goldiloks

Goldiloks Top Beauty Picks: CORAL & ORANGE

noreply@blogger.com (goldiloks) — Sat, 28 May 2011 14:58:00 +0000

It's ALLLLLLLLLLL about Coral and Orange this spring summer. At least for Goldiloks it is. There's something just, spicy about these colors. Their so vivid, cheerful but sexy. You can contrast them with a fuschia, teal, or even black. EEeeeeeee!! I LOVE IT.

Here are my top picks for this Spring and Summer:

Blush:

1. KLEANCOLOR "Golden Poppy" $1

2. MAC Creme colour base "Virgin Isle" (no longer avail) $32

3. Hard Candy "Fox in a Box" $6

4. Jordana "20" $1.72

5. Benefit "Coralista" $28

But aren't some of those eyeshadows??? YES!!! and my top choice is a $1.00 eyeshadow!!

Why you should try eyeshadows as blushes: They are highly pigmented, and with the correct brush and light application, they can be BETTER than blushes!

The summer time brings out tans, which look great with bronzers, which look FAB with orange tinted cheeks. Don't think you can pull off a orange cheek? Go easy on it, and blend well. I PROMISE it will give you a natural, sun kissed glow versus your typical rosy blush.

Orange cheeks are all the rage this spring.. and if the sun kissed look isn't your style, try a coral or orange lip instead.

Lips!

These are my top picks for your kissables:

1. Revlon "Siren" $8

2. 2nd Love "Punky Girl" $1

3. Covergirl Lip Perfection"Temptress" $6

4. Revlon "Pink About It" $8

5. Maybelline " Coral Crush" $7

Isn't it funny how my top picks are either less than $2 or drugstore picks?

You'd be surprised at how many high dollar cosmetic items I give away from Sephora, dissapointed at the products I come home with.

I'm always looking for the next best product and you cant knock it until you try it!! So next time your in the local corner store, pick up a pretty shade of dollar lipstick.

And to top off your tangerine look, heres a few top nail polish picks.

Nails!

REVLON $5.49

1. Electric Pink

2. Siren

3. Minted

4. Craving Coral

These shades are too hot to not rock this season, hopefully you got a little inspiration to try the orange cheek, coral lip and minty nails!

I encourage you to try the eyeshadow as a blush, and go cheaper... You might surprise yourself.

Have a BEAUTIFUL Memorial Holiday weekend!!!

Tried these tips already? Post your beauty shots of orange cheeks and coral kisses on the Goldiloks Facebook page! I'd LOVE to see em!

Nothing turned into Something: DIY glass jars

noreply@blogger.com (goldiloks) — Fri, 27 May 2011 17:51:00 +0000

I always knew in my head that creating in a pretty, inspiring place was key to producing awesome work. However, our previous houses and circumstances didn't allow me to have complete freedom with my workspaces, so I as often making it work with a cluttered, full, unorganized and uninspiring table. It made it hard for me to really put the green light on, and my imagination never really flourished as much as it should have. That is, until now.

Now, each medium has its own home, has its place and has its own purpose. I love the feeling! It's kinda like when you clean out your closet and find all your favorite outfits- it feels like you have brand new clothes! Well, being a thrifty person, I knew I could get a high class result with a low class budget. Lol! So with 4 bucks, I went to the dollar store and picked up some glass tumblers and glasses. I grabbed some clearanced spray paint at Walmart (happened to be the 3 cutest colors! ;]) and headed home. Oh yea, and some $1 clothespins.

I simply sprayed the INSIDE of the glass jars, and coated the clothespins with the same paint. Let them dry, and Viola! Beautiful DIY painted glass jars to fill with whatever medium your working with.

I couldn't be happier with my glasses... with my new workspace in general! They were SO easy- and so cheap! a complete set for under $5! You can't beat that, especially when they can double as vases. ;D

I agree LoksLion!!

Got some glass laying around? Go spray paint it pretty!!!

Goldiloks new office preview ;]

noreply@blogger.com (goldiloks) — Sat, 21 May 2011 16:15:00 +0000

I wanted to give you guys a sneak preview of my office. It's about 80% done, most of it being my desk lol!

Some midnight painting, a little good luck, and some cute dessert topped pencils....

some floral boxes, lovely original Jenny Holiday artwork, some thread and a Goldiloks cupcake....

An apple a day, a Liberty of London tub, a vintage tea set (from Lovely Danger Jones) and some pink tins to fill goodies with.

Pretty happy with how my loft/workspace is working out, there's work to be done but thats with everything right?

How is your workspace decorated? what fills it? What's your craft? share down below ;D

Goldiloks FIRST Spring Beauty Giveaway!!!

noreply@blogger.com (goldiloks) — Thu, 19 May 2011 19:06:00 +0000

Yay! Officially, my first Giveaway! This ones for the ladies!

I'm finally settled and organized enough to put a beauty package together for one special lovely lady~!!

In this pretty little package, the winner will receive:

1. Physicians Formula Bronzer Booster

2. 2nd Love Lipstick in Electric Pink

3. Physicians Formula Multicolor blush pallete in Blushing Peach

4. Mark Shimmer CheekBlossom

5. Rimmel Extra Super Lash

All perfect products to give you that peachy, bronzy spring look ;]

Exciting right? We got some good stuff here, so hurry to enter, you might be that lucky lady!!

