Breaking Even, Inc.

Too Cute Tuesday: Tattoo Your Towels

Want to make a nice gift that costs you next to nothing and impresses your boyfriend? How about some embroidery?

I got the idea from Tattoo Your Towels. I was in one of those cute stores in the city of Portland Maine, the kind of fun and retro-feeling store where I loved everything but couldn't afford anything. Until I saw a $3 Tattoo Your Towels kit.

Tattooing tea towels seemed very domestic but hip at the same time. I liked the cute, tattoo-like designs and the craftiness of the project.

When I lived on Vinalhaven and had lots of free time, I decided one lonely but goal oriented evening to make Sean a present. My mother had bought me a ginourmous bag of embroidering floss so I got it out along with the cross stitch loop. A glass of wine and twenty minutes later, Sean had a tattooed towel.

He absolutely loves his tatooed towel and thinks I am so handy for making it. The good news is you can do this to your towels in a simple design (like a heart and initials) without kit. (Though the kit is pretty cool when you get good!)

Materials:
Needle ($1 for a bunch)
Embroidery loop ($5 for a whole bunch)
Differnet colors embroidery floss (total cost no more than $3)
Something to embroider, like a bathroom towel
Wine (optional)

Thread the needle. Sketch out a design to stitch (something simple). Stretch fabric into the embroidery loop. (Though you don't need it if you're doing a thick fabric like towels.) Stitch. If you need further instructions on the stitching, see this site for techniques. Drink wine. Be happy with your gift... and you have supplies to make a lot of them!

These towels not only impress not-so-crafty boys but can make great and personal gifts for everyone you know from parents to girl friends. And I'm hard pressed to think of other gifts that can be made in twenty minutes and at such a great price.

Happy Crafting!

Too Cute Tuesday: Fortunate Clothes Pins

Too Cute Tuesdays will be a semi-regular series about cute inexpensive things you can make as gifts for you or others. It's something new here at Breaking Even Inc. so let me know whether I should keep it or can it.

I recieved a thoughtful gift from a friend who somehow found a gift that encompassed two of my loves: cute things and Chinese food.

These little clothespins came in a package and have little Chinese fortunes written on them. A cute hostess gift you can make? I should say so!

Not to disappoint but the fortunes that actually come in fortune cookies are too short and fat for the clothes pin. Therefore, there is a little more prep involved.

You'll Need:
Internet access and a computer
A printer and sheet of paper
1 piece of cardstock
Clothespins
Modge Podge or glue
Scissors (or one of those teeny scrapbook croppers—well worth the $5-10 it will cost you)
Small ruler

Go to a "free font" website like www.dafont.com. I picked Shanghai but maybe you'll see something better under "Foreign Look". Install the font on your computer. (It may be noted that my computer is about to die so I really have nothing to lose as far as accidentally installing something). Here's a link that tells you how to install the font on your computer, whether you have a Mac or a PC. (You can also use the fonts that came with your computer, though going through them all may make you feel a little insane.)

After you come up with some good fortunes, type them in the font. (One of my personal favorites: Be mischievous and you will never be lonesome.) Measure your clothespins to see what size you should make your little slip of paper. Print your fortunes. Crop them to size.

Glue the fortunes onto a piece of cardstock. This will keep the paper from bubbling. Then glue the cardstock to the clothespin.

You could make these occasion-specific and put them in a cute little fake takout container if you wanted to go all out. They can function as clothespins, chip clips, paper fasteners... You can even put a magnet on the back to make them fridge or file cabinet ready! I know, I'm so crafty... and now you will be too!

Stay tuned for other "I can make that!" moments on Breaking Even, Inc!

My First Visit To Trader Joe's

When I lived on Vinalhaven, I discovered Trader Joe's. No, there was no store on the island but my house was stocked: condiments, pasta, spices... all with this brand name on them. I later found out my landlord's wife worked for the company. He told me to eat/use whatever I wanted in the house (I was going to be living there full time for a few years) so I did. First the marinated peppers and then the whole grain pasta... by the time I left, there was a little salt and pepper left but that was about it.  

Trader Joe's was good but felt very unattainable to me. Primarily, it's a city thing (and not online because they want to be your neighborhood store). Since it is a larger city thing, there are none in Maine. I didn't think I'd ever get to one. 

Well that all changed today folks. I'm in Boston for the weekend and since I brought my car this time, I helped my buddy Ally go grocery shopping at Trader Joe's. 

First of all, the tropical theme kind of struck me. "Are they all like this?" I asked. It seemed to put the pizazz back in grocery shopping. Then I started looking through the aisles.

I went to pay and the price was very reasonable. For example, the Emergence-C I usually buy at my local natural food store is normally around $15. At Trader Joe's, it was $8. Luna Bars that are normally $1.25 at the natural food store were $.99. Trader Joe's doesn't use coupons of have sales; according to the website, they just try to buy direct, keep corporate costs low, and sell perishables when they are in season. The result is that I looked at the prices and in addition to seeing a low unit price, nutritional information was prominently featured. Cheap and good, just how I like my food. 

In addition to having some staples that I always need (like a Vitamin C beverage), Trader Joe's seems like a good place to go if you need some fun appetizer to bring to a party. Thai lemon spiced cashews definitely went in my cart and perhaps if you throw a party and invite me, I'll bring them!

