Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Baby Girl and Girly Scrapbook Page Titles and Greeting Card Sayings

It can be hard sometimes when you are scrapbooking to find the right title for your scrapbooking pages. Many times the photos speak to us and we can figure out what to name our pages based off what is going on in the photograph we are scrapping or the event that we are trying to document. But then there are times when we can't think of another page title to save our lives.
 
This happens most when we are working with the same subject over an over again. This happens most when we are scrapping baby photographs because most of us new mom's take hundreds of photos to capture all those awesome moments we end up with piles and piles of photographs that we want to put in our memory books. I have compiled a list of 260 page titles geared towards baby girl and girly girl type sayings that might help you when you get in that same old scrapbooking rut.
 
100% ALL GIRL
100% CUTE
100% SWEET
1ST DAY OF SCHOOL
2 CUTE
2 SWEET 2 FORGET
A BABY IS
A DAUGHTER
A FUN MEMORY
A GIRL'S LIFE
A HEART FULL OF LOVE
A LITTLE BIT OF SUNSHINE
A STAR IS BORN
A SWEET MEMORY
ADORABLE
ADORE
ALL AMERICAN GIRL
ALL DRESSED UP
ALL MY LOVE
AMERICAN GIRL
ANGEL
BABY GIRL
BABY RECORDS
BABY'S FIRST PICTURE
BALLET
BARBIE GIRL
BATH IN THE SINK
BE STILL MY HEART
BE YOU
BEAUTIFUL
BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER
BEAUTIFUL GIRLS
BEAUTIFUL ME
BEAUTY
BIG SISTER
BIRTHDAY GIRL
BLOOM
BLOOM & GROW
BORN TO BE WILD
BREATHTAKING
BRIGHT EYES
BUTTERFLY FLY AWAY
BUTTERFLY KISSES
CANDLES & CAKE
CHEER
CHEERLEADER
CHEERLEADERS RULE
CHERISH
CHERISH EVERY MOMENT
CHILDS PLAY
COWGIRL TOUGH
CRAZY 4 YOU
CREATE BEAUTY
CROWNING MOMENTS
CUTE AS A BUTTON
DADDY AND HIS LITTLE GIRL
DADDY'S GIRL
DADDY'S LITTLE ANGEL
DADDY'S LITTLE GIRL
DANCE
DAUGHTER
DAYDREAM
DIVA
DRAMA QUEEN
DREAM
DREAM BIG
DREAM COME TRUE
DRESS UP
DRESS UP
EVERYDAY MOMENTS
EVERYTHING NICE
EXPRESSIONS
FABULOUS FOUR
FACES OF YOU
FAIREST OF ALL
FANTASTIC FIVES
FIRST BATH
FIRST STEPS
FLOWER CHILD
FOLLOW YOU DREAMS
FROM THE VERY START
FUN AND GAMES
FUNNY FACES
GIGGLES DELIGHT
GIRL TALK
GIRL TIME
GIRLS
GIRLS ARE TREASURES
GIRLY GIRLS
GOD'S MASTERPIECE
GOOD TIMES
GORGEOUS
GRANDAUGHTER
GRINS AND GIGGLES
GROWING UP
GROWING UP 2 QUICK
GROWING UP FAST
HAVING A DAUGHTER
HEAVEN SENT
