Homemade Love for Mother’s Day

A crochet necklace is a simple idea, but can hold a lot of meaning for a mom. Image courtesy of FlickrCC The Connected One N07@616490624/8536261.

As a mom, I have had the pleasure and honor of receiving many gifts that were store bought. Yet, the most priceless gifts I’ve ever been given were the ones that were made from the heart – homemade. These are the gifts I will tuck away and cherish when my house is empty of their laughter and their presence.

So here’s a few easy, inexpensive ideas that may help add to your mom’s treasure chest of memories:

Easy Crochet Jewelry

Find a small stone from your childhood or one that has significance such as quartz where many believe there are fields of energy associated with it. Follow the directions from Scribd for crocheting around a stone and make a necklace like the one pictured above. Other crochet necklaces and projects can be found at Instructables.

Memories From Your Perspective

Kid Makers Need Space

Reblogged from MAKE:

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Makerspaces are becoming more and more popular. If you are not familiar, a makerspace or hackerspace is a place for people to gather and make stuff. Each is pretty much unique, but they all share a sense of community and a joy for making things and sharing knowledge. However, even if you are lucky enough to live close to one, it may not be particularly kid-friendly.

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Every kid needs a space for creating. If you lack space at home, check out the article's other options and let the creating begin!

The World’s Top 10 Best Uses of old Tyres

Reblogged from The Worlds top 10 of Anything and Everything!!! :

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Each and every year tens of millions of rubber tyres are disposed of in the UK. Many are burned in what is called a slow smoulder burn and even more than that are sent to landfill. But I say this needs to stop! Don't get me wrong this isn't a Eco-warrior protest, it is just me saying we don't need to dispose of them in those old-fashioned ways that are still causing an impact on the environment, not when you could use them to make one of these amazing things...

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I'm all for recycling. If you're looking to rid yourself of those old tires in the garage, maybe one of these ideas will catch your eye.

Make Your Own String or Edible Easter Basket

Make your own chocolate baskets to hold goodies in. Image courtesy of Flickr 51633081 @N04/6905180828

Over the years, I’ve learned a plethora of craft and food ideas for almost ever holiday. Yet, sometimes the simplest ideas are still the best.

A Better String Egg

I ran across a way to make your own Easter basket with a bit of string, a balloon and a water/flour paste that gives a good visual on what it looks like to wrap the string on the balloon. But instead of using a flour paste, use Elmer’s or a non-name brand white glue. It hardens well in a shorter period of time and instead of dipping the string, take a foam paint brush and “paint” the glue over the string wrapped around the balloon. Then once everything is completely dry,  pop the balloon and cut a hole where you want to add some goodies.

DIY Chocolate Basket

Another way I’ve made a quick Easter egg basket is by simply melting some chocolate and drizzling layers of it over a balloon(as pictured above). I would sometimes even use multiple colors of chocolate for a different effect. Luckily, Chica and Jo have a great tutorial with images of their chocolate baskets.

You’ll be surprised at how simple it is to whip up a few of these baskets. If you have any photos of your creations, I’d love to see them – and Happy Easter!

Tresses and Treats: Green with Envy on St. Paddy’s Day

Image Neon Yellow and Green Hair courtesy of Candy Acid Hair on Deviant Art http://fav.me/d2hdad3.

Now that St. Paddy’s Day is almost upon us, have you made plans on how you’ll be celebrating? This frugal gal loves celebrating without emptying her wallet and found a few fun and unique ways to show your St. Patrick’s Day spirit.

Dye Your Hair with Green Gelatin: If you have blond, grey or any other light-colored hair, you won’t have to bleach it for green results. Sophisticated Edge provides a helpful tutorial.

Dye Your Hair with KoolAid®: WikiHow has a great tutorial on how to temporarily dye your hair with about 3 packs of drink mix.  Try green this week and another color for Easter.

