Five Personal Favorites for $5.00 (or less)!

 

Today I want to share a few of my all time favorite cheapo things with you! These products

make my life more joy-filled. I hope a few will do the same for you.

 

Let's start with The Vaseline Intensive Care Moisturizing Bath Beads. They are only

 $2.27 at Walmart. My favorite scents are the Botanical Garden and Gentle Breeze.

But I have to share how I use it because it makes them even more special. I fill the tub full of water that is super hot. I get in and sprinkle the beads all around me. They fizz as they mix into the water, filling your tub with the scent and relaxing champagne bubble effect...heaven!

 

The Olay Foaming Face Wash in "Gentle" is a great twice a day wash for only $4.99 at walgreens.com. It is easy and gentle, who can ask for more at this price?

 

The Bath & Body Works room sprays are wonderful! I use the Sweet Pea scent in our bedroom. This is an older style bottle and they do change the look from time to time but with the same great value.

They make scents for every room in your home. These are $5 regular price but watch for sales.

 

 

I LOVE the scent of Lemon Verbena! This triple milled soap, made in France from Trader Joes, is the best and for only $3.29 (no kidding)! I immediately unwrap the bars and put one in-between my towels and one in my lingerie drawer. The scent is perfect and you can use the soap when it fades.

 

I talk a lot (shocker) and use a lot of lip products. Some might say I have a chap-stick addiction. My all day every day favorite is Avon's Care Deeply Lip Balm with Aloe. I have to buy 20-30 of them at a time. They are only $.99 each at avon.com. While you are there, try the Avon Glimmersticks

Lip Liner. It is listed at $7.00 but I have never paid more than $4.00. My fave is the Mystery

Mauve. Seems to go with everything. I apply a balm layer, followed by lining my lips with

this and either add lipstick or move right on to my gloss.

 

Last, but not least, is my lip gloss. I have used it for years. It is wetnwild MegaSlicks Lip Gloss in Chrystal Clear (561A). I apply it over my pencil or on top of my lipstick. After the first few uses,

it takes on the color of my lipstick but it doesn't make a difference at all. It is shiny and doesn't

 have the nasty taste that so many other glosses have. It is still just $1.99 at most drug stores. 

I have found it at Rite-Aid and  Walgreen's. Check at your local drug store or search it online. 

I hope you will try one of these great products and maybe it will become one of

your all time favorites. They bring joy to me each and every day!

 

Melin

Valentine Making Party

Last night I hosted a glittery gab fest that involved making Valentine's for our local hospital with a light supper and SWEETS! I bought a lot of party treats, decor and card making supplies at Target, Dollar Tree, Michael's and Home Goods for a dollar. Just shopping for them was FUN!

 

 

The ladies found a small plastic supply box with a glue stick, heart full of candy, a candy bracelet
and chocolate. These were their favors. A valentine with their name on it was their place card.

 

 

I gathered the supplies on the buffet, so everyone could hunt and gather for the goodies to

make the perfect cards. Doilies and glitter glue are my favorites (a dollar each)!

 

 

We had two tables to give us the room to create. We shared ideas, cooed and cheered over the best

of them. It is good for all of us to take time to craft and get our creative juices flowing.

 

 

Laughter is the best medicine and we did a lot of laughing! These cards are sure

to bring a smile to the faces of some patients on Valentine's Day!

 

 

You can plan a party of your own for any holiday.

 

 

Here we are with one of our finished cards.

We decided to get together for lunch on the 14th and deliver the cards

ourselves to make it more fun for the patients and for us.

 

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Melin

xoxo

 

Aqua!

My new obsession is the color aqua! I have had a thing for it in all shades since I

learned my parent's only vehicle, before I was born, was a "robin's egg blue"

Harley. Sorry, only black and white photos exist.

Last summer, I found a few aqua Ball mason jars and that brought on my OBSESSION. I have to have more aqua in our home. I went on a search around the house to see what I already had to work

with...always a great decorating tip. The photos show what I found, including a beautiful angel figure and an anthropomorphized (I learned this term from Martha Stewart) salt shaker.

While I love what I have, I needed more! I see aqua in all my latest magazines, so I went in

 search of some new goodies. After shopping several stores, I came up with only one small

pitcher to add. It is a very light aqua and I discovered it on the marked-down aisle of

HomeGoods for $2.00...score but still looking for more.

Melin

Happy New Year

Happy New Year 2013

 

 

I am late with my New Year's wishes this year. I wish you all a wonderful 2013!

I started thinking about resolutions just after Christmas and I'm, just now, putting them in writing. The fact that I have procrastinated this long should be part of my list but it didn't make the cut. I found a few fun statistics to share and they can be found on the following website http://www.statisticbrain.com/new-years-resolution-statistics/. Interesting?

 

I am following a fellow blogger's idea and using the old list by letter means of recording my resolutions for 2013. It was really fun to think of the many ways I might be able to improve myself. Sadly, I have thought of many more to add but I think I'll just work on these first. 

R ~  Relish all the blessings in my life.

E ~ Exercise, even if that means more flea markets and malls.

S ~ Share ideas with more woman...Pinterest.

O ~ Organize my workspaces.

L ~ Love more. I am sure this one will be my husband's favorite.

