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Back to School Ideas: Pill Box Organizer!

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organizer

Are y’all almost ready for back to school?  We are in full organization mode here!  The kids backpacks or as I like to call them the black holes collect a variety of stuff, some useful,  some not useful and some just plain old trash.

I carry a pill box organizer in my car with miscellaneous things I might need while on the road.  I have one with extra staples, binder clips, paper clips, coins (for parking meters) etc.  Since it’s been working so well for me I wanted to make an organizer for the kids backpack.

What did I use?

Weekly Pill Box Organizer (Dollar Tree has these all the time!)

Ear buds

Wet naps (I always keep extras from restaurants)

Kool Aid To-Go packet (in case they want to spruce up their water)

Starburst Candy (the pink/red ones, naturally because some days you need extra umph!)

Band-aids (because we all need an extra band-aid at some point)

Hair Elastics (we bought a truckload this week at the 99 Cent Only store, see that deal HERE)

Extra Money (or some might prefer coins)

There is no set rhyme or reason as to what you need to include in your organizer, you just put in what is practical for you or your child.  We added stickers to jazz it up some and so that no one thinks anyone is self medicating at school.

Happy Organizing!

 

 

 

 

Flip Flop Wreath (with Dollar Store Supplies)

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flip flop wreath

Looking for a fun summertime addition to your front door?  Check out this cute Flip Flop Wreath idea that can be made on the cheap from Dollar Store supplies!

This was made by a friend of mine and I just HAD to share it with you guys – because I know some of you who live for that easygoing summertime life 😉

You can customize this with certain colors, switch out the flowers with seashells, or these little cocktail umbrellas – whatever floats your boat!

How to Make a Flip Flop Wreath

What you need:

  • Wire wreath frame or Foam Wreath Form (can be found at the Dollar Tree)
  • Flip Flops in various colors – number will depend on how large your wreath form is
  • Hot glue gun and sticks
  • Foam floral stickers & Fake floral stems to embellish
  • Wooden Initial Monogram painted to match for the center – optional but cute!

Directions:

  • Lay the flip flops out against the wreath and fiddle around with them until you have the pattern of colors you want.  You can face some in and some outwards to even out the spacing.
  • Use the hot glue gun to secure each flip flop to the wreath form – making sure to cover the form completely. (or as best you can)
  • Embellish with flowers, foam stickers, seashells, etc…
  • Use hot glue to attach a monogram to the center of the wreath if you like (you can pick these up at Hobby Lobby for super cheap with a 40% OFF weekly coupon!)

I think this would also make a great summertime housewarming gift for a friend.

If you liked this flip flop wreath – you might want to check out some of our other DIY ideas!

kool-aid lip gloss diy

 

 

Make Your Own Scented Wax Cubes {DIY Tutorial}

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make your own scented wax cubes, free scentsy

:: You can see my segment HERE ::

About a year and a half ago I had the chance to do a DIY tutorial for Disney’s LiveWell station, with host Kat Cosley on how to make your own scented wax cubes. We filmed at my house for a few hours and I taught them how I reuse and make my own scented wax for my Scentsy wax warmers.

They were awesome and Kat is SUPER cool and really nice.

I have a TON and really I have a TON of Scentsy warmers, I am not telling you how many because my husband would flip! 🙂 A Scentsy warmer is a name brand wax warmer that basically melts a piece of scented wax using a light bulb, that makes your whole house smell awesome. You can buy cheaper versions of these from Better Homes and Gardens at Walmart from $5 – $15. They are really cute, and make nice gifts. I like them because I don’t like having an open flame with a lot of kids running around, and I like the way candles make my house smell good.

After the scented wax has melted and the smell is gone after about 12 hours, you are left with disks of hard wax. You can toss them or you can remelt them and add some more fragrance. This is one way to reuse the wax, I have 2 different methods I taught them.

Scentsy sells the scented wax of course, and you can buy off brands at Walmart, Target and even the Dollar Stores. Personally, I think Scentsy smells the best, but it is pretty expensive.

Scentsy also says that by using any other wax in their warmers you void your warranty on your warmer somewhere in the fine print. Just FYI.

