Oatmeal Peach Cookie Bar #Recipe for your next cookie exchange

Headed to a cookie exchange this holiday season? Here is a super yummy, rather impressive, yet simple and easy recipe to get you through your next cookie exchange

Preheat your oven to 350F

1.5 cups flour
1 cup oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup peach puree
dash of vanilla
1/2 cup melted butter

Start out by greasing a 9x11 baking dish. Once greased, set aside.

Combine all of the above ingredients, then separate your dough into two parts. Take half, and press it into the bottom of your pan. Now, spoon on and spread out your jam. I chose a wildberry jam, but you could certainly use an orange marmalade, or standard strawberry jam.

Next, press the second half of your dough to make the top crust. The dough may be a bit sticky, so flour your fingers as necessary, or use the back of a slightly greased metal spoon.

Bake for 18 minutes.

Here's a trick to make getting the bars out of the pan super easy. When you take them out of the oven, cut them immediately, then allow them to cool completely in the pan.

These bars make a great school snack, are perfect for cookie exchanges and holiday parties.

Yield: 20 bars

Looking for more Christmas ideas? Over the next week, 25 bloggers will be sharing their creative ideas with you for recipes, decor, crafts, printables, and holiday traditions. Each day 5 new posts will go live so make sure you come back to check them out! At the end of our 25 Blogs of Christmas, we will be hosting a HUGE giveaway for a $250 Amazon Gift Card!

20 Things You Might Not Know About Me

Yesterday, I was tagged by Rebecca of Rebecca Nash Photography to participate in a blog hop meant to get to know the writer behind the blog. It was started by April of Blacksburg Belle, and I'm happy for it to continue here.

20 Things You Might Not Know About Me Blog Tag

August 21, 2014 By Rebecca Nash Leave a Comment

This blog post is a part of the ’20 Things You Might Not Know About Me’ Blog Tag started by April from Blacksburg Belle. She began this blog tag experiment to build community among creatives, help us bloggers to connect more and get to know each other better. This month’s topic is all about sharing just a little too much information about yourself. If you’d like to participate or want more info, check out the beginning post right here.

THIS BLOG TAG TOPIC: 20 Things You Might Not Know About Me

I thought it was only fitting that we start by getting to know some of our favorite bloggers and each other much more personally.
Here are the questions and my answers for this topic.

Question 1: How tall are you?

Answer: 5’8″ if I’m not wearing heels

Question 2: Do you have a hidden talent? If so, what?

If I do, it’s hidden from me too.
I’m a quick reader? I don’t know is that’s a hidden talent.

Question 3: What’s your biggest blog-related pet peeve?

When I can’t comment to show you love!

Question 4: What’s your biggest non-blog related pet peeve?

Well its like when people say like like 10 million times in like one sentence. (Or the actually say things like LOL in normal face to face conversation)

Question 5: What’s your favorite song?

That’s a tough one…I think right now I’d have to go with ‘Brave’ from Sara Bareilles

Question 6: What’s your favorite Etsy shop that isn’t yours?

MyALaModeBoutique

Question 7: What’s your favorite way to spend your free time when you’re alone?

Reading or indulging in a Gilmore Girls Marathon! I will read just about anything…depending on the day you might find me with something business or photography related or I might be tearing up with a little Nicholas Sparks.
If I have too much energy though a private dance party in my PJ’s is more likely.

Question 8: What’s your favorite junk food?

Chocolate. Chocolate is pretty much a vitamin, Vitamin CH

Question 9: Do you have a pet or pets? If so, what kind and what are their names?

Not yet…

Question 10: What are your number one favorite nonfiction and fiction books?

Tempted to steal April’s Answers….
Fiction: The Time Traveler’s Wife
Nonfiction: Eat, Pray, Love

But instead I will go with…
Fiction: The Other Boleyn Girl (or any of Phillipa Gregory’s historical fictions from the Tudor Period)
Non-Fiction: the Digital Photography Book by Scott Kelby

Question 11: What’s your favorite beauty product or tool?

Mascara – I have zero eyelashes without it

Question 12: When were you last embarrassed? What happened?

About 5 minutes ago when I was daydreaming while walking and tripped.

Question 13: If you could only drink one beverage (besides water) for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Chocolate Milk! Oh how I miss chocolate milk…

Question 14: What’s your favorite movie?

Pride & Prejudice

Question 15: What were you in high school: prom queen, nerd, cheerleader, jock, valedictorian, band geek, loner, artist, prep?

