Mommy Chronicles: DIY First Aid Kit

Since becoming a Mom, it's been super duper important for me to make sure that I'm fully equipped should my little man and I find ourselves in the midst of a 'boo boo' situation. 

So I was beyond ecstatic to be able to team up with Influenster and create my very own first aid kit using the Neosporin To Go (#NeoReady #contest) product that was included in my #TLCVoxBox.

Neosporin Neo To Go! is a convenient no touch, no sting spray that fits anywhere to give you infection protection, plus pain relief, on the go. It is specially designed for one-handed use and is great for your purse, kitchen, desk, workshop, golf, gym or travel bag.

I love the convenience of this portable antiseptic. Its small, lightweight packaging make it easy for me to attach to my key ring and carry along with me at all times.

Here are some other things that I put in my kit to make it complete. Of course, I'm probably forgetting some of the most important stuff but this will do for now as things can easily be added or taken away at a moments notice. This kit will be kept in my diaper bag/purse so its easily accessible if needed.

If you have any suggestions as to things I may be able to add, please feel free to comment below. And if you're a Mommy on the go who has yet to create your first aid kit-what are you waiting for?

Thanks for reading!!

Savin' Maven: DIY Photoshoot

As soon as I had my LO, I knew I would be taking lots of pics of him. I'm talking every day lots. If he could talk right now I'm sure he would have a few choice words for me. Mommy snaps pics whenever the urge arises-during sleep, during poops, during nursing, during bath time. I even play dress up with him and have real photo shoots. Because sometimes it's just not financially feasible to take him to the portrait studio. Sometimes you want your photos to look a little less 'planned' with a lot more personality and character.

Last week I shared some tips on how to save money on family portraits in this post. However, if you're super frugal like me and you have somewhat of a knack for photography and creativity this post is just for you.

Since I take pictures of my LO so frequently I wanted to try my hand at some Valentine's Day shots-a little more fun and personable than the family portraits we recently took at JC Penny's and a helluva lot cheaper.

I purchased my LO's outfits from Target just after Christmas. They weren't on sale or clearance but I love the Carter's brand so much that I was willing to pay full price for them.

Next I visited my local Dollar Tree for some cutesie Valentine's Day decor that would make for some decent background props. I ended up with these glittery hearts...

and this heart themed ribbon...

Since my LO isn't quite sitting up on his own yet, I placed him in a little pail that I found on clearance at WalMart a couple of years ago. 

Add the props and the baby and viola...

A super easy and successful photo session for all of 2 bucks. You can visit my Instagram page to see the final product after editing with photo apps. I had a great time doing this with my lil man and I'm sure he enjoyed the bonding time as well. 

I hope this will prove to be resourceful to some of you. 

Thanks for reading! 

XOXOXOXO

Savin' Maven: DIY Valentine's Day Mail

Hello my loves.

Listen, I know I'm late as hell; please forgive me as I'm still trying to get accustomed to life with a newborn. Its like my days are literally stuck on fast forward. Seriously though, every waking moment that I have is spent on my lil one. 

I did however want to stop by today to share a quick,  easy, and fairly inexpensive holiday DIY project with you all. This project can really be done for any occasion bit since my family just recently had Valentine's Day pictures taken we will roll with that. 

Alls you need are some fancy scissors, a few pieces of solid color printing paper, and some washi tape.

I started by searching for a nice quote online and creating a Publisher document that would allow me  to print several of them on one sheet. i decided upon a nice quote about friends and family and since it's Valentine's Day I chose red paper.

Next,  I used the fancy scissors to cut the 'quote cards' out. All of the scissor designs were so pretty.  I ended up going with the 'Sculptured' pair for nice, frilly edge. 

I added washi tape to the outside of the envelopes just for character. After using my coupon the tape was almost free, $.05, from Target. I figured this was a great way to use it.

So there you have it-a quick and easy way to spruce up your holiday mail. By the way,  I love how great our family portraits came out. The JCPenny's portrait studio did an awesome job. See how we saved a ton of money on them by viewing this post. 

Until next time-thanks reading!

XOXOXOXOXO

Savin' Maven Monday: DIY Washi Tape Makeup Jars

Hello and Happy Monday my loves. 

I know it's been a while...(sticks hand out for you to pop)! I've been a horrible blogger but I promise I've been doing productive things.

I've gotten my little man registered at yet another store and I've really been working on preparing for a stockpile yard sale that I will be participating in with my mother this weekend.  I was also able to attend a Baby Expo at my local Convention center over the weekend and I learned a wealth of information so I'm really thankful for that. 

I had mentioned in a previous post that I had my blog business all planned out for the month of September. And, I DID. It's just that life happened and I got a little sidetracked but this is one of the many posts that I had planned for the month.

I've really been in the mood to create and do some DIY projects so today I'm sharing with you just that.

I saw this wonderful DIY on I Spy DIY a while ago and I thought it was soooo fun and creative. 

DIY Washi Tape Votives

Most importantly I knew it would be inexpensive and quick so it was right up my alley.

