Everyone is welcome in the City of Motherly Love, where moms exchange creative ideas, fun ways to save money, recipes, cooking tips, favorite books, children's activities, and much more! Join us!
Showing posts with label Welcome. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Welcome. Show all posts
Thursday, January 24, 2013
SIX Things You Need to Know About the City of Motherly Love
Maybe you've been with us since the beginning (thank you!), or maybe we've just met (nice to meet you!)... Either way, here are six things you need to know about the City of Motherly Love!
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Chocolate Toffee - Only Four Ingredients and SO Delicious!
Make your own Chocolate English Toffee
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Completely Free 2-Year Subscription to Parenting Magazine
We love magazine subscriptions in my house (probably because we've gotten most of them for free through various online offers). Currently, I think we have about 15 subscriptions. The mailman must love us!
Well, now it's your turn! Rewardscountry.com is offering a completely free 2-year subscription to Parenting Magazine.
Here's how: Fill out a brief survey (past ones have been about MP3 players or music downloads), and you'll be subscribed. We've used this site before, and it really is completely free! Can't beat that! Oh, and if you already have a subscription, just make sure to enter your address online as it looks on your monthly subscription label. They'll extend your issues for two years past your current date.
Sign up for your free subscription here!
Thanks, BudgetSavvyDiva!
Well, now it's your turn! Rewardscountry.com is offering a completely free 2-year subscription to Parenting Magazine.
Here's how: Fill out a brief survey (past ones have been about MP3 players or music downloads), and you'll be subscribed. We've used this site before, and it really is completely free! Can't beat that! Oh, and if you already have a subscription, just make sure to enter your address online as it looks on your monthly subscription label. They'll extend your issues for two years past your current date.
Sign up for your free subscription here!
Thanks, BudgetSavvyDiva!
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Turn Family Memories into Art - Great as a gift! Easy to do!
Every Memorial Day, we go to the local Memorial Day parade. My son gets so excited, and loves all of the cars and trucks that go by. This year, I took pictures of all of his favorites. Don't get me wrong, I love digital cameras. They have turn me into a virtual paparazzi, but we almost never print out pictures. If you take a picture and no one looks at it, does it exist??
After getting a free collage coupon code from Shutterfly, I decided to turn those pictures into something productive. I made a collage, purchased a frame, painted it, and viola, instant art!!!! It has been one of my son's FAVORITE presents, and he loves looking at it every day. The thing that I really love about it is that it offers double the benefits - you get something pretty to look at, and it's meaningful because the pictures represent experiences you've actually had!
Here's how to do it! It took me about 1 hour of hands-on time (with waiting time in addition to that), it cost me $15 total.
Make Your Own Memory Collage Art
Supplies
- Six to ten of your favorite photos
Tip: Ideally, they'll all be of similar themed subjects, like honeymoon pictures, vacation pictures, beach pictures, holiday pictures, etc, and taken in decent resolution.
- Inexpensive 11 x 14 frame
Tip: If you're going to paint your frame a different color, make sure it's made out of wood or another paintable surface. Shiny plastics are impossible to paint.
- A Photo Site, such as Shutterfly, Snapfish, etc.
How to Make It
The Collage -
- Select your photos and edited as needed. Crop them, change the orientation (from vertical to horizontal, and vice versa, if necessary), etc. Make them pretty!
- Google for "coupon codes" for Shutterfly, Snapfish, etc. Right now there are tons of deals, so take advantage of them!
- Select which site you want to use, and create a new "Collage" product. Select which way you want it (horizontal or vertical), upload your pictures and play around with it until you're happy. Using Shutterly, I added lines between the pictures to make them stand out. I knew I was going to paint the frame navy blue, so I used that color for the lines.
- Order the collage. Some sites offer the ability to pick the collage up at a store that day. If you don't want to wait to receive it in the mail, give that a try.
The Frame -
- Go to a place like TJ Maxx, Michael's, or AC Moore. If you're going to a craft store, make sure to bring your coupon with you!
- Purchase an 11 x 14 frame. I got one for $10 from TJ Maxx. It was beige, but I knew I was going to paint it, so I didn't mind.
- If you're going to paint the frame, make sure you have at least one or two containers of your favorite acrylic paint from a craft store. They only cost about $1.50 each, so it's a steal!
- Remove the glass and backing, and put the frame on newspaper.
