HARD LAUNCH!

Posted by Ethne and Lori~

IT’S HERE! HARD LAUNCH HERE WE COME (shout out to Scott!)

As WOMS, we like to be ORGANIZED!  When we started WOM-MOM we needed deadlines!  Lori got out her awesome Who-Mi and Ethne go out her awesome IDEA BOOK and we established LAUNCH DATES!

SOFT LAUNCH=JANUARY 1

HARD LAUNCH=FEBRUARY 1

What does this mean?  Well, that we feel confident that we have worked out many WOM-MOM kinks! 

Soft Launch Day!

We feel confident that we LOVE the look of WOM-MOM courtesy of Ethne’s design and Steve’s logo! 

Does this mean there will still be changes?  Of course!  We are always looking to improve WOM-MOM!

Ethne Self-portrait

Lori working on wom-mom

HARD LAUNCH MEANS WE ARE THANKFUL!  WE ARE THANKFUL FOR ALL OF YOU!  We are thankful to our over 40 followers! YIPPEE!  We are thankful to our over 150 hits/day!  YIPPEE! 

Get ready WOM-MOMS!  Lots of fun is on the way!  PRIZE COMPETITIONS, WOM PARTIES, AND SO MUCH MORE!  GET READY TO GET WOMIFIED!

HOOT! HOOT!

Posted by Lori~


Who said you can’t buy a gift at a thrift store! You can find BRAND NEW items for sale everyday!


Thrift store shopping is by far one of my favorite things to do and even better when you hit a sale. That’s right…like Thrifty Nana has said many times—thrift stores offer rotating sales, so start shopping and track these sales for even bigger savings!


Sometimes you have to dig a little…sometimes you need to see an item’s potential (remember Ethne’s dress re-do?).


While shopping for Mur-Man…I discovered a $2.00 (that’ right—only $1.00 after discount!) adorable onesie for my girlfriend who recently had a beautiful baby girl! Even better…it features an owl, her favorite (HOOT! HOOT!)!




HOOT!  I SEE A WINNER!


For A BUCK it is great deal, but the onesie came with a small hole in the sleeve.



IT LOOKS LIKE A SCISSOR GOT IT!




I SIMPLY PUT A SMALL PIECE OF RIBBON BEHIND TO STABALIZE AND ZIG-ZAGGED OVER IT!  SIMPLE!

 Nothing that a cute piece of ribbon detailing can’t fix! And even better…I found the ribbon in my scrap ribbon pile and I already had matching thread in my stash!



THANKS CRAFTY G-MA FOR THS STASH! 

Final cost: $1.00!


FINISHED PRODUCT--AND ONLY A BUCK!



THRIFTY TIP: Why do both sleeves…do just one! This requires even less ribbon and less out of pocket cost!




IT LOOKS BETTER WITH THE ADDED DETAIL!

 

WOM MAKEOVER!

Posted by Lori~

I felt drab…I didn’t feel FAB!  And it was time to step it up!

THE HORRIBLE BEFORE! 

WOMS need makeovers on occasion and I was ready for a change.

Last night I went to Jessica, a fabulous hair stylist from Hair Dynamics (check out their Facebook page). 

Jessica--my awesome stylist!

I told her I was ready for a change…something cute, trendy, and easy to style (I am a busy mom and ABSOLUTELY NOT A MORNING PERSON=No time to fix the hair!)

The cut was fabulous and the color worked great.  She opted for matching the color of my hair all with golden blonde highlights!



Getting READY for a fabulous change!

 I must say there is a major difference between the before and after!  I FEEL WOM-WORTHY!

The AFTER!  It looks better with makeup--trust me!

PS:  Get ready for next week!  ON TUESDAY—WE WILL KICK OFF “10 DAYS OF WUV” AND ALSO…..HARD LAUNCH!

CRASH MY CUPBOARD!

Posted by Lori~

I live in a late 1930’s house with a galley-style kitchen. Don’t get me wrong—I LOVE my kitchen, but with an old house come little to no cupboard space. 

Lack of cupboard space!

So that means…all my dry baked good items were shoved into a small lower cupboard=OUCH!

lower cupboard=SAD AND INCONVENIENT!

I had NO IDEA what baking supplies I had and how much!  In addition, all the items were forcibly scattered all over the kitchen floor in order to get to other items (in and out and ALL OVER).  This became even more of a nightmare when two or more people are trying to cook in my already tight kitchen!

what an unorganized MESS!

