May has graciously offered her time and talents to the interweb, FOR FREE. (She usually gets paid the big bucks for this kind of stuff.)

Blah, blah, blah….here’s May:

Can you believe Nevada Day is this Friday? (I’m sure you all have that marked on your calendar, right? RIGHT?) That means Christmas is just around the corner. The time of year when you think, “Oh crap. I need to think of some good present ideas. Whatever shall I do?”

I suggest you make your cards 4.25″ x 5.5″. Because that’s a sheet of regular cardstock folded in half, then cut in half. Dude, 2 cards out of a sheet of cardstock. That’s crafty AND thrifty. Click on this image below where I explain it all.

GLITTER GLUE IS NOT OPTIONAL. See how I made all the cute polka-dots on the backgrounds? They’re for you to dot glitter glue onto. You don’t have to go overboard, sometimes less IS more, but seriously, everything is better with glitter.

Random Bullet Pointed Tips:
* Buy envelopes before you make your cards. That way you can make the cards exactly the right size. Or, if you’re like me, you may have a stockpile already to pull from… (Because you never know when you’ll need 500 envelopes, right?) (Size A-2 envelopes are 4.375″ x 5.75″, and fit cards that are 4.25″ x 5.5″. Do a google search for A-2 envelopes & find lots of lovely options.)

* I buy reams of card stock to make my own cards, but craft stores carry nice little 25-page packs in a variety of colors that are lovely. I use a paper cutter to cut it down to the right size. If I’m really ambitious, I’ll use a butter knife to score where the paper will fold before I cut it. Then I get a pristine fold line. It’s very satisfying.

* Coloring Your Card: I think Colored Pencils are the best. Watercolors will work too (if you’ve laser-printed the designs, but if you printed it on an inkjet printer it will smear.)

* Again I say it, glitter glue is your friend. Embrace the glitter glue. For best results, color the design in first & then enhance & highlight with the glittery goodness.

HAPPY CRAFTING!!!

PS – I originally made this craft for my Non-Denominational-Christian-Moms-Group, MOPS. I joined this group when I moved to Reno because:

1. I needed to make friends QUICK. We don’t do well without playdates.

2. I needed a break from my kid (I love my kids, but dude, being a SAHM can be INTENSE.) When you go to a MOPS meeting, you get to leave your kid at a class run by nice church ladies. I say it again. YOU GET TO LEAVE YOUR KID FOR TWO HOURS. And then talk to other ladies. Real conversation where NO ONE ASKS YOU FOR A SNACK. I know. It’s like heaven.

Here’s some of the cards we made at our meeting last week. Awww….

1. “How-To” blog posts
2. Fake Mustaches (I CAN’T STOP!)
3. Making my own jewelry
4. Shrinky-Dinks

That’s right…today I’m going to show you have to make your own fake mustache necklace out of Shrinky-Dink paper. (If you don’t know about Shrinky-Dinks, you are extra super going to love this. FYI, Shrinky-Dinks are AWESOME and you can do so many AWESOME things with them.)

(I got this idea over at Esty. Check out how cute these things are. But we are going to do it for much cheaper! Plus, it’s more fun to make them yourself.)

For this little project you will need the following items.

• Colored Shrinky-Dink paper (I was given black and brown “dink” paper years ago and was never sure what to use them for. NOW I KNOW!) You can buy Shrinky-Dink paper online (for less then $4 for 6 sheets). I have always just bought mine at the local Michael’s craft store.
• Scissors
• Pen
• Hole punch
• Mustache template (My BFF May made THIS ONE for me.)
• Oven (set to 325 degrees)

Remember that the whole purpose of Shrinky-Dinks is that they will SHRINK. So make sure you start with a large mustache template.

Lay your template on the dink paper….

…and trace it with a pen.

Next, cut out the mustache, using your scissors. But be careful. The scissors are sharp and can cut through the plastic Dink paper with ease.

