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Cookie Tin With Homemade Cookies

My Great Aunt is 93 years old and she lives in the Southwest. I always try and remember her on her birthday and at Christmas time. The Christmas of 2006, I mailed her a tin full of chocolate brownies, and on her birthday last year I made her a Jar Mix of Cappuccino. This summer I bought a beautiful Christmas tin at a garage sale for only 50 cents. Then I baked her some Christmas cookies, and sealed the top of the tin with plastic wrap. I used some curling ribbon and decorated the top of the cookie tin with a fancy bow.

You can save a lot of money this holiday season by making your own gifts then give them away to family and friends. A home made gift is much more appreciated than something that you purchase from any store.

By Marge W. from Sanborn, NY

Cookie Tin With Homemade Cookies

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Lace Wreaths

Take lace 12 inches long and fold over 1/4 inch and sew the seam. You can slip 5 inch pipe cleaner through it to make a wreath. Then make a bow with pearls, cut about 6 inches and then add a red ribbon bow and a small rose. Voila, homemade gift!

By Gloria from Notre Dame, New Brunswick

Lace Wreaths

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Muffin (Papillon/ShihTzu/Poodle)

This is Muffin. She is just over a year now. Her Mom was Papillon, Dad was a mix of ShihTzu and Poodle. We found our pup through an ad in the paper.

Muffin has an adopted brother Sparky, and they are the best of friends and playmates. She loves to chase after the bunnies and birds, saying, "Wait for me, I want to play!" She wouldn't hurt them, just fun, fun!

Muffin loves the outdoors, always on the lookout and enjoying nature! She can spend many hours playing with a little beetle or bug.

By Betty from Cowichan Bay, BC

Muffin (Papillon/ShihTzu/Poodle)

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Craft: Sparkleball

I had so much trouble locating directions on the internet for making a "solo" cup light ball that I just created my own free website that gives easy to follow step-by-step instructions. I call them sparkleballs. These balls cost under $10 to make (if the season is right for buying Christmas mini-lights) and they can be used to decorate showers, weddings, parties, teen's rooms; as well as at Christmas. I know of one family who is making them to raise money for a friend's heart transplant. So, I don't own this idea. I just decided to provide as much information on the how-to of it as I can as a small public service. These balls have given me so much joy, I just wanted to share. Every craft website I visit has people looking for the directions, so here you go!

My website is http://www.sparkleball.com (it has lots of photos). Once again, I earn nothing from this. It is all free and in the spirit of thrifty crafting. If you'd like to share a photo of your creation, please let me know. I'm just a fanatic, fascinated by this American craft. Thanks for sharing!

Sparkleball Lady from San Diego, CA

Editor's Note: This looked so easy and pretty that we decided to make one for the site. It took about an hour but the next ones will go faster. The cups cost about $5.00 for 2 packs of 40 (you need 50), but you could probably get them in bulk for cheaper. We had the lights on hand but basic 100 strand light strings are usually only a dollar or two. We also needed to buy a cheap soldering iron, which was $8.00, but you might have one already.

The instructions on the site are detailed and have step by step photos. Here are a couple of helpful hints that we figured out along the way:

Make your center holes slightly larger than you need to thread one light through. This will hold the lights in place better.

If you hold the cups together for a second or two, they stick together better. It gets easier as you go.

When you do the second row of 9, place three cups symmetrically first and then melt the rest into place. This will keep it even all the way around.

When you get to the top 4 cups, place all of them in together and then hold them in place as

The burning plastic isn't too stinky but a mask is helpful to avoid breathing the fumes.
When you are inserting the lights in a "zigzag pattern", it is necessary to go along the outer row a couple of times. We found it easiest to go straight down to the middle four and then fill out the rest of it.

Don't be surprised if your "100 light" strand only has 99 lights. Just leave one cup with only one light.

That's it, they are very sparkly and impressive when completed. The finished light is about the size of a small beach ball (about 13 inches in diameter).

The lower photo is with the lights on, so you can see more detail.

Sparkleball

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Easy Topiary

This topiary makes a nice wedding or housewarming gift without spending a fortune. It's a great way to use those decorative containers that are taking up cabinet space too. I used a sugar bowl that was missing it's lid. While you are at it, make two and keep one for yourself!

Approximate Time: Approx. 1 hour

Supplies:

container of your choice
small block of styrofoam to fit container
stick or scrap piece of 3/8" dowel rod
styrofoam ball
ribbon rose buds
hot glue gun and glue sticks
small piece of ivy
Spanish moss

Instructions:

The size of your styrofoam ball and stick or dowel rod will depend upon the size of your container. You don't want your topiary to look too top heavy. I used a 4 inch ball and 7 inch stick in the one pictured. Place a piece of styrofoam in the container. Push the stick or dowel rod into the center of the styrofoam and glue some Spanish moss around the base of the stick or dowel rod so you cannot see the styrofoam. Set the container aside. Using a hot glue gun, glue the ribbon rose buds all around the styrofoam ball until it is completely covered. Push the styrofoam ball onto the stick or dowel rod until it is inserted about 1 inch so that it is secure. Wrap a piece of ivy around the stick or dowel rod, gluing it in place if necessary. Glue two or three additional rose buds or flowers around base, if desired.

