Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Alasia's Spa Party

So my daughter's birthday is on December 30th which can sometimes be a pain as it is so close to a Christmas.  With that being said her last birthday party was when she turned 8 and consisted of a sleepover, trip to the nail school for manicures and pedicures, and then a tea party at a fancy hotel (looking back that was TOO much). As she creeps towards being a preteen I wanted her to have a very special birthday party for her 11th birthday.....which is how the "Spa Party" idea came into play. Alasia invited 6 of her close friends over for an evening of facials, manicures, pedicures, and refreshments. Below are pictures from the party.



Invitations
These are the nail polish invitations I created. I used glitter scrapbook paper for the bottle and added a jewel letter embellishment on the front. The bottle cap is black scrapbook paper. I typed up the party details in Microsoft Word, cut them out, and glued them on the the back of the invite. If I could do them over I would have made the base of the bottle smaller and the top of it wider. Some pins on Pinterest also show you how to make the bottle top 3-D by using a q-tip o that inserts into the bottle portion of the invite!



The Spa Bar Menu
Turkey pinwheels, fresh fruit, veggies and dip, cheese mask/chips, nail polish cupcakes, and sparkling strawberry punch (Hawaian punch, Sprite & frozen strawberries). I was a little worried if the menu would be a hit as it was not your traditional party food, BUT the girls loved it and spent a good portion of the party chowing down!


Spa Decorations
I originally was going to make an elaborate backdrop for the Spa Bar, but I simply ran out of time and had spent too much money already. I ended up having my husband tape a strip of packing tape (sticky side up) onto the wall and adhere strips of streamers to it. He then taped balloons on top and we had a simple backdrop! The photo cuts off the tulle table skirt I on the front of the table; however, I there is a picture of it on my blog entitled "Khloe Turns One". Yes, I reused it :) Below you will see that I made circular stickers that I adhered to the party cups, party favors, and the nail kits. I used clip art I found online and the Avery label software that was listed on the back of the labels I purchased! I found the pink lip straws from Walmart for like $2. If I had not run across them I had planned to make the lips myself with card stock and a hole puncher.


So if you can't tell this dish is suppose to resemble a woman with her head wrapped in a towel with a facial mask on. The actual face is a cheese mixture and guacamole is spread on top to represent the facial mask. The wrapped towel is american cheese, cucumbers over the eyes, and a red pepper for the lips. The Pinterest link is embedded above!  I didn't get a chance to actually task the mask, but my husband informed me that he did not like it (but he can be picky). If I made this again I think I would treat the base of the mask more like a dip (salsa, cheese, and meat) rather than a cheese ball. I think the mask would still hold and form the shape of the lady's face.


Again I saw this idea on Pinterest (link embedded above). The bottle portion is a marshmallow coated in sugar sprinkles and the top is a tootsie roll. The cupcakes were store bought and I just added the toppers before the party. If I could do this over again I would have also liked to make this nail polish cake I found on Pinterest in addition to the cupcakes!





Facial Table
Each girl had their own place setting at the table. I used scrap book paper from Micheal's for the place setting ($1.19). I purchased up a nail kit from Dollar Tree (toe separators, nail clippers, buffers, cuticle tool, nail file) for each girl.  I  also purchased bowls from Wal-Mart for $.78 and rolled white hand towels (secured with a bow) which were $.48. I also found super cute pink mirrors from Dollar Tree that the girls could use as we did facials. I had a very hard time finding terry cloth headbands at the last minute. If I had more time I would have ordered them in bulk from Amazon. As a last resort I purchased plain black headbands from Dollar Tree so the girls could keep their hair out of their face during the facial. I use to sell Mary Kay a few years back, so I was able to utilize some of the materials from my starter kit for the facial portion of the party. The time-wise cleanser is suitable for sensitive skin so I knew it would be okay for the girl's skin.  I gave each girl a plastic MK facial tray that held all the products they would use for the facial. I used the following products: MK time-wise cleanser, a natural mud mask I found at Target, MK time-wise moisturizer, MK satin lips treatment, and two cucumber slices to soothe their eyes!


Center Pieces
I decorated large mason jars with ribbon to use a a vase for my floral arrangement. My flower of choice was the pink rose accompanied by pink Christmas decorations I found at Micheal's on clearance. 


