Pine Cone Wreath

This wreath is SO cute! Check out the Brightwood Living blog for more details.

She doesn't have step by step instructions, but it sounds like she attached the pine cones to the wire form with floral wire & the last row looks like small pine cones attached with floral wire to the center to hide the floral wire that attaches the larger pine cones to the wire form.
Hopefully that makes sense.

Check out the blog post & her pictures.

One suggestion - she mentions the sap gets all over, so wearing latex type gloves (like your Dr/Dentist) may be a good idea. (maybe not, so don't hold me to it ;-)

I found your Camera.com

I heard about this site Found cameras & orphan photos if ever you find a lost camera you can email this site two photos on the camera or memory card and send a description of the item found and they will post it to thier blog and hopefully it will be a wonderful reunion with the memories you photographed and thought you lost...

I think that it is an awesome thing to do.. I will tell you that a great friend of mine went to California with her family and it was her boys first trip to sea world, Disneyland and DCA ... She happened to set her camera down in a bugs life show at DCA... about a half hour after she left the camera she went back and asked a cast member about if anything had been turned in and well the answer was a NO... We then went to file a claim with lost and found and nothing... She checked back at the close of the day and still nothing... so I hope that someone with some sort of moral code will post onto this wonderful site so that way my wonderful friend can obtain her photos of  a lot of firsts for her kiddos...

Please pass the word about this wonderful site... maybe just maybe the more people know about this site the more photos will be returned to thier rightful owners... Thanks all for letting me ramble...
 I just want a happy ending... cause the trip really shouldve been a magical one... and for the most it was...
Thanks again all...

Another Headband Giveaway!

The Orange Plum is having a headband giveaway...check out their blog for the details & check out their Etsy store for fun new patterns & colors AND their new Baby Blankets!
(the drawing will be Nov 16th @ 4:30 MST)Two of the reasons these headbands are so great is because they STAY where you want them, and they don't hurt your head...no more "headband headaches".

Paper Doll fun:

Feeling a little bored? Have a daughter who needs a little entertaining? In the mood for some brightly coloured, awesomely charactered virtual paperdolls?
Check out the Cartoon Doll Emporium.

Creative Pumpkins

Want to do something a little different with your jack-o-lanterns this year?  Here are a few ideas.

Stalloween.com has a step by step tutorial on how to make these creepy pumpkins from papier mache.  {link}

If that's a little too scary you HallmarkMagazine.com has a how to for a variety of fantasy pumpkins.  {link}

However, if you're itching to do something completely different this year you can print out these patterns for Campaign-o-Lanterns from the Associated Press.  {link}

Enjoy! And happy pumpkin carving!

Spider Cupcakes

How fun are these cupcakes?

Blogger NG at Alice's Adventures Underground has a series of pictures showing how she made them.  Though perhaps a tad time consuming, she promises they are easy to make. 

{link}

Don't forget

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month so remember to wear pink and get the girls checked.

Breast wishes for Healthy Boobies :)

Catch All Shelf

I wish I'd thought of this when we were looking for a shelf in my daughter's room.  

This great little shelf is made from a wooden magazine holder sold at IKEA.

I absolutely love it! 

You can find instructions on how to make your own at Design*Sponge.

 {link}

Drum Roll Please

It is time to announce the winner of the Joy in the Journey giveaway. 

And the winner is  richi and elissa who said, "I would love this!  Sounds amazing... :)"

I hope you do love it!  I just need your to give me your contact information.  Please send me and email.  You can get my email address from my profile page here http://www.blogger.com/profile/02350563639002868719  just click the email link in the contact section.  

Congratulations!

Find Joy in the Journey Giveaway

I'm so excited to do this giveaway.  I've been using the Success Choice Planner for 2 months now and I love it.

It has a monthly overview as well as a section for each week.  There's even a place to keep track of the phone calls you need to make.    

Every month has a list of regular monthly tasks (like fertilizing the lawn) and section for goal planning.  

Each day has a health tracker.  There is a chart that makes it easy to record how much water you are drinking, what you are eating, and how much you are exercising.  

The planners are broken into quarters so you only carry around 3 months at a time.  This way you don't have a big bulky planner to keep track of-- just slip it in your purse. 

You can check their website out here {link}

Their website says "It's not just a day planner -- it's a life planner" and I totally agree.

