making your house a home

Whatever you Want Wednesday ♥ Free Pretty Things for You

which you can download and print here!

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summer in a jar … ♥

June 17, 2013 Raising up Rubies28 Comments

it’s officially summer here 🙂

school is over and we’re excited for some fun stuff ahead

last week i wanted to come up with a few small teacher gifts for the girls to bring on the last day of school …

and i’ve been on a “gift in a jar” kick this year

so i figured i’d end the year with one more last hoo-rah 🙂

these were for teachers & school staff

but they can be for anyone!

a summer birthday party gift or a friend pick-me-up present

i tried to find things that were all the same color

the neon orange & pink together really made it look like a little bit of summer bottled up in there 🙂

i found everything at Target … mostly in the travel section

except for the gum and the drink mixes

everything fit in there quite nicely…

with just enough room on top for the poofy bath thingy … whatever those are called

whipped up a little label and punched it out with a big round scalloped punch

i put the hand sanitizers on the outside just because that pink was so pretty i didn’t want to hide it!

and there ya go! sum. sum. summertime in a jar!

heehee 🙂

linking up here:

Whatever you Want Wednesday ♥ Free Pretty Things for You

dishwasher detergent ~ the seasoned homemaker

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ten things for thursday … housekeeping style ♥

June 13, 2013 Raising up Rubies21 Comments

i’m get super excited when it comes to making my own household products …
maybe it’s just the idea of making something yourself that doesn’t have to come from the store.
maybe it’s all the chemicals that i know are being left out that’s comforting …
or maybe it’s just cause it’s fun to make stuff 🙂

during the summer months i want to try out a few of the recipes that i’ve accumulated on my housekeeping board on Pinterest … i’m trying to convince my hottie hubby to get on board with me and try out the homemade deodorant …
not sure if that’s goin’ anywhere yet 🙂
here’s ten things i really really really want to make!

oh, and guys!
if you want to pin these projects
please do so from the original site
thanks. you all are the best.

♥

i’ve actually tried making dishwasher detergent before and it was a fail …
after reading up on it again, learned that whether you have hard or soft water determines which ingredients you should add into the mix … i need to give it a go again with this recipe

cleaning with vinegar is something i’m slowly getting used to … but the smell, not so much
i love this site, and i’ve gotten so many great household recipes from her that really work, so i’d love to give this a try

lemon vinegar ~ one good thing by Jillee

now this diy i can vouch for … i’ve made this lavender spray for housewarming gifts and hostess gifts
(if you don’t like the smell of lavender, guessing you could add any essential oil scent and it work the same)

lavendar spray ~ beautiful nest

this is one i’m excited to try … our garbage disposal gets so gross
citrus peels & ice help, but this looks like it might just give it that little boost of clean

garbage disposal refreshers – savvysugar.com

we have ceramic tile counter tops … and they’re white 🙂
looking for something to give them a little shine … this might do the trick
and i’m sure it will make the kitchen smell yummy too.

homemade lemon-scented all-purpose cleaner

lemon scented all purpose cleaner ~ simple bites

greasy hair girls need dry shampoo … unless you want to wash you hair everyday
which i do want to. but i don’t. anymore. i used to. not good for my hair.
and i do use store bought dry shampoo, but you should see the warning labels on these things! i feel like i should wear a gas mask everytime i use it … so i’m looking for a natural alternative … and i have dark hair. this one’s it. 🙂

dry shampoo for dark hair ~ a step in the journey

mama’s have dark circles under their eyes
it comes with the territory 🙂 this recipe looks like fun.

diy eyecream – glam girl

my girls are most excited about this one, since they don’t like toothpaste because it’s too “spicy” ? and besides the fact that toothpaste has some of the same ingredients that are found in rat poison & industrial pesticides … ? yikes
after asking mr. google if this was true … i spent a couple hours reading stuff and getting freaked out. go. google it.

