Bandana Dress for Toddlers!

Bandana Dress for Toddlers!

I like to sew, but don't have the patience for big projects.  I also don't have a sewing machine, so I sew every project by hand (which can make even the most simple projects a tedious task!).  This project was so simple and took only about an hour and a half to sew by hand (and that was with my adorable two-year old assisting me with the thread).  

The first step is easy, or it can be difficult if it's hard for your to make decisions, and that's choosing which bandanas you want to use.  Bandanas are sold at Walmart and Hobby Lobby for just $1 a piece and come in a plethora of colors.  I chose a pretty lemon-lime green.  I resisted the urge to get pink and decided to expand my daughter's color scheme-haha!  So...pick two bandanas, either that match or two that would complement each other (keep in mind one pattern will be on one side of the dress and the other pattern will be on the other side of the dress.  

Do not cut or trim your bandana unless you are making it for a very small child.  My daughter wears size 18 months and it fits her ok.  It also is big enough to fit her probably until she wears a 3T-4T as well without any alterations.  After you have the two bandanas, line them up to where their sides match almost exactly.  Then only sew the left and right sides together leaving about 4" unsewn at the top of each side.  After the left and right sides ONLY are sewn together with the flaps left open at the top, you are then ready to begin the second and last sewing step.  (Again, if you have a sewing machine, this project would literally take less than 5 minutes).  Take the top sections of the bandana that are left open, and fold over about an 1 1/2" and sew a loop to run the drawstring through.  Only sew ONE bandana at a time, making two separate sides.  Like so:

After you have sewn both of the sides of each bandana, you will run a ribbon, that is about 3" longer on each side of the dress, through each loops on both bandanas.  Then slip the dress over your little girl's head and tie each sides of the drawstrings together and tie them into bows.  And viola!  You've made a dress for about $2.50 and minimal work!  

Hope you have fun with this project like I did!   =)

Blessings!

Summer Fresh Deals for 02/07/12

Summer Fresh Deals and coupon match-ups for the week of 02/07/12

• Bananas are on sale for $0.99 for 2 lbs.  That's just $0.49 per lb!
• Best choice white sliced bread is on sale for $0.88 a loaf.
• LOWEST milk prices in town!  They've lowered all their Prairie Farms milk prices!  $3.38 for whole milk, $3.22, 1% $2.99 and Skim $2.99!!
• Hiland Cottage Cheese is on sale for $1.79.  Pair it with the $0.40/1 that will double and get it for just $0.99 each!  This is a .pdf coupon so you can print as many as you can use.  Time to stalk up!
• Halls cough drops on sale for $1.29 each.  Pair it with the $1/2 coupon and get them for just $0.79 each when you buy two!
• Hunt's ketchup is on sale for $1- best time to stock up!
• Healthy Choice soups are on sale for $1.25 each.  Pair it with this $1/3 coupon and get them for just $0.95 a can when you buy three!
• Manwich is on sale for just $1 a can.  I don't know how much Sara Lee buns are on sale for, but use this $/One can of Manwich AND Sara Lee Soft and Smooth Whole Grain or Wheat Buns coupon and you get a can of Manwich for $1 and get $1 off the Sara Lee buns!
• My FAVORITE deal of the week is the Hiland orange juice that's on sale for $1.88 for half a gallon.  Pair it with this $0.30/1 coupon that will double, and get it for just $1.28 a half gallon.  This is also a .pdf coupon so you can print as many as you need.  If you do the math, that's just $2.56 a gallon!!  Yahoo!

Don't forget about the $5 off coupon when you spend $40 at Summer Fresh this month to add to your savings!  Happy Shopping!

Mason jars for the bathroom?

I am currently re-doing my bathroom in shabby-chic style and have come up with some clever, well at least I think so, ways to make it look genuine and unique!  For a look at how I used an old chair as a towel hanger, just in case you missed it earlier, you can find that blog here.

My first idea to help change the style of my bathroom, was to change the light fixture.  I am running on a tight budget and wanted to do this cheaply.  My existing light fixture was neat in color, but the light globes were tacky and traditional at best.  Mason jars hold TONS of character, and I wanted to find a way to mount them in place of the light shades, and below if the result.  I LOVE IT!

Lights off:

Lights on:

I wanted a clever storage area to hold common bathroom items, in this case q-tips and cotton balls.  using a piece of wood I had left over from my chair-towel rack, I mounted two smaller mason jars on the wood and hung it on the wall next to my sink.  here is a picture, just before it was mounted on the wall.  You can't tell it by the picture, but these jars are off set, and one sits about 3" taller than the other on the piece of wood to give it symmetry.

My final Mason jar project for the bathroom (for now) was my hand soap dispenser. This was probably the easiest to make and one of the cutest to look at!  While I wanted to use one of the older style, blue-tinted mason jars, I opted for the clear glass so as not to clash with the green/brown theme.

