Repurposed Tin to Earbud Case

Tags

craft, crafting, DIY, earbuds, headphones, iPod, mint tin, music, organization, repurpose, storage

We have multiple pairs of earbuds floating around our house. There are pairs stashed with our work computers, home computer, iPods, in nightstands, and misc. drawers. I know there are some adorable earbud cases on the market, but I can’t justify the frivolous purchase (but my cute owl contact cases on the other hand…). Due to holiday traveling, the pair I keep in my purse somehow got covered in melted chocolate, and I spent a few minutes untangling a spare pair. Time to relent and use an earbud case.

I decided an empty Altoids Smalls tin was the perfect protector for my earbuds, but I wanted my case to have a little more pizzazz. I had all the materials on hand so this craft was free!

DIY Earbud Case

First, I spray painted the case a shade of blue. After it dried, I traced and cut out two small pieces of fabric. I spread a coat of Mod Podge on the inside of the tin, pressed in the fabric, and topped it with another coat. Voilà!

Craft Supplies:
(in order of appearance)

small mint tin
spray paint
fabric or craft paper
pencil/pen
scissors
paint brush
Mod Podge

A few more tins, and all the pairs could be protected…

What would you create with a small mint tin?

XOXO,
Young Wifey

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A Year of Free Stuff

Tags

coupons, discounts, family, freebies, home, how to save money, money, saving, saving money, tips, top 8, value

2011, the year where Extreme Couponing had its own show. I don’t clip many coupons, since I don’t buy many prepackaged food items (except when pasta is on sale 10 for $10 and I have a lot of $1/1 coupons… yay, free pasta!) and I usually buy generic brands.  My extreme couponing takes on a slightly different meaning.

What's in your wallet?

This is my top 8 tips:

J.C. Penny had quite a year of deals for me!
In March their circulars had a one day sale with a $10 coupon off any purchase (including sale & clearance items) $10 or more… I grabbed a stack of circulars (the sale was ending in two hours) and went to town. I checked out merchandise 6 different times (I would’ve continued but I had an appointment to get to), making sure my purchases were no more than $12. I spent a total of $9 to purchase Hubster 3 new polo shirts, 3 sweaters for myself and a few candles for the home
In April they mailed a similar coupon, and I received two in the mail! I got Pumpkin two nice shirts, and only spent $1!
I got similar coupons throughout the year!!!

Victoria’s Secret loves to send out free panty coupons paired with a $10 off a bra purchase coupon. The trick is to get the free panty and not spend money on a new bra. The values for the free panties run $8.50 – $10.50. This year I scored more than one a month, totaling over… $150 of free undies! Once upon a time I used to spend too much money in this store, now they’re paying me back.

Fresh Step cat litter offers Paw Points for each purchase, which you save to earn items for your cat. Luckily, my grandmother saved her points for me (or it would’ve taken me 5 years) and I earned a pet drinking fountain, $25 value. Plus, I got a one-year free subscription to some of my fav’ magazines! Just for cutting out a piece of cardboard!

Bed Bath & Beyond has been my biggest source of free items this past year. I have a BB&B Mastercard when I earn gift cards (which don’t expire) to spend in their store. I used instead of my check card to pay for co-pays, groceries, gas, everyday items and paid it off every month (I firmly believe you shouldn’t carry a balance on a credit card or purchase items that you don’t already have the money to pay for). I earned on average $20-$30 or more a month to spend! When we moved into our apt, I received a 20% off entire purchase. When we moved into our house we received it again… They often send out coupons for 20% one item or a $5 off a $15 purchase and paired with my credit card rewards gift cards, you can’t go wrong!
I scored 6 parson dining chairs ($400 in-store price) for a grand total of $75, and that included shipping!
Oil rubbed bronze bathroom accessories: 2 waste baskets, 1 Q-tip holder, and 2 toothbrush holders I spend $4
2 free Copco mugs & 3 free lunch bags
Plus I have more rewards waiting to be spent!

CVS – Extra Bucks are fantastic and there are so many was to earn them… I was strolling through the store while waiting for a prescription to fill, and I saw a 20 oz. can of cashews of clearance for $6. I scan my card at the kiosk and saw that I have $6 Extra Bucks waiting for me. Over a pound of free cashews? You can’t beat that!
Pairing in-store sales with product coupons, I’ve scored many quality beauty items at almost no cost or even free!

