Here's a giveaway for the best Diaper Changer station for you car! It is at Natural Mama's blog. The changing station is by Dipe n Go. Check it out!

Here's a great contest to win $25 gift card to Wholesale Costume Club. Check it out at Dotty Dot Dot.

Here is another great giveaway I found on Frugal Creativity. It is for 5 Custom license plates from BuildASign.com Check it out here.

Here is another awesome blog giveaway from the best blog around...besides mine...lol. It's from the Work-at-Home-Mom Resource Site to win a scentsy warmer and scents.

Another great giveaway is on a site called Our Family Treat for Orglamix Oganic Mineral Makeup. Check them out, too!

http://freestuff.tipjunkie.com/go/?id=405891

Cool Giveaway over at a new blog I found called Yaak Adventures. They are giving away a $45 CSN gift card. Check it out!

I actually got PAID to Shop this morning!

I went to Rite Aid this morning and got $107.64 worth of stuff for FREE!!! Seriously! I'm not kidding. PLUS, they are going to send me $8 in the mail. So, I made $8 for shopping for Free today. Score!

How? What the...?

I'll tell you it's a little time consuming to get yourself organized before you go, but totally worth it. I used coupons, gift cards, rebates and +up rewards. I'll explain:


First, I went to the Rite Aid website and signed up for several free programs that save you a ton! Go here to sign up for the Wellness + program. You'll have to go into the store to get the actual card, but they can activate it right there for you. But do it before you head in because you can print off several coupons that you'll need. When you sign up, you also get a coupon for $5 off of $25 or more purchase. Print several of these.


Then, you need to go here to sign up for the Single Rebates Check program. This is where they send you reward dollars to spend later. It adds up and they have tons of new items and deals to earn them every week.


If you have been to Rite Aid lately or seen their weekly circular, you may have noticed certain products with something called +UP rewards. These are the coupons that print out at the end of you transaction every time you buy one of these products. No need to sign up for this. All you need is to swipe your Wellness+ card to get all the sale prices, etc. that are from that weeks circular.


Also, go here to sign up for some great coupons just by watching some videos (all under 2-3 min.) (I muted them and did other stuff, but if you really want to listen feel free.) Just earn 20 Video Value credits and you get a $5 off of $20 or more purchase. Print this more than once, they come in handy. I think you can also find $5 off of $25 coupons here, too. I can't remember, but I printed several to keep on hand for later.


Then, the last thing you need to do before you can start planning your shopping trip is to go here and download the Pharmacy coupons for $50 in free Gift Cards just for transferring two prescriptions to the Rite Aid Pharmacy. I do this all the time between Walgreen's and Walmart. Usually when you transfer a prescription away from Walgreen's they sen you a coupon for $25 off your prescription if you transfer one back to them. Sneeky, huh? Totally worth it. All you need to do for the Rite Aid $50 (actually two $25 cards, but you get the idea.) is walk in to the pharmacy and hand them the prescription bottles you want transferred and show them your coupon and they'll get it ready for you. When you go to pick them up, you must pay for them right then, and hand them the coupon. Then they will give you the gift cards just like that! The gift cards can be used on anything in the store, except for certain items like tobacco products and alcohol, etc. This deal is only valid if you haven't already redeemed a similar reward with them in the last 6 months.

Here is just one more step to make the most of your shopping trip. Go to free coupon websites like coupons.com or coolsavings.com and print out coupons for the items you plan to buy. I usually will match up the weekly circular deals with the coupons to get them for even cheaper.

Now you have everything you need to start planning your shopping trip. Trust me, you need to plan ahead. Instead of listing all of the amazing deals I got today, I'm going to link you to the queen of couponing and her amazing blog to give you a scenario for using these programs all together to actually make money in some cases. Go here to Utah Deal Diva's website for this specific post.

In order to get the most for your money (or more for their money) you should go to the single check rebates website and check their deals and compare them to the current weeks circular. It's all online and that makes it easy to know exactly what you are looking for when you get there.


