PIGGY BANK WEDDING: "Will you be my Bridesmaid?" Project

One of my favorite wedding projects has been my "Secret Bridal Project"

AKA "MISSION: Will you be my bridesmaid?"

My close friends have always been very important to me. I value their relationships and the time we've spent together. So, when I got engaged, I knew I wanted my sweet friends by my side...and I wanted to ask them to stand by me in a way I hoped would be special. Unfortunately, I don't have unlimited funds, so I wasn't able to have a blow-out evening out or buy them something extravagant. I decided to do something simple and affordable that represents me and my tastes.

I love vintage hankies--there is something so soft and romantic about each one. My grandmother gave me two of hers that I will incorporate into my wedding (possibly wrapped around my bouquet). My mom graciously gave me a small collection to also use for my wedding, and I knew I wanted to share them with my six girls!

The materials I used: a variety of vintage floral handkerchiefs, corsage pins, scrapbook paper, brown gift bags, ink and dress form stamp, tissue paper.

Using scrapbook paper, I wrote the very important question and pinned the tag and a polka dotted translucent layer to the hankie. I folded it and wrapped it in coordinating tissue paper. I put them into small brown gift bags that I dressed up with a cute stamp of a vintage dress form. I hand delivered all but one (that I mailed to Boston). It was so much fun to watch each girl open her floral hankie! I hope they enjoyed receiving them as much as I enjoyed putting them together and delivering them!

They all said, "Yes!"

TV Show DVDs for Incredible Prices on Amazon!

Heads up to those of you still in the mood for a little online shopping:

The team at MoJo Savings posted about Amazon's incredible TV show dvd deals! If you love shows like The Office, 30 Rock, House, etc. you should really check out the great prices! I may or may not have ordered a set for a friend. :-) You can find deals here for sets around $15 that are worth $60! 

I have no idea how long these prices will last, but they were still available at 11pm tonight. 

Groupon MOBILE: 1 Diving Class Lesson for $12

MOBILE & BALDWIN CO. Friends: Today's Groupon Mobile deal may make a fun Christmas gift or date!

For the next couple days, Groupon Mobile is offering an introductory scuba-diving class lesson at Gulf Coast Divers for $12 ($24 value).

Here are some Groupon details about the class:

During the three-hour Introduction to Diving class, students plunge through the water’s shimmering surface to learn the basic techniques of underwater gill work. Classes are held in a 15 ft. 125,000-gallon bathtub and illustrate the risks, myths, and joys of diving in a safe, rabid-dolphin-free environment. If you don’t have your own diving equipment, a friendly staff member will set you up with all the necessary bells, whistles, and tridents to make your experience as streamlined as possible.

Go here to purchase your Groupon!

 

Today's Groupon Deal: Video Footage Preservation

Live in Mobile and looking for some great Christmas gift ideas?

Transfer old VHS/Camcorder footage to DVD for a great price! Today's Groupon Deal is $9 for 120 minutes of footage transferred to DVD at Lighthouse Productions! Lafe at LP is a friend of mine, and I know he would do a fabulous job preserving your memories!

Use your wedding video (or your parents) and have LP transfer it to DVD for a special Christmas gift for your spouse or family. Or, get those dusty childhood videos preserved for a special Christmas gift for your mom. You know...the video of you riding your bike for the first time? That would be the perfect gift.

Go here to buy this great Groupon deal! Hurry, this deal expires today!

MAJOR Photo Deal! 365 free prints from Snapfish

This is the MONSTER photo deal! Get ready to upload some pictures, folks! Like, a year's worth!

Snapfish is offering their best deal yet! 365 FREE 4x6 prints with any $10 purchase! Here are all the details from Snapfish:

With this offer you can get up to 365 FREE 4" x 6" mail-order prints with any $10 purchase. That's like a whole year of smiles for FREE! So get a head start on your holiday shopping and get plenty of prints to share with family come Thanksgiving.

To get your FREE prints, place 365 4" x 6" prints in your cart with a $10 purchase, and usecoupon code 2010MY365 at checkout before 11:59PM PST on November 20.

	Don't have 365 photos to print? Don't worry, you can still receive free prints with your $10 purchase – just choose 100 or 50 FREE 4" x 6" prints, whatever number suits you best! Use the corresponding coupon code below to redeem this amazing deal. For 100 FREE prints, use coupon 2010MY100 at checkout before 11:59PM PST on November 20. For 50 FREE prints, use coupon 2010MY50 at checkout before 11:59PM PST on November 20. Get started uploading your photos here! Sign in or create a new account.

Free Body Care Item at Bath & Body Works

If you're in need of a gift for someone (or maybe a little somethin' for yourself), use this coupon for a free Bath and Body Works item!

With any $10 (and up) purchase at Bath and Body Works, you can get a FREE Signature Body Care Item ($12 value) with this coupon. This offer is good online or in-store. Coupon expires 10/31/10.

