Frugal Friday With Marsha -- Christmas

Christmas is now just 3 days away.  Usually we do our family Christmas gathering on Christmas Eve, or a day or 2 before depending on my brother's schedule as a fire captain.  This year we are actually doing our gathering ON Christmas day in the afternoon.

As usual, I got a late start on the gifts that I made for everyone.  A list of 30 people to give to.  28 of those are getting covered composition notebook covers.  I sewed a total of 35 of the covers (the remainder goes to my quilt guild to put in the boutique at the quilt show).

Each notebook also comes with a pen and a mechanical pencil in the front pocket.  I bought a package of either one each time I shopped at Dollar Tree until I had enough.

I am still in the process of finishing up the stuffed Care Bears for baby Jordan and baby Amelia.  I was blessed to find that panel at a rummage sale where I bought a whole stack of fabric for just $4.
In fact, some of that fabric also was used to make the notebooks.

The other fabrics for the notebooks came from my stash and from a member's sale at the evening quilt guild where I paid 50 cents for each fat quarter.  I also did buy one yard of fabric from the markdown section at the quilt shop.

Buying a little here and a little there is how it has to be done, watching for bargains all the time!

Excuse the same picture as what I posted in my WIP Wednesday post, but I didn't get any others taken.
You will see the Car Bears on the table.  The box is the notebooks I had wrapped up already, plus a stack still to wrap, plus the extras.  You can see the pens and pencils laying there. (The towels on the table are hopefully going to be made into the double towel scarves by Saturday evening as a lady at church has a friend that wants to buy them for gifts if I can get them done.

My wrapping paper somehow got wet, but I used it anyway.  I just can't let anything go to waste, and there was no money to buy new!

I pulled out my tote--the tote where I stash gifts as I find them throughout the year.   I had Eggtastics for most all adults (bought at Dollar Tree for just $1 each)
I had some small things for the children.  I was worried as I didn't have enough for 2 of the teen boys.  I then remembered that I had the miniature Jenga and dominoes that I had picked up at Dollar Tree one day just because I thought they were cute.  Whew!  Just what I needed to fill in the rest of their boxes.   Not much in each box, but it's something extra to go with their notebooks.



I wasn't really going to talk about food this week (believe it or not!), but I don't want you to forget to get your Friday Freebie.

Free Barilla Ready Pasta at Kroger & Affiliates


I also want to talk a little about our "baking day" that my 3 daughters and I had.  We made a day and evening of it on Wednesday to get together and make our treat boxes that we give to each person.    I had boxes that I bought last year half price after Christmas from Dollar Tree and my oldest daughter had a few larger boxes too that she bought this year.
I made  the Ritz crackers with peanut butter in the middle and coated in chocolate.  Heather made banana bread, which she sliced, and she made peanut clusters. She also made "Puppy Chow".   Elizabeth made the treats where you put a Rolo candy on a pretzel and top it with a Pecan half.  She also made peanut butter cookies with Hershey Kisses on top.   Jasmine helped where she was needed.
Each of 31 people get 2 of each thing that we made, plus the bag of Puppy Chow.

For our family Christmas gathering, we each bring food to share.  I can't wait to give these Christmas tortilla chips a try. 

CHIPS AWAY! HOMEMADE CHRISTMAS TORTILLA CHIPS

I have gotten really wordy today, so if you are still reading, thanks so much!   I will close by wishing you all a Merry Christmas!!  (and, don't forget to link up your frugal posts this week too)


glitter-graphics.com

WIP Wednesday -- 6 More Done

Still frustrated over lack of time for sewing, I only sewed this past week Friday night at Sit N Sew at the local quilt shop.
I managed to get 6 more covered composition notebooks done  towards my Christmas gifts.  This makes a total of 23 done. 

I intend to make 35 total as that's how many notebooks I have, however, not all of them will be used for Christmas.

I know for sure that the pink with the girls on it is going to my 13 yr old granddaughter.  I'm really thinking the pebble print should go to my 8 yr old grandson as he is constantly collecting rocks in his pockets.

I fully intend to sew this evening, and both Friday and Saturday evening.  Wish my luck to get these done!  With any luck, maybe next week's post can show that they are not only done, but also wrapped!

