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Friday Fave Ways to Recycle Christmas Cards Free Printable!

1/11/2019

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This post contains affiliate links.  If you make a purchase after clicking them, we will be compensated, but there is no additional cost to you.  All opinions expressed are our own.  Thank you for your support
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     I don't know if you are like me, but after I get all of the trappings of Christmas taken down and put away, I still have a pile of Christmas cards to deal with.  Many of them are so beautiful, I hate to throw them away, and in the spirit of living a little greener, I like to try to recycle them.  So, today, we will share some of our favorite ways!  If you have any ideas to add, please let us know, we are always looking for new ideas! 
Friday Faves #87-Favorite Ways to Recycle Christmas Cards! 
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1.    For years, one of my favorite things to do with the Christmas Cards we receive is to make gift tags for next year.  It is fun to cut out the cute motifs and the handmade cards are especially cute to use on packages.  Just remember to put them in a place where you will find them next Christmas! 
2.     Of course, if we receive photo cards of family and loved ones, I like to put them in a photo album.  It is fun to see how the families have grown year after year. 
3.   This year, on Everyday Reading, I found this really cute banner idea.  Janssen used the photo cards she received to make a Valentine Banner.  It was so cute.  Unfortunately, I couldn't bring myself to cut the photo cards, but there were a lot of really cute cards that I used instead. I used a thicker version of baker's twine to make the banner. 
I loved using this handmade card with its newsprint and ribbon. The back was red so I just overlapped from front to back.
I love these little puppies on the card from my niece with the little bit of plain on the bottom.
This was actually from a thank you note, but I loved this little hedgehog face.
I used two different sizes of heart cookie cutters to cut out the shapes. 
4.   A really awesome gift for young kids next Christmas, or a way to add to the Spirit of Christmas around the house,  would be a book using the pictures from the cards.  One year I made a Christmas ABC Book using Christmas Cards.  It can be tricky coming up with a picture for every letter, but my friend had a poem that she shared with me to help me out.  Unfortunately for this post, I gave that book away.  But I got to thinking that it would be really cool to use the song "C is for the Christ Child" by Jim Reeves as the text for the book.  If you have enough Christmas cards, you can make more than one!  I put together a free printable of ideas for making this book. 
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Here is the PDF file to make printing easier: 
Christmas Card Book Ideas
    It would be awesome to include the CD of the song with the book as well! 
     So, hopefully you can find a way to recycle those Christmas cards and get the last vestiges of Christmas put away.  And, won't it be great knowing that you have a gift for the little ones, gift tags to use when wrapping and something to decorate with for Valentine's Day!  Now that is thinking ahead! 
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Friday Faves-Frugal Fun & Fun on the Cheap in Phoenix!

10/5/2018

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**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. ​  But, all opinions expressed are my own.    ​​​
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     Oh My Goodness! You Guys!  We have been having the BEST rain here in Phoenix because of Hurricane Rosa and the weather feels amazing!  It actually feels like we might get to have Fall! AND, this weather is just in time for Frugal Fun Day, which is tomorrow, October 6th.  So, for Friday Faves we are asking: 
What do you love to do for fun on the cheap?
At Home:
  • Well, if you have been reading our blog for very long, you know that we all love to play games!  Whether it is 2 persons or a large group, playing cards or board games, that competitive side comes out.  Playing games is definitely frugal and fun. Those links will take you to posts about some of our favorite games.
  • Maddy's favorite is a movie night.  I pictured Harry Potter up in the collage above, which is always a good choice.  We have suggested some favorite movies in the past.  With Halloween coming you might like to refer to this post. But, here are few super inexpensive ones that you may not have thought of now available on Amazon Prime for you to enjoy! 
              1. For a nice romantic choice, Letters to Juliet looks so good!  You can rent it for 1.99 or                               purchase it for 7.99!   I think I am going to talk my husband into this one for us to watch                         together.   
             2.  If you have kids who love horses, The Silver Brumby stood out to me as reminiscent of
                  The Man from Snowy River.    You can rent it for 1.99 and buy it for 3.99.  We just                                    rewatched The Man from Snowy River on Netflix for free. 
            3.  When Maddy and I were in Disneyland last Spring, we saw some Pixar movie shorts in the                    theater in California Adventures. One that was super cute and perfect for younger children                   was called Piper.  This cute film about a baby bird learning to provide for himself is now on                   Prime for just 2.99.
     Now, let's do some things that get us out of the house! 
  • Alicia loves to have a campfire and make s'mores!  She and her husband enjoy this so much that they had a s'mores bar at their wedding reception.  We have a firepit made by my husband at our house, but if you aren't that lucky or you are renting, there are portable fire pits to purchase. 
      Besides roasting marshmallows and making s'mores, you might enjoy making and using Stuff 'em Sticks, something that we told you about here. 
  • Lindsey says that her favorite frugal activity is to take a drive up into the mountains where the weather is cooler and take along a picnic! The rest of us enjoy that, too, and to throw in a hike or historical site is always nice as well.  When I think of a picnic, I always picture the wicker basket, but we know that it usually ends up being an ice chest to keep everything cool.   Look at this cute picnic/cooler basket that I found! So awesome! 
  •  While your at it, if you have a couple of days, how about a camping trip? Camping is relaxing, fun, an adventure and a lot less expensive than many other getaways.  My son takes my grandson as often as he can and they usually just sleep in the car!   But, if you don't have a large enough car for that, Coleman now has a tent that sets up in about a minute! I mean it, it opens like an umbrella! My son has one of these as well and let me tell you, it is amazing! The poles are connected and you just walk it open and TAH DAH, the tent is set up.  You can put in spikes to hold it down if you want, but my son says that he rarely does, unless it is windy.  It  is also a great price! You can check it out on Amazon. 
Frugal Fun in the Phoenix Area

