Coffe Can Makeover!

It's simple. If you have an empty coffee can, simply remove the old label, and put contact paper around the container. Viola! You now have a new container! I recommend getting the coffee cans with clear lids, but any of them will work. I used my container for wasabi peas. Yum!

Jungle Themed Gift Tags

My son turns 2 in about two weeks. I'm trying to get some stuff together to give to his "friends" at the daycare, since I don't have the funds to have an all out birthday party. I found some really cute animal finger puppets for $3.50 (10 pieces) on eBay. Now, while I anxiously wait for those puppets, I am trying to find, or make, decorations and such for his "party". Since it will be at the daycare, I decided I would make goody bags with special tags. Not finding any tags that I liked, I decided to make my own. I included a link to the one pictured below, and one to a blank template where you can write in whatever you want. I also have the word document, if you want to be able to edit it. If you do, shoot me an email. :)







You can download the one pictured above HERE!
You can download the plain one HERE!

Menu...

Okay, I know that this isn't a craft, or anything, but, hey, for me it kinda was! Considering the fact that I created this document from scratch, that's considered a craft by me. :D







So, I created this because I've been having a hard time sticking to a menu with my son. I went and bought some laminate (a roll cost about $8 at the university, so I'm sure it's cheaper elsewhere), a plain clipboard, and a dry erase marker. I printed and "laminated" it, then put it on the clipboard. Now, I can put new info on the sheet each week, and not waste a huge amount of paper. If you want to edit my version, at all, please feel free to email me. I can send it to you via Dropbox. :)










All you have to do to download the menu is to CLICK HERE!

Pillow Gift Box--Made out of Toilet Paper Roll

The instructions for this one are pretty simple:
You take the empty toilet paper roll and push the sides in at the top. This does take a little practice, since you want it to close (I kept pushing it in too far up, and then too far down). Once you get all ends to close successfully, you can cover it with contact paper (I got the contact paper in the example from Michael's, on clearance for $0.20 a roll, but you can usually get it at the dollar store or Michael's for $2 a roll). Once I covered the roll, I folded the ends back in, and then cut out an egg with another pattern of contact paper, and colored the edges with a black sharpie (since both are green). There you have it. Works great and is actually quite sturdy. :D

Paper Lunch Bag Accessorized!!

I made some gift bags out of brown paper sacs. I'm sure they sell white ones, but I had brown ones. The first thing I did was get a paper sac, some contact paper, and I cut the contact paper into Easter designs. Simple enough. Then, I put them onto the paper lunch sacs. Here is the result:

I'm sorry, it's not a better picture. I scanned it into my computer.

Dying Eggs for EASTER!

I remember growing up, and not being able to afford those expensive egg dying kits. Even still, I’m too broke to afford those really cool ones that let you make eggs gold, or whatever. I can’t help but wonder, though, if I would buy them if I COULD afford them! I still grew up relatively poor, with LOTS of kids, so I am a thrifty person. Here are a few ideas of how to decorate your eggs for less… and it’s still REALLY fun!

1. Get a white crayon, have the kids color on the eggs, and then dip them in the egg dye. Wherever a crayon marked the egg, it stays white.
2. Instead of buying egg dye, use food coloring. You can even get different hues of the same color by adding less or more food coloring.
3. Use coffee mugs for the egg dye. That will make it so it can’t be too deep, and less area for the egg to drop.
4. Cover the table with an old newspaper. This will protect the tabletop, and, hopefully, absorb some of the moisture. If you live where it’s warm outside, just do it outside! That way, anything that spills will go in the grass.
5. Put the egg, with food coloring, into a Ziploc. This will be mess free eggs.
6. Ziplocs also work great for glittering the eggs. Drop in a Ziploc some glitter, then put the wet, dyed egg into the Ziploc. The glitter will naturally stick to the egg.
7. Use the empty egg cartons to store the dyed eggs. This idea also works great if you want to let them dry in the cartons, since they absorb moisture.
8. Paintbrushes are a great way to get the custom look without spending a bundle.
9. I, personally, like to get the cheap stamps from Michael’s crafts or Walmart, and stamp on the eggs directly. I usually dye the whole egg, and then stamp in a darker hue of the same color. Ex: Pink egg, with Red stamp. –I recently got the idea to glue foam stickers to the tops of bottle lids to make stamps. I will be trying it this year! (Website with idea is here.)
10. Stickers are generally pretty cheap, and they make a dyed egg look so NICE. Plus, kids of all ages can use a sticker. :D
11. Place several wet eggs into a dry bowl, then drip food coloring onto the eggs. I like to do this with multiple colors, and it has a really cool effect. You need to take out the eggs fairly quickly, or you will get gathering dye on all the bottom ones (a big ring or a solid, dark section. Not pretty!).
12. Tie rubber bands around the eggs, then drop them into the dye. The rubber bands usually keep that section of the egg white. As soon as the egg dries, take off the rubber bands. Viola!

