Valentine Creations

It's Valentine's Day in our home! Thanks to shopping throughout the year for all annual events (saves a lot of money to buy on sale and store in my cupboard!), I was able to whip up a few special things for the kids even at 1am after I'd forgotten to plan ahead of time. Thank God he gave me a creative spirit. ;-) Please don't mind the quality of the photos--they were taken on my phone.

My favorite creation of the night (morning?) was my heart garland. I saw a felt heart garland on Pinterest and just modified it to use paper and a stapler instead of fabric and a sewing machine. Quick and easy, and it's SUPER cute hanging from the dining room entry way!

 At each child's place setting, a special surprise was waiting including a wrapped Valentine themed book, an educational magazine, and a decorated page that we filled out throughout the day with "things we love" about each child. A keepsake!

 One thing I found recently while cleaning out the "everything" room was a box of business cards that was ordered online but never used. I was going to throw them in the recycling bin but decided I should hang onto them because they *may* have a brilliant future...and boy, am I glad I kept them! I created two games using the cards.



First, a numeral recognition/counting game by using glittery textured stickers one one card, and then using a marker to write the numeral on a subsequent card. I couldn't fit more than 8 stickers on a card so that's where I ended, but you could certainly get 10 or 12 if you were using small stickers.

The second game, and also the more popular one, is a matching game. Since all of the "business" sides of the cards are the same, they offer great memory game potential! I used felt stickers that have different layers and edge shapes which provide an added tactile element to the traditional visual memory games. Isn't the Valentine theme darling? Best yet, both of these games store in a small Ziploc bag which means easy clean up and great storage because you can see the contents of the bag!

And of course, a Valentine making station. :) Glitter glue, stickers, paper, heart hold punches, crayons, markers, pom poms...you name it, it was there! Not as big of a hit as I thought it was going to be, though. True to form, toddlers prefer playing outside in the mud as to sitting at a table doing something constructive. Who'da thought, right? ;-)

Happy Valentine's Day! 

...and remember, regardless of your situation or circumstance, you are loved.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him will never perish, but will have eternal life. John 3:16

FREE credits, gift certificates, and more that you'll want to know about!

As you know, sometimes I learn about things that are so phenomenal that I just HAVE to share it with you! So without further ado, here are somethings to know about for December 2011:

1) My gift to you! Use this link to receive a $5 credit at Plumb District: https://www.plumdistrict.com/?ref=u8d41d71a72e. I do believe that you have to use my referral (the link I posted) to get that credit. Not positive about that, but that's what I am interpreting from their website. After you do that, "like" them on Facebook (through their site) to get another $5 off. Combine that with their 40% off deals they often will give you, and you are well on your way to getting a LOT of free money to spend locally or on the Internet.

2) The Annual Mothering Handmade Christmas Gifts Idea Contest (wow! what a name!) is currently ongoing over at http://www.mothering.com/community/t/1337424/the-annual-mothering-handmade-gifts-ideas-contest. You post your idea for a handmade Christmas gift include a photo, and then whichever post gets the most "likes" by other readers will win a Boba 3g carrier. The deadline to enter is 12/10/11! While you're at it, be sure to send me your idea for a handmade Christmas gift so I can feature you on Life More Simply!

3) The Learning Tower is on Facebook. So am I. "like" them at http://Facebook.com/LearningTower. They hinted that they *might* give away something when they get 2,000 followers...and they got that number today! You can "like" me at http://Facebook.com/LifeMoreSimply while you're at it. ;-) PS--I would really enjoy having one of these, so feel free to order one and have it shipped to my house.

4) Restaurant.com is letting YOU give away free gift certificates! You can send up to 40 $10 gift certificates a day. Spread some love to people you know or even people you don't know! I do recommend that ya'll "friend" me on Facebook (Rachel East) so that you can easily send some my way, too. ;-) Want one but don't know anyone to send you one? Let me know in the comments section below and I'll hook you up! https://feeditforward.restaurant.com/

$10 Credit to OneStepAhead

Being a recreation therapist (ok, I work as a Paramedic right now, but that RT degree knowledge hasn't left me!), I have a few rules for toys in my house: they must inspire. This means that the object should encourage my child to imagine, manipulate, learn, and grow. It should challenge, but not overwhelm. Be interesting, but not be solely entertainment. I also generally throw in there that batteries are plastic aren't allowed, but somehow toys still make their way into our home that make noise with no participation from a human! :)

I have long coveted OneStepAhead products because as a rule they are good quality, imagination producing, age and developmentally appropriate toys and household necessities for little ones. I recently ordered a few Christmas gifts from them which came quickly and look awesome! Plus, it didn't break the bank because I hooked up with their deal programs. So without further commentary, here is how YOU can also take advantage of saving a lot of money on their quality products.

