Upcycling this Season

Part of our Thanksgiving week traditions are for 1) to have a scrumptious homemade meal of the works - turkey, gravy, stuffing, rice/mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, etc. etc. etc., 2) Black Friday shopping at midnight and 3) getting our Christmas tree and decorating the house Friday-Sunday. This year we mostly skipped tradition, but for good cause. We ended up hitting the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in NYC (though I still want to go again when the kids are a little bit older and will remember the day and actually get up on the parade route even if that means waiting around for 3+ hours). Then we did indeed go Black Friday shopping, but not at midnight seeing as the drive back home from New York took a lot out of us. But on Saturday morning I gathered the family and dragged them to a Christmas tree farm to pick out our tree and have it freshly cut even if it caused my hubby to miss almost the entire first half of a very important football game he really, really, really wanted to watch!!! Nonetheless, the tree is up and decorated.

We had to trim a few branches from the bottom of the tree in order for it to sit nicely in our stand. And since I like the smell of fresh Christmas tree, I decided to make some cute decorative branches with them. It was a great way to use up the excess and I've listed a few of the extras on Facebook for sale. :) Alright, I guess I have to admit that my husband teases me for being a "hippy" and a tree hugger because I like to recycle and reuse good stuff. Haha. Whatever...let's save the planet one branch at a time. Check them out. They are super easy and cute.



Simply bunch branches together, rubberband them, attach ornaments with wire, twist tie, ribbon, etc. and complete with pretty bow and ribbon to hang.

From a quiet home (successfully got 3 kids in bed), to yours...whatever decibal it may be at. :)

All Aboard!

As you know, I put together a train themed birthday party for my son who just turned 2. He had a great time. It was intimate in our home with few family and friends - we had originally requested the neighborhood community center and were pretty upset to find another party going on there...oh overbooking. Anyway, just about everything I put together was handmade. Take a look at the fun, however please excuse the photos themselves. I was a bit distracted by the party that the pictures are really subpar. I was a bit scatter brained and couldn't figure out the lighting for the life of me!!

I ordered the invitations off of Etsy. I also made all of the snacks that were served including Pizza Bites, Apple Chips, Candied Popcorn, and Chips and Salsa for the adults. The snacks were labeled and served aboard a train constructed by the hubby and I from cardboard boxes and wrapping paper. The drinks consisted of bottled water (labeled Steam Water) and chocolate milk (labeled Fuel) - all labels were made by myself and were super easy...just print out the words in your favorite font, cut them out and glue to layers of scrap paper.

 

The décor was really simple as well. It consisted of balloons and railroad tracks (electrical tape) leading to the front door. A "Happy Birthday" sign that we reuse every celebration and more balloons.

Since my son is only 2 (even if most of his guests were over that age), the activities were pretty limited, but still maintained a decent flow throughout the party. I passed out favors at the beginning of the party including a conductor's hat, a wooden train whistle (both ordered off of Amazon) and Chuggington coloring pages with molded crayons I made. They had a great time snacking and blowing their whistles for the first half hour-ish. Luckily we were at home and had the availability of my kids' toys. They started playing with cars, trains, dinosaurs, books and more right here in the living room where parents could keep an eye on their kids. And all of them got along great! They were playing well together and sharing and talking and laughing. It was amazing. Another simple activity I had lined up was a Silly Photo Booth. You can buy prepackaged props from Wal-Mart - the one that I got was in the party section and included a plastic background and face props (mustaches, hats, lips, glasses, etc.) And before a lull could make its way into the party, I brought out a cardboard box my husband had transformed into a train with windows (luckily we had just received our new couch in this very large box) and the kids colored away on it. :)

 

The reoccurring theme of the party is that it was simple, but fun. Nothing too extravagant and beyond my means...we saved a lot of money by making things ourselves (we probably spent on the lower end of somewhere between $100-200). This was all for 6 children and 10 adults.

For my son's 2 year portraits, check out my photography blog at Happy Child Images. :)

If I don't get a chance to post before Thursday, Happy Turkey Day to you!!!

Fabulosity On A Dime

Hope everyone is having a great morning so far. My littlest lil' man and I are hanging out with one eye on the Today Show as we do every morning. Yesterday, I caught a segment talking about a new trend in shopping for baby clothes...borrowing or renting children's clothes. They estimate that we spend $13,000 a year on kids' supplies and this is one way to save a little bit of that. Our children grow out of their clothes so quickly that it seems we are constantly having to buy them new socks or new jeans or new shoes. Well, as I saw on TV yesterday morning, there are sites online that you can rent children's clothes from.

