Handmade St. Patrick's Day Card On A Budget

 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

 

I made some collage greeting cards to celebrate this "green" day.

 

DEFINITION: "Collage: a technique of composing a work of art by pasting on a single surface various materials not normally associated with one another, as newspaper clippings, parts of photographs, theater tickets, and fragments of an envelope".

 

 

Here are some of the recycled and rescued supplies that I used to make these cards:

• Kraft cardstock blank 5" by 7" cards with matching envelopes. (Hobby Lobby - 50% Off Sale - Pack of 50 card/envelopes for $5.00.)
• Green/Crowns background patterned paper.  (Thrift shop find - Over 100 sheets of paper for $1.99).
• Shamrock Medley Rub-On Sheet. (Clearance at Hobby Lobby - $0.49.)

• Paper Studio Lucky Day Cardstock Stickers Sheet. (Clearance at Hobby Lobby - $0.42.)
• Green Paper Flower. (Goodwill - Large bag of paper flowers in a variety of colors - $1.99.)
• Recollections Mini Pastel Green Brad. (Michaels Clearance - 200 brads - $0.99.)



• Green Glitter Tape. (Walmart Craft Bin - $1.00.)
• Definitions from 1961 dictionary. (Goodwill - Old dictionary for $1.99.)
• Green fiber - (Pack of assorted fibers/ribbon - Antique shop - $2.99.)

Thanks for taking a look at my cards. Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.





Book Review: Everyone Can Be A Millionaire by Steve Swanson

Everyone Can Be A Millionaire...How To Create Wealth Over Time...Free Copyrighted Retirement Planning Calculator included with every book purchased!

Author: Steve Swanson

Publisher: eBook Publishers Company

Date: December 26, 2012

Guest Reviewer: Cindy Phelps Thomas


About the Author
Swanson was born in 1958. For 30 years he has been working in the banking business and currently is employed as a Bank President. He has been studying personal finance for all of his adult life and was a finalist in Money Magazine's one and only Personal Finance Manager of the year contest in 1994.
In 2012, Mr. Swanson formed eBook Publishers Company.

Financial Planning For Beginners
In this easy-to-understand book, Steve Swanson gives you the steps you need to become a millionaire over a long period of time. These techniques are designed to help you retire comfortably.

Mr. Swanson has personally used these techniques with his wife for the last 30 years. He gives personal examples and unbiased thoughts and also encourages the reader to do his own research.

This book is written with easy-to-read vocabulary for those new to financial planning. The author touches on: budgeting, debt reduction, emergency funds, reserves, 401(k), stocks, the withdrawal stage, and more. There is also the added bonus of a Retirement Calculator and a Budget Worksheet included for your use.

My Thoughts
I thought this 50-page book was a great introduction to financial planning. I have little knowledge in this area and had no problems following it. I definitely would like to try these techniques. I also like that Mr. Swanson relates on a personal level.

I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for an easy-to-understand overview of financial planning. This book is a good place to start.

My Rating: 4 Stars Out Of 5
 

Cindy Phelps Thomas is a U.S. Navy Veteran (2001-2005). She earned her BS in Psychology/Criminal Justice from the University of Houston at Clear Lake. She received an elementary teaching certification and is a former kindergarten teacher in the La Porte, TX School District. She is currently a stay-at-home mom and is working on her MBA degree at the University of Houston.

 

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Shock And Awe Economics

The presidential election is over. Now is the time for our country to get a grip and face reality. Our economy is in trouble, unemployment is at record high levels and the national debt is out of sight.



It seems like our society is on a wild spending spree that never ends. I found an ad in a magazine that was published in the 1940s...during World War II. The ad encouraged the American people to;


Use it up...That's the thing to do in wartime. Eat every bite of food, save every scrap of soap, make a patriotic habit of stretching all the supplies in the house so they go further, last longer.

Wear it out...This year old coats, old shoes, are a badge of honor. They show you're sensible enough to know that one way to help win the war, to keep prices down, is to wear your old things out!

Make it do...Before you spend a penny in wartime, ask yourself, "Do I really need this? Or do I have something now that will do?" As you patch and darn and turn, you're keeping prices down.

Or do without!...When you put your money in War Bonds, savings, taxes, insurance....you're putting your money to work fighting the war and building a sound, stable nation for the peace to come.

This ad is encouraging frugal spending habits to prevent war-time inflation. "It is buying too much when there's too little to buy that sends prices up. And when prices go up...and keep going up...your savings, your future, are in danger." Remember, it's the things you don't buy that keep prices down!

An individual citizen can't solve the national debt problem but individuals CAN deal with their own personal debt. This magazine ad from "The Greatest Generation" should remind us that SAVE is not a four-letter word.

 

See that prices go no higher
Be a saver...not a buyer.

 

This post was taken from a United States war message prepared by the War Advertising Council and approved by the Office of War Information ~ 1940s.

 

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