Random Helpful Hints

Flexible vacuum: To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings.

Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip to eliminate static cling. It works; you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and ... Ta DA! ... Static is gone.

Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water.Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out.

De-fog your windshield: Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!

Random Helpful Hints

Expanding Frosting: When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size.  You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving. 

Reheating refrigerated bread: To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.

Newspaper weeds away: Plant your plants in the ground, work the nutrients in your soil. Then wet newspapers, put layers around the plants overlapping as you go, cover with mulch, and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic they will not get through wet newspapers.

To keep squirrels from eating your plants, sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant and the squirrels won't come near it.

Random Helpful Hints

Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic,  and at the end of the recipe if you want a stronger taste of garlic.

Reheat Pizza Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the cooking channel and it really works.

Easy Deviled Eggs: Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up.  Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg.  Just throw bag away when done easy clean up.

Make Your Own Glittering Holiday Candles with Epsom Salt!

Looking for beautiful holiday decorations?  Or maybe you need an inexpensive gift idea that’s simple enough for a toddler to pull off!  Either way, frosted candles are a great option.   You can use candles from Walmart, the dollar store, or even used candles that you have around your house!   Purchase Epsom salt at any drugstore.  A 4 lb carton filled with Epsom salt costs about $4.

Supplies Needed:

• Epsom salt
• Mod Podge
• candles

Directions:

1. Spread out some Mod Podge on waxed paper, a plate or an easily-cleaned surface.  Spread out Epsom salt as well, on a separate surface.
2. Roll your candle in the Mod Podge until it is covered. (Not the top or bottom, though!)
3. Then roll the candle in your Epsom salt and let dry.  Ta-da!

Discounted Red Box and Free Rental

Redbox has raise their prices from $1 rentals to $1.20.  However, for now, if you reserve the movie online and pay for it, then go pick it up, you can get them for $1.  It saves 20 cents. However, the first time you do this, you get a free rental credited to your account.  So your second movie that you reserve online is free!  Just make sure to click "apply my free rental credit" when reserving your second title.  The free credit won't be applied until you've picked up your first rental.

Birdie Lens Scrunchies

Have you seen lens scrunchies? They are fabric scrunchies, decorated with eyes, and slipped onto your lens. The scrunchies helps draw a child's attention to your lens, in order to get a good photograph! 

This simple birdie lens scrunchies takes about 2 minutes to make

You can make a "cookie monster" one too!

You can usually pick up a 3 pack of scrunchies from the $1 store.

Then use items you may have laying around the house- white felt, black buttons, and orange fabric for a beak! Hot glue them all together.

Article found on A Law Student's Journey

Box Tops for Education Online, Plus High Value Coupons!

If you have school-age kids, chances are you already save your boxtops.  But did you know that you can help out even more by signing up and earning points online, plus get high-value coupons?

• Just gohere to sign up.
• After you sign up, make sure to click on the “earn” tab to see all the different ways you can earn points for your school!
• Even better, this website often has high-value coupons that you won’t find other places .  And you can never have too many coupons!

Make Your Own Stamps!

This personalized stamp makes it fun to sign holiday cards, thank-you notes, and artwork.

Materials

• wooden block or scrap wood
• paper
• pencil

• white dimensional fabric paint
• ink
• scrap newspapers

Instructions

1. Start with a wooden block or piece of scrap wood, then cut a piece of paper to fit one side.
2. To create the reversed letters for the stamp, have your child write her name on the paper or write it for her. Go over the letters with a pencil so that they're thick and dark.
3. Place the paper facedown on the block and rub the back of the paper to transfer the pencil marks.
4.  Trace the letters with white dimensional fabric paint, keeping the thickness of the lines consistent. Gently tap the block against a table to even out any bumps in the paint. Let it dry.
5. To use, place the card to be stamped on a stack of newspapers. Ink the stamp and press it onto the paper.
   
   
   

Re-Use Your Old Scarf!

If last year's scarf doesn't match this winter's wardrobe, turn it into a bolster pillow that'll help you hibernate in comfort and style.

Materials

• densely woven or fleece scarf
• 2 hair elastics

• fiberfill

Instructions

1.  Cut a densely woven or fleece scarf in two, as shown. Use a simple running stitch to sew the long sides together, forming a fabric tube.
2. Wrap a hair elastic around the tube, a few inches from one end. Stuff the tube with fiberfill, then cinch the other end closed with a second hair elastic.
   

More Wrapping Ideas

Here are just a few of the ideas out there.

via LivingLocurto.com.

Printable Christmas gift tags from Amy at LivingLocurto.com.

Cathy Holden has loads of fabulous vintage printables which you could use for labels and decorating purposes. 

Of course Martha Stewart has some great ones.  Click on the images below to link through to her site to download these printable.

via Martha Stewart.com

via Martha Stewart.com

I love these Christmas Baubles from ImageZooSpark as well

Tip Junkie ( a great resource for all things crafty) has 5 pages of Christmas printables, there are vintage, modern and just cute for all tastes.

Save Money on Wrapping Paper!

