A couple of weeks ago one of my friends asked if I wanted to work on a side project with her. Part of the project involves printing Custom T Shirts and other apparel, but neither of us were really sure of where we’d even begin with that. My dad has a screen printer but depending on the amount of orders we could possibly see, that could be very time consuming. We think turning to internet for this would be the best possible thing for the printed portion of this project, so that’s where we turned.

In my quest to find the right place to do this apparel, I found myself at Sonic Shack, where you can create your own shop, and of course, create and design your own custom t-shirts and apparel. This happens to be our ultimate goal, problem solved? I think so! I love personalized t-shirts. I know I’m not alone - you just can’t have enough t-shirts, you know? I’ve always toyed with the idea of designing a few of my own and with this project, it’s going to allow me to be creative and do just that.

Other than t-shirts, you can also create other apparel with your designs. For example: sweat shirts, jerseys, posters, and vinyl banners. I think this is a really neat idea for anyone who has a website, especially those of us with blogs or involved in art and design. Add your blog’s logo to apparel and sell it to your readers right on your website. Customers can choose to buy one item or they may want to buy more, to save more. Between now and the end of May you can enjoy a 20% discount by using the coupon code sonic20.

If you’d like to learn more about creating and designing your own custom apparel, or would like to create your own store or shop other stores, visit Sonic Shack.

This was a paid review.

With money being fairly tight around here, my husband and I have had to resort to different ways of saving money. Before, when we both brought in nice incomes, we could just stash some into our savings account. That, surprisingly, worked for many months. After moving here to Newfoundland we realized that we’d have to figure out how to save our money in other places in order to keep our savings account plump. I find it hard to believe that there was a time in my life when I turned my nose up at the idea of using a coupon. That time, of course, was a time when someone else paid my way. At this point in my life, there’s rarely an occasion where I won’t or don’t use a discount coupon for a purchase. I guess I’ve become the bargain shopper I never thought I’d be. I would rather find a good sale or discount than just toss extra cash someone else’s way.

I’ve just learned about a new website that caters to my (and anyone else who likes to save money when making a purchase) discount shopping needs: WebbyPlanet.com. Here, when a consumer makes a purchase online at their favorite stores, they can save with instant discount coupons. Consumers can also occasionally find printable coupons for purchases made in-store. Browsing for deals, coupons and discounts is easy. You can choose to select by category (categories like; electronics, pet supplies, web services, health and home and living), which after choosing will take you to a list of stores that fit that category or by scrolling down further and selection “All Stores” and searching directly for your them. Some of the stores you’ll find include; Dell, Sephora and Eddie Bauer, to name a few. WebbyPlanet.com keeps you up to date with all the latest information and updates regarding sales and discounts, daily.

I won’t pay full price for something if I don’t have to. I don’t know why anyone would pay full price for anything if there’s a discount, sale or coupon available.

I don’t know about you, but I really enjoy customizing and personalizing things. Since first dipping my toes into photography years ago, there have been many doors opening to further inspire me and well, get my creative juices flowing. For instance; framed photos make great gifts as well as great wall decor for your home. I love the idea of personalizing a room, or a home like that.

Photography has also provided another way for me to personalize other things too, like cards. Photo Greeting Cards are a great idea and you can’t get anymore personal than adding your own photos to a greeting card on those special occasions like; holidays, birthdays or even the birth of a baby. I’ve been browsing a lovely selection of them at Cards Direct just now, trying to get some ideas for some future holidays and events. One card sticks out the most to me because it makes me think about my 3 young nephews and the fact Easter is creeping up on us, it’s the Blue Leaf Easter Photo Card from their Easter collection (pictured to your left). I think for the first time ever, my husband and I will be doing photos cards for Christmas and I cannot wait.

OK, so now you’re probably wondering how you’d go about getting your photo on the card, right? Easy. Once you’ve selected the card you’d like to purchase (could be difficult, they’re all really nice) click continue on that cards description page. This will take you to the styling area, where you can further customize your greeting and where you’ll find the option to upload your photo or art (perhaps even your company logo for corporate greetings). It really is that simple and their step by step setup is easy enough for anyone to use. And did I mention they have prices that should fit your budget nicely?

If you are looking for a way to personalize your own greeting cards, I think you’ll enjoy what Cards Direct has to offer you.

Jo’s been talking about wanting to get into photography for a few months now. In fact, at Christmas he suggested that if I couldn’t find the cell phone he’d been wanting, I should look into digital cameras. I actually love this idea because for a long time, he didn’t understand my passion for photography. It’s only been in the last year or so that he’s been able to see why it is I enjoy doing it. I guess another part of me is rather excited about the possibility of a “husband and wife” photography team. Ha, ha. Silly, I know.