HUGS AND KISSES
HUSH LITTLE BABY
I ADORE U
I LOVE U
I LOVE UR GIGGLE
IMAGINATION
IN MY ARMS
IN MY DAUGHTERS EYES
IT'S A GIRL
IT'S A GIRL THING
IT'S ALL ABOUT ME
IT'S PARTY TIME
LAUGHTER AND JOY
LAZY DAYS
LIL BUG
LIL LADYBUG
LITTLE FLIRT
LITTLE GIRL
LITTLE GIRL BIG HEART
LITTLE GIRLS
LITTLE GIRLS AND BABY DOLLS
LITTLE LADY
LITTLE LADYBUG
LITTLE MISS
LITTLE MISS PERFECT
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
LITTLE ONE
LITTLE SISTER
LITTLE SUNSHINE
LITTLE THING
LOOK AT ME
LOUD AND PROUD
LOVE FOREVER
LOVE GYMNASTICS
LOVE IS ALL YOU NEED
LOVE MY GIRLS
LOVE TO DANCE
MAGIC MOMMY KISSES
ME & U
MISS AMERICA
MISS CONGENIALITY
MISS PERSONALITY
MOMENTS LIKE THIS
MOMENTS TO TREASURE
MOMMY'S GIRL
MOMMY'S GIRLS
MOMMY'S LITTLE GIRL
MY ANGEL
MY AUNT ROCKS
MY AWAITED DAUGHTER
MY DADDY ROCKS
MY DARLING LOVE
MY DAUGHTER
MY DAUGHTERS
MY DEAR BABY
MY FIRST CHILD
MY FIRST HAIR CUT
MY FIRST NIGHT HOME
MY FIRST YEAR
MY GRANDBABY
MY GRANDDAUGHTER
MY LITTLE GIRL
MY LITTLE PONY
MY LITTLE SWEETIE
MY MOMMY ROCKS
MY PRINCESS
MY SHINNING STAR
MY SISTER AND ME
NEW ARIVAL
NEW BABY
NEW BABY GIRL
OH SO PRETTY
ONE OF A KIND
OUR 1ST GLIMPSE
OUR LITTLE MIRACLE
OUR LITTLE PRINCESS
OUR PRINCESS
OUR SWEET PEA
PERFECT DAY
PICTURE PERFECT
PICTURES OF ME
PIECES OF ME
PIRATE GIRL
PLAY DAYS
PLAYFUL ONE
PLAYMATES
PRECIOUS
PRECIOUS BABY
PRECIOUS GIRL
PRECIOUS MOMENTS
PRECIOUS ONE
PRETTY
PRETTY GIRL
PRINCESS
PURE GIRL
PURE JOY
QUIET TIME
RIBBONS AND RAINBOWS
SASSY GIRL
SCHOOL DAYS
SILLY
SIMPLE PLEASURES
SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE
SIMPLY ME
SISTERS
SLEEPOVER FUN
SMILE
SO ADORABLE
SO BEAUTIFUL 2 ME
SO CURIOUS
SO CUTE
SO FUN
SO SWEET
SPECIAL DELIVERY
SPECIAL TIME WITH BABY
STYLE
SUGAR AND SPICE
SUMMER TIME KIND OF GIRL
SUNSHINE
SWAK
SWEET
SWEET AS SUGAR
SWEET BABY GIRL
SWEET DREAMS
SWEET LOVE
SWEET MEMORIES
SWEET PEA
SWEETIE PIE
TEA TIME
TEENY BIKINI
TERRIBLE TWOS
THANK HEAVEN FOR LITTLE GIRLS
THE FIRST TIME
THE LOVE OF MY LIFE
THE NEXT DAY
THIS GIRL
THRILLING THREES
TIME 2 DREAM
TIME 4 FUN
TINY HAND PRINTS
TO MY DAUGHTER WITH LOVE
TOMBOY
TOO SWEET
TOTALLY CUTE FRIENDS
TOTALLY SWEET
U R MY HEART
UNFORGETABLE
UNIQUELY YOU
WATER AND SUN
WELCOME BABY GIRL
WHAT A BLESSING
WHAT ARE LITTLE GIRLS MADE OF
WILD AND WACKY FUN
WILD CHILD
WILD LIFE
WISH
WONDER AND JOY
WONDERFUL ONES
XOXO
YOU ARE FABULOUS
YOU HAVE THE FACE OF AN ANGEL

