Thrifty Christmas: Free, yes FREE Nugget Wraps

Have you seen the adorable nugget boxes? These are a quick and easy gift for anyone on your list. Using Hersey's nuggets you can wrap them in patterened paper or stamp on computer address labels and wrap. Here's a link to free Christmas Nugget Wrappers (thanks to Jo-Anne J) just print and wrap! ( http://www.daisiecompany.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=3166 )

Note the picture above was taken directly from split coast stamps tutorial linked below.

Here's a tutorial on the nugget boxes ( http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/nuggetbox.php )

Thrifty Christmas: Easy and Inexpensive Christmas Tags

A day late and a dollar short...well that seems to be my mantra! LOL... anyway, here are the tags I promised YESTERDAY!

The first is my VERY favorite! Address labels printed right off of the computer. For those that can't see what it says it says To: (fill in the blank) and Love: Kevin & Paula. I leave enough room to stamp if I want to match my gift wrap (this year I have snowflakes and snowmen...sooo cute). What I love about address labels is that they are:

1. Thrifty (I purchased my addy labels at Dollar Tree and got 15 SHEETS! WOW!)
2. They never come off the package, when I mail my packages I never have to worry about the tag coming off and the recipient wondering who the intended gift is for!
3. Being pre-printed makes it super quick!
   

The second idea is to recycle those old Christmas cards! Here, I just punched a tag shape with my tag punch, but I've also done squares and circles! K has an aunt that cuts around the shapes with scissors, so cute and a nice way to recycle!

Thrift Christmas: Gift Ideas

I saw this post on 2 peas in a bucket and it's quite a lengthy post, but has some GREAT ideas...here's the Link http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/mb.asp?cmd=display&thread_id=769901

Enjoy!

Thrifty Christmas: Thrifty Gift Wrapping

You can spend big, big money on wrapping paper, ribbons and bows for Christmas, just take a stroll through Wal-Mart, Target or even Hallmark. So here are my "tips" for cinching up that wrapping paper black hole:

• After the holidays, take advantage of the clearance wrapping paper and store until next year
• Purchase a generic paper (like I've done here) that will work for any holiday, I generally find mine on clearance or the dollar stores.
• If you like the regular Christmas paper, shop at the Dollar Stores and shop EARLY for the best selection.

Bows (to me) seem like a HUGE waste of money (not too mention get crushed and pop off!), so here's a few ideas to replace them:

• Tulle (found on clearance or I've seen it at rolls at Dollar Tree), lend a certain elegance to a simple wrapped package (see pic above), I've never gone wrong with tulle and one spool goes VERY far!
• Thread (yes, thread, see picture above) wound several times looks fabulous and is something I have every color of in my sewing cabinet. You can finish it with a simple bow, I finished it with one of my glittered snowflakes.
• Jute, looks FABULOUS on mens packages, especially if you've wrapped them in "shipping" paper.
• String (like kite string) also looks great
• Fabric strips, torn, also looks great on shipping paper packages
• Mini Candybars make great bows AND get eaten!
• Ornaments (I personally love the snowflakes at the dollar store that come in packages of 10!)

Do you have any wrapping ideas? If so, I'd love to read about them, just leave a comment!

Tomorrow I'll discuss quick and easy (and thrifty!) package labels...

Thrifty Christmas Tutorial: Glittered Snowflakes

I've had a few questions about where I "buy" my pretty snowflakes... I don't buy them (that would go against "thrifty"), I MAKE them, so here is what you need:

• Paper
• Snowflake Punch (Martha Stewart used here, but any will do)
• Glue Pad (Martha Stewart used here, but any will do)
• Glitter (Martha Stewart used here, but any will do) are ya catching a theme here? LOL
• Bead Catcher (or a scrap piece of paper to catch the glitter)
• Baby Wipes (or something to clean your fingers up, this can get a little messy)

First: Punch out your shape

Second: Add glue to your glue pad (if needed, I find my dries out after one session of use)

Tap your snowflake directly on the glue pad, coverage is what's important here... Don't worry if you get a little on the back...

Remove snowflake from glue pad, flip over so that the sticky side is up, place on your "glitter catcher" and sprinkle with glitter.

Wipe your gluey fingers off!

Shake your snowflake off of loose glitter and place somewhere to dry. After it's dried I use pop-dots to attach it to packages, tags and cards (or whatever else you can think of!)

This is a really inexpensive embellishment that looks very expensive (have you BEEN to Hallmark and see what they cost? Oy!) and very elegant.

