Quick Tip for DIY Manicures

So I have been REALLY into doing my own manicures lately. 

Seriously, like every 2 or 3 days, I do my nails and always in a different color.  I have blue, purple, pink...even white nail polish!

It is actually relaxing...I'll put in an old, feel-good movie and do my nails!

However, I am not particularly good at it.  

I am EXTREMELY right-handed and not a very steady hand either.

I always slip up and get polish everywhere.  A Q-tip dipped in polish remover can get big glops off without smearing your nail, but its not very helpful when trying to get into those hard places, like under/around your nail or in the cuticles.

Solution? 

A quick tip I found was to take a toothpick, dip in nail polish remover, and touch up in those little bitty places!

  I also found that roughing up the end a little bit helps the toothpick to absorb the polish remover.

So now I don't have to be a nail technician to have a good-looking manicure.

Who knew?

Ginger

SSB

Whatever Wednesday #15

When I was a kid, my mom would let me hang a few ornaments and then touching the tree once completed was forbidden!

But I want Jack and Sam to remember decorating the tree (and Christmas as a whole) as a fun and joyous time with family...not that my childhood Christmas weren't, but it wasn't fun to not be included in decorating fun.

So I came up with some fun games and activities involving your Christmas tree!  

A great way for your kids to enjoy the tree, but also learning to respect and treat it carefully.

Activities:

1.  Let them pick out a special ornament from the store.  If its an ornament of their very own, they will be more likely to treat it carefully.

(This year, Jack picked out a Buzz Lightyear ornament...he carried it home like baby and still points it out to EVERYONE!)

2.  Make paper ornaments (snowflakes, etc.), popcorn and cranberry garland, or hand-painted ornaments.  Jack felt a great sense of accomplishment once he knew he contributed something to the tree.

Games: 

1.  Enjoy looking at some sentimental ornaments.  Include a story about that character or how you received that ornament.

2.  Spy some Christmas shapes!  Find all the bells, stars, or angels on the tree.

3.  Christmas Color fun!  Find all the red, green, or white ornaments on the tree.

4.  Christmas Counting fun!  Count all the different ornaments...or even the presents underneath the tree!

5.  Christmas fun with textures!  Look at all the different textures...is it a shiny ball, or a glittery angel?

Hope you have a happy tree!!!  Enjoy!

Ginger

SSB

Nice and Shiny Secret

So I recently had a haircut...for the first time in like a year...I know.  Bad Ginger.

And due to my negligence my hair was brittle with split ends...just yucky.

And I don't know about you guys, but I can't spend $20 on some fancy hair moisturizer...?

So I did some research and found that apple cider vinegar is really good for brittle hair, makes it nice and shiny and cleans the scalp!

Best thing I had some already in my pantry.  I mix a little in my dogs water dish for fleas/ticks, hot spots, dry skin, etc.   
Take about a 1/2 cup in the shower, add a little water in the shower, and pour over your head after shampoo and conditioner.  Work it in with your fingertips and then rinse!

Works like a charm!

Give it a try...for your pet or you!  Don't have any?

You can get a gallon at Walmart for a few bucks.

Ginger

SSB

Whatever Wednesday #10

So we finally got a chance to decorate the front porch for Halloween!  I got to put up my new goodies, but didn't get to take a pic!  Got too dark :(

So I'll post that tomorrow!

But we did make some scary monster Halloween cupcakes!

Look at this little guy!

Not as fab as some other monster cupcakes I've seen floating around bloggy land, but we had a blast making them!  Jack's face got covered in chocolate icing...I think more icing ended up on him than on the cupcake itself!

Here's the whole spooky clan!

All it took was some foil wrapped eyeballs and candy corns to make cute, quick little Halloween monsters!

But we had fun!  Enjoy!

Ginger

SSB

Quick Fabric Fix!

So I was wanting to get some cute new fabric, preferably girl fabric, since I have a baby gift in the works for a co-worker.  He is about to be blessed with a beautiful baby girl, due August 11th!

But I just couldn't find the time to get to Hobby Lobby or Joanne's...I was so bummed!

But during a recent trip to Wally World, I discovered something awesome...

I know that they had dome away with the fabric department but discovered little pre-packaged fabric cuts in the craft department for only $1 each!!!  Not a lot for huge projects but for toys, bibs, and more?  Plenty to work with!

