More Style Than Cash

How to Make a Wine Glass Lamp

By Ingrid Talpak on May 21, 2013 1:18 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

I designed these little Wine Glass Lamps because there have been many times where I need a temporary light that I wanted to look pretty.

If I am hosting a party I don't want long hallways or unused rooms to be dark so placing these little lamps about gives the right amount of light.

Wine Glass Lamps are also useful if you are hosting a party outside but want light to show the way to the powder room or kitchen. Here I am showing it on a buffet table.

They are based on the idea of making wine glasses into candles but these can be placed out unattended without the fear of fire since they are electric.

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Make Beaded Bubble Wands

By Ingrid Talpak on May 15, 2013 3:24 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

What could be more wonderful to blow bubbles with than a beaded bubble wand.

This could be a great craft for a birthday party and a kids group.

The decoration is simply placing whatever fabulous beads you have around onto a wire bubble wand that is very simple to make.

Make several and let the kids go wild with them. Everyone will have their favorite and these are inexpensive enough to make that you can let them go home with them.

A beaded bubble wand is a great way to start off spring.

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How to Sew a Fold Up Shopping Bag - Free Pattern

By Ingrid Talpak on May 14, 2013 4:29 PM | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

I designed this fold up shopping bag several years ago but wasn't able at the time to give a free PDF of the pattern.

I now have a free pattern to share with you which makes sewing the nifty little fold up shopping bag a breeze.

Once you have made one you will be addicted and find yourself quickly making them for gifts.

I have made several which I keep in my glove compartment of my car so I never have to pay for plastic bags if I decide to do a quick shopping trip.

The best thing about making your own fold up shopping bags is that you can personalize the fabric to what suits you.

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Childhood Photos of Mother for Mother's Day

By Ingrid Talpak on May 8, 2013 4:20 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

For Mother's Day many moms will say that they don't want anything. But it is the thought that counts and you want to get them something memorable. Something that will put a smile on her face.

You know that mom has a houseful of photos of the family when you were all little, but does she have any photos out of herself when she was a child?

As kids we think of our mothers as always being a grown up and forgetting that they had a childhood as well. This Mother's Day why not give her a framed photo of herself when she was a child in the acknowledgement that her childhood was important as well.

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Mother's Day Tablescape

By Ingrid Talpak on May 6, 2013 8:45 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

What nicer way of treating Mom than to give her a special lunch or dinner. While flowery and sweet designs are nice if your mother has a bit more sophisticated tastes then she might want something rather more elegant a little less frilly.

This is a simple but elegant tablescape that was designed around the purple grape hyacinths that grow rampant through my garden in the spring. (These flowers were actually cut from my front lawn where they had escaped the confines of the garden.)

With touches of blue/purple and gold this tablescape has a regal feel to it.

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Mother's Day - Small Victorian Flower Cards - Printable

By Ingrid Talpak on May 3, 2013 12:44 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

These free printable small Victorian flower cards were designed from Victorian calling cards.

These beautiful little cards are the perfect finishing touch on a gift for Mother's Day, a Bridal Shower or even for Valentine's Day.

They are very feminine and delicate looking. If you have decorative scissors you could give them a fancy edge.

Placed on a white package with a red bow the cards really stand out. For a great shiny white paper use children's Finger Painting Paper and for instructions on how to make this bow go here.

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Mother's Day Wrapping Paper - Printable

By Ingrid Talpak on May 1, 2013 4:07 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

Wrapping paper for Mother's Day can be expensive if you just need a little piece to wrap up something small.

Here is a free printable wrapping paper that I designed from an antique calling card. It is a sweet image of a hand holding two blue birds surrounded by roses.

For more color print this out on colored paper. I used yellow and pink paper and the design looks lovely on both.

This free printable wrapping paper is a perfect way to finish off a Mother's Day gift.

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Easter Egg Dye Note Cards

By Ingrid Talpak on March 12, 2013 10:00 AM | 1 Comment | 0 TrackBacks

You finished coloring your Easter Eggs and you still have all that marvelous dye left over and you are feeling creative.

Why not have some fun with paper and make these very cute Easter Egg Dye Note Cards?

They are fun and easy to make and adds a bit more creativity to your Easter. Depending on the colors of your dyes they might be subtle and pretty or bold and striking.

Wrap them up with a bow and add some envelopes and they make a great little gift.

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Organizing Your Games - The Ultimate Organizing Guide - Day 30

By Ingrid Talpak on January 30, 2013 12:33 PM | 1 Comment | 0 TrackBacks

Everyone enjoys a good game. It might be cards or a board game or (more likely nowadays) playing video games with friends.

