Year of No Yarn--November Update

So there isn't much to report this month for my Year of No Yarn because I haven't started my "diet" yet. I've been able to buy some yarn for custom projects but I have NOT bought any yarn just for me this month! I even put down some pretty yarns I picked up and fondled.

Of course this week brings Black Friday which at Knit Picks is usually pretty awesome.

So I've been a good girl...remains to be see how I do on Black Friday....

I Knit So I Don't Kill People....

Did you know I had a nifty Zazzle shop as well as a Cafepress shop??? You can find some fun stuff in these two shops, including this mug that is a popular seller! I totally get why...

Find it HERE.

I'm nearing the end of my temporary job outside the home and I'm anxious to get back to my home life of working at home, taking care of my family and home and relisting my house on the market...commence the insanity!!

I've got lots of pretty stuff on the hooks and plenty of fun new reels to add to Badge Reels!

Hope to catch up soon!
~~Amy

Year Without Walmart Update

Sooooooo, I was doing so good. From January to about May I didn't go to Walmart but I think one time? Well, I have gone about three times over the summer. Twice because my father (who I drive on errands because of his vision) insisted on going. But at least once I went on my own volition. I admit, I was lured by the back to school prices. I happened to be in Mississippi where the state tax is lower and had an opportunity to be child free during back to school shopping. I was weak, I caved. But I did save...

Overall, it's not been hard to avoid it. I use Target, grocery stores, Amazon (GREAT prices on  Gluten Free foods if you need them! Organic too.) Wal-Mart is fairly easy to avoid.

Will I go back to shopping there when this experiment is over? Probably. But probably not at the frequency I was before. I buy less STUFF by not going there because I focus on locally owned grocery stores. I'd rather put my money in a family owned local business than a huge conglomerate. I'm blessed with a variety of stores to choose from, I realize not everyone has that choice. I appreciate the deals WM affords people, I just wanted to see if I COULD do it. Admittedly, it's not easy and I've not gone COMPLETELY without shopping at WM, but I've done pretty good.

Thanks for following my journey! I'll do a final update at the end of the year.

~~Amy

I Met Beyonce'....

Chances are if you read this blog, you know who Beyonce' is...and I don't mean a voluptuous R&B singer...

Well, on a recent trip to Ponchatoula, LA with my sister on a shopping trip, I ran across a cousin of Beyonce's. She was awesome. I wanted her. But alas, she could not come home with me. So, we took a snapshot to memorialize the beautiful moment.

 Yes that's really me....

It was an awesome day....saw some great things like this awesome green door on the side of the building that houses Nest Interiors.

And this great sign in downtown Hammond, La.

I also scored big that day...this vintage farm set that I remember playing with as a child. I also found this rocking chair that I have been hunting for for years. We had one when I was a kid, and I loved it! Best part?? Found it for 30 bucks!!

Have to love an afternoon of antiques hunting and quality sister time!
~~Amy

A Year Without Wal-Mart

DISCLAIMER: This blog is not affiliated with Wal-Mart or any of it's trademarks, names, places, employees, or stores. I have NOTHING against Wal-Mart and have been a faithful shopper there as long as I've had money to spend! This is merely a social experiment and blog project. Please don't sue me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have spent a LOT of money in Wal-Mart (WM) over the years. The lure of the place is amazing. Everything you need in one, giant building. But, can I go one year without shopping in Wal-Mart? 

First off, this will be very difficult because I take my disabled father grocery shopping once every 2 weeks or so, and normally we go to WM. However...that doesn't mean *I* need to shop that day. I can merely be a chauffeur and cart pusher.

Second, I am starting this challenge not because I have some bone to pick with WM as a big, giant conglomerate or big business. I actually am a fan of big business. Especially a big business started by one little man with a dream. Has the final product changed from his original vision? Sure. But that's to be expected as time goes on and he is no longer around to run it. But this project has nothing to do with politics, fighting for anything or against anything. I do not care to Occupy Wall Street or Un-Occupy Wall Street. I run my own handmade business, so I understand the need, desire, drive to push products and sell an item. I'm down with that. Me and Sam Walton are A-Ok.

Third, some people that I care for very much work or have worked for Wal-Mart. This project has nothing to do with those people and they should know I love them and they can still bring me half price candy anytime... :)

I am starting this challenge because, A) my husband thinks I spend too much money at WM. B) I WOULD rather buy local or handmade. C) I just want to see if I CAN.

So here's a little background of my family and hometown situation and rules I'll set forth for myself:

We are a family of four, two adults and two kids, and one fat dog. We live in a fairly large town on the Northshore of New Orleans, LA and have plenty of access to local and chain grocery stores. I am an avid Amazon shopper (see, told you, no issues with big business.) Three of the four of us are Gluten Free.

