 |
|
You can find the download link for the freebie on Studio Rosey Posey’s blog. Enjoy!
You can find Awe-ful Little Witch in Rosey Posey’s Studio and today (Sunday 30th) is the last day for the $3.49 bargain!
Pin It
Studio Rosey Posey teamed up again to make Awe-ful Little Witch!
Finding My Way was so much fun for us to make, so we just carried on and this little miss has found her way into a witch costume!
The kit which includes 74 elements, 7 papers and an alphabet is just $3.49 this weekend only!
Make sure you don’t miss it!
... have been quite the whirl wind for me!
You may have noticed my absence from the blog! Funny how that works, really!
While I am out living life, being in my whirlwind or amazingly good things, new things, changes, improved old things and every day amazing things, I always think , “Oh, I have to blog about that!”
And then I pretty much write that blog post in my head, add the photos I shot too and then - that’s it!
It’s like I have done it energetically, and I miss the part where I would actually have to physically do it and post it! And then I go to my blog and realize I haven’t posted in weeks! Wow! I need me some mr.spok-mind-meld kind of software that takes it out of my head and actually posts it!
Then again, wasn’t there an Eureka Episode where they invented just such a thing and it all went horribly wrong as it usually does? Hmmm, yes, maybe not yet then!
Anyway, I’ve been busy!
As I’ve already posted, I cranked up Photoshop again for some digiscrap designing again. And it continues to be fun, so watch out for more little collabs coming your way!
Oh, speaking of which! I made a cluster pack with Studio Rosey Posey’s Softly Shabby and Studio Amanda Rockwell’s Kit that is now in the store!
This whole collection is fabulous! So pretty!
Anyway, I digress!
So, other than being busy getting back into the fun of digi scrap designing, I’ve out and about attending seminars, classes and workshops and meeting so many fabulous new people! And all of that while I’m working towards certification in a variety of modalities, and getting and feeling better and better myself as I go!
I’ve been hoping for quite some time to meet some like-minded friends locally and now that seems to be happening and I am enjoying every minute of it!
How does it get better than that?
I have also been involved in a variety of project, that I can’t quite reveal yet, but you guys will be the first to know as soon as I can!
My Project Life folder has suffered the same fate as my blog this last month! I record it all in my head, I take the photos and then it just seems to not quite make it into existence in my folder! So, I am about a month behind there. However, I have the photos, I jotted down the relevant things and I keep a running tally of the things I want to document, so once I actually get to sit down, it will be fairly quick putting it all together!
The twin’s birthday is coming up too. This year it means two very different requests for birthday cakes!
One “my little pony” birthday cake for my girl and a, preferably playable, angry birds cake for my boy!
So, I have a lot of sugar paste modeling coming up! And party planning. And yard fixing. And house cleaning. And, and, and ... ! The kids seem to really be at an age where birthday fever really kicks in!
They’ve been counting they days, trying to get me to give them hints and clues, or actually just downright tell them what their presents might be. They’ve been making guest lists for weeks and we’re still a month away from it now! So, I’m sure things will get even more intense as the big day draws near!
Initially the kids wanted to have their party at a popular kid’s place this year. I’m not overly fond of “the rat” or the way birthday parties go down at that place, but many of their little friends have had their parties there of late, so it was the kid’s wish to have it there too. And we would have just gone for it. I can see the advantage of not having a bunch of kids descend upon our home and to just go somewhere else to do it - even if it will be a whole lot more impersonal and somewhat cookie cutter!
However, a coupon deal came up that even my kids couldn’t resist!
With the deal we will have a 15 foot bouncy castle in our yard (which will just barely fit!) which the company sets up, as well as tables and chairs for 12 and your choice of machine (popcorn, cotton candy or shaved ice.) Needless to say my kiddos chose cotton candy!
So, they come and set all that up a couple of hours before the party starts, then they come after the party is done and take it all away - and all that for $97!
Awesome, right? We had experienced it the year before when a friend had the deal for her little boy and it worked out just great!
I’ve also decided that I will really take it easy this year on the party prepping, and just do pizza with a couple of sides, the two birthday cakes and a few munchies. Plus the decorations and all that.
Then again, I say that every year and then the parties always turn into something bigger and better - and more work intensive for me. It will be interesting to see what happens this year!
So, that’s a very brief rundown of the last few weeks and things to come!
What fabulous new things have you all been up to? Any new adventures you are embarking on?