Somewhere in the nerd/loner/artist category

Question 16: If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?

Underwater as long as we had more space than a submarine

Question 17: PC or Mac?

PC…Mac’s hate me

Question 18: Last romantic gesture from a crush, date, boy/girlfriend, spouse?

Hmmm…depends on your definition of romance. Does doing the dishes and cooking dinner count?

Question 19: Favorite celebrity?

No idea…I don’t really follow many.

Question 20: What blogger do you secretly want to be best friends with?

Jasmine Star (does a photographer who blogs count?)

- See more at: http://www.rebeccanashphotography.com/?p=3263#sthash.NTlkN6KC.dpuf

20 Things You Might Not Know About Me Blog Tag

August 21, 2014 By Rebecca Nash Leave a Comment

This blog post is a part of the ’20 Things You Might Not Know About Me’ Blog Tag started by April from Blacksburg Belle. She began this blog tag experiment to build community among creatives, help us bloggers to connect more and get to know each other better. This month’s topic is all about sharing just a little too much information about yourself. If you’d like to participate or want more info, check out the beginning post right here.

THIS BLOG TAG TOPIC: 20 Things You Might Not Know About Me

I thought it was only fitting that we start by getting to know some of our favorite bloggers and each other much more personally.
Here are the questions and my answers for this topic.

Question 1: How tall are you?

Answer: 5’8″ if I’m not wearing heels

Question 2: Do you have a hidden talent? If so, what?

If I do, it’s hidden from me too.
I’m a quick reader? I don’t know is that’s a hidden talent.

Question 3: What’s your biggest blog-related pet peeve?

When I can’t comment to show you love!

Question 4: What’s your biggest non-blog related pet peeve?

Well its like when people say like like 10 million times in like one sentence. (Or the actually say things like LOL in normal face to face conversation)

Question 5: What’s your favorite song?

That’s a tough one…I think right now I’d have to go with ‘Brave’ from Sara Bareilles

Question 6: What’s your favorite Etsy shop that isn’t yours?

MyALaModeBoutique

Question 7: What’s your favorite way to spend your free time when you’re alone?

Reading or indulging in a Gilmore Girls Marathon! I will read just about anything…depending on the day you might find me with something business or photography related or I might be tearing up with a little Nicholas Sparks.
If I have too much energy though a private dance party in my PJ’s is more likely.

Question 8: What’s your favorite junk food?

Chocolate. Chocolate is pretty much a vitamin, Vitamin CH

Question 9: Do you have a pet or pets? If so, what kind and what are their names?

Not yet…

Question 10: What are your number one favorite nonfiction and fiction books?

Tempted to steal April’s Answers….
Fiction: The Time Traveler’s Wife
Nonfiction: Eat, Pray, Love

But instead I will go with…
Fiction: The Other Boleyn Girl (or any of Phillipa Gregory’s historical fictions from the Tudor Period)
Non-Fiction: the Digital Photography Book by Scott Kelby

Question 11: What’s your favorite beauty product or tool?

Mascara – I have zero eyelashes without it

Question 12: When were you last embarrassed? What happened?

About 5 minutes ago when I was daydreaming while walking and tripped.

Question 13: If you could only drink one beverage (besides water) for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Chocolate Milk! Oh how I miss chocolate milk…

Question 14: What’s your favorite movie?

Pride & Prejudice

Question 15: What were you in high school: prom queen, nerd, cheerleader, jock, valedictorian, band geek, loner, artist, prep?

Somewhere in the nerd/loner/artist category

Question 16: If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?

Underwater as long as we had more space than a submarine

Question 17: PC or Mac?

PC…Mac’s hate me

Question 18: Last romantic gesture from a crush, date, boy/girlfriend, spouse?

Hmmm…depends on your definition of romance. Does doing the dishes and cooking dinner count?

Question 19: Favorite celebrity?

No idea…I don’t really follow many.

Question 20: What blogger do you secretly want to be best friends with?

Jasmine Star (does a photographer who blogs count?)

- See more at: http://www.rebeccanashphotography.com/?p=3263#sthash.NTlkN6KC.dpuf

Q1: How tall are you?

I am 5'2". Honest, I am. It's something that my husband always challenges me on, but I swear it's true!

Q2: Do you have a hidden talent? If so, what?

I can belch on command. Classy, right?

Q3: What is your biggest blog-related pet peeve?

