Just For Fun

My Homemade Christmas Ornaments (Fun with the Kids!)

December 2, 2010

(A picture of our home-made ornamnet).
Kids Christmas Crafts!
 
Probably one of the greatest feelings I get is when see my kiddos little expressions when they have accomplished a goal, realized something new, or just had plain old fun giggling! I am a throw it together kind of craft person (that probably comes from my teaching days). I can create some kind of craft project out of bare necessities in the kitchen, from a craft store, or heck even from the ground outside! LOL!!
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First, let me start off by telling you about this family tradition we have that all started because of one of my friends parents. On the first Christmas my friend had after moving out into his own home, his mom brought over a bag full of ornaments (18 to be exact). She handed them to him to put on his tree…there was one home-made ornament he had made growing up to 18 years! I was pregnant with my daughter then and decided in that moment I was going to do the very same thing for my kids. I am a big sap, so yes, I had tears in my eyes when his mom gave those ornaments to him!
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While taking a walk one day, I noticed pine cones on the ground and thought to myself what a great ornament they would be. So, yes you can bet I drove over to the street where I saw the pine cones and I walked down the center and picked them up. I probably looked like a mad woman, but desperate times call for desperate measures (that’s where all the good-looking pine cones were). Seriously….I promise!
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Anyway, after bringing them home, we spray painted them gold and then I dug in my craft closet for some glue, glitter, sequence, and ribbon and let the kiddos have at it…no not really. I did guide them, but I also didn’t worry about the mess. You see…one thing I have learned is that messes take well to a vacuum, mop, or paper towel, so who cares! They are only little ONCE!! There is a country song that I absolutely love called Let Them Be Little by Billy Dean. I first heard that song when my daughter was about 1-year-old. It’s crazy how one little song changed my life in that moment! I LITERALLY stopped worrying about the mess she made and started enjoying our time together!
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I ramble wayyyy too much…sorry :) I wanted to share this craft project with you just in case you wanted some great holiday craft ideas to do with your kiddos while they are on Winter break. Here is what we did:
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Materials
  • Pine Cones (If you don’t have any in your area, Amazon sells a 1/2 lb. bag of Pine Cones)
  • Ribbon
  • Glue
  • Gold Spray Paint (you could also use tempera paint and paint them white)
  • Glitter, Sequence, or anything else you want to decorate them with. (I wish I would have used the Crayola Glitter Glue because it would have stayed on much easier!)
  • Hooks (I don’t really know what they are called, but Amazon sells them HERE)

Directions

  • Spray paint the pine cones and let them dry
  • Screw one of those metal hooks into the bottom of the pine cone
  • Attach a piece of ribbon to the metal hook
  • Mix 2/3 glue with 1/3 part water in a bowl
  • Have the kids paint the glue/water mixture in a downward motion towards the smallest point of the pine cone (I found that direction to work the best)
  • Sprinkle the glitter, sequence, etc. to decorate them
  • Allow them to dry

   
 

I hope you enjoy making this craft if you decide to give it a whirl. There are some great FREE craft sites out there! Just to name a couple, you can go to the following:

2 comments

Coupon Gal: FRUGALICIOUS Song!!

April 3, 2010

I just LOVE my readers! You guys always support me and brighten my days so much. About a week ago I mentioned that I love the word “FRUGALICIOUS” that I made up and that I would like to have a song made using it. Guess what? One of my readers made one! I think it is so cute and fun. Now we just need it put to music and sung :)

So here it goes, courtesy of Christy Delauder
to the tune of Fergie’s “Fergalicious” song….

Four, tres, two, uno

Listen up y’all cause this is it
The beat that I’m bangin’ is discounted

Frugalicious definition
Make them cashiers loco
They want my treasures
So they get their pleasures from my stockpile photo

You can see me, you can’t squeeze me
I ain’t cheap, I ain’t crazy
I got reasons why I save em
Money come and go like seasons

Frugalicious
So delicious
But I ain’t penurious
And if you was suspicious
All that stuff is fictitious

I nearly pisses
When I see those prices drop drop
And they be linin’ down the block
Just to look at what I bought

Four, tres, two, uno

So frugalicious
It’s hot, hot
So frugalicious
I make them prices drop, drop
So frugalicious
They want a taste of what I got
I’m frugalicious
Thrifty, Thrifty

Frugalicious def-
Frugalicious def-
Frugalicious def-

Frugalicious definition
Make them cashiers crazy
They always claim they know me
Comin’ to me call me coupon crazy

I’m the F to the R,U,G,the I, the E
And can’t no other lady bring it down like me

I’m frugalicious
So delicious
My binder stays vicious
I be up to 3 am
Just workin’ on my clippin’

He’s my witness
I watch them prices drop, drop
And he be linin’ down the block
Just to look at what I bought
Four, tres, two, uno

So delicious
It’s hot, hot
So delicious
I make them prices drop, drop
So delicious
They want a taste of what I got
I’m frugalicious

Hold, hold, hold up, time to check out

Baby, baby, baby
If you really want money
Honey, get some patience
Maybe then you’ll get a taste

Of my coupon crazy,
And I’m well stocked with pads and paste- eee
It’s no wasty, wasty
It’ll make you crazy

T, to the H, to R,I,F,T,Y Girl you thrifty
T, to the H, to R,I,F,T,Y Girl you thrifty
F, to the R, to the U-G-A-L-I-C-I-O-U-S
F, to the R, to the , to the, to the
Hit it Frugie!

All the time I turn around people gather round
Always lookin’ at me up and down, lookin’ at my (Uh)
I just wanna say it now I ain’t tryin’ to round up drama
Little mama I don’t wanna waste your time

And I know I’m comin’ off just a little bit conceited
And I keep on repeatin’ how you folks just can’t beat it
But I’m tryin’ to tell, that you should be nice to your coupon clientele

Cause they say she frugalicious
So delicious

9 comments

Do You Look Like A Couponer?

March 19, 2010

Do You Look Like A Couponer?

Do you often get stereotyped because you use coupons? Has anyone ever said, “You don’t look like someone that HAS to use coupons” or “You don’t look like someone who WOULD use coupons” or any other variation of that comment? I have, many times (probably more times than I would like to admit).

That got me thinking….hmmmm….why? What does a couponer look like? Why are people making those comments? Unfortunately, there are no studies out there to back up my theory and this is just food for thought, but maybe it’s because those people don’t understand the power behind coupons, they don’t understand that using coupons does not “classify” or “categorize” us in any one particular group or to look like any particular “type.”

You see, I don’t believe that person who uses coupons “looks” a certain way. A couponer’s “look” comes from within their mind. For some couponers, they have made up their mind to use coupons because times are hard, for others, it’s because they lost their job, and for some it’s simply just because they WANT TO! It’s a way of thinking in which annual household income and a person’s looks do not play a significant variable!

That’s me…. up there in that picture! You can say I “look” like a couponer or not… it doesn’t matter because “I AM a PROUD couponer!” Just because we use coupons does NOT mean we do not take pleasure in the things that make us happy, does it? It just means we are going to find a CHEAPER way of getting what we want by combining a sale or promotion and a coupon or rebate!

Some of us still have Dyson Vacuums and splurge, most of us still go out to eat dinner with our families, and some of us even….(GASP)….YES, some of us even carry COACH PURSES because we worked a very **Supercali FRUGALICOUS cexpialidocious** deal to get it!

It’s you, it’s me, it’s a single mother of three….it’s all of us you see. That’s not a look, it’s not a type, it could be any of us alike!

(Do you like my little Dr. Seuss rendition?)

38 comments