Pin It
Since I’ve mentioned that I shop online for some of the more specialty ingredients in my “Super-organized August” post, people have shown some interest in what my favorite places/deals are for the more expensive ingredients, that are often just not that affordable locally, especially when you are trying to feed a whole family on those items!
This list will be a mixed lot as a lot of specialties, so not everything is going to be useful to everyone, but some might just find something they need!
1.) Ancient Harvest Quinoa Organic Pasta Gluten Free(Pack of 12)
This is our favorite pasta! Not only is it delicious, it is organic, gluten-free, nutritious (super-grain) and it cooks up really quickly (4-6 minutes) My kids love this pasta!
The only issue with this pasta can be that you might overcook it if you’re used to cooking pasta longer, but you can get used to this really quickly! Make sure you really only cook it aldente (so it still has a little bit of a bite to it) and you will have a perfect pasta dish!
They come in several varieties too. Elbows, Veggie Spirals (one of our favorites), Spaghetti, Rotelle and Pagodas
I linked you to the Amazon product above as there tends to be a consistently cheaper bulk price, but I also check out VitaCost regularly as they often have really good deals on this particular pasta. The added advantage is that Vita Cost has a flat shipping rate (or free shipping over $49) and you can order as much or as little of each variety as you want, if you don’t want to get the bulk box of 12.
And I get almost all our Vitamins and Supplements from VitaCost too (WAY cheaper than anywhere else and really good quality!) so that usually works out really well for us.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
2.) Which brings me to another one of my favorite things/places. VitaCost!
We’ve been getting our supplements there for many years now and it has never disappointed in price or quality! They have crazy low prices on supplements, which has really made a big difference in our Vitamin and Supplement budget, so it might be worthwhile checking them out if you use a lot of vitamins, minerals and supplements. ‘
They also carry beauty products, herbs, specialty foods, homeopathic products, nutritional items ... well you get the picture.
They are worth a look, really! I keep on coming back to them over and over, especially since I have purchased a few things only to smack my head later finding that VitaCost does actually carry it - AND much cheaper! So these days, I check them first!
As I already mentioned above, they also have a fast array of specialty foods. Gluten-free, low-carb, organic, vegan, etc. just to mention a few. With their great prices, frequent sales and flat rate shipping (or free , they are a regular place for online shopping for us!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
3.) I already let you know about my favorite place for Organic Palm Shortening. Our family usually goes through two gallons of this stuff a year, so I generally wait until they have their sale on, as it makes it a really good deal, especially with free shipping!
Incidentally, they also carry a whole array of healthy oils, including the Extra Virgin Variety of the Palm Shortening, pretty much all varieties of Coconut oil and even the Coconut C0ncentrate. They also have lots of organic food offerings, raw honey, an extensive library on healthy oils and health benefits, as well as a great Recipe section for all sorts of healthy recipes, so it’s definitely a site worth checking out!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
4.) Bulk Erythritol. I get it on ebay. Yes, ebay. It’s often worth a look for specialty or bulk food items! I got 25 lbs. of erythritol from a bulk seller a year ago. It worked out to something like $3.50/lb. which is a third of the price compared to local prices and it has been a really good quality. Unfortunately the seller I used is no longer there, so I can’t link you, but the principle still applies! Look on Ebay!
Speaking of Erythritol. If you are a frequent user you will know that it’s very hard to dissolve. Powdered erythritol usually works better, but it is also more expensive. Well, often when you buy bulk erythritol it can clump, which is really not a huge deal. But another big cost saver is to just grind your own powdered erythritol. A coffee grinder will do the job just fine and you simultaneously get rid of clumps and powder it ready for use! You are saving upwards of $1.50 on every pound that way!
The other place that has the next best price on Erythritol is nutrition.com. Also a great place , especially for specialty ingredients. Also a place with low flat-rate shipping, which is always a huge bonus!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
5.) My most favorite, best money saving place for online shopping in general is however ... who can guess? Yep, not difficult, right?
You will find sooo many things on my blog linked to Amazon.com. Not so much because I am an affiliate, but because it’s my favorite place to shop. It’s because it has been my favorite and best money saving place to shop for many years, that I became an affiliate. Subtle but important difference, right?
Anyway, shopping on Amazon.com is not only fast and convenient, it can be a real money saver! Amazon Prime membership comes with so many benefits, which are great, but the “bestest” one of them all is the free 2- day shipping!
Their Subscribe & Save program has to be my second favorite thing!
I admit that Amazon wasn’t always first on my list to check for grocery items. But in the last couple of years their array of grocery items has not only grown, but it has become really competitive in terms of pricing, especially if you are a Prime member and you don’t pay for the shipping!
It’s a great way to save money on bulk items and you can totally control the frequency. Oh, if you’ve never tried it, just a little tip. Whenever you have a Subscribe & Save item, you get the choice of regular check-out or Subscribe & Save checkout. You can safely click Subscribe & Save . It will give you more money off your order and if you find that you don’t like the item or you don’t like it on a regular basis, you can just go into your account and cancel it before the next delivery! There is no obligation which is really neat!
So what kind of things do I get there? How does it work out cost wise? Let me show you some examples.
If I bought the same amount of tea bags at Wal-Mart, I pay around $22 (including sales tax) And I don’t get it delivered to my door, which is an added bonus of online shopping!
This is often about the same price at Wal-Mart, IF we can find it as they are frequently out of stock and elsewhere it is more expensive. However, we still pay sales tax on top of that, so for us, having a steady supply of the tea we drink every single day, is worth it!
Now occasionally a coupon will come around for Lipton teas, and if those work out cheaper, I will get them locally and delay the Subscribe & Save delivery for the appropriate amount of time.
Love, love, love these noodles! Tasty, so many different ways to prepare them (flavor and texture wise), they are raw and really nutritious. And very filling, low-carb, gluten-free and low-calorie! A lovely change from the zucchini noodles for me!
But, even if I can find them locally, which is rare, they are VERY expensive. Around here upwards of $6/16 oz. On Amazon I pay $19.23 for 6, which makes it $3.20 per pack.
Incidentally, the second best non-bulk price I know of is at VitaCost, so again, worth checking that out!
I would also highly recommend checking out the Subscribe & Save cereals. Unless you buy the no-name cereals, which would be cheaper, the Subscribe & Save cereal boxes can often be much cheaper, especially for the gluten-free cereals!
And speaking of gluten-free, check out those items too, especially if you use Bob’s Red Mill. I also get the Gluten Free Whole Grain, Rolled Oats and Gluten Free Oat Flour from them.
And of course Amazon.com is pretty much one-stop-shopping on so many items, so it’s not just for groceries or book anymore either! It always helps when you can combine things!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
6.) Last but not least, don’t forget to look at
for specialty items.
I know, it’s again not the first place that comes to mind for gluten-free, organic or even vaguely healthy food items, but you might be surprised. In the last 2 years or so, Big Lots seems to have more and more specialty food items, which is great. Of course you can’t count on them always being there - that is the nature of Big Lots. They buy liquidation lots and sell them and once it’s gone it’s gone. However, you can find gems and stock up big time. A couple of weeks ago Big Lots had a huge blow-out on Bob’s Red Mill items, amongst them about 5 gluten-free items. Amongst them the whole-grain oats! They were 50% or less per package of the usual retail price! So it’s well worth checking out Big Lots every once in a while!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
So, this has been a somewhat more product rich and elaborate post, but I hope I gave you some places to explore, some new ideas and some ways to save some money on the specialty items on your grocery lists!
I would love to hear of some other places people have found great deals at, so don’t be shy about letting us know in the comments! Have a fabulous day everyone!
Pin ItSo, as you know, I’ve really been getting into the whole Project Life thing and I found that I am really having fun doing all sorts of Project Life related projects! And while I was doing that, I just got so many ideas and inspirations, that I ended up making lots and lots of stuff and I’m still going!
After I posted some of my embellished journaling cards there was quite a bit of interest and lots of people contacted me asking if I would consider selling them. Well, I considered it and it was a resounding YES!
So, I expanded my little store on Big Cartel and whenever the crafting bug gets a hold of me and I just keep on making things, I will put them in the store and you can choose from there.
I put a few things in there right now. All of them are sized to work for Project Life, but they are also a great addition for general scrapbooking, crafting, embellishing, card making, party decorating and favor making and a lot of things in between! Take a look, you might find something you like!
A lot of items in that store won’t be there regularly - many are one of a kind and once they are gone, they are gone!
This is a whole new concept for me too, having been used to digital designs. But, the upside is that everything stays fresh and new!
I have a few more things coming over the next week or so, but that’s what is in the store for now!
Have a fabulous day/evening everyone!
Pin It
Hello and welcome! The Daily Bytes Blog initially started out as the extension of my digital scrapbooking design business. Over the years, it additionally morphed into the place where I shared a lot of my interests, loves, musings and hobbies. For the last several years, I took a break from regular blogging and was more focused on sharing my art journey through Facebook and Instagram.
