I recently saw this DIY kiddie furniture project and totally fell in love. You won’t believe that a mama made this with reusable and recyclable materials – it looks like it came from some upscale mod boutique. Take a look:
This table and chair set was made by blogger Maya Luna and instructions are posted at her crafty cool blog, Maya Made. The set is made with easy and cheap items that can be reused again such as cardboard, a pizza pan, and fabric (think old scraps of fabric). You can make this for very little money and then recycle or …read more

Dry beans of all sorts are not only great for inexpensive meals but also good for all sorts of kid-time-fun. Karen’s post on Thrifty Use for Old Jeans got me thinking about jean bean bags. Jean bean bags can be quickly and easily made with old jeans and old beans.

Grab those beans that aren’t looking so hot anymore – the really hard, shriveled kind. Grab some old jeans that are beyond repair. Cut the jeans into small squares, or another shape and stitch them together (wrong side together). Leave a small opening. Stuff with beans and stitch closed. You can …read more

Michaels is having another free family ”The Knack” event from 10 am-1pm this Saturday, April 18.  Kids will create their own bunny or spring chick for some sunny spring fun.  One page I read said that this was for all ages and another said that it was for ages 5-12.  Honestly, this looks like a very easy craft, so it may be for the younger ones too. 
You can stop by The Knack website for free printables.  There are over 200 to choose from.  There are also loads of project ideas.  Click on the spring project idea list and you’ll have plenty …read more

Xerox has a great campaign going on right now that allows you to send a thank you card to a soldier at no cost to you.  Please stop by and send one from yourself and one from your kids too, if you want.  I filled one out for each member of our family.  They do so much and sacrifice more than we will ever know.  This is true regardless of whether we agree with the mission or not.

I am attempting to quilt these days.  Not very successful since I don’t have but a few minutes a day.  But I was so frustrated when my thread would break or tangle up.  Then a co-worker mentioned to me about Thread Heaven.  I am now in Heaven myself.  I love it.  It keeps my thread form breaking and tangling.  This saves me time by not having to untangle my thread and rethread it when it breaks and money by not having to throw away broken thread.  Just thought I would share this little tip for you if you are thrifty …read more

Hi. My name is Jenn, and I’m a scrapaholic. Yes, I have a room full of funky scissors, expensive paper, ribbons, leetle flowers and WAAAAY too many stickers. And I NEVER use them. But I scrap every day! Yes, I’ve gone digital.

I imagine over the years I’ve spend hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars on all that stuff gathering dust in my craft room – but I avoided using it because it was too much work to get it all out; I didn’t want to just have to clean it all up again in order to eat dinner, the kids …read more

Now that Mother’s Day is coming in a few days, I thought I would share a few thrifty ideas for Mother’s Day.

Karen has already talked about a great craft idea of painting something for mom’s.
A family portrait from Sears is very reasonable.  Just go to Sears Photo and find the coupons for free portraits.
There is usually a small indulgence that mom wants like a box of chocolates or a pair of shoes she would never buy for herself.
Babysitting is usually a great idea.  Surely you know a teenager that wants to earn a little extra money.  Offer to give mom …read more

I was amazed when I found this post on how the craftster made a wedding dress for $10 from the dollar store.  She totally impressed me.  The dress, although not the most beautiful dress I have seen, is very doable and she gives great ideas on how to make a wedding dress for under $20.  You could actually replace the shower curtain with fabric and still come under $20.  Anybody up for the challenge?
Thank you, The Creative Bride, for the tip and fun reading. I will be back.
Wish I could show you the dress, but I don’t want to step …read more

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner.  Since you’re here, you’re obviously looking to be a bit more frugal.  I’ve been surfing around and I’ve found 50 links to help you with Valentine’s Day.  All of these items are inexpensive and most of them are do-it-yourself.
Crafts

50 Nifty Valentines
Heart Collage
Conversation Heart Votive Candle Craft
Play Clay Hearts
Barrettes
Bracelets
Napkin Rings
Felt Fortune Cookies
Heart-Shaped Soap
Hanging Valentine Card
Photo Card
Message Pillows
Heart Wreath
Lavender Heart Card

Printables and Other Fun Stuff

A Kid’s Heart
Heart Pattern
Star Pattern
Connect the Dots
10+ Valentine Games
Bingo
Bookmarks
Printables from Jan Brett
PBS Valentine Printables
Nick Jr printable valentines
Nick Jr stickers, paper chain
Custom Coupons
Word Search
Maze
Jokes
Coloring Pages
e-cards
30 Romantic Movies

1st turkey – I know this one looks a little funny, but it was done by my daughter when she was only 16 months old.  We made our own patterns for this one.  We just drew the turkey body, cut out some feathers, and that little red gobbler thing under the turkey’s chin.  What is that thing called anyway?
Click to read more.