How to Make a Personalized Pet Tag for Your Dog or Cat

I have been thinking about this project for a long time so I am really happy with how well it came together. This is a fun way to give your petshop-engraved tag some flare (you can personalize the unengraved side). OR use it as a way to update your contact info on an out-of-date tag by printing off your contact info on a tiny piece of paper and following these same instructions.

Dimmensional Magic gives the tags the professional, finished look of enamel but is non-toxic. These tags are water-resistant but the Dimmensional Magic is not waterproof so be sure to remove their tag if you take your dog swimming.

Supplies

• Dog tag
• Scrapbook paper 
• Mod Podge (Glossy Formula)
• Ink pad
• Small alphabet stamps (this one is similar to the set I have)
• Foam Brush
• Craft knife & mat
• Nail file
• Dimensional Magic

Directions

Step 1: Podge your paper

Coat your dog tag with a thick layer of mod podge. Flip it over, podge-side-down and smooth the paper on top of it. 

Step 2: Let it dry

Let it lay as pictured with the tag on top of the paper to dry for about 2 hours.

Step 3: Cut it out

Use a craft knife to cut around the outer edges of the dog tag. Remove excess paper and smooth edges with nail file if needed to remove jagged or torn edges.

Step 4: Stamp and seal

Use the ink pad and rubber stamps to spell your pet's name on their tag. Allow to dry before coating the tag and edges with another coat of glossy mod podge. Allow to dry

Step 5: Dimensional Magic

Use the dimensional magic to cover the top of the tag all the way to the edges. 

Step 6: Dry

Allow to dry for at least 3 hours or overnight before attaching to a jump ring and adding to your pet's collar.

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How to Save Money on Organic Food - More than 75 Tips & Tricks

3 years ago, even after we were convinced of the benefits of eating organic foods, our son was the only person in our family we felt that we could afford to feed organically. We've slowly transitioned to feeding our whole family a mostly organic diet and use mostly organic body care products like shampoo and soaps. All without a huge increase in cost from our conventional fare.

I've wanted to write an in-depth post about how to save money on organic food for a long time but The Food Babe beat me to it - and did such a great job that I'd rather send you her way to get more details on the 8 tips below.
Read her article: How To Eat Organic On A Budget (Over 75 Tips!)

MyTop 8 Tips for Saving Money on Organics

1. Grow your own - we have a large garden and choose which crops to grow based on which ones are the most expensive to buy organic. We grow a lot of tomatoes, squash and lettuce. Want to grow a garden? Start here.
2. Shop sales - I am subscribed via e-mail to Whole Food's coupon and sale notification system. I get notified when new coupon books are out and about weekly sales. When something is a great deal I buy a lot and then freeze or can it.
3. Buy a chest freezer  - we picked one up very affordably on Craig's List. This lets us stock up on things like meat and frozen veggies when they are on sale. It also lets me save scraps for things like making my own chicken and veggie stocks so I don't have to buy those any more.
4. Learn how to can - I learned how to use a pressure canner to preserve excess garden produce (especially tomatoes) and produce bought on sale.
5. Buy local  - I call around to different farms to find out when certain produce will be on sale, what the price it and if it is u-pick or already picked. Then I buy a lot. Sometimes they will give you a discount if you buy more than a certain amount - this is a great time to go in with a friend.
6. Shop and eat seasonally - this one was admittedly one of the more difficult changes to make but if you can focus your meal planning on items that are in season (or that you canned when they were in season) you will save a lot of money. Organic tomatoes cost 3 times more in February than they do in July.
7. Go in with friends - you can often get discounts in bulk. Not just at local farms but places like Whole Foods often give discounts for buying a whole case of something. You can amp up your efforts by starting a local food co-op. I currently organize a food co-op that orders from Frontier Natural Products Co-Op and uses Food Club (a free, third party website) to organize our orders. This lets us order at wholesale prices and saves about 50% on things like organic shampoo, baby care products, spices, tea and more.
8. Don't try to do it all - Especially at first. Give yourself permission to make this a gradual process. Pick one or two more things than you currently do to buy organic. Pick only one or two money saving methods to try at first. Once you have those down, add more. Not doing it gradually can cause you to burn out.