Sales in my Etsy shop are not as I had hoped they would be.  I've only sold a set of the microwave hotpads/cozies this week.  I am still in hopes of selling the 2 double towel scarfs that I made with the Christmas print fabric.

Quilt Time Customize the Label Square Wall Clock

by pomegranate_gallery


In the meantime, I am linking up with the following blogs:



Jo's Country Junction:  http://www.joscountryjunction.com/

KatieMae Quilts for BOM weekly linky.  https://www.katiemaequilts.com/blog/

 

Frugal Friday With Marsha-- Christmas is Past

Christmas is wonderful, but I always breath a sigh of relief once the holiday is over.  It's such a busy time getting ready for all of the church and family events.......and preparing gifts.

You know that I made the drawstring backpacks for everyone on my list.  Everyone was 26 people both children and adults.  I needed a new bag, so gifted one to myself too.   I made so many that I have 9 left to list for sale in my etsy shop.

The beauty of making the bags was that I had a lot of time (and love) put into the sewing, but very little money.  Most of the fabrics were given to me and a small amount of the fabric I bought at yard sales or estate sales for very little money.  It proved to be a great stash buster of my fabric as well although there is still plenty in my craft room.

I didn't think to take a picture, but I got a great deal on the candy that I put in everyone's bags too.
I used shopkick while I waited at Walmart to get the oil changed on my car.  With the few points I already had in the app and what I got while waiting I ended up being able to get $7 in Target gift cards.
This prompted me to know that I needed to buy my candy at Target.  I went to work and printed coupons for some of the candy---from Swagbucks and Inboxdollars so I will earn an additional 10 cents for each coupon that I printed and used----I used 2 coupons.
I put the Target Cartwheel app back on my phone and found additional percentage off on the candy I planned to buy.
Then, when I arrived at Target I found a one day special that day of an additional 25% off all candy!!
I ended up with over $30 worth of candy and paid less than $10 for it.

For people such as my brother, sister-in-law, niece, nephew, children's significant others etc, I came up with the idea to make up little desk gift sets for each of them.
I shopped Dollar Tree and bought index cards, small notebooks, pencils, and pens.  I spent $8 plus tax.
I used paper clips from home and bookmarks that I already had made and added those along with index cards, a pencil, a pen and a small notepad into a cellophane bag.

Other gifts for my children and grandchildren came out of my stash that I gathered all year long.


As for shopping after Christmas, I only hit Dollar Tree to see what I could get for 50 cents each.  I spent less than $10 but came home with gift boxes of all sorts.  Boxes is what I was short on this year for wrapping.


How was your Christmas?  What did you do to make it a frugal one?

WIP Wednesday--Bags, Bags, and More Bags

I am working on nothing but the drawstring backpacks for Christmas and don't feel like I am getting very far.
So far I only have the same 8 completed that I showed last week.
I have been cutting fabrics for more over this past week.  I should get my sewing machine back out and sew together the ones that I have completely cut, but at the same time I want to finish cutting this huge stack of fabrics that I have sitting beside me yet to cut.  What to do, what to do.

Talk about a stash buster though!!  I've had to go into my stash to find additional fabrics aside from the 2 large stacks I had set aside for bags already.  I needed more child prints, then I also needed fabrics that would go for the insides as I didn't have enough that "matched".  

I snapped a couple of pictures as I worked on cutting this past week to share.

UFO's:

Rectangle quilt
challenge wall hanging
Hexagon quilt
Emerald Island Fusique table runner
Five and Dime quilt
Brown half square triangle table runner
2 sets of doll blanket, pillows, bed and rug
Wall hanging for quilt guild
yo-yo's that need to be made into projects
black and white rail fence quilt
Arkansas Crossroads scrap quilt
T-shirt latchhook rug
Charming Stars quilt
Special crocheted prayer shawl
Fall Squares table topper
Crazy colored quilt with the five and dime blocks
Rainbow colored string quilt
St. Patricks yo-yo table topper/runner
Lexington quilt
? microwave hotpads
? drawstring backpacks for gifts and for sale

I link up with the following sites:

Frugal Friday With Marsha -- Handmade Christmas Gifts

Everyone knows that I make gifts every year, and even more so for the past 7 years or so since joining a sewing group at my church and joining the quilt guild.  I've learned to make so many more things.

