Showing posts with label Gifting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gifting. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Uses for Old Sweaters

Winter is approaching, bells are beginning to sound. Soon snow will be falling soft. While I am not a fan of cold weather, I love feelings of winter. Cozy sweaters paired with your favorite boots. Curling up under a warm blanket with a cup of hot cocoa and a good book. Prepping for the holidays. Yes, I have already begun. I have started my list of handmade gifts. A hint: I made my kids take a bag outside yesterday and fill it with dirt for Snookums present.

Since I do love a cozy sweater, I have been perusing Goodwill for them. My endeavors have failed time and again, as they are almost never in my size and the ones that are always seem to be picked pretty bad. This is where my sweet little brain got to thinking, something ought to be done with all those pretty sweaters I keep seeing. 

Skip ... skip ... skip, off to Pinterest we go ... I scoured their pages for some of the neatest things to do with those old sweaters. As always, Pinterest did not disappoint. There was so much inspiration!
This is my idea of a cozy blanket! Make a patchwork quilt with old sweaters.
For those bitter chilling days, turn a sweater into a scarf.
I almost always wear socks in the winter time, so these would be perfect for me to make. Turning a sweater into a pair of slippers would also be a great money saver since I do tend wear them out. What can I say, I hate cold feet.
What a perfect way to reuse your kiddos old sweaters they've outgrown from last year. Make them some new slippers and present them under the tree this holiday.
Should've put a bow on it! A great idea if your sweater seems come unraveled: add an embellishment.
I recently accidentally dried my favorite wool sweater. Imagine my poor little heart sinking upon finding it, warm and cozy and ... toddler size as I extracted it from the drier. I was devastated. Thank you, Lana Red Studio, for lifting my spirits with your adorable sweater bag!
Okay, I have to admit. I kind of threw a hissy fit when I saw this. I mean, how ingenious is that? A section of knit placed inside a pump turns it into a bootie. You're welcome!
Thrifty and Chic really did me in with a couple of her ideas. I love the idea of adding temporary winter textures to the home. Designing your home is like designing a brand, you want it to have a certain feel. And I love the feeling of a cozy home when it's chilly out.

Bring your spring cardi to winter by adding some knit to the end. Knitted bliss has a tutorial on how she knitted them together.
Snookums was recently given a nice sweater, but he doesn't wear sweaters. He's hot natured. Therefore, the logical conclusion would be for me to confiscate it and turn it into a sweater for me. Goodwill doesn't need it anyway, right?
Add some pom poms to your life. Seriously. Poofy things are life changing. I swear! There's a reason cheerleaders use them: they're just fun!
This makes me really tempted to splurge on a pair of galoshes. Embellish them with some knitting. 
Nothing wins me over like beautiful embroidery. And floral prints. I am unfamiliar with felting in this manner. I must learn!
This is on my to-do list. Hands down. It's on! I'm thinking of giving some of these sweater rugs as gifts this year too.
Such an original scarf.

Another great use for your kiddos old sweaters. Turn it into a softie for Christmas. 
Update your daughters winter wardrobe with your old sweater. 
Or give yourself a new chic skirt to pair with those tights

Happy inspiration!
Steph
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Thursday, August 29, 2013

Gifts for mom bloggers

If you caught yesterday's style post, you read that it was my 30th birthday. I didn't ask for much for my birthday, but Logan did such an amazing job at gift giving, I thought it was only apt to share some of his ideas with others who may possibly be curious about what to get for their blogger wives or girlfriends.

First, Logan sat and helped me with my 30 things about me post. Taking interest in your lady's blogging is important, even if it is a silly post about herself. Support is, above all, most important.

I asked for two things for my birthday: a nail gun and a diamond drill bit. When your lady is a DIY'er, you can never steer wrong with tools and hardware, or a gift certificate to Lowe's. I, however, did not receive either of these two things. At first I frowned a little inside, but then Logan tossed this at me ...


You want to worm your way into my heart, give me Starbucks coffee and Ghirardelli chocolates. I love the fact that this hillbilly man of mine catered to my city-girl standards. And FYI: those "Twilight Delight" chocolates are to die for!


A day off is always a good idea for us mom bloggers. Come on, ladies, admit it, THAT'S HOT! I got permission to do nothing all day. He cleaned the whole house. The most strenuous thing I did was sand down a table I'v been working on. He took care of the kids and refused to let me lift a finger.

