Daily Deal - My Memories Scrapbooking Software FREE!! (This week only)

Thanks to my sponsor, My Memories, I have a code to download their awesome digital scrapbooking software for FREE (a $40 value).  No raffles, no quizzes, no random number generators, no strings attached.  (Of course, if you'd like to become a follower of my blog, I'd love that but it's not a requirement!)  This is completely free to my readers for this week only.  Just go to http://www.mymemories.com/ > Software > Choose the My Memories Suite.  Enter the following code at checkout (I recommend you cut and paste).  FreeTreatHA109

So, a little bit about the My Memories Suite software.  This is my go-to for any kind of scrapbooking stuff.  I will admit to being a pretty bad at scrap-booking on paper.  I do love making photobooks though, which makes this software the perfect addition to my arsenal as I don't have to rely on the presets offered by whatever site I'm ordering the book from.  In addition to the pre-set templates that the software has loaded, there's a TON of beautiful paper and element downloads on the My Memories site - some free, some paid.  The beautiful part being that once you've purchased a kit, you can use it as many times as you like, rather than just the once like regular paper.  It's so easy to move elements, change picture sizes, add shadows, borders, layer "papers" and so on.    

I've been working on Owen's first year book for a little while now.  Here's a sampling of pages that I've compiled using the software along with the Sweet Baby Boy kit (a steal at $3.99).

Another great use for the software is for holiday cards, invitations, etc. I used it to do Owen's birth announcement, birthday invitation, baby shower invite for a friend, holiday card for 2012...the list is endless when it comes to possible uses.  There's also a neat function to create a "movie" from your scrapbook, which is something I hope to explore should I ever finish Owen's book!

Once again, the code is FreeTreatHA109 and it will only be active through November 11th.  What are you waiting for?  Go get your download! 

Daily Deal - Tiny Little Boxes

I'm unhappy to say that I've been struck by the first cold/cough things of the season, therefore stuck in the house all day.  Fortunately, it was a bit rainy and sad looking, which is better than being relegated to the couch while it's beautiful and sunny inside.  It's also quite frustrating to want to be doing something useful, but not making it past the kitchen to pour tea while trying to find some watchable day time TV (other than the obligatory Law & Order SVU marathons).  Anyway, enough of my sicky lament!


I've been meaning to post this for a while and just never quite got around to it - a storage concept, courtesy of the Dollar Tree.  A while back, I found these tiny little storage containers in the food storage section, and realized that they're perfect for small craft items - beads, buttons, needles etc.  They come in a pack of 10 for $1 and that's just a deal impossible to beat.  I use them mostly for beads and jewelry findings, and they make everything easy to see and stack.  Yet another reason why the dollar store really does have the most unexpectedly useful things!

Daily Deal - For 99 cents only

I've been in serious need of organizing my craft room, which is also the guest bedroom, and may even have a child in it some time in the future.  The book shelves in there are overflowing with yarn, notions, vintage items, books, sewing patterns and who knows what else (still working on that part).  Needless to say, if I didn't buy another crafting supply for the next year and just worked with what I have, I might be able to make a small dent.  It's a classic case of too many ideas, not enough time, and when the hell did I accumulate all this stuff anyway? 

While most of this weekend was spent inside trying to stay out of the obnoxiously oppressive weather, compounded by the need to recuperate from my illness, I did venture out of the house to the store on Sunday.  My trip to 99 Cents Only was primarily for the fact that they have cheap produce that's perfect for salads - i.e. bag of spinach and two huge bell peppers for a buck each.  I should note, however, that I cannot walk into that place without the compulsion to wander through all of the aisles taking a look at what other deals they have in store that week.  I was excited to find these collapsible storage totes for a dollar each.  I figured they'd be proper storage of all the things on my bookshelves in that room, but I never guessed that each shelf would hold exactly 2 side-by-side and these might just be the most perfect solution for the best price.  In fact, I think I'm going to go back and buy some more tonight because now the bookshelves are mostly organized, I think they'll be helpful for inside the closet as well.   

There's a reason that so often I will go there with the need for 2 things and $20 later, I escape!  It's not just me right?  What's been your favorite dollar store find?

Daily Deal - Giveaway update...I'm a winner!

It's been one of those crazy work-weeks where I've had very little opportunity to even come up with anything vaguely interesting to say in blogland.  That is unless spreadsheets and a bunch of legal jargon are of any particular interest to you.

I was very pleasantly surprised to check on my blog today to see a comment noting that I won a bag through Sew Mama Sew's giveaway day on Monday!  Check out this super cute, and very summery, bag that I won on Handmade Therapy's blog.

This is the "Summertime Buttercup Bag", and you can purchase your own if you wish through Handmade Therapy's Etsy store.  I love that it has such a range of colors as it means I can wear this bag all through the summer and it'll go with so many of my outfits (as I tend to wear a lot of red tones and green tones anyway!) 

It's the perfect reward to end a tough week.  Thanks to Hilda @ Handmade Therapy for her excellent sewing talents.  I can't wait to receive it.  :)

Daily Deal - Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day!