I can do this.

RULES:
1.) I am allowed to set FOOT in WM. As I said, I need to take my father grocery shopping, and he may need to go to WM.

2.) If I must shop in WM, I must account for it here and confess WHY I had to. (and could I really have avoided it?).

3.) I must keep receipts of all money spent, so we can attempt to compare to previous year's Wal-Mart purchases. Not necessarily, to share all my financial business with you all (although, I do heart you all, you don't need to know EVERYTHING!) But for myself so I can see if I notice a significant difference in our budget. My husband does the bills so really he will be the one to notice this.

4.) This will all tie in my goal of "A Handmade Year," which involves, making what I can make, buying handmade what I cannot make, and buying local what cannot be handmade. Also, doing without if it cannot fit any of those descriptions.

5.) I still get to go to Target, because, well, I love my Target and you can't make me not go. Baby steps, baby steps.

Think I can do it? Want to join the challenge with me? Think I'll lose money? Save money?
I admit...I'm scared. I'll probably make one last maniacal Wal-Mart run on December 31st, just to do it...

I don't suspect I will miss it terribly. I think once I get used to changing my shopping ways, it won't be that bad.

It is on like Donkey Kong.

I'm on a mission...

The challenge starts January 1st.

~~Amy

Pin It

Deal of the Week

It's Thanksgiving Week!!! :) That means it's getting into the rush of shopping season! Stay home this week, in your jammies and shop in peace with me!! :)

Use the code "blog20" for 20% off every item at Mama's Little Monkeys! :) When you shop handmade, you are making a difference to a small business owner and helping a real family--MINE!

Here's a little of what I've made with my two own hands!
Hair accessories,

Business Card?Credit Card Wallets

Baby Leg Warmers (profits donated to a handmade friend of mine who has two children with a rare cancer.)

Teacher Gifts! (Clothespin Magnets)

Mario Bros. Hats for fans big and little!

Gifts for your little princess....

Even something for your inner nerd...

If I don't make it, I bet I can find someone who DOES!! :)

Please stop by and feel free to message me via the Artfire shop with any questions!

Don't forget, coupon code "blog20" AT CHECKOUT! for 20% off all order!

~~Amy

Deal of the Week

Get ready for the holiday cleaning!

Buy One Set of Swiffer Pads get One Set FREE! ONLY in MicroMops! MUST Mention in notes to seller "blogfreeset".
Good on November 7th--November 11th purchases ONLY!

(handmade) Stuff I've Bought Lately

I love handmade. I really do. It's one of my addictions. So I thought I'd share some goodies I splurged on lately...

I bought this skirt...I can NOT wait for it to arrive. Its' not handmade, it's vintage but I heart vintage too! It's from Miss Farfalla. Very cool stuff.

I also stalked my friend Sara and the ribbon shop she runs with her husband, The Ribbon Dude. She had teased me with some awesome Saints and Who Dat ribbon...and I was finally able to get my hands on it. Yeah...I got a lot of ribbon, but here is my fave:

Back in April I snagged this awesome vintage cup and saucer for my kitchen redo. I was (slightly) redecorating my kitchen with a more retro feel. I'm not done, but making progress. This little cup and saucer fits in great on my armoire! Purchased from Molly's Closet.

And I got this vintage Mason Jar that Midwest Finds turned into a soap dispenser.

Okay, so I realized that these are all vintage and supplies......hee hee. We'll call this the Vintage/Supplies edition of stuff I've bought.

Be sure to check out these cool shops!~amy

Comment Game Time!!

Hey gang! Inspired by my fellow handmade artisans Two Kazoos and Kiwi and Kiki (and probably more I can't think of...) I'm going to host a comment game on my facebook page this Sunday at 8pm Central time. I haven't decided exactly WHAT I'm going to put up for sale, but it will be quite possibly things not listed on my sites and they WILL be on sale! You can look for items roughly 10-25% off my regular price in the shops!

How it works:
*You must be a fan of my page to see the items. "Like" me at www.facebook.com/shopmamaslittlemonkeys

*I will create a "comment game album" and post pictures of the items for sale. The details will be below each picture.

*The first person to comment with their paypal address that they want the item will get the item!

*By leaving your email you are AGREEING to make payment on the item. I will send an invoice after the game is over and once invoices are sent and paid, I will delete your email from my comments for security purposes.

*Happy Shopping! See you then!!
~~Amy

A Y ear of Living Frugally--Be Entertained....

