Where are you from? and a little bit about you I am from Springfield, Massachusetts - I've lived in MA my whole life. I am a mother of two young children, my son is 5 and my daughter will be 3 in a few months. I work part-time as a graphic designer, part-time on my purse business and am home with the kids the rest of the time. I have a wonderful husband who is very supportive in anything I do. I have always been into crafts, painting lessons growing up, decor around the house, painted the kids rooms with characters from Dr. Seuss and Nemo, and painted my living room window to look like stained glass (all before kids when I had free time! LOL). What items do you carry in your shop? I started with my purses then experimented with a couple of ribbon wreaths, that are quite cute I must say! And a scarf that I crocheted. How did you decide on your shop name? Some names come with easy nicknames, my name is Dana and somehow growing up my name was shortened and became Dae (Day). … [Read more...]
Tree shaping- Guest Post
Tree shaping Tree shaping is the art of shaping living trees into art or useful ornaments. There are two methods of tree shaping, with very different results. Richard Reames's Arborsculpture A bench shaped by Richard Reames using his Instant Arborsculpture techniques as described in his books 1.Instant tree shaping uses the methods as described in both of Richard Reames books. How to grow a chair the art of Tree Trunk Topiary and Arborsculpture Solutions for a small planet. Basically you start with trees that are at least 2 - 5 years old or trees 6 – 8 ft. (2–2.5 m) tall, bend and weave the trees together to form the desired shape. Hold the trees in place for a year or 10. Then hopefully when you remove the restraints the tree will stay in place. I'm not too sure how successful Arborsculpture Instant Tree shaping method is as Richard Reames says in his book quote " Designs that use large numbers of trees should always have replacement trees of the same age available … [Read more...]
Etsy’s Feature Friday!
Getting To Know Laura (JewelryKaleidoscope) Where are you from? and a little bit about you I was born and raised in south eastern MN, I have lived in many different areas of MN, I even spent a few years in TN. But now I am happy to live in south western MN. I enjoy doing a variety of crafts and have been doing embroidery since I was a child, I never know what I will try next. I also love the vintage stuff and the hunt to find them. What items do you carry in your shop? In my shop I have crafts and vintage items. I do hand embroidery, beading, make blankets and pillows. I have some supplies because I sometimes have to many projects stored up, and try to pass them along to others. How did you decide on your shop name? When I frist opened up my shop I was just going to do my jewelry, and I liked kaleidoscope because of all the colors of beads I use. Now I think of it as the wide variety of items I have in my shop. Do you have anything new you plan on adding to your … [Read more...]
Guest Post – Altered Switch Plates
If you wish to spice up your walls a little bit, decoupaging your switch plates is an easy and inexpensive project that is sure to perk up your walls. Any regular, boring switch plate you may have can be altered. Just unscrew it from the wall, grab the other supplies listed below, and off you go! Here are the materials you will need for this project, aside from the switch plate: 1.Mod Podge, a decoupage glue which comes in matte or glossy finish (I used the matte finish.) 2.foam brush 3.decorative paper 4.self-healing mat or any surface you can cut on 5.X-acto or any precision knife 6.decorative embellishments, optional 7.distressing ink, optional 8.foam applicator for the ink, optional 9.screwdriver to install your switch plate Using a foam brush, apply a moderate coat of Mod Podge on the face of the switch plate. Place the plate face down on the back and center of your decorative paper. Smooth out any air bubbles with your hand. (Make sure you protect your … [Read more...]
To Do Tuesday GiveawayCLOSED
Now that you have learned how to make the wonderful switch plate HERE, Johwey is giving you the chance to win the one she made for the demonstration! YAY! Win It! ONE of my lucky readers will win a the Switch Plate made HERE for the demonstration! Please make sure to leave your e-mail address and leave a separate comment for each entry! Mandatory Entry….Go HERE and tell me something you learned about another one of Johwey’s projects or recipes that you love. Extra Entries Make one of Johweys projects or recipes and e-mail a picture of it to me kwhiz84(at)live(dot)com 10 Entries, leave 10 comments Blog about this giveaway leaving a Link to this post and a link to Johwey’s blog (5 Entries) Link this giveaway to a Giveaway Linky that it is not already on! (2 Entries per linky, Leave 2 Comments) Fan Johwey on facebook or twitter * can find links from her blog (3 Entries, Leave 3 Comments) ReTweet this (leave a link) can be done … [Read more...]