Flashy, in your face ads. For the love of puppies and rainbows, be authentic and let your voice shine through all of the monetization!

Q4: What is your biggest non blog-related pet peeve?

People who don't use their turn signals.

Q5: What's your favourite song?

In My Life by the Beatles.

Q6: What's your favorite Etsy shop that isn't yours?

Oh gosh...this is crazy difficult! I love Baily Belle, Sarita Baby, Alexandra Rose, Truly Sanctuary and Westcoast Baby.

Q7: What's your favorite way to spend your free time when you're alone?

I really love taking myself out for an Iced Caramel Macchiato, and sitting in the quiet, reading. Right now, I'm reading Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Newborn by Penny Simkin for my postpartum doula certification, and it's so nice to be able to do that...quietly.

Q8: What's your favorite junk food?

Desserts...they just make me weak in the knees. Pie...cake...tarts...eclairs...anything sweet and pretty!

Q9: Do you have a pet or pets? If so, what kind and what are their names?

Not currently, but hopefully in a few years we'll get a pooch for the boys.

Q10: What are your number one favourite nonfiction and fiction books?

Island Of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
anything by Chuck Klosterman

Q11: What's your favorite beauty product or tool?

Nude lipgloss

Q12: When were you last embarrassed? What happened?

Honestly...it's a daily occurrence, usually stemming from using the wrong word in the wrong context with my uber intelligent husband.

Q13: If you could only drink one beverage (besides water) for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Freshly made juice with apples, pears, kale, lemon, strawberries, and peaches.

Q14: What's your favorite movie?

Cinderella (with Love, Actually as a close second)

Q15: What were you in high school: prom queen, nerd, cheerleader, jock, valedictorian, band geek, loner, artist, prep?

I was that artsy girl who also excelled in history and geography, hung out with the cool kids, sat on the UN debate team, and planned charity events.

Q16: If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?

Paris. Hands down...breakfast every day with a view of the Eiffel Tower? Yes please!

Q17: PC or Mac?

I have a PC/laptop, and an iPhone...so really either!

Q18: Last romantic gesture from a crush/date/boy/girlfriend/spouse?

Romance, eh? Hmm...well when you have a 6week old and a 4 year old, romance takes the form of late night dinners, and watching movies on the couch together.

Q19: Favorite celebrity?

Honestly, not too sure. There are some that I admire and think are amazing, but I wouldn't say I have a favorite.

Q20: What blogger do you secretly want to be best friends with?

I am so thankful to call some of the best bloggers out there my close friends. Shannon, Steph, Steph, Kelly, Jenni. They're all fantastic (and you should check them out).

Now, I have the task of tagging and nominating other bloggers to complete this. Those named in Q20, consider yourself nominated!

Blogger{at}BlogHer12: Business Cards!

The theme for this weeks' Blogger{at}BlogHer12 hop is your hand outs!

I've got to say, perfect timing! My business cards were just finalized this morning with my printing sponsor

and I adore them!

front of the cards with my beautiful logo

back of the cards with shop, blog, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and email information

Now, these are my business card sized handouts that will be given to some bloggers here and there, but I'm also going to be doing a 4x6 postcard size with amazing coverart photography from Hanlon Lain Photography on the front, and then some quips about me and what you'll find here at the Sweet Stella's blog. I don't want my cards to be all about links and email addresses ~ I want them to speak about who I am as an artist and blogger...so much more than a link!

 Linking up with Living With Peanut! Are you going to BlogHer'12? Link up with us!

Blogger{at}BlogHer12: Blogging Tips

Definitely late to the game on this bloghop for the week, but better late than never??

Hopping along with my roommate Shaun...

The theme for this week is blogging tips...you know you have 'em, so you might as well share 'em!

Quality

This is something that is incredibly important to me. I want to ensure that I'm staying true to myself as an artist, not compromising my ideals and values, and that I'm also presenting my sponsors in the best possible light. This all boils down to quality. What good is a blog that is full of giveaways, reviews, and very little content? Well...it's great if you want to win stuff, but it's not great if you're looking to build a relationship with your readers {like I am}. Food for thought!

Network

I've found that the best way to grow my readership is to have a close network of bloggers who believe in what I do, both as a writer and as an artist. Pushing posts to Facebook and Twitter only go so far if you haven't taken the time to connect with who will see those posts and tweets. Connect...engage...be real.