Ahh, we continue the year of living frugally. I've been diligently cutting coupons, scouring the net for deals and tricks. I have to say I think it's going fairly well. I am now stockpiled with enough meats to get through our family dinners for several weeks or more!


So carrying on with my little experiment....how shall we entertain ourselves on the cheap?

Entertainment
This is one area where we don’t need much help because we rarely do anything! We are the family that has no problem using a TV we got for free until it literally falls apart, we rarely go to the movies, we take walks, play games, read books....we're rather low key.

Here’s what we’ve done so far that helps:

MUSIC:
Pandora.com: This is a free music service you can use on your PC (and I’m guessing it has other mobile apps, but that’s obviously something I don’t waste money on). You create custom radio stations based on your fave artists, songs, music genres and viola---free music! I believe you are only allowed 30 free hours a month, so use it wisely. It took some time but I have trained myself: I pause the music or turn it off when I’ll be out of the room for any length of time. It automatically stops the music for you in some time if you are not ‘active’ on the site for some time. It has nifty features like song lyrics, the ability to buy a song, and social networking connections. You have to listen to a few ads every so often, but who cares? I buy CD’s only for the artists I REALLLLLLLY love.

Movies/DVD’s: Okay seriously, we RARELY buy or even go see movies. We don’t even belong to anything like Netflix. But if we did, it would probably be Netflix where you can stream videos on your computer or with your Wii! We just aren’t huge movie people. We buy the ones we REALLY love that we want to keep forever, and the few that the kids want (and we do so on sale or with discounts!). With as much is on television these days, we don’t have time or need for buying/watching movies.




Redbox is also a great way to get movies. There are tons located around the country and for 1.00 you can check out a movie. Return it the next day and you have spent 1.00 and tax (and a little gas) for a movie! You can use Redbox.com to pay, hold movies and if you sign up for the emails, they usually send freebie coupons every so often!

Television: We currently use Dish Network. It was cheaper than DirectTV and WAY cheaper than our local cable company.  We have the 2nd cheapest plan meaning, for us, we get the channels we want for the most part and a DVR for under 50 a month. Your plan will vary for your families needs. For us, the DVR is priceless, because instead of buying my kids movies, I simply record their fave tv shows and viola…30 minutes of peace. Dish Network also regularly previews other channels not included in your package so if you see a show you like on that preview channel…just DVR a whole mess of them. That is how I have my stash of Golden Girls episodes. Don’t be hatin…you know you love the girls.
Dish even showed a marathon of all the "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" episodes that were off air when Dish and Fox had their little spat over money and airing their Fox shows. I find their customer service to be superb over DirecTV.

Hulu.com is also a great resource for FREE television. You can also watch many of your fave shows on the website for their network, for example, you can watch ABC Primetime shows on www.abc.com.

Books: Seriously, do I even NEED to spout the benefits of going to the library???? REALLY? Books for free. DUH. Videos too! If you simply MUST purchase books and you do it on a regularly basis try your local bookstore chains rewards program. Some cost, some don’t. But if you buy books enough, the cost of the program should be far less than the savings you’ll receive. If you do NOT save more than you spend on the program, um, duh, drop it. Amazon and Ebay are great places to get good priced books as well. There are also various swap websites and trading websites for books, but I don't have experience with them. For that you shall google.

And get your behind to the aforementioned library.

Black Friday and this time of year is the time to stock up on family board games also! One Black Friday (when my oldest was a newborn and I was up before dawn ANYWAYS) I stocked up on several of the traditional kids games (Candy Land, etc) for 5.00 each a game!

Memberships for Local Activities: These things will vary based on your area. Generally speaking, if you are even a small family and you visit your local museum, zoo, aquarium, etc more than a few times a year....joining the membership is worth it. For us, we also go more since we are members. We may still only go to the zoo 6x a year or so...but if we even go 3x we have paid for our membership. We are blessed to have access to the Audubon Institute were we can go to the zoo, aquarium and get discounts at the IMAX and the Insectarium. Keep an eye out and scope around for deals on local activity memberships on the cheap!