Next week I will post a complete tour of my bathroom when I finish the town rack and hanging of the last decor items.  Thanks for reading guys, hope this inspires you some.  Now that I'm done with the bathroom, I'm excited to tackle the laundry room!  Keep your eyes open for updates on that project!  Blessings!

Things you should NEVER throw away!

I have compiled a small list of things you should NEVER throw away, for your own good!  You're gonna kick yourself when you realize what you've been taking out with the trash each week!

• Dryer Sheets.  Used dryer sheets!  After you have done the laundry and remove the dryer sheet (if you find it and it isn't hiding in the sleeve of someone's shirt) save it, DON"T throw it away!  Dryer sheets make THE best shower/tub/toilet/sink cleaner I have EVER used!  Confession time!   I had a ring in my toilet, that had been there for months.  This ring came with a baby, when I was afraid to flush the toilet after she fell asleep for fear of waking her up.  gross I know, but it's true!  ANYWAY!  I had tried EVERYTHING to get rid of this ring.  I tried Scrubbing Bubbles foaming bathroom spray, Clorox toilet Wand cleaner system, Lysol toilet Cleaner, good old elbow grease, but NOTHING worked!  So, I tried a used dryer sheet.  No cleaner, no elbow grease, and it came right off.  I was so happy with the result, I cleaned me toilet, show, sink and then the guest bathroom toilet, shower and sink!  I've also heard this makes an excellent dish scrubber too, and I'd believe it!

• Ever buy those cheese balls from Walmart, Target (my favorite), or your other favorite store?  We do about once a month and my daughter loves them!  When you finish eating all of their cheesy goodness ( I promise I let Isadora eat some ;) , SAVE THE CONTAINER!  Do NOT throw it away!  We use them to store toys currently (blocks, legos and smaller toys) , but I'm going to use them as a terrarium this Spring!  The clear plastic provides the perfect warm, moist environment for small plants to start them inside and away from that ever elusive "last frost".  You could also use them to store flour, sugar or other chips and pretzels!  You oculd also use it as a general snack tub and store fruit snacks, granola bars and other quick, individually packaged snacks!

• Ever notice how cheap it is when you buy 2 1/2 dozen eggs in an egg flat, all at once?  It tends to be almost $0.50 cheaper PER dozen that way, but who has room in the fridge for a 2 1/2 dozen egg flat in their fridge?  Not me!  Save your egg cartons, just a few, and go ahead and buy the 2 1/2 dozen flat, and put them in the one dozen containers when you get home.  Easier fridge storage, AND you'll save about $1.25!  That would buy an entire other dozen eggs!

• You know you've done it.  Dropped your eyeshadow, blush or foundation powder compact and cracked into a cracked, powdered mess.  DO NOT THROW IT AWAY!  There are quite a few variations on this one, some more complicated than others, but adding a few drops (3-5, depending on the size of the compact or pan) of rubbing alcohol to a cracked pan of eyeshadow and pressing with a spoon or a coin can make a broken powder product look like new again.  How simple, right? 

 

Have some more ideas?  Add them to the comments below! 

Hope your day is blessed!

-Sammie

 

Price Cutter Deals for the Week of 02/01/12

Price Cutter deals and coupon match-ups for week of 02.01/12!

 

• SATURDAY ONLY!  Pace Picante Salsa is on sale for $0.99 each.  Pair it with this $0.50/2 coupon (remember it will double) and score jars of salsa for just $0.49 each when you buy two!
• SATURDAY ONLY! 3 lb. bags of Boneless, skinless chicken breast (Best choice brand) for just $3.99!  That's just $1.33 a lb!
• SATURDAY ONLY!  Kraft BBQ sauce for $0.49 each!  No coupon required!
• SATURDAY ONLY!  Hiland Family Pak ice cream squares on sale for $1.50 each.  Pair it with this $0.45/1 coupon (that will double) and score ice cream for just $0.60 each!!!
• Knorr Pasta sides on sale for $1 each.  Pair it with this $0.50/2 coupon, that will double, and get them for just $0.50 each when you buy two!

• Red Gold tomatoes with green chilies on sale for $0.59 each.  Pair it with this $0.75/1 coupon (yes I said $0.75/1) and get it for free!  Or do what I'm going to do, price match this sale at Walmart, and get $0.16 cash back for each can you buy!

Happy Shopping!  Check out my blog this week for things you should never throw away!

Summer Fresh Deals Week of 02/01/12

Summer Fresh Deals and Match Ups for the Week of 02/01/12

As you may or may not be able to tell, I am not that excited about Summer Fresh's deal this week.  Their February coupon sheet only has ONE coupon on it, for $5 off a $40 purchase.  This is not as good of a deal as last month, but any deal is better than no deal I suppose!

