Keeping My Cents ¢¢¢

Teacher Appreciation - Day 5

2012-05-11T10:19:00.000-05:00

Thanks a Latte for All You Do - gift card holder.

It's day 5....the end. FINALLY. On the fifth day my daughter wanted me to include yet an another aide to the class that has no relevance to my daughter's learning or behavior except that my child loves her. So, on the last day we did 3 gifts. I found this here.

Teacher Appreciation - Day 4

2012-05-10T09:31:00.000-05:00

I Couldn't Have "Picked" a Better Teacher Topper for fresh strawberries.

Yesterday, we went and got fresh picked strawberries. We would have picked them ourselves but with the one year old crying constantly and us in flip flops it just wasn't going to work out. But for $3 a pint we got them just the same and in the cute green strawberry baskets. Eighteen 25 is where I picked up this nifty idea and while I LOVED what she put in hers I am trying to keep the gifts down to under $10 a day for both gifts. Remember, I included the teacher and the aide. So far we are under everyday. I didn't think of needing cellophane to wrap around the strawberries until after we were home. Thankfully, we had just been to Costco and were able to use some of the scrap cellophane that came off the eggs and Ziploc baggies. No cellophane would be necessary if you were helping your child take them in but I usually am not out of my PJ's when I drop my child off at school. I know....ludicrous to think I would need to be fully dressed by 8:30 in the morning. Ha. Ha.

Attach the adorable label to some wired red ribbon and tie it up with a cute bow and voila finished. I did edit the tag in Gimp to include my child's name on the back. I've been having her write on the back from and then her name....and it helps her with her handwriting but I do like the perfection of typed labels. I hope the teachers like them.

Teacher Appreciation - Day 3

2012-05-09T10:51:00.001-05:00

Thank you being a Great "Ade" for Our Class & Thank You for Quenching My Thirst for Knowledge Drink Toppers.

This is the easiest of all the Teacher Appreciation gifts I have done so far. These cups can be bought at Joann's for $3.00 each with a 50% off coupon. I bought mine last week and the sweetest little checker let me use the coupon twice. Sweet! You then need to print off this topper. Again, not designed by me....but, that is the theme this week since I am doing a gift everyday. I need simple and easy. I put a pack of lemonade in the teacher's aide cup so I can play up the word "ade". I would have put in more but that was all I had and I forgot to buy those last week.

Teacher Appreciation - Day 2

2012-05-08T09:23:00.000-05:00

For a Very Popular Teacher and Teacher's Aide Gift Certificate Holders.

This is what we did for day two of Teacher Appreciation Week. I used this bag topper that was created by this lovely lady. Again, no reinventing the wheel here. Just simple and cute. I then bought $5 Redbox giftcards and printed them off with prom codes on the back. Hey, $5 from Redbox goes a long way. Whoo Hoo!

Teacher Appreciation - Day 1

2012-05-07T09:01:00.000-05:00

I'm One Smart Cookie Thanks to You!

Today is day one of teacher appreciation week. Our first gift is chocolate chip cookies I found at Target for $2.50 a pack....and these are pretty big packs. These work out perfect because the little hole at the top (where they slide them on the peg to display) is the perfect spot for the ribbon and tag. I saw this idea here. Don't you love when you don't have to reinvent the wheel? Internet, I love you.

We do two of each gift because we have a teacher's aide also. I like to include her because when I was interning and it was Christmas or whatever holiday I sometimes was left out. One parent said it was because I wasn't the "real" teacher. Well little did they know I was doing EVERYTHING becuase I didn't have the greatest mentor. So for that reason I understand what it is like to not be the real teacher but be working just as hard.

Milk and Cookies Party

2012-05-01T13:15:00.000-05:00

Here are the invites.

Here's the invite. I made these using these graphics. I usually never buy graphics but instead of me spending hours and hours on the computer and still not getting what I wanted...I decided to buy. So glad I did.

As you walk in the door I set up the gift table with Cookie Letter "E" for Emmy. I always hate walking into a party and asking, "where do I put this?" Question solved.

I got the cookie letter "E" idea here.