MISSION:  find a more suitable location for my baking goods—that is easily accessible and of course spend little to no money on a simple solution.

STUFFED TO THE MAX!

Once again—I enlisted my great friend Reagen who had a fabulous solution—why not install a shelf above the stove.  (As you can see I still have outdated appliances that WORK!  This = no replacement yet.) So for now a shelf will do the TRICK!  Store location=of course…IKEA!  MY FAVE!

Quick planned trip to Minneapolis—of course not for just the shelf but to ring in the New Year and start WOM-MOM with Ethne!  $14.99 later!  And it is PERFECT!  MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! 

CONVENIENT AND FUNCTIONAL!

I now have more cupboard space for other items, the products are accessible (in my wonderful stainless steel canisters that were a wedding gift), and at any given time—ask me:  how much sugar do you have, do you need flour, etc.?  And…I can answer with confidence.

GREAT IKEA find!

Now—this renovation isn’t complete.  I do have plans to jazz up the stainless steel canisters with labels (CHECK FUTURE POSTS FOR THIS!).

PRINCESS BIRTHDAY CAKES!

Posted by Ethne~

Princess KD and Princess Easy Mac are turning 3 ~ what birthday cakes do we need?  Why, Princesses Tiana, Snow White and Cinderella of course!  Princess and the Frog is our latest favorite Disney movie.  It will probably be Rapunzel next year, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

Princess Tiana!

THRIFTY MISSION: Super Target bakery has the awesome princess doll skirt cakes starting at around $40.00 and up.  That is far more than I want to spend.  Can I make princess doll birthday cakes for KD and Easy Mac for significantly less than $40.00??  Of course!

BACKGROUND:  When I got married, one of my bridal shower cakes was Bride Barbie – her skirt was the cake – and it was awesome!  Being the girl that Thrifty Nana raised, I saved the Barbie, outfit, and implements needed for making another such cake.  I knew someday I would make another; even back then instinct told me I would have daughters.

HISTORY:  Back in olden days, i.e. my childhood, Thrifty Nana made all of my birthday cakes.  She took a cake-decorating class when we lived in Utah, before moving to North Dakota.  Classic memories, and a side benefit was I watched and learned.

Moi - the cutest flower girl that side of the Rockies!  June 4, 1981
PS - check those classic wedge sandals!

Back to the mission, I knew the things I needed: a Princess Tiana doll the size of a Barbie - no problem-o.  Super Target never fails me.  I also was going to make mini princess cakes for the girls because I’ve decided that though the girls share a birthday, they should each get their own birthday cakes.  KD’s mini cake was Snow White and Easy Mac’s mini cake was Cinderella.  Target had those dolls, perfect size, at the check-out register.

--The Tiana doll was $5.00 and each mini princess was $3.00.  So far, we’re at $11.00.

I had the implements for inserting the princess doll into the center of the skirt cake, but they are not necessary.  A couple of cardboard rolls from paper towels are all you need – trim each to the height of the skirt cake and insert the doll.  These were free since I already had the paper towels in the house. 

--We remain at $11.00.

The cake was white Betty Crocker cake mix.  It’s the best, so I don’t complicate things by baking a cake from scratch.  I needed two cake mixes for the one large and two mini skirt cakes.  I bought each box for $1.00 at Super Target. 

--$13.00 total now.

Frosting is made from Crisco, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, a splash of milk and food coloring.  I already have the vanilla, milk and food coloring around the house – the amount used for this is negligible, so no cost adjustment necessary.  The can of Crisco costs $4.99 and the large bag of powdered sugar costs $1.69. 

--New total $19.68.

I always walk around with my list notebook (a small journal-size book where I write down my lists and ideas and to-do’s), so I pulled a few pics of Princess Tiana and taped them in.

Taped-in Tiana

For skirt decorating, Thrifty Nana and I mixed several batches of frosting and colored the frosting in small bowls as needed for the dress colors.  Insert the princess dolls to the center and decorate the skirt per the pictures in my list notebook. 

Sugar Coma here we come!

I pulled out my craft tub and selected a few small flower embellishments to add to the skirt.  And done!

