Target Toy Clearance 70% off 2013

The Big January Toy Clearance happened today (Jan. 17th). I've been lucky enough to shop at this sale for the past 4 years and have scored some great deals but today's trip just might be my favorite. I set my budget at $100 and made a list of must-haves which included:
1. Cars 2 set 2. Squinkies 3. Train set 4. Cars Space Mission set
And I crossed my fingers for a tool bench - which I was stoked to find for $11.98!



I was able to get all of the large items on the list and found an extra bonus - A Baby Butterscotch Pony! Noelle asked for it for Christmas but this mama wasn't going to spend $100 on one toy. It is regularly $119.99, I snagged it for $35.98!



WOOHOO!


Noelle loves strumming on Aaron's guitar. This Princess one should be a fun gift for her 5th birthday and something they can enjoy doing together. It was $11.98, regularly $39.99.



These Squinkies Crowns ($2.96) will be a huge hit for Noelle and my niece, Emma. There weren't any other Princess Squinkies but I did find Minnie Mouse Squinkies. These make great stocking stuffers!
I chose this Thomas & Friends track because it is smaller than the others, it's motorized, and it had good reviews online. I'm not sure why but Sears is selling it for $112! It was $13.48.



It is always smart to buy extra tracks when you find them on sale (make sure they match the track that you have). These were $5.66, regularly $18.89.



Another item on my list for Noah's 2nd birthday next month - $8.38. He absolutely loves cars, planes, and trains.



Noah will be having a Cars Themed party. These are also for his birthday. The extra Lightning McQueen was an accidental purchase. I let him hold it while I was browsing and I forgot to get it from him before we reached the register. At the rate he loses cars, it might be best to have a spare.
Lightning McQueen $2.08, regularly $6.99



Cars 2 Set $14.98, regularly $49.99



I picked up this Squinkies Scepter for my sister (for her daughter) $2.96. I've never heard of Zonks but I know my nephew who likes Super Heros will love them (for an hour at least) $1.48.



There was one full aisle of toys and two half aisles, plus 3 end caps.

I noticed many Cars 2 toys including single cars, several large Barbie items, a few Princesses (Cinderella, Rapunzel and Tiana), Cookie Monster and Elmo, Train sets, Hot Wheels tracks, and Leapfrog systems.

Total spent - $99.65 (I split the toys up into 2 transactions and used (2) $10 off $50 coupons. I also save 5% with every purchase using my Target Red Card.

I use this sale to stock up for birthdays and Christmas. There is also a 70% off Toy Clearance in July. You can read about previous Toy Clearance trips HERE. Good luck! I hope you find some great deals.


-Amanda

Valentine's Day Mantle

Our little guy, Noah, was due on Valentine's Day in 2011. He ended up being born on the 15th but my point is, with a birthday party coming up in a few weeks, I didn't want to go overboard with Valentine's Day decorations. They will be replaced soon enough by a race car themed 2nd birthday party (which I haven't begun to plan - better get on that).

I had an extra canvas in my craft bin and after seeing this adorable DIY project from Craftoholics Anonymous, I decided that it's about time to fire up my Silhouette Cameo and see what it could do.

Turns out, I must be missing the vinyl talent because my version was less than perfect. I followed the directions exactly (and even used the mod podge trick) but when it came time to pull the stickers off I wasn't "left with a great looking love day decoration" as Linda claims. But she's a craft genius so I don't blame her for my unfortunate outcome.

Not one letter peeled off perfectly. I would normally trash a craft fail like this but I decided to just go ahead and spend a few minutes fixing it up.



Good from far, but far from good.

The next super easy craft for the mantle involved picking up heart-shaped doilies from the Target dollar section and stringing 5 of them from twine. Not much I could mess up with that. Although, they did come out of the package with a tear on the edge.

I balanced the mantle out with a seashell-filled vase, vintage books and letter G.

And called it a day.

Top 5 posts from 2012

A quick recap of the most-viewed posts from 2012. It has been a whirlwind of a year. Noelle turned 4 and Noah had his first birthday. Nothing has brought me more joy than watching my babies grow and play together. Their little personalities have me bursting into laughter every day. I am grateful beyond words to be their momma.

At the end of July, I opened an Etsy shop after receiving many requests for my Luke 2:11 sign. It has been a dream of mine to be able to do exactly this and thanks to my hard-working husband, my dream came true. He does the grunt work, preparing the wood for staining and putting everything together. My dad was also a huge help as I hustled to get the orders shipped. I've had a wonderful time not only doing something I love, but also getting to know many of my customers who have become friends. Keep an eye out in 2013 for many more designs added to the shop. 

Here are the top 5 posts from 2012. 

1. Our Family Code

Our Family Code was a simple project using our birthday's and wedding anniversary. 

2. Honeymoon Bridal Shower - Vintage Travel Theme

I had the pleasure of hosting my dear friend Megan's Bridal Shower in 2012 and coming in 2013, her baby shower! 

3. Noelle's Snow White Woodland Theme Birthday Party

My baby is 4! We hosted a dessert party for Noelle's birthday. She and her friends had a blast watching the dry ice smoke around the "poison" apples and creating their own swords and princess crowns. 