The Birthday Girl!

 






Manicure Station 
My friend ran the manicure station which first consisted of the girls soaking their nails to soften their cuticles. One at a time they moved to the manicurist table where they received a MK satin hand treatment and then a manicure.


Pedicure Station
I manned the pedicure station. Each girl had their own personal tub that was filled with rose petals, bath salts, and a Shea butter foot soak. I also made my own Strawberry Sugar scrub (sugar, grape seed oil, essential oil, dap red food coloring) to use during the pedicures. I found the pedicure flip flops from Five Below for $1.




 Party Favors
I took advantage of Bath and Body Works semi-annual sale to score lotions ($2), hand sanitizer ($1), and body loofah ($1.50) to create favor bags for each girl. I also made several signs for the party which consisted of wooden frames from Micheal's ($1), pink spray paint, ribbon, and pink jewels. In additon to the favors each girl took home all the materials they used during the party: pink facial bowls, hand towels, pedicure basins etc).


My daughter and her friends had a great time and I was very happy I could do something that would give her lasting memories :)

Sunday, August 24, 2014

IKEA Spice Racks as Bookshelves


This weekend my husband and I decided to transform our daughter's nursery into a toddler room. This consisted of turning her crib into a toddler bed and creating her a little book nook. She absolutley LOVES books and will often pull every book off my older daughters bookcase, so I felt it was time to give her a space to foster her appreciation for books lol. I've always seen the DIY IKEA spice rack/bookshelf idea on Pinterest and decided it was time to give it a go. In my opinion this option allows you to maximize space in your child's bedroom. Originally I thought I would order the spice racks from IKEA online as they are only $3.99 each; however, I decided to visit the store when I realized shipping was the same cost as the racks ($16). 



The project was rather simple. Assembly of the spice racks was relativelty easy and I was even able to enlist the help of my older daughter. After that I gave them a coat of pink spray paint and waited for them to dry. Lastly, I hung them on the wall using wood screws. My husband suggested (AFTER the fact :-/) that I use a stud finder, I would be worried about this if I were placing heavier books on he racks. I also picked up the a cute little flower night light from IKEA to place in the center of the little book nook :)



Thursday, August 14, 2014

Pull-Ups $2.12 a pack at CVS

If you have a little one that is actively potting training or almost ready for potty training then this deal is for you. I introduced Khloe to potty training in June and we are still working on it currently *sigh*. Anyway I was able to get 4 Huggies jumbo pack Pull-Ups for $8.48 (retail 55.96).


CVS

Bought:  (4) Huggies Jumbo Pack Pull-Ups @ $8.99 (sales price, originally $13.99)
promo: spend $30 receive $10 CVS gift card
Used: $5 off $30 Baby Products CVS coupon (prints from red coupon machine)
and (4) $3.00/1 Huggies Pull-Ups Coupon (revtrax.com)

OOP: $18.48
Received: $10.00 CVS Gift Card

Total: $8.48

*use $5 off $30 coupon FIRST
*you will need multiple computers or iPad to print off the revtrax coupon

Monday, August 11, 2014

Free Revlon & Mucinex at Rite Aid


I had a rather chaotic Rite Aid trip this evening BUT  I was able to get 5 items for free and made $5.50 for a future shopping trip! It was however, my first time taking both my daughters with me as my husband was at work. Of course, the youngest threw a tantrum bc she wanted to pull every piece of candy off the shelf *sigh*. I also ran into a little issue with a disgruntled cashier, who ended up looking crazy when the manager came out and politely finished my transaction. Overall, I walked away with 4 Revlon eye shadows and a box of Mucinex Allergy not only for FREE but I made $5.50. Here is how I did it:


Rite Aid

Buy: (4) Revlon Eye Shadow Links @ $3.29 (BOGO 50% off)
Use: (4) $2/1 Revlon Eye Products (coupons.com) *you will need 2 computers or iPads
and (1) $3.00 off  Revlon Cosmetic or Eye and Beauty Tools, $5.00 or more  Rite Aid coupon (adperks.com)
Final Price: Free (when you buy 4)

