Things I would make if I had a sewing machine...

Ruffle Skirt from Sew Mama Sew

Spring Ruffle Top from Made by Rae via Sew Mama Sew


Gathered Jersey Skirt from Altered Cloth


Jersey Skirt from Ruffles and Stuff

Saving Money on Food

I'm on a tight budget. Yes I am! One area where I tend to overspend is food. I really like trying new recipes and buying all natural and organic foods, and it can add up! I go through phases where all I eat are salads, or chicken, or sandwiches, or whatever sounds good that week. I get tired of things pretty quickly and I'm not very good at eating leftovers for very long. One way I've tried to save money is to cook a meal big enough for dinner, leftovers for work, and for several frozen portions. It's so convenient to grab a frozen container of lasagna or beans and rice when I'm heading out the door in the morning. Plus, I don't like the taste of frozen meals that you buy at the store, and what I make is much healthier.

Some of the things that I've made that froze well:

• Penne with sauce and Italian sausage (any kind of pasta mixed with sauce works well)
  
• Crock-pot barbecue chicken
• Black beans and rice
• Lentil Soup with smoked sausage
• Red beans, ground turkey and rice
• Mini Spinach Frittatas
  
• Cupcake quiches
• Mini meat loafs
  
• Taco meat
  
• chopped onions (to add to recipes)
• chopped ham (to add to omelets and other recipes)
• Brown Bag burritos
• Re-fried beans (I never use a whole can for a meal)
• tuna and noodles

What kinds of things do you do to save money on food?

Beautiful Etsy: Apple Jackets

Have you ever seen these before??


How great! Apple Jackets from HandaMade on Etsy.

Blog Design: What do you think?

Recently Blogger updated their design tool and something they changed made my layout change too. When I tried to fix it, I realized there were too many problems with my code. So I decided to start fresh. I like change, and it's been fun playing with the new design tool. I'm not sure what I'm going to settle on, but here are some of the options I like so far:

1: Bright Aqua Butterfly

2: Aqua and Coral

3: Aqua Grey and Gold


4: Grey and Pink

5: Gold Grey and Lavender



6: Grey and Lavender



7: Light Grey and Lavender



8: Lavender Grey and Aqua Polka dots



9: Lavender Grey and Aqua Scallops

Wordless Wednesday #6

Vintage Charm

 

I'm looking for a vintage poster or two to add to my walls. I really like vintage travel ads, and posters advertising the World's Fair. I was also looking at these "greetings from..." travel posters. What do you think? A collection of three or four "greetings..." posters framed in white? Or a travel poster to hang with some of the canvases I already have?

Posters from Allposters.com and Mood Board created on Polyvore.com

Beautiful Etsy: Daffodils

Oh how I love daffodils! They've been my favorite flower for years. What endears them to me, I think, is how their pretty blooms are some of the first signs of spring. In Michigan, winter can feel like it drags on and on. When the daffodils start blooming, you know that spring really is on its way. No more snow, no more ice, just sweet smelling warm air, sunshine and spring rain.
I'm loving this print on Etsy, from Bomobob's shop.

I also really like some of his bird photos.
Pretty, huh?

Wordless Wednesday #5

Brody Bear

Let me introduce you to my new pal, Brody. He loves long walks on the beach...
enjoys cuddling more than food...
will never pass on a good road trip... and will cry and look at you with sad eyes if you leave him behind...
He's a Lhasa Apso, two years old and the sweetest puppy you've ever seen. Stay tuned for more... :)

Beautiful Etsy

I have a confession to make, I've never bought anything from Etsy... I happily browse, collect favorite sellers and items, but I haven't ever bought anything. I feel like a fraud- loving Etsy- but not buying anything, you know? lol, I guess one day there will be something I can't live without (or I will have more spending money!) In the meantime, I will keep collecting fav's and admiring all of the beautiful things for sale.
One of my favorite of favorite sellers on Etsy is irenesuchocki of isphotography . How amazing are these photos? (click on each photo for the link on Etsy)

I love the pretty pops of pastels, and the interesting subjects in her photos. "Looking for Love," on top, is my favorite. :)