Sunday, July 6, 2014

60 Halloween Drink Label Ideas

The best part of Halloween is all the creative, creepy, silly and gross things you can come up with to make the day memorable. If your having a party at home or at school or if you just want to do something special on Halloween for the family, try making labels to put on your drink bottles to make the day more festive. It is really simple to print out a label on your printer and add a few Halloween graphics and tap them to your bottles. It will put a smile on everyone's face!
Halloween Drink Labels:
  1. Alien Blood
  2. Apple Spider
  3. Arsenic
  4. Bat Juice
  5. Bats Brew
  6. Beetle Juice
  7. Bloody Booze
  8. Bug Juice
  9. Cauldron Brew
  10. Creepy Cooler
  11. Cyanide
  12. Devil's Delight
  13. Dr. Jekyll Juice
  14. Embalming Fluid
  15. Evil Spirits
  16. Full Moon Elixir
  17. Graveyard Spirits
  18. Hell Juice
  19. Hemlock
  20. Jack-O-Lantern Juice
  21. Lava Liquid
  22. Mary's Blood
  23. Midnight Mead
  24. Monster Mojito
  25. Ogre Snot
  26. Phantom Poison
  27. Pirates Poison
  28. Poison Punch
  29. Pumpkin Juice
  30. R.I.P. Root Beer
  31. Rat Poison
  32. Ravens Blood
  33. Slug Slime
  34. Snake Venom
  35. Spider Cider
  36. Spider Serum
  37. Spider Syrup
  38. Spider Venom
  39. Spider Web Wine
  40. Spooky Cider
  41. Spooky Sauce
  42. Spooky Serum
  43. Swamp Water
  44. Tombstone Tonic
  45. Toxic Tonic
  46. Truth Serum
  47. Type A
  48. Type B
  49. Type O
  50. Vampire Blood
  51. Vampire Venom
  52. Voodoo Potion
  53. Voodoo Vodka
  54. Wicked Spirits
  55. Wicked Water
  56. Witches Brew
  57. Witches Potion
  58. Zombie Tonic
  59. Zombie Virus
  60. Haunted H2O

Unique Halloween Drink Ideas for Your Halloween Party

Halloween parties are a lot of fun. They allow us to take a break from reality by playing dress up and have a lot of awesome treats to eat and drink. I like to make every aspect of a party as memorable as possible. One way is to dress up the drinks for the kids to make them more fun!
Two Liter Bottles:
A quick and easy way to make two liter bottles more fun is to tear off the labels that comes on them and replace them with Halloween themed labels you make. You can make labels that say something like Poison Punch for fruit punch, Apple Spider for apple juice, R.I.P Root Beer, Jack-O-Lantern Juice for orange pop, Swamp Water, etc.
Juice Boxes:
A fun way to dress up juice boxes is take the straw off the box and then wrap each one with white crepe paper streamers to look like a mummy. Glue google eyes to the front and you have little mummy juice boxes. You could slide the straw into the crepe paper in the back so the kids can just pull them out when its time to drink. Removing the straw ahead of time will prevent the kids from having to tear open the crepe paper to get to the straw so they can enjoy the cute presentation while they drink.
Small Bottled Drinks:
If you can find small bottles of orange pop you can tear off the label and put a black pumpkin face (eyes, nose, mouth) on the front with stickers, marker or construction paper. Tie some curling ribbon around the top and add a leaf made out of cardstock from a punch or die cut machine or you can cut them out using a leaf clipart as a template. Serve up these little pumpkins at your next party for Halloween or even Thanksgiving and your guests will adore them!
(I personally had a hard time finding orange pop in small bottles so I purchased small bottles of water. I made orange Kool-aid and poured orange Kool-aid into the bottles. The taller glass bottles of Orange Crush also work but they just won't have the round pumpkin affect that the short water bottles have.)
You can also make ghosts out of small bottles that are filled with milk. Remove any labels and add a face in black to make a cute ghost.

Friday, July 4, 2014

Copycat Recipes: The Cheesecake Factory's Fried Zucchini Appetizer

 
One of my favorite restaurants is The Cheesecake Factory, but the only bad thing is that the closest restaurant is miles and miles away. I decided to figure out how to recreate my favorite Cheesecake Factory appetizer, so I can get my fix anytime I wanted it. I absolutely love their fried zucchini appetizer, and I think I have come pretty darn close on the recipe. Try this out and see if you agree. I would really love to hear back from you so leave me a comment.
 