The Giveaway starts today (May 19th) and will run until June 2nd. Winner will be announced June 4th. PLEASE include your email address in your entry in case you are picked!

HOW TO ENTER

*You must be a Google Friend Connect follower of Goldiloks*

1. Leave a comment telling me “What is the one beauty product that you'd never leave the house without wearing?”

2. Become a fan on Facebook of Goldiloks

3. Be Goldiloks' Friend on Facebook

4. Follow @MsGoldiloks on Twitter

*EXTRA POINTS for doing the following:*

5. Blog, facebook, or tweet about this giveaway (make sure to include @MsGoldiloks in your tweet) and include the link (one entry each)

6. Link back to Goldiloks on your blog.

7. Comment on your favorite Goldiloks post so far.

(ALL entries will be checked !)

If you are interested in being featured or would like to be apart of any future Goldiloks Giveaways, please feel free to contact me!

oKAY ladies! Happy entering! Go and spread the word!

Slowly but surely...

noreply@blogger.com (goldiloks) — Thu, 19 May 2011 18:34:00 +0000

Loksbear is making his way into the world. And when he finally does, it'll be unforgettable.

Wait for it.

Are you ready?

Prototyping a Legend: Loksbear comes to life

noreply@blogger.com (goldiloks) — Wed, 18 May 2011 19:02:00 +0000

Yes! He's here! Loksbear has finally come to life. It's been a journey, let me tell you. Lots of research and preparation was put into the prototype of Loksbear. Overall, it's paid off and he's here at last!

Here, Loksbear was sketched, hand sculpted, sanded and baked.

If you aren't familiar with prototyping, it's the process of turning your sketch into a 3D figure buy sculpting, molding, and casting your character. Of course, you can send it to a 3D printer but who has that type of money? And, how much more special is it to create your own character from your own hands? To me, it was completely worth the time, effort, supplies and experience.

Loksbear was originally created as a character for many wheatpasting projects back in 2006. He has since grown to be my number one mascot, and sidekick in most things I create. I have a feeling you will be seeing much more of him very soon....

Here, He was embedded in a clay bed to rest a while, while I got the silicone ready to be poured.....

some registration marks were made, and a blanket of silicone rubber was laid on Loksbear while he slept.

Awakes Loksbear, and the mold is now complete. Both sides are cured and are ready to be sandwiched together to make Loksbear clones. In goes the resin, and out comes.......

Loksbear, and his two clones.

And his army is now complete. Mission: Loksbear and his minions will soon take over the woooorrlddd!

Spicy Coconut Chai & Biscuit donuts

noreply@blogger.com (goldiloks) — Tue, 17 May 2011 21:22:00 +0000

This morning I craved some old school biscuit donuts. You know, the ones you'd pop out of the cardboard tube and roll around in cinnamon sugar? Yea, THOSE. Except I dont have a donut maker anymore so I just popped em on a baking pan and hoped for the best. They turned out pretty close to the originals! Caramelized at the bottom from the sugar cooking on the pan- delicious.

I've been loving being able to go in the backyard to pick fresh flowers and lavender........

One new thing I discovered I'm IN LOVE WITH, is this mixed spice tea masala. I picked it up from a local grocery store that carries international goodies, this being amongst them. VERY simple recipe:

Spicy Coconut Masala Chai

Boil water. Add a tablespoon of spices. Let boil and simmer. Add So Delicious coconut milk, and Coconut creme' to taste. The more spices you add, the spicer it will be. I like my chai's VERY spicy so I add 2 Tbl. And there you have it, an AMAZING breakfast drink to pair with your sugar donuts.

Now for the Sugar Donuts. This is the simple part. Remember back when you were ten. Pop them out of their tube, poke a hole with your finger, roll in cinnamon sugar, and bake them on a baking sheet until golden. Simple Perfection.

Cold mornings with spicy chai and donuts... it doesnt get better than that!

Do you remember making donuts? Tell me about it ;]

Amiko sees her first spring

noreply@blogger.com (goldiloks) — Fri, 13 May 2011 18:39:00 +0000

Our house is big enough now that this little one can explore it on her hands and knees. She's moving herself around by rolling from one area to the next, it really is the cutest thing. After some time, she'll get a tad frustrated and will take a break before pursuing the next few feet.

She's a few days shy of seven months. Seven whole months!! Gah, time just flies.

She's finding out the few things that she loves, and the things she doesn't. So far, she's really taken a liking to the fresh lavender sprigs in the backyard. She grabs for them as I pick some for the pink vase that sits on my kitchen island, which lets me know she approves. ;]

Flowers blooming, bees bringing honey, fruit filled desserts and sunny beachy days are all the makings of Spring. But none of those things are as sweet as Amiko's first little experiences.

In other news, I will be hosting my first giveaway very soon! Spring affiliated! Are you ready or what?