U ~ Utilize my time better.

T ~ Try hard to resist stress or at least my reaction to it.

I ~ Ingest food that is better for my health or just eat less junk food (or not).

O ~ Organize my home for good. Starting with just one closet, at least. 

N ~ Negate negitive thinking and try the Power of the Positive.

S ~ Smile more! My face just naturally relaxes in a frown and who wants to see that.









Retro Christmas

 

  I love everything retro because they remind me of my childhood. Funny thing is I love things that are even older than I am. I know that is true of many of us after checking out Pinterest.
My favorite retro items are the holiday treats, especially those from Christmas! The items above are fun ceramics, mostly made in Japan. The Santa bank in the back was a give-away from a bank and my Daddy brought it home for me. 

 These angels were a gift from my dear friend, Madeline Schaaf. They sit atop our bathroom mirrors to decorate for the holidays.

The little ceramic angel ornament my "birth angel". She has a pink faded ribbon to tell her apart from my sister's blue ribbon. They were always the always our most special ornaments and still are to this day. I hang her and reminisce each year. Just ask my friends and family.

The blow mold Santa on the right is a special find from traveling last summer in the North West. I didn't pay much for him but oh how he brightens up our hearth!

 

The little hot pink elf has been a treasure as long as I can remember. He sits atop a little white Christmas tree in our bathroom. I like the greens and pinks in there year round.

 

Old ceramic clip on Santa ornaments from my childhood tree. I am missing one of the originals.

 

 

I love this old felt Santa card holder from a dear old friend who passed.

It is living on with us as she does in our hearts!

 

Wishing you a Happy Christmas surrounded by the people (and things) that you love! 

Melin

Advent Season

The season of Advent was created by German Lutheran's to celebrate the days preceding the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus. We have broadened this observation to count down the days leading to Christmas in the anticipation of Christ's birth or Santa's coming or both.

The calendars used to mark advent come in so many varieties. There are the ones with pockets that adults can fill with daily surprises for the little ones. Love notes here are there are fun too.

 

There are the chocolate filled cardboard variety that are found most everywhere now with a treat behind every window. I love the old simple and beautiful German or Danish paper type with perforated "windows" you open each day with a surprise image and sparkles. They are usually glittered...love that! 

 

So many types from which to choose. You can use the metal ones above year after year and simply move the magnet forward each day with excitement as Christmas draws nearer. If you are crafty, check out Pinterest at this link, http://pinterest.com/search/?q=advent+calendars. They have so many ideas. I do love the idea of stringing mittens or hats too. I want to collect some with that in mind, since I don't knit. You place a treat inside the (upside down) mitten or hat. It's a great way to recycle some great thrift store finds.  

I still have an old worn out folded 3-D pop-up version from my childhood. We often were gifted with the chocolate versions but HAD to open the doors of the old "Christmas House".

Enjoy your advent season!

Melin

PS ~ I took my grand-daughter to two of the free make-it sessions at Michael's from my last blog. We both had a great time! Cheers to these companies that support our families like that. I love the encouragement of celebrating holidays in simple ways.

Holiday Workshops

 

The holiday season is a perfect time to learn something new! We all want a bit of help coming up with new ideas for decorating our homes for the holidays and our local craft and home improvement stores are eager to help us. I did a bit of searching this morning and thought I would share what I discovered. You will need to go to the websites and enter in your local store for their schedule.

 

The Home Depot has Do-It-Herself classes that sound fun. The class near me is Thurs. 11/15 from 6:30-8 pm and it will teach, Christmas Décor• Build an interior two-tiered wreath chandelier• Build a wreath duo for an exterior door• Build an exterior lighted snowflake• Create “hand crafted” holiday décor accents.

They also have free kid's workshops on the first Saturday of every month for 5-12 year olds from 9-noon.  Here is a link, http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/catalog/servlet/ContentView?pn=HT_WS_DIHWorkshops&storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053.

 

Michael's has a full schedule of workshops, http://www.michaels.com/Store-Events/store-events,default,pg.html. This Sunday, 11/11/12, they have a free holiday ornament event from 1-3 for kids 3 and up (while supplies last). There are many great holiday events for kids and adults, some are free and some have fees. You can learn more about new crafts that you haven't tried yet.

They also have a great video library at http://www.michaels.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Michaels-Site/default/Search-ShowContent?fdid=videos-christmas. This one is about wreaths!

 

 

 

Jo-Ann Crafts have free demos on Saturdays. Call or check your local store for details.They offer many for fee classes for kids and adults all year long. They host birthday parties, as does Michael's.

 

Lowe's has great ideas on their website at http://www.lowes.com/Home-Decor/Holiday-Decorations/_/N-1z0ycu4/pl. Look at the bottom for links to Tis The Season and Holiday Articles.

For the kids they have free Build & Grow classes every other Saturday from 10-11 am. You need to pre-register for these classes online.  On 11/17, you will build North's sleigh, 12/1 Sandman's plane, 12/8 is a Gingerbread House. Register early as the classes do fill up.

 

Preparing for the holiday season has begun for most of us. It is a creative time for getting our idea juices flowing. What new ideas have you been thinking about? Please them share with all of us here. 

Enjoy each creative moment!

Melin