Since we moved in I haven't found anything permanent to go over the mantle and instead of a blank wall staring at you I saw this here and thought it was perfect. All it required was this free program you download and printer paper. I took this photo of the birthday girl the day before the party. It was so simple I even printed it off the morning of the party and my Mom hung it up with some double sided tape. Easy peasy. And to add a little character I added a yarn wrapped E.

Here is the table setup. I bought this crate at Joann's and it was raw wood. I liked it that way because then I could stain it any color I wanted. So for less than $10 I had a customized vintage milk crate. I turned it upside down and plopped the cake on top to give some height to the table.

Faux milk bottles (Starbucks recycled frappucinno bottles). I posted a request online and a lady saved over 40 bottles plus one of my friends saved also. Free and easy. I just painted the top of the lids silver for the one's I put in the beverage tub. I didn't expect everyone to save so many.....thanks friends!

The cookies: we served animal cookies (the birthday girl's faves), snicker doodle, chocolate chip, no bake, and oreos.

I didn't really get a good head on picture of the table but I had tissue pom poms above the table on both sides.

Pink hydrangeas in a vintage milk glass. By the way you can find those at Joann's. Well at least at the bigger Joann's.

Chocolate "milk mustaches". Used later for photo props and of course to eat.

I mustache you a question,"do you like my party?"

Party guests goofing off.

12 Month banner and invitation I put on our cork board in the kitchen.

Here is the only picture that really shows off the birthday girl's outfit. Isn't it adorable? I love it. It has milk, cookies, #1, and her name. Can it get any cuter?

I found these Ms. One-derful sunglasses at a party store and thought they were cute. She actually kept them on for a few seconds at the store. But no such luck on her birthday.

The highchair setup.

Here is my attempt at a portrait style photo in our living room the day before the party. I used this for the tile picture above the mantle.

Guests were encouraged to take cookies home that were left over using these bags. I made the labels using the graphics I purchased and my Silhouette machine.

The official take home favors were oatmeal chocolate chip cookie mixes. I modified this recipe. I cut it down to 5 servings , which makes 1 dozen cookies. Perfect size for the recycled Starbucks frappacinno bottles. I omitted the nuts and the baking soda. Styled labels for the front and back of the bottles.

The back labels were the directions. The scaled down directions are: 1 T of egg, and 2 3/4 T butter. I tried it four times before perfecting it. Tough job, but someone had to do it.

These were the inspiration for the favor.

This party was a lot of work and as usual I couldn't have pulled it off without the help of family. Thanks family!

Cherry Blossoms ~ Centennial Year In Washington, DC

2012-03-23T17:29:00.000-05:00

Since we've moved I thought I would go and be a tourist in my own area and see all the sites. We'll it just so happens that this year is the centennial year for the cherry blossoms in Washington, DC. They were beautiful and definitely something to see. They reminded me of the azalea festival that happens in Oklahoma where people travel from near and far to see the pretty blooms.

Here's a snap shot of the blooms. Some were light pink, almost white and some where darker hues of pink.

Here's my baby copping a squat under the cherry trees.

It was really picturesque. There were all kinds of people there. We saw a hand full of painters enjoying the landscape....painting away.

Here was the beginning of the adventure. My husband asked, "Why are you taking our picture now?" Well, you see I know how our adventures can end up.

There were no more forward facing pictures after the baby picture because while we were distracted my five year old ate my red slushy/icy ice cream concoction and ended up red faced. Oh, well it was a fun day and a memory to keep.

Pinterest: Clearing Out Favorite Folders

2012-03-14T11:48:00.000-05:00

I L.O.V.E. Pinterest. I know, I know, I've said it before. But I really do. Today and for a couple more days I will be stuffing my already crowded Pinterest folders with more "ideas". Some I will do and am doing....believe it or not and some I will store away for "someday".

I've always been fearful that my computer will crash, because it has before and I would lose all my favorite bookmarks. Well no more because they are all being transfered to Pinterest......yah! Now, all I just need to figure out a good place to store all my photos.

