Beauty Bargain…today only in PA

#53  100% Natural Beauty products for a bargain…love it!

If you are in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area, then you’ll want to check this deal out.  Living Social is offering $50 worth of 100% natural beauty products for only $25.  We all know that “natural” or 100% pure is normally very expensive.  So if you love using natural products, this is the deal you won’t want to miss.  You can get a last minute gift for someone on your list and also one for you…without any guilt and feel great about being good to your skin.  Check it out!

Holiday Decorating Ideas…on a budget!

#55 – Budget Holiday Decorations…

A co-worker of mine is a fantastic holiday decorator and with her help, we transformed our office space into a Holiday Wonderland.  Her decorating skills on a budget inspired me to give you some holiday decorating ideas that you can do on a budget.  The decorating that we did at the office has put me…personally…in the “holiday spirit”.  I actually love coming to work in the morning and seeing all of the great decorations.  It makes me happy and excited at the thought of spending time with loved ones in a couple of weeks.

So…you’re thinking…that’s great, but just tell us how to do it already!  One of my favorite things that we did was to use wrapping paper in different colors (that we got at the Dollar Store, Target or Walmart) and then take framed art work that was hanging on the wall and wrap them like presents with a ribbon around them and a big bow with a plain ornament hanging off the middle of the bow with a paper clip.  The art in the room looks like gifts haning on the wall and really finished the room when we were done decorating with white lights (that we wrapped around pillars – in the office) and different colored ornaments that we hung from the ceiling tiles with paper clips. 

At home, if you have a dropped ceiling, you could do this…just prop the tiles up one at a time and use paperclips (you have to bend them to secure them to the ceiling tile frames) to hang the ornaments on (better if you tie nylon thread or string to the end of the ornament to attach to the paper clip and secure) at different lengths to create a really cool ceiling look. 

Go to the Dollar Store, Walmart or Target and pick ups a couple rolls of contrasting holiday wrapping paper, some wide wired ribbon in one color that goes with both papers, and a package of different colored ornaments that goes with or is contrasting to the paper you choose…at Walmart & Target…they have boxes with two to three different contrasting colored ornaments that you can buy for $15 to $20.  If  that is out of your budget for this year or you’ve already decorated but like this idea, put it on your list for your after Christmas shopping and get everything you need for next year’s decorating at 50% to 60% off. 

Another great decorating idea for the holidays is to use a large vase or hurricane and put two to three different colors of ornaments in the vase/hurricane and use it as centerpiece or in a corner of a room, if the vase is large enough. This looks very elegant and is also a favorite of Little Miss Idea.

I love how festive the office looks and am excited that we did it on a budget.  I couldn’t wait to share it with you.  Happy Holidays!

Colder temps & shorter days make being “Inspired” hard for me personally…

#56 – Inspire others to increase your own inspiration by volunteering this holiday season

What inspires your creativity or your sense of accomplishment?  Helping others inspires me.  So I am making a commitment to volunteer more this holiday season and also in 2012.  I am looking into what organizations in my personal community will benefit from my skills and willingness to help others while also benefting their overall mission.  Once I figure out (I’m making a list of my top 3)which charities are a good fit for me, I am going to introduce myself to them and see how I can help.  I’d like to work with a charity that helps/empowers women to improve their lives through education, employment search assistance, housing assistance or even a food bank that provides food to women and their families who otherwise may go hungry. 

I donate money  and household items all year long (to the United Way, Goodwill, Girls Inc., and other charities that my friends support), but I rarely actually donate my time.  I’m busy working a full time marketing job, selling Stella & Dot jewelry on the side – www.stelladot.com/sites/megbenjamin– writing this blog and socialilizing with friends.  I am going to come up with a plan to actually use my free time to give back and make a difference in my community this season and going forward into the New Year.  I am hoping by putting my actions where my mouth and my pockent book are, I will be inspired and able to write more creatively and freely.   I’d love to hear how you donate your time to help others in your community…maybe your stories will inspire me too!

Quick cash for the Holidays…Sell your old, unwanted or broken gold jewelry!

#57 – Sell your old, unwanted, mismatched or broken gold jewelry for immediate cash

I think I’ve mentioned this in a previous post, but I thought it was worth mentioning again…if you have old gold jewelry that is broken, you don’t like it or maybe you’ve lost one earring…why not sell it to a gold dealer?  The value of gold is only going up and you just might be surprised by how much mula you can get for your old, broken and not worn anymore gold jewelry.

If you live in Colorad, I personally know a great gold buyer and will be happy to send you her information. She will even come to your house to weigh and inspect what you have.  If you refer to her to your friends, she’ll pay you a 5% commission too.  So just by spreading the word about how easy it was and how much money you made selling your gold, you make even more money.  If you’d like her info, please email me at:  littlemissidea@gmail.com and I will send it to you in an email.

Another thought about gold, is to host a gold selling party at your house and invite your friends over for a girls night in to socialize and make some money.  What a nice change, come over and make money instead of spend money!?!