"Butter" Knife FlowerIn a previous posting, I submitted a craft on making a dragonfly out of forks and butter knives. This craft shows how I used up the "leftovers" from the dragonfly which was a "thrifty" use of leftovers. It is made from the end pieces of forks and knives.
Dresden Plate Quilt BlockLearning a new quilt block design and made it into a table runner.
Silverware DragonflyUsing old silverware to create an outdoor sculpture adds interest to my collection of backyard sculptures. Some of this old silverware was what I used in my childhood my parents had given to me. I wasn't sure how I could use these "keepsake" knives and then came across this idea.
Folded Flower Table RunnerThis was a cute and different table runner to make. Reminded me a little bit of paper folding or origami.
Ginger Turmeric Apple Wellness ShotsHere is a simple and quick 5 ingredient recipe my husband and I make for the week. Wellness shots are so expensive (they average $4 each and for 2 people a week that would be $56).
Strip Block PotholderI've become interested in quilting and all of the neat ideas for quilt blocks. Because there are so many, I decided I would make a variety of quilt blocks and turn them into potholders so I can try out a lot more designs and it wouldn't be as time consuming.
Garden Themed Beverage Server/Bird BathMade this punch bowl bird bath to serve punch in at a wedding reception with a garden theme.
Start Bell Pepper Plants EarlyTo ensure a good crop of bell peppers, it is important to remember that they require a long growing season. You can start the seed now (2/25)
Five-Minute Springtime CraftThis project is easy and inexpensive. All you need is a tile, a sticker, and a small easel!
Fiber Is The WordDoes your diet contain complex carbs, lean protein, healthy fats, and fiber? Fish, lean meats such as beef or pork, dairy products, and fruits and vegetables include these needed nutrients. The body needs certain nutrients to help it remain healthy, lose weight, maintain weight, and live longer. Instead of counting and keeping track of calories, it might be easier to keep track of fiber. In doing so, you may begin automatically to look for foods such as whole grains, vegetables, and fruit which are usually lower in calories than other foods.
Tabletop Tile CenterpieceMod podge tile base for wedding reception garden themed table centerpiece. After the reception, these tiles can be given to guests to use as hot plates on their table at home.
Surprise Pullout BoxHere's another craft idea that I learned from my son. He is preparing a lot of unique valentine greetings for his teachers. What I like most about these crafts is that you won't need to spend so much for a gift. And it will take only 10 minutes to make.
Book Picture FrameA unique way to display pictures, vintage garden style!
Origami Heart BoxMy eldest is the sweetest person next to his dad. The most thoughtful kid ever. I saw him cut out some pieces of art paper and asked him what it's for and he said he'll give it to his teacher. He said he doesn't have much money to buy her a gift so he tried searching for ideas online. I helped him with his work and it turned out really nice.
Seasonal Gnome Porch SitterThis is a gnome that can stand upright on the front porch and be decorated with changeable holiday or seasonal decor. This one is for Valentine's Day. For other holidays, you could use a shamrock for St. Patrick's Day, an egg or an Easter basket with eggs for Easter, flowers for spring, flag for 4th of July, school book or apple for fall, pumpkin for Halloween, and tree for Christmas.
Vintage Book SafeThis is a storage book I created for my daughter's fairytale/garden wedding theme. The storage on the inside will be used to store her wedding advice cards.
Valentine's Day StockingsI started the tradition of Valentine Day stockings a few years ago. We enjoyed filling them with sweets and love notes.
Crochet BasketMade with a CD base, this was a fun little basket to make. I filled it with a small tube of lotion and some treats for a friend's birthday gift.
Christmas Goodie BagsSanta or elf "long johns" are filled with small candies for Christmas. I made these for my daughter-in-law's special needs students.
Cherry Blossom Out of Egg CartonsFor my son's school project, he only needed the plastic bottle vase. As a "mom of extra", I insisted on making the flowers to put into his vase. What I like about making this project is that I don't have to go to the craft shop to find the materials. I used what I can only find around the house.
Woven T-shirt Yarn BasketWith my leftover t-shirt yarn from another project, I made this basket to hold mail. It is nice and sturdy made from the yarn.
$1 Store WreathI bought the wreath forms at Dollar Tree to make these three similar but different Christmas wreaths.
Roll Holder BasketOld-fashioned roll basket!