When you are done your mustache should be decent sized. (See it in comparison to this pen? It’s pretty big. But don’t worry, it’s going to shrink!)

Now, hole punch your mustache. Make sure you hole punch BEFORE you cook your Dink. (There is NO way you’ll be able to hole punch it after. I promise.)

You are now ready to cook them.

(I decided to make a few different styles of mustaches. You know, for variety.)

Make sure your oven is pre-heated to 325. It needs to be good and hot.

Now lay out your Dinks on a FLAT cookie sheet with foil. You don’t want them close to each other (no touching).

This next part is the most fun. You get to watch your Shrinky-Dinks actually shrink. (Okay, this doesn’t sound that fun. But, be assured, it is.)

(Oh yes, it’s nothing like watching a pot boil.)

It takes about 2-3 minutes for your Dinks to properly shrink. Here’s a a few tips about this process:

• Your dinks WILL start to curl and you’ll freak out that they aren’t working. Have no fear, THEY ARE SUPPOSED to curl. They will flatten out.
• Larger Dinks (like mustaches) tend to curl into itself and get stuck. You might have to open the oven and make sure they are unstuck.
• If your Dink hardens before it flatten out all the way or stuck together, simply put it back in the oven to heat it back up.
• It isn’t going to burn. Don’t be afraid of getting them hot!
• I like to flatten mine, straight out of the oven, with a spatula.

When your Dink is FLAT, it is done and read to be taken out of the oven.

Holy crap, look how cute and little they are. (They are also about 10 times thicker.)

Next you need to add a jump ring to where you hole punched your Dink (prior to cooking).

I usually have pre-made jump rings, but I’m currently out. So I had to make mine own out of a piece of metal, using my jewelry pliers. (Any question on how to do this, go HERE.) (Seriously, just buy some pre-made jump rings. It’s much easier. And super duper cheap.)

Look how freakin’ cute the fake mustaches made out of Shrinky-Dinks turned out!!

(And see how small they got? They are so cute.)

Now all you need to do it put it on a chain and you’re set. I decided, since I have brown hair, to make myself a brown mustache necklace.

It makes a nice piece of jewelry that is both stylish and functional.

Hey, you never know when you might need a fake mustache at a moments notice. (Note to self: My nose looks extra big with the fake mustache.)

(Anyone know where I can buy some inexpensive chains for these necklaces???)

Plus, a fake mustache necklace is much nicer then using an old sock.

And more authentic looking then using a pen.

Or even using your fingerstache!

There are so many awesome things you can do with Shrink-Dinks. We really should talk more about that on a “How-To” post at a later date.

———————–

Check out my latest New Thing. I finally took my kid to the dentist. And the trip was a success.

Anyway, remember when May came to visit last month? We did lots of fun things. Some of which included:

• shopping (at the outlet mall)
• eating ice cream (using coupons, so it was free)
• going out to eat (more times then I care to admit)
• taking lunch to our husbands that were working on the new house
• chasing our kids around
• catching up on lost time

And last, but not least:

• CRAFTING!!

That’s right, with May in town, we crafted our little brains out. If the title of Most Fabulous Crating Queen In All The Land exists, I here by bestow in on May. (I mean, come on!)

We spent our first day together at a Super Saturday! event at my church (it’s really called that throughout the entire church). Besides being awesome in general, us Mormons also like to get together and do fun Super(!) activities.

Sometimes on Saturdays!

This particular Super Saturday(!) was filled with all sorts of crafting options.

May and I opted for the How To Make a Purse Out of a Placemat class. This particular class cost us each $8 for supplies. But, at no extra cost to you, dear readers, I’m passing on the information to you!

First you must start with the needed supplies:

• Placemat (ours were bought at Target)
• Purse handles (found at any local crafting supply shop)
• Ribbon (I prefer cute ribbon. But if your prefer ugly ribbon, get whatever you like.)
• Clear plastic thread

You’ll also need scissors and a sewing machine although you’ll only need to know how to sew a straight line. I promise you that the only knowledge you’ll need. (I do not know how to sew. I repeat, I do not know how to sew.)

