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Are We Raising Fashionistas Or Children?

So the question is are we raising fashionistas or children? First I want to say that I hate paying full price for my daughter's clothes. She is barely 11 months old and that first year their size it seems changes every other month. I dont agree nor disagree with the above shared blog however I am here to offer a happy medium. If I can save money I am on board.

So one of my favorite things to do is to take my daughter's clothes that she has grown out of to a store called Once Upon a Child. They take gently used childrens clothing and other items. I especially enjoy it when my budget for the month doesn't have room for extra spending money. This way I can get my shopping fix and my daughter some new clothes. They give you cash and/or store credit depending on the items. For more info visit ouac.com and find a store near you.
So I brought in box of clothes, shoes and a co-sleeper. They ended up taking 17 items and I got $20 to spend. Now if you use it that same day you don't have to pay sales tax. I live in Tennessee and I'm not sure how that works in other states. You would need to check with your nearest locaation. So here it goes, $20 to get a fall warobe for Loralye who will be 1 years old in October. Right now she has been wearing size 12 months so I got size 12 months to 24 months. The challenge is to get as many items for $20. So here it goes. I stayed within my budget or so I thought. I misread a price tag and went over by $1.50. Now because I went over I had to pay tax on the $1.50 which it then totaled to $1.65 that I had to pay out of pocket. Here is what I got for $20:

Faded Glory pink polka dot cotton pants $1.50

Garanimals cuffed jeggings $1.50

Toughskins black with silver hearts leggings $1.50

Garanimals turquoise stretch pants $1.50

Carter's purple cotton pants $1.50

Garanimals magenta cotton flared pants $1.50

Garanimals light pink stretch pants $1.50

Faded Glory heart print thermal shirt $1.50

Garanimals pink and brown striped Henley $1.50

Toughskins black and silver striped Henley with tulle bow accents $2.50

Garanimals light pink sweatshirt with bow print $1.50

Carter's pink fleece with polka dots $1.50

Carter's white fleece with multi color hearts snap-up hoody $2.50

Total $21.50, $-20 store credit equals $1.50 plus tax: $1.65 paid with cash. For all this I paid $1.65 out of pocket. That's 6 tops and 7 pairs of pants. Super excited... <3

My Favorite Summer Beauty Products

Here are my favorite summer beauty products.

1.) ELF Studio Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 $3

Good tinted moisturizer for summer especially since it has SPF. I like that it leaves a velvety smooth finish. I would recommend setting it with a mineral translucent powder.

2.) Pure Silk Shave Cream in Plumeria $1.88

So I usually get Satin Care Shave Gel, but I had a coupon for Pure Silk and decided to get it instead. Anything to save $$$. Lets just say that I LOVE this shave cream a 100 times butter. Its nice and creamy and smooth. I didn't cut or nick myself once.

3.) Suave Indulgent Body Wash in Toasted Vanilla and Sugar $1.93

Get squeaky clean with a simple body wash that smells like cupcakes...Yum!

4.) LA Looks Beachy Mega Waves Spray Gel $1.93

This spray works on dry and wet hair. Easy go-to product to get beach waves, plus it smells wonderful. Another bonus is it comes in a huge bottle and its only $1.93 at Walmart.

5.) Neutrogena All-in-One Acne Control Daily Scrub $5.97

Perfect to clean off the grit and grime of summer. I don't know about you guys but I spend alot of time outside during the summer months. This scrub is perfect for everyday use yet tough enough to get your face clean and smooth.

6.) Rimmel London Exaggerate Waterproof Eye Definer $3.97

Nice pigamented eyeliner that is waterproof perfect for long hot days. Never smudges.

Every girl needs....

Here is a haul from Walmart for girly products. I used coupons with all products to get the best price.

*Prices of products and coupons depend on your location. They can vary depending on where you live. Coupons can be obtained in Sunday paper and online.

1.) Suave Indulgent Body Wash $1.93. Used Save $0.75 off of one Suave body wash product. Final Price: $1.18.

2.) Ban deodorant stick in Shower Fresh $1.97. Used B1G1 on any Ban deodorant. Final Price: $1.97.