Spin me up: Alternative yarn

noreply@blogger.com (goldiloks) — Thu, 12 May 2011 01:50:00 +0000

Something new I've become slightly obsessed with: yarn. Not just any yarn, but spinning things that aren't typically spun, like paper and plastic. It's resourceful, economical and addicting! Plastic bags became slightly "faddy" when people realized they could crochet it. Spinning "Plarn" is probably one of the funnest things I've done, once I got the hang of it. It can be spun thinly or as thick as you'd like. You can crochet or knit with it, or just leave it on the spool! I spun some newspaper, plastic shopping bags, and phone book. Yes, phone book. I love the pastel colors they spin into.

I even made the spindles, out of wooden circle discs, drilled a hole through them and stuck some wooden dowels in. The ends have a hook to catch the yarn. They cost about .15 cent to make and took about 10 minutes to whip together. Not bad if you ask me! The phone book is cut into strips, then the end is twisted tightly to start the yarn. Then it's simply spun on the drop spindle by rolling it off my thigh. If you aren't familiar with how a drop spindle is used, you can find lots of videos on Youtube.

The plarn is spun the same way, cut into strips an spun tightly by the drop spindle off my thigh. Funner to spin than the paper, but not as pretty in my opinion. Love it nonetheless, and I'm completely obsessed with spinning unusual mediums now. eeeee! what will be next???!

Tried spinning anything unusual? How did it turn out? Please share! Interested in how to spin your own paper yarn? or plarn? If there are enough comments, I may make a video tutorial for you guys!

a little bit of sugar...

noreply@blogger.com (goldiloks) — Fri, 06 May 2011 15:54:00 +0000

My mom really isn't a 'sweets' kinda lady. Never has been. I made her a batch of cookies anyway, just because I think anything sweet goes hand in hand with moms. If you knew my mom, or if you've only stole a quick glance at her, you'd know straight off the bat that she's always decked out from head to toe in the most fashionable, glamourous heels and jewelry. When I was 5, she'd play photographer and I'd be the "Glamour model", with all my fancy plastic pearls and barbies as 'paparazzi'. She'd make me pretty at her vanity, and we'd snap pictures and play music. {I think Paula Abdul} I remember from a young age, she'd do my fingernails a pale pink, to compliment her long, red ones. Often, I'd try to walk around in her spike suede high heels but she'd point me to my pink plastic Disney ones.

Good traditions never die down, I'm dying to put a tint of pink lipstick on my daughters lips. Those good ol' dress up days of powder puffs, panty hose, and poofs of mama's expensive perfume......

I can only hope that when Amiko gets my age, she will be able to recall all the mother-daughter moments of painting each others nails, trying on my clothes, and walking around in my too-big heels.

For now, I'll cherish the moments I do have with her, before her little coos turn into screams and tantrums (lol)

This batch of cookies was specially designed for my mama, as she is the ultimate diva, beautiful and ravishing with all of her jewels, matching clutch purses and heels. Oh, and fur coats.

xoxomama!

WHERE YA BEEN GOLDILOKS!??

noreply@blogger.com (goldiloks) — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 22:58:00 +0000

I bet you guys thought I fell off the face of the earth. Well, I kinda did. Ok, not really. More like got consumed by the wonderful but time-eating thing called Motherhood. I'm sure many of you can relate. It's been a very very busy month for us. We've moved from one city to another, made huge adjustments along the way, and Amiko is growing up so quickly! Already on her way to rolling around the house- literally. It really is a blessing, how far our family has come and I couldn't be happier with our new house. It's no where near finished but it's livable and workable so all else will come when its time. Just a sneak peak, but bare with me as I get settled into our new nest, and get into the groove of producing magic.

A little nook to read, sew, crochet or converse.......

And another space to lounge, eat and play on the floor. Or roll. ;]

I'm so excited to be able to decorate and design such a large space, filling it with colorful, whimsical knick knacks and gadgets. I can't wait until I finish my workspace, I'm sure you already know it will be filled with pink! (It just wouldn't be Goldiloks without it)

I'll be back soon enough with new recipes, diy projects and other goodies you can try. I promise!

Saving money is so addicting!

noreply@blogger.com (goldiloks) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 02:19:00 +0000

Fun FUN! As you can see, shopping for necessities can be as fun as shopping for yourself! I've always loved target and ever since I've started shopping with their Target coupons, I've loved it that much more.

See, Target offers their own coupons that can be printed from your house, and also allow them to be stacked with a manufacture coupon. This is cool because that means double the savings. This small trip would have been DIRT cheap/free without the cereal but overall, was still less than 5 bucks and they are all things my family needed. You can go here to print some good Target coupons ! ;]

I got:

2 boxes of frosted mini wheats: on sale for 2.50

I used: 1/1 coupons that made them 1.50 each

3 up & up floss : .89 each

=free with 1/1 coupon

3 up & up ibuprofen: .99 each

=free with 1/1 coupon

2 up & up pantiliners: .89 each

= .14 each with .75/1 coupon

2 up & up bleach with lavender: 1.34

= .34 with 1/1 coupon

(not pictured on receipt, I did a separate transaction)

total: 4.32 including tax!

Not bad considering I needed the items!

This haul was an exciting one.

I got all 16 Johnson & Johnson baby items here for 1.26 !!