Buy:  (1) Mucinex Allergy 5 ct @ $7.50 (sales price, orginally $8.99)
Use:  $3/1 Mucinex Product Rite Aid coupon (adperks.com)
and $2/1 Mucinex Allergy Product from RP 8/10
Final Price: Free AND $5.50 Moneymaker

Paid: $2.69
Received: $3.00 cash back and $5.50 UpReward

Retail: $22.15


Advice: Always scan money off coupons (ex. $3 off $5) FIRST followed by store coupons and lastly manufacture coupons. Have your UpRewards printed on your receipt instead of being automatically loaded to your Wellness Card (a cashier can do this for you). I find that sometimes my UpRewards come off first during a transaction and then I cannot used all of my coupons. This happened today, but the manger redid the transaction and scanned my Wellness card last so that I could use all the coupons. However, my very last coupon ($3/1 Mucinex Rite Aid Coupon) wouldn't scan bc my total was $2.96. To my surprise after I paid the $2.96 the manager gave me $3 cash back for the coupon. The Rite Aid store policy states that overage will not be given and that coupons that exceed a purchase balance should be manually marked down. I was very grateful for this and it made my trip even better!



Monday, August 4, 2014

Moneymaker Ponytail Holders at Rite Aid

If you read my post yesterday then you know I earned $6.00 in UpRewards by purchasing shampoo that ended up being FREE (yea I am still pretty tickled about that one lol). I also mentioned that I planned to return to Rite Aid today and use my UpRewards for a relaxer for my hair. Well I had a horrible case of insomnia last night (more like 3 am) so I checked out my favorite coupon blog thekrazycouponlady.com and found another moneymaker at Rite Aid. I left today with 4 different hair care products with a retail value of  $16 for a little over $3 AND $2 in UpRewards. So basically I got the products for $1. Here are the items I purchased and the breakdown:



Bought: (1) Olive Oil Relaxer @ $6.99 (sales price, original price $8.99)
Used (2) $3.00 UpRewards (earned 8/3)
Final Price: $0.99

Bought (1) Scunci Elastic Bands 18ct @ $2.99 (sales price, original price $3.99)
(Buy 1 Receive $2.00 UpReward)
Used  (1) Conair or Scunci  Tool and Fashion product RiteAid Adperk coupon (adperks.com)
Final Price: $1.00 Moneymaker

Bought (2) Scunci Hair Clips 48 ct @ $.0.34 (clearance, original price $3.79)
Final Price $0.68, when you buy 2


So I was able to get these products for a little over $3 (including tax) and walked away with $2 in UpRewards that I can use when another great deal at Rite Aid comes along :)

Sunday, August 3, 2014

Freebies & Moneymakers at Target/Rite Aid

Where did summer go? I found myself analyzing my oldest daughter's (Alasia) back to school supply list and comparing it to the all the Back to School sales ads this weekend. I am very proud to say that  I got everything on her list this morning between Target and Rite Aid. In addition I was able to get several items for FREE (only paying sales tax) at Target and I was able to get some items for free at Rite Aid PLUS I earned $6. I must admit today was the best coupon haul I've experienced since I started couponing a few month ago. Here are the items I scored for free:


Target 

Buy (2) Bic Mechanical Pencils 8 ct @ $0.99 (sales price)
Use $1.00/2 Bic Stationery Products SS 8/3
and use one $1.00/2 Bic Writing Product, Target Coupon (target.com)
Final Price: Free, when you buy 2

Buy (1) Post-it Notes, 90 ct @ $0.99 (sales price)
Final Price: Free

Buy (1)Scotch Tape, 2 pk $1.00 regular price (dollar bin)
Final Price: Free

Buy (2) Up & Up Vinyl Pocket folders @ $0.50 (sales price)
Use $1 off 2 Up & Up Office Products (target mobile coupon text offers to 827438)
Final Price: Free, when you buy 2

I also took advantage of the $5 off $25 school supply target mobile coupon (text SCHOOL to 827438)

Rite Aid

Buy (2) Nexxus Therappe Ultimate Moisture Shampoo 5.2 oz @ $5.99 (regular price)
(BOGO 50% off and Buy 1, Recieve $3.00 UpReward)
Use (2) $3.00/1 Nexxus Hair Care Product (bricks.coupons.com)
and use(1) $3.00/1 Nexxus Hair Care Products, Rite Aid Coupon (adperk.com)
Pay Nothing, Recieve (2) $3.00 UpRewards
Final Price: $6.00 Moneymaker