Fold your placemat in half to get the general idea where to place your jaunty ribbon. (The ribbon should be placed in a prominent place on the purse, as it’s really going to be the focal point.)

May and I both chose to sew our ribbon closer to the bottom, although the teacher thought this was all wrong. HAAA, look at us all being rebellious and stuff. And at a church event. Take that, Jesus!

We used clear plastic thread for this entire project. Although I’m sure you could use any type of thread. The plastic kind just seemed stronger for this purpose.

Make sure to stop, periodically, for pictures.

After you’ve sewn the ribbon on, fold your placemat in half (long ways) and sew the edges from top to bottom. You don’t need to leave a lot of room for seam allowances, so feel free to sew as close to the edge as you can get.

(It also helps to make sure your outfit matches what you’re sewing.) (Dude, I’m such a nerd.)

Next, and this is the confusing part (at least to me), you need to take the bottom on the edge and using your finger, fold it into a sort of “tab” shape.

Using your machine, sew a straight line at the top of the tab.

I’ve drawn a line on the picture to better accentuate where to sew. (Darn plastic thread does not show up in pictures. I guess that’s the point of the clear thread.)

After you’ve sewn the edges of the tab, you’ll want to shape them so that your purse can sit flat. Like so:

(Yes, that’s a stage in the background. You might not have heard, but us Mormons like to put on shows. May I suggest you check out this post where Janssen and her husband recreate a scene from High School Musical. You wont’ be disappointed.) (Again, us Mormons are so cool.)

It must be noted that while I was busy sewing (my cold black) heart out, May’s kept breaking needles on her machine. Here I am crafting like the fool I am while the teacher fixes May’s machine in the background. This freed May up for picture-taking-duty.

Now it’s time to sew on your handles. Using four small pieces of the matching ribbon, loop it round the bottom of the handles and sew them to the inside of your purse.

To ensure it’s secure, sew a few lines and maybe make an “X”.

You’ll need to sew all four parts of the handles to the purse. But guess what?

That’s it. After you’ve completed this part, you’re super cute placemat purse is completed.

And isn’t it super dreamy?

Of course, you can add anything to the outside to help jazz it up. If it’s your thing you could add a little bow to the ribbon.

Or maybe an artificial flower. Or two.

I think a little yellow might add the right “umph” to it.

Or maybe even some turquoise flowers. I’m super into red and turquoise right now.

So there you have it, how to make a cute little purse out of a simple placemat. I dare you to try this at home.

(Don’t you think my red purse will be perfect with a cute summer dress? You know, if the weather here in Seattle is ever warm enough for a cute summer dress.)

I can’t wait to use this. And when someone compliments me on it (and you know they will), I’ll be all “yeah, I made it. Out of a placemat!”

• Dude, it sucks to be so broke right now.
• What in the hell am I going to buy for our mom’s for Mothers Day (see first bullet)?

When I’ve found myself in this gift-buying predicament before, I simply relied on the craft knowledge of my bestest friend May. But um, since May deserted me moved to Reno, I’ve been on my own in the make-your-own-gift category. But whatever, I knew I needed to move past that. I asked myself, “what would May do?”

May would get herself to the craft store and buy some supplies and make her own damn Mothers Day gifts.

So that’s what I did.

I decided that I wanted to make those cute little glass magnets that you see all over places like Etsy. Guess what? They are so easy to make and so cute, and dude, so inexpensive. They turned out so cute, that I couldn’t keep this craft knowledge to myself. I must share it with the interweb.

First off, you need your supplies. They can be bought at your local craft store. I went to JoAnn’s.