One more thing, (I know it's slightly complicated, but totally worth the headache.) when you get home from your shopping trip, you still need to go to the https://riteaid.rebateplus.com/ website and enter a couple things from your receipts in order to get the money back in the mail from your rebates. They don't just send them to you automatically either, you have to request them. Don't worry this part is totally super easy. You just have to remember to do it.

Now go out there and get your FREE stuff!

An $18 Big Girl Bed & Sweet $5 Benches

A couple of weekends ago, many of my neighbors had yard sales and I scored big time! Since I am expecting in July, our two year old needs to have a big girl bed and give up the crib to the new baby. I scored this headboard and foot board set for $5 for both of them. Score! Then another neighbor had a twin mattress and box spring out for $5 for both, too! They were still in the original packaging, too. I went to DI and bought the medal frames for $8. So, the total for the twin bed was $18!!!


The same weekend, I also picked up these very sturdy, wooden benches for $5 each from a neighbor. I have the best neighbors, don't I? I think so.

My Birthday Present - Raised Bedding Box

For months,I've been asking my hubby to make me some raised bedding boxes for the backyard. My girls have been begging to plant a garden, and I wanted to spruce up "the jungle" a little bit. I searched the internet for different plans and styles and chose one that was easy, cheap, and would fit the ideas I had in mind for them.

Here is the current condition of our backyard - don't judge, it's not bad, but it is our first summer in our new house and there is a lot of work to do. On the left side over by the bedding box, is what we used to call "the jungle." It was the only spot that grass wasn't planted and was way too overgrown for my lawnmower. So, this weekend we finally got it weed-eated. It looks soooo much better, but now we have to do something with the backyard. The grass is a whole other project, but well worth it to have a place for my kiddos to play.


Before


Before


After (weeks of countless hours spent outside. It's huge, you know!)


Before


After

So, we just made the first one and we'll be trying it out soon. The plan is to eventually, probably over the next few years as money allows, to line the back of the fence with these boxes and make one a sand box for the kids and more space for the garden and flowers, etc. It is my birthday this week so I think he finally got around to building it, instead of doing more of his own projects, just for that. I'm so excited, either way.

I researched how they were made and made my own dimensions and "instructed" my husband how to do it. I haven't felt like using the power tools lately, with my stomach getting in the way and all. (30wks now!).

Our bedding box ended up being 8' x 4'. "They" recommended the widest you make a box as 4' so you can reach the middle from any side of the box.

Also, we used 8' x 2' x 12' for the edges @ approx. $10 each, and 4' x 4' x 8' (with half left over) for the posts @ approx. $10. Plus, about five dollars extra for screws and bolts to make it extremely sturdy. So, total, the one box cost us about $35 to build. Not too bad when you look at some of the prices they charge for the pre-made kits. I don't even think we had to do any of the cuts ourselves. We just had them cut to the right sizes at the Home Depot where we bought them, which makes it a whole lot easier to fit in the back of our short bed truck. Really, the only things you need besides the wood are screws, bolts (optional, my hubby is just very OCD), a drill and screwdriver to put it together. Not too bad.

Here are some of my favorite plans/pictures from different sites that might be helpful in your search if you want to build some, too.



Knock-Off Wood - I love this blog! She is soooo talented and even if you've never picked up so much as a hammer and nails, she inspires you to build all sorts of stuff, and makes it look so easy, and its all FREE! Here's the link to her version of raised garden beds.



Sunset.com has this really great picture and instructions on how to make one, but the price was way more than I built mine for.



My high school friend Whitney made some great-looking raised beds for someone and they turned out great. This is also another way to build them.

Better Homes & Gardens has a little article on how to build raised bed gardens.



This Old House has a nice design and plans for one here too.



Popular Mechanics has a really detailed article on how to build them, too.

Hopefully this has served as some inspiration and you'll go out there and build your own raised garden bed. DIY and cheap!

Baby Shower Gifts/Fun Projects

I've been super busy on e-bay lately. I've had some custom orders for my baby stuff on top of what I already do to try and make a little extra money for my hubby to pursue his hobby (rocks, fossils = boring + very expensive). But he works all day and I am lucky enough to get to stay home with our girls. So it is a fair trade I think.