• Nabisco Crakcers on sale for $1.68 a box.  If you were lucky enough to score a one of the booklets from the Walmart Nabisco display, or the summer Fresh Nabisco display, each one contained a $1/2 Nabisco coupon coupon.  If you use these coupons the price will only be $1.18 a box when you buy two!
• Ro-Tel canned tomatoes are on sale for $0.88 a can.  
• Kraft shredded cheese on sale for 2/$4 for the 8 oz. bags.  Pair it with this $0.50/2 coupon, that will double to make it worth $1/2 making the price just $1.50 a bag when you buy two!
•   Kraft sliced cheese is on sale as well for $2/5.  use the same above listed coupon and score two packages of cheese for just $4!
• Buy (2) Ball Park hot dogs, or Hillshire Farms rope sausages (or mix and match) and get Flanagan's Kraut for just $0.99 with in-ad coupon!

Don't forget to check out my blog for Price Cutter's match-ups this week as well!  

Happy Shopping!

Summer Fresh Deals week of 01-25-12

Summer Fresh Deals and Coupon Match-Ups for the week of 01-25-12

I'm excited about this week!  who says you can't shop at your locally owned grocer and spend less than you would at Walmart?  I used to.  Not anymore!  Check out these deals!  PLUS this SATURDAY ONLY Summer Fresh will be TRIPLING all coupons UP TO AND INCLUDING $0.50!

• Hot Pockets are on sale for (6) boxes of (2) for $10.  Click this coupon to save $1/6 and that was you will get (6) boxes of (2) for just $9!  (Walmart sales their bulk box of (11) Hot Pockets for $9.97.  This was you will get (12) Hot Pockets for just $9 and you get to select different flavors instead of purchasing one big box of the same flavor and try to please everyone!)
• 8 oz. bags of Borden Shredded Cheddar cheese are on sale for $1.99 a bag!
• Yoplait Yogurt is on sale for 12/$5!  That's just $0.42 each!  Wait until Saturday and use (2) $0.40/6 coupons (which will triple to be worth $1.20/6) and Get 12 yogurts for just $2.60, making them just $0.22 each!  CHEAP!  Walmart sells these for $0.58 each!
• If you missed the deal a couple of weeks ago on Progresso soup, this week you can get it for $0.50 a can using the Summer Fresh $1/1 can of Progresso Soup on January's coupon sheet.  remember you can only use one Progresso Soup coupon per transaction, same with all the Summer Fresh Coupons.  Limit one per item per transaction.
• Lay's Stax are also on sale 5/$5 this week.  Pair it with the "buy one Lay's chips get a Vess 2-liter for free" coupon for a good deal!  This was not set right in their system last week and I had to call corporate to get them to change it.  If they give you any trouble, tell them to manually key it in, that corporate said it should work.  
• this week jars of Pace Picante salsa is on sale 2/$4.  Wait til Saturday and use this $0.50/2 Pace Products coupon (which will triple to be worth $1.50/2) and score 2 jars of salsa for just $2.50!
• Old El Paso cans of refried beans and crunchy taco shells are on sale for 4/$5.  Wait til this Saturday ans use this $0.50/1 Old El Paso product (remember it will triple and you can print two per computer) to get a few cans or boxes for FREE!
• Betty Crocker Cake Mixes are on sale for $1.25 each.  Use with the $0.75/1 Summer Fresh coupon and score cake mix for just $0.50 a box!

 DON'T FORGET TO USE YOUR $5/$30 SUMMER FRESH COUPON TO MAKE THESE DEALS EVEN SWEETER! 
Split up your transactions per $30 to save the most amount of money! Happy Shopping Everyone!  Lots of deals WAY cheaper than Walmart this week, and you support the community all at the same time!  Comment if you have any trouble or success!  Let us know what you scored this week!

Summer Fresh deals week of 01-18-12

Deals good from 01-18-12 through 01-24-12

Here's the deals for this week at Summer Fresh.  Some you will need printable coupons, which I have included links for you guys, and some are just awesome without it!  Happy Shopping!

• Jimmy Dean roll sausage $0.98 for a 1 lb roll (limit 5 with a $10 purchase )
• Lysol Disinfecting Wipes on sale 2/$4, use with this printable coupon here and the coupon will double and the price is then only $1.50 each when you buy two!
• Lysol Disinfecting Spray on sale for $3.99 use with this $0.50/1 coupon and it will double making it just $2.99 with the coupon!
• Campbell's Chunky Soup is on sale for 2/$3.  Use it with this $0.50/2 coupon and get it for just $1 each when you buy two!
• Mr. Dell's hashbrowns are on sale for 2/$5.  There's a Summer Fresh printable coupon available on this sheet and buy one for just $1.75 a bag!
• V-8 Fusion and regular V-8 juice on sale for 2/$5.  Use the coupon to save $1/2 V-8 Fusion or this coupon to save $1/2 V-8 to make them 2/$4 when you buy two!
• Best Choice dozen eggs for $0.98 each.