I hope these were helpful tips and saves you some moola! Do you have any tips you can share with us!!??
~~~Amy

A Year of Living Frugally--Introduction

So I've been dabbling in this world of saving money..(what? People DO that?) and I'm rather enjoying it. November 1st starts my true Year of Living Frugally. I hope to chronicle how it goes, share the tips and tricks, and STICK WITH IT! A little backstory:

We are a one income family and have been for nearly 4 years. We could absolutely benefit from me working full time, but at this point it's not a viable option. After I paid for daycare and other work costs, the profit would not be much and having a child with Autism at home, it's an even less a viable option. You don't just put your child with special needs in just any daycare. Both boys will be in full time school within 2-3 years so we can certainly reexamine the situation then (or if a sudden opportunity comes up before then).

Right now we are blessed with me being able to stay home with Eli. However that doesn't mean we don't need to pinch pennies! It seems everywhere I turn in my life, friends are suffering from illness, job loss, and needing to save money or just weather the storm. (I'll refrain from discussing the political angle of this for now) I can't help but wonder, how long before I'm next?

So I've been experimenting for some time now with saving money. Thus far, here are some things that have worked for me in the area of running your day to day household chores.


*Making my own laundry soap. The materials are fairly inexpensive, and the costs vary. I purchase cold process soap from CosmicCleanBody and the rest of the materials from local stores. Just google "How to make laundry detergent" and you'll find a ton of resources!

*Line Drying Clothes: This is a less oft used solution for me because living in the deep south leads to great humidity which apparently does not do great for line dried clothes. But as we are FINALLY getting cooler I plan to start drying on the line again .When I do tumble dry clothes, I do several loads at once so once the dryer has heated up once, it doesn't have to work so hard at drying the next few loads.

*CrockPot Cooking: I have no data to back this up, but I highly suspect that crock pot cooking saves money. Not only do you generally make a meal that lasts for days, and gives you leftovers to freeze, you aren't running your stove/oven for hours. So I've got no actual cents on this one, but I think it saves money. It definitely saves time!!

*Planning your Menu  This seems like a no brainer to me but I am shocked to hear how many people do not plan their menu. Now this is not to say I stick to it religiously. There are plenty of days where I forget to thaw meat or something, so I shift to another days schedule..but because I have a menu and I purchased my groceries based on that, I have the items there to make the planned meals. I combine this with coupon clipping, looking at the grocery ads (that they throw in the free sample paper 1-2x a week), and basing the menu off whats already in the freezer/pantry. And while we're at it: Keep your freezer/fridge Full: This keeps the air circulating just so and your appliance doesn't have to work so hard to pump out cold air. Just don't pack it TOO full or it'll not be able to move the air freely.

*Cleaning: This is an area of our lives that people probably waste a lot of money in. Quite honestly there isn't much in this world that can't be cleaned with vinegar, baking soda and a lemon. But just assuming that's not your thing, here are some ways we save money cleaning. 

• Reusable Cloths: I do buy paper towels for some things but for cleaning, I try to keep with reusable cloths. Now, I sew, so I have in my possession, a wide variety of fabrics. I make my own cloth flannel wipes, reusable Swiffer Wet Jet Pads, grocery bag holders, laundry bags, etc. I so firmly believe in this lifestyle change that I run Micro Mops with my fellow penny pincher, Dee :) You can keep a stack of cloths in your drawer and just throw them in with your regular laundry. Don't sew? Check out my shop or head to Sam's or another big box store and buy a giant pack of terry cloth el-cheapo towels.
• Refilling Cleaning Solutions: Chances are you can use far less of the amount listed on cleaning solutions. Or you can refill them when you think you can't. Use a Swiffer WetJet? Well when the solution runs out, simply hold the bottle upside down so the top is submerged in very hot-boiling water for just a minute. This loosens the glue so you can remove the cap and refill with your fave cleaning solution. Continue this until the bottle is too grimy to use anymore! If you use liquid hand soap, look into buying in bulk, or the larger refill bags, you can reuse the same container and just refill with the liquid when it runs out. 
• Washing Items in Cold Water: You REALLY don't need to wash much in Hot water unless its really dirty (like soiled towels/sheets) or the care label specifically says to wash in hot. Save your money and energy and wash in cold, with homemade laundry soap and then line dry! Laundry on the cheap! 