     Phoenix, where the weather is sometimes hot but never snowy, lends itself to many activities for everyone that are pretty inexpensive! 
*In the hot weather there are many pools available in the city parks, as well as splash pads and there are Water Parks available as well.  Pioneer Park and Rio Vista Park's water pads are two that we have been to and they are both fun and free! 
*There are lakes in the city that are stocked for Urban Fishing.  Kids under 14 can fish for free, just the parent needs a fishing license.  One day a year there is a free day when you don't need a license at all and some parks offer fishing instruction.
*The libraries offer nice places to relax from the heat and they offer story times and other activities.  Phoenix libraries also offer passes on a first come first served basis that will get you into city attractions like the zoos (We have 2), botanical gardens and museums. 
*If you aren't able to get a pass to the Phoenix Art Museum, you can attend on Weds from 3:00-9:00 pm, On First Friday (discussed farther down), or second Sundays when prices are reduced to a voluntary donation. 
*There are two super fun and free factory tours that are popular in Phoenix, for all ages!  The Stuffington Bear Factory teaches the history of teddy bears and those who attend the tour can even purchase and stuff  their own bear.  And, Cerreta Candy Company takes you on a chocolate tour and demonstration and ends with an opportunity to make and purchase a chocolate pizza! 
*There are tons of trails in all of the desert mountains, such as the White Tanks, South Mountain, North Mountain, Thunderbird Park, Camelback Mountain.  Phoenix and the surrounding areas are a hikers paradise.  Just remember to always carry water! 
*In the Spring, there are multiple teams who come to Phoenix for Spring Training at the various sports complexes!  That is a great time to take part in the Great American Pass Time at a reasonable price!  It is called the Cactus League.  Here is the link to find the teams, stadiums and schedules of the games. Bookmark it because the 2019 schedule isn't up yet. 
*The Arizona State Capitol Building Museum is an amazing and FREE place to visit.  One of the most fascinating things within its walls is the exhibit of artifacts from the USS Arizona.  
*First Fridays in downtown Phoenix is one of the nation's largest self-guided art walks.  There is also a complimentary trolley tour to the various hubs.  There is music playing and there are food trucks! I know that my young adult children have enjoyed this event at various times. 
     Wow! The more I write, the more I realize how much Phoenix has to offer! So, if you come to visit, bookmark this list to get you started! It is funny how when you live in a place you forget about the hidden gems that are there.  I have been to most of these places, but it has been years for some of them.  I told my husband that we need to start going back and revisiting some of these.  HEY FAMILY! Come and visit!  I have a list of places to take you!  
For a nice list of frugal Fall fun, you can print off this bucket list we made last year! I hope it gets your own ideas flowing!  Be sure to comment and let us know what your idea of frugal fun is. 
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Party Series: An UnValentine's Day Party

1/21/2017

17 Comments

 
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Alicia here! Each month I'm going to be sharing with you an idea I have for a fun party with options to make it kid friendly or a date!

My first idea came to me as I thought of how it seems a lot of people now-a-days aren't that into Valentine's Day. I get it. So I decided to see what other holidays or events fall on February 14th. And there are quite a few.

Just to name a few:
  • Oregon Statehood (1859)
  • Arizona Statehood (1912)
  • Launch of YouTube (2005)
  • Voyager 1 takes the famous 'Pale Blue Dot' photo
  • Extraterrestrial Culture Day (A New Mexico Holiday that I think should be adopted by the whole country)
  • International Book Giving Day
  • Library Lovers Day
  • National Ferris Wheel Day (Because it's the Birthday of George Ferris, the inventor of the Ferris Wheel)

I thought then that we could celebrate these other things instead of Valentine's and it's a win-win-win!
I have decided to focus on a few of these events/holidays for the party. This won't be a typical UnValentine's Day Party, because instead of being full of things like broken hearts, Valentine's just gets ignored altogether. I guess it's more of a "It's More Than Just Valentine's Day Party."

First you'll need invitations. I have designed these ones for the occasion, but you could make your own too! Make sure to let us know if you do.

UnValentine's Invitation
Food: Inspiration, Oregon and Arizona statehood, National Ferris Wheel Day and ET Culture Day.
PicturePhoto by Scott Goodwin Food Styling by Rowena Day/Ennis
From Arizona we have two famous foods that are so easy to put together: Sonoran Hot Dogs, and Cheese Crisp.