I'm a coffee drinker so when I go to Starbucks, it's often to get a drip coffee. I ordered this one day and the man behind me in line turned to his wife and said, "See, you can just order coffee." Black coffee drinkers definitely save money at Starbucks but there are some strategies that can make your Lattes and Frappuccinos less expensive too.
Vintage Ancestor OrnamentMaking these for Christmas for each of my five children using vintage "1960s" pictures of my husband's family and my family.
Screw and Nail OrganizerGreat organizer for small spaces! Holds sixteen jars in a 15 inch space! My husband's original storage container.
Fall Pumpkin Patchwork Table TopperA good way to use scraps. My daughter-in-law loves the fall season and pumpkins, so I made this for her.
Ice Cream Cone CostumeThis is a fairly quick "couples" Halloween costume that I made for my daughter and her boyfriend who works at an ice cream shop.
Tissue Paper Roll Face Switch ToyI got the idea from my eldest son. I found him playing with a tissue paper roll as if he was telling a story with 3 characters and changing his voice as he switched the tp roll.
Halloween Trick or Treat Books DecorationThese wooden "books" could be painted different colors for different holidays with different names on the sides. This set is for Halloween.
Day of the Dead Milk Gallon SkullHere is an easy and fun way to make a Day of the Dead, or most commonly known as Dia De Los Muertos, decorated skull. Simply use an empty and clean milk gallon jug with the handle facing forward. Use permanent markers or paint brushes and paint. You can also glue on glitter, etc. If you want to give it a cool effect at night, place a tea light on top as shown, or cut a hole at the bottom of the jug and insert it underneath. Enjoy !
Sofa Legs as PumpkinsHere is a cute and fun way to repurpose the legs off an old couch that will be discarded. Many are round shaped. Simply unscrew the legs, paint them, and put a ribbon on top. They are nice decorations for Fall, Halloween, and Thanksgiving. They can be made into personalized handmade gifts, and balloon string holders too.
Scrap Wood ScarecrowCute for fall! We had some scraps of "plank" wood leftover from an old backyard playset. My husband cut the planks and screwed and glued the parts together to form a scarecrow with a hat.
Wooden Candy Corn DecorationA little paint and some wood to make these cute and fun Halloween decorations!
Teacher's Day CardTomorrow we'll be celebrating World Teacher's Day. My son asked me to help him do a simple greeting card with a small token attached to it. He chose to put a box of chalk since "it's the best reminder of being a teacher", he said.
Indoor Canning Jar Herb GardenI used these cute Mason jar glasses to plant an indoor herb garden.
Octopus SocksHere is a way to reuse old socks and turn them into octopus sea creatures !
Pumpkin Candle HolderA nice fall table centerpiece!
Canning Ring PumpkinDon't know what to do with those extra canning rings? I have a lot more rings than seals so when I saw this cute project idea, I knew just what to do with the extra rings.
Easy Stuffed Pumpkins'Tis the season for pumpkins (almost)! A great way to use up excess fabric pieces for a beautiful fall decoration.
Kinetic Wind Spoon SculptureI saw a kinetic wind sculpture on Facebook and so I looked up a few ideas with how to make one. My husband was the brains behind this project and used a few ideas from various sources and added his own. Following is what we came up with.
Strip Quilt SquareI was given a lot of fabric from a friend. Part of the donation included long strips of fabric so I found this quilt pattern for using up strips of fabric.
Fan PullMade from a wooden spool and a few trinkets
Zucchini GratinDo you want a delicious, balanced and not expensive dish? Zucchini gratin is just such a dish. This is a fancy side dish out of everyday vegetables. There are many variations on cooking zucchini gratin. I am sharing my French friend's recipe.
Nine Patch Quilt SquareSimple instructions for making a nine patch quilt square.
Loghouse Hexagon Quilted Hot PadMade from scrap strips of fabric.
Rosette DecorationI wanted to add an embellishment to a nightgown I made so I made these little rosettes from the leftover fabric.
Recycled Ceramic Look VaseI used plaster of Paris to make this ceramic looking vase from a soda bottle.
Loom Knit BagThere are many options for making things from a knit hat loom besides a hat. I found this fairly simple pattern to make a "purse" which could be used for a swimming bag (has holes for the wet swimming suit to dry) or for whatever purpose you might want to use it for.
Portable PlayhouseThis is a Goldilocks and the Three Bears playhouse. I used a pattern online and adapted it for this fairy tale story.
Bow Quilt PatternTrying out another simple quilt pattern. This project shows how to make one bow square. These squares can then be put together to make a cute quilt, whatever, size you want.