I presented Princess Tiana on my gorgeous cake stand from Grandma W (Thrifty Nana’s mom), and two small glass plates for the minis and we felt like master bakers.  Best part: THE GIRLS WERE THRILLED!

MISSION SUCCESS:  Grand total for three princess birthday cakes: $19.68.  That’s less than half of the store-bought cost.

Ultimately, though, the cost was not as much of a factor for me.  What I wanted was the memory of making an amazing birthday cake for my daughters.  Doing so with Thrifty Nana and my sister, Whit, and at half the cost, was a super awesome bonus!

3 Princesses for my Princesses!

Thrifty Nana and Easy Mac - in the vintage dress she made for me!

Let's see how much we can eat....

Chow Town!

Thrifty Nana made the pink dress for me when I was 3 and the flower girl in my aunt and uncle's wedding.  Since I had 2 girls, we needed to make another.  Easy Mac wore the pink vintage dress and KD wore the white replica.  Cool, huh?

New and Vintage

After the cake and present opening, we are D-O-N-E posing for pictures.  One last time with Thrifty Nana and Grandpa Paul:

It's not easy being so cute!

To complete the ensemble, we got Cinderella glass slippers from Grandpa Paul and Grandma Connie:

Yes, they light up.

SUPER CRAFTY SUPER CAPE!

Posted by Lori~

Yes, all things Mur-Man are SUPER!  Super-hero themed room (remember Mur-Man's super room) and of course super hero themed first birthday party!



LOOK MOM!  IT'S ME WITH WONDERDOG ROGER!



And of course, a super hero themed party requires a super hero cape (for all the kids)!  I enlisted the help of Crafty G-Ma (Lori’s mom) to help sew capes for 15 of Murray’s closest friends and she agreed!

Step One:  Find a pattern and the web is FULL of cape pattern options. My inspiration:  the long thread.com.  THANK YOU!  THE PATTERN WORKED GREAT!




Mur-Man's cape close up!  His cape had to be unqiue!  BE CREATIVE!



Step Two:  Find the right fabric for the project (the fabric needed to be high-quality, durable, easy to work with, and of course AFFORDABLE!).  Mission Accomplished:  I used classic solid colored fleece!  PERFECT AND EVEN BETTER—THIS WOULD REQUIRE EVEN LESS SEWING!  Fleece doesn’t have a raw edge that frays.

Step Four:  You need felt for the star or lightning bolt super hero logo!  Crafty G-Ma had a stock pile of felt scraps.  PERFECTION!  Even better—I was able to use fabric scraps from Mur-Man’s bed ruffle to make the letters=FREE!   Letter stencils provided by Crafty G-Ma (from her many years of teaching!).  Wow...this gets better and better!



Lightning bolt made with Crafty G-Ma's felt



Step Five:  Adapt the pattern to fit the guests. I actually found that the pattern on thelongthread.com worked perfect for the kids ages two and older!  This means that I had to adjust the pattern for the little guests. 

Step Six:  Cut out the pattern.  Using the fleece worked GREAT!  No need to double the fabric, no need to hem or edge the fabric.  I cut the fleece to fit. 

The cape folded in half--you get the picture!

Step Seven:  Sew Velcro on the collar (make sure you test to ensure your Velcro is attached correctly and that it will fit properly.  Now fold the collar in half and stitch.  Crafty G-Ma has a fancy sewing machine and a regular decorative stitch was used to make the collar look even more finished (but any stitch would do the trick).

Very simple!  Sew on the Velcro (I prefer the NON-sticky kind) and fold and sew the collar!

Step Seven:  Sew on the star or lightning bolt—I used the blanket stitch (but a zigzag would also do the trick).  I used iron on interfacing with paper on one side (AKA:  wonder-under, a miracle product that allows you to fuse one fabric to another fabric) to stabilize/secure the shape to the cape. 

Wonder-Under is WONDERFUL!

Step Eight:  Sew on the Letter using the same stitch and using wonder-under!




My C was made from Mur-Man's room fabric!  HOW COOL!



Step Nine:  Let the SUPER IN SUPER HERO BEGIN!

Yes, this project took time, but it something that Mur-Man, and all the kids can keep and play with!  Even our dog Roger has a cape!  Overall—AFFORDABLE AND FABULOUS!


Below are some of Mur-Man's SUPER friends in their capes!

SUPER C!

SUPER F!

SUPER J!








THRIFTY PITA CHIPS!

