Are you a "Recessionista"?

I just found a great blog that has fabulous fashion deals! I am so excited to have found this and now I can't wait to go shopping! I might have to wait until Black Friday, when they are going to put a 30% off coupon up to use in their online shop!

Go check out Recessionista, and while you are there, enter their giveaway for a fab Coach Bag...(which I'm going to win by the way!)

And a great big HAPPY THANKSGIVING to everyone!

Hand Made Tu-Tu's

I have been on a "tu-tu" kick lately and ordered a bunch of tulle from the internet. I've been making these for all of the sweet little girls in my life. I love seeing them pretend to be little ballerina's!

Of course, I had to do a Blue and Orange...go BSU!

I can even do matching onesies!

My First Ever *Tutorial* - Glass Etching

***Edited to say that I am placing this tutorial on Chris' (Just a Girl)"I Can Make That" blog party! I found her last year around this time and saw so many fun handmade gift ideas. I'm for sure doing handmade gifts again, since money is tight. Go visit the many links that are posted for "I Can Make That"


I am proud to bring you my very first Tutorial on this blog! I love to read tutorials, I have learned so many things from creative people out there in blogland.


We received some glasses that were etched with our first initial and last name on them for a wedding gift almost 10 years ago and they are still some of my favorite glasses!


My friend April, that just got married on September 12th in one of the most beautiful weddings I've been to...asked me to help her make some gifts for the groomsmen. She wanted to get them mugs with their names on them. You tell me what you want...and I can make it happen!! I'm full of jennspiration baby!




So first of all, you need to get some glasses that have a smooth surface. They cannot have any ridges on the part that you are going to do the etching.


Next, you need to clean them with Windex so they are nice and sparkling clean! Next, you need to print off the names or images that you want to etch. We did the first names of the groomsmen. Make sure to chose a font that doesn't have too much intricate lines.

(The next two images, should have been swapped in order, but I couldn't figure out how to change it without deleting everything!) :)

Then you need to put the name on a piece of contact paper, make sure to do it with the sticky side down...otherwise the name will be in reverse (Trust me, I know from experience!) You need to tape the paper with the name to the contact paper so it won't shift.

With an exacto knife, cut carefully around the edges of the letters. Go slow, there's not a whole lot of room for errors. Also, be very careful with these knives, they are so sharp.

After you've got the name cut out, remove the piece of paper and very carefull place the contact paper on the glass. Try to get it as even as possible, it is tricky. *I do realize I used different names for these pictures...I wasn't thinking straight that day!

Next you need to brush "Armor Etch" cream on the letters, take extra caution not to get it anywhere else on the glass besides on the letters. You can buy Armor Etch at your local craft store, or online here

Follow the directions on the bottle, you only need to leave the cream on for about 10 minutes.

After the 10 minutes is up, wash the cream off under running water in the sink. I usually rub the cream off with my hands, but you may want to use gloves if you have sensitive skin.

Then once the cream is washed off, peel the contact paper off and...tada! You're done!

This is a fun project to do! Super easy to personalize gifts and people love them!

Hope you learned something from my tutorial...I've got more stuff to come!!

Another Gift for Ethan

I don't know how some of you have time to do crafts! You should see my "Favorites" list on the web. It is crazy. This is like Project #3 of #427.



My friend had her baby over a month ago and I'm just getting around to doing this cute little wooden stacker for Ethan's nursery.



I had a little help with the vinyl lettering from a client I met through work. She is very talented and has the cutest things on her site. Check out Amy over at Thru the Screen Door! Thanks again Amy for hookin a girl up! *hint* click on where it says "Thru the Screen Door" to go to her site...I'm still trying to figure out how to get that in a different color.

A Girl Can Dream

I'd rather be here:

Let's just say, I need some R & R time...

What Have I Been Up to Lately?

Well, let me tell you...it's nothing crafty. Sorry to disappoint-but stay tuned, I have a few things up my sleeve over the next couple of weeks.

First of all, my dryer was making the most horrific screeching sound-with a little help from the internet...I fixed it myself and saved a service call charge!

I replaced the rear bearing, the front bearing and the belt....not to mention the GOBS of lint I pulled out of that thing. I swear, we were a couple of loads away from a fire.

I must say when I was done...I felt like I could do anything!

So, I fixed my dryer. What else have I been doing? Well, I have recently been following a whole bunch of coupon blogs. I have been inspired by so many ladies who buy loads of groceries and household items for very little money.

I am still starting out, but let me show you how I've been doing.

For instance, tonight I went to Wal-Mart. Not my favorite place to shop, but its what I'm most familiar with at the moment.

I had a coupon for almost everything in this picture! My total before coupons would have been a whopping $207-YIKES!

After coupons, I paid $124...still a little high, but I saved $83.00 I purchased 104 items. I will also be getting a rebate back for the Raisin Bran Extra...because you see...you can try them free.

See all of those Pop-Tarts? Well, you can get a free movie ticket for every 5 boxes you buy. I bought 10 boxes for .98 cents each which totals $9.80 for two movie tickets. It says the tickets can either be for the new Star Trek movie or any other movie.

Here is another deal I came across this last week. At Fred Meyer they had their Electrosal dishwasher tabs on sale for $2.99 and I had coupons for $2.50 off. SCORE .50 cents per box.

