Organize It

It's that time. Decide on a goal and give it a go for a month or so. ;) Anyone else picking organizing this time around? Getting the clutter under control is a big task here are a bunch of cool ways to organize it. If you follow me on Pinterest you may recognize these. ;)

1. Cleaning Supplies

Tension rod under the sink {source}

Shoe caddy on the back of the door {source}

2. Jewelry

Hardware Handles {Liz Marie Blog}

Rake {Ilovemyapartment.com}

Peg Board {Button Bird Designs}

Ice Cube Trays {Bead Up}

Cutlery Tray {MiniManor}

Shower Curtain Hooks {This Bird Can Sing}

3. Shoes

Crown Molding {pinterest source}

Ladder {Home Made Simple}

Crates {The Berry}

Trash Cans {Minor Details}

Cardboard tubes (fabric holding or cement molding tubes?) {Reino Selvagem}

Wire hangers for flip flops or flats {Epbot}

Skirt hangers for boots{Organizing Made Fun}

Alternating direction to make more fit {Cupcakes and Cashmere}

4. Gift Wrap

Ceiling {Flickr}

Ikea Grocery Bag Holders {GALL-ERRY}

Back of Door with Ikea products {Brooklyn Limestone}

5. Makeup & Hair

Magnetic Organizers {Martha Stewart}

Make-up Magnet Board {Laura Thoughts}

PVC Curling Iron Holsters {The Family Handyman}

Magnet Strips for bobby pins, tweezers, clippers, etc.{Superwoman}

For more amazing organizing ideas visit my "Organize It!" board on pinterest or some of our other organization posts:

-DIY Jewelry Organizer for the back of a door


-Earring Holder

-Paper Organization

-8 ways to Organize for $1 or less

-Purse Organization

-Upcycled Window Task Board

-Key Hanger

-How to Freeze Meat to stack nicely and defrost quickly

Happy New Year and good luck with you organization projects!

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Top 11 Posts of 2011

I thought it would be fun to re-cap the year with the top 11 posts of 2011 according to your views and comments. Here they are!

1. Ruching Refashion

2. Frosted Mirror

3. Once there was a Snowman, Snowman, Snowman...

4. Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree

5. Book Shelves

6. Make Earring Holder

7. Dominos {Giant Style}

8. Making Fabric Flowers

9. Smores Recipe

10. Phone Book Wreath

11. Paper Mache Eggs

Thanks for making 2011 a great year! I look forward to sharing more with you in 2012!

And a big shout out to our top five blog referrers! All great sites, check them out!

Sugardoodle

Sister's Stuff

Ucreate

Tip Junkie

I Share Crafts

Linking up with:

Tatertots & Jello

Top Projects of 2011 Party at Southern Hospitality
Top Ten Linky Party at Someday Crafts

Favorite post of 2011 at Home Stories A2Z

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New Years Eve

Hi everyone, I'm Angie and I'm really excited to be guest posting for Michelle!

I blog over at Burton Avenue where I love to share simple and inexpensive craft projects. I especially love all things vinyl! I have been blogging almost 4 years, but never really liked sharing craft projects on our family blog. So, earlier this year, Burton Avenue began.

I have been married for 10 years and we have 6 cute little kiddies (9 years and under). They keep me busy! I love blogging because it gives me a chance to take a break from the day to day tasks of being a mom and keeps my creative juices flowing.

With only a week between Christmas and the new year, there isn't much time left to decorate for a New Year's Eve bash. No worries, because I've got a project that's quick and easy and is sure to add some pizazz to your party.

I'm going to show you how to make this cute balloon topiary.

Here is what you will need:

12 - Small Balloons (I used 5" balloons)

16" Dowel (painted to match your color scheme)

Styrofoam

Small Vase

Marbles, Shreds, or other Filler for the Vase

Foil Sheets (optional)

Star Sprays (optional)

First, inflate the balloons (try to make them the same size). Tie the necks of two balloons together and repeat until you have six groups.