INGREDIENTS:
Small Zucchini
All-purpose flour
Salt and pepper
Egg
Panko bread crumbs
Parmesan cheese, grated and shredded
Hidden Valley Peppered Ranch
Oil for frying
 
Cut ends off of the zucchini and then cut in half. Then cut each half into halves and then those halves into halves again. Cut each strip down to about 3 to 4 inch strips. Put one cup of all-purpose flour in a bowl and add salt and pepper. Coat each zucchini strip into the flour mixture and place on a plate.
 
Scramble an egg in a bowl. Place a cup of panko bread crumbs in a bowl, a tablespoon of grated parmesan cheese and add salt and pepper. Dip each zucchini strip in the egg and then into the panko mixture and place on a plate. In a frying pan, heat enough oil that will coat your zucchini strips. Once oil is heated to temperature, fry zucchini until coating is brown and crisp.

Allow fried zucchini to drain on a cooling rack or on paper towels. Plate zucchini strips on a serving plate and top with some shredded parmesan cheese. Serve with The Original Hidden Valley Ranch Peppercorn.

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Ways to Have Fun Learning Spelling Words


 
The worst part of going back to school is the thought of having to help the kids with spelling words every week. You would think that I was giving my kid a root canal every week when I would tell her it was time to work on the dreaded spelling words. She would have a melt down. She would cry the whole time she had to write her spelling words out. She would fuss and fidget the whole time we studied them. I decided that I had to get creative to get her to want to learn her spelling words or at the very least not melt down every week when we had to study new words. So I came up with a number of ideas that might help other parents battle through the torturous task of helping your child learn new words each week.
 
Flashcards are a great way to practice reading and spelling words. I always make a set of flash cards each week using index cards or small piece of paper from small notebooks. Practicing flashcards in different places can make it more fun too. Like when you are grocery shopping or studying them in the car. I will give my daughter the flashcard that she says and spells correctly. When she has all the cards then we know we are done. Sometimes when she gets a word right I will give her a little treat like a skittle or when she gets them all right for the week I would reward her with a favorite treat like a bowl of rainbow sherbet.
 
Texting is a fun way for your child to learn their words as well as where letters are on a keyboard. If your child has a cell phone or if you have more than one cell phone in the family then you can tell your child a spelling word and have them text it to you.
Using a computer word program would also be a great way for your child to learn their words as well as where letters are on a keyboard. Do a practice test by saying each word to your child and have them type the words into a word program.
 
Spellingcity.com is a new discovery for us this year thanks to my daughters' second grade teacher. Each week the spelling words are loaded into the online program and my child can take practice tests and play word games that will help her learn her words in a fun way. I really like this program!
 
If you have a chalkboard then this is a great tool for your child to work on spelling words. Writing spelling words on plain paper can get really boring so if you do something as simple as change how they write out their words then it makes learning more interesting and fun. I had turned my daughters bedroom door into a chalkboard simply by painting it with chalkboard paint.
 
Sidewalk chalk is another way to get them into learning their words. Let your child write their words on the driveway, patio or porch. When they are done working, let them have some free time to draw whatever they want as a reward.
 
Whiteboards are also fun. I don't care how old you are, playing with dry erase markers is fun!
I always felt that sign language should be taught to everyone. It's a skill I wish I had learned growing up. Some schools are teaching the basics of American Sign Language by teaching the children to sign the letters of the alphabet. Have your child sign the letters to spell out their spelling words. Not only will they learn their words but also it helps them learn a life skill that may help them communicate with someone someday.
 
Watercolor paints are super cheap and super fun. Having your grade schooler use watercolors to write spelling words is another creative way to keep them interested. When they do a good job allow them to have free time to paint a picture.
 
Stencils can be a fun way to spell out words. After they spell their words correctly with the stencils they can spend time coloring in their work.
 
Practice tests are a necessary evil to insure that your child is ready for the real deal. Small rewards for getting their practice tests right will go a long way. Try giving an extra half hour of television or no chores that night.
 
Aqua Doodle Mat is not just for toddlers anymore. I have whipped out the Aqua Doodle Mat for practice tests to make them a little more fun. There are other Aqua Doodle products out there that would work as well.
 
