Mother's Day Picks (just one month left to prepare)

Mother's Day is exactly 30 days away.  Here are our picks for making Mom smile.  If you're smart enough to start early, we love these Mother's Pendants.....(they will take about a week to 10 days to be done)

Not the type to plan that far in advance? We also like a spa wrap with a spa gift card and a coupon for babysitting or cleaning, or whatever other motherly duties would prevent her from redeeming the spa gift card....

But, as we all know, it doesn't take a costly gesture to make mom smile, just a little something from the heart is as good as gold. We love these ideas from The Celebration Shoppe

 

 

 

Calling All Lilly Lovers!!!

OMG!!! How many of you Lilly Pulitzer lovers have old agendas lying around just because you can't bare to throw away such beauty??? Raise your hand.....yep.  I thought so.  Look at all of these ideas I've come across for repurposing all of those pages....All you need is an old agenda and a little Modge Podge

Coasters

 

 

 

Mirror

 

 

 

 

Bangles

Wall Letters

 

 

And here are a few recommendations from Lifeguard Press:

• Use the patterned monthly divider pages as unique scrap-booking paper or decoupage paper.
• Cut out and frame the monthly "Lillisms" (sayings, rhymes and quotes on each monthly page) for cute and clever artwork.
• Use the decorative pages as wrapping paper for small gifts.
• Cut or tear the patterned pages into a variety of geometric shapes and create a collage by gluing them to a piece of paper, then slip that into the exterior clear insert sleeve of a ring-binder to create a Lilly-patterned binder.
• Cut out dress-shapes from the patterned sheets (being sure to include tabs at the shoulders and around the waist) to create Lilly-patterned paper doll dresses.
• Cut the agenda's patterned sheets into squares and use as unique Lilly-patterned origami paper.
• Make rolled paper beads from the more colorful pages of the agenda and create unique jewelry, hair accessories, or even a beaded curtain.
• Glue or mod-podge your favorite patterns or pages to blank ceramic tiles and then coat them with polyurethane for DIY coasters.
• Using a variety of sizes of hole-punchers, punch out small circles or shapes to create Lilly Pulitzer confetti!
• Re-purpose your favorite pages into note cards or gift tags

Want more? I'll be pinning these ideas and more over on our Pinterest page! 
Follow along with us at http://pinterest.com/mmmonogramming/

Toiletry Roll - A Tutorial

I was headed out to Cali, and not that I NEEDED a toiletry caddy, (or that TSA would even allow my toiletries in anything other that a quart size plastic bag) but I saw some cute washcloths at TJ Maxx that matched nothing I had and they were just begging to be given a greater purpose. 8 washcloths for $7.99! Aren't they cute?   They're going to be even cuter when I turn them in to Toiletry Rolls!

First, I laid out the washcloth wrong side up

Then, placed my toothbrush so that the top was even with the top of the cloth, and then folded up from the bottom. It was about 4 inches.

Next, I folded 12 inches of ribbon in half and pinned it just inside the fold.  This will help tie it in to a roll when I'm done.

 I sewed the edge where I pinned the ribbon closed

For the first pocket I measured 3 inches in and sewed a vertical line across the folded area.

Then, 1 inch over from that I sewed another line.  This pocket is for the toothbrush.  Mine fit at both 1 inch and 1 1/4 inch width, but all toothbrushes are different, so you will want to measure with yours to ensure a snug fit.

 I continued to sew lines another 3 inches over, then 1 inch over, and one more at the other end of the washcloth.

What a great camp goody or slumber party favor! 

Frugal Friday, Mindful spending

We moved recently, and if you have moved you know how much purging goes on!  As I was wondering why in the world I had so much STUFF, I began to think about how we were spending our money and how we could spend less.  Now I don't know if I heard this particular term in reference to spending or if it just popped into my head, so apologies if I am stealing someone's term...but my new goal is MINDFUL SPENDING.  By that I mean thinking through my purchases and asking myself if I am really making the best choices before I actually spend my money.


