DIY Glitter Earrings & Earring Holder

I just love earrings. And glitter. So you can imagine my excitement when I stumbled onto this awesome tutorial for making super easy, cute glitter earrings the other day. I had some spare time on my hands (and everything I needed without having to run to Hobby Lobby), so I went to work! In under an hour, I had made TONS of earrings in all different colors! I even made a few batches for friends.

Here is the tut from A Splendid Assemblage:

Just a note, use a TON of glitter. Some of mine didn't turn out as sparkly as others.

Here are my results!

Like the earring holder? All it took was a picture frame from Dollar Tree ($1.00), an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of plastic canvas from Hobby Lobby (.59), and some ribbon and hot glue. Just trim the canvas to fit and glue the back. That easy! Yeah, I ended up making several of those for friends, as well.

Happy Monday!

I made cat beds for Mew and Minnie!

Andrew and I have two kids. The kids have tails and are covered in fur, but they're still our babies. :) I found this awesome tutorial from The Zen of Making for these three-in-one cat beds.

http://www.thezenofmaking.com/2012/03/tutorial-magical-3-in-1-cat-bed.html

I opted to use the Kitties first letters instead of stars. And of course, you can't make just one! Each kitty got their own. I also chose to sew mine by hand so that I could make it while traveling. They turned out adorable.

What have you made for your pets lately?

Firmoo Review!

Not gonna lie. I love glasses. My goal recently has been to collect every color and be able to match them with whatever color I am wearing for the day. So one can imagine my excitement when I bumped into Firmoo.com. 

Mine came in today and I am IMPRESSED! Considering my normal everyday glasses cost me close to $200, and these were only $8 - $17. There is a huge variety on the website and the site even includes a virtual try on feature. AND the prescription is PERFECT.

My very favorite pair cost me the most out of the three, but they have music notes on the sides! Very cool!

For an additional $5.00, I had one pair made into sunglasses! Exactly what this girl needed!

I only have 2 complaints:

#1: Shipping. These ship out of China and it took me 2 1/2 weeks to receive them.

#2: Adjustments. 2 of my 3 were crooked. Luckily, my mom is excellent with fixing those sort of things. I could always hop over to an eye clinic and have an optician fix them if I needed them.

#3: No try on before purchase. Even with the virtual try-on feature, it is REALLY hard to tell what they will actually look like for size on your face without having them in your hands. 

The good definitely out ways the bad. I'm loving this site! More glasses to come!

And now, you can get your first pair FREE! Give it a shot today!
www.firmoo.com

Shopping at Dollar Tree: Do's and Don'ts

I LOVE me some Dollar Tree! I stroll in on a "way to often" basis just to check out the newest items that they have in stock since they are always rotating their inventory. Shopping there for a few years now (they are located right down the street from my house) I have learned what to BUY and what to run AWAY from. Here are collectively some of the goodies I have collected:

1. Gift Bags, Tissue Paper, and other gift wrapping products.

Can you believe how much people charge for gift bags? I can go to Target and easily drop $3.00-$5.00 alone on a bag. Dollar Tree has bags individually for a buck, and even some that sell 2-3 for a dollar. Stock up!

2. Glitter for us crafty folks!

There glitter is very comparable to Martha Stewart brand at Michaels. And who can complain when you receive 6 colors for a dollar?!

3. Incense

Ok. I will admit it. My love for incense started in high school and still hasn't left. They offer some awesome scents!

4. Water Bottles

Another great snag are there dishes. Everything from their glassware (which I tend to break on a regular basis) and their water bottles (I have even had luck washing these in the dishwasher if the plastic is thick enough!)

5. Energy Shots

Have you seen the cost of 5 Hour Energy lately??!! $3.00 for a pick me up! No thank you, I'll stock up on Dollar Tree's different versions and flavors. They work just as well!

6. Sunglasses 

If you are anything like me, I am constantly loosing/breaking sunglasses. I don't seem to mind as much when they only cost me a buck! Also, there are some AWESOME Sunglass crafts online! These have been fun to pick up and paint bright and fun colors with nail polish!

7. Kitchen Utensils (including the silicone basting brush and spoon rest)

Dollar Tree has a wide selection of kitchen utensils. My favorite is the Betty Crocker line. They are quality products that wash nicely in the dishwasher.

8. Storage Containers

Thank you, Dollar Tree, for providing me with awesome storage containers in so many different size options. Because of you, my craft room will remain organized!

9. Hair Accessories

I have another soft spot in my heart for hair accessories. They have quality products that are much less expensive than even those you could buy at Wal-Mart.

10. Microfiber Hair Wrap

No kidding, I own about 7 of these. They dry my hair twice as fast as if I didn't use them. The ones that sell on TV are $5.99 each! No thank you!

11. Nail Polish / Make-Up

Make-up brushes from ELF are great to have on hand. They also carry a large selection of nail polish. Dollar Tree is a great option for really stocking up your make-up collection. 

12. Pet Toys

Our furry friends need goodies, too! Petsmart/Petco toys sell for double that Dollar Tree does.

Products to Stay away from (from my personal experience and what others have told me)

• Toilet Paper - This one is pretty obvious to me. Some things you just should spend decent money for.
• Drain Snake - I guess I should have known better, but purchased one of these and it ended up breaking in my bathtub drain. Ooooops. Sorry, hubby.
• Laundry Detergent - Someone once told me they purchased some from dollar tree, and it ruined there entire load of clothes in the washer. Not worth the risk to me.
• Band-aids - They stay on for maybe 10 minutes before peeling off.
• Perfume - No smell after about 5 minutes on these.
• Fabric Refresher - What am I spraying on this couch? WATER??
• Medicine - Always buy medication approved by the FDA. I have heard that Dollar Tree isn't required to have their products approved by the FDA to sell them in stores. I don't think I'll risk that one....

And there you have it. Did I miss any other great products??!!

A new day. A new blog.

For years, I have spent hours burying myself in blogs. I have always wanted to start one. It's so interesting to get insight into other people lives and ideas.

Time to do something for ME. I'm looking forward to this new venture!