Posted by Lori~

I recently attended a FAB-U-LOUS NEW YEARS EVE PARTY IN BIG CITY, MINNESOTA!  A shout-out to Josh and Rox for hosting a GREAT bash.  Of course—Steve and I were Mur-Man free.

It never fails, but they had a great spread of food!  All kinds of yummy appetizers and dips!  One highlight was home-made pita chips!  I JUST LOVE THEM!

And I had a thought—I can make my own pita chips and save money and guess what—it worked!

I purchased pita bread (they come in 12 ounce bags) at Trader Joes (Big City, Minnesota) for $1.65. 

Pita Bread--YUMMY AND AFORDABLE!

COST COMPARISON:  When shopping at Walmart I found these Athenos Pita Chips (6 ounces) for $2.92. 

$2.92 FOR 6 OUNCES--OUCH!

WOW—LOOK AT THE DIFFERENCE:  DOUBLE THE OUNCES—HALF THE PRICE.

Making Pita Chips is rated 'E' for EASY (thank you Josh):

1.  Using a pizza cutter or knife cut the pita chips in squares—you can determine the size of chip.

Cut the size/shape you prefer

2.  Split the chips—keep in mind Pita bread is a pocket, so you technically make double the chips or piece of bread.

SPLIT THE CHIP!

3.  Oil the bottom of a cookie sheet.  I use olive oil and use a refill-able olive oil sprayer, Misto.  Remember Ethne’s post:  HEALTHY!  HEALTHY!  AND OF COURSE MORE AFFORDABLE!

MISTO!

4.       Place a thin layer of pita chips across the cookie sheet (I typically bake one bag of bread/LARGE cookie sheet).

5.       Spray the pita chips with olive oil.

6.       Bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes (or until golden brown).

GOLDEN BROWN!

7.       Flip the chips and bake for another 5 minutes (or until golden brown).

8.       Season your chips.  I prefer Cavender’s Greek seasoning salt (this can be purchased at your local grocery store).

The perfect seasoning, but any seasoning will do!

I like to eat/serve my pita chips with humus!  YUMMY!  AND GUESS WHAT ELSE:  MUR-MAN LOVES IT TOO!

MISSION: MISTO!

Posted by Ethne~

I am a regular user of cooking spray.  MISSION: can WOMs substitute grocery store cooking spray for something CHEAPER and HEALTHIER?

If Thrifty Nana is involved, you bet we can!

Mr. Misto!

Thrifty Nana found MISTO refillable oil sprayers in 2-packs at Costco (not available online) for about $19.99.  That’s right, friends, $10.00 per sprayer.  Thrifty Nana gave Lori and me each a MISTO sprayer for Christmas – and coincidentally Lori had just seen the same sprayer on Dr. Oz (NBC show).  According to Dr. Oz, this sprayer is the healthiest version of cooking spray you’ll find. 

Why?  You use your own oil, of your own choosing – nothing else.  For my family, it’s pure canola oil or extra virgin olive oil.

HEALTHY, check.

That sent me on a mission to Super Target to price out cooking sprays and oils to determine the overall price-effectiveness of a refillable sprayer.

Little cutie pie

--The cost of canola oils ranged from $3.00-$5.00 for a large jug.

--The cost of olive oils ranged from $5.00-$7.00+ for a small/medium bottle.

--The cost of a can of canola oil spray ranged from $1.31-$2.24.

--The cost of a can of olive oil spray ranged from $1.58-$2.44.

Lori checked Wal-Mart Super Center for prices:

--Wal-Mart brand canola oil ranged from $2.58 -$6.24, depending on size.
--Wal-Mart brand olive oil ranged from $4.78-$20.28, depending on size.

Olive Oil is AFFORDABLE!

--The cost of a house brand of cooking spray ranged from $1.98-$2.18.

Lots of options, but costs TOO MUCH!

While on the surface the cost of the refillable sprayer is higher, in the long run, using a refillable sprayer is far more economical.  $10.00 will be matched with the purchase of a few cans of store spray.  The refillable sprayer used about ¼ to ½ cup of oil for one filling.  ½ cup of oil is a very small amount of even a small bottle of olive oil.  And you already have oil in your cupboard anyway.  Pennies on the dollar! 

CHEAPER, check.

MISTO, or others of its kind, comes WOM-recommended.