This is probably one of my most exciting trips yet because all you moms out there know ONE bottle of this stuff is usually at LEAST 4.50! Well, last week, Rite Aid had a sale where you bought one at 2.99, you got 2.00 ups back. I had 1/1 coupons that made them free! Here's how it broke down: Usually, there is a group of ladies who will LITERALLY stand outside on Sunday morning when the sale starts and grab as much product as they can, clearing the shelves for other customers. I knew this would happen, so I what I did was go to the store, they issued me a rain check. This is the awesome part. Rainchecks are *theeee best* because they ensure you will get as much of the product that you need (within reason) at the sale price. So if you want to come back two weeks later, after the madness when the shelves are replenished, you can. And still get the sale price! Dope right? So the next week, (this week) I made my way to the store with my raincheck, and the way it works at Rite Aid is they will give you the price of the item AFTER the ups. Example: since the sale is already over, the baby wash will be .99 instead of 2.99 with a 2.00 up. Make sense? So my rain check read "johnson & johnson baby items @ .99 (after 2.00 up) When I picked up my bottles, I handed over my 1/1 coupons and BAM! all I paid was tax. Very exciting!

I tried to break this all down for you guys to understand but if their are any questions, please feel free to share your thoughts! I'll do my best to answer any questions ;]

ALSO! My girlfriend & fellow MSM, Lynora, introduced me to a new subscription service Mycouponhunter.com that I already gave a try. My coupons haven't came yet but I am SOOOOooOoO excited at the thought of my handpicked coupons coming already clipped and ready to be filed! WOOooOHOO! Man, that really is the icing on the cake! No more trying to find time to cut and slice the whole inserts. No more begging David to help stack them! I know he's excited too! I cant wait to update you all when they come ;] Stay tuned!

Becoming a MSM: finding and organizing your coupons

noreply@blogger.com (goldiloks) — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 15:50:00 +0000

So you want to become a MSM ? But now your trying to figure out where to start and hoping it wont be too complicated. It wont, I promise. The first step is to figure out what method you want to use to get your coupons. Here is a few different routes you could take:

Dumpster dive/recycling bins- completely free but takes a bit of time.

Asking friends or family- free, but not always reliable.

Buy them from the store or gas station- the most expensive way to go about it, the bulk of the cost goes to the paper itself, instead of the insert.

To make sure you get a certain amount of inserts a week guaranteed, here are a few options:

Whole coupon inserts

Wholecouponinserts.com - You pay about .40 an insert and you can get as many as you need.

(This is the method I use. I usually order about 10 each insert.)

collectablecoupons.com- a tad bit more expensive, but a nice alternative if WholeCoupon is sold out.

Clipped coupons

This is up to you. If you don't want an entire insert, and can only benefit from a specific coupon but want multiples of it, you can pay a clipping service and they will send you the coupons you need. Ever so often, I will need extra of one coupon if its a hot sale. Most of the time, i'd rather pay the same price for an entire insert. Its completely up to you. Here are some good places to get clipped coupons.

Thecouponclippers.com

www.couponsthingsbydede.com

Printables

you can print coupons but each computer will only let you print 2 of each.

some hot sites/support sites

Couponmom.com

Thekrazycouponlady.com

Totallytarget.com

Hotcouponworld.com

Afullcup.com

Now that you have some resources, now what? Well, you have to get organized!!

What's the best method for you? A binder? A file folder? I personally like the binder method. I like that I can see each coupon through clear acetate and they are all categorized by type of item. This makes it easier when I am shopping and see a great deal, I can just flip to the coupon in my binder because visually, I can remember having a coupon for it. Some people prefer filing each insert in file folders and only cutting when they need a specific coupon. But I did that, I'd store them away and forget what's in there, never using them! Which to me, defeats the whole purpose of couponing. Sure, the binder method takes a bit of time to initially start up, but its easy to maintain, and ensures that all of your important coupons will be seen and used. You can google up a bunch of results for how to start a file folder for coupons but since I use the binder method, I will explain it further. I will also get into stacking and cutting your coupons so hold tight!

Here is my binder. It's a zippered 3inch. Pretty little thing isn't it?

lol! So, this part is once again, completely up to you, but what I do, is organize each coupon by categories and subcategories. I have a 'Household' category and ' cleaning', 'laundry' and 'paper products' as subcategories. Or "Personal" as a category, and 'feminine', 'oral care', 'hair products', shower stuff' as subcategories. Get it? It makes it easier to store them. Each coupon stack is stuffed in each baseball card slot, and each page is a different category/sub. (If I need more than one page, thats fine) So when you flip to any page, the entire page should be filled with nothing but similar coupons. That way, when you get to the store and you see a deal for deodorant, you flip to the deodorant page and you see ALL of your deodorant coupons. This way you see all other deals and there might even be some unadvertised deals you wont miss out on now! If you stored all your coupons in a file folder, you could never do that!

Once you figure out how you want to set your binder up, here is KCL's printable pages to help you sort your pages.

You can find binders at Walmart, Target, and Staples or here. I found mine at Big Lots for about 8.99. It came with a strap but it broke ;[ *tear*

You can find baseball card holders here . you'll need at least 60 to start with.