By Momof1 from Wilkesboro, NC

Easy Topiary

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Use Cinnamon Chips Instead Of Nuts In Baking

This is actually a baking tip. I bake to relax so sometimes I don't have all the correct ingredients on hand when I decide to relax (bake). I needed a cup of chopped nuts and didn't have them and was almost finished with a recipe, so I added a cup of cinnamon chips I had on hand. I now put cinnamon chips in most of my recipes instead of walnuts or pecans. Not only does it taste better it is more cost efficient.

Source: Just my idea to finish a recipe that called for nuts.

By Debbie from Burton, MI

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Popsicle Stick Picture Frames

I make picture frames out of Popsicle sticks that are absolutely beautiful. I paint the sticks then decorate further with glitter or stickers. Add a piece of protective plastic to cover the picture and add a hanging piece so it can be hung on the wall or the Christmas tree. I love doing this every year.

By Cathy K from Dallas, GA

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Painting Keys for Easy Identification

To distinguish keys on a keyring that are similar, paint each with a different color of fingernail polish.

By rda1 from Pleasant Grove, UT

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Homemade Sugar Scrub

If you want to treat yourself, your girlfriends or even your daughters to a special pamper session, then this recipe is for you.

Take your favorite liquid bath soap - 1/4 cup, and supersaturate it with sugar. (Add enough sugar so that the mixture is no longer a liquid).

Set up your table with a basin of warm water, towels and your favorite hand cream. Place hands in the warm water for about 5 minutes, then using the sugar scrub, massage the hands, fingers and even the wrists. Once done, rinse with warm water and then massage hands with your favorite hand cream. (I suggest using a cream with glycerine).

You will see that your hands are so very soft that you will want to share this with all your friends.

By Karyn from Ottawa, Canada

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Swap Cookies With a Friend

Baking time short? Find 1 or 2 friends to swap cookies with you. Do a double or triple batch of your fav and she does the same, and you swap. Great when you don't have time to do a lot of variety or go to a big cookie swap party!

By Linda from Vista

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Use Small Amount of Toothpaste

To save money on toothpaste for your family, follow the directions on the tube and not the advertising. You are supposed to only use a pea size amount of toothpaste, and not the overloaded brush that they show you in the ads.

By Irene from Boston, MA

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Uses For Popcorn Tins

This is the time of year those pretty, colorful tins are available with 3 kinds of popcorn inside. They make wonderful inexpensive gifts as most people love to eat popcorn. Afterwards, these containers can be used to house most items around anyone's home. They're very useful items.

They can be used at someone's fireplace or wood stove to hold kindling. They can be used to hold magazines or knitting supplies by someone's arm chair or sofa. They can hide away your Christmas lights until next year. They can hide small to medium sized toys, etc., plus being decorative to your home, at the same time. Just attach the lid and no one has to know what's inside,or just leave open, all to your liking. Or use the empty tin to hold a gift for your special someone.

By Terri H. from NV

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To Ship or to Shop?
By Kelly Butterbaugh

I encountered a first today. While ordering gifts on-line I was a surprise during checkout. Here I was prompted with a notification that on top of my shipping charge I would be asked to pay a fuel surcharge. For a moment this perpetual on-line shopper wondered, "Is the shipping worth it?"

What I Saved

I've never been a store shopper. The crowds, the parking, the lines. "Out of stock" is rarely a phrase heard on-line. If it is, within a few minutes I'm on the next site ordering the same itemno driving, no lines. No matter what my fuel surcharge, I still saved all of this.

Another saving also offers prices. Many on-line stores offer great savings and sales that can't be found in physical stores. Always add the postage to calculate the true cost of the items. For example, my printer's ink costs $43 per cartridge in-store, but at on-line overstock or auction sites it costs as little as $28 per cartridge including shipping.

Some shipping deals are too good to pass up. Recently, I encountered a $0.97 shipping sale on select items. One large play set which weighed well over seven pounds and filled a large box arrived for less than a dollar. Even if I ordered seven of their select items, a shipping charge of $7 is still significantly less than the usual amount. Better yet is the store that offers free shipping on select orders.

With gas prices soaring over $3 a gallon in most states, one has to wonder if it's worth it to drive to the store. If store #1 doesn't have the item and I'm forced to travel to store #2, I could be burning two gallons of fuel as well as an afternoon. This costs me $6 in fuel, but would my shipping charges be more of less than that?