One of the main places I am putting this to practice is at the grocery store.  How many times do you run to the grocery store to get one thing and walk out with 5 (or more)?  I do it all the time, or at least I did, and my pantry, freezer and fridge were packed.  The result, wasted food on occasion, but worse, the food sitting on your shelves cost money, so if it sits there for 6 or 8 months, you have effectively tied up your money on something you are not using!  Have you ever thought about it like that?  Me neither!


So how am I putting this into practice?


1. Take stock of what you have.  Try and plan each meal using 1 or more ingredients that you already have. Which leads us to....


2. Meal planning.  I know, you don't have time...but if someone paid you to plan meals, would you?  Of course!  


Here are a couple of things that help me:


A great free menu planner printable....here's a great one from Kamley Lane

Need a little inspiration?  Head over to Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie!


*Don't forget to pick up a copy of your store's sale flyer and plan around what's on sale.  There are some great websites that really help with this, too.  I am in Florida, so I Heart Publix is my favorite site for this.


Saving money is like paying yourself, so go plan!


3. Now that you have a menu, MAKE A LIST and STICK TO IT....this may take great self control and bribing of children, but trust me, it is worth it!


4. Track your spending...every receipt so you can see what you REALLY spend.  Do this over a period of weeks to track your progress.  I bet you will see some.  I have.


Bonus:  my pantry and fridge are so much more organized and I am not scrambling for dinner every night.


Mindful spending.  Let me know if you try it.  Maybe you have a hint to help me?  I would love to know!  Have a great weekend!

Oops, a little late on Frugal Friday!

Oh bummer, this week just got away from me.  Maybe this week we will have to call it "Savings Saturday"?!  lol!
This week, I have a great recipe to save you both time and money.  I originally found this recipe on What's Cookin Chicago.  I love this site.  She has great recipes, most of them pretty simple and very tasty.  This one sounded great, so I thought I would try it.  Unfortunately, when I started I found that I did not have the most essential ingredients, so I changed it and it was delicious!  It is definitely going to be a regular dish at my house!

Balsamic Glazed Chicken 
(adapted from What's Cookin Chicago)
6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1/2 c honey
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c soy sauce
1/2 c balsamic vinegar
2 cloves of garlic, presses
approx 2 T dehydrated onions
1 T fresh ginger
garlic salt to taste

Dump everything in a ziplock bag and squoosh around to mix.  Add chicken thighs and marinate a few hours or over night (this is a great Monday dish).  Cook at 450 for about 20 minutes (helpful hint, line your baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup, this gets really sticky once cooked) or until chicken is cooked through. Enjoy!





 

 
 

Frugal decorating, phase 2

Picking up where we left off last week, remember the junk finds?

Here are the finished versions:

Nightstand was SPRAY PAINTED,not really sure that was the best choice, but it was quick and easy! I found a fabulous tutorial on Oops! Redone, unfortunately I found it after I was finished, but if you are considering spray painting, give it a quick read, it will certainly be worth your while, not to mention all the other inspiration you may find hopping around Melanie's blog!
Oh,a not so frugal note on this one, the knobs are from Anthropologie, not so frugal, but they sell a similar knob at Hobby Lobby for a bit less.

Piece #2:

Not really sure what to call this one....not really a dresser or a chest...cubbies? I wonder what it was originally used for? It is perfect for corralling all the flotsam and jetsam of a preteen's room! This one was not spray painted, but just brush painted as I seem to have trouble getting into the more closed spaces with the spray paint and didn't want to risk messing up all those cubbies.

So, frugal preteen bedroom is done. We were able to repurpose bedding from several past bedrooms and order just a couple new pieces from PBT, some of which were on sale. In all, the new bedroom
Cost us less than $300,pretty frugal I would say! I am picking up the chairs I bought this weekend, pics to come next week!