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How to Make "Bubble Bee" Party Favors

My miracle baby turned three last week and for months has been talking about how he's going to have a "bee party." I am all about avoiding commercialized birthdays for as long as possible (previous birthday themes have included pandas and a farm party) so I was eager to make him a fun bee party - especially since I could get most of the supplies from the dollar store. Bee party tutorials will be trickling in over the next few weeks so if you don't want to miss them, be sure to subscribe to my newsletter or follow me using those buttons to the right (in the sidebar, above my picture).

Supplies

• Wedding bubbles from the dollar store
• Yellow duct tape
• Black electrical tape
• Yellow and black craft paint
• Mod Podge (I used extra glossy formula)
• Tiny googley eyes

Directions

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Shaklee 180 Turnaround: Month 2 Update

I'm two months into my Shaklee 180 turn around and I'm so excited to give you guys an update on my progress!

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15 Beautiful DIY Crowns & Tiaras to Make

Next Friday, May 24th, is Queen Victoria's Birthday. As a result, it is also International Tiara Day. Get your friends together for a fancy soiree to wear tiaras, sip tea with your pinkies in the air and watch The Young Victoria. Be queen for the day in one of these DIY tiaras or buy one online from the International Tiara Day website or Amazon.

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Make a Recycled Seed Packet Necklace

I try and re-use as much as possible before things land in the recycling bin. But for as many seed packets as I go through in a growing season, it's never occurred to me that the empties should be landing in my art supplies drawer instead of the recycling bin. Leave it to my friend Amy over at Mod Podge Rocks to come up with a killer project to turn old seed packets into a cute piece of jewelry!

Supplies

• Wood pendant
• Mod Podge Satin
• Mod Podge Dimensional Magic
• Seed packet
• Acrylic paint in a coordinating color
• Satin cord
• Jewelry findings
• Scissors
• Paintbrush
• Pencil

Directions

Find the directions at Mod Podge Rocks!: DIY Seed Packet Necklace

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A Meaningful Gift for Dads & Grads PLUS Free Father's Day & Graduation Printable Card

VSP Direct is a great way for those without vision insurance through work to still have quality vision coverage. It's so affordable you can even give it as a gift to someone you care about! Thanks to VSP for sponsoring this post.

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I love giving gifts. Gifts are my primary love language. It's really important to me to give gifts that are useful or meaningful to the recipient and not just another thing in their life to take up space. My husband is perennially difficult to get gifts for but when I was offered a chance to work with VSP Direct, I knew that this would be perfect.

Why? Well, these are my husband's glasses

He's had these glasses for about 3 years. And you can tell. The tops of the frames and the bridge over the nose are banged and scuffed. The lenses have micro scratches all over them despite an anti-scratch coating. We haven't had vision insurance for quite some time and just haven't been able to afford the combination of an eye exam, frames, lenses, and extras like anti-scratch coatings.

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Make Lavender Ice Cream with Honeyed Blueberries

I am a big fan of using edible flowers in as many tasty and creative ways as possible. Lavender is particularly well suited for sweet concoctions such as flavored sugar, cookies, sweet tea and more. Lavender ice cream sounds absolutely delightful especially when paired with the sticky sweetness of honeyed blueberries.

Supplies

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup half & half
• 1-2 tsp dried lavender
• 1/2 cup sugar (use organic!)
• Ice cream maker (I have this Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker and love it)

Directions

Find the directions at Babble: Lavender Ice Cream with Honeyed Blueberries

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What Mom Really Wants: 18 Last Minute Mother's Day Gift Ideas

Earlier this week, I told you about 15 last minute Mother's Day gifts you still have time to make for mom. For most moms, their top pick is something hand made by their kiddos. But what if you're not crafty? Or you're pressed for time? What can you buy for mom that she will still love?

I asked some of your favorite mom bloggers what they would want for Mother's Day if someone were to buy them a present instead of make one. Here are their top answers, sorted by budget range. And to make life really easy for you, if you see an idea you love on many of these, you can just click through to buy it! Just make sure you pick next day or 2 day shipping to make sure it gets to mom on time!
*please note that some of the links below are my affiliate links and I may make a small profit for referring you to that retailer. 

Cost: Free

You might be surprised how many moms don't even need you to buy a gift: they just want some time off or time to themselves.

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15 Last Minute Mother's Day Gifts to Make

Are you freaking out because Mother's Day is only 5 days away and you still don't know what to do? The good news is that it's not too late to whip up a crafty gift for your mom. Here are 15 ideas to get you started

if Mom likes to cook:

Cute Vintage Style Apron from Creative Green Living

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