We will be giving away one 4th Quarter (October - December 2008) Success Choice Planner.  If you want to enter this giveaway leave a comment on this post.  The deadline is Sunday 21 September 2008 at midnight.  The winner will be announced on Monday.  Good luck and happy planning!

Glow In The Dark Yarn

Bernat has just come out with a line of glow-in-the-dark yarn (link) .  It is only available for a limitied time and can be purchased at Micheals.  

I am going to buy some to knit a hoodie with a glow-in-the-dark Transformer logo.  However if you don't have a child who is interested in Transfomers, Bernat has provided free downloadable patterns for a glow-in-the-dark trick-or-treat bag, ghosts, alien head bands, and more.

What are you going to do with your stash of glow in the dark yarn?

Simple Carpet-Cleaning Solutions: Baking Soda or Hydrogen Peroxide

I'm not sure how many people out there are as sensitive to the fragrances found in most carpet-cleaning solutions as I am, but I was happy to discover recently that you can easily find alternatives by doing a simple internet search.

The two I was happiest to find were one article on using baking soda, and another on using hydrogen peroxide. I've used baking soda before and was pretty happy with it, but I'm always glad to get more instruction. Baking Soda is included in this link: Clean Carpets without Dangerous Chemicals.

I am a little wary of the "sprinkle on, vacuum off" method, though, so finding out from a friend recently that you can use Hydrogen Peroxide sounded great. This one, "Using Hydrogen Peroxide," mentions combining Hydrogen Peroxide with simple Castille Soap, but I watched a friend clean stains off her carpets recently using simply water and hydrogen peroxide alone. Just make sure you follow the instructions for the correct ratios of hydrogen peroxide to water.

The Couponizer

I've become one of those mommies. Not only do I have zucchini squash coming out of my eyeballs, freezer jam in the fridge, and several bread recipes out while I bake and bake, searching for the best one - I've also started couponing a little. I haven't fallen off the deep end and become completely obsessed with it yet, but I have to admit there was a small thrill when I got some 64-ounce Juicy Juice for 88 cents each, 'bought' some makeup for free, and made 60 cents on some new cereal for Grayson (sure hurts less when he refuses to eat it if it didn't cost anything in the first place!).

Anyway, if there are any of you venturing out into the coupon world, a coupon organizer might be helpful to have. I don't really have a system yet, so I entered this contest to win one. It sure looks like a good system to have if you're a serious couponer. And who knows, this system just might convert you!

Got expired coupons?

Please don't throw them away. Here's a link with a few addresses of overseas military installations that can distribute them to service member families. Commissaries will accept manufacturer's coupons for up to 6 months after the printed expiration date.

http://www.grocerysavingtips.com/expiredgrocerycoupons.htm


I have heard that it's helpful to separate food and non-food coupons into ziploc bags marked as such. I think the best way to send them would be to gather from a few people (maybe have everyone from church put them together) and send them in a fixed rate box. The addresses are APO boxes, so you have to send them via USPS.

Plastic Bag Alternatives

I have often found myself thinking about this subject. When grocery stores around me started selling reusable bags for 99 cents, I purchased 4 from my regular store. I have since added more to my collection- 3 from another grocery store and one from Ace Hardware (it was free with purchase- bonus!). I have come across coupons from various stores giving them away with purchases and offering discounts. In fact, I save 5 cents for each bag I use each time I go grocery shopping. But now I have an additional incentive to start using the reusable bags- not having to pay for plastic bags.

Seattle will start charging 20 cents a bag in January (story at this blog). The City Council recently voted 6-1 to approve charges for grocery, drug store and convenient store paper and plastic bags. That cost can add up quickly.

But I LOVE my reusable bags. I have learned that I can fit what might take up 3-5 plastic bags into one of those reusable bags, meaning less trips to and from my car. In addition, the straps are more comfortable carrying than the straps on plastic bags. And the bags are very durable. I just empty them out and put them back in my trunk so they're handy when I need them.

However, I have found it a little uncomfortable at times to pull out a bag for a store like Albertson's when I'm at a store like Target. So I have started looking for other reusable bags that are more universal (and no one has commented at all about my using bags from their competitors or other stores other than to thank me for bringing in a bag).

Some of my favorites I've run across at Amazon (because of their low prices) are these and these. What are your favorites?

Are you already using reusable bags? Do you plan on using them in the future? I'm thinking that this trend will continue, and it's best to be prepared.