homemade toothpaste with coconut oil ~ family sponge

aaaaaand this i need to make because my windows are really dirty …
and i think this might just be the very best recipe. like ever. 🙂
(even if it’s not i like this picture)

the best window cleaner ~ she wears many hats

last but not least, the homemade deodorant … there are two recipes that i like.

my gal pal Ann Marie over at White House Black Shutters swears by this first one … and i trust her. since she’s hilarious …

homemade deodorant ~ white house black shutters

this second one appeals to me because it’s more of a solid and the ingredients are a little different … either way i’m sure some tweaking will be required when you’re trying to make it work for you … go read both of these!

homemade moisturizing deodorant ~ the purposed heart

i also thought it would be nice to have all these recipes i’m trying, all together in one place.
if you decide they’re keepers, jot down the ingredients and your notes,
then it will be easy access when you plan to make more.

click here to download

i tuck this away in our household binder, when stuff’s running low,
i know right where to find the how-to’s 🙂

ready to try some of these with me??
if you do or already have, tell me about it in the comments …
happy making! ♥

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coupon organization ideas & some printables ♥

June 5, 2013 Raising up Rubies33 Comments

so let’s talk coupons

🙂

such a touchy subject for some, i know

… if it works for you, great. if it doesn’t then that’s great too.

i started using coupons last year, (as in planning & checking flyers)

and found i really save some money if i stick to it and stayed organized…

by being able to see which coupons i have and applying them to what is on sale every week

here are some supplies i use to keep everything going with this system …

sharpies – index cards – post-it tabs

binder, binder labels, binder bands

(from Staples) (thank you Martha)

and baseball card protectors – not pictured

and of course a super cuter pencil case (from my instagram gal pal here)

(totally not necessary, but way more fun if you have a cute pencil case)

now let me start off by saying i’m not a die-hard couponer

i don’t buy things just because they’re on sale or because they’re free even though we don’t use them

… and i don’t go to 14 thousand stores every week just to get a bargain.

i generally shop at Target & our local grocery store, Wegmans

… and i am brand specific. for some things.

when you’ve found a soap that doesn’t irritate your skin or a shampoo that works great for you hair

i think you should be brand specific … just be smart about buying those particular items when they’re on sale, and preferably when they have a coupon circulating … double savings!

we also have a few heavy duty shelves in our basement that hold over-stock …

so when something is on sale and i have a few coupons for it,

i’ll buy 2 or 3 instead of just one since i’m getting the item at such a discounted rate

(most weeks i buy 2 or maybe 3 newspapers to get extra coupons –

the cost of the paper is minimal compared to what i’m saving on product)

… for instance, we use dove soap, a coupon comes out for dove products once every few months. when it does, it’s usually on sale at one of the stores i shop in. so with coupon & sale combined, buying a few boxes will get us through to the next coupon and sale week (most times i always have some left, so i just adjust how many i buy for next time)

i also like to keep a clipboard (hanging on the shelves) with a list of all the products we use and how many we have left … so when i see that coupon for soap, i can just check the list to see how many are left, and then how many to buy

did you know Target has their own coupons? online… yup!

Target lets you use their coupon combined with the circular coupon!

(well, they do here anyways 🙂

and if that item is on sale as well … it’s a huge savings.

i love Target sales… so i take a few extra minutes when i’m making my grocery list, to go check their coupons and see if any can be combined with what i have … i save a bunch in the end

so back to the binder …

i started out by making some dividers and printed these on heavy card-stock

and i wanna share them with you!

