Kitchen Magnets

I'm feeling crafty this week and with all of the Christmas talk from yesterday so I thought I would show you how to make cool kitchen magnets. I started with clear glass gems that I found at Hobby Lobby in the floral department. There were approximately 70 for $4.00 (sometimes they are half price). I've also seen them in smaller quantities at the dollar store. I used the larger size but they do make a smaller gem. I prefer the larger because they are less of a chocking hazard.

Then, I gathered leftover scrapbook paper and old magazines. Trace the glass gem on the paper or magazine and cut it out. You will probably have to trim it once you cut it but it does not have to be perfect.

Put glue on top of the image and glue to the flat side of the gem. I used Elmer's school glue and it holds up just fine. I have heard others mention silicone glue but since Elmer's works for me, that is what I used. The glue will dry clear. Make sure the edges of your image are glued down well.

Finally, add a magnet. I've found the rolls of magnets are not strong enough, so I used button magents. Michael's sells 50 for $5.99 but they are not self adhesive. I found the self adhesive ones at Walmart and they were around $2 for 18. I prefer one less step of messy glue so I went with the ones from Walmart. This pictures shows the backside of the magnet.

To package these for gifts, Altoid tins make a great holder. The top can be covered in scrapbook paper. Most craft stores also sell little decorative tins for a buck or two. We made these as a craft at MOPS a few weeks ago and the ladies loved them. They look expensive but they are really pennies to make.

Saving Money on Christmas

Today starts the 12 Weeks of Christmas over at Modern Mommyhood, so today's post is about Christmas to celebrate this new carnival.

I recently talked about how to be more organized for Christmas and many of those concepts will help you save money too. I would love to hear how others save money so feel free to leave me a comment.

Budget: Make a budget and stick to it. Remember the list of gift recipients you made - go find that list and put a dollar amount next to each name. Also, make a budget for food and parties.

Intentional shopping: Have you ever gone to the mall or a store just to see what they have and come out with more than you planned on buying? I'm sure most of us have and this is where intentional shopping comes in. Do not go to a store just to browse around. Go in knowing what you intend to buy and then only buy that item(s). Since I began intentional shopping over a year ago, I've saved hundreds of dollars.

Buy ahead: Start collecting food and gift items now when you see them on sale. I save a lot of money at the grocery store by using The Grocery Game. Sign up now to begin creating a stockpile of grocery and toiletry needs for the holidays. Many of these great finds can be turned into a gift basket or donated to the needy. I've been watching the craft stores too for supplies on sale so when I get ready to make Christmas gifts, I have all my supplies for a fraction of the cost.

Homemade: Not everything needs to be homemade, nor should it be but you can save some serious dough by making a few things. Over the next few months (starting tomorrow) I will feature a few of the homemade things I am either doing or have done over the years. My problem this is year is that I have more ideas than I have people to give them to.

Have a few go to meals on hand: We all know the holidays are crazy and in my household there are many times I want to turn to fast food to save a few minutes. If I plan ahead though, dinner can be ready in no time and it will be much healthier. I'm planning on putting a few casseroles and soups in the freezer to have on hand for those crazy days. I will also be using my crockpot a lot. Nothing is better than coming home to a home cooked meal ready and waiting for you.

So, what are you doing to save money during the holidays this year?
If you signed up for The Grocery Game, I would appreciate you using me as a referral. My referral email is light52b at yahoo dot com. Thanks!

I Won!

I've won another prize thanks to a wonderful blogger. Check out Nickels-n-Dimes for some great money saving ideas. I won a $5 Walgreens gift card on one of her giveaways and she promises to have more coming soon.

Are you ever curious how I find these giveways? Usually on Tuesday of each week Money Saving Mom and Freebies4Mom have a post where everyone can link to their giveaways. I simply look at the ones that interest me and sign up. I've met some great people doing this and now I've won two useful prizes. I can definately use this as I buy most of my cleaning supplies and toothpaste through Walgreens.

Apple Butter

I finally figured out how to use up all of apples my inlaws gave us - apple butter. I've never made apple butter before but it was super simple. I even took the time to can it so I can have homemade apple butter all year long (or give it as gifts). I always thought canning was hard but Mary from Owlhaven is constantly talking about how easy it is so I finally gathered the courage and gave it a try. The basic recipe is:

crockpot full of apples (peeled and diced)

4 cups sugar

2 Tbsp cinammon

1/2 tsp cloves

Put all of the ingredients in the crockpot on high for one hour and then move it low and cook overnight. Mine was still a little chunky when I woke up the next day so I took the potato masher and broke up those pieces. It was a little soupy too so I took the lid off for about an hour to take care of that. I looked at many recipes on the internet and all were similar, with many people suggesting taking the lid off at the end. Here is what my apple butter looked like in the crockpot.

The image at the top is my finished product. I used 1/2 pint jars and had enough for five jars, plus a small container full to use now. To can all you need to do is wash jars, fill, and boil for 1o minutes. I'm proud to say that all five sealed. Since it was my first experience, I was fully prepared for at least one not to seal.

Food Friday: Apple Crisp

This is a super easy crisp that can be prepared ahead of time and frozen. Freeze the apple mixture in a gallon sized freezer bag and the topping in a quart size bag. I usually add some lemon juice to the apples so they do not brown. When ready to use, thaw the apples in the refrigerator for about a day and then assemble. I make several of these in the fall so I can have fresh apple crisp all winter long.

Apple Crisp

5 cups sliced apples (3-5 apples)
2 to 4 T granulated sugar
½ cup regular rolled oats
½ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup all-purpose flour
½ t cinnamon
¼ cup butter
¼ cup chopped nuts (optional)

For filling, place fruit in a 2-quart square baking dish. Stir in the granulated sugar.
For topping, in a medium bowl combine the oats, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter till mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the nuts. Sprinkle topping over filling.
Bake crisp in a 375 oven for 30-35 minutes or till fruit is tender and topping is golden. If desired, serve warm with ice cream.

Redbox Winner

The winner of the Redbox Giveaway is Kathy. Her idea to help with the winter boredom is to bake. My sweets loving child will love this idea so thank you.

Thank you to all of the great comments everyone left. I now have some ammo for winter and hopefully will not dread it as much!

Waste Less Wednesday: Newspaper

We recycle our newspapers, but there are plenty of uses for the paper before it hits the recycling bin.

Make a hat: There are several versions of this, but this one offers pretty easy instructions.

Use as packing materials: Use several layers of paper between plates or breakable objects when packing. If shipping items, shred the paper and use as filler. When I sell on eBay, I will sometimes fill newspaper bags with shredded paper and use this to protect whatever I am shipping.

Protect your table during messy projects: If painting or doing another messy project, newspaper can make a great barrier between the project and the table.

Wrapping paper: The comics make great wrapping paper. I've also used other sections of the paper, such as a cooking article for someone who likes to cook. It makes a great conversation piece and costs nothing extra.

Feel free to leave a comment with other ways you reuse newspaper. Also, do not forget to enter my first giveaway which is for three redbox codes. We love to use redbox for cheap date nights and sometimes family night. The contest ends tonight and I will post the winner tomorrow.