Discount Shopping

While waiting at the Dr's office for several routine appointments in the last month, I stumbled upon a few articles with recommended sites for shopping discounts. Naturally, I didn't want to pass up this chance to save some money, so I clicked them into my phone's notebook application and saved them for a later date--it's just taken me a while to get on here to report them.

Most of these are online discounts, but I believe some you can print and use them in-store.

Promotional Codes is a site with infinite ways to search their collection of discounts. They also have links to other savings, at more industry-specific sites, like Chegg, a text-book renter. I have more of these to share later.

Done a little bit differently, RetailMeNot, provides coupons in which you find the one you're interested in on their site and follow the link to your choice of retailer's site and shop from there. I guess it's like magic, I haven't actually tried it out yet. Worth looking into, though!

Next, I found a site for free shipping at all kinds of online retailers. FreeShipping.org

 

You may have already heard of this one. I had, but I hadn't looked it up yet. Looks pretty cool. RedPlum.

I'm not sure exactly how ebates works, but you create a membership and they give you 2% back on all purchases. Or something like that. Check it out if you're interested in it.

Another find for those of us who weren't given great eye sight is Zenni Optical. Glasses start at like $7/pair plus $5 shipping. Particularly for those like me who wear contacts most of the time, this is a big money saver. My last pair were broken by the little guy so I'm looking forward to my order I (finally) placed with them. I've gone months with my glasses held together by electrical tape and a wire tie.

If you do use Zenni Optical, you'll need to know your glasses prescription and the distance between your pupils. That's something your eye doc should have on file for you though.


Let's see...I started this post in August and have found a few more since then.

I haven't used this site yet, so I'm still not 100% about it, but I found it on Google and they have Cricut cartridges (and other craft supplies) pretty darn cheap at Oh My Crafts.

Oh, yeah, don't forget about Scholastic warehouse sales!! I really want to go to another one, but I don't know if I'd survive another 8 hours of straightening books again. 

I'll keep looking and sharing what I find!

Thanksgiving Closing

Well, I got caught up in "relaxing" over break and didn't get on here to post my Thanksgiving cards. I did take photos, though. So here's some brainstorming ideas for next year or other cards. Too bad it doesn't feel like I relaxed much, but returning to school was tough today.

I'm always looking for new folds for my cards, and I found a couple of interesting ones for Thanksgiving. Originally I was going to do them both the same, but as you'll see Aidan didn't agree with that concept...

That's the basic shape of the card. It makes it look like it spins when you open it. It's actually very easy to do but looks intricate. There's a good tutorial for this design here at splitcoaststampers' website.

I started by cutting my basic rectangle out of the cardstock, 5 1/2 inches by 6 3/4 inches.

Then I scored a line from 0 to 1 1/4 that was 2 3/4 inches from the edge.

And repeated this on all four corners of the paper (different dimensions are given in the tutorial above--check out their site, they have some great ideas), and then I cut from 4 1/4 inches into the paper a line that went from 1 1/4 to 2 3/4. This creates the top of the box that "swings". Once that's one on four sides, the four cuts are connected by the two perpendicular cuts.

Fold the front face back like this...

and the back face the opposite way, like this...

I always hesitate before using my paper. I know deep down I could potentially have a problem with hoarding...but I also like organization and cleanliness and I think that's the balance that keeps me sane. I got over it and thought "what else do I buy this for?" and sacrificed a few turkeys to make the background...

I cut it to fit the same size as my original square (5 1/2 by 6 3/4), then I used the x-acto knife to cut out matching lines to fit the box and removed the whole rectangle from the center. This particular card pattern is probably best done with the background you'd like originally, rather than the way I'm doing it here.

My first piece was sacrificed. Aidan got a hold of it and, well, it made for good scraps for the other card.

When I needed drafting tape for one of my classes this semester, I never imagined I'd be using it to make cards...but it's great. It helped me hold down the paper to fold it evenly and line things up right. It's not masking tape, it is less sticky so it won't take up your designs on the sheet. It can rip though, so be careful removing it when you work with drafting tape.

Things weren't really going as planned...they didn't line up right, and this is where I learned it's probably best to start with your background sheet rather than add it to a body. The edging scissors came in handy here...problem solved.

I used a coordinating paper to make the inside of the card. It's somewhat plain so we could write on it.

I used the Stretch Your Imagination cartridge for the Cricut and added some embellishments to the front of the card. Overall, this is not one of my favorite cards I've made...but it fits the bill.