Here are some 3 pocket pages too. (great for those really long coupons so you dont have to fold them and add bulk to your page)

Here are some 4 pocket pages that are good for the large square coupons you come across.

I use all three of these because there are so many different shapes and sizes of coupons, these make it easier to keep all of them flat and non bulky.

Now that your binder is set, you can get shoppin!

Heres my pink tackle box full of couponing stuff. I use it to store my cutting tools, ruler, post-it notes, stapler and extra inserts.

You dont have to have a box, but if you *want* one, you can find them here or here. ;D (yep, pink)

If the box isn't for you, you can store your coupon tools in any tupperware box or container. Having them in a spot when your ready to cut and organize is verrry handy. You'll see!

Tomorrow we'll talk about the rules of coupons and how to get them to work for you. Ready?

Become a MSM: how couponing can change EVERYTHING

noreply@blogger.com (goldiloks) — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 17:02:00 +0000

What's a MSM? Let me first start out by saying, this is going to THOROUGHLY change how you shop, how you spend money, and how you save money. Let me back up a bit. Back in January, I somehow ended up watching TLC's Extreme Couponing. At first I thought, "wow, these people are really crazy... why would you buy 100 tubes of toothpaste??" But then I quickly got intrigued by the idea of paying half or less than half of what I usually pay for items my family needs. One woman on the show was followed by a film crew, paying less than 4.00 for over 300.00 worth of groceries. At that point, I knew I had to get in on this game. As I always do when I am into a new subject, I hopped on the net and researched all the basics of couponing. A tad bit confused and overwhelmed, I found myself scratching my head at all of the math involved, along with the headache of having to clip millions of little coupons. Before I could give up all together, I found Joanie's site (she's actually on the Extreme Couponing show) The Krazy Coupon Lady site is my absolute favorite when it comes to knowing whats on sale or the hottest deals. It was perfect for me when I was just starting out and needed help on the many questions I had. It was the perfect inspiration I needed to start my binder, collect my coupons and start saving money!

Of course, like anything you take up, it takes a bit of time to get a hang of it. That's normal. But I PROMISE, once you learn the basics, and the rules, you WILL become addicted.

So whats a MSM? short for Money Savin' Mama, it simply means that. It's buying what's on sale and combining the sale with coupons to maximize your saving. But your scared of being THAT lady that holds up the line with 400 coupons? Your worried about what people will think when they see you use coupons? You think you'll feel like an old woman with your little stack of coupons falling out of your purse? Well what if you could get away with paying $40 instead of $240 at the register? Would you still care about what people thought then? I don't think so! You see, I've realized that with couponing, it brings a sense of excitement to shopping. I get such a rush when I see the numbers on the register drop with each coupon I present. There's no better feeling then when you start with a $78.47 balance and you end up paying $4.56 after coupons. Believe me, you'll have the person behind you AND the cashier amazed. So you wanna learn how to be a MSM? Read on.

Lets talk about the questions you might have. I'll get into the basics right after.

I'm new to this, and confused. In a nutshell, what is couponing all about and how does it work?

It's very simple. The ultimate goal is to get the item at its lowest possible price. To do that, you wait for the item to go on sale, then you match the sale with a coupon or two. For example, you have Febreeze on sale for 2.99 at Safeway. You have a $1.00 off one manufacture coupon and you ALSO have a Safeway $1.00 coupon. Do the math with me. 2.99 - 1.00 - 1.00 = .99 That's just an example of "stacking" coupons and thats what it's all about! And if you can get it dirt cheap, and it's something your family uses often, why not stock up? At .99, you can afford to buy 4 or 5 for the cost of ONE AT REGULAR PRICE! This is why you need multiple of the same coupon. Get it? it gets better.

How are you getting all of these coupons?

Every sunday, your newspaper will have two, sometimes three inserts. These are the coupons you will collect and save. One is RedPlum. One is Smart Source, and ever so often, you will get a P & G or General Mills insert. You can start collecting the inserts in a few different ways. You could go dumpster diving (a LOT of people just throw them away!) You could buy them from a clipping service or a whole insert service. You can buy them off ebay, you could buy them individually at any store, or you could ask for them from family members or neighbors. I've found the best way for me is to buy them from whole coupon inserts for a cheap price and often, I'll order 10 of each. This makes sure I will be able to cut, organize and file the coupons only once. (I'll explain later) You can also print coupons online but each computer will only let you print 2 of each.

I want 10 or more cheap/free items but I dont want to clip all those coupons ! Is there a easier and faster way around it?

Hell yea! You think us MSM's cut hundreds of coupons individually? uh, NO! different couponers have different methods of cutting and storing but what I like to do, is stack each page of the insert on top of eachother (10 of the same page for every page) And once I do that, the easy part comes. I simply staple each coupon through the stack. (so you'll have a neat little stack of 10 identical coupons and they wont be flying everywhere or get lost). Once they are stapled, I take a rotary cutter and slice away! no scissors, no cutting EACH coupon, no shuffling through millions of loose coupons. In the end, you have neat, individually stacked and stapled coupons ready to file or organize. I will be doing a video on this so stay tuned!