Borrow Baby Couture offers the opportunity to rent high end brand name clothes like Dior and Versace for children 9 months to 4 years for a small weekly fee. Shop online and the kiddie couture gets sent right to your door. Once returned, the company themselves have each item professionally cleaned so you don't have to worry about small accidents. Most items are special occasion items, but can also be outfitted for slightly less fancy moments. BBC was started by a couple who realized their son would never use the suit they purchased for a wedding a second time and figured there were other parents out there who could benefit from borrowing these one-time-use outfits for a fraction of the retail prices.

The segment also mentioned an online consignment website called Moxiejean.com. Here you can buy and sell gently used clothing for minimal cost. They offer clothes for Preemies up to 8 years old. Click here to get $10 off of $20 and share the site with your friends in order to save even more.

I had heard about consignment before, though I wasn't clear on the details of how it worked until I had my 2nd child 2 years ago and came across a couple of consignment stores in my area. You can find some really cute and unique items at these types of shops, but you can also find your everyday play clothes made by Carter's and other well known child clothing companies. The closest consignment boutique to me doesn't always have the types of clothes that appeal to me so I'm pretty excited to have found an online option as well.

I am not going to sugar coat it. I am a self-proclaimed "Brand Whore," but I am also a "Discount Diva." "Full price" is almost considered a swear word while the word "Sale" is kind of a turn on. Hahaha. I would prefer an item that is brand new that no other person has ever worn, but quite frankly kids are kids. They grow out of their clothes way too fast for me to keep buying brand new...especially now that we have 3 little youngins and I'm looking to close up my Mary Kay business by the end of the year. There is a new invention out there called a washing machine and laundry detergent, so I think I can manage a few not so brand new pieces without having a cow, but I will be picky about the things that I purchase from these types of stores. And besides, you can make a little money back on those clothes your child has outgrown to purchase bigger sizes they will need.

I might also point out that you can do a search on Facebook for sites that recycle children's clothes and toys, etc in your area. I know of several groups I am a member of on FB where I've bought gently used toys and sold gently used clothes to other local moms. It's like an online yard sale.

These are all great ways to save money and help save the planet. Don't forget that you can also donate your items to places like Goodwill and the Red Cross for those who have been affected by natural disasters. Hope you'll think about it. You can still be fabulous. Items may not be brand new but you can make them brand new to you!

Have a great day!

A Deal That's Hard To Resist

Alright...this is kind of too good not to share! For all you new momma's and expecting momma's or ladies who know expecting or new momma's or those who are looking for a gift for new or expecting momma's this is just for you!!! So, my daughter's school sends home the Scholastic Parent & Child magazine regularly and I came across the page that offers great new items for kids. I've seen it in several different issues of P&C as well as Parenting magazine. There is an offer listed for a FREE car seat canopy from carseatcanopy.com with offer code PC11. It is originally $49.95 for free, but you will be charged shipping of $12.90. I think it's still a pretty good deal. Shipping is kind of pricey, but I think of it more like the canopy itself costing $12.90 in the store. They have some great prints and you have to hurry and get yours because many are backordered for a couple weeks to a month. You want to get it before it starts snowing (if you're in an area that snows). It will be great for protecting baby from the rain as well. And once you place the order, check the confirmation page for codes to use for a free nursing cover and baby sling carrier. Get going! Now!! GO!!!

Enjoy!

All I want for Christmas

Gosh, time is just flying by. Here I thought I was ahead of the game with planning my son's birthday party and somehow it is coming up a week from today! I did my best to work make a majority of my decorations, menu, and other plans DIY to save a bit of dough. I will post more on that once the event actually happens. :)

Anyway, the reason I'm here tonight is because, as I said, time is just comin' and goin' without warning. The holidays are on its way and I don't want them to sneak up on me. So, we started doing some Christmas shopping today. However, this is not about the kids. This is about...well, me. There are tons of "What's Hot" toy lists going around, but what about big girl gifts? I'm not into those perfume sets (Calgon take me away?) or fruit cake. In fact, I'm usually pretty happy with something for my kids...but I find myself putting together a little something anyway.

When I'm asked what I want for Christmas every year, I never know what to say. Truly, Christmas time means family time and tradition and thankfulness and love and charity to me. That's my politically correct version of an answer. Haha. But seriously, Christmas is about the kids. And I absolutely love the feeling of picking out a special gift that the recipient truly loves. I put so much into picking the right gift for each person that is special to me. So when I'm put on the spot, I'm never prepared. But I'm only human and there are material objects that exist that my heart desires. Here is the Christmas list I've come up with.