One year everyone got simple hotpads.  Another year everyone got a set of coasters.  Another year everyone got pillowcases.  Another year everyone got a lined fabric bag made with Christmas fabric and filled with little goodies.  Last year I gave everyone a microwave hotpad.

This year I am making everyone a drawstring backpack.  This is thanks to the community service project that my quilt guild is doing.  We are making the bags and giving them to First Call for Help where they will be filled with personal hygiene items and given to those in need.

Once I made the 2 bags that I signed up to make, I seen how cute they are.  I showed them to several family members who all wanted one.  You don't go anywhere these days without seeing people carrying the drawstring backpacks.

I already had a fabric drawer full, and another stack of fabrics that I had set aside just for making bags.  Much of my fabric has been given to me when a person cleans out their sewing room.  I always appreciate that they think of me!

I have a lot of bags to get done, and as usual, I am starting so late that all other projects really must be put to the side until I finish the gifts.

I have 3 out of about 25 or so done:

I have some other things that I wanted to make as gifts, but doubt that I get to those.  I wonder if next year might finally be the year that I actually work on gifts ALL year instead of waiting until weeks before Christmas to actually get started on them.

WIP Wednesday -- Time To Get Busy For Christmas

Actually it's past time to be working on Christmas gifts, but at least I do have a start.  After putting together a couple of drawstring backpacks for charity with my quilt guild, I decided making them for gifts was a great idea.
When I showed the bags, not only the children, but the adults said they wanted one.  I already had 2 stacks of fabrics put aside just for making bags.

Here is what I have cut and prepared so far, mostly working on cutting fabrics that will make bags for the guys.

Quilt guild put out the challenge kits.  They are encouraging us to do paper pieced stars.  I chose one from a book I own and just to remind myself of how to do paperpiecing, I made one of the 16 pieces I need to make the wall hanging that I want to make.

Then, I started working on the toothbrush rug made of nothing but selvage.  I probably will only work on this at the bowling alley while we bowl on our league, at least for now.  I plan to enter it in the fair next year, so I have until August to finish it.

I did finish all of the sets of microwave hotpads that I was working on, but haven't gotten any of them listed in my etsy shop yet.
My days are so full and I sure don't see that ending any time soon at all.  All I can do is do what I can each day and be happy about it.

UFO's:

Rectangle quilt
challenge wall hanging
Hexagon quilt
Emerald Island Fusique table runner
Five and Dime quilt
Brown half square triangle table runner
2 sets of doll blanket, pillows, bed and rug
Wall hanging for quilt guild
yo-yo's that need to be made into projects
black and white rail fence quilt
Arkansas Crossroads scrap quilt
T-shirt latchhook rug
Charming Stars quilt
Special crocheted prayer shawl
Fall Squares table topper
Crazy colored quilt with the five and dime blocks
Rainbow colored string quilt
St. Patricks yo-yo table topper/runner
Lexington quilt
? Fabric boxes for Christmas gifts
? microwave hotpads
? drawsting backpacks for gifts and for sale


I link up with the following blogs:

WIP Wednesday -- Just Hotpads

I never expected that a week later I would still be working on just the microwave hotpad sets.  I've been working on them daily.

My picture isn't the best, but here's where I am in the process.  2 sets are complete, 1 set almost complete, and several more in the works.

I am trying to be good and complete these sets before working on anything else.  I'm itchin' to get stitchin' on the drawstring backpacks for Christmas gifts.  With any luck I will at least have the fabrics cut for those by this time next week.

How are you doing on making Christmas gifts?


UFO's:

Rectangle quilt
challenge wall hanging
Hexagon quilt
Emerald Island Fusique table runner
Five and Dime quilt
Brown half square triangle table runner
2 sets of doll blanket, pillows, bed and rug
Wall hanging for quilt guild
yo-yo's that need to be made into projects
black and white rail fence quilt
Arkansas Crossroads scrap quilt
T-shirt latchhook rug
Charming Stars quilt
Special crocheted prayer shawl
Fall Squares table topper
Crazy colored quilt with the five and dime blocks
Rainbow colored string quilt
St. Patricks yo-yo table topper/runner
Lexington quilt
? Fabric boxes for Christmas gifts
? microwave hotpads

I link up with the following blogs:

Since Christmas is so close I want to share some of the Christmas related book that I have for sale on half.com.  Each picture will open the actual book for sale.