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So Here's another little thing I've learned to sew. Wow! Who knew sewing could be so addicting!? I love it! And I am so excited about what I've made. It just feels so much more personal giving someone a gift that you made as opposed to buying one last minute, stuffing it in a bag and rushing on over to the party...well what I am talking about is that I went to a baby shower yesterday (despite the scary road conditions)
On the way home there were 2 cars in the ditch...I'm so glad it wasn't me~~I woulda freaked out!



Anyway, so I crocheted a hat and sewed up a little skirt. The pics I am posting aren't the exact gift but very similar...I later sewed the shirt to go w/ the skirt because the outfit felt so incomplete. I am so excited about all this crafting! I am having so much fun...Here is the pictures of what I made~ Also I am now selling this crocheted hat on Etsy.com ...Check it out if you'd like! I'm so happy that i have finally found something to do with my artistic skills to good use. I am also glad to have found so many other bloggers out there to help me start this wonderful journey...

If you are interested in buying this little newborn beanie head on over to My Etsy Shop =D
Now I'm off to some more free pattern websites for more ideas!




       In these pictures above I found this really neat idea for ribbon flowers. You should really try it...I bet u can't make just one...lol
So I put it together with the crocheted baby beanie and I also used to add a little something to the shirt for the baby outfit...
here are a few links for where I got these Ideas from =D Enjoy and let me know what u think I'm just a beginner so i can use a lot of help!!!


The top part of the shirt I got the idea from the Itty bitty baby dress pattern on the Made By Rae blog and I found the crochet pattern here at Crochet N More. And for the ribbon flowers here's your link at the Little Birdie Secrets Blog. Have fun =D Thanks for stopping by!

I've been messing around a bit with Photoshop and here are a couple of pictures I did...I'm new to this program so i just know the basics...but I wanted to post a link on here for some free Photoshop brushes...for all you artsy mommas out there =D

Brusheezy

&

Brush King

My latest creations...Ok i know I'm just a novice but I'd like to post these up somewhere so that later on when I get better at sewing i can see how far I have come...you know what I mean? Hopefully some of you will enjoy this journey with me. =D Thank you so much!
Here is a purse and a peasant shirt I just recently sewed up...and also I am including the links where I found the patterns...

Yay! I'm So excited. I finally got a sewing machine...Yay!!! And right away I gave it a try. Mind u I am a complete novice at this but here is one of my first projects.
Hee hee....this is Mr. Gato....My son loved it but ok on to what I did next... =D

Ok here it is....I found this pattern for a critter you can make out of a glove. It was the cutest thing. Ok ok so the first one I made came out kinda funky so I'm not gonna post a picture....I'll post my second one. =D Oh yeah and the link for the tutorial is at the bottom of this blog post! Enjoy!


 Next...I made a bunny...or tried to make one haha. The legs were a bit skinny and long but my son loved it...and for now...that's all that matters....my next project a PURSE. =D

K So here's where I found it... on Etsy's very own blog!   here's a link to the tutorial...  HERE =D Enjoy!

Well a little bit of backstory here:











to write love on her arms ....

Aww such cute stuff ladies....check out this site---

Baby Blvd


They are giving away a $20 gift certificate toward their REALLY REALLY cute products!

As a mommy who loves to craft herself, but hasn't quite gotten her work out in the world yet...I'd like to say go check it out!!! RIGHT now... 1/31 is the last day!

Thanks gals!

Are you always looking for some time to sit down and read that latest book from the library, or watch a special program on TV? If so, here are a few hints to help you arrange that time.

1. When preparing your meals, clean up as you go, washing by hand or putting appropriate items right into the dishwasher. Put away ingredients that need to be stored in the refrigerator or pantry immediately after you use them.

2. Take out your clothes the night before work or school. This way you don't waste valuable time in the morning looking for the right thing to wear. If you can, choose the entire week's worth of clothes for the little ones who can dress themselves or have them choose. No more morning arguments over what to wear.

3. Fill up your gas tank when it hits the quarter of a tank level. In case of a delay in traffic, you won't have to worry about running out of gasoline.

4. Have a routine each week for the days you do errands and shopping. It will save you gasoline since you won't have to keep running out for forgotten items. A shopping list is a MUST, and bring coupons if you use them.

5. Put the perishable groceries in the refrigerator right away directly out of the grocery bags, rather than placing them on the counter first. Wash and cut fruits and veggies before putting them away. Enlist the kids to put away the canned goods.

6. Cook some meats ahead of time and store in the freezer. For those nights you are too busy to start from scratch, this will help you get dinner on the table in a jiffy.


7. Pick a regular day each week to do your bills or any desk-related items. If you don't have bills that week, work on your budget or bank statement. With debit cards , and a few people in the family using them, just a bit of disorganization can lead to overdrafts. Avoid this at all costs.

8. If you are comfortable having bills paid online, sign up for this service. Mark your calendar on what particular day the bills will be paid so you can keep track of what's happening.

9. When making appointments, mark your calendar right away--along with any necessary contact information. If something changes or you have questions, you'll have the information you need to call right there with the date and time of the appointment.

10. Have the family work on planning the weekly agenda, so that there is no one left in the rain waiting for a ride. Try and arrange car pools with other family members and friends whenever possible.

11. Have colors for each family member for towels, toothbrushes, hair care items and more. It can save a lot of time and prevent confusion. Even match the hampers and baskets if possible.

12. Have a place for tote bags and items that are needed every day for various classes and activities, and fill these bags with needed items so you can just 'grab and go.' For example:

Library Bag: When books are read, everyone places the books back into this bag and you can just grab it and take it with you to return.