So I was happy to help out a friend and have my first Trader Joe's experience. I would have liked to get more frozen stuff to bring home but next time, I guess I'll have to bring a cooler. 

Are you similarly in awe and admiration of Trader Joe's?

Want To Win Cool Movies?

Take Part In This Fun, Easy Contest!

As I mentioned about a month ago, I saw some fabulous films by Julia Radochia. She was kind enough to send me a copy of all her short films to be auctioned off. A few words from Julia: "I've written, directed, edited, produced/co-produced several short films that have been screened in festivals. My partner in filmmaking is Jeremy Ward who has not only helped me produce my films, but has also done sound, composed and performed music, as well as gaffed, ADed, etc. My films are: LIKE HIS FATHER, JIMMY'S HOUSE OF HUGS, SALLY'S DREAM HOUSE, EDDIE'S WINNING DATE, GO FAUX and I JUST WANT TO EAT MY SANDWICH. All have been in festivals, some more than others, with most of them having won at least one award. I'm also working on finishing up my more experimental/musical piece HAPPY AT HOME."

These funny, short films are funny and true to life and you need to get them through Julia if you want them (they are working on distribution). So what I'm saying is these neat films are an exclusive offer, and free to you if you win my little contest. 

In 250 words or less, write about your favorite form of cheap entertainment. It could be a hobby or game or even a website, basically telling us what is this cheap entertainment and why is it fun. Email submissions to nicole@breakingeveninc.com. In the subject line, write "I Want A Hug" (House of Hugs Production Company, get it?). Entries are due May 31.

The winner will have their entry published on this blog (linked to their website, of course) and get the movies in the mail. Good luck!   

Check out the House of Hugs Productions website to learn more about Julia and the movies...

In Praise of Homemade Gifts

A few years ago, during a period of unemployment, I decided to make my own Christmas gifts. I had my family and my then-boyfriend's family as well as friends who I felt I should give gifts to.   What followed was a period of frustration and exhaustive work that lasted the month before Christmas and ultimately helped me realize how much my time was worth. Allow me to explain.

One can do a simple cost breakdown to see the value of some sample homemade gifts. Here are breakdowns for some of mine:

What: Scarf
For: My sister
Raw Materials and cost: Yarn, $10
Amount of Time spent on gift: 10 hours (it was my first scarf, and a long scarf that involved fringe)
Value of Gift (materials + time compensated at minimum wage): $80

What: Candles
For: Mothers and sisters
Raw Materials and cost: gel stuff, wicks, containers to put candles in, $50. Used pots and oven in my mother's kitchen.
Amount of Time spent on gift: 3-4 hours
Value of Gifts (materials + time compensated at minimum wage)= $71-78 for four candles

What: Soaps
For: Everyone
Raw materials and cost: soap stuff, dye for soap (don't use food coloring; it will dye people's skin and make them laugh at you), fragrance, $15. Used molds from my mother's kitchen.
Amount of time spent: 2 hours
Value of Gifts: $29

What: Chocolates
For: Everyone
Raw materials and cost: Truffle materials, $20
Amount of time spent: 2 hours
Value of gifts: $34 for 8 small packages

I made more than this and a few more specialized gifts for close family. I calculate now that I spent about $200 on supplies including packaging to put my homemade gifts in (baskets, jars, bags, pretty ribbons, cards). I spent about 20 hours making the gifts, which doesn't sound like much, but the State of Maine values this time to be at least $140. My $340 was far from cheap, even though some gift recipients thought my gifts to be small trinkets (and they are, thankfully, no longer receiving gifts from me).

So after my experience, would I encourage someone else low on funds to make gifts for the holiday season? Maybe, but I certainly won't do it again. It is much less time and effort to go out and buy a gift, even an inexpensive one than it is to think of homemade gifts, research how to make them, and actually make them. It is also much more economical to buy that scarf in the bargain bin or those little candles for 50 cents each than to try to recreate them yourself.

So when I receive a homemade gift from someone, I feel a little more grateful than I would have in the past. Because good things take time and how valuable is something from the heart made with the hands?

Homemade gifts, I salute you but admire you from afar... Well ok, I am making something for my mom this Christmas. :^) What can I say, I couldn't resist...plus I know she appreciates it.

A Bookcase of Ones Own

Yesterday, my long awaited bookcase was ready for me to put my books into it.

When my boyfriend asked me this summer what I wanted for our anniversary, I told him a bookcase. I've always had built-ins everywhere I've lived but in this house, there was no place to put my books. And I had boxes and boxes of books.

Some nagging and about $200 of supplies later (Sean's money, not mine), I now have a beautiful and ginormous bookcase that holds 12 boxes of books and still has room to spare. I have decided though that while I could very well keep all my books that it would be much better to share at least some of them by giving them away to friends one by one. And voila, a random act of kindness (a gift you could even say) that's free.

For the books I am giving away, I am writing them down in a notebook, title and author as well as my overall impressions. If I ever want to be reminded of a book that has left me, I only have to look in my notebook to be reminded.

I gave away my first book today. And it felt good. So if you get a book in the mail, don't be surprised. I'm actually trying to make your day.