What I Lost

I must admit, at times I've filled shopping baskets with items and then cancelled my sale when I'm prompted to pay shipping. Some costs are outrageous, and some deals aren't what I thought they'd be. Be aware of stores that offer fabulous prices but won't calculate combined shipping. Often these stores catalog items from multiple sellers (Amazon.com new & used for example). Several paperback books can be shipped cheaply, but they can cost $9 in shipping charges this way.

Other times I've received my products and they're not quite what I expected. The key to beating this is to learn how to read item descriptions carefully. Certain catalogs offer excellent, detailed descriptions while others do not. If you're in doubt about an item at an on-line store, surf the Internet for a catalog that offers the same item. Read the more detailed description and then purchase the item from the cheaper store. Another skill I have attained is to keep my eyes open when I am at the stores. Look, touch, and read packages. Learn key terms and style terminology. What's the difference between a slide and a mule? What weight is good sterling silver? Knowing this will help for on-line shopping.

In the End

In case you're wondering, I sided with shipping and most of my holiday gifts will arrive between Dec. 10th and 15th thanks to my United States Postal Service. The fuel surcharge? I found that this is a UPS problem, so I opted for the slightly slower shipping of the USPS which did not charge the surcharge. I'll be shopping with my cup of coffee and my slippers this year.

To Ship or to Shop?

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Dear Webby's Joke of the Day

Read More Jokes Here: http://webby.com/humor

Ideas For Christmas Party Games And Food

I need some ideas for a Christmas party games and food. It is a church party for middle-age people and ideas need to be simple and cheap. Thank you in advance.

Joanna from Cookeville, TN

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Looking For Review Of 'Surgeon's Secret' Hand Cream

Anybody ever tried Surgeon's Secret hand cream? Was wondering if it is as good as the claims before I buy it.

Tammy from MO

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Advice For Making Gel Wax Candles

How to make gel wax. And how do you calculate how much you need to fill a certain size container. I want to make a candle that looks like an aquarium. And if I put fake fish in there how do I get them to stay in one place until the gel sets.

Jackie from Adelaide. S.A.

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Unrefrigerated Jelly with Fruit

Does anyone now how to make the Jelly with Fruit that you buy off the supermarket shelves. The sort that does not need to be refrigerated.

Jackie from Adelaide, S.A.

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Mushroom Gravy Using Canned Mushrooms

Does anyone have a recipe for mushroom gravy using canned mushrooms?

Blanche from Colorado

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How Long is a Plastic Cutting Board Safe?

How long can a plastic cutting board be used before it becomes 'unsafe' to use?

I know that they are very porous, but why are they available if they really should not be used for cutting? It sure doesn't take me long to put a few knicks in a plastic cutting board.

Ba Rok

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Shell Stitch Crocheted Hanger Cover

I am looking at the crochet coat hanger cover that uses the 'shells' stitch. Could you tell me if after the first round do you turn and go back.

Mary from Tennessee

EDITOR'S NOTE: The pattern that Mary is referring to can be found on this website: http://www.craftygardener.ca/craftysprojects17.html

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Skim Coating Walls

How do you skim coat walls?

Wall Bored from Shrewsbury, PA

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Stouffer's Lasagna

How many people does a Stouffer's Lasagna feed?

Luane from Carson, CA

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Homemade Gift Ideas For Teenagers or Young Children

Gift Ideas to make. I have a 17 year old nephew, 14 year old niece and 10 year old niece. I am making all homemade gift this year due to finances. But I have no idea what to make for these kids. They are terrific kids but pretty much have everything they could want so I need something or things unique. Any suggestions out there?

Jen from Hastings, MI

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Solitaire Variations

I was wondering if anyone has any good solitaire games they could tell me about. My mother used to play solitaire when there was nothing else to do to pass the time. I know the standard game, but would like variations. Anyone out there have something? Thanks!

Ann from So. Maine

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Replacing Starter Drive On Briggs & Stratton

I have replaced the starter drive on my Briggs & Stratton engine on my craftsman mower. To do this I had to have a special tool for the removal of the c-ring and a special tool for the replacement of the c-ring, which I accomplished successfully. How do you replace the two long bolts back through the starter. I can get everything lined up but can't seem to get the bolt close enough to get the threads started?

Jude from Atlanta

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Preventing Frozen Dinners From Getting Excess Ice in Them

I sometimes get frozen dinner items for our Grand Children to eat on the run. Tonight they opened an Alfredo meal and it was covered with ice inside. I'm wondering if this means the temperature in the freezer is too low or too high? I've had this happen before. And had to throw out the item. This has also happened with chicken nuggets. They weren't old, just had ice inside. Any ideas?