Chalk Your Hair Green:  Over the recent years, there have been many tutorials on how to use chalk to give hair a temporary color. The Beauty Department offers a nice step-by-step with photos and several color examples.

Give your friends green and tasty treats worth the price of gold:

Childhood Wishes – A Secret Passageway

A secret passageway. Image courtesy of Jessamyn from Flickr.

I come from a childhood full of Creatures from the Black Lagoon, Scooby Doo episodes and Nancy Drew novels. They helped form my love for delighting and frightening people.

I dreamed of owning a house that had secret passageways, underground catacombs, roaming ghosts or other mysteries.

Although I love my house – it doesn’t have any of that. So when I ran across the step-by step tutorial on how to build a secret room, I got all excited. I have a deep closet that will work with this and maybe I’ll have the time to build it.

If you’ve always dreamed of your secret passageway, you may want to check out an engineering site dedicated to secret rooms. It just might inspire you to build your own. If you already created your own secret room, clue me in on the tips you have for building one. If you bought a house with a secret passageway already – I envy you. Share what you’ve discovered.

Dog Gone-It Good: Dog Biscuit Recipes

Dogs deserve a holiday too. Image courtesy of FlickrCC 23561056@N00/6075785813.

With INTERNATIONAL DOG BISCUIT APPRECIATION DAY almost at our door steps, it’s about time to run to the store for some extra treats or make them.

Since this site is dedicated to being creatively frugal, I’ve posting some dog biscuit recipes I’ve either made in the past or have always wanted to try. I hope your pooch enjoys them.

Peanut Butter and Garlic Doggie Biscuits

2 cups Whole Wheat Flour

½ cup Corn Meal

¼ cup Peanut Butter (creamy NOT crunchy)

2/3 cup Beef, Chicken or Veggie Broth

1-2 tsp. Garlic Powder

1 tsp. Baking Soda and 1 tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar

Directions:

A Valentine’s Day Contest for Creative People

Image via CrunchBase

I’m a huge fan of Instructables. They have tutorials from regular people who do extraordinary tutorials on just about anything. I ran across a Valentine’s Day contest I thought I’d give people a head’s up on. You still have almost two weeks to submit your ideas. By the way, they give away some really decent prizes, too.

It’s also a great place for last minute ideas and sorry for sounding like a commercial. I do not have a vested interest with them. I’m just an excited fan. Let me know if you ended up submitting your idea – I’d like to check it out. Thanks!

Part 3 of Edible Valentine Gifts – A Drinker’s Delight

Image of Orange Cranberry Spice Vodka courtesy of Flickrcc 17287632 at N00/5192950427

This is the last part of my three-part series on Edible Valentine Gifts To Make. Instead of focusing on food, we’ll be focusing on beverages.

I’ve given gallons upon gallons of these recipes over the years. The dollar store sometimes has decorative bottles to pour your creations in. You can also find inexpensive decorative bottles at your area thrift store.

Mock Amaretto

2 C. Water

3 C. Sugar

¼ Teaspoon Lemon Extract

1 Teaspoon Chocolate Extract(home recipe here)

2 Teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract

8 Teaspoons Pure Almond Extract

1 Bottle of Vodka (24-26 oz.)

Directions: Place water, sugar, lemon extract in large pot. Bring to a low boil, stirring frequently. When sugar has melted completely (no granules present) turn off heat and set mixture aside to cool.

Once cooled, add the rest of the ingredients, stir well and bottle.

Copy Cat Kahlua

The World’s Top 10 Best Nerd Inspired Cookie Jars

Reblogged from The Worlds top 10 of Anything and Everything!!! :

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Here in the UK we call Cookie Jars 'biscuit barrels' (although we do indeed often put cookies inside of them) but it doesn't matter what you call it, it is the quality of the items inside of the jars that count. Or is it?!? Come with me as I try to find out if me being a nerd can in fact mean that the jar is better than the goodies inside of it, as I bring you...

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These are some awesome cookie jars...I bet I could use a few of them for making a cast or two.