When new, the scented wax comes in little plastic trays and you break them apart and pop them out like you would a ice cube tray. When my trays are done I save them to use as mold to pour more melted wax into.

The first tip is to save your wax when it has lost it’s smell and add more scent to it. I melt the wax either in the microwave or on a warming tray (below) in a bowl and pour it into the saved wax trays. You can get a warming tray by the candles at Walmart for $5. Many places sell scented oil and you only need a few drops. After adding the melted wax to the trays place it in the freezer for a while to harden, then use like you would new wax!

  • Melt the wax
  • Add scent
  • Pour in trays
  • Harden in freezer
  • Use again

reuse scentsy wax for tart burners

The second way I make these is with leftover candles I have OR with new candles I am given that I don’t want to have burning in my house. I get a lot of the Yankee candles and don’t want to light them so I make them into scented wax so I can safely use them.

Again I melt down the wax, either in the microwave (be careful of the metal tab on the bottom of the wick) or on a warming tray until the wax is completely melted. Then I pour them into the trays or into ice cube trays.

Put the trays into the freezer and when they are solid you can pull them out and you have scented wax from your candles that you can use in your warmers! This is the method that I use the most. I have found the Yankee candles when melted down and made into scented wax cubes smell better and the smell lasts longer then the Scentsy scents. But overall it is just safer in my home to not have an open flame.

As much as I love the Scentsy scents and buy them often, I love other candle brands as well that don’t make the scented wax. This is a great way to stretch your budget on the extra things in life by making your own. I would rather spend my money on the darling designs of name brand warmers, then on the scented wax.

Easy Easter Bunny Hand Towel Craft – Under $1

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EAster Bunny Hand Towel Craft

I can’t remember where I first saw these but it was years ago. At least 20 because I have been making them that long. I love them because they are cheap and the kids can make them. Non-crafty types, (me included) YOU can make these in under 23 seconds, thats the record!

You will need:

  • washcloth
  • hair tie
  • ribbon
  • plastic egg (optional)

Easter Bunny Craft

If I had all the supplies I usually give him some googly eyes, a little pompom nose and a little pompom tail. But I didn’t want to pull out the glue gun. I think he is cute as it!

Easter Bunny Craft 2

I stick a plastic egg in the little hole behind his ears, it is a perfect spot to hold something. I am using these as name sign for Easter dinner. I am putting everyones names on the eggs and putting a bunny by every plate.

They are cute and less than $1 each to make. Can you beat the 23 second record??

What traditions do you have for Easter?

 

How to Make a Easter Bunny from a Hand Towel!

Take a cheap hand towel, I like white. The cheaper and thinner the better. They have them in packs at Wal-Mart for like 10 for $6

Fold one corner up like you are making a bandana.

Keep folding…

When it is all rolled up, fold it in half.

Next, now this is the hardest part, take the open ends (the ears) and fold it back almost half way. This is making the bunny face and ears.

Take a rubber band and secure the little face of the bunny. I had to use a hair tie because I used a heavier wash cloth, the thinner clothes can be done with a rubber band. Twist it around a few times so it is tight. Now pull the ears up a bit, and your done!

Tie a ribbon around the rubber band so you can’t see it.

 

4th of July Candy Craft Snack – Candy Kabobs

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If you want to keep your kids (and husband) busy for a while, you can try this cute candy snack that we make for the 4th of July each year to take with us as we watch the fireworks!

All you need are some lollipop sticks or skewers and soft candy. I used mostly gummy candies. I also tried to just use red, white and blue for the 4th of July to make it festive. It would also be cute to do them to match birthday parties with different colors.

I was able to buy ALL the candy at our local convenience store this year. They carry all kinds of bagged prepackaged gummy candy, salt water taffy, and gummy lifesavers. I placed them all in bowls on the table, gave each child/Dad a lollipop stick and let them at it!

This is the one Paul made, actually one of the 10, he really got into it with the girls! We packaged ours in little gift bags with ribbon tied around the top. The sticks and bags we put them in cost $1.75 each at Walmart. You can find these in the craft section at your local store.