4. Noah's Red Wagon 1st Birthday Party

I can't look at a red wagon without tearing up now. They remind me of my sweet baby boy who is now nearly two. I wish I could jump into this post and kiss his chubby cheeks! 

5. A Classic Christmas at the Gardner's

Our Christmas decorations this year have taken off on Pinterest. The mantle piece was so easy to make. Just 7 boards and a light stain with a fresh wreath. 

Thank you for following along on our journey. May you have a blessed 2013.

Amanda

A Classic Christmas at the Gardner's

This Christmas is classic and cozy with fresh greens in every room. I added a fresh garland to the sofa table, then the mantle, then the dining room and over the kitchen sink. The house has a cabin feel this year and it smells divine. 

I'm loving my "instant collection" of trees. I rounded them up during a Christmas decoration shopping day in November. Hobby Lobby, Marshall's and Home Goods did not disappoint. I love the whimsical-ness they have.

Deep reds and greens with touches of creamy white bring our classic Christmas together.
HOHOHO pillows

On the mantel, Mr. G and I put a faux gate together and on it hung a fresh wreath. A garland and a pinecone pick in the wreath finish off the simple mantle. I used an anti-transpirant spray on the greens to keep them fresh. I hope they last a few more weeks, but I'm having doubts already. I used two 15 ft. garlands from Home Depot for the house. Picking up another 2 for $5 each before Christmas won't break the bank if need be. Another change to the family room is a swap out in rugs. This fluffy shag rug is from Noelle's room.

When decorating our tree I use these steps:
1. Start with any ribbon or garland, 5 times around the tree.
2. Add any themed ornaments evenly around the tree
3. Find spots for your "treasures" (handmade and special ornaments)
4. Fill in with bulbs.

Noah is a big fan of the tree, and the "balls" that hang on it. Which is why the bottom branches are no longer decorated. Little stinker has ran off with several ornaments.

 

Reindeer Figurine 

Snowflake Runner

In the dinning room, more fresh greens are stuffed in a small crate with LED candles and mason jars.

The Luke 2:11 sign hangs above the nativity instead of on the mantle this year.

This corner needed some height. I stacked the suitcases and strung 10 jingle bells on twine.



In the kitchen, a fresh garland is strung above the sink window. The garland will collect all of our cards over the month and into the new year. These are our Christmas cards from the past 4 years, since Noelle's first Christmas.

I used some of the silver decorations from 2011 in the guest bathroom.

Christmas festivities kick off this weekend with our town parade. Parties and events are filling the December schedule and we are going to soak it up.
May your days be merry.
Amanda


View our 2011 silver and white Christmas decorations

Organizing Email/Online Coupons into a Photo Album

Online coupons are becoming widely accepted at large retailers. Stores like Target and Michael's will scan coupons on smart phones, eliminating the need for paper coupons.  I usually have both kids with me while running errands and I've found myself panicking during check out, flipping through my inbox for coupons too many times. To resolve this problem, I started organizing my emailed coupons in a photo album on my iPhone and it has been a complete time saver.

When I get an emailed coupon from a store that I frequent (Michael's, JoAnn, Hobby Lobby, Fresh & Easy), I take a quick screenshot of the coupon on my phone by holding down the power button and the Home button at the same time. The screen will flash and the image is immediately saved in the photo album.
It looks like this:

TO ADD AN ALBUM click on the photo album app > Edit (top right) > Add (top left) > Name Your Album (Coupons)

To get the coupon images into your Coupon album go to your Camera Roll > Move Photo (top right) > touch each image you want to move > Add To (bottom) > Add to Existing Album > Coupons

And all the coupons for the week (or month) will be in one place for easy access (and stress-free checkouts).

Simply delete them when they expire and start over. I've found that my inbox is much more organized as well because I delete the emails after I take the screen shot. Having the coupons in a photo album also saves on battery power!

- Amanda

Paper Plate Pumpkin Craft

The first rain of the season fell early this morning. It seemed like an appropriate day to make an easy fall craft with the kids. They also needed some winding down after a fun morning of autumn initiation activities - puddle jumping and tree shaking.

{Pumpkin Plate Craft}
Paper Plate - Paint brush - Orange Paint - Construction Paper (green, brown, black) - Glue

I didn't have anything planned so I went with an old standby - paper plates. First, I read It's Pumpkin Day, Mouse, in which the mouse paints different faces on his pumpkins. Then I gave the kids a plate, brush and orange paint. While they worked at covering the entire plate orange, I asked them what face they wanted on their pumpkin (just like in the book) - happy, sad, surprised, silly or scary. They cut out the face, along with a stem and leaves. Then they glued the pieces onto their pumpkins. The leaves turned out to look more like unibrows, so you might want to try to glue crinkle paper on instead. 



Scary, Silly, and Surprised faces.


Noah loves all of Laura Numeroff's Mouse books.


As I said, the morning was spent puddle jumping and enjoying the cool air and cloudy sky.



My niece, Emma, is not afraid of getting dirty.


Noah, new to puddles, decided puddle slapping was much more entertaining. Whatever works, kid.

And there was tree shaking. The leaves aren't quite ready to fall. We only had a few takers, but a few was all we needed.

Welcome, fall. We are so glad you've arrived.

-Amanda