I'm assuming this isn't a sample size item!

AND

ANOTHER Bath & Body Works deal: FREE Signature Travel Size item with ANY purchase. Coupon here. Expires 10/20/10.

Thanks, Frugal Girls!

Kodak Photo Book for $1.99

Here's another chance for you to make a photo book for just a couple bucks!

Kodak Gallery is offering a small 5x7 photo book for free when you use the promo code at checkout: TARGBOOK. You will only have to pay $1.99 for shipping. The offer expires 11/6/10. 

Visit here to start creating your free photo book.

Thanks, Money Saving Mom!

Free Photo Book from Picaboo

If you missed this great deal last month, here's your chance to snag a free photo book!

 
Picaboo is offering a free classic photo book to new customers when you use the code: 1FBLGB-7W at checkout! The book retails for $39 (you are required to pay shipping). The code expires 12/31/10. 

{A great Christmas present for a special someone, don't ya think?}

Go here to start creating your free book and for more info.

Thanks, MoJo Savings!

Free Walgreens Photo Book

Want another free photo book? You must have tons by now... :-)

Walgreens is offering a free 4.5 x 6 purse book to their Facebook "likers" tomorrow (8/25). Become a fan and you will see the promo code on their Facebook page on 8/25. Use the code at checkout to get your free photo book! (The code may not cover shipping and is good only on 8/25.)

Thanks, MoJo Savings!

Popular Photography: $5 for 1 year subscription

Do you or your sweetheart like photography? If so, this is the perfect gift...

...and it's temporarily very affordable! Amazon has dropped the price of a one-year subscription to Popular Photography to $5! That's $0.41 an issue! 91% savings! Go here to get more info and to order.

This would be a great gift idea for your significant other, friend or yourself! (You have the option to mail it to a different address than your billing address).

Check out Amazon for more magazine deals $8 or less.

Thank you, The Frugal Girls!

Free Classic Photo Book

Here's a memorable (and affordable) gift for your sweetie!

Picaboo is offering a free classic photo book to new customers when you use the code: FREEBK at checkout! This would be an awesome gift or way to organize your summer vacation pictures! Go here to start creating your free book and for more info.

Thanks, MoJo Savings!

Another photo gift idea! Free!

Here's another great photo gift idea to add to this list!

Walgreens is offering a free 8 x 10 photo collage when you use the coupon code: GOBIG8X10 at checkout! Create your custom photo collage online by visiting the Walgreens website. Then ship it and pick it up in your local Walgreens photo department--all for free! This offer ends this Saturday (6/19).

This would be a cute print to add to a card for your significant other, friends, or dad! Or simply something to tape to your mirror or in a scrapbook!


Thanks, MoJo Savings!

Affordable photo gifts!

Did you recently make some fun memories with your sweetie? 

Turn your pictures of your vacation, event, wedding, etc. into a photo magnet for your fridge or at work (you know, on those ugly metal filing cabinets)! Kodak Gallery is offering great photo deals right now. {Thank you, Frugal Girls, for letting us know!}

• Cute Photo magnet: Only $1 for shipping! Use the promo code: FREEMAGNET at checkout after creating your magnet here. HURRY though: the offer ends 6/17 (maybe?). I noticed that the expiration date on the bottom of the page is '09 and that some people had trouble with the promo code. Most people logged out and logged back in and the code worked. Let me know if it works for you!
• 50 free prints for new members: Only $1.99 for shipping!  If you are a new member at the Kodak Gallery website, login here and order your free prints. Print out your vacation pictures and make a special scrapbook as a gift for your significant other! 

Affordable gift idea!

Here's an idea for one of the most romantic (and free) gifts you could ever give your sugarbear! 


Write him/her a song, poem or love letter! It's easy and free...plus, it will be treasured for years! Not to mention, this gift has been around since the beginning of time. :-)

Want to have fun with your love letter, song or poem? Leave certain words blank and ask your significant other to give you words, specifying adjectives, verbs, nouns (before he/she reads the letter). Then read it to him/her with the new words. I'm pretty sure both of you will get a good laugh! Make sure to have a copy with the original heart-warming words.

This gift may be time consuming, but it be very special and will mean the world to your sweetie!

A tip when ordering gifts online.

I just wanted to share a Piggy Bank Dating tip with you. In fact, it's more of a reminder than a tip. Most of you already know to do this, but we (I'm including myself in this) need a friendly reminder.

When ordering a gift online for your special someone (or anyone), always do a quick Google or Swagbucks* search for a coupon. The online coupon can give you a certain % off or get you free shipping.  Or better--both!