I suggest a Sonoran Hot Dog Bar if you want to serve dinner at your party (or lunch). If you're unfamiliar with what a Sonoran Hotdog is, this article in Boston Magazine explains it well. If you don't want to serve dinner and just have appetizers, try making these into bites with tomatillo dipping sauce.


Picturefrom whatsgabycooking at Tasty Kitchen
A Cheese Crisp is a tortilla with cheese. (But wait, isn't that a quesadilla? No cheese crisps are open faced and quesadillas are folded over). Make mini ones by using a round cookie cutter to cut out small rounds out of regular flour tortillas (or just buy little flour tortillas). Lay them on a foil covered cookie sheet. Sprinkle each tortilla with cheese, and bake at 350 until the cheese has melted. Alternatively, Just make a large Cheese Crisp and cut it into triangles with your pizza cutter. You could add toppings as Gaby did over at Tasty Kitchen. Look how delicious her's are!

From Oregon, I thought we would try making quick and easy Voodoo Donuts. If you live close to VooDoo Donuts, it might be worth just buying them to have at your party. Click through the gallery to get instructions and ideas for what I did!
Another famous food from Oregon is Tillamook Cheese. I have two options to include this. One is to just have little cubes cut up and out for people to eat. Or use it as the cheese for the Cheese Crisp!

You could put the cheese or other snacks in cups on a Ferris wheel. Like this one they made over at Oh Happy Day!  Or they have this cool one on amazon that you can buy. I attempted to make one. Mine does actually spin, but is still a prototype.

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My attempt at a Ferris wheel. My husband made me the stand. Looks like the Party Beaver wants to go for a ride.
For drinks a bit of ET Punch seems to be in order. Just mix Sprite, green sherbet,  green Hawaiian Punch and pineapple juice together to taste. For an added flair try floating a UFO in the punch. They have these cool UFO ice molds on amazon.
PicturePale Blue Dot Photo captured by Voyager 1 on 2-14-1990.
Activities:
Inspired by YouTube, International Book Giving Day, & the "Pale Blue Dot" photo

Used Book White Elephant- Everyone brings a book they love to exchange. Set a limit on how much guests can spend so there's no disparity and hurt feelings. Browsing used book stores is one of my favorite activities, but if you don't have any good one's near by, Amazon has a ton.

Pale Blue Darts- If you don't know what the picture of "Pale Blue Dot" is, this page from NASA can fill you in. I love space so I had to include this. My idea is that you have the photo up on a dart board and see how close people can get to hitting Earth. Each person can have their own dart picture or everyone can use the same. I made a dart board with the picture as the background. Click below to get the image. If you need a dart board, my brother used to have a dart board similar to this one and it was pretty fun! Or for a safer route there are magnetic dart boards.


Pale Blue Darts
Viral Video Charades- A nod to YouTube, this game will be loads of fun. Especially with the right group of people, Charades is a great party game. Maybe I'm biased because I LOVED Charades growing up (so much so that I got Guestures one year for Christmas and forced my family to play it every chance I got). But this version each team puts the title or description of their favorite viral videos in a 'hat' (container, bag, whatevs). Play continues like normal. Just think wouldn't it be hilarious to see your friends act out Charlie Bit Me, Gangham Style, or Potter Puppet Pals?
Decorations- Inspiration from Oregon and Arizona Statehood, International Book Giving Day, & National Ferris Wheel Day

Here's a general list of the party supplies:
  • Polka dot balloons (I think they just add something fun)
  • Streamers (I like these green ones because they add to the ET Culture Day Celebration)
  • Table Cloth
  • The Party Beaver and Party Saguaro printable I created
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Party Beaver
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Party Saguaro
Other ideas:
  • It could be fun to create a little photo booth area with props for people to get into the spirit. Just set up a background, put out the props, and let guests take pictures with their phones. When they post it on Instagram, twitter or Facebook they could use a hashtag for your party! (#UnValentinesParty2017) If you need props there are some great nerd props on Amazon. As well you can put out some books for people to take their picture with.
  • For a Kids Party- I would focus on a few of the holidays. I would also swap out "Pale Blue Darts" for "Pin the Earth in Space" Similar to "Pin the Tail on the Donkey" only each kid gets a small blue sticker (like these cool gem stickers) and tries to stick it closest to the spot of Earth in the real photo. Another idea would be to let the kids decorate their own VooDoo Donuts.
  • For a date night- Don't worry about the decorations as much. Play a round of "Pale Blue Darts". Mix up your own batch of ET Punch to enjoy with a Sonoran Hotdog Dinner. After dinner try making each other a doughnut. End the night by watching your favorite gut busting viral videos. Or, if you have one near by, take a spin on a Ferris wheel.
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    Creators of Hot Cocoa Bombs!  (copyrighted)

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    Author

    Helen Reynolds: Mother of six children , grandmother to ten and counting!  I love to cook, craft and create things and I especially love doing that with my family, So, when my lawyer daughter, Lindsey, and my artist daughter, Madalynn, and I came up with the idea of Hot Cocoa Bombs, this blog was born.  Then, one more daughter, with her technical and science skills, plus creativity has joined in to round us out!  Read more about us here!
        

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