Create Your Own Pride FlagFor a Pride month activity I created this craft for the art room. Everyone can make their own flag, either a traditional rainbow, or one of the many other flags which represent different identities.
Money Sash For All OccasionAfter being able to do all the money surprises (money cake, money umbrella and money boquet), I thought that will be the last money project I can make. Then here comes my sister in-law asking me to make a money sash for her younger brother's wedding.
Doggie ShoesIt gets pretty hot here in Arizona so I made these crochet doggie shoes for my daughter's dog to wear when we take her on walks at night when it "cools" down to 100 degrees!
Baby QuiltThis is a fairly easy baby quilt I made using scraps. I like how the design turned out.
Pho Bò (Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup)This delicious soup is a favorite at my local Vietnamese restaurant. I thought it would be fun to try to make it at home. I made it from scratch, including the beef broth. I also made crispy fried shallots (hành phi). Store bought broth and crispy shallots or onions would be just as delicious.
Saving Money When Visiting Las VegasLas Vegas is a popular destination for many travelers, even if you don't enjoy gambling. There are all sorts of music events, museums, tournaments, fine dining and sightseeing options year round. Many businesses will hold conferences there, taking advantage of the lower airfare and bulk discounts for lodging. However, the costs can really add up if you are not careful. Here are some ways to avoid spending too much when you visit.
Bulgarian MesenitzaI have a friend who taught me how to cook the very popular Bulgarian national dish Mesenitza, it's also called Tutmanik. It is bread stuffed with cheese. This is a very tasty and cheap meal. The recipe varies, but the basic ingredients are flour, yeast, oil, milk, butter, eggs, yogurt and cheese. Bulgarian cheese is called sirenje or sirene, it can be replaced with Greek feta.
Handmade Men's TieThis was my first attempt at making a man's tie. I made it out of fabric that matched my daughter's homemade Easter skirt. Her boyfriend wore this tie for Easter to go with her skirt. Turned out great!
Ukrainian Hand Pies (Prizhky) With ApplesI want to share with you a recipe of my family's favorite meal. These Ukrainian hand pies are called pyrizhky or pirozhki or piroshky. They are made from yeast dough, stuffed with apples and fried to golden color. The pyrizhky also can have other fillings, such as mashed potatoes, cabbage, mushrooms, ground meat, jam, and others.
Clipboard Gallery WallIf your kid is anything like mine, there is a slew of artwork being made each day. I wanted a way to display my child's art in a way that could be easily changed. This is the solution I came up with. I wanted to be able to have both verticle and horizontal pieces of art, so I got two sizes of clipboards so that art would be contained within the parameters of the clipboard. I added some patterned contact paper to some of the clipboards to add interest and also painted the clips black to match. In retrospect, I don't think the contact paper was needed, as I am sure these will always be full.
Hibiscus GumpasteEverybody wants to have the best looking cake. Since it's summer season in my country, I get a few demands of tropical or summer themed cakes. Today I'm gonna show you how to make realistic hibiscus flower gumpaste, beginner level.
Drawstring BackpacksI made these for a charity who gives backpacks filled with various items to cancer patients who are children.
Rope TrivetI needed a trivet to go with a lot of my placemats and dishes and found this idea.
Easter Bunny and EggsI saw the idea for these bunnies and eggs in a magazine and decided to use them as an inspiration for making these.
Foam Dice BunniesCover and decorate foam dice with balloons to make a cute and easy bunny. In winter, use white balloons and make them into snowmen.
Product Review: Dinnerly Meal DeliveryRecently, I tried a meal delivery service, Dinnerly. My teen daughter has been more interested in cooking lately and I thought it would be a good way to teach her some techniques and recipes that are different than my usual meals. Here's how it went:
Bunny Candy PouchesI made these for my daughter-in-law's school class so she could give them a fun little treat.
ThriftyFun Updates (March 2022)We are announcing some big changes to both our newsletters and contests as of March 1st, 2022.
Using Digital Coupons and Rewards When ShoppingIn addition to coupons sent by mail or in newspapers, many stores have their own system for digital savings too. This is a great way to save money at the checkout. It encourages customers to be "loyal" to that store and allows the store to send you specific promotions based on your shopping history.
Gedempte ChickenGedempte means "well-cooked." It is a flavorful, braised chicken that is economical and great for the winter. The chicken, potatoes and onions were all on sale. Use one potato and one piece of chicken for each serving
