More Style Than Cash

25 Cheap Fun Ideas to Make Your Child's Birthday Special

By Ingrid Talpak on July 2, 2012 5:00 AM | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

Birthdays! The best days of a child's life.

How do you celebrate the occasions without spending a ton of money?

Ask any adult and they will tell you that their best birthdays growing up had nothing to do with what they got but how they were celebrated.

Parties are great for kids but you want to have other ways to make your little ones birthdays special.

I have 25 ideas of how you can make your children's birthdays super memorable while still making it very easy on your wallet.

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How to Cut and Peel a Peach

By Ingrid Talpak on June 29, 2012 5:00 AM | 1 Comment | 0 TrackBacks

Is there any other fruit that has so many saying regarding it?

She's a Georgia peach, pretty as a peach, peaches and cream complexion.

While peaches are delicious their skin can cut tender mouths and for very young children it is best to peel them.

Peeling peaches is actually quite easy if you know the trick.

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Canada Day Tablescape

By Ingrid Talpak on June 25, 2012 5:00 AM | 6 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

If you are getting ready to have a lunch or dinner on Canada Day here are a few ideas that you can use to really make it pop!

Our family's Canada Day includes a Canada Day Parade, usually a swim when we get home and dinner in the gazebo.

With Canada's colors being red and white it is easy to pull together a fun patriotic table.

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How to Wrap a Bouquet of Flowers

By Ingrid Talpak on June 22, 2012 5:00 AM | 3 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

There are times when you have a garden full of flowers you want to share the beauty with friends and family.

While you could just roll them in newspaper you know that there is a nicer way of doing it.

Learning the same tricks that the florist do to wrap your flowers when you give them as gifts will make your flowers seem extra special.

This also comes in very handy when you can buy your flowers at discounted prices but there is no presentation to them.

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Flag Print for the 4th of July - Printable

By Ingrid Talpak on June 20, 2012 5:00 AM | 3 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

Here is a vintage print showing the different flags of America for you to print.

This is a wonderful bright print that you can incorporate in your 4th of July decorations.

It would look lovely framed with small flags on either side.

You could place this print on your buffet table for added color.

So how old is this print?

Well if you count the number of stars on the Stars and Stripes you should be able to figure it out.

The other flags in the print included the Yacht Ensign, Naval Dispatch Revenue Pennant, United States Mail and Admiral's Flag.

(More Style Than Cash will not appear on your print)

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How to Sew Bunting for Canada Day Decorations

By Ingrid Talpak on June 18, 2012 5:00 AM | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

I thoroughly enjoy decorating the outside of our home for Canada Day.

Bunting use to be a very popular way to decorate and if you look through old picture of England, America and Canada during patriotic celebrations, houses and business where typically decorated with them.

The name bunting actually referred to the type of fabric that was used for the draped and flag buntings. I use nylon material so it can withstand the weather.

This is a fun project that you will be able to display with pride every year.

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Making Ice Shapes for Summer Entertaining

By Ingrid Talpak on June 15, 2012 5:00 AM | 1 Comment | 0 TrackBacks

Cold ice is a luxury that many of us just don't appreciate until we are in the middle of a scorching hot day and can't get any.

While most of us take ice for granted ice has only been available to the masses since about the 1920's when household refrigerators and freezers became popular.

While ice was available before this time it was pricey, the cost was more expensive than some meat and dairy products.

With our modern fridges and freezers ice is easy for us to make so why not use ice in interesting ways when you are entertaining during the heat of the summer.

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Easy Summer Backpack to Sew

By Ingrid Talpak on June 13, 2012 5:00 AM | 3 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

This backpack pattern is so simple to sew you can make one up in less than an hour.

I use to send my kids to swimming lessons with these backpacks as they were small enough to fit on their backs but large enough to hold their beach towels, brushes, bathing suits and other bits and pieces that they needed.

As I always made mine from cotton they were simple to throw in the wash (after removing the cords) to get rid of the chlorine smell from their wet bathing suits.