I hope these ideas help you out. Please let me know how they work for you, and, if you can think of other suggestions, please shoot them my way!

Until next time,

--Danyelle

Dishcloth Bunnies--Great for EASTER!

I recently got asked for some cheap, and easy, crafts people can do with small children. Well, my mom has always made these... well, since I can remember. I tried to take as good of pictures as possible. If you make these, and take better ones, please send them to me so I can post them. I will credit you, of course! I don't have googly eyes or pom poms, but you would add them to this creation (or leave them off if you are making them for REALLY young children that may try to eat them).



Okay, first, you gather your supplies:

Washcloth

Ribbon

Egg

Scissors

Googly eyes and PomPoms (If you're going to add them).

Lay cloth diagonally, and roll from one corner to the next. Your wash cloth should look like this: 

Now, pinch corners together, to make your washcloth look like this:

Fold the top part back, until the corners are about 2/3 the way up. It should look like this:

Tie ribbon around area your fingers are holding it. It should look like this:

Now, you will want to move the stuff around a little bit, so that the face looks more even, and the ears are both facing the same direction. Then, it will look like this:

Put egg in back, and Viola! You are done!

*NOTE: If the egg doesn’t fit, you can gently pull the hole to be bigger. Being gentle is what it’s all about here, or else it will fall apart. *

Tiger's Eggs--For the PICKY eater!

Okay, here's the story behind this one. I first realized that when you baste an egg, it looks much prettier. Then, in highschool quite a few years back, I had a friend over. I was cooking breakfast, when she came in and started ordering me around in MY kitchen. Yeah, it irritated me, too! Anyways, one thing that was GOOD (the ONLY thing, actually) about her trying to run the cooking was that I learned the trick you are about to learn! The reason I say this recipe is GREAT for the picky eater is because my nephews REFUSED to eat the eggs that I made them. I'm not sure why, since they'd liked em like that for YEARS! Anyways, I remembered that irritating day in highschool, and I asked them how they'd like TIGER'S EGGS??? Know what they said? YES!!!! AWESOME!!!

Well, it's quite simple, actually!

What you will need:

• Good frying pan, with a FLAT bottom, not overly curved up edges (no woks or anything like that). 
• VERY small pan lid (I prefer glass because it allows you to see when the egg is done, though my mom prefers a metal one. It's all about preference, here.)
• Plastic cup most the way full of water
• Salt Shaker
• Egg(s)

 Instructions:
Heat stove to med/high heat, and place pan on burner. After pan is heated, crack egg into pan, sprinkle salt onto egg, pour water into pan NEXT to egg, and place lid over egg and water. Watch as the egg cooks, since I'm not sure how long it takes to cook them to YOUR specifications. It doesn't take that long, though. Then, when egg is cooked to your preference, put on plate and serve. Enjoy!

***NOTE***
If you want LOTS of "stripes", apply lots of salt, if you want very little "stripes", apply very little salt. Simple as that.


Pictures were as best as I could get. Hope you enjoy. :D

Okay... NOT a craft, but still a GREAT deal!

I know, I know... I said I would only post crafts that are cheap. But... it's for a good reason that I'm breaking my rule. I PROMISE!

Have kids? Have family? Have yourself? Now rephrased: Have kids, family, or yourself with bad vision? Although my rephrasing totally SUCKED, this deal doesn't:

Zenni Optical is having a buy two, get one free for glasses!!!!!! Now, the prescription eye glasses are already starting out at $6.95 a pair! Now you get one pair free for every two pairs you buy? SHOOT!!! Looks like I'm getting more glasses! Plus, if I read the terms and conditions correctly, any additions you get to the glasses are applied to the free ones (like polycarbonate lenses, or scratch resistance)!!!!!! Talk about a SWEET DEAL!!!