- Start painting! My frame took three coats to completely cover. The frame will only need about 30 minutes between coats, so you can get it done in one day!
- Let the final coat dry for at least 4 hours, put in the collage, and enjoy the results :)
Here's the $10.00 frame before I got to work.... From the exclusive "Valerie Bertinelli" collection, apparently!
I took out the glass and the backing, squirted my paint on a paper plate.....
And got to work.... Here it is after the first coat! You'll notice that my favorite paintbrush for frames is a nubby little guy.
The finished product turned out great!
After getting a free collage coupon code from Shutterfly, I decided to turn those pictures into something productive. I made a collage, purchased a frame, painted it, and viola, instant art!!!! It has been one of my son's FAVORITE presents, and he loves looking at it every day. The thing that I really love about it is that it offers double the benefits - you get something pretty to look at, and it's meaningful because the pictures represent experiences you've actually had!
Here's how to do it! It took me about 1 hour of hands-on time (with waiting time in addition to that), it cost me $15 total.
Make Your Own Memory Collage Art
Supplies
- Six to ten of your favorite photos
Tip: Ideally, they'll all be of similar themed subjects, like honeymoon pictures, vacation pictures, beach pictures, holiday pictures, etc, and taken in decent resolution.
- Inexpensive 11 x 14 frame
Tip: If you're going to paint your frame a different color, make sure it's made out of wood or another paintable surface. Shiny plastics are impossible to paint.
- A Photo Site, such as Shutterfly, Snapfish, etc.
How to Make It
The Collage -
- Select your photos and edited as needed. Crop them, change the orientation (from vertical to horizontal, and vice versa, if necessary), etc. Make them pretty!
- Google for "coupon codes" for Shutterfly, Snapfish, etc. Right now there are tons of deals, so take advantage of them!
- Select which site you want to use, and create a new "Collage" product. Select which way you want it (horizontal or vertical), upload your pictures and play around with it until you're happy. Using Shutterly, I added lines between the pictures to make them stand out. I knew I was going to paint the frame navy blue, so I used that color for the lines.
- Order the collage. Some sites offer the ability to pick the collage up at a store that day. If you don't want to wait to receive it in the mail, give that a try.
The Frame -
- Go to a place like TJ Maxx, Michael's, or AC Moore. If you're going to a craft store, make sure to bring your coupon with you!
- Purchase an 11 x 14 frame. I got one for $10 from TJ Maxx. It was beige, but I knew I was going to paint it, so I didn't mind.
- If you're going to paint the frame, make sure you have at least one or two containers of your favorite acrylic paint from a craft store. They only cost about $1.50 each, so it's a steal!
- Remove the glass and backing, and put the frame on newspaper.
- Start painting! My frame took three coats to completely cover. The frame will only need about 30 minutes between coats, so you can get it done in one day!
- Let the final coat dry for at least 4 hours, put in the collage, and enjoy the results :)
And got to work.... Here it is after the first coat! You'll notice that my favorite paintbrush for frames is a nubby little guy.
The finished product turned out great!
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Check Out Our New Logo! Learn How to Make Your Own!
Every new blog needs a new logo, and here's ours!!! Ah, can't you feel the love?!
And, because I share WAY too much, here's the easy (free) site I used to make it. It was fun, and makes me want to create logos for everything now.... Maybe a family crest?
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Welcome to the City of Motherly Love!
Welcome to the City of Motherly Love! Allow me to introduce myself.... I am Tracy, Jane of All Crafty Trades. As a stay-at-home mom, I'm always looking for new ideas to express my creativity. And, yes, my family lives outside of Philadelphia (hence, the City of Motherly Love).
What You'll Find on this Site:
What You'll Find on this Site:
- Crafty Ideas
- Cooking Tips & Recipes
- Sewing Projects
- Activities for little ones
- Favorite (and not-so-favorite) Books
- Ways to Score Good Deals
- Some of My Favorite Things (picture Julie Andrews singing that)
- Attempts at Humor
- Martha Stewart-level anything. All of my posts are about various creative experiments. Some are successful, some not so much. Like we tell our kids, it's just fun to try new things!
- Dumpster-diving Couponing. Luckily, my husband is the coupon maven (or is it master?) of the house, so my savings ideas are limited to fun, one-off things.
- Preachiness. This is the City of Motherly Love, after all!!! I can't wait to hear your comments and ideas. Let's build this city together, shall we?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)