Quick, No-Sew Valentine's Headband

Valentine's Day is upon us and my babies are ready, with a couple of outfits that didn't cost a thing to make. I upcycled a plain shirt for my son here and used this wonderful tutorial to make my daughter a beautiful bubble dress. From a onesie that was too short and an old maternity dress...

Thrifty Recipe: Homemade Taco Seasoning

We have Mexican food often in our home, and I really prefer to make my own taco seasoning, rather than buying the oddly-colored, chalky stuff that comes in the packets.  Don't misunderstand; I am not above buying them if I am just tapped-out, but if I can avoid it, I do.  One way to avoid giving in to the packaged stuff is to make a large batch to have on hand.  Here is how I do it:

Upcycled Embroidery Hoop Earring Holder

If you guys follow my Facebook page or Instagram feed, you know how much I love hand-embroidery. I love hand-stitching each piece and have even started to sell some of them. (I absolutely love when someone buys my hoops, but shhh, don't tell, I am not heartbroken if a piece doesn't sell—I'm beginning a hoop art gallery and up it will go!) This hobby means that I have a lot of hoops. As I was experimenting with sequins and beading on a hoop, I had an idea on a completely different way to use an embroidery hoop—as an earring holder. 

5 No-Sew Inexpensive, Easy DIY Gifts

Since a big part of my blog concerns ways to save money, I thought that tackling one of the biggest potential budget-hits—gifts—would be helpful. If you're like us, you have a lot of birthdays that fall in the same few months, and that gets expensive. 

To combat this, I give myself a gift budget and I stick to it. I've also found that a great way to cut costs on gifts is to purchase a $10 ITunes or Starbucks gift card and make a gift. Package them together in pretty paper, and you have a useful and thoughtful (doesn't get more personal than handmade) gift that will not break the bank. If funds are super-tight, many of these would be just fine as stand-alone gifts, too.  This list if for the girls in your life, but I will do a post for boys soon, as well.

Making Boot Socks Out of an Old Sweater

Last week, I upcycled a sweater that was too tight into a soft infinity scarf. It was a no-brainer that I could upcycle the sleeves, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to do a hat or boot socks for me, or even leggings for my daughter. I finally decided to go with the boot socks.

Upcycling a Too-Small Sweater into an Infinity Scarf

Most of us have it: that beautiful sweater that we washed incorrectly and is now too small, or the one that's simply too small, but we're holding on to it, remembering the days we used to fit into it. (Nostalgic sigh.)

Upcycled Valentine's Day Door Hanger

I never thought I would upcycle an upcycled project, but that is exactly what I did to create an adorable Valentine's day door hanger.

You guys may remember the fun I had with a wire hanger and cut up strips of t-shirts. I made this Halloween wreath this way, and this candy cane door hanger. 

Using Your Existing Crib as a Co-Sleeper for Baby

When I was pregnant with my youngest son, we were living in a 2-bedroom home and space was at a premium. With that in mind, I bought a mini-crib and we set his crib up in a small alcove my husband built in our oldest son's room. I figured he'd sleep in a bassinet in our room until he was sleeping through the night, then we'd move him to his crib.

5 Ways to Upcycle Dole Fruit Cups

I really like the convenience of fruit cups, but I do not like the waste the plastic little bowls make, so I reuse them as much as possible. After you finish them, wash  well in hot, soapy water, of course. Also, I have washed them on the top rack of my dishwasher with no problem!

Cook Once, Eat Twice: Two Crockpot Beef Recipes

This is my 49th post, guys!!  I am so excited that I've been able to post this much with 2 babies to care for, but it's been so fun, sharing my tips and projects with all of you! Thank you for reading my little blog; it means a lot to me!

On to the post...

Felt Disney Princess Clip Tutorial

For Christmas, I made my niece a hair (or shoe or purse or anything) clip set. It had 2 of the Disney princesses and I had a fun time making them.

Thrifty Recipe: Chicken Noodle Soup

I haven't posted a thrifty recipe in a while and as I was making up a batch of homemade chicken noodle soup today, I thought it would be a good post.

Thrifty Uno First Birthday Party Theme

My son's first birthday party happened over a year before I started blogging, but I pinned the theme on Pinterest, and it has been re-pinned many times! Since there was so much interest, I thought I would explain what we did. This was an inexpensive theme, so it definitely fits into the thrifty category. Full disclosure: my husband is a very-talented graphic designer, so I didn't have to purchase design time for a banner or invitations, but the theme relied mainly on projects anyone can do.

Round-up of Hand-made Christmas Gifts

Like my hoop art? Purchase it here.

I hope all of my readers had an amazing holiday, filled with family and friends! 

I thought it would be fun to do a "round-up" of Christmas gifts I gave this year, that were hand-made. Some I blogged about and others I didn't, but all were fun to do and well-received.

Easy, Inexpensive Stocking Stuffer: Christmas S'mores

I haven't posted in a few days because we were out of town, celebrating the holiday with family. We had such a good time!

Today, I am finishing up some Christmas things, and one of them was so inexpensive and easy, I thought it would be a good post for the blog.  If you are looking for a great stocking stuffer that kids just love, these Christmas s'mores are easy and thrifty.

Thrifty Cooking: Meals 4 & 5 from the 5 Meals from One Turkey Meal Plan

This is the last installment in my 5-meals-from-1 turkey meal plan. I have to say, that $2.92 was the best investment I could make! The cooking method was great and the meat was flavorful. The first week, I made tacos, spaghetti, and modified BLT sandwiches. My family devoured them all, and the tacos and spaghetti were enough for 2 day's worth of lunches for my husband and I, so they were definitely more of a "serves 12" recipe! 

World Embroidery Hoop Art

Like my hoop art? Purchase it here.

This isn't a tutorial, just a post to show you guys my continuing love of hand-embroidery and to show off my latest project.

I DID use some upcycling principles, though. The cloth I embroidered on is an old, off-white curtain. The embroidery hoop was $1.69 and I used scrap felt for the earth.

Simple and Cheap Christmas Gift: Felt Food

Most of us look for ways to save during the holidays. If you have a little one who loves to pretend cook, this gift idea is perfect. A sheet of acrylic felt is 29 cents, and you can get multiple pretend food out of it, or use up old fleece scraps. I sewed all of my "food" but I think you could do this with a hot glue gun, too.

Easy Christmas Card Holder Decoration

I secretly (not so secretly now) LOVE getting Christmas cards! They are always so cheerful and uplifting and I am sad that they aren't sent as much these days. However, I finally received one today and wanted to make a holder for them. (Well, my husband brought one he designed for his work home, so I'll count that one, too. I'll take what I can get these days!)

Thrifty Cooking: Meals 1-3 from One Turkey

Right before Thanksgiving, I scored an 11-pound turkey for $2.92, total! I told you guys about my plans for this guy,  but instead of updating the original post, I thought a new post would be less lengthy. When I cook like this, I always leave a day where I cook something completely different, so my family doesn't get tired of the main protein. Also, except for the sandwiches, I had leftovers, so these really serve more than 5. The chicken spaghetti probably comes in at under $1 a serving!