handmade gifts: post-it note holder

hey all!! Checkin in here with a super simple, quick and easy handmade gift- perfect for birthdays or Christmas! Before we know it, Christmas will be upon us... but not before one of my favorite holidays- Thanksgiving :)

Anyhoo, here's a little tutorial for this easy gift!

Since you can buy a single set of supplies and make a lot of holders out of them, I'd say rough cost per holder is probably around $5!!! :) You can make it super cute and girly or simple and masculine! Not to mention it's practical! Love practical (but fun!) gifts ;)

.:. one 12"x12" piece of patterned paper can make ~4 holders

.:. one roll of ribbon can make at the least 2-3 holders, many many more if it's a longer roll of ribbon!

.:. buy one bag of pretty pens and you can make a whole bunch of holders

.:. buy a stack of the post-it notes and make a whole bunch of holders!

.: materials :.

- acrylic photo frame {mine was actually leftover from our wedding centerpieces!}

- patterned paper

- ribbon(s)

- post-it notes

- pen

- glue

.: instructions :.

{1} cut patterned paper to the size of the photo frame

{2} insert paper into photo slot in frame

{3} cut and tie ribbon around top edge of frame

{4} cut ribbon loop and adhere to edge of frame

{5} securely glue post-it notes to frame, covering the edge of the ribbon loop

{6} add pen and gift away! :)

sharing here...

Frugalicious Friday @ Finding Fabulous

31 Days :: day 31- shopping comparison chart & wrap up

Day 31:: Shopping Comparison Chart

So I do apologize for not including my Household 6 Binder today- it's not quite ready and I don't want to share a rushed/half done post! So instead I'm sharing another list, but don't worry, I'll be sharing my Household 6 Binder soon!!

So today's list... this is another tool I use in budgeting. I've started saving receipts for our groceries for the last month or so {and plan to continue doing so a bit longer} so that I can compare prices at our three most frequented grocery stores. It's useful to know where you get the most bang for your buck, and whether it's really worth the extra trip to another store depending if the price difference is only a few cents or a dollar or more!

In my example, I've already filled in my most frequented stores. The first column is for the grocery item {ie. milk, potatoes, eggs, egg beaters, etc.} and the narrower columns are for the prices. This way you can quickly scan across the stores and see which is the cheapest!

This is great for grocery comparison or also when shopping for Christmas or birthday gifts or any big purchase!

{printable here}

:: 31 Days Wrap Up ::

So I may not have been the most timely poster, but I did give you 31 total lists and the like! There's a few printables I still need to get up for you, and a few posts that I told you I'll be doing in the future, so I do hope you'll stick around and keep visiting me here! Thanks to everyone who has read my series, and I hope you've found it helpful :)

Here's a look at everything we've covered...

1. in the beginning
2. list o' lists
3. Bill Paying Monthly Tracker
4. Spending Tracker {aka. How to Build a Budget Plan}
5. Overnight Guest Prep
6. Monthly Cleaning Chart
7. Daily Chore Chart
8. Weekly Meal List
9. Exercise Tracker
10. Kitchen Tools Tracker
11. Household Appliance Tracker & Service Record
12. Gift Wrapping & Gift Closet Inventory
13. Autumn Project Tracker
14. Thanksgiving Menu
15. Thanksgiving Grocery List
16. Bible Study Bookmarks
17. Gifting List
18. Gift Buying List
19. Thank-You Card List
20. Packing List {with daily plans & small checklist}
21. Packing List {with daily weather}
22. Packing List {with blank checklist}
23. Vacation Budget
24. Vacation To-Do List
25. Vacation Meal Planner
26. Couponing List
27. Pantry Inventory
28. Fridge/Freezer Inventory
29. Full Yearly Cleaning Chart
30. Half Monthly Cleaning Chart
31. Shopping Comparison Chart & Wrap Up

31 Days:: day 30- half monthly cleaning chart

Day 30:: Half Monthly Cleaning Chart

So today's list is essentially the other half of yesterday's list (no pun intended...). Today's list is my Half Monthly Cleaning Chart- aka. when I do a "half clean" or partial clean or quick clean of a room- essentially a tidy and quick wipe down. So currently I do a full clean of each room once a month {See yesterday's post} and a half clean three times a month- hence three columns for each month! Again, we're a household with no kids or pets, so we don't get as dirty as I'm sure we will one day, hehe ;) I'm working on a printable version for ya'll- with extra blank slots so you can fill in your own chores- and I'd be happy to customize this for your family too, if you'd like!

31 Days:: day 29- full yearly cleaning chart

Day 29:: Full Yearly Cleaning Chart

So looking back at my Monthly Cleaning Chart from Day 6, you'll have read how once a month I do a "full" cleaning of the various rooms in the house. Well today I'm sharing my "full" cleaning chart! It's pretty much a deep clean of everything. I print this list out once a year and put it in my Household 6 Binder {post to come Monday about that!}.