These can be used for all different purposes for kids, filled with what they need to go off to day camp, bible camp or off to friends for an afternoon.

Of course these are ideal for yourself during the summer when you want a fun bag instead of a purse.

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Aberfoyle Antique Market

By Ingrid Talpak on June 11, 2012 12:28 PM | 3 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

One of the great things about summer is the open air antique markets that you get to visit for amazing bargains.

In my neck of the woods the oldest and best has to be, by far, the Aberfoyle Antique Market.

It has been up and running since 1961 and has over 100 dealers on 20 acres of land.

The bargains can be unbelievable but you do have to hunt for them.

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Crowns for Father's Day - Printable

By Ingrid Talpak on June 8, 2012 5:00 AM | 1 Comment | 0 TrackBacks

Dad is King of the castle and here is a printable just for him.

Great to use on Father's Day either to wrap up his gift, make a card from or cut out one of the crowns and place it on a photo of him.

This vintage print shows the crowns of the British Monarchs from William the Conqueror to the Imperial state crown which is now in the Tower of London.

There are 15 crowns on this print and many of them are now lost. The images where taken from portraits of the various monarchs.

The only crown worn by a woman is number 7 which graced the head of Queen Elizabeth 1.

(More Style Than Cash will not appear on your printable.)

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Five Easy Cocktail Garnishes to Spiff Up Your Style

By Ingrid Talpak on June 6, 2012 5:44 AM | 3 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

Why is it that adding just a little something to a cocktail changes it from ho-hum to fabulous.

Don't get intimidated and think that you need a degree in mixology to make a stunning cocktail.

You just need to know what you can pair with what, and, with a cocktail skewer and a few ingredients, you can be wowing you guest at your next party. Of course you can make these for mocktails as everyone enjoys a fancy drink.

Here are 10 simple but stunning cocktail garnishes for you to try

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How to Arrange Flowers with Flower Frogs

By Ingrid Talpak on June 4, 2012 5:17 AM | 4 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

Flower frogs are a wonderful flower arranging tool that are easy to find in antique shops and antique malls.

Modern florist use floral foam, a spongy type substance that retains water and is porous enough to push flower stems into but it can become pricey to use this at home since they are a one time use only product.

Flower frogs are made from metal, glass and ceramic and can be used indefinitely.

While they might look a little complicated they are very easy to use.

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How to Make a Gift Wrap Bow from a Map

By Ingrid Talpak on May 30, 2012 12:07 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

There is a time where the ordinary gift wrap bow just looks right on top of a gift. Standard and classic they have a retro-vibe to them and look great on modern papers.

While you can buy them from almost anywhere they are incredibly easy to make from one strip of paper.

The neat thing about making your own gift bows is that you can make it from almost any type of paper or ribbon.

I really like making them from old maps as I use maps to wrap all the time. Follow these easy instructions to make this traditional bow.

(The designer Kate Spade made these bows from vibrant colored leather a few years ago and used them as shoe bows - just add shoe clips.)

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25 Things My Mother Taught Me

By Ingrid Talpak on May 29, 2012 5:00 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

My daughter will be going off to university this September and I keep wondering if I have told her everything she needs to know.

Like my mother and grandmother before me I seem to be a fountain of constant information, so she tells me and yes, she has heard this all before.

Quite frankly it is what mothers do, try to make sure that their kids are prepared for when they leave the nest.

Here are 25 things that I had learned from my mother that will always stay with me and I think helped me deal with life.

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20 Travel Tips for Europe

By Ingrid Talpak on May 24, 2012 3:52 PM | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks

Traveling can be a great pleasure and there are so many interesting places to see in the world. Europe is one of my favorite destinations as every region, let alone country, is so diverse.

If you are off to Europe for the first time you might be a bit nervous about different languages, customs and what is accepted behavior.

Here are 20 travel tips to help you smooth your way.

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