•  Clean from the Top Down: Dust from the top down...wipe from the top down...pick up from the top down...you get the idea. It's just silly to clean something you already cleaned. Let your solutions do their work by spraying and letting them drip down mirrors, tubs, etc.
•  Stick to Cleaning Solutions You Trust: I do spend the extra bucks for some items. I personally love Mr Bubbles bathroom scrubbing bubbles cleaning sprays/solutions. I find they work extremely well, I spray, let sit for a few minutes and let it do it's magic...and viola, I can WIPE the tub/sinks/toilets/etc out without killing my back. It's beautiful.

Routines are my friend. I try to stick to routines and when I get off base from them I find myself easily distracted and things don't get done. Of course I am an easily distractable person, so routines are against my better nature, but if I don't force myself to stick to lists and routines, I'll put off EVERYTHING and then get stressed trying to do it all at once.

Of course I'm blessed that both my husband and I are realistic that we don't want or need to live in a Martha Stewart house. Children do not remember how clean the house was, how fine their things were, but they remember the time spent with them. So that is what I aim for every day, a healthy balance of kids, house, spouse, fun and time for me.

I'll be back soon to share more of my tips and tricks and some experiments. I'll conclude with an ongoing list of what I want to accomplish to save money/time.

*Cut down on paper usage: towels/napkins/paper plates
*Line dry 3-4x per week
*Cut more Coupons--while analyzing if they're really worthwhile!
*Plan menu based on the sale papers, not on what we want...perfect this plan
*Utilize the things we have memberships to: Audubon Zoo, Children's Museum, etc.
*Keep track of daily money going out that I alone spend. Strictly limit that
*NO fabric/supply purchases unless necessary for a pending order!

Do you have frugal tips? Feel free to share them!!

~~Mama Amy

Plurkies Unite! Where to find lovely items from lovely people...

On a little social networking site called Plurk. It's like Twitter's really cool cousin from college.

If you are a plurkie, feel free to leave your URL in the comments section of this blog! I'll be adding a widget you can steal to share this great list, but in the mean time, just link back to this blog post, or copy it and keep your own list up for all the world to see! 

PLURKIES ROCK!

In No Particular Order:

Mama's Little Monkeys and Other Personalities

www.mamaslittlemonkeys.etsy.com

www.mamaslittlemonkeys.artfire.com

www.micromops.etsy.com

www.micromops.artfire.com

www.badgereels.etsy.com

www.badgereels.artfire.com

www.destashcity.etsy.com

www.destashcity.artfire.com

www.napmatcovers.etsy.com
www.facebook.com/shopmamaslittlemonkeys
www.facebook.com/MicroMops

Sunny Days Embroidery/Aunti Franni:

www.auntifranni.artfire.com

28Sides Designs

http://www.artfire.com/users/28sidesdesigns

Designs of Avalon:

http://www.artfire.com/users/dsignsofavalon

GundoWorks:

Blog: http://gundowerks.blogspot.com/

http://www.artfire.com/users/gundowerks

http://www.facebook.com/gundowerks

Butterfly Crafts:

http://www.butterfly-crafts.com/

Emily Claire Creations

http://www.artfire.com/users/emilyclairecreations

Fo-Shizzle Designs, etc.

www.mzzthang.artfire.com
www.earthwindandartfire.artfire.com
www.mischabridaljewelry.artfire.com
www.Fo-Shizzle.com

Jewelled Trellis

www.jewelledtrellis.artfire.com
www.jewelledtrellis.etsy.com
www.zibbet.com/jewelledtrellis

Jewelled Stitches

www.jewelledstitches.artfire.com

Aislins Erotic Jewels and Serenity Grove

http://aislinnseroticjewels.artfire.com
http://serenitygrove.artfire.com

M2bC - Meant2bCherished

www.M2bC.artfire.com
www.M2bC.blogspot.com


Rhythms
www.Rhythms.artfire.com

handarbeitskram

http://handarbeitskram.artfire.com

Skyline Candle Company

www.skylinecandle.com
www.skylinecandlecompany.blogspot.com
www.skylinecandlecompany.artfire.com

NightMaiden

www.nightmaiden.artfire.com

Simply Smiss

www.smiss00.artfire.com
www.facebook.com/simply.smiss

C Turtlez Oddz n Endz

www.cturtlezoddznendz.com
 www.cturtlesoddsnends2.webs.com

www.artfire.com/users/CTurtlezOddznEndz

www.zibbet.com/CTurtlezOddznEndz

cturtlezoddznendz.ecrater.com

www.etsy.com/shop/CTurtlezOddznEndz

www.artfire.com/users/CTurtlezCentral

tdfirmoafm.blogspot.com

www.mineralmakeupmama.com

EagleHawk

http://www.artfire.com/users/cnewcomb
http://www.artfire.com/users/awoodworkingodyssey

Stitches in Cotton

www.stitchesincotton.artfire.com
www.facebook.com/stitchesincotton

SewHappy Designs

http://www.artfire.com/users/Sewhappydesigns
http://www.etsy.com/shop/SewHappyDesigns
http://sewhappydesigns.blogspot.com/
http://icanquilt.com/

Positively Charming Things

http://www.artfire.com/users/PositivelyCharmingThings
http://www.artfire.com/users/positivelycharmingbeads

GlasstasticTreasures

http://www.artfire.com/users/GlasstasticTreasures
http://glasstastreasures.blogspot.com/
http://glasstastictreasures.tumblr.com/
http://www.facebook.com/GlasstasticTreasures?ref=ts#!/GlasstasticTreasures?v=wall

The Beaded Branch

http://www.artfire.com/users/TheBeadedBranch
http://thebeadedbranch.blogspot.com/
http://www.thebeadedbranch.com