Review: Mommy Hook

2012-02-24T11:55:00.000-06:00

I love when I find a gadget that actually makes life easier! I received this Mommy Hook to review and I am so glad that I did. I almost bought this a couple of weeks ago at Babies R Us and decided that I didn't need it. Boy, was I wrong. This is a must have. Don't get me wrong this isn't a Mommy gadget but an anyone gadget. I love it.

I hate making multiple trips out to the car to carry in all the groceries...well problem solved with the Mommy hook. They say a picture is worth a thousand words and it really is. Look at this picture of me carrying all those bags in at once.

I usually can only carry in a few at once because I'm afraid one will slip out and the whole bag will drop and everything will break. But not with this. The padded handle makes it easy to carry alot of weight on it and it allows you to have a firm grip. I now wonder what did I do before this. I only wish I had had it when I lived upstairs in an apartment because I REALLY hated making multiple trips up and down those stairs for the groceries. This hook is also designed to fit on any brand of stroller so you can attach bags while you are shopping or to your purse to make shopping easier. I always hate having to stuff things down in the bin below because it is so hard to get back out. I strongly recommend you go and buy one or more of these even if you don't have a stroller or baby. I think it is fantastic that it can function for more than just one reason. Love it!

The Mommy Hook is sold in over 20 countries. Click here to buy one for yourself.

2012-02-17T16:55:00.000-06:00

The first time I saw this was behind the scale at my OBGYN's office. Lovely, thanks.

Fruit Pizza

2012-02-17T15:18:00.000-06:00

I made this fruit pizza for the Super Bowl. It turned out pretty good or at least it turned out pretty:)

I found it on Pinterest from here. Big suprise, huh.

I think next time I will try the picture above of the mini version. They would be the same just smaller and easier for little hands to eat. Since, I did make this for the kids.

I also would alter the recipe a little. I would change the frosting to this recipe.

Rolo Pencil Valentines

2012-02-15T10:47:00.001-06:00

Here is what we decided to do for the teachers for Valentine's Day. I saw these on Pinterest here and I thought they would be easy enough....and they kind of were...just time consuming and the cardstock paper is kind of hard to work with especially when you are trying to get it tight around the rolos.

Right after I took this picture we put them in a bag for my daughter to take to school and low and behold before we could get out the door our dog, Ginger ate one whole pencil including the paper, kiss, string and all. She was feverishly working on the second one when we caught her. Needless to say she spent the rest of day OUTSIDE.

Gotta love a dog.

So only my daughter's most "favorite" teachers got one.

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Owl Valentine's

2012-02-15T10:26:00.001-06:00

I used this template from Smitten Blog Designs and tweaked it a little bit. I download it to my computer, then opened it up in Gimp (a free editing program, like Photoshop) enhanced the colors a little bit and erased the wording and redid it so it would look all after I typed in the names.

I also had my Silhouette do the cutting for me. I tried to do the slits where the pencil goes with my exacto knife but I like for it to look perfect and I just wasn't achieving that so, through the machine they went.

Then we finished it off with a pencil. It would have looked cuter with a Valentine's Day decorated pencil but me being the procrastinator I am we had to settle for the regular'O yellow #2 pencils.

These turned out better than I expected and my daughter loved them as well as her friends...or so she said. What kid would rather a pencil over candy? But I thought this was a good alternative to the massive amount of candy that the kids would be be getting.

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Valentine Mailbox

2012-02-15T09:50:00.000-06:00

Here is what you need:
Scrapbook paper, mailbox (bought from Hobby Lobby $4.99...I think), ribbon, glue.

Cut to fit the shapes and glue it all on and there you have it a personalized Valentine holder for school.

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Free Pizza From PapaJohns

2012-02-12T10:15:00.001-06:00

Did you get your free pizza code from Papa Johns? You could have gotten one of this is you subscribed to PapaJohns rewards program which is free and makes it easier to order online. To be honest I tried to order online and couldn't figure out how to get my pizza to have thin crust so I gave up. But I did sign up for the rewards program when I heard that if the majority of the people voted for the right coin toss than they would give away a free large pizza and a 2-liter of Pepsi Max. Who doesn't like free food? I signed my husband up too since they said that it was per email address.