Spelling Balloons are the most recent craze at our house right now. Blow up a balloon or two depending on the amount of words you have and the size of your balloons. The bigger the balloon the easier it is for the child to write on it. And give your child a marker and have them write their spelling words on the balloon. It is super fun and they can also enjoy drawing on the balloon as well as a reward.

Monday, May 19, 2014

How to Make a Ribboned Hair Bow Out of Your Own Hair


 
 
A beautiful ribbon hair bow is a lot easier to achieve than it looks. It can be a simple everyday look or a more elegant look for special occasions. This hair bow looks good on any age and you don't have to be a professional hairstylist to get this awesome hairdo!
 
Step 1: Start with pulling your hair back into a partial ponytail with a hair tie that matches your hair color.
 
Step 2: Pull out a small section of hair from the top of the ponytail and pin it forwards out of the way with a bobby pin for now.
 
Step 3: Separate ponytail into two sections and clip one the right section out of the way.
 
Step 4: With a large curing iron, curl the left section inward towards the face. Clip this section out of the way.
 
Step 5: Unclip the right section and curl this section inward towards the face. Tease this section to give it some volume and spray with hairspray. Wrap the hair inward to create a bow and secure with bobby pins to the back of your head. Place bobby pins on the top and the bottom of the bow.
 
Step 6: Tease the left section to give it some volume and spray with hairspray. Wrap hair inward to create the other half of the bow and secure with bobby pins to the back of your head. Place bobby pins on the top and the bottom of the bow.
 
Step 7: Spray the bow with hairspray and smooth out any fly aways. Then take the small section of hair that was pinned up on the top of the head and bring it straight down in the back. This will cover the middle of the bow. Pin with a bobby pin at the bottom of the ponytail. You should now see a finished bow with curled ribbon pieces hanging down.
 
If you don't like the ribbons hanging down or want a different variation of this hairstyle, simply roll up the curls and stuff inside the middle of each side of the bow and pin.

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Secrets of Saving 70%-90% Couponing at CVS Pharmacy

I always thought that drug stores were the most expensive place to shop but I have been sadly mistaken. Like many others I have been fascinated by these extreme Couponers and have been attempting to get on the couponing bandwagon myself. The last place I would have thought to shop for deals would be a drug store. I always thought their prices were outrageously way too high. And for the most part they are higher than a store like Wal-Mart or Dollar General. However, I have quickly learned that things truly are not as they appear. CVS is probably one of the cheapest places to buy personal care and other household goods that you use everyday. Believe it or not!!!!
 
There are however a couple of tricks of the trade. You really, really have to study the ads that come out every week and only buy when items are on sale or have a special promotion going on. Lets start with the basics of CVS.
 
CVS has an awesome reward program which personally I think is one of if not the best award program I have seen plus it's a lot of fun to use and gets me super excited to go shopping every week. I am now to the point where I can go to CVS a couple of times a week and actually have fun doing it. I'm not really big on shopping but when I'm getting great deals it doesn't make shopping feel like a chore.
 
The reward program that CVS has is called the CVS Extra Care Rewards program, which allows you to earn Extra Care Bucks (ECB) that you can use basically as cash towards purchases in the store. If you do not have a CVS Extra Care card then you will need to go into your local store and apply for one. It only takes a few minutes and you can start saving money immediately.
 
Once you have your reward card, mosey on over to the Coupon Center which is the "magic" coupon machine that many of us CVS shoppers call it. Scan your CVS ExtraCare card and the machine will spit out a couple of coupons for you. Remember to scan your card every week for new coupons. I have heard that some people scan their card every time they go to CVS even if it's a couple of times a week and I have heard of people scanning their card multiple times in one trip but I have not tried this. I am also told that the coupons that come out of the Coupon Center are random and that not everyone receives the same coupons however, I am not sure if this is truth.
 
Each quarter you will receive ECB for your prescriptions and on all your purchases. For every two prescriptions filled you will get $1 ECB and 2% of your everyday purchases.
 
Another awesome program CVS has is the CVS/pharmacy Green Bag Tag. You can find these up by the register. They are only a dollar and you attach it to your reusable bag. Each time you purchase an item bring in your reusable bag and show the cashier your Green tag to be scanned along with your CVS card to be scanned. Then on every 4th visit you will receive a $1 ECB.
 
