Everyday Paper

There are some projects that don't justify printing on photo paper, but I would still like printed on something better than copy paper. That's when I turn to HP Everyday Matte Photo Paper (I used to use PrintWorks Everyday Matte Photo Paper, but haven't been able to find it lately).

They are both a little thicker than your normal paper, and the print is much better, and the cost (because I am super cheap) is pretty reasonable too! You can print on both sides, and I find it is perfect for calenders, invites, handouts--basically anything others will be seeing. The prints are clear and crisp and the matte finish is unpretentious, so others will notice the awesomeness of your work and not be distracted by the shininess!

Drawer Organizers

The best investment we have made recently are these drawer organizers from IKEA. With a newborn in the house, our son's dresser just became a dresser for 2. Which means we went from 4 drawers for the one, down to 2 drawers each.

The drawer organizer allows me to fit all pants, socks, pajamas, underwear, and swimsuits in 1 drawer for the oldest while keeping it orderly. I just added them to the newborn's drawer, changing it from a pile of jammies and onesies, to one I can find things in. He (the newborn) is only allowed one drawer as well. The drawer organizers gave me room to keep pajamas, clothes, onesies, socks, and burp cloths all their own compartment.

With everything in it's proper spot it is easy to send the husband to retrieve a new onesie and pajamas during the middle of the night blow outs. And that may be the best part.

With each boy only using 1 drawer, I can keep blankets in one, and in the other I keep sheet sets for both the crib and the twin bed as well as clothes they don't quite fit in yet.

I also put these in the husbands drawer, keeping his black and blue socks seperated has been a lifesave Sunday mornings.

At $9.99 they are an inexpensive way to take control of a choatic drawer.

Martha Stewart: Crafts

I have a love-hate relationship with Martha. When I heard that her new line of craft products had hit the shelves at Michaels I thought I should take a look to see what all the fuss was about. There were different reviews, some thought it was fantastic, others thought it was nervy of her to waltz into the crafting scene with her own line. I wanted to form my own opinion.

Her stuff is great. It is stuff that is rarely found in small-ish towns. These towns have very limited resources, but are lucky enough to have a Michael's. The products on the shelves were (I'm speculating) products that were developed to match ideas shown in her magazines and TV show. Her cute labels, boxes, adorable ribbon, and punches make it easier for the common person to pull off a "Martha" project. The price you pay for "Martha" does cost a little more.

Does this take the crafting out of Martha Stewart:Crafts? There are kits you can buy to make featured products. For $19.99 you can buy the materials (tissue paper and wire) to make 7 (3 large and 4 medium sized) of Martha's pom poms. Each pom pom requires 8 sheets of tissue paper.Being the cheap person I am, I am think, "I can buy tissue paper and wire for less than that". So I start on my hunt for tissue paper.

Conveniently located just below the pom pom kits are packages of Martha tissue paper. 6 sheets for $2.99, hmm 6 sheets? That means I will have to buy about 2 packs for every pom pom I intend to make. Or, for 7 pom poms I will need to buy 10 packs of her tissue paper (10x6=60, 10x 2.99=$29.90).

Not satisfied with that I keep looking.

My looking takes me to Target. At Target I find packs of tissue paper with 20 sheets per pack, for $1.99. I buy 3.

Here's the math:
3x1.99=$5.97
3x30=60 sheets

Now that is more like it! I am planning on using wire twist ties (which I already have) for the wire part of the pom poms.

Martha's stuff is wonderful, but I found comparable stuff--located in the same store for less money.

Stick to using her ideas, but you may want to shop around for the materials!

Sara Blakely

Most of you are probably familiar with an Oprah favorite, Spanx. But did you know that Sara Blakely has a similar line called Assets carried exclusively at Target? I saw them tonight while shopping. Assets price tag is a little lower than Spanx and I imagine a little easier to locate now at Target.

I think the inventor Sara Blakely is an amazing person and I think her story of starting Spanx is amazing, as well as what she is doing now that they are a hit.

Auto Sun Shade

We drive a black car with gray leather seats, which means it gets super hot. Last year I was feeling really bad about having a baby in the back seat facing rear, so I tracked down this site.

I felt like a much better parent because the sun wasn't shining directly into his face and they kept our car much cooler.

You can see through it, much like a little SpongeBob shade that you can buy at your local *Mart, but these are big enough to cover the entire back window without the little character decoration (of which I am not a fan). They are retractable, which is a nice feature, although not one I use daily.

This winter we had it down and I was beginning to think that it was going to be a purchase I would regret making, now that he is in a forward facing seat.

But a few weeks ago I pulled the thing up and we are all enjoying a car that is a few degrees cooler!

Lotion

Suave has a new line of lotions out called Exhale. Since it was only a couple dollar for a bottle I decided to give it a try.

Not the richest lotion I've ever used, but I love the scent. Some scented lotions make me feel like I am exuding the scent, and that I don't like, but this doesn't. It is a light scent that I quite enjoy.

For a couple bucks its worth it. Maybe not as the solution for dry skin, but for the scent.

I have the Lavender Vanilla, but had a hard time deciding between it and Juicy Tangerine. Oh, the Lime Verbena was good too.