http://www.facebook.com/The.Beaded.Branch.Accessories
http://www.artfire.com/users/TBBCompostPile

GypsyGoods

http://www.artfire.com/users/GypsyGoods
http://www.zibbet.com/GypsyGoods
http://mygypsygoods.blogspot.com/

Pegasus Soaps

http://pegasussoaps.com
http://pegasussoaps.blogspot.com
http://pegasussoaps.etsy.com
http://zibbet.com/pegasussoaps

Rose Garden Fibers

www.rosegardenfibers.artfire.com

Essensu

http://www.essensu.com
http://www.facebook.com/essensu
http://www.theholisticdiva.net
http://www.essensu.artfire.com
http://www.essensu.etsy.com
http://www.twitter.com/essensu

Elfling Creations
http://elflingcreations.com
http://merigreenleaf.artfire.com
http://merigreenleaf.etsy.com
http://www.zibbet.com/merigreenleaf
http://merigreenleaf.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/ElflingCreations

Haffina
www.HaffinaCreations.artfire.com
www.BeadsByHaffina.artfire.com
www.HaffinasMinis.artfire.com
www.HaffinaCreations.com

Day One Fail...

Okay. This is sad. I did not even make it through day one!! BUT in my defense, I did not seek out these deals, I received an email from OhMyCrafts.com (satan I tell you!) and I had to choose colors for a previous order that was out of stock. WHOA. Totally did not know their vinyl would be on sale. With the help of my enabling friends, (You know who you are!!) I caved. Ok I caved. I bought. But that is enough vinyl to hold me for QUITE some time and it was in HALF OFF SALE plus I had a 20% off coupon!!! COME ON!! You would've done the same thing, don't even lie!

OKAY...so we start over AGAIN! I may have to ban myself from the computer to make this work....

WE CAN DO THIS! I think I can, I think I can...

Lord help me ya'll...

Black Friday INSANITY!

Wow. It's crazy out there ya'll! Why not skip the madness and shop online? Hundreds of retailers and handmade sellers are ready to hook you up! :) Including moi of course!

40% Off through Monday on all orders of 25 or more at Mama's Little Monkeys on Artfire and Destash City on Artfire. Just use the coupon codes "blackfriday" or "black friday".

Buy 1 get 1 FREE (equal or lesser value) at Mama's Little Monkeys Etsy. WAIT for revised invoice or I can refund via Paypal.

Be sure to check out these great deals from the Cafemom Team and Handmade Louisiana!
Happy Shopping!
~~Amy

Fabricholics---Allow me to be your pimp...

I have too much fabric. Yes. It IS true. It is possible. I know, I know, WHAT? How can one have TOO much fabric???

But alas, I do! (With more on the way!)

So I have started my own Destash shops both on Etsy and Artfire!

Come check it out and allow me to be your fabric pimp! :)

Get ready for some cool gifts!

Alas, despite the summer heat down here, it is indeed approaching the biggest shopping season of the year! Now, personally, I do not actually celebrate Christmas but am more than happy to provide lots of shopping for everyone else :) I also love to stalk the sales and see what's up for grabs during the holiday season!

Times are tough, money is tight. So perhaps it is more your idea this year to find one, good, meaningful, unique gift for your special someones? If that's you, keep reading because you can find lots of unique gifts on Artfire.com from thousands of talented artisans. The coolest thing is you can search from various gift guides to fit your needs! And because searches are random, you'll likely find something new each time you search!!

Here are some of MY faves!

Funky, unique magnets by PicardCreative.













Fantastic Baby Items in awesome colors and prints from a Louisiana resident,
KaroiColor











Fabulous cupcake soaps--do not eat, Norma is not responsible for your butt bubbles!!














Or maybe you want to get ready for fall now with this awesome handmade leaf bowl from Harmon Art!


No matter what you're looking for, search the Artfire Gift Guides for all your gifts in ANY season!! :)

Of course, if you'd like to purchase from MY Lovely shops I can be found in a few gift guides myself :)

~Amy

Let's Go to the Movies

It's Earth Day for Crying Out Loud!

Hey folks...ok...so I do not usually do 'rant' posts and I'm sure by rant standards this will be mild...but I just had to.

I am not what one would call a 'tree hugger' or huge Earth Day fanatic. I believe in taking care of what God gave us and respecting it just as we'd respect anything we have the blessing to be in possession of. For me, many of my 'green' life decisions also happen because they are economical and I will be green as long as my pocketbook allows. I'm not strapping myself to trees a la Lisa Simpson but I will do my very best to leave the lightest carbon footprint around.

As I've said for some time, I was Green before Green was cool...back then it was called being Poor! (Like that? Feel free to purchase it in my Cafepress shop!

So, I headed off to a local ahem, grocery store today for my weekly shopping. I was inspired by Walkinthewoods to bring my reusable grocery bags which I've had for some time but had always seemed to forget! So I threw my bags in the car and off I went, toddler in tow.