Okay, I think I get it. But what is "stacking"?

Stacking simply means to combine. For instance, most stores will allow you to stack a manufacture coupon with their store coupon. This is great because it means extra savings! Then when its on sale, BAM! THAT's the game of couponing. You get it?

What does it mean to stockpile? I'm never going to need all that stuff!

Well, the theory behind stockpiling is to buy enough of the item at rock bottom price, to last your family about 6 months to a year. Of course, you could always start with a much smaller number like a month or three, but if you can get it cheap or free, why wouldn't you get as many as you can? If you can't use it, there are plenty of people that can. You can donate them, or give extras to your family. It's a win-win, and you will see over time that stockpiling in this recession is probably the smartest thing you could do!

For example, lately there has been a 3/1 Gain laundry coupon that EVERYONE's raving about. Why? because at Walmart or Target, there are 80 count softener sheets for 3.26 each. If you use your 3/1 coupon on that item, the item is now only .26 each!! That's a stock up price for SURE! I bought 18 coupons, which allowed me to get 18 boxes of sheets, each box 80 count. Thats 1,440 dryer sheets for 4.68 total!!! Thats the less than the price of one and a half! NUTS! So instead of buying one or two boxes every month or so, I wont have to worry about buying them for a LOOoooonng time.

What do all the abbreviations mean that I see ? What does 2/1 & 1/1 mean?

2/1 means the coupon is $2.00 off 1 item. The 1/1 means the coupon is 1.00 off 1 item.

$ off/# of item

MQ= manufacture coupon

SQ= store coupon

RR= register rewards from Walgreens (use like a coupon)

UPs= up rewards from Rite Aid (use like cash)

ECB's= extra care bucks from CVS (use like cash)

Wag or WAG= Walgreens
OOP= Out of pocket
RP= Red Plum insert
SS= Smart Source insert
P&G= Proctor & Gamble insert
GM= General Mills insert
"rolling"= to take one reward you get from a purchase and using it on the next purchase

Are there questions you have that you dont see and would like to know? leave them in the comment section and they will be answered!

Not yet convinced? Here's a transaction I did today at Walgreens. The Gillette Proglide razors were on sale for 9.99 each, and you receive $4.00 RR when you buy one. I had a 5/1 and a 4/1 coupon which made the transaction look like this:

2 razors @ 9.99 = 19.98

- 5/1 coupon

- 4/1 coupon = - 9.00

19.98 - 9.00 = 10.98

- $10 RR

= .98 for both razors. (at regular price they are 12.99 EACH!)

I paid with a $10 RR I received from a previous transaction which dropped the total down to .98

(the receipt reflects the tax and the price of the 'filler'/ .39 caramel ..which will be explained later)

If thats not enough to motivate you, keep checking back for more of my couponing adventures ;D

I hope i've inspired you to become a Money Savin Mama! It only gets funner from here!

Linzerheart cookies

noreply@blogger.com (goldiloks) — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 16:09:00 +0000

Lovely, Lovely little melt in your mouth cookies... Inspired by Martha, these guys are super easy to whip up even though they look like they might have taken hours to make. (those are the best kind of treats)

A simple spice or almond cookie is made, cut, and filled with jam.Then its sprinkled with fine powdered sugar then sandwiched together to make a cute little jelly 'wich.

Make sure you save your little heart centers, they make cute additions to your plate. ;]

Now give them away or eat em! Dont leave them out cuz' there sure to be gone within minutes ;D

(David is my little mouse of the house, before I know it, the plate is empty ;] )

Get the recipe here

;]

pink chocolate petals

noreply@blogger.com (goldiloks) — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 17:25:00 +0000

I just can't let go of Valentines Day. It's one of my favorite holidays so I always try to stretch it. I'm one of those people that think Valentines day is more like Valentines month. So you'll see lots of pretty, pink, and heart filled stuff around here for a while. ;D

These little truffles are made the same way these were so if you'd like to try them, give that post a read.

Very simply, a mold was painted with chocolate, filled, and sealed. Then a dainty leaf was added. Too easy.

Inside, is a vanilla rum cake truffle mix.

Perfect for a brunch, a tea party, or to give as gifts. I love love love silicone molds!! It really is my new favorite thing. ;] Any questions? Ask down below ;D

Love letters, happy valentines day!

noreply@blogger.com (goldiloks) — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 17:39:00 +0000

Happy valentines day lovlies!! I think one of the most important parts of love Is how you express it. It could be something as simple as a post it notes, or a cute envelope stuffed in a lunch bag for your sweetheart. Sweet little nothings to show your affection will always be something your loved one appreciates. These envelopes are super easy to make, and inexpensive!!

There made simply from shelf liners. Yep! Shelf liners! They come In pretty patterns and colors and you get ALOT for about 1.00! The possibilities are endless with this stuff, ideas are currently brewing in my head on future projects ;)

Simply fold like you would any paper envelope, out of a nice sized rectangle and seal with a pretty emblem or sticker. Your sweetie is gonna love that simple letter, I promise.

pretty edibles? And easy to whip together?! Heck yea! Grab some oreos, and some flat sticks, some dipping chocolate and good to go! Let's get started.