So you'll notice that there's some other things that are done a few times a year {ie. washing curtains, washing comforter, cleaning out & donating clothes, etc}. Those chores already have "X"s in the chart for the months that I don't need to do that chore. Now this list is a work in progress... it's tailored for our family {sans kids and pets, for now} and I'm still working out how often I really need to do different chores. I'll work on a printable for ya'll that has no "X"s so you can tailor this chart to your family! And I'll leave extra blank lines in each category so you can add various items that you need to do. We usually live in military housing, so some chores are taken care of for us by maintenance.

Anyhoo, here ya go! It's pretty straight forward. If you have any questions, just leave a comment and a way for me to get back to you :) I'd also love to customize this as a printable for your family with your chores if you'd like!!

Easy DIY Autumn Wreath

-- Second post of the day! --

-- To view today's "31 Days of Lists & the Like" post, please scroll down :) --

So here's a project that has been in the works for about a month! I wrapped the wreath in twine late last month when I did our autumn mantle {post to come about that!}, but it got left to the wayside. I finally got to finish it this afternoon! Yays :)

This is a super simple wreath, and I'll share a full photo tutorial for it soon...

{1} It started with an eco-friendly "styrofoam" type wreath from Hobby Lobby.

{2} Proceeded to wrap it in the great golden wheat colored yarn, which took about an hour & half- I just wrapped it while watching some of my favorite shows ;)

{3} Then cut out circles of some great fall fabric I've had for a year or so, put a pin through the center on each circle, and pushed it into the foam. Repeat lots of times.

{4} Then I created the fun little "autumn" banner with my scrapbooking supplies and The Twinery twine and hung it on our door!

sharing here...

Addicted 2 Decorating

Making Monday Marvelous Linky Party
Dittle Dattle
Crafts Keep Me Sane
Sumo's Sweet Stuff
Making the World Cuter
Singing Three Little Birds
Fall Festival @ The DIY Showoff
Organize Your Stuff Now
Somewhat Simple
The CSI Project
Making It With Allie

31 Days :: day 28- fridge/freezer inventory

Day 28:: Fridge/Freezer Inventory

Wow! So we're almost near the end of the 31 Day challenge! I may not have been the most faithful in posting, but I've indeed given you 31 lists and the like!! Well... I will once the series is done ;) Anyhoo... onward to todays list!

Today's list is a Fridge/Freezer Inventory, similar to yesterday's pantry list. I often forget what leftovers we have floating around, especially those that hide in the back! So this is a great way to keep track of what you have and when you need to use it by ;) I'm not always sure how long things can last in the fridge/freezer (leftovers, homemade items, opened jars, etc), so my go-to is usually my mom or trusty Google, hehe.

This list has one of two residences- either in my Recipe Binder {which is my go-to for meal planning} or on my fridge. I might end up printing out two- one for the Recipe Binder that will have more homemade items that I've made and frozen for later or made in bulk, and the list on the fridge more for leftovers. It's still a work-in-progress list! :)

{printable fridge inventory}

{printable freezer inventory}**

** freezer inventory is same as fridge, just the different title!**

31 Days :: day 27- pantry inventory

Day 27:: Pantry Inventory

Today's list is a pantry inventory! Now this is what has worked for me in two of our last three homes- bins & baskets! We've either had large wire racks in the utility room or a really deep cabinet for our pantries and so we've needed some extra organization help in the form of bins/boxes/baskets. So when it comes to keeping track of what food we have on hand, my list includes a spot for what bin number the food is in! If you have bins that are labeled in your pantry, you could also just put down the name of the bin- ie. perishables, soups, etc. Whatever works for you! :)

I'll be doing a "before and after" post of our current pantry! It's a really tall and realllly deep cabinet {it's a built-in unit in our current Army housing}. So when we moved in, I knew we'd need some sort of organization system so we'd be able to reach items in the back of the pantry. So keep an eye out for that post in the future ;)

So how this list works...

• box- what box/bin/basket number {or name} the designated item is in
• item- the item at hand :) ie. spelt flour, elbow pasta, black beans, etc
• #- how many of that item there is, useful if you have duplicates, like we always have a few cans of beans on hand and a few boxes of pasta, this is great for noting when you're running low and need to stock up on staples or seeing if you need to buy an extra box of something for a recipe you plan on making!
• expire- expiration date

{printable here}

31 Days :: day 26- couponing list

Day 26:: Couponing List

So today's list is part of how I coupon! I'll share the list and explain how I use it, and the printable and a full explanation of my system is going to be in a future post :) So here's how it works...

• product- what the coupon is for {an item, percentage/dollars off purchase, etc..}
• type- my couponing system uses envelopes, so this column is for which envelope the coupon goes into
• store- self explanatory :)
• Wk 1-5- if you notice off to the right, I divide the current month into weeks and then write down when the coupon expires... this is useful so I can see quickly which coupons are expiring soon. I print a new list each month.
• Other- if the coupon expires after the end of the current month, I simply write the date down in this column

I'm excited to soon share with you my whole couponing system... but for now, think of this as a teaser ;) Enjoy!