100th Day of School Shirt

2012-02-03T16:40:00.000-06:00

In Kindergarten it is a big deal for the 100th day of school. So of course we had to make a shirt to celebrate this glorious occasion. I would have showed you what I did but it is pretty self explanatory. I used this tutorial for the roses (which I thought were kind of too big) but Payton insisted that we put them on....she's fancy like that.

I printed the numbers out of my computer using Microsoft Word and then used them as my pattern. Yours might be different in size depending on the size of your child/shirt. I used scrap material, cut out my numbers and pinned them on the shirt. I SHOULD have used steam a seam and it would have been so much EASIER but I didn't have any and didn't want to go to the store. I bought this shirt at Target just for this project so all it had to last was for one day. If you want something more permanent then you should definitely should use the steam a seam.

Overall I was happy with the shabby chic look it had and Payton was happy too. Happy 100th day of school. I'm so proud of my "big" girl.

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HOT Michaels $5 Purchase Coupon

2012-02-03T15:32:00.001-06:00

Click here to print $5 off $5 purchase. This should make some inexpensive Valentine gifts.

HOT High Value $1.25/1 Any Alexia Product Coupon = Only 84¢ at Target

2012-02-03T15:30:00.000-06:00

Go to Coupons.com and use zip code 33712 (if needed) to print a high value $1.25/1 ANY Alexia item coupon! Plus, you can use this coupon to score a really good deal at Target… Alexia Frozen Sweet Potato Fries, Potato Puffs or Onion Rings $3.09 (Price Cut thru 2/11)

Use the $1/1 Alexia Frozen Potatoes or Onion Rings Target store coupon found here
Plus, use the $1.25/1 coupon found here
Final cost as low as 84¢

DIY Door Muff.....To Keep Babies Sleeping

2012-01-31T09:52:00.000-06:00

Ok, so I am officially obsessed with Pinterest. I saw this door muff (material you attach over door latch to shut door so it won't make noise while you open/shut it) on Pinterest and thought....maybe I could make one.

I will do ANYTHING to keep my baby sleeping! We are in a new house and when I shut the door even when I hold in the handle and release it REALLY slowly the paint from the door shutting pops. Or at least that's all I can come up with that it is.

Here is how I made mine.

Get your supplies. I used some scrap fabric, felt, and ribbon.

(2) 6 in x 5 in fabric of your choice (this is my floral fabric)

(3) 3 1/2 x 5 inches of felt (use light colored felt if you are using light fabric so it won't show through) You can see I only had a enough for one of the pieces to be the lightest color and had to use beige for the rest but it doesn't matter because it doesn't show through the floral fabric.

(4) 17 inches of ribbon (this was too long but once you get it tied like you want then you can trim it. If it's too short you can't ADD fabric but you can always take it away.

Iron floral fabric around felt. Iron down raw edges of second piece of material for when you top stitch it later. I also clipped my corners.

Add your ribbon on both sides. You want to place the ribbon in the center on the longest sides.

Pin it all together.

Top stitch all the way around.

Now tie the ribbons to the front and back door handles on your nursery door with the padded 'muff' tight against the door's button/latch. Open and close the door as needed without turning the handles.

The padded 'muff' holds the door's button in and is thick enough to keep the door closed when needed.

Side note: If you look closely in my picture I have some black marks where the door closes. I would make sure and wipe that area so you don't get the same marks. Or you could wash it if that bothers you...which it does me.

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Pottery Barn Santa Clause Canvas Knockoff

2012-01-09T10:28:00.000-06:00

Well here is my first attempt to recreate a pin I did off of pinterest.

It is no way perfect but good enough for me. I kind of went off of these directions from a pin I pinned on pinterest. I am unfamiliar with the grid system she refers too but I guess it would work. I just winged it and didn't have as great of results as she did but again....good enough for me.

Materials: I used a large piece of wood I got from Lowe's and had them cut it down to a 48 x 48 square. I came up with this number based on the space I had to fill above my mantle. You could use anysize you wanted that is the beauty of it. I had originally wanted to use a canvas this size but Michael's didn't carry that size and Hobby Lobby was too far. I think that the canvas would be an excellent option.