Then he confiscated my computer momentarily, and do you know what came next?

Adobe Photoshop CC! The latest and greatest Photoshop program there is! I was in heaven! I have longed for Photoshop for years, but I've never been able to afford it. I have always used GIMP, because it's free. It's a great program, has done the job well. But my little blogger heart has always longed for Photoshop. I would have been tickled to death with Lightroom or other basic program, but this man got me the crème de la crème of Photoshop programs. I have been glued to my computer, downloading scripts and actions and learning how to navigate the progam. If you are aware of any, let me know. This program was only released two months ago and I'm having difficulty to finding downloads that are compatible with Creative Cloud. 

My evening ended with my favorites, crème brûlée cheesecake and a moscato wine. It was a simple birthday, but one every mom blogger desires. Permission to do nothing by indulge, DIY, blog and photoshop. 

What would be your dream blogger birthday?

XO,
Steph
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Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Daily deals

I know it's important for new blogs to blog every weekday, and I apologize for the lack of post yesterday. It is a busy week around here, though. Yesterday I had a new stove delivered (woohoo!) and got the leak in my bathroom sink fixed. That also included a new faucet! Then there were trips to the store, finishing my sons costume for his school play on Friday, cleaning, dinner with my neighbors, more cleaning, shower, then bedtime. I was whooped!

Today won't be much slower, but that's because I will be busy installing new gold shelving for my studio space and sewing curtains for my living room. You'll be seeing these up in no time. 

For today, I thought I would share with you some of my favorite deals going on. 

Feast your eyes and indulge!


Well, I believe it to be an acceptable time of morning to begin hammering on my walls. If you have any daily deal sites you'd like to share, please do. I follow tons of them. I am, after all, always looking for great ways to stretch my budget the best I can.

Love dearly,
Steph
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Sunday, May 5, 2013

budget friendly teacher gifts

It's Teacher Appreciation week! If you're anything like me, things like this (or possibly most holidays) just sort of sneak up on you, and you often find yourself needing to throw together some awesome last minute gifts. My sons teacher spends eight hours a day with 18 of him, this gift is overdue! I've browsed around and found some unique ways you can give back to the classroom.

I loved this! What else can I say? It's spectacular! I think the most practical gift you can give your child's teacher is a donation of some kind to the classroom. I just love how Tara put her scrapbooking skills to work and wrapped some No. 2 pencils in scrapbook paper. Check out her gift set tutorial, she even made a coordinating gift bag.

Image via Tervis
Present your custom pencils in a Tervis Tumbler. If you're not familiar with Tervis, then allow me a moment to indulge you. Tervis is a great brand of to-go mugs. They're insulated and double sealed, so they keep your ice frozen or your coffee hot ALL DAY! They're a wonderful investment. They come in tons of designs, including sports teams and licensed characters. The company also donates to various charities, so you know your purchase is making a difference. They're sold online, as well as in various stores and boutiques across the country. You can locate a store near you here.

Do your kids have Dr. Seuss day at school? My son did. Every year the school has Dr. Seuss Day celebrating Dr. Seuss's birthday. This is a great way to contribute to your son/daughters classroom. Head over to Built it, Sew it, Love it, Jenn has the "Inspire" download available for you!


Image via Delia Creates
I will admit, I am big time partial to this gift idea. As you can tell, Delia tied hers with a red ribbon as a Christmas gift for her sons teacher, but germs don't stop spreading on December 26. Send some for Christmas, then contribute some more to the classroom in the spring. Anything to help our little ones stay healthy and germ-free! Head over to Delia's blog, she has the subway art for you!

Image via Giggles Galore
Mariah had the right idea for us budget conscious folk. She assembled this gift for under $5. Now that it's spring time, my son's kindergarten class is learning all about weather and plants in science. This is a delightful way to let the entire class learn about how plants grow. Not only will the teacher get to continue to expand your children's minds, but then she (or he) gets to take home a lovely potted flower at the end of the year. 

Image via Hi Sugarplum!
While it is important to help out with your kids' classroom as much as possible, sometimes the best thing you can do is give the teacher a break. Am I right? Some days I struggle with my three kiddos, let alone up to twenty! So if you really just want to treat the teacher as a big thanks, gift cards are always a delight to receive. Cassie kept it quick and simple with these filled cups.

I hope these ideas help. I'm off to round up my gift. Yes, it is possible this research was more for me than anything.

Love dearly,
Steph


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