Buy (1) Purell Hand Sanitizer 8 oz @ $1.99 (sales price)
Use $2.00/1 Purel Advances Hand Sanitizer 8 oz (purell.com)
Final Price: Free



Although I was pleased with my Target haul, I am really excited about my Rite Aid haul as I only paid taxes for 3 products and I earned $6.00. Since UpRewards are not activated until the next day at 6am I will have to wait until tomorrow to use them. I noticed today that Rite Aid had the Olive Oil Relaxer I use on my hair for $6.99, so I plan to pair that with my $6.00 in UpRewards to get the relaxer for $.99 (plus tax of course).


Thursday, July 31, 2014

CVS Necessities for under $10

So I found myself needing a few items this week and I wanted to ensure I got them for as little as possible. Khloe's daycare asked me to send her in some sunscreen and when I sent in the Banana Boat Kids spray on kind they told me they weren't able to use any sunscreen in spray form  (UGH). So I was a little annoyed as sunscreen is on the more expensive side and there were several sunscreen deals at various stores these last few weeks that are now over. I checked the sales and deals at my two favorite stores, CVS & Rite Aid, and found I could get the best bang for my buck at CVS. I saw that I would be able to get the Oral-B Cross Action toothbrush refills for my husbands electronic toothbrush for FREE AND I saw that Pampers were on sale  AND that I could stack a Pampers coupon with a CVS coupon!!! Overall, I was able to get two toothbrush refills, a pack of Pampers Cruisers, a pack of Pampers baby wipes, and Neutrogena Wet Kids Sunscreen stick for $7.57 (retail value $36.36). Below are my two transactions. Remember I am FAR from an extreme couponer as I only buy items I need and/or that my family will use in the near future. All of my blogs will show you realistic ways to save on items you  essentially use everyday :)


Transaction 1

Bought: 
1 Oral-B 2pak Cross Action toothbrush refill @ $5.99 (on sale, originally $9.99)

Used:    
1 $3.00/1 Oral B- Replacement Brush-heads PG 7/27
$3.00 ExtraBucks from last week

Earned:
$3.00 ExtraBucks
Free and $.01 Moneymaker

Transaction 2

Bought:
1 Pampers Cruiser @ 9.00 (on sale, originally $11.99)
1 Pampers Wipes 56 ct @ $2.99 (on sale, originally $3.69)
 1 Neutrogena Wet Kids Sunscreen stick @ $10.99

Used:    
$2 off $10 Baby Diapers, Wipes, $ Toiletries CVS coupon (printed from coupon machine)
$1 off $5 Facial Cleanser, Lotion, Acne Care CVS coupon (printed from coupon machine)
$1.50 off 1 pack of Pampers Cruisers
Buy 1 pack of Pampers Diapers and get 1 Pampers wipes (up to 72 ct) Free  PG 7/27
$1.00 off Neutrogena Product neutrogena.com
$3.00 Extra Bucks from Transaction 1
30% off CVS coupon  (excludes sale items so it only applied to the sunscreen)

Earned:
$2.00 off  Neutrogena Wet Kids Sunscreen lotion or stick Ibotta rebate


So I essentially got all of 4 of these items for $7.57 when their retail value is $36.66

Friday, July 18, 2014

What's the Hype with Ibotta?

Okay so if you haven't downloaded the Ibotta app you need to do it NOW. I'll explain what it is, how you use it, and why you need it in this post.


So you can find Ibotta in you app or iTunes store. It allows you to redeem rebates for items you purchase at various stores. For instance I went shopping at the commissary on Saturday and bread and a gallon of milk were two of the items I bought. I was able to redeem a $1.25 rebate for both of the items using Ibotta.
  • Find the store you shopped at.
  • Click the item you purchased.
  • Read a fact or watch a short ad to unlock the rebate.
  • Scan the bar code of the item.
  • Take a picture of your receipt.
  • Submit and wait for your rebate! (It will usually post in a few hours)
  • Once you reach $5 you can either transfer it to your PayPal account or redeem it for a gift card.

