Another Option to Magazine Recycling

Our house is often overwhelmed with magazines. As a magazine editor, I often brought home multiple and would buy others. My husband also gets them through his job. Once we look through them, we add them to a box in our garage for taking to the recycling center (only a couple of places in our city take magazines).

I've recently discovered another option. Several of our local charities/thrift shops take old magazines. Many people buy them for ideas or school collages--things that don't matter how old the issue is.

If you do recycle them, remember you're supposed to remove any blown-in or bound-in cards (like subscription cards, perfume samples, etc.). Just take them out as you read through the magazine so you don't have to do it later.

Consignments Sales for Baby - link

I'm always on the lookout for consignments sales with baby items. They tend to have great variety and prices, and of course, reusing items is always a plus. The clothes and gear are generally in great shape, although you should always inspect your potential purchases carefully. Once you buy it, you're stuck with it!

Here is a link to a site with a great list of sales (you can search by state, city, etc.):
http://thebargainwatcher.com/sales_search_results.asp

Happy bargain hunting!

Dirt Scoopers

I'm already looking forward to spring, and when planting season comes around, I have some new (well, new for gardening) tools to add to my gardening arsenal. We have a few faded, heavy-duty plastic cups (of varying sizes) that I'll use to scoop dirt from bags when transferring to pots. Those top soil bags are always heavy to carry around (and I don't need so much to just dump it), and the mini shovels are too small to do a quick job. Plus, I end up spilling more dirt than moving. I've used plastic cups before and they work well. They allow you to get a decent amount of dirt in one pass, which you can then easily pour into a pot.

Uses for Tissue Paper

As I put away wrapping paper and boxes from Christmas present wrapping, I discovered a wide variety of tissue paper. Some was good enough to save for the next wrapping extravaganza. Other was torn or too crumpled. Of course, my daughter wanted to eat it, but I didn't think that was its best use. So some I'm putting in a large plastic bag to save for shipping materials (great for wrapping breakables or stuffing to fill empty spots in a box). Other pieces I'm going to stuff with torn pieces of wrapping paper into a small old pillowcase (or even a large sock) for my daughter to play with. She loves things that squish and crinkle, so it'll be a great budget-friendly toy!

Second-hand Kid Items Illegal?!?

I was reading one of my favorite blogs (babycheapskate.blogspot.com) the other day, and noticed a post about how the selling of second-hand baby/child toys and clothes could soon become illegal. I couldn't believe what I was reading! But looks as if it is true...although it might not be as bad as once thought. Sounding like 3rd-party sellers and small-business owners might be given a break.

So keep your eyes and ears out for more information. From both a money-saving and reusing perspective, this change could be a BIG deal for many people, including myself.

I'll keep you posted.

Make Your Candles Last Longer

I have a number of candles in my house that have burned unevenly. When they get this way, many people trash them and buy new ones. But to maximize their use, I reshape them. To do so, warm up the excess wax slightly, then press it around to the lower portions of the candle. Let it harden, and then enjoy your "new" candle!

Semi-Handmade Nursery Bedding

Before my daughter was born, my mom and I scoured baby stores for just the right bedding for her room. I didn't want a "theme;" certainly no princesses or teddy bears covering the walls. I was hoping for something serene and sweet; perhaps in lavender and light green. We looked for weeks on end and it seemed hopeless. Everything was either the wrong color or style, cheaply made, had too many unnecessary "parts" or was WAY too expensive. We went into a HomeGoods store one afternoon and happened upon a quilted pillowsham that was by far our best option thus far. We realized that if we could find a larger amount of that fabric, we could use it to create all of the pieces we wanted--and for a great price.

We searched that store high and low for more pieces to the bedding set. No luck. We checked other stores. Nothing. Finally, we looked online. We put in the information on the card with the sham and held our breaths. After a little bit of hunting, we came to Overstock.com. And there it was. In full, queen or king. We had options! We just hoped the colors were the same as the sample we had. It would be heartbreaking to order it only to find it was three shades darker!

We decided the queen coverlet would give us an ample amount to work with. I ordered it and anxiously waited for it to arrive. As soon as it did, I took it to my parents' house. We took it out and studied it. And compared it with other fabrics we had small cuttings of for which we thought we'd use for accents. It looked like it would work...and work really well.

As we were reminded, there are many uses for the bedding you see in stores, whether it's sheets, pillowcase or coverlets, etc. So the next time you are looking for a fabric-related item, or when you need a fabric, consider looking in the linens department. You might find exactly the style and color you wanted. And it certainly costs a lot less than buying from a fabric store -- and if it's anything that can be found in a boutique, such as baby items, it will certainly cost a lot less to make than buy pre-made!

And now the room is done! But it wouldn't have been (at least as beautifully as it is!), without my mother. She can do it all, and she certainly wanted to do whatever she could to help create the perfect room for her first grandchild.

She gave the pieces to me at a baby shower--bumper pads, changing table pad, window treatments, rocking chair cushions and even wicker hamper with a custom-covered top. It was by far the best gift I received. Now, everytime I go into my daughter's room, I think about the process of creating it. And the time and love my mom put into helping me bring my vision to life. I couldn't have done it without her.