Save on Meat with Zaycon Foods

Since I am a Coupon Sense member, I received a tip from my representative about Zaycon Foods. They sell large bulk boxes of meat to select areas around the U.S. They had a special for boneless, skinless, chicken breasts at $1.49/pound. It is 100% fresh, never frozen, free of hormones, additives, or artificial ingredients. The chicken comes directly from the farm to the sales event site. You must buy increments of 40 pounds, which sounds like a lot, but it really is not if you separate it and lay it flat in your freezer. You pay online and then you have to go pick it up at the drop site. I was inpressed by the quality of the meat!

The trimming and packaging of the meat took a little longer than I thought, but to stock up my freezer was worth it! 40 pounds of meat is really not that much when you think about it how Costco sells those big 16 pound bags of chicken all the time, so people must go through them. I cannot wait for the beef special :)

Nautical Diaper Cake

"A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for."

-Anonymous

I love baby showers for first-time moms. Everything is opened with wonder, smiles, and a great appreciation. I like to make diaper cakes since they are practical, useful, and decorative.

Below is a Nautical-themed diaper cake to match the nursery of the mom and baby it was made for.

You will need diapers (I like big sizes so they can enjoy it awhile before breaking the cake down), fabric: I chose burlap and a navy blue printed fabric to fit the theme, ribbon, fish netting, a bottle, a tray, and whatever toys, socks, binkies, or other goodies you want to attach.

Roll your diapers. I secure mine with clear plastic rubber bands.

Fold your fabric inside out in half. Sew the seem shut, or glue if you are not a sewer. Then sew the ends together to make a ring. Turn right out and iron.

The top ring of the cake should be smaller than the bottom ring. I did not sew the burlap to make it look rustic

Start stuffing your diapers in the rings.

Stack 'em up. Tie ribbon around the hole cake vertically to secure the layers together. Drape your netting over the top. Cover your bottle in fabric and tie with a bow. I put a small dab of hot glue to stick it to the top. Not too much or the diapers will be unusable.

Set the cake on your tray and tie on your toys

Valentine's Heart Bouquet

Oh how I love thee Valentine's Day, let me count the ways...

Valentine's is my favorite holiday! I don't know why, but it has always stuck out to me. I love PINK and all the hearts and of course chocolate. It reminds me of the love I have for my husband, and if you are not attached, it even makes me pause and think of how much I love my kids and all the good people in my life.

I created this heart bouquet that looks gorgeous on your front door, or you can place it on an entry table, or even in the bathroom along with your cute V-Day towels!

You will need hot glue, floral foam block, a basket with one handle (I got mine at Michael's), feather boa, ribbon and/or tulle, heart picks, and sparkly floral sprigs.

I love doing Valentine's crafts because Christmas items are marked down and you can find all of your red items you need, and even some pink supplies. The pink ribbon, red swirly sprigs, pink sparkle sprigs, and boa were all marked way down as Christmas items. I got the triple heart picks at Michael's for 99 cents each and the five packages of heart picks at the dollar store!

Glue your foam into the bottom of the basket

Start wrapping your boa around the basket, gluing along the way

Make your bow. I have a Bowdabra, but you can also see my previous Christmas wrapping post about how to make a bow. You basically set a piece of wire down and criss-cross the ribbon/tulle perpendicular over it. Then you tie it and fluff the bow.

Attach your bow to the front.

Start adding your picks, placing them at different depths and angles.

Keep adding until it is really full. Now you have a beautiful bouquet that required no flowers at all. If you are placing it on a table you can sprinkle confetti or another boa down in the basket to hide the floral foam.

I stuck a wooden heart in the back since I had it on hand, but that is optional.