Scheduling

I try to stick to a consistent schedule. I know that my life as a fulltime mama and fulltime artist make for late night {or all-day-Sunday} blogging sessions, and without my themed days and schedule, I wouldn't know which post is going to go where...and likely would have writers block. it helps me stay focused, gives my blog consistency, and gives my readers something to look forward to when they know a certain theme is coming up in a day or two.

Those are my top three tips!! I can't wait to learn more and grow as a blogger in the coming months. This little dream of going to BlogHer is becoming more and more real, and it's such an amazing journey!

SWH4T$: Disney Movie Club

Another Thursday, another week of awesome money & time saving tips!



Blog Hop Rules

1) Follow your hostesses, Baby Shmizz and Sweet Stella's, via GFC or BlogLovin'

2) Post our button on your blog for others to follow along

3) Link up a post that helps you save time, money, frustration...your sanity!



Have fun linking up and reading other mama tips!

<center><a href="http://babyshmizz.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c91/zippinviolet/SWH4T.jpg"/></a></center>   Disney Movie Club
I've gotten these flyers in the mail for quite a while now, for the Disney Movie Club.  I kinda blew them off at first, but since Jack has become obsessed with Disney Cars, we bought him the DVD and I realized how freaking expensive those things are!  I remember when I was little we had all the Disney VHS tapes and would watch them all the time.  I wanted the same for Jack, but I'm too cheap to pay $29.95 each for DVD/BluRay.

Enter the DMC.  I surveyed all my mommy friends, and my resident Disney expert, Cousin B.  All of them said that it was a good deal, so I signed up.
The details are that you pick out 5 DVDs or BluRays initially.  You can chose to pay $1.99 each for the first initial 5, or if you pay with your credit card, you get them for $1.00 TOTAL.  Then, you agree to purchase 4 DVDs/BluRays over the course of 2 years at the regular price of $19.95 for DVD and $29.95 for BluRay.
You're probably thinking, what is the big deal if you are going to pay full price for 4 movies?  Well, if you do the math...you're saving a whole lot of money!
We have a BluRay player, so we did the BluRay option (plus, most of those come with DVDs with bonus features, so that's even more bang for your buck).  
For our initial 5, we got Dumbo 70th Anniversary Edition, Toy Story w/ bonus DVD, A Bug's Life w/ bonus DVD, Up w/ bonus DVD and Cars 2 w/ bonus DVD.  We opted for the $1.00 option by giving our credit card.
So, since we will end up purchasing at least a total of 4 BluRays including our initial 5 (for a total of 9), we would have paid $269.55 retail price.  However...since we joined the DMC, we will pay only $119.80, a savings of $149.75!!!
PLUS, each DVD/BluRay comes with a Disney Movie Rewards code, which you can enter on their website and redeem the points for prizes like toys, DVDs, apparel, memorabilia and more!  Winnah Winnah!!!
I feel like Disney movies are timeless, and honestly, I would rather put on a movie that he may not be completely 100% interested in right now, as opposed to Dora or Diego which I feel like rots his brain.  And Disney is wholesome, classic, and brings a lot of good memories back for me, so I want to pass those on to my son :)

Blogger {at} BlogHer12: Introduce Yourself

Well, hello there!

Linking up with my roomies from BlogHer12 in a new blogpost called....



What's it all about? Well, it's a chance for a few of us mama bloggers to connect and learn about one another, and our journey's to BlogHer before we even get there. Pretty appropriate since this week is all about my sponsors!

This weeks theme is Introduce Yourself and Your Blog

So...hello! I'm Shannon...great-greaddaughter of Stella {where the idea of Sweet Stella's came from, clearly}.

I am an artist, with a clear and inspired vision in abstract paintings, journals and hand sculpted art for your home as well as wearable art for yourself.

I am a mom to an incredible little {very busy} boy named Owen, who I love with my whole heart. Without him, I don't think my world would be filled with colour.

I am a wife to an amazing man, Colin, who loves me with his whole heart {a sentiment which i happily return.}

I'm just me.

My blog? Well, it's all about inspiration and creativity. It supports mompreneurs and other crafty types. It helps spread the word about neat and cool companies in London, Ontario, and hopefully...it entertains!

What about you? Are YOU off to BlogHer12? Hope to meet you!

SWH4T$: DIY Cake Stands

Happy Thursday everyone! Since I know that you're all probably planning out Easter dinner and brunch menu's, I wanted to blog a little DIY project today that you can do super quick and easy to make your dessert table pop...without breaking the bank!