And yet another cool program that CVS has is that you can go online and sign up for the ExtraCare Beauty Club. You will then receive $5 ECB every time you spend $50 on beauty products.
When each ad comes out on Sundays, study the ad carefully. The first thing I look for are the items that are on sale and offer ExtraCare Bucks. Then I look in my coupon stash and see if I have any coupons I could match up to the products on sale. This is where you can save even more money by matching up the manufactures coupons with items that are already on sale for an even deeper discount. And what's even better is that your ECB is calculated prior to the deduction of manufacturers coupons. Whoot, Whoot!
 
Here is an example of a few great deals I found this week.
CVS advertised Dove hair care 5-12 oz products on sale 2 for $6, which ends up being $3 each. The regular retail price for Dove 12 oz shampoo is $4.99. So on sale you are saving $1.99 each. If you spend $15 on Dove products you will receive $5 ECB. I had coupons for $3.00 off two Dove hair care products and this would leave each bottle of shampoo or conditioner only $1.50 each. I purchased 5 bottles at $3.00 each on sale, which totaled the $15.00 I needed to get the $5 ECB. I used 5 manufacturers coupons and got each bottle for $1.50 each. The total after coupons was $7.50 (that's about 70% off retail) plus I got a $5 ECB so if you want to take that off its like getting 5 bottles of Dove shampoo for 50 cents a piece (or 90% off retail). Pretty awesome huh!! No dollar store can beat that price!!!
 
Here's an awesome deal I got on P&G products this week. If you spend $30 on select P&G products in the ad for week ending 9-11-12 you will get $10 ECB. I always like to take advantage of the high dollar Extrabucks. Aussie shampoo and conditioner was on sale for 2 for $5.97 (reg. $5.49) and I had a manufacturers coupon for $3.00 off 2 and a CVS coupon from the coupon machine (also known as a CRT) for $1.00 of an Aussie product. I got a credit for buying $5.97 of P&G Aussie but only spent $1.97 on 2 bottles. Then I bought 4 bottles of Pantene shampoo on sale for $5.99 each (reg. $6.49) and used 2 coupons of $3.00 off 2 Pantene shampoos, making them $4.49 each. Then a small bottle of Gillette Fusion shave gel for $2.37 and I had a coupon for $1.00 off so it was only $1.37. I would have spent $39.01 retail but on sale it would have been $32.33 however with my coupons deducted I only spent 21.30. Then I used the $5 ECB from my Dove deal above and $1 ECB from my 4th visit using my Green bag tag and I spent a total of $15.30 before tax and got 4 bottles of Pantene shampoo (these were the large bottles) and 2 bottles of Aussie shampoo and one shave gel.
 
A few tips:
One thing to remember when using your ECB is that you need to use the full amount of you will lose it and to make sure you pay attention to the expiration dates. For example, if you have an ECB for $10.00 and the items you are purchasing only total $7.00 then you either need to add more to your purchase to get it to the $10 mark or above or don't use the ECB on that purchase. If you use the $10 ECB on the $7 item you will not get a credit for the remaining $3 on the ECB. You will lose it!
Always shop with your coupon stash or book. CVS has some great deals on clearance items and if you have a coupon to add to the clearance item then you will save even more.
 
CVS does give rains checks so if an item that is on sale is out of stock don't be afraid to have them right up a rain check for the quantity you want and lock in that great sale price.
 
Also pay attention to the bottom of your receipts. As long as you use your CVS card every time you purchase something, on the bottom of your receipts you will find running totals of your Beauty Club spending and Extra Buck offers for that week. So say on that P&G offer I showed you above, if you only bought the Aussie items for $5.97, it will show on your receipt that you need $24.03 more of P&G to get the ECB for that week. The CVS receipts are the best receipts I have ever seen, they keep track of everything, I love it! I like to go home and figure out what I would have paid if the items were not on sale and I didn't use coupons and then compare it to what I actually paid. It's so fun and rather addicting!