You’ll need: clear glass stones (found in the flower arranging aisle) Gorilla glue (you need extra strong glue to hold the magnet), strong magnets (they need to be very, very strong), decopage glue (I didn’t have any, so I’m using Elmers glue mixed with a tiny bit of water), and a brush (I’m using a crappy make-up brush) and of course, pictures to cut. (You can also use decorative paper, maps, or even magazine pages. I found the little stickers from my Moo Sticker Book were the perfect size!)

Next, find the picture you want to use. I’m using this adorable one of Babboo’s new hair cut.

Trace around the piece of glass that you’re going to use. (Each glass piece is different, so you’ll want to customize each one.)

Next, cut the picture.

A lesson-learned; you’ll want to make the picture smaller then the actual glass stone. (I didn’t figure this one out until I had made quite a few. If May were here, she wouldn’t have allowed me to be such a craft-reject.)

Next, brush a coat of your decoupage (or glue, if you’re too poor to buy decoupage) onto the back of the glass (the flat part).

Just like so….

(Thanks to Vesper for being my lovely hand-model.)

Another lesson learned; don’t use pictures printed out on your ink jet printer. The glue will just make the ink smear. You don’t want smeared pictures!

Next, brush another coat of decoupage onto the back of the picture that you just glued onto the glass. Make sure you put enough on there to ensure your picture is secure.

Set them aside, as you finish the others, so that they can all dry enough for the next step.

After the picture is plenty dry, apply a tiny bit of the Gorilla glue to the back of the picture. If you’ve not familiar with Gorilla glue (and you might not be), this stuff is awesome. And strong. And will ruin anything you let it touch. (Keep it away from your cute skinny jeans. That’s all I’m saying.)

Now you’ll want to apply the magnet (make sure you have the magnetized [is that the right term?] side out or it won’t stick to your fridge), to the Gorilla glue.

Press the magnet down firmly, to ensure correct placement.

Next, lay (lie?) your completed craft goodies out, preferable overnight, to dry completely. Lesson learned; don’t put them too close together as the magnets will be drawn to one another and will mess with the glue placement. The magnets…they are strong. You have been warned.

Wake up the following morning and bask in your (semi) glorious craft skillz.

Because, holy crap, they are cute. And fun. And inexpensive. Plus, I just know our mom’s are going to love them.

So tell me, what are you giving your mom for Mothers Day this year?

I feel like an @ss blogging about how financially strapped we are while also blogging about an upcoming three week trip to Europe. And yet, I don’t want this to stop me from being able to blog about both of these exciting things here on my site (the new house, not the financially strapped part).

We travel a little different then most people do. We travel cheap. Very, very cheap!  We’ve stayed in some sh!t holes all over the world. It’s one way we keep our costs down.

Yesterday, after church and after putting Babboo down for his nap, The King and I sat in the front room and tried to plan more of our trip out. With about 15 travel books from the library and a couple of maps, we discussed the pros and cons of different places to visit in Europe.

Oh, and I pulled out my swimming suit stash and took inventory of the suits I’d take with me on our trip (and tried them all on, you know, to see how my latest attempts at Weight Watchers is going). (It’s going, by the way.)

I own a lot of bikinis. And, can you see, that some of them still have their (super clearance) price tags on them? Oh yes, I have so many that I’ve got some ($1.97) bikini’s that I’ve never even worn. I plan on using all of them on our trip.

Oh right, back to this little trip.

The quick-ish history of this particular trip is:
The King lived in Berlin, Germany for a few years in his early twenties. We are very connected to Germany. We have many friends there and good memories of trips past. We’ve been fortunate enough to visit Germany three times since we’ve been married. The last time we went was in the second trimester of my pregnancy with Babboo. Before we decided to have kids together, The King and I discussed how wanted to raise our kids. One of the top five things we wanted for our future off-springs was the opportunity to travel. Something that I was never fortunate enough to have when I was a kid. When I got knocked up, we vowed that this kid was going to love to travel. We were adamant about this.

Two years later and we’ve got to stick to this promise we made. This means we’ve got to actually take Babboo on a trip. I mean, if he’s going to learn to love traveling, he might was well start young.