Blog Hop Rules

1) Follow your hostesses, Baby Shmizz and Sweet Stella's, via GFC or BlogLovin'

2) Post our button on your blog for others to follow along

3) Link up a post that helps you save time, money, frustration...your sanity!

Have fun linking up and reading other mama tips!

<center><a href="http://sweetstellas.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c91/zippinviolet/SWH4T.jpg"/></a></center>

DIY Cake Stands

Planning an Easter dinner or brunch? Have a bevvy of desserts to display? This thrifty little DIY will have your table looking fabulous in no time flat, and with little money spent!

Supplies:
White plastic plates or trays from the dollar store
Glass candle sticks or tumblers from the dollar store

How-to:

Flip over your plate or tray.

Using a permanent adhesive {I used Epoxy because I had it on hand, but I'm sure that you could use hot glue. Just be warned that hot glue won't give you as permanent or strong a bond between the plate and candle stick or tumbler}, smear about a 2" circle on the bottom side of your plate or tray.

If you're using epoxy, make sure that your room is well ventilated and that you're doing it away from children. Heavily toxic and you don't want it getting on your skin either!

Place the candle stick or tumbler on the adhesive. Since I was using tumblers, I put them end to end...flat surfaces will give you the strongest bond and the most stability in your cake stand.

Place a hardcover book or two on the tumbler. The weight will help the bond become good and strong.

Leave the stand to dry for 24 hours.

After it's dry, place cookies, sweets, treats, cakes...whatever you'd like on display for your guests! you could even tie seasonal ribbon around the base to make it more festive!

Link up your thrifty frugal crafty time and money saving ideas today!

SWH4T$: If it's Free, it's for Me!

Welcome back to SWH4T$ - a blog hop for money {and time} saving mama bloggers!




We just have three very simple guidelines!



1.) Follow your hostesses at Baby Shmizz and Sweet Stella's via GFC

2.) Link up a specific post that relates to money and time, your job, your business, couponing, anything that shows how you "work hard for your money".

3.) Post our button on your post

Have fun linking and finding new blogs to read!








<center><a href="http://babyshmizz.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c91/zippinviolet/SWH4T.jpg"/></a></center>
If it's Free, it's for Me!

Since funds are tight at the Shmizz household, we've been tapping into a lot of free local resources for things to do on the weekend with Jack. It's amazing what you can find for free in your neighborhood if you just look around a little harder :)



Library

Our library haul from last week

This might seem like a no-brainer to some, but for us, it was something new. We started bringing Jack to the library every weekend to get some new books, videos to watch, CDs to listen to. What's nice about the library is that you can have a constantly revolving collection of books at your house, so he never gets bored. Or, for that matter, when you are sick of reading Tip Tip, Dig Dig for the 4,568,752nd time, you can just bring it back and get something different :) Most libraries will also have a free story-time or sing-a-long that you can join in on, which is great for socializing and toddler stimulation.



Playgrounds

At the playground last weekend with Auntie Kellie

Moms of toddler boys know that burning energy is essential to having a happy toddler. Sure, girls can be like this too, but we all know that boys are a little crazy at times and need to let loose. Now that the weather is starting to get warmer, we are constantly looking for nice playgrounds to check out. The best are ones that are fenced in, and have smaller structures that are good for smaller toddlers. Not sure where the playgrounds are in your area? Check out this website to find them! They also have a mobile app for both iPhone and Android platforms, so if you get to a playground and the elementary school bullies are being mean to your child, or the place is over-run with nannies on their phones texting and not watching their charges, you can always move on to a new park...this may or may not be coming from personal experience...



Playdates

Is your kid getting sick of their toys? Instead of buying new ones, have a playdate and go over a little friend's house and play with their toys! Its a win-win situation for you, because you can hang out with the mom/dad and the kiddos can play and amuse themselves. Another bonus, if you have a playdate in the morning, kids get tired, take awesome naps and life is good for all :)



The Dollar Store

Ok, so this isn't exactly free, but its about as close as you can get these days. Toys, snacks, crafting supplies, you name it, they probably have it. I even got all the supplies for Jack's birthday party goodie bags for 10 kids for $60 (another post for another week!). Glow sticks in the bathtub, coloring books, balloons, shovel & pail, Matchbox cars, Playdough. Tell yourself that you are going to skip getting coffee at Dunkin/Starbucks that week and spend the $5 on your kid at the Dollar Store that weekend; kiddo will feel like they won the lottery when they walk out with 5 toys :)



What sort of free things do you do with your kids? Link up and share!

