OKAY. IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN TLC’S NEWEST DEMENTED WEIRDNESS DOCUMENTARY ENTITLED, EXTREME CHEAPSKATES, YOU HAVE TO DO IT NOW. CAPS NECESSARY.
A friend of mine was telling me about this show and how much I would love it/hate it/barf when I watched it, so I set that thing to record and finally got around to watching the horrors last night. Have you seen it? DID YOU GAG? I mean, I gagged, at least 45 times during the goat head segment alone. Okay, I’ll stop being all vague and explain.
The episode highlighted 5 or so people who are extremely consumed with the idea of saving money. I’m not ragging on them for trying to be frugal, it’s just the lengths they go to save VERY little are just… I don’t even know. Watch this clip about a lady who doesn’t buy toilet paper for her family. Keep an eye out for the STAINS.
You saw the stains, right? gaggfaklsdjf;alksdfjgag
There’s also a guy who goes dumpster diving for funsies and collects a bunch of random crap to give his wife for their anniversary. Like, he actually presented the gifts to her while they were out to dinner in a ceremonious fashion, right before he asked the other dining patrons if he could have their leftover food. Classy fella, that one. What exactly would you do if your husband gave you an old tea kettle with mysterious dumpster stains on it? I was asked this same question, and I can honestly say I would first beat him over the head with said kettle, then promptly drown myself in the moldy dumpster water it contained. There’s… there’s just no point.
So after Justin and I watched the show, we were so inspired by all the people who could think outside of the box that we started coming up with our own winning money saving ideas. It’s our new thing now, and our goal is to make our ideas as gross as possible. I’ll be washing dishes and Justin will come in and be all, “I have another good one. Clean all your old hair out of the drains, dry it out, then use it to stuff pillows for the couch!” And I’ll be like, “Why don’t we rinse out that bag the hotdogs came in and I can carry my makeup in it!”
Today I was hanging out with my brother and he came up with some pretty inventive ones too.
Old grapefruit peel as a key catcher on your entry table.
Old shoe becomes the perfect charging station! (Notice the cord running through the hole? I die.)
Soda can vase... a frugal gift for that special someone.
Don't throw away that toothpaste tube! Cut off the end and you have a glasses case. (Thanks for the high fashion model pose, bro.)
It’s all about upcycling, people. Now go find that show and watch it.
Over the weekend, I came up with a simple centerpiece idea for a Mickey Mouse themed baby shower. I pretty much just used the supplies I had on hand and –> FAIL <-- didn’t take photos of the process, but it’s easy enough to explain.
Materials for base:
A mason jar
Red filler (Red Hots, red M&M’s, Hot Tamales are great candy options) – BUY ENOUGH SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO IMPROVISE WITH TISSUE PAPER, MMK?
Two white buttons
Materials for Mickey’s head:
Go chop off Mickey Mouse’s head… if you laughed, you need help.
1 Large Styrofoam ball
2 Small Styrofoam balls
1 wooden dowel
2 toothpicks
Black paint & brush (I used acrylic craft paint)
Glue
Process:
Paint the Styrofoam balls black and allow to dry for a few hours.
Stick the dowel in the large Styrofoam ball. If it wiggles around too much, use some glue to secure it inside the “head”.
Put a toothpick inside each smaller Styrofoam ball and stick them into the larger one to form a head with ears.
Fill the mason jar with red candy (or whatever your brilliant little mind came up with) and stick the dowel in the center. My mason jars were on the smallish side, so I had to saw the dowel in half for this to work. Also, I ran out of Red Hots and since the party was 2 hours away, I improvised with red tissue paper for the top portion. YOU DON’T HAVE TO. It looks cheesy, dude. I’m aware.
Glue the two white buttons on the front of the jar.
I think if I had more time, these would’ve turned out better. Can you imagine how cute a Minnie one would be? A bow on top? Adding little skirt somehow? STOPPIT RIGHT NOW.
(Also, the chevron towel is from Target. I saw you eyeballin’ it.)
Happy New Year, friends! I hope everyone had a fun and safe yadda yadda yadda. Now get in, sit down, shut up and be quiet. This just got real.
A friend of mine just had an idea. A spectacular idea. An idea I think we can all get behind (that’s what she said). So you know how we all spend like, 20 hours a day on Pinterest and have all these awesome ideas floating around in our heads but never actually tackle any of the projects because we’re spending 20 hours a day on Pinterest? Or is that just me?
Don’t lie, I see all your pins.
Well, Jami suggested this idea to a group of her crafty blogger friends: Pick a project on Pinterest and umm, do it. But do it in a fun and very public way! (TWSS)
Here’s what’s happening:
We’re challenging ourselves and all of you to choose one thing you’ve had your eye on. A new recipe, a new hairstyle, a fabric covered pot, a sunburst mirror, a centerpiece for your future wedding, WHATEVER. Sometime in the next two weeks, complete your project, post a photo to your own blog, then come here and share your accomplishment with the class. We’ll all be able to see each other’s stuff, get even more ideas and inspiration, and hello!? We’re putting our Pinterest obsession to good use. Win-win-win!
Again, your assignment is:
1. Complete a project based on something you’ve seen on Pinterest. 2. Show off your mad skills on your own blog. 3. Come back here fill out the form at the bottom of this post to link up your entry. Deadline is January 15th.
These little guys are going on our Christmas tree this year, which is getting a fun, whimsical, handmade makeover. I’m looking forward to making more ornaments with Maddie (and Jack, if his little fat self will cooperate). Yay for silly kid trees!
A while back, I mentioned that I was making a gaggle of crepe paper flowers to go on a wedding cake. The photos just came my way and I’m actually really pleased with how the cake turned out! It was my first run with crepe, so they aren’t perfect, but I think they look pretty darn cute on top of that yummy cake.
A 20-something year old mother to the strongest-willed little girl in the universe. Wife to the handsomest geek. Reader of teenage romance novels. Lover of all things Anthropologie. Just gave birth to baby #2 and happy to tell you all about my nutso new life as a stay at home mom.