Thrifty Christmas TIP: Money Saving Technique, Packaging

Ok, ALL of my family lives NO WHERE NEAR ME! So I must ship all Christmas gifts to them. This presents me (no pun intended) with all sorts of problems;

1. Shopping for gifts that don't cost to ship more than the gift itself costs
2. Finding packing cheap (I mean who really wants to spend $$$ on peanuts and pop wrap and boxes?)
3. Economically finding a way to ship the items.

My solution....

Plastic Grocery Sacks...I know I have waaaaaaay too many of these, however tucked into my box are light weight and cushion nicely. I will say you have to use a LOT of them, but it doesn't cost me a dime other than saving them through out the year (which I do anyway...)

Boxes...I ask Wal-Mart, grocery stores and occassionally do the "dumpster" diving to find my boxes, but start now, because everyone else employs these techniques too!

Shipping, did you know the USPS has flat rate priority boxes that you can stuff full (as long as it's under 70 lbs) Not only that, the box itself is free!

Here's directly from http://usps.gov/

• Flat Rate Shipping
  Simplify your shipping with flat-rate boxes and envelopes.
• OptionsPriority Mail Flat Rate Envelopes can be used for both domestic and international shipping. Envelopes are 12.5" X 9.5".Flat Rate Boxes are available in multiple sizes and shapes.
  
• 11" x 8.5" x 5.5" - Perfect for shipping a pair of shoes.
  
• 13.625" x 11.875" x 3.375" - Ideal for shipping a shirt or pair of pants.
  
• 12" x 12" x 5.5" - About 50 percent larger than the other two Flat Rate Boxes.
• The Priority Mail Large Flat Rate Box ships for $2.00 less when sent to an overseas APO or FPO address. Price is based on qualifying ZIP Code.A military-branded Priority Mail APO/FPO Flat Rate Box is available and can be ordered online.
• RestrictionsContents must reasonably fit within the Priority Mail packaging, and weigh less than 70 pounds.
• SuppliesGet free Priority Mail shipping supplies online.

Thrifty Christmas: Gifts Under $5, Candle

THRIFTY CHRISTMAS TIP: Barter! K and I have a client that owns a Hallmark store...and we barter this time of year! It's great, it doesn't work for EVERY gift on our list, but quite a few. Just remember when you barter, it's not free money, you have to give something in return. So do you have a family member, neighbor, co-worker that has a product that would make a great gift for someone you know? Do you have a skill or product you can exchange in return (it could be baking several dozen cookies or holiday pies, what about sewing?, maybe you're mechanically inclined and can "fix" things...) whatever it is, start networking, you never know what you may come up with..

Now for today's Thrifty Christmas Under $5 Gift... Everything that I used to package this up was used from my "stash" of paper crafting supplies. Which is one of the reasons this is a "thrifty" gift...I didn't have to go out and purchase anything to wrap it up with...which makes it "thrifty". Keep that in mind when your making your little gifts into a little something "more"...use what you have on hand...don't go out and buy...that sort of defeats the purpose!

Today's Thrifty Gift is....

A candle (one we bartered for...wink!). So below is the start of the candle, nice gift, but sort of "blah"...

Below I added some ribbon from my stash and a glittered snowflake tag... it gave the candle a little "personality" I think...

Below I placed this candle in a "bag in a box" (see the tutorial here: http://dianagibbs.typepad.com/stampin_with_di/2008/06/box-in-a-bag-tutorial.html )

It was a PERFECT FIT! (note this is the smallest jar candle that Yankee Candles makes). I have also been using up my stash, now if you're a paper crafter, at some point in time I'm sure you've been suckered into the patterned paper pads...I know I have...and more than once...LOL... I found a non-Christmasy paper that I thought went along with the color of my candle that had "potential". Not only that, I finally am using that "great" deal I bought 2 years ago (that paper pad! LOL!).

I changed a few things on my box in a bag from the tutorial because I didn't have a few things the tutorial called for...such as the tab punch that was used...I simply used a circle punch and folded them in 1/2 and used that as my "faux" handle. I also added glittered covered paper snowflakes instead of buttons...to give it a Christmasy feel. The ribbon is from my stash.

Recipe: Pink Paper from paper pad, Black cardstock from Joann's

Punches: EK Success Circle, Fiskars Treading Water, Martha Stewarts Snowflake

Ribbon: Stash

Glitter: Martha Stewart
Die: Cuttlebug Tag