• A food processor These things intrigue me and I would love to try some recipes out...for example some yummy salsa!!! This one is small and reasonably priced for a newbie to the appliance with decent reviews and the best part, it's pink!!! I'll be looking for some great Black Friday deals on this one. :)

• Conair Jumbo Ion Shine Instant Heat Soft Hair Setter I've read some pretty decent reviews on various websites for this basic set for a beginner like me. Who doesn't want Victoria's Secret waves while I'm getting myself ready without standing in front of the mirror for half an hour with a curling iron. But I may need more than one set for the amount of hair I have and I may have to do it at night. I'm really not a morning person :p

• A Nikon 1 J1 Digital Camera I am a new portrait photographer trying to start a business and a self proclaimed Mommarazzi. I have one of those big DSLR cameras that I take everywhere with me! However, I would absolutely love to be able to carry a camera around that takes great quality pictures, but is not so bulky and a huge PITA! I think this one would be a great supplement for every day pictures with my family on outings and at events where the moments are important to me, but they don't have to be professional grade shots. Besides, it just looks sexy!!!

• A piece of plexiglass I would like a nice sized piece of thin plexiglass for taking studio portraits. It just gives pictures a sleek, nice touch. My hubby knows where to find this...Home Depot.
• A massage Being a mom takes a toll on your entire being. The relaxation, the pampering, the quiet time is essential to rejuvenating ones self. You must take care of yourself in order to better take care of others. It's OK to be a little selfish once in a while. So go ahead and enjoy.

Based on this list, it seems as though I'm looking to try new things. I didn't even realize it until I put things down on paper...well a virtual piece of paper I guess. Haha.

I don't expect gifts. I really don't. But if I happen to be on your list this year,  I hope you know I truly appreciate your thinking of me.  I hope, if anything, this list at least helps my husband. :) Though I love it even more when he is creative and puts thought into picking the right gift and surprising me. I love you, honey!

Hope you get all you ask for under your tree this year!

XOXO,

Tricks for Treats

Well, I hope everyone had a happy and safe Halloween. We had a nice time with our three little munchkins despite possible cancellation. Many towns and cities in our state have cancelled or postponed Halloween as a result of Hurricane Sandy, but luckily our particular neighborhood felt very little effects...however, if you drove 20 minutes in either direction, you could come about many downed trees and debris that washed ashore from the high ocean surges and some homes with damage along the shore. We lucked out, thankfully, and Halloween went on. One of my children still hasn't been back to school, but all 3 participated in events at the preschool my son attends. We also went to a trunk-or-treat at the community center and did some door-to-door trick-or-treating nearby. This year, I opted for a few DIY projects instead of spending a butt load of money on costumes and treats. And I was rather pleased with the effort and savings.

Since my son still had school (and I'm still planning on sending treats with my daughter once she goes back to school), I decided to put together little treat bags for the children and their classmates. I bought two of those large tubs of cheese balls.They are light and tasty and it's a little different from your typical candy treats. I already had little clear baggies and made my own labels on Photoshop Elements that I just printed out here at home. The end result was 40 bags of Pumpkin Poop. Total cost just over $10.

Kind of at the last minute, I also decided to search for a costume for the baby. I wasn't sure I wanted to spend too much money on it seeing as he can't even go trick-or-treating or was even really seen by anyone since he slept in his stroller as we walked around, but it is his very first Halloween and I just felt guilty about not doing a little something. I searched online for costumes on sale at the last minute and decided to search for DIY options as well. I came across the cutest thing I had ever seen - a sushi! Luckily I had a white onesie that barely even fits the poor kid anymore and an orange one that definitely doesn't fit him anymore. I found a stencil for a shrimp from Martha Stewart and instead of just doing a 1-dimensional felt shrimp, I sewed together 2 pieces of the template and stuffed it with some pillow fluff I already had making a super cute 3D version from the old orange outfit. My husband also had some black Gorilla Tape lying around so he helped me make a "belt" out of it to act as the nori. I also had some green felt from previous projects that I cut up to look like the green plastic stuff that they use to separate the sushi from the ginger and wasabi in bentos. It didn't cost me anything since I used stuff I already had around the house and this was my end result:

He looks good enough to eat!!! Finally, I came across a purple witch costume on Pinterest and it dawned on me that 1) my daughter looooves the color purple, 2) I had purchased a purple witch's broom on clearance last Halloween and 3) we already had a good amount of the attire that was pictured (black and white striped leggings, a black top, and purple tutu). All we had to buy was a hat and we found a cute purple witch's hat headband and put everything together. We added a second sheer black tutu for a little extra body and she had some purple boots (not quite the same color purple as the rest of her costume, but whatever...she didn't really care). Her costume ended up being about $10 as well. The only store bought costume we actually did buy was for my other son. We went with a monster from Old Navy, which turned out to be fitting since he was introduced to and fell in love with Monsters, Inc. the movie.

So easy and so fun...we had a great time. Just thought I'd share our little tricks for treats. I'm feeling rather Martha Stewart-esque! :) Hope everyone out there in the blog world did and were safe as well!

Happy November!!