Dip the stick in chocolate, take one half of oreo and center it on the stick, then take the other half and sandwich them together.

Next, dip the sandwich in chocolate and let them set, until hard. Then drizzle with pink chocolate.

There you go! Some cute little dipped Oreos you can give away and cost close to nothing!! Wrap them in clear goodie bags or arrange them In a box, you can't go wrong!

Pink bread?? Heck yes! This is fun if you have kids, and want to jazz up there lunches. You can make pink grilled cheese, pink pb&j, or pink Chicken salad sandwiches! Cut them out with a heart shaped cutter and they'll love it!! Try this simple recipe.

Try it! Pink bread Is always fun, even if it's for one day of the year ;)

Lastly, it's Cotati's birthday!!!!!

Happy valentines day everyone! Hope you try out a few of these goodies!

Pink Chocolate Diamond Truffles

noreply@blogger.com (goldiloks) — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 17:22:00 +0000

MMMmmmm. White chocolate. No, Pink chocolate diamonds.

Diamonds are a girls best friend... that is if they're pink ;]

They're truffles, stuffed with..... cake. ;D

Valentines day is around the corner and these pretty little truffles are perfect to give.. and SUPER easy to make. You'll be suprised, read ahead.

All you need is a silcone mold. This one is PERFECT. Now listen, this is one of my favorite-oldest tricks in the book-best kept secret thing so thank me later once you figure out out easy and addicting this is! First, buy the mold here. Then grab some chocolate here. Color it a slight pretty pink, then take a silicone paint brush , and paint the inside of the mold with a pretty good coat. Next, throw it in the freezer. You'll want them to set fast so after a few minutes, they should be hard. Take them out, and stuff them with a tiny bit of Cakie Bite mixture. Final step is to take our brush and paint a "Top" (or bottom ;]) to your diamonds. Take a mini spatula and smooth it out, make it flat. You want it to be able to sit flat as possible when they come out of the mold. Throw them back in the freezer, and in a few minutes, they should pop our fairly easily. They wont stick Be somewhat careful getting them out, the ridge of the mold must be pulled back to pop them out. You'll get 6 pretty little Pink Diamonds.

Makes you so proud to make something so pretty so simply right?

For packaging, I simply used a little wood box from Micheals (1.00) and put some pretty pink tissue paper inside. This is up to you. Keep them cold if possible, you don't want the chocolate to melt, and the cake taste best chilled.

What more could a girl ask for? All her favorite things wrapped into one... ;D

Please let me know if there is anything left unclear, or need help ;]

A walk on the wild side: more mini cakes

noreply@blogger.com (goldiloks) — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 20:56:00 +0000

MOOooOOOre?? HECK YES! I just don't think my sexy cheetah minicakes were complete without their twins, the sultry zebra babies. This time, a little more bold, laced with rainbow blush and glitter. (both edible) I probably would have painted the stripes a little thinner, had the dust and vodka been acting right. *sad face* But I like how they came out, art is always a learning lesson and you take the lessons as they come.

There they are, together at last. Like two peas in a pod... more like four peas. The Sultry Zebra mini's have a little more flare, with their metallic silver stripes in contrast with Sexy Cheetah's femme gold print.

I'll probably end up doing even more, but I promise I'll wait until after valentines day to showcase them. You guys are SO ready for the V-DAY goodies right?!?

Some more pretty sweets tomorrow.. Ones you can make & give pretty easily. ;]

I'm feelin a little fierce.

noreply@blogger.com (goldiloks) — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 20:37:00 +0000

I'm back! Back with pink .... mmmhmm.. and gold.. mmmhmm. CHEETAH PRINT. Yes. Three of my favorite things. These little mini cakes were inspired by this lovely lady's portfolio.

(source)

She's a makeup artist based out of New York, and I was awe struck with her soft but edgy femme cheetah look. I had to recreate this look in another art form: edible of course!

Wanna see more about these sexy little cakes? After the jump.

First, I had to figure out if I wanted to take the route of making mini cakes from a silicone mold, or making a sheet cake and cutting shapes from that. I opted for the silicone. Really easy to pop out and they all baked to perfect squares. Next, I needed to cover the tops with marzipan to ensure the fondant would cover evenly and neatly. I handmade my marzipan which is why it's so dark. Then, the covering. I used a slightly tinted pink fondant to cover my mini cakes.

To add a slight pink/shimmer I used a basic petal dust.. ooohhh how I love petal dust. I mixed a few different pinks to get this shade. Then threw in a touch of gold to add a bronzy effect. Kinda Malibu barbie in a sexy gold bikini huh?

Lastly, I handpainted tiny cheetah print on top of the bronzy pink.

I dig how they came out. I'll probably use this as a guide to make a larger scale cake, possibly 4 tiers or so. Handpainting is beginning to be one of my favorite things.. well this week at least. You'll most likely see more of it soon.

sexy bronze pink cheetah mini babies.