Since June I've earned $11.75 just from earning rebates on the items I already buy. Think this is something that will interest you? If so join my Ibotta team and earn team rebates in addition to the rebates you redeem! We can do this :)

Join my Ibotta team! It's a free app that pays you cash for buying your favorite products. http://ibotta.com/r/lrh67g


Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Freebies & a MoneyMaker at Rite Aid

I think I redeemed myself today after my disappointing Rite Aid trip on Sunday. I was able to get these 4 items pictured below for $3.68!!! THREE of the items were essentially FREE and 1 was actually a moneymaker!! My hubby will be happy with his new free razor :)

Rite Aid

Bought: (1) Crest ProHealth Mouth Wash @ $5.00 (sale price)
Used: $1 off Crest Mouthwash coupon P&G 7/6
Earned: $4.00 UpRewards
FREE!!!!

Bought: (1) Clear Scalp & Hair Shampoo (any type) @ $4.99 (sale price)
Used: $2.50 Clear & Scalp Hair Product RP 6/22
Used: $3.00 Clean & Scalp Hair Product Rite Aid coupon (adperks.com)
Earned: $2.00 UpReward
FREE and MoneyMaker!!!


Bought: (1) Schick Quattro Razor Refill @ $12.49
Used: $2.00 Schick Quattro Razor Refill SS 7/13


Bought: (1) Schick Quattro Razor @ $10.79
Used: (1) BOGO Free Schick Quattro Razor/Refill coupon SS 7/13
FREE!!!


Used: $6.00 UpReward (earned 7/13)
OOP: $9.68
Earned: $6.00 UpRewards

Retail Value: $33.86












Sunday, July 13, 2014

A little disappointed at Rite Aid

So  I went into Rite Aid with my purchase mapped out. The goal was to minimize my OOP and maximize the number of UpRewards I would earn. I did get distracted by the fact that Revlon products were 40% off AND I had $8 worth of coupons for them (these items were not a part of my initial plan).  I essentially got the 6 items below for $2.06; however,being the couponing newbie that I am things did NOT go as I originally planned. I will explain below......


Rite Aid

Bought: (2) Revlon Color-burst Lip Glosses @ $4.79 each (40% off)
Used:  (2) $2.00/1 Revlon Lip Product from coupons.com
and (1) $4.00/2 Revlon products (RiteAid adperks coupon)

Bought: (2) Crest 3D White toothpastes @ $3.75 each (sale price)
Used:  (1) $1.50/2 Crest toothpaste coupon P&G 7/6
Earned:  (2) $3.00 UpRewards


Bought: (2) Oral B 3D White toothbrushes @ $3.75 each (sales price)'
Used:   (1) $1.50/2 Oral B 3D White toothbrushes P&G 7/6

*I thought I would earn another (2) $3.00 UpRewards for the toothbrushes based on the Rite Aid weekly aid BUT the at the end of the transaction the cashier explained that the Crest and Oral B were a part of the same offer AND there was a limit of ONE per wellness card. Needless to say I did not earn the (2) $3.00 UpRewards for the toothbrushes :(

Used: $7.00 UpReward (from a purchase last week)
Total OOP: $8.06
UpRewards earned  $6.00

So I essentially got the 6 items for $2.06

Retail Value= $34.54

8 Cover Girl items under $5

So ladies we all have days where we go for the next to nothing make-up look. For me that consists of mascara and lip gloss. Thanks to CVS and Rite Aid, this weekend I scored a sweet deal on some essential Cover Girl products. I was able to get 2 Lash Blast Mascaras and 6 Wet Stick lip glosses for $4.35.



Here is the breakdown: 

Rite Aid 

Bought: 6 CG Wet Sticks @ $1.49 each  (75% clearance item)  
        1 Carmel candy @ $.29 (this item is a filer so I could use my UpReward) 

Used: (2) $4/2 CG Lip product qs P&G  7/6 
       $1 UpReward (I earned this in a deal last week)

Paid: $.83 (taxes) 



CVS 

Bought: 2 Cover Girl Length Lash Blast @ $4.50 (50% clearance item)

Used: (2) $3/1 Cover Girl Lash Blast qs PG  7/6 

Paid: $3.54 


Total OOP: $4.35 

Retail Value: $54.22

If you have trouble following the lingo check out my previous post on some basic couponing techniques. Also, if you have any specific questions about these transactions leave a comment below.

