Sunday, August 28, 2011

Making Handcrafted Gift Bags from Discontinued Wallpaper

Using discontinued Wallpaper books available at Paint and Paper stores, I've selected several pages and made gift pages from the individual pages.

Here's a picture of a couple of books I recently picked up from one of our local Paint & Paper stores, plus a picture of several pages I cut out of the books.



The width of the page varies depending on the wall paper book. The sample I've shown below was 15 1/2 inches across. In order for the finished bag to be squared, you need to decide what size you would like your gift bag to be. Keeping in mind the wider you want the bag to be the small the front and back will be. In the example below, I've allowed 2 inches at the left side. In order to have the same width on the opposite side I have to allow 2". For the flap at the right hand side I've used 1 1/2 inches. As you can see, I've used up 5 1/2 inches on the width of my bag so far (2 + 2 + 1 1/2) Subtracting that 5 1/2 inches from the overall width of 15 1/2 inches leaves 10 inches. Divide that amount by 2 and I have a bag that will be 5 inches across. You can work with any width of paper, if you start by marking the inches for the sides first, that will leave you an amount to divide by 2 which equals your front and back on any bag. The turn up on the bottom of the bag has to be the same number of inches on you are using of the left hand flap - in this case 2 inches. Again this is so the bag will be squared when it's finished. From the picture below, you can see that I've also allowed 3 inches for the fold down flap at the top, however, you could make it 1 inch if you wanted a taller bag. Using a ruler I fold along my penciled lines and then run the handles of my scissors of the outside of the fold for a sharp crease. I also cut the bottom flap as shown on a slight "vee" shape to make it easier for gluing.
Fold the top flap down and then turn the paper over so the right side is facing. Put white all purpose glue on the 1 1/2 inch strip, from top to bottom as shown

The 1 1/2 inch flap will be glued on the outside and then slipped under the flap showing of the left hand side of this picture

Slip the glued flap under the flap on the 2 inch side. The glued edge will be on the inside of the 2 inch flap. Make sure the join is even from top to bottom and then use 3 or 4 paper clips or clothes peg to hold in place under the glue dries. After the glue has dried, removed the paper clips and apply the white glue to the 2 side flaps and the outside (good side) of the back panel. Fold the two flaps in and carefully fold the long flap with the glue on top of the flaps, then fold the last flap onto the glued long flap. You can put your hand inside to press down to make sure everything is stuck together. Let dry completely.



Bottom of the gift bag, with all the flaps glued and folded in.

You can now complete your by adding handles and a gift tag. You can use a few strands of raffia twisted together, macrame cord, or thinner cord purchased on spools from the dollar store. You can also cut strips of wallpaper about 1 inch side by 12 inches long. Fold the wall paper in half lengthwise, run glue down one edge, fold and use paper clips to hold in place until the glue sets.Add glue to the end of the strip and place inside the bag about 1 inch from the edge and use a paper clip to hold in place until glue sets. If you use raffia or cord, punch holes in the bag at each end, thread the cord through (right side to inside) and knot. Using a strip of wall paper about 2 inches by 4 inches, glue a plain piece of paper inside and trim. Once dry fold so you have a 2 by 2 inch tag. Thread crochet cotton or any heavier type cotton thread through the top corner of the tag and tie it on your gift bag. If you decide to make several at the same time, once they are completely dry, they can be folder the same way the store bought bags are folder which makes it easy for storage.

If the paint and wallpaper store in your area doesn't currently have any discontinued wallpaper books, ask them if you can put your name on a list so they will call you when they become available. Another place to get wallpaper is from thrift stores or yard sales. People often have left over rolls they put out for sale. If you manage to get a roll, you can make much bigger bags. I would suggest you practise making a bag on a sheet of wallpaper you don't particularly like so you can play around with it perfect your technique. Have fun.

Click HERE for a link I found years ago for making crafts with wallpaper. Several of the attached links in the original thread no longer work, but it may still help you come up with ideas of your own.

Shopping Savings That You Can Obtain Too!

Frugalite here again!! I had some great coupons to use this week in conjunction with sales and price matches, so again I would like to share them with the readers of Save Your Money Canada blog. I used tear pad coupons and insert coupons to score these deals!