Here are some of the diaper clutches that I have made recently.

















Anyway, I have been making diaper clutches/pouches, burp cloths and diaper wipes cases lately. I love, love, love the minky on this custom order I did for a lady.





I love how they turned out so much that I made a few for myself. I'm having baby number 3 in July. It is a boy and I have 2 girls = everything pink and girly at my house. Just another excuse to craft/create! Like I needed one anyway.





I made a pink set to list for sale on e-bay. If you are interested leave me a comment with your e-mail address and I'll link you directly to the listing.







Here is a diaper wipes case I made awhile back that I still love!





I also make nursing covers/poncho's that I sell on e-bay. They aren't like the ones you strap onto your neck and only cover the front. I made it like a poncho so that your back is covered, too. I don't particularly want my back hanging out along with my front! I make them in tons of color, too. I just haven't gotten around to taking the pictures of them because my big old belly makes it difficult to take photos, as you can see.







Here's why I love them sooooo much. When my second daughter was one week old(!!!) my 4 year old was admitted to the ER and then later the hospital while visiting her Grandma's house. I ended up spending four days by her side, going with her to x-rays and scans all around the hospital - all while trying to hold and nurse a newborn baby. I was constantly feeding her while walking up and down the halls for different tests. The poncho was a lifesaver, really! My front and back was covered all while nursing my baby and passing numerous strangers in the hallway. Did I mention my husband was out of town during all of this??? My mother-in-law was a godsend during this. She even spent the night so that I could get an actual nights sleep! So grateful that we all got through it, and I'm sooooo glad I had that nursing cover/poncho.

Anyway, now that you've heard entirely too much about my life, I just wanted to share with you all the fun stuff that I've been up to lately. Besides anticipating and getting ready for our new baby.

My Latest Projects

I've been quite absent from the blog world lately, but I do have something to show for it, beside a 6-month pregnant belly. I've recovered my old, worn out infant car seat with the help of the best $5.00 tutorial ever. Soooo worth buying if you've never even attempted this kind of project before. Saved me many mistakes and countless redo's. I bought it off of etsy from pukingpastilles. Great lady, and very talented!



I had leftover fabric, since I bought too much thinking I would screw up more than once. So, I have made some seat belt cover pads, a baby crib/stroller blanket and a traveling changing pad cover, too.



I've also been busy trying out all sorts of the free tutorials that I posted about. I made a diaper bag that turned out pretty good. Not sure my skill level was really up to this, but 4-5 broken needles later, I figured it out and kind of like, too. I got the tutorial from A Mingled Yarn for the Hip Mamma Diaper Bag.



I also made a new cover for my Boppy Nursing Pillow using the tutorial on the Make Your Own Baby Stuff blog using the Breastfeeding Pillow Case Pattern. Out of the same material, which I just love!, I made a matching nursing poncho/cover, my first pair of baby legs, and a baby sling carrier.



See the baby boy bedding set next to the pillow? I picked that up a few years back for $5.00 at Wal-Mart. I've been convinced my next baby would be a boy for a few years now. Good thing I was right!?

I have redone this little dresser that was a hand-me-down from Grandma and Grandpa twice now. It used to have pink drawers for my girls, but I re-painted them a light green color to be more boyish.



I have also been making a little extra money selling these baby diaper wipes carrying cases on e-bay lately, so I've made a million of these, too.





I still need to recover the old and ugly white bassinet for Baby Logan, finish recovering the canopy for the carseat, and about a million other things before he's born. I'll update later, when I get more done.

Faux Custom Bookshelf's

Okay, here is my “custom” bookshelf’s for our new house. Since we weren’t able to sell our house in Nevada before we moved back to Utah and bought our new house, we are very, VERY tight with our budget. Sooooo……here was our solution to the tight budget, a near empty room and years and years and years of books being packed into boxes while we moved a gazillion times. (Seriously…this was our 7th move in 3 years-Whew!) I LOVE to read and I’ve even sold a ton of them on Amazon, so this is not very many compared to what we had as college students.