Don't forget to use your save $5/30 coupon on the Summer Fresh printable sheet above BEFORE all your other coupons to get the biggest band for your buck.  Don't be afraid to split up your order if you're planning on spending at least $60 either!  Because then instead of spending $60, even if you use NO other coupons at all, you would still spend just $50!  Stay tuned for a Dillon's and Price Cutter blog tomorrow!  Happy Shopping!

Reinventing the Chair!

Last summer my husband, Paul, and I were at a garage sale and spotted an old wooden straightback chair with two broken legs.  Thinking we could breathe some life back into this old piece, we decided to get it (the lady ended up giving it to us in the end).  This chair has sat in my garage since then, collecting dust. Until last week.
     I am really bad at this whole "remembering to take pictures for a tutorial" thing, so there are several steps lacking, but I'm sure you can figure it out or add your own twist if you want to re-create this look.

I wanted to turn this chair into a towel rack and decor piece for my bathroom.  So I had my husband cut the "straightback" section of the chair off and another small piece (to use for mounting it to the wall) that I screwed to the back portion.  It still needed some gluing in sections.  As you can see below I glued the sections with super glue (because I'm impatient and didn't have wood glue NOR did I want to wait for the wood glue to dry) because it's what I had on-hand.  While the glue was drying I bound it with ribbon to hold it securely. (You can see the "mounting" piece of wood in the background that has yet to be attached.

After the glue had dried, I spray painted the entire piece.  When the spray paint was dry I used 180 grit sandpaper and rubbed it all over the piece to give it an "antiqued" or "aged" look.  After I had roughed it up enough to my satisfaction I had my husband help me mount it on the wall above the toilet in my bathroom.  The picture below is what it looks like before I added any decor.

I'm going for the "antiqued" and "shabby" look in my bathroom with browns and this light green.  So I looked for some items that would match that look.  I added a tin-type picture of my husband from when he was in high school and an antique book that I bought at a garage sale for decor (I covered this with a coat of clear-coat to ensure it didn't mold in the bathroom) and a brown hand towel (which was the whole reason I was making this project, was for a hand towel rack!) Below is my finished product, of which I am very proud of!!

So there it is!  I enjoyed making my very first DIY project and there are many more to come in the next few weeks as I finish my bathroom!  Thanks for reading guys.  Comments of encouragement are welcome and appreciated.  God bless!  Hope this week is filled with many bargains and blessings!  -Sammie

Summerfresh Deals for the week of 01/08/12

Summerfresh:

• At Summerfresh grocery stores this Friday, January 13th, only, Progresso soups are on sale for 4/$5.  Summerfresh also has a coupon for the month of January for $1/1 Progresso soup http://summer-fresh.com/January.pdf

Notice that this is a .pdf coupon so you can print a sheet and copy as many sheets as you will use.  Also notice that there is a "limit 1" statement on the Progresso coupon.  This means Limit one coupon per transaction.  So if you would like to use this coupon to get more than one can of soup, you will have to split your cans of soup into multiple transactions.  Using this coupon you can get each can of Progresso soup for just $0.25!

•      Also, you will notice on that coupon sheet there is a coupon for $0.75/1 Betty Crocker Cake Mix.  Those are on sale this week for $0.98 each.  There is also the limit one rule on this coupon as well (see above).  When you use the coupon you can get each box of cake mix for just $0.13!!
•      Like soda and chips?  On the same coupon sheet there is also a "Free Vess 2-liter soda with ANY Lays chips purchase" coupon.  This week Lays Stackers chips are on sale for $0.98 each.  This means you can get a two-liter of Vess soda and a container of Lays Stackers chips for just $0.98!
•      Best Choice boneless, skinless chicken breast 3 lb. bags are also on sale this Friday ONLY for $5 each.
• Hunt's canned tomatoes are on sale $5/5.  There is also a printable coupon for $0.40/2 Hunt's canned tomatoes http://www.hunts.com/newsletters-and-promotions This coupon will double and make it so that after the coupon the price is just $0.60 a can when you buy two cans!
• Naval Oranges are on sale 5/$1 this week as well, good deal on great produce!
• Ozarks Hearth loaves of Texas Toast (extra thick bread, great for French Toast!) just $0.89 this week!

     Take advantage of the $5/$30 coupon on the printable sheet listed above as well (ALWAYS use this coupon FIRST before presenting all of your other coupons to avoid any glitch with the computer) and you can get some even sweeter deals and support your locally owned grocer!