Just look at these too cute prints!?

I snagged a bunch for my baby girl gifts I have in mind for my gift, so for under $6...I'll have a homemade, straight-from-the-heart-baby gift!  Look for it coming soon!

So the next time you wanna quick fabric fix, head over to your Walmart and see what they have...and mine had A LOT!

Ginger

SSB

Dollar Tree Games!

So I planted this garden right?  Check out all the fun I had last night... 

But today I wanted to share some tips for cheap games and activities I've found for Jack.

All are either from the Dollar Tree (holla for the dolla!) or FREE!

I love the Dollar Tree (see this post).

I picked up these foam dice from there and we have a great time learning about numbers and counting with them!  Plus, their foam so Sam can join in the fun!

I also got these wooden shapes/shoelace sets from there!  Perfect for learning shapes, colors and exercising those fine motor skills.

I

But one of our favorite car games (FREE!!!) is I Spy Shapes...when in the car, we spy all the shapes around us.  Octagon from the stop sign, rectangle from a tall building, square from the street signs, etc.

Jack LOVES it!  Try it out the next time your out and about with the kiddo's!

Post a comment with your dollar activities and car games!

Ginger

SSB

Bubble Trubble!

So Jack got this really great bubble kit for his birthday-a SPILL PROOF bubble bottle!

 See the cool little spill proof lips on the cap???

Well, the bubbles are now long gone from hours of outdoor fun...but throw the bottle away?  Forget it!  This is the only bubble bottle that lasted for more than a minute (Jack spills easily!)

Now I know you can get a giant bottle of bubble refill from Walmart or I could go the the Dollar Tree and get a bunch of little bottles...but I am way to thrifty for that.

I decided to make my own...super easy...with (I'm sure you've heard of this) dish soap! 

Super easy steps:

Step1: Clean out the bottle.

Step 2: Add a little bit of dish soap.

Step 3: Fill with water and shake gently.

Step 4:  Enjoy your homemade bubbles!

Easy fix for a thrifty mom!

Ginger

SSB

I'm linking:

Anything Related Tuesday at All Thingz Related
Tot Tuesdays at Delicious Ambiguity
Creative Juice Tuesday at These Creative Juices
Hoo's Got Talent at Night Owl Crafting
Show and Tell at Blue Cricket Design
Creative Therapy at Life in the Pitts
Show us What You're Working With at Me and My Bucket
We Did It Wednesday at Sew Much Ado

Homemade Baby Food...round 2

Alright folks, so I started a new job!  Great news for me and my fam...but bad news for my bloggy friends.  Well, not bad...but most of my posts are going up in the evening now after dinner, baths, etc.

But I am still here!   

Not going anywhere and still intend to come up with at least one post every other day or so.

So on to my Homemade Baby Food round 2...or just another recipe.  We don't have to get fancy here :)

Orange/Grape Baby Food!

 It's pretty darn simple...like a "watcha got" soup...you know...when you throw what you got in there...?

I started out with some red seedless grapes (important...seedless).  I didn't bother peeling them as that would take foreveh!  And an orange!  Yummy! 

You'll need a blender.  And basically, we are using the same process as the broccoli baby food.

This is a great way to use up fruits and vegi's before they go bad too...you can see that my grapes are a little wrinkly. 

Step 1: Throw in some grapes; you can use as little or as much as you want.  (I used 2 small handfuls)

Step 2: Cut up your orange into quarters and then peel. 

And try to keep as much of the "white" on as possible.  Thats where most of the vitamin C is.

Step3: Blend.  At this point, I added a banana to thicken it up after using a whole orange.  Next time I think I'll use only a half.  A whole made the food WAY to thin and watery.

Step 4: Blend again...awwwww.  Perfect!  Pour the food into your bowl; remember, I use the Glad 4 oz freezer bowls.  A great size for these little servings.

Mmmmm!  A yummy treat totally homemade! 

See...? Even Thomas likes it!

Head over to Mad Skills Monday NOW!

Ginger

SSB

Homemade Baby Food Tutorial!

Sorry so slow folks...started a new job on Monday, so been kinda busy.  No babies in town to watch...

 so the daycare will have to take the back burner.