Couponing 101


So a few people have asked how I coupon and where did I go to get started. The very first site I stumbled across was thekrazycouponlady.com and it still is my #1 go to site. Take some time to check out the page. They do a great job of listing deals at various stores,  showing you the breakdown,  AND providing links to printable coupons. In this post I will provide you with a few tips and lingo that should be helpful in getting you on your way to couponing. 

  1. Chose one or two store to become familiar with. Sign up for their loyalty card and check out their weekly ads. I've become familiar with CVS and Target. I just recently began to explore Rite Aid. Keep in mind that in the beginning your out of pocket expense will be higher at stores since you are a couponing newbie. Once you get rolling and earning rewards you will be able to roll rewards into new deals to minimize your out of pocket expense and maybe even get some items for free :)
  2. Purchase a small according folder for your coupons (save the binder and pocket sheets for when you are an extreme couponer lol). NEVER leave home without your coupon folder! There are always great deals lurking in stores when you least expect it. 
  3. Sign up to have the Sunday paper delivered to you or purchase the paper every Sunday. The Washington Post had special that made the Sunday paper $.79  a week for a year. I took advantage of that. Also, harass friends and family members for their coupon inserts :) 
  4. Check out coupons.com weekly for items that you have use for. You can often print these coupons 2-3 times on one computer. Remember photocopying coupons is illegal.
  5. Use social media to your advantage. Search hashtags such as #couponing #cvs #riteaid #couponingcommunity to find deals that people across the nation have found.
  6. Become familiar with your favorite store's coupon policy. Most store allow you to use one store coupon and one manufacture coupon per item. Some stores even allow you to uses coupons on BOGO deals when one item is free. 
  7. When you are feeling comfortable explore coupon buying. Several people sell multiples of particular coupons for a small fee. The amount you will save using the coupons is often worth the small fee.  I've found these individuals on Instagram and they often use PayPal for payment. I haven't tried this BUT if I don't potty train my 16 month old in the next 2 month I'm going to stay buying diaper coupon sets.
  8. Even though you may be able to use coupons to get an item for free remember that you will still have to pay taxes on your total prior to coupons. I wasn't initially aware of the "prior" part. 8) Lastly, a little advice.....I watch the extreme coupon shows and although they really inspire me to coupon, I am a realist. This means I only buy things my family needs, I know I will NOT have time to collect 100 coupon inserts from each Sunday paper weekly, nor will I stay at the grocery store for 10 hours doing 50 separate transactions lol. My couponing hauls are often small and very realistic! 

Coupon Glossary

BOGO-Buy one get one

catalina- coupons printed on or with your receipt. These can be uses on future purchase and are often store specific. 

coupon stacking/stack- using both a manufacturer and store coupon together.

ECBs- Extra Care Bucks are earned at CVS and can be used like cash for future purchase. You may use ECBs printed on your receipt for a separate transaction. 

filer- a low price item used to reach a particular total in order to trigger a deal manufacturer coupon- issued from a manufacturer and can be used at any store.

moneymaker- items that end up giving you a store reward or money after coupons.

OOP- out of pocket (how much your actually pay after coupons and not including any earned rewards).

P&G- Proctor & Gamble insert from most Sunday papers. So if you see "P&G 7/6", that means the coupon was in the Proctor & Gamble insert in the Sunday paper from Jul 6th. 

qs- coupons

RP-Red Plum insert from most Sunday. So if you see "RP 6/15", that means the coupon was in the Red Plum insert in the Sunday paper from June 15th. 

SS- Smart Source insert from most Sunday papers. So if you see "SS 6/29", that means the coupon was in the Smart Source insert in the Sunday paper from June 29th. 

stockpile- a collection of surplus items you have as a result of couponing. 

store coupon- a coupon that can only be used at a specified store. 

UP Rewards- are coupon like rewards earned at Rite Aid. These cannot be used immediately,  as they are not activate until 6am the day after your transaction. You cannot use partial Up Rewards, this means your total must exceed the amount of the UpReward in order to redeem it.