If you like blogs, and you like free stuff, here's the thing for you! Sew Mama Sew is hosting a Giveaway Day today. Go check out the many blogs that are offering giveaways for your chance to enter and win cool handcrafted stuff. Find some fun new blogs to read while you're at it.

The lists are organized to include information on whether the blog is offering international shipping for the winner.  Don't forget to check that out!

Daily Deal - American Way Thrift Store

For a while last year, I was on a real thrift store kick.  It all started when I was rummaging for sweaters to recycle for the yarn (more info on this to come during a later blog posting I'm sure).  One day I accidentally came across a depression glass vase and some collectible china which definitely got me on the thrifty kick for a while.

More recently, I haven't had as much time to spend hunting for treasures, but the American Way Thrift Store (Burbank, CA) is a 5 minute drive from my office.  When needing to get out of the corporate environment for a half hour, it's the perfect place to wander around.  I will say that it's not the most brightly lit or organized thrift store in the area.  The aisles are pretty tightly packed with stock, and it's the kind of place where you have to be willing to "dig" a little bit.  In order to rotate inventory, each week they offer a 50% discount on certain colored price tags.  They already have very reasonable prices compared to a lot of similar stores in the area, so this is just another benefit.  I've had some amazing luck in what I've found there (ask me about the $400 worth of wool and cotton yarns that I paid $30 for).  Today, I was definitely having one of those good thrifting days.

My first find was this spice rack.  When I first spotted it, I was a little unsure about the concept of buying a spice rack (with the spices in it).  After a quick call to the husband, who reminded me that we could always tip out the spices and put fresh ones in there, I decided that the $7 price tag was very reasonable for the storage component at least.  After getting it home, it turns out that of the 20 spice jars included, about 17 of them had brand new sealed spices in them!  Granted, I'm not sure how old the spices are, but after giving them a good sniff, I'm sure they're in good shape to use.  Our spice cabinet is so over run at this point, it's nice to have a simple and organized way to keep them out on the counter!


One con with this particular thrift store is that they have a $10 minimum for credit cards ($20 for debit cards).  As somebody who almost never carries cash on me, I had to find something to make up the $3 difference to buy the spice rack with.  The store often pre-packages similar items (i.e. stuffed animals, jewelry boxes etc.) together and assigns a bundle price.  I love checking that section to see what goodies they've put together and happened across a collection of scented Yankee candle tea lights/tarts that had been bagged together.  That was enough to put me above the minimum card limit and had me leaving a very happy camper indeed.  Now, if I could only figure out where in the house I've hidden my tart burner, it would be perfect!

Daily Deal - Jamba Juice coupon

If you love coupons, and you love smoothies, I'm about to make your day!  Here's a coupon for a buy one get one free Jamba Juice - valid through April 25, 2010. 

I'm a big fan of the exotic fruits myself, so totally down for some kind of mango, pineapple, passion fruit mix.  Slurp away!

Daily Deal - Where to get cheap books! (Part I)

I have been an avid reader my entire life.  My parents always wondered where I got that particular trait from seeing as neither of them have it.  I have an emotional attachment to books I really enjoy - it's one of those things where I always have to keep the book in anticipation that I will one day read it again.  Admittedly, there are very few that I have actually re-read, but I still remember them with fondness and love having them on my bookshelf.  The biggest problem that I've always had with reading so much is that it's not the cheapest hobby to have.  Especially after I'd just graduated college and was living on a marginal salary (which to this day I still question how on earth I survived), I decided that I had to find alternative methods of obtaining books at a highly discounted price.

Further reason to find bargain book discounts is because I now support a book habit for two.  My husband has become an avid reader since we started living together, especially while he had a 30 minute train commute every morning before he lost his job.  While I doubt I could get him to step into a book store himself, he tends to enjoy many of the same books that I do - crime dramas, thrillers, mysteries etc.  He's not likely to touch anything that has Jane Austen in the title, or that he deems to be "girly looking", but seems to have read his way through everything else I own in the last few years.  So, for as long as I'm providing the reading material, it'll be enjoyed by everybody in the house.  Even the kitty when he was a tiny little baby liked spending time in the bookshelf (before he grew too big to fit in there easily).

It may seem obvious but I don't feel like enough people take advantage of it - a wonderful place to get books is your local library!  The closest library to my office is small but has a very decent selection of books.  I've used it to borrow knit/crochet stitch dictionaries, photography, home improvement books etc.  Even better, it has a small bookstore where used books that are no longer in circulation, or were donated by local residents, are sold.  Paperback novels are as cheap as 25 cents.  Hardbacks are $1 and more specialty books anywhere from $3-$10 on average.  Most importantly though, any money that the library earns through the book sales goes back into the library fund to buy new books for regular circulation.  This is what I snagged today for the bargain price of $2.50!

Do you generally support your local library?  If so, what do you love about it?

There are other places that I go to get cheap books...but I'll be saving those tips for a later date.