Today I am sharing how to make your own baby food!  I started making my own because Sam has such a sensitive stomach...he gets stopped up easily :(  Saves $$$ too!

Today's recipe is for broccoli (great source of fiber)!

What you need:

2 med heads of fresh broccoli (you can use frozen but a lot of nutrients are already cooked out)

stock pot

water

blender

freezer bowls

Step 1: Cut your broccoli up to boil.

Step 2: Add just enpough water to cover broccoli in pot.

Step 3: Bring to a boil and continue on med until broccoli is tender (breaks easily with a fork)

Step 4: Drain and throw it in the blender with a scoop of the broccoli water.

Step 5: Blend on low until desired consistency.

Step 6: Pour into freezer bowls.  I got the Glad 4 oz bowls...perfect serving size for Sam!

And you've made delicious homemade HEALTHY baby food!

Check out more recipes coming up and don't forget to link up and share your stuff at 

Mad Skills Monday!!!!

Ginger

SSB

I'm linking:

Tot Tuesdays at Delicious Ambiguity
Creative Flow Tuesday at These Creative Juices 
Anything Related Tuesday at All Thingz Related
Make My Style Mondays at Avid Accents

Heavenly Aspirations

Okay, I HAD to post about these!  A friend of mine is starting up a little biz called 

Heavenly Aspirations~Cake Balls and Cake Pops

...ADORABLE!

Just check out these pics?!

How about an AWESOME Mothers Day gift for next year...?

Or perhaps when Easter rolls around?

4th of July is right around the corner!!!

I know what I'll be bringing to the party :)

Cute details in every yummy bite...and they are yummy.

I've tasted them.  First hand.  Delicious!

Perfect for showers and birthdays... a sweet treat!

Go glam at your next baby shower and order the trendy chocolate and pink...or blue cake pops!

Ginger

SSB

Earth Day 2010

Happy Earth Day SSB readers!  

In honor of this day, I am featuring again a few projects that help re-use and re-purpose as well as promote saving energy!  Look for some posts from Appleseed Gifts here too!

Here I go:

Re-usable Swiffer pads

Homemade Sensory Bottles

No-Sew Clothespin Holder for Clothesline

Re-purposing Old Jeans

Quick crafts from Recyclables

Homemade Car Cleaners

Homemade Cleaners for the Home

Most of these are small, but by making small changes, we can make a difference to preserve and protect our planet...

...she's the only one we got!  

I've striven to lessen my energy usage at home and use the car less.  I've pledged to re-purpose and re-use clothing, toys and more from around the house.  I've tried to create ways to lessen the amount of trash leaving my house for the landfill every Monday.  Earth Day should be every day.

In an effort to engage new ideas and to share our own knowledge...link up with your Earth Day craft or project!

This Earth Day celebration will last until Friday the 30th at midnight!

And don't forget Mad Skills Monday is still going on!  Link up, share your stuff , and visit some other ah-mazing blogs! 

 

Ginger

SSB

I'm linking:

Trip to the Thrift Store

Sooooo....went to my fav thrift store the other day and wanted to share the goodies I scored! (Love thrift shopping!!!)  Okay...so these things need a littel help...that's what I was betting on!

One of my little secrets (shhh...don't tell) is I don't buy packs of stuffing or batting from the craft store...I buy old pillows, etc. from thrift stores..!?  Seriously?  Yes.  And don't worry...I wash everything before I use it!

These ugly ducklings costs me less than $3.  Way cheaper and sometimes... 

you luck out a get a cute fabric to boot.

Like these...

this cute pirate flannel...

and this darling ladybug print fleece...

Can't beat that! 

And this thing is super ugly...

but it has a full layer of clear vinyl...I can make something cool with that once the pillow is dis-mantled...check back to see what I come up with!

Alrighty!  Hope you enjoyed my little tip!  Check out your local thrift store...you never know what you'll find!

And Mad Skills Monday is still going on!  Link up and share your stuff...maybe your thrifty finds..?










<center><a href="http://superstinkyboys.blogspot.com/search/label/Mad%20Skills%20Party"><br><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i964.photobucket.com/albums/ae124/appleseedgifts/madskillsbutton1.jpg" border="0" /></a></center>

Ginger

SSB

I'm linking: