I AM A Crazy Cheap Craftin' MAMA For Christmas!

First, let me just put out there that if you are friend or family....you will probably see one of these items for a Christmas gift...just remember wonderful is wonderful regardless of how much it costs! If you would rather keep the "magic" alive & think I spent a fortune and hours of tireless effort...then read no farther! I always laugh because people think I spend a fortune on my kiddo's parties...uh, nope...a little creativity with dollar store items go a LONG way. It's like my coupon addiction...you walk into a store or see catalogs, and you think...hmmm..there has to be some way I could do that cheaper! If you are in any of my current categories of ...crazy (yep, what mama isn't), cheap (well, duh! at this point we all are!), craftin' (this can be my downfall...as we all know!)...then, read on and be prepared to steal some grand ideas for your Christmas plans!

I fully believe in being reasonable for Christmas. Most of us (me included!) spend and spend all caught up in the excitement and wants...then, we feel that January remorse! As a teacher...on that monthly pay...I really felt that slam after Christmas! Now, I feel it all over again as a one income family! I love to craft & I love to create...so these blogs were wonderful for me! I get quite carried away in dollar stores...especially now that I have my embroidery machine. I am trouble with a capital T in those stores, especially during the holidays, but I try to remind myself that I am technically saving money because I am only spending a dollar for stuff that I would otherwise spend much more for...BUT everything I see...I think...hmmm....what could I do with that? That is why these blogs cracked me up! This is ESPECIALLY true on this particular day because I visited three dollar stores (yes, I'm quite serious) and Target and Michaels...just to visit their dollar sections! I feel quite accomplished with all of my goodies, BUT please know if you do not hear from me in future posts, it's because my husband found out exactly how much one woman can spend....even when each item was only a dollar...and maybe you should contact someone...you know that can prosecute him. He would probably claim insanity because when he found out how much...he had to be insane...because that could just not be possible! So, if you have any great husband excuses for why you spent so much money in dollar stores, I would love to hear them! I will definitely try them out!

Here's the blogs...Enjoy!

http://madincrafts.blogspot.com/ (This site is by an author, Jessica Hill. She is actually a guest writer for dollarstorecrafts (see below), which is exactly how I discovered her site today!It was funny because I actually bought...um, over 15 mugs...today in my dollar store binge! I planned on using them to embroidery monograms or a single initial on them for gifts! I am very excited that I have discovered her site right before the holidays! Perfect timing! Let's just say, I was on her site for QUITE a long time with a pen and paper taking notes!

http://dollarstorecrafts.com/ (This site is by Heather. Her site is full of wonderful ideas that are all made from things you can find right in the dollar store! She has categories on her site that make her site so easy to navigate and to get inspired for just what you are looking for! I have been playing on her site for a while, and every time I get giddy! She has a lot of items that I would have never even thought of! You'll get so excited because it is all stuff that even a non-crafty person can do!)

Mama Drama Rule #71: INSPIRATION is the hardest part of CREATION...so don't try to reinvent the wheel...let others inspire your own creation!