Dancing school/and or Music lessons Bag: Include all the costumes, shoes, tights, socks, books, instruments, music and other necessities.

Overnight Bag: Inside, store an extra toothbrush and underwear, pjs, small toiletries, a travel hair dryer, an extra hair brush, slippers, a wrinkle-free outfit for the next day and socks. Do this for the kids too, so if grandma or grandpa are missing your little ones they can be ready in no time.

If you do some or all of these items you will be finding that extra time to do the things you enjoy. You will also feel like you are more in control.

Ok so I've been a little bit busy lately. We've been moving. Finally we are all moved in to our rental home. We've expanded!!! Well, more space---more money, that is why I eat up articles like this one I again took from Woman's Day... Can you blame me? They are awesome!!! Well here you Go---I'm going to just list the actual Sites, since the article isn't on the online website. =(

"21 Websites that save you Time and Money"
Solutions-your money by Mary Hunt

1. Shop Local -Weekly ads for lots of stores in your community

2. Mommy Savers -Not just coupon codes, printable coupons, freebies and bargains, but also a comprehensive site that provides support for moms' need to live the frugal life.

3. The Bargainist -Simple reliable listing of the hottest online bargains, sales, coupons and freebies.

4. The Coupon Clippers - One of the nation's largest online grocery coupon clipping services.

5. The Freecycle Network - The nations biggest swap meet---where no money every exchanges hands

6. Paperbackswap- Join the club for free, gain credits by giving someone else a book, use credits to get a book for yourself. All you have to pay is postage to send your book to someone else. There's also sister sites on there to swap DVD's and CD's.

7. Zilok- Rent just about anything...Guitar Hero for a weekend party, a power tool, pickup truck. Or maybe you have something you'd like to rent out to make a few bucks.

8. USA- Book mark it! An exhuastive index of government agencies, services and activities. (How to get grants, health insurance, updates on flu outbreak, and more.)

9. Findhow- Learn how to do things, like cut your own hair, change your oil, everything but the kitchen sink...no wait scratch that, they have that too.

10. Starfall- A nifty reading program for kids designed to be fun, exciting and confidence building for young children as they learn to read.

11. The Consumerist- blogs bringing you up to date with the latest scams, ripoffs, and hot deals, (even a few freebies now and then). A place to complain about anything consumer related.

12. Lynda- Software training!!! (photoshop, dreamweaver, illustrator?)

13. Big Huge Labs- Custom Photo Lab to make photo calendars, jigsaw puzzles, mosaics, trading cards and more, all from your digital photos.

14. Dafont- Free FONTS!!! you can even preview them before downloading. Over 9,000 fonts.

15. Fix it Club- Shows you how to do ordinary household and other kinds of repairs. Hey, If we're not making a hole, we're fixin' it!!!

16. Budget Simple- a free site with no ads and no need to enter personal information. Designed to help people get out of debt and start saving.

17. Annual Credit Report- Truly free copy of your credit report...once a year from each of the 3 big credit reporting agencies.

18. Dinkytown- More than 350 financial Calculators...ALL FREE.

19. Bloomberg- Budget Calculators that give you amazingly easy to read charts that categorize your expenses and break down your spending so you can see what's up w/ your finances.

20. Discover America- Linked to tourism in all 50 states, list more than 4,000 experiences, attractions and events such as museums, parks and festivals.

21. Mouse Savers- As in Mickey Mouse!!! It's not associated with the Disney Organization but it really is an exhaustive collection of trips, tricks and secrets for how to get discounts on every aspect of a trip to Disney Word, Disneyland, Disney Resorts....well, all things Disney.

I took this little article off of my Woman's Day magazine from like 2006, i couldn't find it online so I decided to retype it:

-Besides not being very effective, constant yelling can damage the trust between you and your child, as well as your child's self-esteem, says Hal Runkel, author of ScreamFree Parenting; Raising Your Kids By Keeping Your Cool. Try these quieter alternatives instead:

Calm yourself. If you're seeing red, step away and think about what you'll say before addressing your child, recommends Runkel. Remind yourself to speak calmly and slowly.

Let the consequences do the talking. Give kids a choice, suggests Runkel. Say, "Either bring in the bike now or I'll put it away for a week." Then follow through.

Use the glare. Develop a look that your child knows is a signal that she needs to stop what she's doing. But for this to be effective, says Anne Brazil Creator of Timeout Tot, a DVD on calmer parenting, you need to be loving and communicative with your child most of the time. Only use the look when you're angry, so as not to confuse her.

Lower your voice. "Rather than raising your voice, make it barely audible," suggests Peter Favaro, Ph.D., author of Anger Management: 6 Critical Steps to a Calmer Life. Your child will be distracted from what she's doing as she strains to hear you.

Vacate the premises. If you you repeatedly ask your young child to stop doing something and she won't, you may need to carry her from the room, says Brazil. If she's older, say firmly, "We're leaving now," then lead the way out. Andrea Atkins

"Online stores send out discount codes to SELECT groups of customers, leaving the rest of us to pay full price!" Wouldn't you like to get a hold of some of those discounts when you shop online? Well, as a mommy of 2, I know that coupons sure do help. Here is a website where you can find a lot of coupons for online stores such as; 1-800-Flowers, Art.com, and hundreds more! There is so much on this site...i recommend it! Here's the link:

http://www.naughtycodes.com/

This is a site for coupon codes or secret discount links! WOoh

So I found this article at babycenter because my little one is just not eating the way I'd like him to. He only likes certain foods and refuses anything new. I hope you find this article as helpful as I have. ~Jen