Coupon Sites – There are tons of website advertising deals and coupon match ups for all different stores, Groupon, CouponMom, MamaCheaps, etc…  Find a few sites that you like and like them on FB, then you don’t need to keep checking the site, they’ll pop up when you’re on FB. I really like Thrifty Wifey (yes, the name did it for me). The site helped me get Hubster a fantastic shop vac that we desperately needed for 50% off!

RedBox or Block Buster Express – We canceled our Netflix this summer. When Hubster wants a movie, he doesn’t want to wait two days for it, so we’re lucky that our town has two RedBox kiosks and a Block Buster Express. A simple google search will give us free rental codes. You can only use the code once per credit/check card. So we swipe Hubster’s check card, then mine, then his credit card, then mine and then we retire the code once we’re out of cards to swipe. Then we google a new code, afterall 3-4 movies per week can really add up…

Weis Gas Rewards – Many grocery stores have different gas incentive programs. At our local grocery store, you get 10¢ off per gallon for every $50 you spend. You rack up your gas points for three months and then get to redeem them at a Sheetz gas station. Pus you get an additional 3¢ off per gallon when you use your Sheetz Rewards card. You can fill up your vehicle, up to 20 gallons. If your car doesn’t hold 20 gallons, you can fill up your second vehicle with the remaining gallons on the same day. This summer I saw a man fill up his SUV completely free, and I knew it was time to make Weis my main grocery store. Even if you’re extreme couponing you’ll add up some gas rewards to use.

Now if only I could use all these deals to pay off my college loans!

Happy New Year! May the New Year bring you love, happiness, good health and a little extra cash in your pocket!

What is your favorite money-saving store, site or tip?

Chandelier Earring Refashion

Tags

beads, chandelier earrings, craft, crystal beads, jewelry, jewelry crafts, jewelry making, postaday2011, repurpose, repurposing

It’s been half a month since my last blog post, that’s all of July! We had a houseful of visitors for the first week of July and then we had a few days to get back to work on our house. That didn’t last long, since the third day back I ended up in the ER with horrible chest pains and shortness of breathe! Hubster did a great job taking care of me. I have half a week left of all my meds and hopefully I’ll be feeling like myself again. I feel horrible when I’m not able to cook/bake, craft/create, blog and not do anything but sleep.

We had a cousin’s wedding to attend yesterday and I spent 10 mins making something for me. Without an ounce of energy left in me, I needed something to still make me feel beautiful. Earrings are always my solution…. even if I sat down through the entire reception (so not me!).

I bought a pair or earrings when Hubster and I started dating and quickly lost one. I held onto the mate hoping to find it hidden somewhere in my life. Eventually the time comes where you have to toss it or refashion it into a new pair. I love the new earrings I made, but I was hoping to find two more teal crystal beads, one for the top of each earring (the second bead under the hook).

Lovely But Lonely

The Happy New Couple

What do you think of my earring refashion?

Earth Day 2011

Tags

craft, Earth Day, garden, kitchen, postaday2011, recycle, reduce, repurposing, reuse, seasonal, Spring, upcycled

Spring. As the earth awakens and rejuvenates, mother nature reminds us of all the life teeming around us. What better season to celebrate Earth Day (that is, if you’re in the same hemisphere as me)?

Beside the obvious “plant a tree” or “pick up litter”, how do you honor our planet on Earth Day? Thankfully many people have already been making changes like switching to low-flow faucets or giving away old items on Freecycle. Last year, I shared a few ideas for green crafts (from reusable shopping bags to wine bottle torches) that were on my to-do list.. Yesterday Hubster and I took a long walk to enjoy the cool spring air, as I pondered what ideas to share this year… I decided to touch upon my three personalities, the outdoors woman/gardener, the crafter/clothing girl and the chef/homemaker…

Blue Butterfly Bliss

For the garden:
First of all, go organic, no pesticides or fertilizers, especially if it’s an edible garden. Do not make raised beds out of treated wood, the chemicals will leach out into the soil. If you don’t already own one, build a compost tumbler for quicker and easier compost. Create & attach a rain barrel to a downspout to help with water conservation. If you haven’t already, start your seedlings by nesting them in newspaper cups.

For clothing or scrap fabrics:
Preused or preloved clothing boutiques are becoming more popular. Many will resell your clothing, offering you a certain percentage towards store credit. Of course you could also donate it to Salvation Army, Purple Heart or another other charity shop.  Only donate clothing if it’s in good condition. If not, refashion it into something new, cut t-shirts into cleaning rags, or get creative and make something with your new fabric scraps. I like ow; softie, bean bags, dog chew toys, ruffle hedgehog softie… Possibilities are endless.