Love em, hate em? Leave a comment ;]

Goldiloks got lost in Loksland

noreply@blogger.com (goldiloks) — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 22:30:00 +0000

Well, sorta. More like lost in Amikoland. My little one is teething. I KNOW you mothers can relate *pouty cringe face*. Weeks like this I feel like my head is spinning so hard it may fall off. I've tried everything in the book, everything on the shelves for teething and not ONE THING seemed to work. Until this morning. I'll get to that in a minute. Orajel made her scream like a banshee. Frozen rings made her kick me in my chest. Frozen washcloths made her beet red with anger. She's too young to gnaw on frozen fruit from a teething net. Homeopathic liquid vials are the only thing so far thats been able to calm her down, until......... last night she FINALLY took a pacifier. And OH. MY. GOD. I could hardly sleep from excitement. She would NEVER take one before this, she'd spit it out and whine if I tried to bring it near her. It's providing her a little comfort and I couldn't be happier. I feel like I hit the jackpot. That being said, I can get back to creating! WOOOOHoOOooo! No more headaches, no more near-pulling-my-hair-out-from-the-roots-moments, I can work without feeling bad about her pain.
SoSOSOSOSOososoo happy.

Will be back this week with goodies and DIY

projects for Valentines day ;]

Quilted Hearts

noreply@blogger.com (goldiloks) — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 17:41:00 +0000

It's my favorite time of the year!!! February! Why? duh, because everything is candycoated pink with hearts! Oh, how giddy I get around this time. I though I'd start this month with some heart shaped cookies of course, with a pretty pink quilted pattern. They look intricate but don't let the patterns fool you. ;D

See, each piece is cut using a grid, and each square is stamped and embossed by tiny little stamps. The set comes in a pack, with a plastic grid and stamps. Its my favorite new thing!! A tad bit tedious, but once all of the "patches" are cut and stamped, the actual "quilting" part is fun!

Lots of planning involved. (not really) I just did what felt good, piecing each square where I wanted. I suppose I DID get a little tired of the preciseness of each square fitting just right. Lining them up and creating a realistic quilt was my struggle.There are rules to quilting, but I just did what felt right. And this is how they came out:

I'll definitely be doing more of these. I love how they came out. Especially after adding the tiny pearl dragees. ;D

Have you quilted with fondant? Do you quilt without it? I wanna know! ;D

Betsey Johnson Cupcakes

noreply@blogger.com (goldiloks) — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 06:00:00 +0000

More pink cupcakes!! What more can you ask for? Pink, roses, bows....all of my favorite things on one cupcake. Originally inspired by my Betsey Johnson pajamas, I needed to fulfill my love for pinks and florals. The rose print on my pj's was way too big for me to paint from so I used a Forever21 thermal with tiny roses printed on it for reference.

Remember these little cupcake stands? Your cupcake creations aren't complete without these... make em!

I REALLY love how these came out, despite wrestling with the fondant for a few minutes. The bows just wouldn't work with me. After going from a black and white striped giant saggy bow, to a white rose with black tips to finally, a tiny petite white bow. *sigh* Sometimes you gotta sacrifice your original game plan for fate.

I hand painted the roses, so so so sooo in love with hand painting fondant!

Rainbow Checkerboard Cookies- teaser

noreply@blogger.com (goldiloks) — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 21:35:00 +0000

One of my favorite kinds of cookies is the checkerboard cookie. I wanted to use my favorite pastel colors, wanted to use my favorite shortbread recipe... and it was a match made in heaven.

I used the recipe from The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Pastry Arts . OOOOMIGOD this book is a MUST for those of you who are wanna be or aspiring or actual pastry chefs, or just homebakers, this book is perfect for staple recipes.....

.. and yes, that's a rockstar..... late night baking sessions are common with me.

The dough is made, divided into how many colors I will be using, and then dyed that color. Refrigerated, and stacked.. then cut. ( I will be posting a tutorial on checkerboard cookies if I get enough comments!)

Pretty right? Want a full tutorial? Leave a comment, spread the word.. you just may get it!! ;D

Revelations of a New Mom: where does the time go.

noreply@blogger.com (goldiloks) — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 17:39:00 +0000

They told me at my baby shower "the best advice I can give you is when she sleeps, YOU sleep!"

Yea, I never knew how true that statement could be until one day I was falling asleep standing up, washing dishes. Amiko is only 3 months old, but has the energy of a 4 year old. Alert, wide eyed and attention demanding, I really struggle to balance her needs with my creative needs. Thank god I bought a Bebe' Pod, she can sit and watch me as I work- until she gets upset that all the attention isn't on her anymore. Yep, a true diva in the making.

Alot of my readers have asked me "How do you manage to produce all that stuff with a baby?!?" And I tell them..."I....dont know". I find myself going on autopilot...pacing around while Amiko is napping, trying to throw together recipes while paint is drying, or taking cupcakes out of the oven while crocheting or quilting pieces in between commercials. My mind, life, creative process is a huge, jumbled mess. Every time I have an extra minute, I try to piece projects together. I sometimes see myself as a cartoon woman with 8 octopus looking arms, balancing a baby, paint brush, and oven mitt in each hand.

Time just flies. Its important to cherish these moments, even as hectic as they can be... because my little muffin is growing up so fast.

Are some of you guys new moms too?? How do you manage to multitask? How do you balance needs? I'd love to hear! Leave a comment. ;]