So now you know a little bit of the back story and why we feel we have to travel at this point in our lives, and why we make it a priority. You also know why we go to Europe all the time instead of trying some place new like Australia, South America, or Asia. (I mean, The King actually speaks the German language. So, of course, it’s a place we like to visit.)

The thing about traveling, that I never realized until I actually traveled, is that it’s not that hard to actually do it. All of us can travel. We don’t need to be rich or afraid. We just need to learn some of the secrets as to how to make it work. In the months prior to our September trip, I’m going to keep you guys in the loop of our travel plans and teach you some of the secrets that The King and have I learned over the years. I’m hoping that you guys will be able to share some of your secrets with me and with the rest of the readers.

Something that the new house has afforded us to do is accrue frequent flyer (FF) miles. Before we started the house project, we switched banks and signed up for the Bank of American Alaska Airlines Visa card (and their debit card too). While Alaska Airlines doesn’t necessarily fly to all the places we went to go, their affiliates do. Which means we can pretty much fly anywhere we want with our Alaska Airlines miles. How we’ve accrued so many FF miles is we’ve paid for everything for the new house on our Alaska Airlines credit card. I know this sounds scary, but don’t worry, we haven’t actually carried the debt on the card.

Here’s the deal; The King will call and order 20K in lumber for the house. We’re using the money we made when we sold the last house to pay for the lumber. But dude, we might as well get FF miles for it. So we use the FF credit card and then two seconds later (literally), The King will pay off the credit card from our construction savings. Which means, we just got 20K in FF miles for free! (You get 1 FF miles for each dollar spent with your card and it takes about 50K FF miles for one free ticket to Europe.)

The King also spent the last year traveling for his job. While having him gone every other week sucked, he was able to accrue tons of FF miles (and hotel points) this way. We’ve also made a couple of trips to Utah and one trip to Washington DC during this time, all of which gained us more FF miles. It took a while, but eventually we had enough miles to cash them in and get The King, Babboo and me all FREE tickets to Europe!

Completely free!

(Well, except for paying the fees/taxes. But dude, nothing like the 1K each they would have been.)

One negative thing about using FF miles is that there are only so many FF mile seats made available. The airlines suggest you reserve your tickets as soon as possible. The earliest you can get them is 365 days in advance. So that’s what we did. We got our tickets last September. Having to get your tickets that far in advance doesn’t give you much time to actually pre-plan your trip. Basically, you just take what you can get.

That’s how we ended up with the tickets we got; we fly into Berlin on September 3rd and fly out of London on the 20th. Where we go in between was still to be determined.

I’ve never been to Europe in the summer time. We’ve always gone in the winter. Going in the winter months allows us to stay in hotels for cheaper, eat for less, and avoid the crowds. The Europe I know and love is freezing cold and pretty much devoid of tourists. Summertime in Europe is going to be a whole new thing for me. (I’m sure I’m going to loathe the crowds.)

We decided to make this trip to Europe less about the snowy Alps, Bavaira, long underwear and coats and more about beaches and swimming suits. (Or better yet, beaches and no swimming suits!) More like the trip we took to Tulum, Mexico when I was first pregnant.

(I just got the film from our waterproof camera developed last week! It’s almost been three years since our trip to Mexico. And dude, I’m glad I waiting since I got a coupon for FREE film developing.)

Now you know a little bit more about how frequent flier miles can work for you. Even if you don’t plan on traveling a ton or paying for a house with your credit card, you really should sign up for a credit card that allows you get earn FF miles. You’re going to use your card anyway, you might as well get something for using it.

In my next vacation-themed post, I’m going to tell you how I make Priceline my bitch by using biddingfortravel to book our hotel rooms. We bought our hotel room for the last three days in London for $70 using biddingfortravel, instead of the $200 other people are paying.

So tell me, what are your secrets to making frequent flier miles work for you?