I had my usual buggy full of groceries...and put my bags on the groceries so the cashier would realize I was using them. Mind you, two of them are HUGE sturdy ones that basically stand up on their own, they don't flop over, and one was a smaller one.

Remember, it's Earth Day.

She ACTUALLY calls another cashier OVER to bag for her! To HELP her bag! She asks this, loudly, in between shooting me dirty looks. I, normally a pleasant person (ok, MOST of the time...) was not taking this nicely. I wasn't ugly or anything but I said, "Really, it's NOT a big deal, I will bag my OWN groceries. It's NOT THAT HARD." She never really responded to me and got her friend to come over. The friend basically said I'm not helping you bag..and proceeded to play with my baby (to make a point to her friend who was lazy or what I know not.)

So I ended up bagging my own groceries (no big deal but NOT my job...that's what THEY get paid to do.) and the cashier barely communicated with me other than the dirty looks. I was trying to casually explain how much more I can fit in the big reusable bags and what not. Nope, nothing. Just ticked off that I dared to bring in bags and not use their plastic bags!

Okay, so I realize it is not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but it was really bad mojo on Earth Day of all days!! I know that where I live, they are WAY behind on eco-friendly, modern, or new ideas. However, if one thinks about it, LOTS of green ideas have been around for a LOOOONG time...reusable bags, handmade soaps, laundry detergents, etc. These are not new ideas! So I hope one day that cashier realizes that A) it is not evil or an inconvenience for your customers to use reusable bags B) that how you treat your customers reflects a lot..I will never go in her line again C) do good and good will come to you....be ugly to people and you will get ugly back!

Okay, rant over, I told you it was mild, I just thought it was ludicrous to whine over using reusable bags...Oye.

HAPPY EARTH DAY everyone!! :)

Easy Ways to Save Money

Alrighty folks, if you are a faithful reader of the 'mom' magazines like I am, Woman's Day, Family Circle, etc, then you've read those ever helpful articles about how to save money. You know what I mean....instead of buying your frappacino every day, cut down to once a week and save 18 trillion dollars a year. Or get your nails done once a month versus every week and you can feed a small nation. Wash your clothes in cold water instead of hot and save 8 thousand bucks a month.

Um. Okay. Can we have money tips for REAL moms?????

Nails done? Yes, I have had artificial nails done a time or two. Literally. I can count on one hand. And that includes just 'regular' manicures. Each time they were for an event: my own wedding, vacation, someone's wedding, etc. I have NEVER had my nails done JUST BECAUSE.

Drive through coffee? Umm, yeah, no. I do on occasion get drive thru coffee (lovingly purchased from my LOCAL coffee shops, rarely from u-know-who-bucks.) but it really is a treat. There is a reason I hold my monthly local Etsy street team meetings, and Celiac Disease Support Group meetings at local coffee houses----so I can justify my purchase of insanely expensive, but oh so delish coffee! So I technically get it twice a month. And one is tax deductible....

Hot water for laundry? Only for cloth diapers and really nasty ones!! I was extremely confused by the laundry detergent that came out and was oh so important because you could SUDDENLY wash your clothes in cold water. For real? I've been doing that since I was old enough to put laundry in the washer! My mama would have tore me a new one if I'd used hot water for anything other than very certain items.

So, every time I read those 'money-saving' articles, I wonder when someone will write one for REAL women. Now, there are financial guru's I love. Who doesn't realize Suze Orman is freaking genius? And I enjoy the articles by Mary Hunt. But overall...most are simply telling you to cut out the fluff!

Well, in these economic times, many people are suddenly having to live as I had to all these years. I grew up very poor and learned some hard lessons about money when I got a college degree, subsequent job, and then the credit card debt that came with it!

Thankfully my husband was a saver and we started our life out on the right track. Even now, we don't have a TON of money, we live modestly, but I am able to splurge on my fabric addiction, soap addiction and handmade addiction. Thankfully, most of those are again, business expenses and tax deductible! :)

I admit, my one major splurge is handmade. I love venues like Etsy, crobbies.com, madeitmyself.com, etc, that allow me to buy wonderfully handmade items! I will gladly pay more for handmade because I know the item was made with love, attention to detail and NOT by a child in slave labor in a foreign country. I know it's safe and an excellent way to help a small business out. (Despite the CPSIA trying to stop it.)

So here are some ways you can SAVE MONEY, when you already are!

1. Take advantage of Freeuse and Freecycle. Have a click and see if there is one in your area. You may just make new friends! Remember one man's trash is another man's treasure. These groups may often also be able to tell you about any barter groups in your area...an extremely helpful group if you have any skill that you can put to use in return for something. I love a good trade!