31 Days :: day 23, 24, 25- Vacation Lists

Day 23, 24, 25:: Vacation Lists

These are two lists that I used while planning and while on our recent vacation to Disney. I plan on sharing a lot more of my "Disney lists" either later in this Lists & More series or after!! We are true Disney fans and have been blessed with being able to visit there every year for our honeymoon & subsequent anniversaries. Anyhoo, onward with the lists! All printables are in generic teal colors {not Disney colors ;) }

List One:: Vacation Budget {blank printable here}

So when we go on vacation, I like to have our savings account stocked with how much we're planning on spending. I use our credit card so we earn frequent flyer miles, but then pay off the bill as soon as we get home from vacation- since we already have the money in savings! This is what works for us, but it's also important to stay roughly within our budget. So here's how this budget works...

• Title- the categories of spending {transportation, lodging, tickets, food, and extras}, the food area I break down into each day's breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack spending
• Paymt- "payment," aka. how we pay for the expense, this way if we break up any spending onto different credit cards, I can make sure all cards get paid off upon our return home from vacation
• Estimate- this is how I make sure we have enough is savings to cover our trip, I usually round up a bit so leave some padding in the budget... I'll go into the in-depth planning behind Disney {and how you can tailor it to your vacation anywhere!} in future posts
• Actual- important note:: I bring this budget with me on vacation. At the end of each day, or every other day, I gather up receipts and see how much we actually spent on the various categories.
• Ovr/Unr- "Over/Under," aka. I take the difference between the Estimate cost and the Actual cost and put that in this column {again during vacation ~each day}. At the end of each day, I have a total of how much our total vacation is over or under budget, and I record this at the bottom {where it says D1, D2- aka. Day 1, Day 2...}. This helps us be aware if we need to cut back on say souvenir spending in order to keep in line with our budget ;)
• Notes- well, for any notes :) on mine I take note of where we're going each day of our trip, any discounts/coupons available for lodging or activities, etc.

List Two:: Vacation to-do list {blank printable here}

So as you can see, this example is currently tailored to Disney, and I've broken it down into the different parks and areas around Disney World. The blank printable has the title "Things to Do and See on Vacation" with blank categories so you can fill them in! This would be a great place to jot down what you want to do each day, or things to see at different stops along your trip, etc.

List Three:: Vacation Meal Planner {blank printable here}

Well just because you're on vacation doesn't mean you can't plan your meals! This is especially useful if you'll be eating out a lot and need to keep track of reservations. Also if you want to make sure you're balancing eating out and eating in, this would be useful to keep track which days are which! Or if you're going camping, you can set up your meal plans using this!

You can see the printable version below as well as how I implemented it on our most recent trip to Disney. A few things I included....

• where we went each day of the trip
• restaurant names
• reservation numbers
• reservation times
• evening shows & times at various parks {aka. where we were going after dinner!}

31 Days:: day 20, 21, 22- packing/moving lists {3 ways}

Day 20, 21, 22:: Packing/Moving Lists {3 ways}

So our family recently moved from the northeast to the deep south- quite the road trip! This was our first major move with the Army, and I wanted to be prepared, so I created an extensive packing list/trip planner.

I used all three pages since we were packing up and moving our whole house, but you can use any of them individually for a vacation or use a few of them for a big move! In the printables I've provided, the list names are all "Travel Packing List" {PCS is the Army term for moving to a new post!}. The last two lists I used to account for household items we needed for the move- pots and pans, air mattress, extra towels- things we need once we're in our new home while we waited for our household goods to arrive from the movers, etc.

.: List elements :.

• travel days/tty days/leave days:: the latter are Army terms essentially for paid vacation days and unpaid days :) On the blank printables I've provided, I left the last two areas blank, so you can fill in your own important travel info!
• Needed:: jot down the number of that item you think you'll need { ie. 5 pairs of pants}, great for those of us who like to plan ahead or so you get an idea of how much laundry you might need to do before you go so you have all the needed clothes ;)
• Packed:: jot down the number of that item that you actually put in the suitcase!
• Unpacked/Repacked:: jot down the number of that item that you put back into your suitcase when you're getting ready to come home {make sure you're not leaving anything behind!}
• Travel Plans:: jot down what days you'll be where- useful if you're doing a longer road trip or if you're going to different amusement parks throughout your trip, etc.
• Weather:: if you're doing a longer road trip, you may need different types of clothing for different weather {ie. when we went from the cold north to the hot south}, or if they're calling for rain for half your trip- this is a useful place to make note of different types of clothing you may need to pack!
• Checklist/Lists:: jot down any errands you may need to run before you leave, household chores {ie. water the plants!} or plans you need to make before a move

.: Printables :.

• Packing List {with daily plans and small checklist}
• Packing List {with weather plans}
• Packing List {with blank checklist}