I recently ordered someone's birthday gift online. He wanted a special case for his iPhone, and I knew I could get it at a brand name website. Because I didn't go the cheaper Amazon or Ebay route, and because it was a bit pricey, I made sure to google the company's name and the word "coupon." I was amazed at what popped up in my search results! I found several coupons! Most of the coupons were for 10% off, but as I looked at each coupon, I eventually found a coupon that was not only 10% off, but also offered free shipping. All I had to do was copy the promo code into the box at the checkout and it accepted it! So, I easily saved $10 just by taking a few minutes to search for a coupon code!

This same process may also work when ordering clothing, books, electronics...you name it!

*Swagbucks is "an online portal dedicated to helping you earn digital dollars called Swag Bucks, which can be redeemed for 1000's of awesome prizes." It's just like Google or Bing except you earn points for random searches. You can sign up for Swagbucks here. <------- I get referral points if you sign up through me...so thank you for signing up using that link! :-)

**Also, the Gussy shop credit Giveaway is still open! Enter here for your chance to win!**

Fun gift: cute photo mug!

Seriously, how cute is this?!  Picture a coffee mug with an image of you and your sugarbear printed into the side of it.  Now picture it for $1.99.  Okay, now picture it with coffee inside it...  Gotcha with that last line, right?! 

Vista Print is once again offering another great photo deal that I think will make a great affordable (yet small) gift for your someone special.  The mugs are usually $9.99 to order, but you can get one on sale here for $1.99 (I'm not sure when the offer expires or how much shipping will be for the mug).

Thanks, Frugal Living and Having Fun!

Affordable gift idea: Going Old School

This might remind you of high school, but wasn't it always a sweet gesture to receive a mixed CD (or tape, you 80s folk!) from your special admirer?  Totally cheesy, I know!  But totally sweet and fun!  I'm not gonna lie, I have kept every single CD every guy gave me. I have CDs with songs by the Backstreet Boys, Lonestar, the BeeGees, Bryan Adams, *insert random artist here*.  And half those CDs are labeled: "To Rebecca, I love you!" HA!  I laugh when I pop them into my car CD player every now and then.

So, have I inspired you to make your sweetie a mixed CD or did I just deter you with my pack-rack tendencies?!

Flip photo book for $1.99!

What better way to document your relationship with your honeybear than with a flip photo book?  Buy one for yourself or give it to your significant other to celebrate your time together or a specific memory! 

The good news: get a spiral bound 45 page 5 x7 Flip Book from Snapfish for the cost of shipping ($1.99) here.  Use the promo code:  ALLYOUMOM.  Yes, I realize this is a Mother's Day deal, but Mom wants a magazine subscription for $5.

Other uses for your flip book:
-Make a 2009 memory book of all you and your bf/gf's favorite things from 2009.
-Actually make a flip book for Mom with old pictures of your family.
-Propose to her. Use pictures of the two of you doing fun things together and the last page would say "Will you marry me, _______?"

Affordable gifts

Looking for some smaller (inexpensive) gifts for your love?



Follow me on Twitter for my RTs with links to great gifts for him and her! 

Today's gift ideas: Free 1-year subscription to MONEY magazine, $10 off coupon for $25 Yankee Candles, Free return labels, Pioneer Woman's Le Creuset Giveaway, and Free 2-year LEGO magazine subscription (yes, I realize it's for 6 year olds, but have you met my bf?).

I mean, MoneySavingMom is following me on Twitter...so why aren't you? Ha...okay, I'm just a little excited that she decided to follow me! :-)

The week of awesome photo deals: gift ideas

I am going to nickname this week "the week of awesome photo deals!"  All these photo deals make great gifts for your significant other...or mom, dad and the mailman!  I have posted several cool photo deals already this week (some offers have already expired), and I'll go ahead and finish the week off with some spectacular deals!  I hope you've had your camera busy this past month! 


Photo deals:

• Free 8x10 Photo Print at Walgreens.  TODAY ONLY.  Order online or in store. Use promo code at check out on Walgreen's Photo website: BIG8X10.  Or print out this coupon and take it to the photo department in the store.  You can pick up your print in the store. Thanks, Money Saving Mom!
• Vista Print is having a Spring Sale and offering 12 freebies!  Go here to find out more about the free deals!  I'm not sure when the offer ends.  Be aware that you will have to pay shipping. Thanks, MoJo Savings! Some potential gifts are: 100 FREE Standard Postcards, 10 FREE Invitations & Announcements, 1 FREE 4×8 Invitation, 1 FREE 4×6 Photo Flip Book,  1 FREE Photo T-shirt, 1 FREE Photo Mug, 1 FREE Rubber Stamp, 1 FREE Sticky Note Pad, 140 FREE Return Address Label

• Free photo calendar from HP.  Go here to create your customized monthly or single month calendar! Thanks, The Frugal Girls!

With these deals (and these previous deals), you should have all your gifts taken care of for the next few months!  


HAPPY DATING!