SWH4T$: Sick Day

Hey friends...


well it was bound to happen sooner or later. Shizz is sick with something pretty nasty nd ha a sick little boy at home, and I've been laying low with a Toddler who has had a 103-100F fever for a few days.

Happy Spring??

We'll catch up with you next week!

SWH4T$: Easy Toddler Breakfast

Happy Thursday, mamas!! Last week I discovered a recipe that will please even the finickiest of eaters...and I'm SO excited to share it with you today!

It's so easy to link up, here's how:

1.) Follow your hostesses at Baby Shmizz and Sweet Stella's via GFC

2.) Link up a specific post that relates to money and time, your job, your business, couponing, anything that shows how you "work hard for your money".

3.) Post our button on your post

Have fun linking and finding new blogs to read!

<center><a href="http://babyshmizz.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c91/zippinviolet/SWH4T.jpg"/></a></center>

Easy Toddler Breakfast

Today's post isn't so much about saving money and time (though this is a super frugal and fast breakfast to make any day of the week) as it is about saving your sanity.

Like most other 20month olds, my son has become a veggie-free-zone. Put steamed or roasted veggies on his tray and he looks at you like you have three heads.

Put berries, carrots or bananas in pancakes, and he's your man! He'll gobble it up! Well...until recently when even that form of trickery stopped working.

Then I found this recipe on Pinterest...and man oh man!

What you need:
1/4 cup oatmeal (recipe calls for instant oats, but I used rolled oats)
1 egg
a small handful of whatever fruit you'd like to add in...or veggies! That'd work too! I used blackberries and raspberries

Mix everything together in a microwave safe coffee mug, then microwave on medium high for 1 minute. If it's not firm enough and the egg is still runny, put it back in for 30 seconds.

Chop into big chunks and serve warm!

Saving time, money and your sanity...one toddler breakfast at a time!


Link up with us!

SWH4T$: Cabinet Re-Organization

It's Thursday again! One more day till TGIF time :)



It's so easy to link up, here's how:



1.) Follow your hostesses at Baby Shmizz and Sweet Stella's via GFC

2.) Link up a specific post that relates to money and time, your job, your business, couponing, anything that shows how you "work hard for your money".

3.) Post our button on your post

Have fun linking and finding new blogs to read!














<center><a href="http://babyshmizz.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c91/zippinviolet/SWH4T.jpg"/></a></center>
Cabinet Re-organization
I've been on this organization kick lately, especially with all of my cabinets in my house. I've just gotten sick of how messy they get, so I've been putting things in bins, labeling, purging - and its been awesome! My latest project was one of the larger cabinets in my kitchen, which houses a lot of infrequently used items, and tends to just get things thrown in there without any thought.
This is the before picture, not too nice huh?

I started off by taking everything out and throwing out what we didn't need or didn't use (ice cube trays from our baby food making days, a spoon rest that we don't use, a votive candle holder that was half-broken). Then, I took all the shelves out and wiped them down, and applied a new layer of Contac Paper.

Next, I put everything that was being saved back into the cabinet, and organized it so it made sense. I moved out our wooden formal flatware box and displayed it on the china hutch in our dining room, which freed up a lot of space on one shelf. Aprons and bottle coolers went into medium-sized bins. Small baking molds, grill accessories and paper/plasticware went into other smaller bins. It's a deep cabinet, but I made sure not to shove things too far back, because otherwise you can't see them, and you'll be less likely to use them.

After everything was in the cabinet, I made a list of what was on each shelf. I used Microsoft Word to print out the list of items, cut out each shelf list and then glued it onto a pretty piece of scrapbook paper and taped it to the inside of the cabinet as a map of sorts.

Then, I printed out some labels to put on the bins. I got the labels from here. I didn't have sticky label sheets to print them on, so I was cheap and used what I had: regular white printer paper and clear packing tape :) Worked just fine.

The final product:

Big improvement huh? I hope that I've made everything easy to find and easy to put away, with the intention that the cabinet will stay that way.
This whole project cost me about $15:2 medium wire bins from Target: $52 medium plastic bins from Walmart: $2.383 small skinny plastic bins from Walmart: $2.38Roll of Contac paper: $5.89
Got any organizational projects you've done recently? Link up!