2. Visit the library!!! Children do NOT read enough in this age! Neither do adults! Now, I admit, you are reading this on a blog, on the Internet, and I do see the irony. So when you're done, go grab your kids and hit the books! The library is an amazing place! Books, magazines, videos, resources, story time, a quiet place (so precious when you have children.), and more can be found at the library! Your taxes pay for it... USE IT!

3. Cut coupons----the right way! Do not subscribe to your local paper just to get the coupons! You will likely never save as much as you spent on the paper. Rather, join up with a family member or friend and SHARE the paper and the coupons. Or even better, print them online. Just google "online coupons".

4. Eat dessert only one night a week. Please don't stop reading now! Hear me out. I am not saying you can't have a treat every night, a few Hershey's kisses, cup of cocoa, whatever. But save that glorious dessert for one night a week and make a big deal of it! For us it's Friday night. For me it usually means a special ice cream! For the kids, it's something gooey, sugary and scrumptious we don't usually let them have.

5. Try to eat out only ONCE per week---this INCLUDES lunches if you are working! Pack that lunch for work, save money, and hopefully whittle your waistline.

6. Search places like Craigslist, Diaperswappers, Ebay or Amazon for items you do want or need. Amazon has an amazing grocery selection that lets you buy in bulk and save money. HOWEVER, only buy in bulk what you will reasonably use! Or even better, split it with friends and family and make your own little co-op! Do the same with fruits and veggies if you have a farmer's market near you...some will lower prices if you buy in bulk. It never hurts to ask!

7. Bundle services. The commercials really do work...you should try to bundle your services. If you use TV, Internet and phone from the same company or 2 of the 3, check out their bundle plans. Trust me, they want your business. When our basic cable (about 20 channels, most of which religious, or shopping) went up to 21 a month, I made a phone call. I said we would leave and go to satellite if they didn't work with us. I met resistance at first, but soon got the next package up for 25.00 a month for a year. Well, that year is coming to a close soon and if they want to keep us, they'll keep that rate. If not, we are fully prepared to get rid of cable and just use the converter box!

8. MAKE what you can..within reason. I can sew. And make soap. So it makes economic sense for me to do those two things for my family. But I can't do it all. So I am all up for a barter, clearance rack, or the occasional splurge. Do you really need to do as much clothes shopping as you do? REALLY?

9. It is true, pay yourself first! In our family we pay a certain % of our net income to our church. It is a sizable % and when people hear what it is, they are flabbergasted. How can we live on our income minus this %? Because, well, for us, it is a requirement, so we know God will provide. So, because we are USED To taking that % out, we learn to live frugally! Somehow it always works out...I firmly believe much of that is beyond our control.

10. Before you make a purchase, is it made in China? Seriously. If you do that, and try to eliminate just one 'made in China' purchase each shopping trip, you'll quickly stop buying as many items. It is our dependence on foreign countries that is weakening us as a nation and society. (ONE of the many things weakening us.) I PROMISE you can find quality, awesome goods made in America if you just look. I know it's hard. I don't even begin to pretend I never buy from China. But I try to limit it.

11. HAVE FUN! Saving money is something that will become a habit. I often feel like a huge spender compared to some of my friends who are even thriftier than I! Somehow my mother in law can squeeze a dollar out of a nickel. So I look to them for guidance and inspiration. Find those people in your life, watch them and learn from them. Then have fun---inexpensive fun! Explore your town, save up for a fancy night out, ONE new piece of clothing, etc.

Ironically, I write this on the very same blog I share my shops on which I sell handmade goods! Why? Because I have faith in my products and I know that in these tough times we all need to help each other out when we can!

If you really try and watch what you are spending, you will be able to save money and enjoy life!

Because, really, what are material possessions and coin in the bank compared to family, friends...and of course a good piece of chocolate cake....

Yes, that is a real cake. And yes I would NOT splurge on that...it's too pretty to eat!

:) ENJOY!

~~~Amy

Your Chance to Win AGAIN!

Thanks to the lovely folks at How-To Studio, you can win another gift certificate for one of my shops AND learn my nifty secret to creating flower pens!! So go check them out, give them some love and come on down to the shops for some holiday shopping! Don't forget..if you don't see it, it doesn't mean I can't make it!!





Click for the Giveaway