As ALWAYS, here are my tips:
1. Buy everyone's glasses TOGETHER! Shipping is only $5 PER ORDER!!!! So, that will already save you some money.
2. If you decide to tint your glasses, know that they are not DARK colors, but BRIGHT ones! I'm talking friggin neon blue, green, and amber is actually pretty much yellow. Now, gray in 80% is almost black. That is the color I ALWAYS get now. If you're all for neon colors, go for it! Otherwise, you can always just tint it a lower percentage. I thought higher meant darker, not brighter. :D
3. Make sure you have your Pupillary Distance (PD) BEFORE you go online. If you got a prescription, they measure that for you, and you PAID for it! You just need to ask for it! Otherwise, I will load a document that you can download, print, and cut out which measures your pd.
4. Go to the glasses store and try glasses on. When you find a pair you like, write down the numbers on the inside of the arm thingy or the bridge of the nose. This will give you the size of the lenses. The frames add a few centimeters. You can always ask the vision center associate how wide the frames are. What I also did was traced the shape of the glasses onto an index card. Sounds silly, but certain shapes just DON'T look good on me! :D
5. HURRY THE HECK UP!!! The deal ends in the beginning of March! If that date has already passed, still check out the website. It's totally worth it!

Here are some pictures of my favorite glasses, but, to start, the opening page at Zenni! 

 I think these ones are just SOOOO cute! :D

 I think I'll order these ones!

 I HAVE these ones, and they are AWESOME!!!!

Christmas Leftovers.....

Okay, so I know Christmas was a few months ago, but some stores are still trying to get rid of their Christmas stuff. Right? Okay, so here are some tips, suggestions, or alternative uses I have for you:

1. Ribbon-- Most of the ribbon doesn't look like it's Christmas ribbon, it's PACKAGE is just Christmas-ish. There are MANY uses for ribbon, a few of which are: Details in crochet/knit blankets, bookmarks & chokers (you can buy ribbon clamps off eBay), hair accessories, etc.
2. Artificial Snow Sheets-- I got bags of this stuff for only $0.50 each, and all it is is sheets of batting. I've been using it for quilts, pillows, etc. I spent HALF of what I'd spend on ONE bag of batting, except I got SIX bags! Talk about a deal!
3. Tubs-- You know, the plastic Rubbermaid storage tubs? Well, they have them color coded for seasons, so this really works after each season. I find that Christmas has the biggest clearance price, though, since red and green are so OBVIOUSLY Christmas!!!
4. Food-- Yeah, as surprising as this may be, there is ALWAYS food that is packaged in Christmas packaging for the season. The expiration date is usually MONTHS out (cereal and such), but it goes on clearance due to the out-dated packaging.This tip is ALSO great for any other holiday. Different holidays have different food items that go on clearance. Like, for example, Gingerbread, Eggnog, or Pumpkin coffee creamer during the Christmas season. Mine STILL isn't bad that I got after Christmas. Has another two weeks left on it! :D
5. Tupperware-- Yup, tupperware. Well, actually, probably not that BRAND, but leftover food storage containers. They overstock on these items, and, of course, a lot of them have Christmas designs on the packaging. Some of them are red and green, or gold and red. Who cares, though, right?
6. Material-- Okay, so the BEST holiday for cheap material always seems to be Halloween, but Christmas has some GREAT leftover material as well. I'm not sure why, but I always find that the panels go on clearance right after the holiday.

I'll leave my tips to that... for now! If you have any additions, let me know! :D

Cheap Trick!

I was shopping at a certain craft store, which I won't name, when I realized how EXPENSIVE craft supplies are! Granted, I used to think the prices were just fine. What changed? eBay is what changed my opinion. See, you can get the same products at a FRACTION of the cost. Seriously! Below are a few pictures of craft items I got off eBay, which are at least 5 TIMES as much at the craft stores in my area! I made some really nice bookmarks, and total cost amounted to about $0.50 each, and I gave them as gifts. No complaints, since everyone loves to read. At least in my family they do! :D

***Important Note: I will have the approximate price I paid for each piece. I posted links to the search pages for each of the items. I purchased in bulk, because I was able to then sell the leftovers and get my money back. A few additional tips for purchasing on eBay is to look at the cost of shipping, look at seller rating (VERY important), and if you don't get your item by three and a half weeks out, contact the seller. eBay has a 45 day time-frame where, if you don't start an "Item Not Received Case", you lose your money and may NEVER get your item. If the seller says something like, oh, I'm having issues with PayPal, still open a case no later than day 40 (happened to me, and I lost $32!) Online, in general, gets you better prices. You just have to be careful... and wait for the items!!! (From China, it's about 3 weeks to a month that you'll have to wait. Planning is key here!)***

Bookmark I made for approx $0.50 each. Dolphin bookmarks (search for this term, though I included the best deal I could find in the link), and the stones are Apatite (or something like that).

 Next picture is of a bracelet I made. Stones cost a little bit more, about $0.10 each (Wood Jasper), and the beads in between cost approx $0.01 each (Tibetan Silver Tube Spacer Beads, Tibetan Silver Bead Caps). The Memory Wire generally costs about $0.02 each loop.