(download & print your own here)

then used my post-it tabs to label the sides for easy filing

use a 3-hole punch to tuck them into that pretty binder 🙂

slip a few pages of baseball card protectors in between each divider and you’re ready to cut!

some categories have only one or two coupons in them, but i know right where to go when i get to the store and find that the yogurt is on sale this week, even though i didn’t see it in the weekly flyer

most of the coupons i use are for food items, paper products & health/beauty supplies

i make some of my own cleaning products, laundry detergent & fabric softener

so i don’t have much of a need for cleaning coupons, even though i have a section for them

🙂

i also carry a small coupon folder in my purse that holds every day coupons

(i only bring the binder when i’m doing my major grocery shopping trip)

craft stores, restaurants, or just general shopping coupons are all tucked into this cute little aqua organizer right inside my purse for easy access, or when i’m on a spontaneous lunch date with the hubs and remembered i had a coupon for wherever we’re eating (which almost never happens … i always forget to use my coupons when i’m shopping & having fun … guess i’m only in coupon mode at the grocery store for some reason 🙂

(oh, and at the craft store … i do remember at the craft store

i’m there waaaaay to much to not remember to use coupons on stuff … oy)

so hear ya go … this is how i do coupons

🙂

i actually thought this was going to be a really simple post

but a lot goes into using coupons … and trying to decide how much time you want to invest into things based on what the results are, is also important.

… i’ve found now that i have a bit of a system in place, it’s a lot easier to think about using coupons to save on groceries. once you get into a routine and figure out what works best for you then stick with that … it might be more couponing, it might be less.

i also try to meal plan at the same time, which is a whole other long post …

a doozy of a post 🙂 but i hope to share that as well … i’m working on it a little at a time.

my binder system is slowly taking shape 🙂

they all live on the counter in our kitchen/office area

and i’m currently working the household & meal planning binders

i’m kinda crazy with planners … i love them ♥

and i really big fat heart my Jen Jones planner from here 🙂

i’ll talk about that a little bit in my meal planning post

i also have a Much Ado About You printable planner from my IG bestie here

that i use more like a journal & scrapbook for me

kay, now just for fun …

i made you guys a cuteified grocery list

cause planning a trip to the grocery store, with coupons,

is way more fun with a cute grocery list … yes. it is.

download your super duper it’s gonna be a fun week to grocery shop grocery list here 🙂

it actually looks just like everything else i do

notes everywhere, little things here and there … all over … random

yup. that’s me 🙂

do you coupon? tell me about it in the comments … i wanna hear please.

much love ♥ and gladness in my heart

linking up here:

Whatever you Want Wednesday ♥ Free Pretty Things for You

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diy pennant bunting & a summer front porch …♥

May 31, 2013 Raising up Rubies13 Comments

as i work my way through fixing up our house, i’m slowly discovering my decorating style

and slowly discovering what works & feels best for our family

and realizing it’s not about perfection, it’s about using what you have

to make it an inviting & welcoming place to live

♥

i’ve always dreamed of having a wrap-around front porch with a swing and a pretty

spindle-ish wood screen door … so even though our front porch is small,

it’s still fun to spruce it up a bit for summer

sometimes i sit and watch the kids play (they usually don’t know i’m sitting there)

or i read there in the morning, after the bus leaves

(unless it’s raining)

(or if it’s too hot)

(we don’t have consistent weather here … at all)

but it’s quiet, and peaceful

the bunting was an easy project … just cut the pieces to size, sew a pocket and thread some jute through the pocket … or hot glue directly to the jute

this rocker was on the curb one night before garbage day … a long time ago

i love it, it’s my favorite. i’ve painted it lots of different colors

this year it got the mint green treatment 🙂

i hope to find some odds & ends to add to this little wall near the rocker

maybe a mini side table too … the welcome sign was actually a mirror

with some chalkboard spray paint to cover the mirror

and some almond colored paint around the frame …

it takes on a whole different look

welcome to the porch! 🙂

the azalea’s are in full bloom this week

that means summer is almost here

the girls will cut a few branches off every couple of days

and put them in a vase near the kitchen window for me 🙂

well tomorow’s friday! that means yard sales! fun fun fun 🙂

be back soon with some info on my coupon system…

happy weekend

linking up here:

Whatever you Want Wednesday ♥ Free Pretty Things for You