For the kitchen:
Reuse large mason jars to organize kitchen utensils and smaller ones to organize the dry pasta, rice, beans in the pantry. Use wine corks to make the trivet I mentioned in last year’s post. You can make recycled napkin rings out of scrap fabric, yarn, paper towel tubes and any embellishments you’d choose. Use old scraps of ribbon to weave placemats or sew scrap placemats. Or refashion a dress into an apron.

These are just as few ideas, but possibilities are endless. I hope you feel inspired in some way to go a little greener… Happy Earth Day everyone!

What is your favorite repurposing project?

Sugar Scrub Recipe

Tags

de-stress, de-tox, home beauty, homemade beauty, natural beauty, pampering, rejuvenation, relax, relaxation, sugar scrub

I love using a sugar scrub to exfoliate and moisturize my skin. Whip up a batch of your own at home to pamper your skin or to gift a batch to a loved one.

To Make
Mix 2/3 c. dark brown sugar, 1/2 c. almond oil (you can use vegetable oil), 10 drops vitamin E (I puncture and squeeze a vitamin E liquid capsule) or glycerin, any 10 drops of any other essential oil you might want to add .

To Use
Mix ingredients together before use. Rub the sugar scrub mixture in small circles on dry skin. Concentrate on tough areas, such as elbow and heals (careful, shower may get slippery). Rinse off completely when finished.

To Store
Store in small plastic or glass jars. This is the perfect use for recycling baby food jars. I used metal tins I had on hand, I just need to get my hands on some baby food jars.

Brown Sugar Body Scrub

*If you have raw brown sugar, use 1/3 c. brown sugar and 1/3 c. raw brown sugar.

*Limit use to 3 x’s per week (I use once a week in the winter and 3 x’s during the summer).

*Continue pampering yourself with a soothing salt soak or cold eye pillow.

Green Sandwich Box

Tags

food, food storage, frugal, Frugality, green, lunch, lunch storage, recycle, recycling, reduce, reducing, reuse, reusing

Hubster and I don’t pack sandwiches too often for lunch, I prefer to take leftovers from dinner. However, to eliminate our use of those plastic sandwich bags when we do (and to better protect our sandwiches), I made green sandwich boxes.

I removed the label from a 1 gallon plastic milk jug and washed throughly. With a few quick cuts, folds and an adhesive velcro dot, my sandwich box was complete.

Green Sandwich Box

Gifts from Belle

Tags

dog biscuit, dog bones, dog gifts, dog treats, dogs, frugal, Frugality, gifts, healthy dog, healthy pet, homemade dog biscuits, homemade dog bone, homemade dog treats, pet gifts, pets, recipes

My border collie Belle, really wanted to make gifts for her cousin and friends. So when I saw a cute set of bone shaped cookie cutters (which I scored for free with my craft store rewards coupon), I knew she would be able to fulfill her generous wish. We looked on-line through several recipes and decided to create our own recipe based off of common ingredients and what we had on hand.

Dog Bone Cookie Cutters

Ingredients:
2 c. flour, 1 c. cornmeal, 1/2 c. wheat germ, 2 Tbs. beef bouillon, 1/2 tsp. yeast, 1 Tbs. crushed mint, 1 Tbs. parsley, 1 egg, 1 Tbs. vegetable oil, 1 cup hot water

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300°F. Mix together hot water, bouillon and yeast, set aside. Mix together flour, cornmeal, wheat germ, mint and parsley. Stir in egg  and stock mixture to flour mixture. Allow dough to sit for 20 minutes. Roll dough out on a floured surface to about 1/4″ thick. Using cookie cutters, cut dough into bone shapes. Bake for 45 minutes. Turn off oven, leave biscuits in the oven with the door cracked open.

Homemade Dog Biscuits

My beautiful border collie, stayed in the kitchen enjoying the excitement of making gifts for others.

*I’m going to bag the treats and create little gift tags (ie: To: Marley      Love, Belle) for Belle’s buddies.

*I used three different bone sizes and didn’t need to vary the baking time.

*Next time I plan to brush on egg wash before baking, this will give biscuits a polished look.

*This recipe created about 70 dog biscuits, for a fraction of the cost at the store and I know there are no filled and preservatives going into my dog.