3.) U by Kotex pantyliners 18 ct $1.24. Used Save $1 on any U by Kotex product. Final Price: $0.24.

4.) Tampax Radiant 32 ct, comes with FREE Moodeez personal organizer $6.97. Used Save $2 on any Tampax Radiant product. Final Price: $4.97.

5.) Neutrogena All-in-1 Acne Control daily scrub $5.97. Used Save $1.50 on any Neutrogena facial/acne cleanser. Final Price: $4.47.
Total Price: $12.83
Total Savings: $7.88

Enjoy, share, and comment.
With love,
R

DIY Vanity Tray & Make-Up Brush Container

So here is another DIY project. This time I made a vanity tray and container for my make-up brushes.

Here is the page where I found the directions for the vanity tray. I bought some scrapbooking paper for $0.44 a sheet from Hobby Lobby and a cute picture frame for $2.50 from Dollar General. I put a sheet of scrapbooking paper in the photo frame and there is a vanity tray.

The container for the make-brushes I made with stuff from around the house. I used some leftover scrapbooking paper and cut it to size of the container I saved. I then used tack glue to glue the paper to the container. I then used some purple ribbon and cut it to size. I used doublesided tape to adhere to the container. I folded the end of the ribbon for a smooth finish.

Cute, low-cost and girly. *wink

Baby Cakes

So I always heard of diaper cakes and never thought much of them until I received one as a gift at my own baby shower last year. I love new DIY projects. I have made 2 diaper cakes so far, one for a boy and one for a girl.

I made fire truck and police car themed cake for the boy. I used Huggies Little Movers Jean edition size 2 diapers, wide red ribbon and thin blue ribbon. I used wooden accents (a police car and fire truck) as the focal point. I also added a cute plaid shirt as a topper. I added a pacifier and baby eating utensils. This was made for a family friend for her baby shower.

The girl diaper cake was made for my wonderful sister-in-law. The theme was princess ballerina and colors were pink and purple. I used Huggies Little Snugglers size 1 and 2 diapers. I used wide purple ribbon and thin pink ribbon with a floral like design. I used a princess crown and purple ballerina as the focal points, used a hot pink bow head band, 2 pacifiers, 2 pairs of socks rolled into flowers and each tier had a wooden base. I used a princess wand as a topper which also was used to hold the layers together. I used white tulle and pink streamer paper twister togther as "icing" to cover the top of diapers. I also hid mini size baby toileturies inside the layers. This was used as a center piece at the baby shower. Each cake took about 52 diapers.

See pictures attached.

5 Low Cost Baby Shower Gifts

I know its been a while since I have posted anything. I've been super busy. So here it goes, I'll be attending a baby shower at the end of the month and also being inspired by my own (back in September), I wanted to post a few baby shower gift ideas. I know that shopping for a gift for someone can be a challenge even when they have registered at a particular store. Here's a few ideas that are nice and will be used my mom and baby:

1.) Baby bath and lotion sets.
The good about these is that they don't expire and can be used for any age. They have premade sets such as the Johnson's Bedtime (about $11) or you can make your own. I know they also have a travel set that includes mini bottles, however, the diaper rash cream isn't in a tube, its more like a sample and once you open it there's no way to close it. I used mine once and ended up getting it everywhere.

2.) Blankets.
You can never have too many blankets whether its receiving blankets, fuzzy blankets, etc. You will use them constantly for everything such as a changing mat, burp cloth, or just to cover up baby. Blankets are a must.

3.) Pacifiers.
I registered for these but no one bought them. I ended up getting them myself. I would look at the mom's registry for the specific brand she wants.You know that these will be used.

4.) Diapers and wipes.
We all know these will get used. I know when I had my shower I got a bunch of diapers and wipes,  it was nice to have a mini stockpile.

5.) Sleepers.
A pack of sleepers is nice also. My favorite is made by Gerber. I got them as a gift. It was a pack of 3 and they zipped instead of snaps. Makes it a lot easier during those late night diaper changes.

Hoped you enjoyed my top 5 low cost baby shower gifts.