Believe it or not, I get all my wrapping paper at garage sales.  I have a lot!  However, for those of you who don't have time to get to garages sales, or you get there after I do and all the wrapping paper is gone, here's a tip!

Try wrapping your presents in newspaper!  The comics are great for kids, but really, anything works!  Especially if there's pictures!

You can also use magazine pages, paper bags and even the back side of wrapping paper.  If you have some ugly wrapping paper, flip it over.  Chances are, it's white and you can draw, stamp, or print designs for it!

Lastly, if you have scraps of fabric around the house, make some bags out of them.  It's easy!  And just tie it shut with strings or ribbon!

Christmas Wreaths

You can make this wreath using what you already have around the house - plastic bags! Follow these simple instructions to make the Wreath Made With Plastic Bags.

Materials:

• Wire 12 gauge strength
• Plastic bags (about 20)
• Hot glue gun
• Miniature ornaments
• Silver beading or cording

Instructions:

1. Bend wire into a circle about 12" circle.
    
2. Place bags in front of you.
    
3. Cut 2" strips of plastic to tie around the wire form.
    
4. Put all the strips around the wire until the wreath is full.
    
5. Place miniature ornaments around the wreath with hot glue.
    
6. Make a bow with silver beading and drape the rest of the cording around the wreath.

Ornaments

Recycle old CD’s into colorful trendy ornaments. With a little paint, wire and beads, you can add a new look to the holiday season.

Materials:

• Krylon Indoor/Outdoor Paint - Hunter Green (#53502)
• Krylon Indoor/Outdoor Paint - Tomato (#53532)
• Krylon Indoor/Outdoor Paint - Purple (#51913)
• Krylon Glitter Spray - Glistening Gold (#401)
• Krylon Glitter Spray - Shimmering Silver (#402)
• 3 Compact Discs
• 24 gauge Non-Tarnishing wire: (1) 2 yard length Gold and (2) 2 yard lengths Silver.
• 10” length 1/8” wide Gold wire edge ribbon
• (2) 10” lengths 1/8” wide Silver wire edge ribbon
• 2/3 yard lengths 3/8” wide Gold wire edge ribbon
• (2) 2/3 yard lengths 3/8” wide Silver wire edge ribbon
• Assorted sizes and shapes of beads (silver, green, dark red, gold, blue & purple)
• (3) 4” lengths cloth covered floral wire
• (3) 8” lengths 20 gauge wire
• Nail large enough to make a 1/8" diameter hole
• Flat nose pliers
• Cardboard boxes for spray booth and drying ornaments.
• Dowel rod to fit across box for drying ornaments
• Wire cutters
• Ruler
• Scissors

Steps:

1. To make a hole for hanging, use flat nose pliers to heat nail and push through CD about 1/8" from edge. Cool.
    
2. Twist one end of 20 gauge wire thru hanging hole and form hook on opposite end. This will serve as a handle while painting and drying.
    
3. Following manufacturer’s instructions, paint each CD a different color: Hunter Green, Purple, Tomato. Hang ornaments on dowel rods across box to dry completely. Remove wire when dry.
    
4. Adding beads: Refer to photograph. Anchor one end of the 24 gauge length of wire in the 1/8" hole. String beads in front of ornament only. Green and silver beads for green ornament; green, dark red and gold for red ornament; blue, purple and silver for purple ornament. Make 13 evenly spaced rows of beads around CD. Twist end of wire to back side of first wire. Trim excess wire.
    
5. Hanger and bow: Tie hanger ribbon thru 1/8" hole. Tie 2 loop bow. Slip floral wire thru knot in bow on back side. Wire to ornament thru 1/8" hole. Twist bow tails around fingers to shape and trim as desired.

For more project ideas, please visit www.krylon.com/projects.

How to Clean Oven Glass - it seriously is that easy

Found this HERE.  Great tip!

Before:

After:

Want to clean your oven? I promise its supper easy.

Ingredients:

Water

Baking Soda

Add about a 1/4 cup of baking soda in a dish and mix just enough water to make a slightly runny paste. 

Spread your mixture all over your glass (and the door if it needs it too).

Wait 15-20 minutes then wipe off. 

If there are still spots left they should easily scrub off with a scour pad.

And Voila...

Bath Tub Finger Paints

1/3 c clear, mild liquid dish soap

1 T cornstarch

Food coloring

1.       Mix liquid dish detergent and cornstarch together in a small bowl until blended.

2.       Pour the mixture, in equal parts, into several sections of a plastic ice cube tray.

3.       Add 1-2 drops of food coloring to each section of the tray and mix with a small spoon.

This also works well as a traditional finger paint.

Check out more fun ideas from John and Danita Thomas, the Kid Concoctions Couple.

Random Helpful Hints

Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh much longer and not mold!

Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating.Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.

Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef. It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking. If you add a little more water, it will prevent it from burning if you forget about it too long. 

To make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream in and then beat them up. 

Random Helpful Hints

Save money and make your own vanilla extract. - Source

If you break your blender jar you can replace it with a mason jar. - Source

You can cook pumpkin in a crock pot and then freeze it for later use. - Source