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Teacher Appreciation Gift

So my daughter is 14 months old today and I've been struggling trying to figure out what to give her daycare staff for teacher appreciation week. I searched on Pinterest and found a cute idea utilizing Bath and Body Works' hand soap. Luckily, they were having a sale and their hand soap was 5 for $18 or 7 for $24. 



My daughter's hand is so tiny I didn't think it would look right like the gift I referenced in the link above, so I decided to put my own spin on it. For the record I would like to point out that my 14 month old daughter is a lot to handle. She has a rather feisty personality and has extreme stranger anxiety. With that said I came up with the following little note to attach to the hand soap :)


Bath and Body Works provided the cellophane bags and the pink ribbon when I purchased the soap. After putting everything together I put all the gifts in a basket with paper shreds at the bottom and now they are ready to take to daycare tomorrow. My daughter has about 8 staff members in her room daily, so I thought it would be better for each teacher to pick their gift out on their own rather than attaching names to them. 

Inexpensive, Cute, and Useful  

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Deep Clean and Organize the Refrigerator in 30 mins!

After dealing with my youngest daughter, husband, AND myself being sick the entire duration of my spring break, I was forced to get a weeks worth of cleaning done in two days. With that being said, cleaning/organizing my fridge was on the top of my to do list. Not only did I want to give it a deep clean, but I wanted to ensure it NEVER got as bad as it was again. Here is how I cleaned and organized my fridge in about 30 minutes!


What you will need:

  • 5-7 Mainstay Refrigerator Baskets from  (depending on the size of your fridge)
  • Glad Press and Seal Wrap
  • Ammonia (yup I went old school)
  • Water
  • Sponge/Dishcloth
  • Spray Bottle
  • Bathtub
  1. Fill your bathtub up with warm water, a cup of ammonia, and a few squirts of dish detergent. To save time go ahead and move to step 2, but make sure you check on your filling tub periodically.
  2. Okay now let's empty the fridge. I sat all my items on my kitchen table during this step. 
  3. Take out all removable parts of your fridge and place them in the water you ran in your tub. The only thing that I was not able to remove in my fridge was the bottom rack. I was however able to remove the glass portion that sits within the rack. Make sure that all parts of the fridge are submerged (or mostly submerged) in the water. Let these soak for about 15 minutes while you move on to step 4.
  4. Fill your spray bottle halfway with ammonia and the other half with water. Spray the inside of the fridge with this mixture and allow it to sit for about 5 minutes. While you wait go ahead and toss any items on your kitchen table that may be expired or items that you no longer use.
  5. Using a sponge or dishcloth go ahead and wipe down the inside of your fridge. The ammonia/water mixture really works wonders and everything wipes off with ease.
  6. Rinse (with warm water) and remove all items from the tub. You can chose to let these items air dry on a towel or to save time you could dry them with a paper towel. 
  7. Once all items are dried go ahead and reattached the fixtures used for condiments. You can also go ahead and put your condiments back at this point.
  8. Use the press and seal to cover the top of each shelving fixture prior to attaching it in your fridge. I ended up having to used two pieces of the wrap horizontally to cover each of my shelves. Using press and seal will prevent you from having to "deep clean" your fridge the next go round. Simply removed the press and seal, do a quick wipe down, and reapply more press and seal. If you look at the first picture on this blog you can barely see the press and seal as it blends in really well with the glass. Genius right? :)
  9. Lastly, I used a few Mainstay Refrigerator baskets from Walmart (pictured below) to organized my fridge. They were rather inexpensive at $2.97 a basket. I have a rather small fridge so I was only able use 5 of the baskets. For my family I chose to designate two baskets for each of my daughters. For my youngest her yogurts and fruits go into her basket. For my oldest daughter all of the stuff she packs for lunch goes into one basket. I used two baskets at the bottom of my fridge for fruits and veggies as we always have a TON of those in the fridge. The possibilities are really endless for this and you will end up doing what works best for you family.


Enjoy your extra clean and organized fridge :)

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Bow/Headband Holder

So my youngest daughter is 13 months and up until now I've used one of her smaller dresser drawers to store her headbands and bows. As you could imagine it eventually became rather difficult to find which bow/headband I was looking for at 5:45 am as I am trying to get her dressed and out the door. During many of my early morning Pinterest sessions I saw this super cute headband/bow holder and decided I would make one myself. Here is my finished product!