On the ones for the girls we have little necklaces for the 4th to go with them, turned out really cute!

Do you have any cute crafts for the 4th?

Handprint Art for Teacher Appreciation or Mother’s Day Gifts

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A few years ago at Preschool the teachers made the cutest flower pots for the Moms. They used the kids handprints and decorated the pots, then with paint pen we wrote around the rim.

The green pots were for the monkey class, they made their little hands into monkeys hanging from a vine. The thumb was the neck and body and the fingers were the legs and arms. For the handprints we used regular tole painting paint. Tempra won’t dry on the pot surface.

The red and teal pots were the butterfly classroom, so we made the kids hands into butterflies! I love how they turned out so abstract!

In the pots we planted lilies. Another idea is to plant an herb garden, with a few different kinds of herbs.

This would make a cute craft for your kids to do for Grandma on Mother’s day!

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Craft Coupon Codes & Printable Roundup

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Are you crafting this season? If so, here are the coupons you can find right now for in store and online to save!Michaels Coupons!

Michaels:

  • 50% any 1 regular priced item with code MERRYSALE when you shop HERE through 11/22/14
  • 15% off for teachers when you shop HERE – Includes free shipping on orders $50 or more. Click on “Teacher’s Discount” in the “QUICK LINKS” section at the bottom of the page for more details. Limited time offer. Restrictions may apply.
  • 40% off Regular Priced Recollections Stickers & Embellishments with code NOVSTICKERS1 when you shop HERE through 11/22/14
  • 25% off Custom Canvas Prints + Free Shipping with code TURKEY25 when you shop HERE through 11/22/14
  • 15% off All Frames, Display Cases and Shadow Boxes with code EXTRA15 when you shop HERE through 11/22/14
  • Up to 50% off yarn in stock HERE

Hobby-Lobby

 

Hobby Lobby:

  • Shop sales HERE – up to 50% off in select categories
  • 40% off 1 regular priced item with code 6586 when you shop HERE
  • 40% off your highest priced item with code 9944 when you shop HERE

Joann Store

JoAnn Fabrics:

  • 40% off 1 regular priced item with code SAVINGS8333 when you shop HERE
  • Printable coupons HERE valid in store only through 11/22/14
  • Sign up for JoAnn2Go and get 20% off your next purchase

Do you have somewhere else you love for crafts? Let me know and I’ll look for coupons!

Awesome Candy “Thank You” Card – Father’s Day Gift Idea

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:: this is a great Father’s Day gift idea! ::

I wanted to show you the most AMAZING thank you card that I got the other day from the teachers at the school where I work! I have seen these done before for a baby shower but not a “thank you” card and it was really cool!

This is just another example of the creativity of the ladies that I work with. They are truly amazing women and go above and beyond everyday in their classrooms. You are not a pre-school teacher for the money 🙂 This is a calling for these Women, and they do it 110%, often taking their work home with them. They worry about the kids in their classes, pray for them, and love them. It is such a privilege for  me to be able to work with them!

This is what the card says: {everything in BOLD is a candy bar!}

We wanted to show our appreciation by giving you 100 Grand, but the money slipped through our Butterfingers. It was not Pay Day so we could not give you a shopping Spree in New York. We thought about an Orbit around the Milky Way but that would cost Extra. So just Take 5 and enjoy your card! We hope it doesn’t make you Rolo ver and get Chunky it it does. We promise not to Snicker!

From your Nerds…
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Halloween/Fall Craft – Smores’ OWL’s!

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Tonight the kids and I made a quick Halloween treat for their friends and our neighbors. We often make craft and food projects but tonight I was working with 2 left hands! For some reason nothing was working for me! Thank goodness I have self sufficient children who know how to use a microwave. I am talking about the 5 year old!

This is what they were supposed to look like, thanks to a darling blog called Living Lucurto.

This is what ours looked like:

Owl Pinterest Fail

:: FAIL!! ::

We decided that instead of “Owls” we would make Looney Birds, or even open a shelter for Owl’s that needed a little TLC. They were super fun to make, really easy and they taste good!

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