Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Getting married? Check out this Blog!

A fellow couponer and blogger is engaged! Lisa over from Drugstore Diva's is engaged to be married, and has started up a great blog called A Bride on a Budget. And we all love to be frugal right? So head on over there and check it out.

As soon as I get my coupon blog back up and running ( sigh) I will be putting her link on there too.

So from all of us at Penny Pincher Pixie ( and DIY Pixie) we wish you much luck, success and love Lisa!!!


xoxox
Stephanie

Monday, October 29, 2012

DIY Gifts for Christmas and More Part 3

Here's some more DIY projects for you! Again, some may be duplicates, but a lot are new ideas. Have fun!!

1. Sewing Kit In a Jar- this is brilliant. I love it!

2. HUGE list of DIY Mirrors and Home Decor

3. Birthday in a Suitcase- this site is awesome. I would spend some time on here as these idea's are great!

4. DIY Smore's Gifts- brilliant! Just brilliant!

5. Giant Bubble Kit- this would be great for summer adventures!

6. Lump of Coal- great DIY for a stocking stuffer!

7. The Ultimate Care Package- great for those travelers or kids/family members/friends that have moved over seas or to another state!

8. DIY Bath Salts- good tutorial for making your own.

9. Gift Inspiration Board- pretty cool site with lots of information!

10. DIY Flavorful Fudge-  make your own fudge!

11. Etched Glass Jars- love, love, love this idea!

12. Food Gifts- nice list from Martha Stewart!

13. His & Hers Pillowcases DIY- i might have to try this for my brother and his new wife hehe ( you know when the honeymoon is "over" lol)

14. Mario Plant- for you Nintendo Geeks out there, here's a great project for you!

15. Gifts for Men- i love the record bowl idea!!!!

Sunday, October 28, 2012

DIY Canvas

I found this site about a month ago, and I love it and can not wait to try it! What do you think???

DIY Canvas

I have some photos I would love to try this with. And it would be great for family photos.

xoxo
DIY Pixie Stephanie

Saturday, October 27, 2012

DIY Fairy Wings

Want an easy way to make a set of fairy wings?

You will need:
White pantyhose ( or any color but white you can dye them or paint them and it will show up better)
Wire hangers or another bendable structure ( like pipe cleaners, floral wire, etc) just something that retains it shape after bending
Scissors
Embellishments
Ribbon, string etc

Take your bendable items, shape into fairy wings. Use your imagination on if you want butterfly wings, fairy wings, ladybug wings etc)
Cut your pantyhose into separate legs
Stretch each hose across your wing
Tie them together where they meet- you can get creative on how to get them to attach. I have seen some just tie the pantyhose together.
Then you can take ribbon or string and make your arm straps ( like a backpack)
Embellish however!

I might have to try this one day  ( if I ever have a kiddo to try it on lol)

xoxo
-DIY Pixie Stephanie

Friday, October 26, 2012

DIY Christmas Gifts and more Part 2

Here's 15 more links to more handmade gifts and other things to make ! Enjoy
** I am sure some are duplicates but great ideas, from different perspectives, make it new**

1. Christmas Craft Ideas- This is from Family Fun Magazine! They always have great stuff. I have been getting their magazine for years ( even though I have no kids) because the magazine is awesome.

2. Teacup Candles- from Martha Stewart. Very cute idea

3.  Photo dolls- a bit creepy ( I dont know if I would want to see my face on a doll) but really cute idea. Might be a little over cost effective but maybe something someone would like to do!

4.  34 Christmas DIY ideas- I really like some of these. Especially the truffles. I LOVE chocolate!

5. Unique Gifts for Mom- some of these are very different. But would be fun to do with kids for all occasions ( Mothers Day etc)

6. Surprise Gift Ball- now this is awesome and cool! Great to do and then give kids on long car rides. Or maybe when they have to go to the dr and wait... and wait...

7. Personalized Plates & More- for those of you that did the "sharpie" method and it didnt work- check this out!

8. Kitchen Utensil Key Rack- great idea for reusing those old forks and spoons!

9.  137 Unique and Cheap gifts- this is a great spot! It also shows you how to do the tiles i was talking about!

10. Egg Cup- while I do not think my husband would ever use this, i love this site. I came across it while looking for men christmas idea's. I love LOVE the background

11. DIY tote bags- I LOVE THIS!!!!!

12. 100 Inexpensive Gifts- these may have some repeats, but some are ones I have not seen. And always a different take on some of the ones you might HAVE seen. :) all about perspective!

13. DIY Geek Tie- I am DIGGING this one!

14. Crafts for Kids- this is also a link to drawing on plates , but is a great site for Crafts for Kids!

15. Monogram Mugs- another take on the customized dinner ware!!!


Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Throw Pillow DIY

These are two pillows I made from things I already had laying around. Here's what I used:

1 old pink curtain- its a heavy weight one that I had bought for a window at my old house, before we moved. It had gotten bleached out at the very top and on the entire back side from the sun, but the front side was great. So, I used it instead of throwing it away! You can use any kind of fabric, curtain etc. Just whatever you have that is laying around that you have enough material of for 1 or 2 pillows.