Community and School Garden Volunteers-Guest Post
Community and School Garden Volunteers: Make Growing Easier! By Diana Schlott, VolunteerSpot, DOING GOOD just got easier! One of the most joyous ways to contribute to your community to participate in a community garden, Whether the goal is to teach school kids about plants and healthy food or to supplement the nutrition and supply at a local food pantry, gardening connects people with nature and each other. Some of us participate as share holders in community gardens, managing our own plots and sharing in the regular maintenance of the garden overall. With stress over finances and the environment upsetting so many of us, the ability to help the community through gardening is an effort that provides tangible benefits and soothes our souls. Expanding movements around community gardens to raise food for those in need or as important teaching resources in school have connected many people with the land, with each other and with some ancient technologies they may not be … [Read more...]
How to Be Penny and Pound Wise – Easy Financial Wisdom
How to Be Penny and Pound Wise – Easy Financial Wisdom It’s a habit that we seem to have lost over the years, and it’s only because of the recent recession that we have woken up to the value of saving money. It’s not just enough to earn it; you have to be aware of how you spend it and how much you save each month. It’s easy enough to manage your finances because it’s a matter of simple mathematics – you add your income and subtract your expenditure leaving you enough to put aside as savings every month. But unfortunately, even though this is all so easy and sounds good on paper, it’s not simple in real life because we’re swamped by various spending options. Cash has been relegated to the background and it’s the age where credit cards and direct debits from your bank account, so unless you’re on top of all that you spend and balance your accounts religiously every month, you lose track of how much you owe others, how much you’ve actually spent, and how much you have in your bank … [Read more...]
How I Organize My Coupon Stash- Guest Post
How I Organize My Coupon Stash by Tara Huff Hi! It's Tara from Froogaloo, again! Now that you know where to find coupons, it's time to get organized! Here is a quick summary of how I organize my coupon stash. I hate clipping coupons, so I don't do it unless I need to. Simple as that. Each week I label the Sunday inserts with the date and file them in my coupon box. I keep separate folders for each type of insert - Smart Source, Red Plum, Proctor & Gamble, or General Mills. I also have a folder for printable coupons that I haven't clipped yet, restaurant coupons, and miscellaneous coupons and booklets that I receive in the mail. Back in the day, I would clip all of the coupons my family might use and then file them by category. Now that I'm a super-couponer, I don't have the time to mess with that (and I want to avoid carpal tunnel syndrome.) I've found that my "clip-as-you-need-it" system makes it so much easier to find the coupon I'm looking for. If I'm using a … [Read more...]
Guest Post – Coupons!
Hi everyone! My name is Tara, and I’m so excited to be guest posting at Heavenly Savings! My friends and I started Froogaloo.com in March 2010 to share our money saving tips and tricks with others. We quickly realized that, day in and day out, we're all working very hard for many different goals, such as education, retirement, vacation, a car, a home, family, etc. So, we created Froogaloo.com, which is a community focused on helping you find resources (both online & offline) for a fit wallet, so you can live your lifestyle! Members receive free access to the community, where discussions take place in the forum, examples are shared on the blog and more. Additionally, members receive free tips by e-mail and webinars. In the future, we'll develop more opportunities, such as training seminars. Please take a minute to visit the site and sign up! It's free and filled with great information. One of the questions I frequently get from friends and family is, “Where do you … [Read more...]
To Do Tuesday! Guest Blog- Spring Planters!
Welcome Spring With This Quick and Easy DIY Grass Planter Get your “green on” and give a warm springtime hug to yourself or to someone special with this fun eco-friendly planter. Supplies Decorative Container Garden or Potting Soil *Pebbles – Only necessary if your container does not have drainage holes. Rye Grass Seeds – Rye grass is very inexpensive, and is readily available at Walmart, Kmart, Lowes, Home Depot and similar stores. You can substitute any type of grass, or if you’re feeling kinda swanky, try using wheat kernels. Water Directions Fill and level your container with soil, leaving just about 1 to 2 inches of space at the top. If your container doesn’t have drainage holes, this is where you’ll want to put in a 1 inch layer of pebbles; then top with soil. Next, sprinkle a solid layer (don’t be stingy) of grass seeds over soil. Cover seeds with ¼ inch of soil. Then water till moist; but not soggy. To keep your soil and seeds from drying … [Read more...]