From Dishwashing to Laundry...here is a deal I found at Target the other day. I had Buy One Get One Free coupons for Purex laundry detergent. I had been waiting for the best deal before I used these and I thought I did pretty good. These bottles of Purex were on sale for $2.75 but after the B1G1 free, they end up being $1.38 a bottle...stock up baby!

So I've got myself the beginnings of a "Stockpile" closet. It is nothing compared to what I've seen elsewhere, but I'm pretty proud of it. I want to get to the point where if I know of someone in need, I can help people out when times are tough. I will just go shopping in my pantry.

Do you want to see my coupons? I feel like such a nerd carrying around my big 'ol binder, but who really cares when I can save a bunch of money.

Check out some of the blogs I've been visiting on the list to the left! Beware...it can be addicting!

Diaper Cake

Pink and Green diaper cake, just in time for Spring! I wrapped the diapers with tulle (I just HAD to go to the new JoAnn's Superstore for SOMETHING!) Oh, and don't forget the Johnsons Baby lotions, powders and oils tucked inside. How do you like the little tutu on the bear? The baby-to-be has a room decorated in a "ballerina" theme.

April....look I tied the bows myself!! Aren't you proud of me? (OK the top one is a little wonky...so sue me)

Two Posts in One Day? You Better Believe It!

I guess the reason life has been hectic, is because I have in fact been working on a lot of crafty stuff lately. One of my passions is to do graphic design for invitations, etc. My friend, April...who I swear is the only one who reads this blog...is getting married this summer and she kindly asked me to make her "Save the Date" announcement AND her wedding invitations! I was thrilled that she would trust me to do the work. So, April-as my sole blog reader-THANK YOU!

The design is not my idea, we copied it from something she saw elsewhere...but that's why my blog is called "Jennspiration" because I am inspired by other people's work. I am no way original in my ideas!

So, here is the end result of the "Save the Date" cards, I will be working on the wedding invites next and will of course put them up on my blog after she has sent them out.

Have a fabulous weekend!

My Poor Neglected Blog

I'm sorry for not posting for nearly a month! Life has been very hectic these days, and as much as I would like to work on crafts, I just haven't had the time.

I am motivated by those that actually do read this blog, and enjoy seeing my handmade things, and in turn want to order some of my personalized creations.

I made this ultra-cool canvas for a little boy named Dean McKinley. I wanted to make something that could grow with him and that wasn't too "nursery-ish". I think I did a pretty good job...what do you think?

Also, I made this board for a friend that is having her second boy this summer, and they are naming him Ethan. In fact, we are going to a surprise baby shower today for her!

I am hoping to finish my first crochet top that I have been working on since Christmas and I can't wait for the big reveal! Stay tuned!

Also, if you like my blog, you should really start following me! I need some more fans!

Valentine Sweets

Daddy had a meeting last night, so the kids and I decided to make some Valentines Day goodies.

I got the idea from Little Birdie Secrets, but in an effort to save time (and sanity) I went sans sticks. And...for some reason, I'm always trying to make short cuts, I melted Hershey kisses instead of candy melts. Let me tell you, there IS a rhyme and reason for following directions...those melted kisses just don't set up like the candy melts. Plus the chocolate gets sticky! My thought was to put them in little cellophane bags and tie them up with cute ribbon, but the chocolate kept sticking to the sides of the bag...even after a little while in the freezer.

So, I put the cellophone baggies away and thought, "hmmm what else could I use?..." aaha! I put the chocolate dipped marshmallows in muffin papers and set them inside a plain 'ol zip sandwhich bag, I tied them up with ribbon and cut off the zipper part with pinking shears.

Voila~Oh, and by the way I tasted them and YUM-O. They would be even better dipped in crushed graham crackers-Valentine 'Smores anyone?

Here's Peyton writing her own Valentine's Day cards this year!

"Audrina"

My first attempt at cutting out my own letters (well actually, my hubby did most of it) for a friend of a friend's baby-who is beautifully named: Audrina.

Nursery colors are none other but (one of my favorites) Pink and Brown.

I mod-podged and decorated and bling-ed these letters out. (Papers and Embellishments provided by my friend that I made these for.)

They turned out so pretty...I wish I had a child named Audrina and then I would steal them for myself.

I was paid in Scentsy...for those of you who don't know what it is...I highly recommend it!

Post-Christmas Post

Well, I cannot believe it has been so long since I have posted last. I got a little burnt out over Christmas while making just about every gift...and you would not believe it...I didn't take ONE SINGLE PICTURE! Some of gifts I made included: Scrabble tile pendants (6 of them to be exact), herbal steam facial in a jar, personalized etched drinking glasses, crocheted dish cloths, and cookie mixes in a jar...I think I'm leaving some things out, but I can't think of them off the top of my head.

Here is a picture, though, of the ornaments that I made that were inspired by a blog that I can't find at the moment.

They turned out so pretty!

I am working on a crochet wrap sweater that I will post pictures of when I'm done...its been kind of time consuming. I'm sorry I haven't posted any projects lately. I'm hoping to do some more sewing this year. I want to learn more and I have so many things saved on my favorites, that I want to try. So, keep your eyes out for these new projects.