Over the years, I've really become a hoarder of all things-especially these jars which once held pickles, pasta sauce, etc.
 

I couldn't muster the strength to throw them away because I was convinced that there was something I could use them for.

So when I went into my bathroom and found this underneath my sink, I had the perfect idea.

 

Believe it or not, I'm not even a huge makeup wearer! But I do have a really weird obsession with purchasing lip glosses, lipsticks, lip butters, and the like. I don't know what it is but I can't seem to keep myself away from these things. 

Anywho, I felt that this makeup situation was a little too unorganized and it needed a bit of taming. Besides, these flat bins took up too much of my space. So I came up with what I thought was the perfect idea for up cycling my old jars when I got this washi tape for free while couponing a couple of months ago.

I really loved the great colors that I found. The patterns together with the solid actually made for a great combination. 

I put these together while watching an episode of Oprah's Lifeclass so it didn't take me long to finish at all.

I'm really digging how they turned out too.
 

And even after I filled all 5 of them up to the brim, I still had more makeup left. Needless to say, I will either be hosting another giveaway in the near future or attempting to sell what remains.
 

I'm thoroughly pleased that I was able to take some ordinary materials and create something unique and creative for little to no cost out of pocket. Now I'm scrambling around my house trying to see what other items I can use to craft with.

What types of things do you like to up cycle around your home?

I can't wait to hear from you.

Thanks for being such faithful readers.

Savin' Maven Monday: DIY Jeweled Heels

Happy Monday my loves.

I hope everyone had an amazing weekend. Mine was actually very productive. I was able to post some new things in my boutique, Miss Rockwells Racks, as well as work on a DIY project that I've had saved in my Pinterest folder for a while.

 When I found these jeweled heels (originally pinned from Boss Chicks) I immediately died.

I knew I had to recreate. And that I did. 

Here's what I used to create my very own.

**Colored Pumps (on clearance for $9 from Target)

**Assorted Acrylic Jewels

**Glue Gun

That's it.

Let me first warn you that these pictures are crap with a capital C! I had to take them with my phone because my honey and I swapped the big boy camera for the weekend so he could get some filming done. 

Anyhow these are the jewels that I decided to use. 

There really was no rhyme or reason to that went into the design process here. I totally winged it and the shoes came out like so....

This was by far thee easiest DIY ever. 

Just pick out the jewels.Glue.And wait for them to dry.

I'm actually in love with how they turned out. These pics don't do the shoes any justice at all but you will most definitely get a better view of them when I style them. 

Pinterest is hella amazing for giving me so much inspiration. You should totally follow me.

And stay tuned for more super easy and frugal DIY projects.

Thanks for reading!

Friday Favorites: Vol #29

Hello and Happy Friday to you my loves. It's been such a while since I've done Friday Favorites here on the blog. It started out as a weekly feature, however, I've indefinitely decided to do it on a monthly basis.

 

If you're a first time visitor here, Friday Favorites is just a round up of some of my favorite things that I've captured with my smartphone.

 

Here goes.

 

This pearl bow necklace is my all time favorite. I've worn it sooo much since purchasing it from Wet Seal a couple of years ago. I love when they have their B1G1 for a penny accessory sales.

 

 

Currently swooning over these Target dresses in addition to the remainder of their Spring collection. It's to die for!!

 

 

This amazing skeleton sweatshirt I found at Walmart for $1. Great pieces can obviously be purchased anywhere. And even though the skeleton has a Christmas hat on, I will definitely be styling this sucker during the upcoming cool Spring nights.

 

 

OMG. I'm not sure if you all are following my FB page but I posted about this deal there. On President's Day, Value City Furniture was giving away FREE $25 gift cards!! How sweet is that!? If you're not following me, please go NOW so you can stay updated on all great deals and FREEBIES.

 

I got this book from the library to help me with my taxes. I got a similar book last year and completed my 2011 return all by myself. Why would I pay someone else to do it when I can do it along. Clearly the info has been placed in the book for a reason.

 

Goodies from Goodwill.

 

Giving myself an at home pedi to cut the cost of having to go to the nail shop.

 

Weekend DIY projects. View my latest denim patch TShirt in this post.

 

This month's mag swag. All of these mags were absolutely FREE. Again, follow my FB page (link located in the right sidebar) for updates on the great deals.

 

 

Spending a whole weekend celebrating my girlfriends bday. I love me some her.

 

 

These Arturo Chiang riding boots that I keep obsessing over.

 

Date nights with my honey are always a plus. We saw the movie Snitch with The Rock and as fine as he was (The Rock) we only gave it a 7.5/10 rating tough.

 

Details from my 'Just Me and Proenza' outfit post. I'm such a sucker for good deets.

 

Last but not least, some of the items that have sold from my online boutique, Miss Rockwells Racks. Please go over and visit as I post new things each week. You may also get first dibs on the new items by following my Instagram page.

 

I love great selling weeks. The PO workers officially know my name now!!

 

 

What were some of your favorite things this week?

 

I can't wait to hear from you.

 

Thanks for reading.

XOXOXOXOXO