1) Sign up for their $10 credit. You will receive $10 off on your first order of $65 or more, PLUS, you will continue to receive a $10 credit for every friend whom you refer who does this. Click here: http://onestepahead.extole.com/a/clk/4fSjH

2) After you sign up for that and are on their website, sign up for their "Daily Deals" program. They don't actually send them every day (or else my SPAM picks up their emails), but you can get amazing discounts on one product at a time. The deals change every day, but I scored their Dyson Ball Vacuum for like 60% off a few weeks ago--Christmas for my boy!

Happy shopping and money saving!

Like A Pearl

I want this ring. Like, really, really badly. I am not much of a jewelry person, even. It's not that I don't like jewelry (I do); I'm just a pretty practical person and it doesn't always fit my lifestyle. However. I have a problem with stalking two shopping sites: www.Etsy.com and https://www.theveteranssite.com.

I first found The Veteran's Site Store because they periodically have music videos with military themes and I have a heart for that, so I've been watching their stuff since I discovered them about two years ago. Not only do they post videos, but they have this really cool store that's right up my ally with handcrafted "hippie" stuff, free trade items, and just all around neat stuff...and their prices are so reasonable! They are constantly having sales and the shipping is flat rate! The BEST part though, is that the proceeds from what you buy help to feed and house US veterans, to whom I am forever grateful for.

So the ring. I found it browsing their site today, and I'm pretty sure my heart skipped a beat when I saw it. I don't know why, exactly, because I've seen other beautiful rings before. This one in particular cries out to me. I love non-traditional beautiful rings. You know, diamonds that aren't like everyone else; pearls that are, well, blue in this case. :) Once I clicked on the link and read the description, though...WOW! That is my life right now!

Timeless as the night sky, our Midnight Freshwater Pearl & Sterling Ring is a beautiful testament to the beauty that can come from persevering through struggle.

Pearls are developed because of an irritant inside a clam--sand. Instead of up and dying, rejecting the hardship, or being forever damaged, the clam creates something beautiful out of something ugly, useless, and painful. Once the pearl is created, it can be removed from that clam without harm, giving something precious to the world and giving a normal life back to the clam. That is what I wish my life to be, and what I believe it is right now. Domestic violence destroyed my marriage, and almost destroyed me in the process. When people ask me how I can still believe in marriage and the love of God after what I went through, I simply explain it as it's said in the end of Exodus: that I am ok with the fact that I went through these things because it will bring about the survival of many people. Like a pearl, beauty can come from persevering through struggle.

I may just buy myself that ring. Not sure yet, since I'm not one to buy things for myself, but it's possible.

"Oh Lord my God, I called to you for help and you healed me." (Psalm 30:2)

"The Lord will be your everlasting light, and  your days of sorrow WILL end." (Isaiah 60:20b)

Attention Bloggers! Get 50 FREE Christmas cards from Shutterfly! (Simple Christmas #1)

Shutterfly, a photo sharing and printing site is teaming up with Bloggers this Christmas season. Basically, you spread the word about their huge array of Christmas cards, and you get 50 of them for free (see the link at the bottom of this post to get in on the action) ! I checked out the designs and they are phenomenal. There are also sales going on right now that can save you a lot of money on your holiday cards. Think of it this way--a card that doubles as a gift! Just include a photo frame and you're all taken care of. Tie the envelope to the frame and whola! you even have "green" wrapping paper. :-)

My favorite cards are the ones with multiple photos and simple backgrounds, but I'm falling in love with this cute one that boasts only one photo as well:

Choosing your card design  may seem like a monumental task (there are 748 for your browsing pleasure), but it's actually pretty easy because there's a "refine your selection" menu on the left hand side of the page. It'll narrow down your selections by number of photos (even down to "0"), color schemes, prices, etc.. Pretty fun and easy! There are some designs that go beyond the basic Christmas card, like this one:

Overall, I think this one is my favorite because of it's classy design and easy frameability:

The details of this specific design can give you an idea about their other designs as well.

Pricing- $2.99/per card - $1.29/per card. Although they are 20% off right now!

Size- 5x7 Stationery Card
Details:  Family Wall Noir Christmas Card. Show off your family wall. This classic Christmas card holds a framed collection of six favorite photos and your family's monogrammed initial. There's room for everyone's names next to a joyous greeting. Designed in cranberry red and midnight noir.

Did you know that  Shutterfly will even stamp, address, and mail your Christmas cards for you? Not that I have the money for that, but what a time-saver it would be!

Next month (December), I will be featuring a lot of DIY Christmas gifts/decorations/etc...but for now, the 50 Free Cards from Shutterfly get my first vote for a Simple Christmas gift! Get some used photo frames, attach them to your Shutterfly photo card with a used ribbon, and enjoy your almost free but still timeless and chic gift. :-)

Links:

Christmas cards http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-cards

Holiday photo cards  http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery

Religious Christmas cards to http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/religious-christmas-cards

Christmas gift tags to http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-gift-tags

Photo Christmas cards to http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards

Valentine cards to http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/valentines-day-cards-and-stationery    

Choose your own card/invitation and URL from our Cards & Stationery page

Bloggers get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly:  http://bit.ly/sfly2010