Fun On a Budget

Crafting may seem like an expensive hobby, especially if you have a house full of kids who want in on the action.  Fortunately, frugal families don’t have to put the kibosh on creating handmade masterpieces.  Rather, with a little ingenuity you can make priceless crafts on a tight budget. Clothespin Pinwheel Materials: Double-sided patterned paper Ruler Pencil Scissors Glue Thumbtack Wooden clothespin with spring Directions: Cut a five-inch square from a sheet of patterned paper. Draw an “X” on the paper from corner to corner. Cut three inches along each line. Fold every other point toward the center of the … Continue reading

My Funny Valentine

Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be dripping with lovey-dovey prose and high-octane romance in dark secluded spots.  For many families, February 14th is a time for love and laughter. If you are looking to create a Love Day layout for your funny Valentine, consider peppering the page with the following humorous quotes and poems: You know it’s love when you want to keep holding hands even after you’re sweaty. You can’t put a price tag on love, but you can on all its accessories. Love is a lot like a backache, it doesn’t show up on X-rays, but you know … Continue reading

Frugal Scrapbook Fun

My 7-year-old has been on summer vacation for nearly two weeks and I only got around to sorting through her bulging backpack yesterday. She brought the bag home on the last day of school crammed with the contents of her desk and nine month’s worth of junk. Given my frugal nature, I refused to dump all of her school supplies in the trash. Rather, I painstakingly sorted through the pile of used items to see which ones I could salvage for the upcoming school year. Obviously, I couldn’t save it all, but there were many materials that could either be … Continue reading

Affordable Easter Fun

You don’t have to go into debt trying to make Easter fun for your kids. Forget about dropping big bucks on massive toy-stuffed Easter baskets and other activities and consider the following kid-friendly frugal options instead: EASTER EGG RACE Materials: 12 Easter eggs–6 pink and 6 green (you can use your favorite color eggs just make sure there are six of one color and 6 of another) Basket Masking tape Large spoons Directions: Use the masking tape to a line. Place all the pink eggs on the floor in a line at intervals of one foot. Place the basket at … Continue reading

Frugal Gifts for Teens

Teenagers can be hard to purchase gifts for. They generally know more than you do about what is currently in, and most of the general gifts for teens fall into the electronics category which can get quite expensive. If you have a teen or two on your list, you might appreciate some good tips for getting them nice gifts while still staying on a budget. Here are some ideas. Snack Basket Teenagers are always hungry. Fill a basket or a box with yummy treats that they will be sure to appreciate. You can buy snacks in bulk and distribute them … Continue reading

5 Fun Things About This Writer

No matter how serious we can be in life, there has to be some time for fun. You’ve heard the old saying “All work and no play….”, well it’s true. In life it is important to remember that laughing and spending time with those we love should rank high in our priorities in life, even if other priorities require us to be more on the serious side. In honor of that theory, I’d like to take a moment and say hello here in the Fun Blog. Most of you probably know me from several other blogs, namely the Scrapbooking Blog … Continue reading

Scrapbook Paper Decor

How would you like a fun home decorating project that is also cost effective? Here are a few different things that you can make from patterned paper, such as the kind that you might find in a craft or scrapbook store. These ideas are creative and can take on different style elements, from modern to country to eclectic, depending on the paper you use and the design of your finished project. If you love to scrapbook or make custom cards, then chances are that you have plenty of scrap pieces left over. If not, or if you want a really … Continue reading

Tips for Scrapbooking Summer Camp Experiences

It seems only fitting with my two teen children off at summer camp for a week long sleepover adventure, that I would take on this topic. There will probably be more to say when they return home as well as layouts to share, and then the younger kids go next month so I am sure they will do things differently. Summer camp is often a great memory of your childhood so it should definitely be scrapbooked. Here are some ideas for doing so. Send a camera with them. It doesn’t have to be a fancy expensive camera, a disposable is … Continue reading

Scrapbooking Supply Finds at Garage Sales

Ever the princess of frugal, I am always on the look out for good bargains and deals at garage sales, that I can actually use. I avoid purchasing anything if I don’t have an immediate use for it, or I cannot see the long term benefit of buying it. Recently I have attended many garage sales with scrapbooking supplies, and have been very fortunate to pick up some awesome deals on things I will most definitely use. That seems not only frugal to me, but a fun find as well. I got pretty lucky on the first weekend we attempted … Continue reading

What is Hybrid Scrapbooking?

If you are active in the scrapbooking community at all, you might have seen reference to a new term dubbed hybrid scrapbooking. But what in the world does it mean? Is scrapbooking going green or is it referencing some scrapbooking vehicle for us hobby lovers? Nope. It’s a whole new take on the world of scrapbooking and it has taken off like a storm. First let’s look at what the word hybrid means. Hybrid is a something of mixed origin or composition. It essentially means two things that have been combined to be one thing. So knowing that, how does … Continue reading