First, I was able to get 4 bottles of Clorox Bleach, 2.8L size for only $0.49 each! I think that is a fantastic price. I shopped at Walmart and used the insert coupon from the SmartSource coupon flyer that came out during the week of August 1st-8th to save $1 and I price matched the deal to the Superstore price of $1.49, leaving the total price of $0.49 each bottle pre-tax total.

I purchased 4 Secret Deodorant using a price match for Giant Tiger's advertised price of $1.97 at Walmart and then used 4 $1 off coupons to pay only $0.97 each. They have a long expiry date, so I don't have to worry about not using them in time.

The next deal I was able to snag was 6 cans of Heinz Beans for only $0.34 per can. I used a tear pad coupon to save $1 off of each 3 purchased and I price matched Superstore at my local Walmart store. Beans are wonderful for chili, paired with wieners, on top of toast, plus it's a great meat alternative. So saving money here is a great way to stretch the budget.

I also price matched the Funcheez snacks at my local Walmart using the No Frills sales flyer, plus I had a coupon to save $1 off any 168g variety (lucky me, this was the sale size). The price was only $1 and when I got home I noticed that there was $3 in coupons inside the Funcheez package as well as a Franklin the Turtle booklet. The coupons include: $1 off Astro BioBest Smoothie 4x200ml, $1 off Lactantia Smart Growth Milk 2x2L or 4L and $1 off Black Diamond Portion Packs 126g. These coupons are valid through December 31, 2011.

There were many more hot deals this week, please comment and tell us what your best find was!

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Shop Smart Using Sales Flyers, Coupons and Price Matching

My name is frugalite and I've recently been invited by the administrator of Freebies Deals And Rewards to share some of my shopping deals. I've been a member of the FDR forum since July 2010 and love, love love it! I've saved $1641.57 since joining the site last year through the money saving and coupon tips that I've learned. So, I'd like to share some of my shopping deals with you too!

I stopped in at Canadian Tire on Saturday and they were having a promotion called 'Money Maze' where I was able to score 2 free bags for a short survey. Yeah, they'll send me something in the mail but what's a quick phone call to be removed from their mailing list.


Next I went to Walmart and Dollarama to do some price matching and use some coupons of course. So let's break it down and see what I got. I used 2 of the save $5 when you buy any 3 Gillette products and price matched the Gillette Foamy Shave Gel at Rexall for only $1.49 each. So with the 6 cans that I purchased using the 2 coupons, I was paid $1.06 in overages. Yes. Walmart pays overages on coupons used over the face value of the product. Now, I would feel bad taking money and leaving the store, so I apply any overages I may get to other purchases. When I was putting my shopping cart in the corral, I noticed another cart had a can at the bottom. So I got another can for free!


I still had 2 of the coupon inserts to save $0.50 off any Campbell's products, so I purchases 2 cans of vegetable soup and used the 2 coupons, price matched from Rexall of $0.49 and was paid and overage of $0.02 of the 2 cans.


I also needed some laundry detergent and while it was not as hot of a deal as the rest of the items that I got so far, I had 2 coupons worth $3 each that came with samples of Zout by mail that I used. Plus I price matched No Frills for $4.99, so only paid $1.99 per bottle.

The next picture has another item from Walmart and a few items from Dollarama. The 2 bars of Dove soap was only $0.19 before taxes (after a price match and using a coupon). I used the save $1 off any Dove product found in the August P&G Brandsaver coupon insert and combined it with a price match for No Frills of $1.19. The Pine Sol was $1.25 at Dollarama and I was able to use a coupon to save $1 off the price (that I found on Websaver.ca) and the 3 Vileda Scrunge scrubbers were FREE with the $1 coupon found in a past coupon circular (I believe it was Red Plum).


In the August edition of the SmartSource coupon insert, there was a Mail-In-Rebate for Quantum Finish 20 count Dishwasher Detergent or any Finish Quantum product. While I had to put the cash out initially to purchase the Finish Powerballs, I've mailed my form and receipt with the UPC code indicated on the receipt and will receive a rebate cheque by mail in approximately 6 to 8 weeks for the cost of the product, taxes and postage...making this FREE!