The next picture is of some feathers I got off Eskay. It's a small company, but they shipped fairly quickly, and the feathers were in excellent shape! I paid approx $0.35 each feather, and they sell at the craft stores for about $8 for three.

Crescent Rolls--Accessorized!

I buy the cheapest container of crescent rolls, which here runs about $2.99 per pack of 8. Not too bad, considering this can be a multi-functional treat!

The ones I ATTEMPTED to take pictures of are lasagna-ish crescent rolls. They surprisingly turned out really well! I caution, though, to pay attention to the stars--they tell you what I found out as I was trying out this recipe.

What you will need:

1 pack of crescent rolls (or more)
Spaghetti Sauce (I like mine chunky, so I do a huge pot. That recipe will be coming on here next.)
Cottage Cheese (I used Fat Free. Also, it was on clearance--****Important clearance tip: Make sure you only get as much as you'll use, or else you aren't really saving money. You're wasting it.****)

Yes, that's all you really need. I turned the oven on to 350 degrees first, to preheat the oven. Then, I opened the crescent rolls. It's better if you roll them all out first, because as they warm up, they tend to stick together. Next, lay out a sheet of wax paper (won't stick to the rolls, and makes it easy to cleanup after). I did NOT do this step, as you'll see in the pictures. This helps cut costs lower, and helps the environment. But, do whichever you want. Now, you'll spread a thin layer of cottage cheese on the rolls (****Make sure you do a VERY thin layer, no curds should be on top of each-other. Otherwise, it will make the rolls too thick, and they won't bake in the center!!!). After the cottage cheese is on all the rolls, spread a thin layer of spaghetti sauce on top of the cottage cheese (****Same thing as the cottage cheese, keep layer as thin as possible, since it will not close and won't bake all the way through.****). That's it, relish if you want to, then line them about half an inch apart. My pan was fairly small, and I tested a few different types of crescent rolls, failed a few times, so I only had two in  my pan. That's okay. Fit however many you can. Bake for approximately 15 minutes, give or take a few minutes. Check on the rolls every few minutes AFTER 10 minutes has passed. Once the rolls are a dark golden color, they should be cooked all the way through, unless you made them too thick. Than you'll have to figure that out. :D (The ones that I made that were too thick were just popped into the microwave, though they weren't very pretty anymore.)

Some variations I tried:
Cheddar Cheese
Peanut Butter and Chocolate. (My FAVORITE!!!!)

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!

I'm having issues loading pictures. I will attempt again tomorrow... I hope. :D

Jell-O Whips

My mom used to have us make these, to make money in our neighborhood. We grew up fairly poor, and these were VERY cheap to make. I'm not entirely sure where she got the recipe from, but it's VERY simple, and yields about four cups worth of drink (more or less, depending on how thick you like it). Two things we learned about this drink: 1. You can alter the recipe to include ANY fruit, really, and it will still taste delicious. 2. You must drink it fairly fast, as it does tend to separate as it thaws.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 Box of diet Jell-o in Strawberry-Banana flavor  (Gellatin, whatever... we always get the sugar-free, cheap brand that's about $0.50 or less. Brand does NOT matter!)
1 Cup boiling water
1 Banana
1-2 Trays of Ice  (More ice equals thicker)

Equipment you will need:
Blender

In a blender, combine boiling water and Jell-O. Turn on lowest setting for about 5 seconds. Drop in banana, and turn onto the highest setting. As soon as banana is pureed, and there are no more big chunks, start dropping in ice cubes, one at a time. Don't put them in too fast, as it will cause the blender to freeze up (hehe... nice way to put it, eh?). If you already did this, simply put a little bit of water into the blender, turn it off, and then press pulse button a few times. This will loosen it up, again. Simply drop in ice until it is as thick as you want it to be.

Pour into cups, and enjoy! Trust me, DELICIOUS!!!!!

Welcome!

Welcome to my simple blog. I would like to bring crafts, fun crafts, to everyone! And, I know that crafts can get EXPENSIVE! That is where I come in. I am going to try teaching you some cool tips and pointers and projects that are great on a dime. Or free. Or SUPER SUPER SUPER SUPER cheap! Yes, you can make a craft with your children for THAT CHEAP!

This blog consists of me and my family, since we are all pretty thrifty, and we each have our own fortes. If I even spelled that last word right! Anyways, now you have read my welcome speech, thingy-bobber. I hope you enjoy our blog, and please feel free to leave comments or email us questions. If you have any suggestions, please email us as well!