We went to Walmart and bought their plain black bookshelf’s for $29, although they are frequently on sale for $25. After we had put them together, we bought some molding and trim at good old Home Depot and painted it black. (I used matte black spray paint, because I am impatient and wanted them to be finished NOW.)



Total cost of this bookshelf unit was around $120 when all was finished. (Actually, now that I think back, our in-laws bought the bookshelf’s for us as a house-warming gift, so technically they were free.) No complaints.



After cutting and measuring all the pieces, we attached them first with wood glue and then teensy tiny nails. As you can see in the photos that I’m not quite done filling in the holes and fixing all the little spots, but hey, I have to kids and I’m 6 months pregnant. I’ve got more important things to do. Like, sewing and anything else I don’t really feel like doing right this minute. Know what I mean?

Anyway, we also wanted them to be moveable in case we ever do move again. (I’ve already told my hubby that I will NEVER move again and that he can commute as long as he needs to, but I’m staying put! lol!) (Crossing my fingers…and toes…and legs…)

So, we made cuts between each of the bookshelf’s so that they could be pulled apart if needed or could be slid close together so they look like a built-in, one-piece unit. As you can see I haven’t gotten my hubby to get them as close together as they could and should be, but hey, I’m basically lazy and I’m pretty happy with them anyway.



On another note, I have to say that everything in this room, aside from very few items, was either hand-me-down’s we got as newlyweds, given to us since then, or bought and fixed up from a thrift store.



The little stand with the lamp on it, was a hand-me-down and is still in need of a good painting. The couch was $20 from DI and I just bought a couch cover to make it a little more attractive (okay, a lot more). The coffee table was from DI for $10 and I sanded it down, fixed the drawer and painted it black. The brown, gorgeous, wing-back chair in front of the bookcase was given to us by my in-laws. (I’m kicking myself right now, because I found a nicer one at DI for $20 which I was too chicken to buy because of all the moving and inconvenience it would be to grab it that minute, that they replaced it with and gave us the brown chair.) It is soooo comfy anyway and in pretty good shape. Not even any wear and tear on the velvet fabric. It’s my reading chair. Most days you can find me there with a good book or reading my scriptures whenever I can pull away from the kids for more than 3o seconds.

The one item that was pretty spendy was the large picture hanging above the couch. I love, love, love this picture. I got it for Christmas a few years back when Deseret Book does all their artwork on sale for 50% off. So instead of $300, my hubby picked it up for $150. (With a lot of hinting and nagging.) It is called “Oh, Jerusalem” by Greg Olsen.





The gold and black chair, which I am extremely proud of, was my very first attempt at upholstering anything. It used to be a funny shade of green. We got two of them from my in-laws, so I spent HOURS taking one apart, painted it black and purchased some fabric for under $20 from Hobby Lobby and improvised until I was happy with it. Let me tell you that nail head trim may be pretty, but it is no easy thing to get them on straight and anywhere near perfect. Just don’t look too closely at mine. I found the pillow on the chair from DI last week for $1.

Here’s a picture of the other chair that hasn’t been redone yet. I use it as my reading chair in my master bedroom. See the lamp on the table, which was also hand-me-down free, I picked up the pair of them for $5 at the DI. So gorgeous!



Do you see that tiny little shelf up in the top right hand corner? I bought about a gazillion of these because I love them and they are easy to put up by myself. They are only $5 each at the Home Depot.

Okay, so I made the curtains and pillows on the couch, but when I trimmed the curtains, I wasn’t very patient and trimmed them too short. So, the plan is to buy some fringe or beads or something and attach them to the bottom. But…not until the budget allows that.

Hey, I never claimed to be perfect. Still trying on that one…

On that note, I’m not very good at arranging things so they look good together. HELP! Any suggestions would be most welcomed! I’m slowly, but surely, putting my home together. It really is the second home I’ve ever owned, but our first house that we own in Nevada, I didn’t feel like I had enough time to really decorate it. We built it, lived in it for 9 months and got recruited back to Utah. Hardest decision we’ve ever had to make, but well worth it. It’s soooo good to be back.

Linking up to