Plus last week I was able to use a $3 print coupon for Cottonelle Bathroom Tissue in conjunction with the Shoppers Drug Mart sale of $4.99 and paid only $1.99 for 12 double rolls. Now I'm able to print at home and work, so I scored 2 coupons and purchased 2 different varieties.


I'm on a budget (not a very strict one) but I do have to watch the money that I spend. My coupon pile is semi-big and growing but with a large number of coupons at your fingertips you can save hundreds and even thousands on your everyday and household purchases. What were your best deals of the week?

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Take Advantage of Senior Discounts

I know as an avid couponer that when I reach the age to start receiving senior discounts, I will lkely be the first to ask! But, I've noticed that a large number of the aging population doesn't even ask if the place they are spending their money at offers a senior discount.

Most larger  retailers like Shoppers Drug Mart, Zellers, M&M Meats plus others offer one day each month or one day each week for seniors to save money off their purchases. Most will also require seniors to provide proof that they qualify by presenting a piece of identification. Plus, in addition to discounts, seniors can also get free stuff too!

At what age can you take advantage of these senior offers? Well, they vary from store to store and the youngest I've personally seen is age 55 to start getting discounts.

Click here for Discounts and Freebies for Seniors in Canada

Do you know about any senior discounts that are not widely advertised but still available? We'd love to hear back from our readers, please comment below!

Save Money Using The Internet

From the very first day that I plugged in my (now recycled and replaced) computer and connected to the world wide web or the Internet; I've been researching ways to save money and stretch my dollars. I have a number of strategies that I use to make my dollar go further and spend less overall.

1. Freebies and Samples: are a fantastic way not only to try new products, but to also save on the amount of money you spend on these items. Freebies Deals And Rewards offers weekly free sample offers for members only on Fridays. Living Well offers free samples approximately very second week. P& G Brandsampler offers a lot of samples every 4 months. Plus if you check the websites or social pages of the products you use, you'll be surprised how many have some type of customer promotion. See the freebies and samples shared at FDR freebie forum.

2. Coupons and Rebates: are a huge portion of how I save money using the Internet. I use forums like Freebies Deals Rewards to look for coupons and check sites like, Save.ca, Websaver.ca, GoCoupons.ca, Brandsaver.ca, Right@Home, Life Made Delicious and Live Well Save Well. Click here for all of the above coupon sites. I also look to trade coupons with other fellow Canadian couponers. I join coupon trains, learn more about Coupon Trains here.

3. Comparison Shopping and Price Matching: I never shop online or offline without checking prices first. Comparison shopping can save an individual or family thousands of dollars every year! There are shopping comparison sites like Canada Post Comparison Shopper or Price Canada and you can also use online flyers or paper flyers to comparison shop. I also match the sales in the flyers to the coupons I have on hand to save even more. Plus when you price match using sales flyers as select retailers, you can cut the time spent on your shopping trips and save big too!

4. Cash Back Shopping: Air Miles and Aeroplan collectors should always check if the retailer they are shopping at has a link in either of the online malls. This way you can earn bonus miles for shopping at the places you already intended to spend money at! Plus, they both offer special promotions to earn extra miles on certain purchases.


5. Sign Up For Brand Newsletters: visit the websites of the brands you use and sign up for the email newsletters. Often companies use e-news to share valuable discount codes and other exclusive promos. You could get coupons, discounts, contests, free samples, event notifications and more.

6. Use Google or Other Search Engines: to search out discount codes for online shopping using terms such as "e-coupon", "promo code", "discount code", "coupon code", "promotional discount", etc. along with the name of the company you wish to save at.

7. Free Shipping Offers: if I'm shopping for items that I do not need immediately, I usually consider shopping online to save fuel and time. So, to maximize my savings, I look to shop online during special offers of free shipping or I may combine my purchases if there is a minimum dollar amount to spend to qualify for free shipping. Click here for online retailers offering free shipping.

8. Shopping With Credit Cards: Visa offers cardholders discounts when shopping a select stores through a program called Visa Perks. Check your credit card statement for inserts that could help you save money on your purchases.

Are there other ways that you save money online?