Next, place one group over another group. Lock the two together by twisting the necks around each other.

Repeat with a third group, there should now be six balloons in this cluster. Do the same with remaining groups, so you end up with two big clusters (each with 6 balloons).

Now, put the two clusters together and twist the necks of a couple balloons around each other. You will end up with a ball that looks like this. You can move the balloons around until the colors and shape look good. I hope that all made sense (it's way easier than it sounds).

Set that aside for a bit and let's start on the base. Stick your dowel into a piece of styrofoam and place it in the bottom of your vase. You may need to glue it down to keep it from tipping. Add marbles or other decorative items to fill the vase.

Place the top of the dowel in the center of your balloon cluster. You don't need to glue it, just twist a couple of balloons around it to keep it in place.

It's cute and simple like this, but I like to dress it up a bit more. Tuck some ribbon into the center of the cluster and wrap it loosely around the dowel a few times. Tie down the other end with another piece of ribbon and then make a bow.

Cut 5-6" squares from foil sheets or tissue paper and stick between the balloons. Repeat all over the ball and fluff until it looks good.

Finally, for some more color, add a cute star spray to the base.

Isn't it fun and festive?

And, since balloons come in so many different colors, you can make a topiary to match any party decor!

Thanks, Michelle for inviting me! I hope you all enjoyed this tutorial and will come over and visit me at Burton Avenue.

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Isn't Angie great?! This is a totally fun idea for a New Year's celebration. You could even disassemble it at the end of the party and let the kids pop the balloons as party to ring in the New Year! Thanks Angie for such a cute idea!

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All Partied Out

We know you all have enough parties to attend during Christmas time so we'll be taking party break during the holidays. But please come back January 4th for a whole new year of DIY Under $5!

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The winner of the Thanksgiving Point Annual Family Pass is....

cameo said...
I follow A Little Tipsy.

Please contact me at tipsyblog@gmail.com by Tuesday, December 27th to claim your prize.

Here's to Mom Program

Remember back when I told you about the Here's to mom program from Mastercard? Well you still have a few more days to earn rewards! I know you still have that one thing on your list that has eluded you. Trust me, it will be easier to find it online. Two words...express shipping! Just in case you forgot how it works, here are the deets:

Spend $200 online with your Mastercard and they give you a $20 gift card.

It's like an automatic 10% off! Cool right?!

All you do to receive your $20 MasterCard gift card is enroll with your MasterCard card (credit or debit) and e-mail address, shop online using that card before December 31, 2011. Once you've spent $200 online you’ll receive an e-mail to redeem your gift card reward.

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy! Happy Shopping!

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Make a Tree Topper with A Law Student's Journey

Happy Holidays and thank you Michelle for having me over to guest blogging today! I'm Kitty from A Law Student's Journey . I'm a 2nd year law student, who blogs about crafting my way through law school. A few weeks into my first year, I realized I need an outlet that could completely take my mind off school...and I decided on blogging!

Today, I wanted to share a little holiday craft for your Christmas tree! I worked on this little Wire Tree Topper to share with you all!

The fun part is- you can customize it and hang whatever you'd like from your topper- a wire monogram for your family, a star, a prized ornament or possibly an elf on the shelf (for those of you who have started that family tradition)

Make a Tree Topper

This works great with in thick wire. I had some laying around the house from other crafts, but you can pick some up at a craft store, hardware store, or use a wire hanger!

You'll want to first make a long skinny wire cone shape to fit on the top branch of your tree. You can work with it to fit your tree particularly, but these are a pretty universal design to balance on the top of your tree!

I used pliers to bend it into the cone shape, but you can also find a cone shape around your house, and bent it around for a more symmetrical design.

I always loop the bottom of my wire first, no need for anyone to be cut on the ends!

Then top it off with a hook. That way you can hang your designs from it!

Or if you'd rather, make a swirl, and you are able to stick photos, paper projects, or make a larger swirl and cut a star out of paper, and let your children decorate it!