SWH4T$: Love {in a} Jar

Happy Thursday everyone, and welcome back to She Works Hard for the Money - a bloghop for hard working mamas to share their time and money saving tips!

The rules are super simple!

1) Follow your hostesses, Baby Shmizz and Sweet Stella's, via GFC

2) Link up a specific post that relates to money and time, your job, your business, couponing, anything that shows how you "work hard for your money".


3.) Post our button on your post

Have fun linking up and finding her blogs to read!

Love {in a} Jar

So...my husband decided to be super romantic this Valentine's Day and booked us a night at a local hotel, a romantic dinner, and even got a baby sitter for our son. I was shocked...pleasantly surprised...but absolutely shocked!

And I had squat to give him!

I started thinking and came up with this cute idea, which would be perfect for anniversaries as well!

Materials:

1 jar (I used a large jam jar)
3 pieces of paper
10 pieces of his favourite candy (Rockets for my Hubster)

Soak your jar a sink of hot water. This will make scrapping the label off a sinch!

While your jar is soaking, cut your paper into strips. They don't have to be perfect by any means. I did 5 notes for every year that we've been married, and 5 extras.

Set aside 5 strips of paper

Write out love notes on the remaining strips of paper. Reasons you love him...are proud of him...proud to be his other-half...proud of him as a father Really anything that you love about him.

On the 5 you set aside, write out activities to do together. Thing like...slow dancing...taking a walk together...whatever you'd like! Wrap them around his favourite candy

Scrape the label off the jar, and dry it thoroughly...you don't want those papers getting wet!

Once the jar is dry, stuff it with the notes, activities and extra candies!

Sweet and corny, but super thoughtful!

Link up your crafty, thrifty and frugal ideas with us!

SWH4T$: Bathroom Refinishing

It's Thursday again folks, which means more great tips! What do you have to share this week?



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Bathtub Refinishing
Our house was built in 1925, and a few additions and renovations done in the 1980s, you know, when almond-colored fixtures were super cool. Sounds pretty, right?

So in 2009, we had the bathroom renovated. We re-tiled the shower, bumped up the shower ceiling, adjusted the height of the showerhead to accomodate for 6'4" Mizzle, re-tiled the floor, removed some old nasty shelving, new toilet, new vanity and new medicine cabinet.

We were going to replace the bathtub, but it would have cost a fortune, and there wasn't anything structurally wrong with our tub. So, we opted to refinish it ourselves, with a kit similar to this that we found at Home Depot:

I'm not sure that this was the brand that we used, so don't think
I'm slamming this company, I'm not. It's a good idea, just didn't work for us.

The contractors did it for us the first time, and then we did it the 2nd time. And the 3rd time. Yes, we had to refinish the tub 3 times. And each time, it only lasted a few months before peeling off. And the fumes were so strong, that we couldn't stay in the house while it was drying. Which took 3 days. Yes, 3 days. I think this would be great for a tub that isn't used very much, but when you have 2 adults showering daily and then a toddler taking a bath, its just not going to work.

So the last time we did it, was August 2011. And then, around Christmas, this is what we ended up with:

See the new finish peeling up and revealing that splendid almond finish? HAWT, right?

So at the end of January, Mizzle and I went to a Home Show in Boston, in hopes that we would find a cheap way to get what we really wanted: a gleaming white bathtub. One of the companies that was there was a professional refinishing company. They use a special industrial epoxy that is specifically designed for bathtubs. The only other option we found was a BathFitter thing, where they slip a custom liner over your tub. That would have cost at least $2000. Not what we wanted to spend. The refinishing guys? $300. And, since we booked our appointment at the Home Show, we got a discount, and they also threw in non-slip treads for free! So what would have normally cost us $410, we got for $300. But, the best part was that they guaruantee their work for 2 years. If there are any problems, we just call them, and they come back and fix it. For free. We spent a total of $150 on the kids from Home Depot, so this refinishing option is a little more expensive than the DIY kit, but, the combined price of the 2 of them is still less than BathFitter, and I love the 2 year gaurantee.

Amazing, right? They started at 10:30, and we were able to use the shower 24 hours later! And, the fumes were soooo much less than the DIY kit. We could actually all sleep in the house that night and not have to worry.

If you are looking for an economical way to refinish an old tub, I would highly recommend this option! If you would like more info on the company that we used, shoot me an email and I will fill you in!

What sort of thrifty home renovations have you done?