Some of the great board games were invented years ago. Monopoly was patented in the 1933, Yahtzee in 1954 and The Game of Life in 1960 based on a game Milton Bradley invented in 1860.

Favorite card games are now easy to play on the computer with strangers as your opponents.

Even Facebook has games that you can spend hours playing (even when you should be doing something else).

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Organizing Your Electronics and Gizmos- The Ultimate Organizing Guide - Day 29

By Ingrid Talpak on January 29, 2013 12:30 PM | 1 Comment | 0 TrackBacks

Roughly 100 years ago people began to hear of amazing devices that were being developed. Electricity for the home, radio and airplanes were a few of the inventions on the horizon. They were amazed at what was being produced and wondered at what modern science would invent next.

The technology that we have in our homes and so easily take for granted would have astounded them. Now we don't know what the next new thing will be because once again technology is moving fast.

Because it is changing so quickly what you had paid top dollar for a few years ago might now be considered outdated technology. It would be great to keep up but it would be foolish to buy the next newest toy every few months, you would be broke.

You need to take an inventory of the technology in your home.

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Starting on the Paper Work & Budget - Organizing Your Home Office - The Ultimate Organizing Guide - Day 28

By Ingrid Talpak on January 28, 2013 8:32 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

It is almost impossible to not have an office in your home these days even if you do not run a business or have to bring your work home.

Even to do simple correspondence with family and friends when you are sending out birthday and holiday cards means you have to have some sort of writing area.

Add to that the paper work you need for settling your bills, filing warranties, tax papers, medical information and legal documents and the paper keeps piling up.

You have to think carefully where you are keeping all these papers

Continue reading Starting on the Paper Work & Budget - Organizing Your Home Office - The Ultimate Organizing Guide - Day 28.

Organizing Your Crafting - The Ultimate Organizing Guide - Day 27

By Ingrid Talpak on January 27, 2013 8:40 PM | 1 Comment | 0 TrackBacks

I wrote about scrap booking yesterday which many people have as a craft hobby. Crafting is an extremely popular way that many people spend their spare time and even make money from.

If you enjoy making things then there is a world of crafting out there for you to explore. As most of it requires that you buy some type of specialty supplies or equipment the cost of it can pile up very quickly and so can the space that it uses.

It use to be that crafts were considered to be a inexpensive hobby that would save people money but now craft stores are filled with all sorts of fun and expensive things to buy.

Your crafting hobbies can take over your house.

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Organizing Your Photos - The Ultimate Organizing Guide - Day 26

By Ingrid Talpak on January 26, 2013 12:47 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

There was a time were estimates could easily be made about how many photographs had been taken since the invention of the camera (in the billions). Now with cameras in cellphones and digital technology all estimates are strictly guess work (in the trillions....every year?)

While a lot of photos that are taken these days were never meant to last the long haul you do have some pictures that mean a great deal to you that you want to make sure stay safe.

With it being so easy to take pictures and download them onto you your computer many people are falling behind actually printing out these photos and if the computer is damaged they have lost the pictures forever.

How do you start organizing all your photos?

Continue reading Organizing Your Photos - The Ultimate Organizing Guide - Day 26.

Organizing Your Family Room and Living Room Work - The Ultimate Organizing Guide - Day 25

By Ingrid Talpak on January 25, 2013 6:32 AM | 1 Comment | 0 TrackBacks

We are half way through the 50 Day Organizational series! Today we are going to inventory your Family Room/Living Room.

Generally most people use this room to socialize with their family and it might have a television in it, shelving for books and scrap books, maybe a stereo system, piano and if your children are very young it might be strewn with toys.

If you have a larger home you might have a secondary family room in the basement that many people call a rec room. Often these mimic the upstairs family room but are more child friendly and have large televisions.

Are you using your Family Room/Living Room to it's full potential?

Continue reading Organizing Your Family Room and Living Room Work - The Ultimate Organizing Guide - Day 25.

Organizing the Front Hallway Closet - The Ultimate Organizing Guide - Day 24

By Ingrid Talpak on January 24, 2013 6:39 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

For the amount we need and use our front closets they really should be the size of a small stadium.

Unfortunately most homes have a hall closet the size of well.... a closet. When you're running out the front door in the morning you just want to have the ability to grab what ever you need and go. If you have a large family that means everyone is jostling to get out and coats, shoes, boots, backpacks are mixed up together.

There might be other things that you want handy by your front door and the hall closet seems like the obvious place for them.

Is it possible to get everything you want in there?

Continue reading Organizing the Front Hallway Closet - The Ultimate Organizing Guide - Day 24.