You can use the spare wire to create other designs- spell out an inspirational Christmas word like "hope" or "faith" or you can make a monogram for your family!

Hope you all enjoyed the post and try to make a tree topper of your own! Thanks again Michelle for opening up your blog to me!

Please feel free to stop by A Law Student's Journey to say "hi"! Check out other popular tutorials here, including the secret to the Starbucks Caramel Apple Spice, just in time for the holidays!

I'd love for you to visit my etsy as well- and use the code FRIENDS for 10% off your order!

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Thanks Kitty! I feel a little bit of Whoville in those whimsical tree toppers! I love the idea of using them to hold photos too. I may have to make a tree topper of my own, oooh, or a slightly altered version with the monograms could be fun additions to my sweater stockings!

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DIY Under $5 Features

Loving all the holiday fun! So many fun ideas that everyone can afford to make! Let's jump right in!

Powdered Sugar Stenciled Cookies from Burton Avenue

Always wondered how they could sell cookie stencils. I figured they would be easy to make and they are!

wouldn't they be so cute the Peppermint Candy Plate she made with vinyl?!

FauxFlakes from The House of Bledsoe

Easy & awesome!

Nativity Silhouette from Today is my Someday

Who knew a poster board could make something so stunning!

and the link with the highest clicks:

Neighbor Treats with 5 Different Printables from Junk in Their Trunk

Be sure to grab your A Little Tipsy featured button here.

Also, as a heads up we will be taking a couple of weeks off from the party so everyone can have a break and enjoy their families during the holidays! But don't worry, the party will be back in full force in January! See ya then!

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A Visit to Honeybear Lane

I took a field trip over to Honeybear Lane today! Join us over there for a yummy holiday treat...

Chocolate Candy Cane Crunch Cookies!

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Serve

This post is sponsored by Serve from American Express. Sign up for Serve and receive $10 credit towards your first use. Comment below within the next 7 days for your chance to win an extra $100 credit to your account!

Are you like me and find your self owing or being owed little bits of money from a bunch of different places? For instance, mom for booking an upcoming trip, my sister for buying a nieces birthday gift and a girlfriend owes me for getting tickets to the show.

Sometimes it's a little, sometimes it's a lot, but it's always a big pain to figure out who owes who what. We've joked about needing to open a family debit account for how much money changes hands.

I'm excited about the prospect of what Serve offers. Instantly take care of splitting up the check or paying your part of a family gift without the hassle of checks or IOU's. Just instantly pay through email or your mobile device!

It's through American Express so you know it's safe and secure, plus they'll give you ten bucks just for trying it. I opened up my account and the $10 was already there.

Serve even let me take some friends out for dinner to try it out. It was good times all around with Filet Mignon and my husband's obnoxious 20 oz. Ribeye. No really, it was huge! I looked up the calories for his meal. (of course not mine, I didn't want to see that.) Let's just say it hovered right around what my daily caloric intake should be. Yikes! Good thing he at least took some home and split it up over 2 meals!

My sister paid the check and I went to my Serve account and transferred the money right there. No dealing with cash or checks because if you're like me, you rarely have either on you. It was so nice to have it done and not have a bubble hanging over my head to not only remember to pay her back, but remember the amount. I am a busy mom, I have enough to remember!

So seriously, try it out. I'll be honest, it takes a few minutes to sign up. But even if it takes ten minutes, they are giving you $10 so that's a buck a minute. Not bad. Plus...

Serve is giving away a $100 credit to one lucky Tipsy reader who opens a Serve account!

To enter:

Leave a comment letting us know you signed up for a serve account.

If you win, all we need is your email to credit your account!

Giveaway closes Tuesday, December 22nd. Good luck!

Remember to sign up for Serve and receive $10 credit towards your first use. Comment below within the next 7 days for your chance to win an extra $100 credit to your account! Official sweepstakes rules and regulations may be found by clicking here. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

Image source 1, Image source 2

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