What you will need:

  • Picture frame (I used 8x10)
  • Ribbon of your choice
  • Screw hooks
  • Staple Gun
  • Hot Glue Gun
  • Embellishments of your choice
  • Sharpie

  1. If you chose a unfinished wood frame your first order of business would be to paint it and allow it to dry. I chose to stick with a white frame so that I wouldn't have to paint. I also thought it would make my colors pop a little more.
  2. Next you will need to cut strips of ribbon that are long enough to span from the top of your frame to the bottom. Since I used a 8x10 frame I only had room for 3 strips of ribbon. Of course if you use a bigger frame you will need more strips of ribbon. Once your ribbon strips are cut place them against your frame to ensure they are properly centered, then using a staple gun secure the ribbon strips tightly to the back of the frame. It is important to make sure you get the ribbon stripes as tight as possible so they will not sag once you began adding your bows.
  3. Now that we have a place to hold the bows it's time to make something to hold the headbands. This step requires a little man power, so ladies if I were you I would ask your husband (or a friendly man) to help with this part. Using a sharpie or pencil mark on the bottom of the frame where you would like each screw hook to go. Using a 8x10 frame I only had room for 5 so I aligned the middle one with the middle ribbon and then two on each side of it. Once you have made your makes your can start working them in. Happy screwing!!! lol
  4. Now that the hard work is out of the way you add any establishments. I decided to added two butterflies using hot glue.


So after completing this project I realized that my daughter had more bow/headbands that I thought. I may eventually end up making her a new holder using a 10x14 frame. Other than that I think it turned out cute :)

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Khloe Turns One!


So my daughter turned one this month and I enjoyed every second of planning and prepping for her party. Below are some of the details from her party. I pretty much made everything myself! 




Dessert bags I designed using Avery Labels online software and Avery Sticker labels.  I attached a piece of ribbon to the back of each bag with a small piece of clear tape. That way guest could easily tie it up once they chose their treats.

                           
Here is the cupcake image and brown chevron background I used to create the design of the stickers. I simply filled the designated circle with the chevron background and then added the cupcake on top. Lastly, I added the text "Khole's 1st Birthday".


This is a sign I displayed on the dessert bar table. I used the same design concept from the treat bags. I did however used Microsoft Office to design this. I set the dimensions of a shape to be the same as the actual picture frame. I filled that shape with the chevron background and then I inserted  a rounded rectangle shape on top of the background and set it to have a white fill. This is the shape that I typed my text in. Lastly, I inserted the cupcake clipart in the center above the text.

These are samples of a few of the treats that were on the dessert table. I made these about 2 weeks before the party to figure out how I wanted them to look and to make sure everything went smoothly (of course I made the one for the party the night before the actual party). From left to right: chocolate dipped marshmallow with pearls, chocolate dipped pretzel rod with sprinkles, chocolate dipped oreos with pink pearls, chocolate dipped rice krispy treat with sprinkles. I used pink Wilton chocolate melts as the chocolate and a variety of different sprinkles/pearls as toppings. I also used cake pop sticks for the marshmallows and rice krispy treats.


In this picture you will see that I made menu place cards for each food item, glass containers accented with ribbon to hold the plastic ware, and a banner to decorate the front of the food table.  The banner was created in Microsoft Word using the triangle
shape, chevron background, and a circle shape. Pink ribbon was secured to the back of each triangle using scotch tape. You could also hole punch to holes at the top corners of each triangle and run ribbon through the holes.

This was my first attempt at a dessert bar. I made everything on the table except for the cupcakes (got them from Sam's club), the bubble gum balls, mints, and rock candy. I purchased all the candy from Party city, they have a great selection of candy based on color. I did accent my cupcake stand by hot gluing pink tulle around the base. 2 small pink boxes were also wrapped in wrapping paper to give the rock candy container a little height. The containers holding the bubble gum and mints were decorated with various types of ribbon.


This poster was displayed over the dessert bar. If you are interested in making one check out my blog posted entitled Chalkboard Posters. I purchased a project board, covered it with pink fabric, and adhered the poster using double sided tape. The project board was then attached to the wall behind the dessert bar table using Command strips.