Next, was a pint of mistint paint at Lowe's used to paint the board a solid color.

Finally, I used a pencil to sketch the outline and a 3 oil based sharpie to color it in.

So for under $30 dollars I had a custom piece of art work to put over my mantle instead of the $299 price tag from Pottery Barn. (Which apparently was sold a few years ago and they didn't carry it this season even if I had wanted to fork over that much cash....which I wouldn't have.)

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Magazines.com = Free Magazines.....AGAIN!

2011-12-10T11:58:00.001-06:00

Magazines.com sends out gift codes randomly and this week they sent me an email with a $5 gift card which I combined with a sale and was able to get 12 issues of Parents magazines for FREE!.

Be sure and sign up for their emails and you can get free magazines too.

Magazines.com VIP Customer = Zappos.com $10 Gift Code

2011-07-07T13:35:00.000-05:00

You should always read your junk mail. I was sent this $10 gift code to Zappos.com for being a magazines.com customer. But what is funny about that is I've only gotten FREE magazines from them.

Here is what I got totally FREE, shipped to my door without spending a dime.

Magazines.com = Free Magazines

2011-06-02T17:11:00.000-05:00

I love free magazines!!! I have gotten free magazines before from magazines.com but I wanted to share with you my latest freebie. This is the way I get these magazines for FREE.

1. They send me a $5 or $10 gift card in an email. It clearly will state on the subject that it is a gift card.
I don't always get to use these because the second part might not happen.

2. Wait till for a sale or a coupon code. This will need to happen while the gift card is still valid. You can combine a sale or a coupon code.

3. FREE MAGAZINES!!!

Arby’s: Free Grilled Chicken & Pecan Salad Sandwich with Pepsi purchase — new link

2011-05-19T11:32:00.000-05:00

There’s a new link for another free Market Fresh Grilled Chicken & Pecan Salad Sandwich with the purchase of a 22 oz. Pepsi. This coupon expires May 21, 2011.

$30 Credit to Shutterfly From Photoworks

2011-05-09T13:00:00.000-05:00

I loved, loved, loved Photoworks photobooks. By far they were the best quality of all the photobooks I have tried. The other company beside Photoworks I have tried was Picaboo. I did like them but the quality of printed photos was alot better from Photoworks.

Well apparently Photoworks is now being combined with Shutterfly and I'm crossing my fingers that they are the same quality as the Photoworks photobooks were. I had an account with Photoworks because of the Free photobooks that were given away in 2009 from the Bonnie Hunt show. For your troubles Photoworks has sent an email to your account for you to transfer your photos now to Shutterfly and are giving you a $30 gift certificate to use at Shutterfly. Shutterfly is also promoting on their site free shipping on $30 or more code: SHIP30. Here is my order that I spent just $2.43. This transfer was supposed to be done by May 2nd but I called and they gave me a link to still be able to do the deal.

Keeping My Cents ¢¢¢

Teacher Appreciation - Day 5

Teacher Appreciation - Day 4

Teacher Appreciation - Day 3

Teacher Appreciation - Day 2

Teacher Appreciation - Day 1

Milk and Cookies Party

Cherry Blossoms ~ Centennial Year In Washington, DC

Pinterest: Clearing Out Favorite Folders

Review: Mommy Hook

Fruit Pizza

Rolo Pencil Valentines

Owl Valentine's

Valentine Mailbox

Free Pizza From PapaJohns

100th Day of School Shirt

*HOT* Michaels $5 Purchase Coupon

*HOT* High Value $1.25/1 Any Alexia Product Coupon = Only 84¢ at Target

DIY Door Muff.....To Keep Babies Sleeping

Pottery Barn Santa Clause Canvas Knockoff

Magazines.com = Free Magazines.....AGAIN!

Magazines.com VIP Customer = Zappos.com $10 Gift Code

Magazines.com = Free Magazines

Arby’s: Free Grilled Chicken & Pecan Salad Sandwich with Pepsi purchase — new link

$30 Credit to Shutterfly From Photoworks

HOT Michaels $5 Purchase Coupon

HOT High Value $1.25/1 Any Alexia Product Coupon = Only 84¢ at Target