Welcome back to everyone’s favorite post of the week! Here are some of the things I did this week to save money for our family: I harvested basil, tangerines, a little bit of lettuce and arugula, and Meyer lemons from the garden. I made Christmas gifts for a total of $0.40. I started several others….
For the seventeenth day of A Gift a Day, I made embroidered handkerchiefs. I printed out initials for my children on my computer. I print the letters at a minimum of size 72. I then choose fonts that look best for that particular letter. I chose fancier fonts for the girls. You can tape the paper…
Otherwise known as the hardest embroidery project I’ve ever done. (The second hardest was this lavender). Some of you were excited about using coloring pages as embroidery designs, so I thought I would share another way to use a coloring page as an embroidery design. I used some scraps of fabric last Christmas, some black…
My original plan was just to post gifts during the month of November. However, I have decided to continue this series for a while into December as I continue to make gifts for my family. I thought that you might like to see what else I’m making! For the sixteenth day of A Gift a Day,…
I used the coloring book as an embroidery pattern for one of my upcoming Christmas gifts. When you’re making homemade gifts for $0 to $1 (on average) a gift for your children, what do you do for stocking stuffers? Stocking stuffers don’t have to be expensive. I put an orange or a clementine in the toe of each stocking….
It was a beautiful week of fall weather. I’m enjoying our long fall this year. Our first frost usually hits between November 13th and December 15th. It’s usually toward the end of November, but it hasn’t come yet, and the weather was just beautiful all week. Of course, no one wanted to be inside. …
For the fifteenth day of A Gift a Day, I made slippers. Last year I made slippers for all of my girls in cream-colored satin with a flower in pink or blue on them. This year I am making them slippers again, but I’ve changed a few things. I am using a different fabric for the…
My son mentioned this week that he wants a Cub Scout vest. This is the simplest thing to make. I used my son’s uniform shirt to measure the width and armholes, and I cut the felt just like it looks from the Cub Scout store vest that I linked above. I then sewed the pieces…
I used a gallon-sized pickle jar to hold the 6 pounds of brown lentils that I bought in bulk a little while back. It looks like I could probably fit another pound in the jar! I love using large pickle jars to hold beans. I did find out that my family (including myself) prefers…
I’ve made handkerchiefs every year for Christmas for the children. I love handkerchiefs, and the children love them, too. I love that they don’t need to ask me for tissues at church, and when my two-year-old has a runny nose, she can reach for a handkerchief instead of emptying a box of tissues. This year I decided…
I am so thankful for all you. Thank you especially for the reminders of how you struggle. It reminds me why I created my website and why I am now writing this blog in addition to my website. I am so grateful for that. Click on the image above to get a…
I can’t sew everything we need, though I try to sew as much as I can! Sometimes you have to buy things, like eyeglasses–or shoes–or fabric 🙂 Black Friday (and Cyber Monday) deals have helped me with the things I need. One of the ways I make the most of those deals is to shop through…