Ariela from Jax, FL

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Alternative To Elizabethan Pet Collar

Our dog has to wear one of those big plastic 'elizabeth' collars to keep him from scratching his eyes. Anyone know of a method of fastening (or adding fasteners which will not scratch) that permits a quick on and off? We are permitted to take it off as long as we keep our eyes on him - the moment he starts scratching, the collar goes back on.

It takes two of us to get that collar back on and the dog is too restless to let us do this more than 1 min. without a fight. His neck must be getting mighty sore. I saw something on the internet that looked like a swim ring pillow, to place around the dog's neck, but he would still be able to scratch his eyes as the ring isn't deep enough - he already figured out out to scratch his eyes on the sofa while still wearing the big plastic collar.

Holly from Richardson, TX

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Dunking Eggs Before Cracking Them

As I was flipping through the tv channels, I caught just a brief moment about dipping uncooked eggs in the shell in water before cracking them.

Was this boiling water? Anyone else hear of this? It showed a restaurant chef dunking the egg in the tv picture.

Holly from Richardson, TX

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Preventing Discoloration of Men's Dress Pants

What is the best way to hang mens dress pants to prevent discoloration?

Teresa from Scotts, MI

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Paper Mache Recipes

Can anyone tell me what the recipe is for making paper mache?

Amy from Fort Wayne, IN

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Dog No Longer House Broken

We have a one-year old Weimaraner that we rescued several month ago from a home where he was unwanted and lived outdoors. We house trained him and had him neutered. He would whine when he needed to go outside.

Cold weather hit last week, and he suddenly is having daily 'accidents' in the house while we're at home. Twice now he has peed on the carpet within 20 minutes of being brought in from outdoors. He didn't even whine to go outside.

What happened? Did he suddenly decide it's too cold to pee outside so he prefers to pee in the warm house? I'm very frustrated, and with a very challenging school semester coming up if we can't correct this soon he may have to go on to another home.

Kris from Omaha, NE

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Finding a Commercial Type Sink

On behalf of my Church as Church Administrator. We are looking for a 2 or 3 compartment commercial type sink that will facilitate our kitchen we are building at the Church. Please respond if you have any locations where this may be obtained. Thanks.

Allen from Goose Creek, SC

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Crafty Gift Ideas for Young Chidren

I am a teacher in early education and I wanted to make all my kids something small for Christmas. Not too expensive because there are 40 of them! But something cute and crafty! I loved the thanksgiving craft I found on here with the Toostie pop made into a turkey on a piece of cardstock. I make those for Thankgiving. Thanks!

Bec from Pawtucket, RI

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Uses for Unwanted House Keys

Looking for ideas for unwanted house keys.

skbrx from Phoenix, AZ

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Taking Care of a Stray Kitten

I found a kitten outside last night. I felt really bad for it, it's been outside a long time and I fed it. I was going to give it to the animal shelter. They only keep it for a short time and if it gets sick, they put it down. I just got a dog and I don't want my dog getting fleas, etc.

I gave the kitten a bath and did find fleas. I got rid of them. I have the kitten outside in my pool area. If I buy him a flea collar will that help. I really don't want him in my house. I am very scared if he did have any more fleas that my house will be infested. Any suggestions? Should I have given him to the shelter or am I doing the right thing?

Kim from Florida

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Gifts for Day Care Staff

I need some inexpensive gifts for my child's day care staff. There are 4 staff members. I want to give something nice but yet not "break the bank". Any ideas?

Abby from Illinois

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Knifty Knitter Instructions

Directions for Knifty Knitter?

Vivian from Roberta, GA

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Hercules Hooks Reviews

Yea or nay on those Hercules Hooks "As seen on TV"? Thanks ahead of time.

Regards,

Keeper from Morganton, NC

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Crafting for Fun and Money!

If you are an avid crafter, capable writer and own a digital camera, you are eligible to participate. Submit your craft projects to ThriftyFun and we will pay $15 for any crafts that we publish.

More Information:
Click Here: http://www.thriftyfun.com/post_craft.ldml

My Frugal Life: Enjoying Being Frugal

Even though my husband took a pay raise when we moved to NJ almost two years ago, NJ is one of the most expensive states to live in. We are a one income household, so we have to be very frugal. I shop at the Goodwill for our clothes, household items and toys. I have found some brand new items there still with the tags on them. I do our grocery shopping at Aldi stores and Costco.

My Frugal Life: Enjoying Being Frugal

American Greetings Corp. Recalls Confetti Bursts Due to Violation of Lead Paint Standard

Hazard: The surface paint on the individual bags of confetti contains excessive levels of lead, violating the federal lead paint standard.

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Daily Thrifty Tips - December 4, 2007

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What I Saved

What I Lost

In the End

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