/10)

Zantac 75 8ct+ Save $2.00/1 (8/31)

Zantac, 8ct+ Save $1.00/1 (8/31)

Ziploc Brand Bags Save $1.00/2 (7/1)

Ziploc Brand Bags Save $.40/1 (7/10)

Ziploc Brand Container Save $.55/1 (7/10)

Ziploc Brand Containers Save $1.50/2 (7/10)

Zone Perfect Single Bar or Multi-pack Save $.55/1 (7/31)

Weaving Ribbon

One of my all time favorite sites - ScrapbookSteals.com - is gearing up for another online crop on May 21st. Usually they post challenges for us to work on during the crop, but this time they posted some challenges early! I L-O-V-E these challenges because it gives me that extra little kick in the behind to get my scrap on!

I don't need many excuses to use ribbon, so I jumped right on the ribbon challenge! I wanted to do something a little different with it though, and I thought weaving some of my American Crafts ribbon would be perfect for this layout...

I started by tracing and cutting the circles, letters, and number. Then I layed out the ribbons going in one direction on the back side of the paper and secured them using mini glue dots. *Here's a little tip - don't adhere the ribbon until you are sure of the placement...those little dots have a lot of sticky power! Once the first set of ribbons is in place, you can start weaving. I just used my fingers to pull the ribbon up and under, but tweezers would've saved a bunch of time!

Once you have all your ribbon weaved and placed where you want, go ahead and secure the ends down with some more mini glue dots.

This is what your weave should look like when you turn your paper over...

Just trim away the excess ribbon and embellish however you want. Here are some close up pics...

As you can see, the ribbon weave works great with any kind of shape.

I ended up with a 2 page layout so I could show some journaling. I used basically the same technique with the ribbon weaving on the top and bottom of the page, just with some larger American Craft ribbon.

I would love to see some of your designs using the ribbon weave technique! Just post a link in the comment section to your pictures. :)

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Crunchy? No - but maybe a little crispy.

I had never even heard of the term 'Crunchy Mom' until I started looking into using cloth diapers. I haven't seen an actual definition yet, but apparently it's someone that leads a truly natural lifestyle (homebirth, breastfeeding, co-sleeping, attachment parenting, chemical-free, cloth diapers, organic, etc). Want to know how Crunchy you are? You can take a quiz here to find out. I am 'Pretty Crispy!' but I was only a couple points away from 'Mmm! Love that whole grain crunch!' LOL

Anyway...back to why the whole 'Crunchy Mom' thing came up...

Yep...we're officially switching to cloth!! I am so tired of constantly changing diaper brands because of rashes. Hubby and I have mentioned using cloth before...but more in the 'If I had to do it, I would" context. Then the whole new Pampers scare finally pushed me over the edge! I did a bunch of research, joined a couple cloth diapering boards, and talked to the one (yep 1) person I knew in my state that uses cloth. We finally settled on a trial pack from Jillian's Drawers. They had a great variety and we can try the diapers for 21 days. If we don't like them, we can return them and we're only out $10. The picture above is everything that came in the pack. (By the way, they have awesome customer service! I realized we didn't get the sample pack of flushable liners so I sent them a quick email. They got back to me right away and had my liners in the mail that day!)

Obviously, these are not our grandmothers' diapers!! No pins or nasty rubber pants. Just lots and lots of fluffy cuteness!! Even hubby likes them! Look for more adventures in cloth diapering soon!!!

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Storage for Border Embellishments

I have a hard time finding ways to store my border embellishments for scrapbooking. I've either been storing them in the bags made for 12x12 papers or a spaghetti noodle holder...

The bags were great, because the embellishments were completely covered so they wouldn't get dirty or dusty, but if I wasn't careful, they would get bent up in the bags. The noodle holder was wonderful because they didn't get bent, but I had no way to cover them except for putting a plastic bag over them...not very attractive.

While grocery shopping a couple days ago, I noticed these super stack Pringles (that I happened to have a coupon for) and I thought that this container would be perfect for storing borders. Is it sad that I buy food items just to reuse their containers for something else???

The can still wasn't quite tall enough, so I did have to make some modifications...

I started by washing and drying the can and lid. I unrolled the cardboard at the top of the can,

Then I cut 2, 2 inch sections off a paper towel roll. You could also use a toilet paper roll, but the paper towel ones are usually thicker.

I made one cut in each of the paper towel roll sections to make it lay flat and then taped each section onto the top of the can...

I folded over the top of the cardboard and taped it down to give the lid a little better grip when it's on the can. I went a little tape crazy, but I wanted to make sure the top of the can was nice and sturdy...

This is what the can looks like after the paper towel roll sections are taped down...

I used some paper from American Crafts Blue Skies Collection to cover the can and I used Aleene's Tacky Glue to attach the paper to the can, but you could probably use a glue gun or any other sturdy glue. If you roll the paper before hand, it will have a nice curve to it that makes it easier to attach to the can.

You will probably have just a little bit of overhang on the top of the container. I folded this over and taped it to the inside of the can and then I glued a piece of scrap paper into the inside to cover up all the tape.

Cut a piece of ribbon 8-10 inches long and attach to the can using a stapler. To reinforce the ribbon, I used two staples criss-crossed over each other and then I added a couple stickers to hide the staples.

Pop on the lid when your done and this makes a great little storage container for your borders that's pretty enough to hang up and easy to grab for scrapbooking on-the-go.