1 pair of old jeans- i cut the legs off of them ( cut across where the crotch is so you can re-use the upper part of the jeans to make the jean apron i will be posting soon) and then i drew on them with sharpie, in the shapes of hearts. Cut them out and set aside. You can do stars or whatever you want!

1 piece of old fabric- i used some blue snuggle flannel that I had left over from another project.

Poly-fil - i used half a bag. I got it for free from my grandma, as she had some bought up and was not going to use. Ask around and maybe you can find a friend, relative, neighbor that has some they are not going to use or will give to you!


First- cut out the squares in the size you want your pillow plus enough for a seam allowance.
Second- turn inside out and align. Pin down the fabric along three sides to sew. Or you can always use a baste stitch on your machine to keep it where it should be.
Third- sew three sides of the material together. Make sure to back stitch when you end your sewing. This will secure it. I always back stitch over the beginning and the end.
Fourth- turn inside out and get all the creases around the edges lined up. You will be top stitching over these. Now stop stitch along the three sides. Basically all you are doing is sewing it together again, but the thread can be seen. I used a hot pink thread to make it stand out! You can use a matching thread so you cant see it.
Fifth- put your design on your pillow and sew on. Or you can always make them a patch with Heat N Bond Ultra. I chose to sew on.
Sixth- fill with your poly fil. You can make it as full as you want. I don't put a lot in my pillows, just enough to make them filled out and soft.
Seventh- turn in the fabric along the side you left open. Leave enough of a seam so you catch it when you stitch it.
Eighth- align the edges and top stitch. Make sure you back stitch when you begin and end. This should be the bottom of the pillow and will match the other top stitched sides!

Your done!


Super Easy Tshirt Tote Bag

Seriously this is the easiest thing I have ever seen. And It is great for grocery bags. Instead of buying another re-usable shopping tote/bag, just make one from your old t-shirts! I will be posting mine that I put together soon. I am also using old shirts to make a memory blanket/quilt.

T-Shirt Bags


Here's my finished project. I did end up top stitching the side arm holes to give it a more finished look. And will probably not do it for the neck hole. But I am going to do some fabric piecing on the front of some fruit, and use this as one of my produce bags. This way I don't have to use those plastic ones for my bananas and other fruits- like apples, pears etc. I would make a second one for stuff like onions and other items that have a outer "shell" that sheds ( like the onion skins etc). Totally washable and re-usable! And the best thing- THEY ARE FREE TO MAKE.



300+ Links to DIY Projects, Gifts and Decorating - Part 1

I am a huge Do-It-Yourself person- or DIY. And I love Pinterest, I am constantly on there looking up stuff. I have compiled a list of all sorts of goodies for you. From cheap projects to give as gifts, to decorating ideas on a extremely tight budget. I hope you enjoy some of these. I will be doing each and every one of them the following months, posting pictures, tips and tricks and more. Maybe I will do a review and giveaway for each one I do for a reader. Who knows?

Here is part 1 of the list. Im doing them 15 links at a time, as some of them have tons of ideas on there. I have over 300 links. So ill be doing several parts to this series!!!! 

So, without further wait, here we go :

1. Time for Tea Soap- think this is super neat. I am not a tea drinker but I love the smell of it. And i have so much tea I have gotten for FREE with coupons, I bet that I could make some awesome tea soaps!!!

2. Cupcakes in a Jar - great treat idea to take to coworkers! If you do not want to buy mason jars ( and do not have any laying around) ask around as I am sure some have empty ones. I found them from my grandma for another project.

3. Apple Jellies- you could also probably make different kinds with different fruits. However, if you do not have a food-mill, you can use a sieve it says- but its very time consuming. So see if you can borrow one from someone. Its a good investment if you are doing your own food grinding to have. But you might can borrow one from someone and do it the easy way. A cheap, awesome way to make some candy for friends and family. And it makes your house smell yummy!

4.  Bath Bombs- these are a bit more labor intensive. And do call for a few ingredients you probably dont have laying around the house. However, I thought I would add them because a lot of people would love to make their own. Maybe you and some friends can go in on the ingredients and have a "spa day" together!

5.  Gifts for Teachers- here are several different ideas to make for teachers! This site has a ton of ideas.

6.  8 Easy Handmade gifts-  some of these are great for kids to make for grandparents :)

7.  Cheap and Thrifty Christmas Ideas- great site with a huge selection of various thrifty and handmade ideas.

8. Hand Printed Mouse pad- great for the man in your life that is hard to buy for. Unique and fun!

9.  Embroidered Tie- great gift for the man in your life. This is for those crafty people that can embroider ( by hand) im sure you could also do this on a machine. If you cant embroider- maybe you know someone that will do it for you in exchange for something! Maybe you make a killer batch of brownies! Offer to trade services!

10. DIY labels for gifts for dad- not just for Fathers day!

11. Ribbon Chalkboard w/ key holders- you can probably find some of these objects at thrift stores. Or ask around.

12. Decorative Wine Stoppers- cute idea! great for a hostess gift for holiday parties for those that love wine!


13.  30  Gifts for the Guys- great site! check out all the creative gifts for the men folk!

14.  30 Gifts for the Chic Chicks- and some more gifts for women!

15.  30 Gifts for Kiddos!- and here's some for the munchkins!