Spotted this “Tigger Mobile” outside of the FedEx in my neck of the woods. There were more decorations, but I’m lucky to have snagged this snapshot. I’m always squirrely about taking pictures of other people’s things for fear that they will not be pleased. I had to completely restrain myself one day from taking a picture of this interestingly large praying mantis crawling on the outside of someone’s apartment window – that just would have been plain crossing the line.

Aren’t these kiddies cute?

For one week only, you can download this image for free from Templates.com.

It will only be available for one week, and is then replaced with another free image.

This is a great illustration for bloggers and websites that write about kids and who would like to add a silly touch to their posts.

A few of the kids can certainly liven up a holiday post or two.

Since 2011 is coming to a near, I decided to participate and set the theme of my Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop post with Katherine’s Korner and Chicken Scratch to 5 things I am proud of saving on this year.

Most recently, it was making my first holiday wreath (shown below) out of items from the Dollar Store. Actually, sitting down to take the time to make something was a real accomplishment because I’ve been so busy this year. I’m a very creative, artsy person, but you’d never be able to tell this year.  I saved a lot of money on something I will use for many years to come.

Secondly, I am proud of a Christmas gift that I got this year for my sweetie. He is a huge Georgetown Hoyas basketball fan, and I was able to get an unused Coke bottle from 1984 when the team won the NCAA Championships. It has the schedule on the back and still filled with Coke. It also says “Hoya Paranoia” on it.  I am going to put it in a small display case for him (if I can find one).  I cannot wait to see the look on his face. I found it on eBay for a really good price…$2.99 + shipping. Every year, I find something a little different for him – either related to Georgetown or the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Thirdly, I saved up enough Amazon.com cards from winning giveaways and Swagbucks to get my Wii for $36 (including shipping). I really wanted the edition that came with the free Mario Kart game and steeling wheel that was on sale. I got it with days to spare because this edition was replaced with the new Super Mario Brothers (that I did not want). My initial goal was to get it completely free, but I didn’t want to miss out on the Mario Kart edition.

I really wanted a Kindle, so I entered giveaways like crazy and finally around the summertime – I won a Jif Prize pack bundle that included a Kindle with keyboard, 3G wireless and other features. This would have been the only way I could afford a Kindle.

Just last week, Target had a major online sale on bath & body kits (like Caress, Old Spice, Dove Pleasures) for under $5. Many of these kits go for $9.99 and more. I purchased kits for the entire family and did not have to pay for shipping. Not too long ago, I got Old Spice and Olay Creme Ribbons bundles for $9 at Walmart – and with it – you get a free magazine subscription or send it in for a $9.99 rebate. So, it’s like getting the bundles for free!

So, there are my favorite deals and savings of the year (that first popped into my head).

What are yours?

I decided to participate in the Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop

This year, I decided to make my own holiday wreath instead of purchase one from a store. While selecting possible items for the wreath, I gravitated towards the color gold. I love the shimmering effects of the gold flowers, which look much better in person. All of the supplies were purchased at the Dollar Store, and awfully hard to put together when you forget to buy craft wire.

Yeah, I’m late joining Pinterest…and now I’m hooked. This is a much better and more convenient way to bookmark your interests and share your favorite things with others. Pinterest is a highly visual and interactive platform that according to their website “lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web.” People have used Pinterest to plan their wedding, show off their sense of style, and save inspiration for future art projects.

After setting up an account, you create a ‘board’ (main topic – like ‘Favorite Movies’) where you ‘pin’ images on the Internet to represent your interests. For example, an image of William Shakespeare could appear on a board titled ‘Favorite Authors.’ Pinterest also saves you the trouble of crediting a site for using their image on your board – they do it for you. You can also add a description or comment to your images or subjects. Other Pinterest members can ‘repin’ your image onto their boards, follow your boards, and comment on your images.

So far, I’ve created the following 8 boards on Pinterest as yonawrites:

• Fascinating Figures of the Past
• Products I Absolute Love…
• Recipes I Need to Try…
• Products for Dog Lovers
• Crafts I Want to Do…
• Favorite Movies
• Favorite Artists
• Favorite Authors

If you are a member, I’d love if you stopped by my boards and take a peek.

You never know how beneficial a business card is until you don’t have one. How many times have I been asked ‘do you have a business card?’ and haven’t been able to produce one? Despite feeling like I was out of the loop or an ill-prepared small business owner, I haven’t done anything to correct this since trying to make my own.

I bought the business card paper and chose templates to make my own cards, and the results were nowhere near the same as professional products. Business cards made with a home printer can show ink smears, droplets, and faded lines. The paper I used also didn’t have the same stiffness as ‘the real deal’. Sooo…when I was offered a set of business cards from Next Day Flyers – it couldn’t have come at a better time.

Don’t think you need to run a business to benefit from a business card either – anyone who is looking to promote themselves, the things they do, or keep in contact with others can take advantage of professional business card printing.

Business cards can come in handy for:

• Etsy crafters
• Craft (and trade) show artisans
• Bloggers
• Website owners
• Play-date mommies and daddies

The Giveaway

Up for grabs is a set of custom printed business cards from Next Day Flyers. You will get 500 standard business cards printed in full color on the front, and black and white (or blank) on the reverse side.

Disclosure: I received information about Next Day Flyers, as well as a set of business cards like the ones offered to my readers – I was not monetarily compensated for this post. My opinions are 100% my own.

[to enter, fill out the Rafflecopter form – you may have to RELOAD or REFRESH to see it]

If this plate set doesn’t get you into the Halloween mood, I don’t know what will. I absolutely love the burst of colors and design of this Pfaltzgraff 8 Piece Halloween Mug and Plate Set, which you can purchase on eBay for $39.99. If this was in my price range, I’d use it all year round.

I won a giveaway at the Davis Daily Dose for reusuable bags. They come in three sizes – perfect for snacks, school lunches, and other trinkets you need to store or transport. The owner of Textiles for Teal contacted me and asked me to choose three designs and I would receive my choices based on availability. If you notice some of my posts and comments – I’m a dog lover! Of course, I chose the style you see pictured and it was seriously like unwrapping a Christmas present to see if I got what I really wanted when I saw the dog print! Happiness!

The reusuable bags come in three different sizes or you could select a single sandwich bag item (like the cute owl below) – 6 1/2″x6 3/4″. The clips in the images are just for photography purposes. The bags are held closed with Velcro, and are made with a liner.

Other products offered at Textiles by Teal include gorgeous lazy susans, fun felt hair clips, and some recycled creations, like the bottle cap felt ring below. I noticed that Teal recently opened her shop on ShopEnvy, so I wish her all the best of luck in the future. Love the bags!

I’ve been reading Crooked Brains lately and they have some really interesting posts, such as “7 Creative and Cool Uses for Stickers.” If you’re a fan of fairy tales, this Snow White sticker for the Apple Macbook is absolutely adorable. Makes me want to get an Apple just to use this sticker. Digitally printed and cut vinyl decals like this one are sold on an Etsy shop called Stickerman, who makes different Macbook stickers and other cool designs for your favorite electronics.

With how airport security has evolved, I don’t think they would appreciate this “trapped in a suitcase” sticker for luggage. Sold on Cheeky.com, I still think it’s eye-catchingly clever. For $25, you can choose between the hidden stewardess, stacks of money, and a few other naughty scenes.

Wearing a pair of fashionable shoes, doesn’t this free illustration look like the laptop is the Holy Grail? Use this free image to illustrate an electronics or business blog post.  The watermark is removed when you download. This freebie is available on Templates.com until Tuesday, where it is then replaced with another free image.