So, I think I’ll start looking into those cameras for him and maybe surprise him. I think it’s going to be best to go ahead and invest in a digital slr verses a point and shoot though, that way he can learn the digital slr first. I wish I’d been able to do the same but the money just wasn’t available at the time. I think I’ll go with Olympus again, that way we’ll be able to share the lenses. LOL

The last couple of days have not been fun at all. I started feeling really, well, “bleh” a couple of days ago. That eventually led to flu like symptoms and a nasty stomach bug. When it comes to being sick, there’s not much worse than vomiting. I think I’d rather have a horrible sore throat than to be vomiting.

There hasn’t been very much going on otherwise. I’ve just been taking it easy, catching up on sleep and trying to feel better. Speaking of being sick. I woke up around 5:45am yesterday morning feeling that “urge” (refer to previous paragraph) and jumped up and asked Jo where the “bucket” was. After asking 3 times, he finally replied “It’s up on the ceiling”. LOL Of course he’d been in a deep sleep. Once he finally came to he told me where to find the bucket. I couldn’t resist teasing him later in the day.

Jo and his mom have just headed into town for a few things. They’re supposed to be doing some banking for his grandfather, picking up a few things at the store and they mentioned something about stopping in at one of the furniture stores. Jo’s looking for a nice office chair because this one just isn’t cutting it. We’ve had difficulties sitting here for very long. I hope he finds something for a decent price.

How many weddings have you attended where the couples provided their guests with wedding favors? I can only think of one myself, but I know for the other couples, the money was tight and there were other priorities.

My husband and I will be celebrating our ten year anniversary in about a year and a half. We’ve had many ups and downs, twists and turns and bumps in the roads over the years but after everything we’ve been through, I think it’s made our relationship stronger somehow. Since our first day as husband and wife, we’ve been talking about our ten year anniversary because this is the day we’ll have the big ceremony we never had. We spent so much money in the beginning of our marriage, to make my husband legal in the USA (he’s from Canada). We also felt a small ceremony on our wedding day was best because my in laws couldn’t attend at the time (Jo’s grandfather had just had triple bypass surgery). The only relatives that attended were my mother, father, youngest sister and her oldest son Tyler and my late grandmother Mac. Short, simple and sweet. Of course as a little girl, I always dreamed about my elegant, perfect big day.. and still do.

As crazy as some think I am, I’m actually looking forward to all of that wild and crazy planning that will be involved. I’m so excited about picking out colors, the flowers, the invitations and because I want to show my appreciation for the relatives/friends that will be traveling from all over the USA and Canada, the wedding favors. We’ll surely be on a very moderate budget, but I would love to find favors that are unique and affordable. Much like the wedding favors you’ll find at Truly Wedding Favors. There are many that already stick out to me as “the one”, for example; Bride and groom “Mint to be” tins - the heart shaped mints are adorable. And because I’m a lover of flowers, I also really love the idea of the Plantable Wildflower Heart. I think flowers relate to love in a special way (flowers bloom and grow.. as does love), so this makes so much sense. The hardest part is going to be deciding on that perfect one. Narrowing it down to only a few will likely prove to be difficult but I can’t wait.

If you’re planning your own wedding (and I can think of a couple of you who are) and plan to provide your guests with favors, Truly Wedding Favors can help get you started. They have a really nice and rather large selection of favors like; wedding favors, bridal favors, wedding party favors, and edible favors. And if you’re pinching your pennies like me, theirs even a selection of cheap wedding favors that should definitely fit into your budget.

This was a paid review.

If you haven’t learned by now, let me fill you in - I am a [proud] handbag addict. I’ve collected them since around the age of 7. In fact, my mother has a family video of yours truly telling my aunt that I “adore” her handbag and that I’m going to have my mother buy me one just like it. She always teases that I started young and she’s right.

When it comes to style, anything goes for me. My collection is quite eclectic, with bags varying from; casual to designer. There aren’t many handbags that I don’t like. Earlier this week I found out about a lovely little collection of western handbags by AJ’s Western Wear Outfitters. I was impressed with the handbags right away - the details put into them are fabulous. The designer uses both leather and faux leather, along with finishing studs that give them a very cowgirl feel. I know I can’t speak for everyone but for me, there’s usually something that really attracts me to a handbag. For instance, it could be the style, the color, the material or even the purpose it will hold (will it help me organize my contents better.. will it hold everything under the sun, since I tend to pack everything but the kitchen sink). One of the things I really love about many of these bags are their front buckles. They’re perfectly designed to look like belt buckles. Even though the prices, the details and the overall styles of their bags impress me, the buckles are definitely the feature that caught my attention and made me say “Ooh, I want one”.

If you are like me, a handbag lover, or simply are in search of quality, western style handbags - you must have a look see.

This was a paid review.