I used one of those punchers to cut in the corners of a rectangle and then cut it to points to spruce up the front. I don't really like it, but something had to be done.

There it is standing. A four year old will probably be excited to open it, see who it's from, and then go back to playing anyway. It's the thought that counts.


This next one is much more appealing to me. I used splitcoaststampers again for an idea. This is a "gate fold".

I. love. paper. Heck, I love crafts in general. JoAnn Fabrics or Michaels shopping with me is not a quick errand.

I need to clean my blogging camera's lens. It's also the "diaper bag camera". I wouldn't dare let my one year old touch my Nikon, but my $100 Lumix is a little more kid-friendly...hence the fingerprints smudging the images. Oops.

I'm getting ideas together here...

Again, I used the Stretch Your Imagination cartridge for this one. It's very versitile. There are shapes for all seasons and occasions (for the most part) in the same cartridge. If you're beginning your collection, I'd suggest starting with this one in the first few you buy.

Hence the "stretch"...that's the same turkey as the first one, but the stretch button was on. They also have cards pre-cut for all seasons too, all you have to do is choose your size and press a few buttons and voila, you have a card. Great in a pinch.

I tried a recipe from Katie Lee (no longer Katie Lee Joel, news to me since her book I have was published before their divorce) found in Cosmopolitan magazine. No offense to Cosmo or any of their readers, but if it's in Cosmo it can't be too complicated (as opposed to say, Martha Stewart Living, or Food (also by Martha--or it was once)) and this is not. It only looks complicated.

I can't find an online recipe for it at the moment, but it was titled "Sexy Surprise Him Dinner" in one of the last two months' issues. In searching, however, I found Katie's site. So far, I've loved....(thinking)......yep. everything. I've tried of hers. Here's Katie's website.

Bunuelos

As I was skimming my bookmarks for recipes "saved for later" I found this Latin-American desert and thought to give it a try.

I used the recipe found at cooks.com to make these. They're kind of like a doughnut, elephant ear sort of treat. They're not too sweet, more doughy than sugary for sure. They're not as airy as a doughnut but kind of bread-like.

They're not bad. I'd probably make them again, if I were in the mood for them, but it's not a seasonal "I have to make those" recipe for us.

Mine were a little more bubbly than they probably should be. I think you can tap them to get the bubbles out when frying. I didn't necessarily let them sit very long either...that could have something to do with it.

Prerequisites:
4 eggs
1/4 Cup of sugar 
2 1/4 tsp baking powder 
1 tsp vegetable oil (I used canola because that's what we had)
2 Cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt


Cinnamon-Sugar Topping: 
1 Cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon


Oil for frying (at least 1 inch deep in pan)

I started with the eggs and sugar, since that would take a while to get them "thick and lemon colored".

I decided to sift the flour. When searching for the best recipe I saw a few that said to sift, and thought "hey, why not, I never use the sifter anymore?" so here goes...nice powdery texture.

Then I checked on my eggs, still thickening, not quite the texture I think we need...

Add baking powder, salt, and stir the flour together. Eggs are still just eggs and sugar. I'm lucky I didn't forget to add the oil at the end.

We're going to have to roll them out, so time to flour the counter. It always feels a little taboo to me to dump flour all over the place. Aidan decided he wanted to help so he made his best attempt at carrying the chair over and made a bigger (MUCH bigger) mess.

Mixin' mixin' mixin'...

  I added the oil (don't forget!!).

 Then gradually the flour.

This is looking sticky...

Good thing we put all that flour on the counter...

I kneeded the dough and got the insides covered with flour so it wasn't unbearably sticky anymore, and then pinched off a piece to roll out.

On to the wax paper it went to set up (I guess? maybe dry out is a better word for it) and I pinched the rest into balls and started rolling. With some help...

In the mean time I let the oil get hot.

Here goes...

 They bubble up quite a bit when frying.

 Messy, messy, messy.

 Cinnamon-sugar prepared to coat the bunuelos with.

Pretty yummy. Particularly for people who aren't big on sweets. I, however, prefer things with three cups of sugar in them.

I'm happy to announce that in about an hour and twenty minutes I will be on Thanksgiving break, so I will hopefully be able to make more posts. It's not that I ever quit being busy or doing blog-worthy activities, I just forgot to capture them on camera and take the time to share. Hopefully I'll have the chance to get a few more things done between reading academic papers and preparing my research paper due in December. Care to learn about the Late Devonian Mass Extinction?

Until next time, I've got one last class to go to.