Free is good. Free daily is better.

Here’s your chance to not only win a $20 Gift Certificate for Punky Jane Jewelry, but also get connected with a great blog: A Giveaway A Day. A new giveaway is listed everyday (bet you guessed that!) and it’s a wonderful way to discover goodies you might not have otherwise discovered.

Punky Jane will be the featured giveaway starting Monday, March 30th at noon. Each listing lasts for 24 hours, so get there and get entered!

It’s easy to enter...just leave a comment on the post that includes your email. Done. Want extra entries? Check out the blog for easy ways to increase your chances.

Special thanks to Liz over at A Giveaway A Day for finding me on etsy!

Who doesn’t love foamie soap?

We are all looking for ways to save money, and there are a gazillion lists out there filled with little ways to do it. Let's make it a gazillion plus one! Here are a few of my favorites that save a little cash, and in some cases, amaze the kids at the same time.

Make your own foamie soap. Save your foamie soap dispenser. Therein lies the magic. As far as the recipe, most websites recommend 1 tablespoon of liquid soap topped off with warm water for a normal size bottle. I must admit that this morning in a bit of a mad rush, I simply squirted 6 or 7 squirts directly from my kitchen liquid soap bottle, added water and ran back to the girls' bathroom. Success. Obviously, it's not a science! By using a clear soap to start with, you can eliminate all of those colorful stains from the back splash and sink. My 7-year-old thinks I’m magic.

Fake Mochas. Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate made with coffee. Side benefit: fewer calories and with most of the packets, 30% of your daily calcium intake. Extra bonus: No attitude from a Venti Peddling Barista.

Free Marinade and Rubs at Bel Air (or Raley's). Buy meat from Bel Air and have the butcher add a marinade or rub free of charge. They have at least 20 different choices, and then your meat is ready to hit the grill even on the busiest of weeknights. And while you are there, have them sharpen your knives, also free.

Google search: rice pudding with leftover rice I found this recipe after accidentally making too much rice. Now I sometimes cook too much on purpose! 2 cups leftover cooked white rice 3 cups milk (any kind) 1/2 cup sugar small pinch salt 1/2 cup raisins 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, optional pinch nutmeg, optional Combine cooked rice, milk, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and stir in the vanilla and raisins. Cook until just about all of the milk is absorbed (30-45 minutes, depending on how absorbent your rice is). Stir in cinnamon and/or nutmeg, if using. Divide rice pudding into individual serving dishes serve warm or chilled. Makes 4-6 servings. [NOTE: I doubled the rice but not the sugar and it was delish. And I skipped the individual cups. More dishes is a no-no!]

Fill the bubble machine for pennies. One part dish soap to ten parts water. Done. Some bubble experts prefer Dawn or Joy. I use what I have. If you add 1/4 part of Karo's Corn Syrup, the bubbles are stronger and their colors are more intense. Here’s to saving! More to come...

For the love of font

Etsy continues to amaze me.

It would be enough for them to simply offer a place for us crafty-types to sell our goods, but they take it to the next level and beyond.

The overall interface, the technology, the functionality, the communication with sellers, promotions, pricing...all top-notch. But the thing that really sets it apart is the ability for members to promote other members.

There is a wonderful section called the Treasury, hundreds of member-curated listings of featuring their favorite items. The process of selecting your favorites is easy...there are literally hundreds of thousands of handmade items to choose from. And getting a Treasury of your own is relatively simple, but you have to be persistent and have perfect timing. I have found myself several times waiting for one or two listings to expire [they last about 3 days] so that the total number of Treasuries drops below that magic number of 333 when new spots open.

Poof! The box appears, you type your Treasury name and create your list. Now there are probably over 800 lists! That many people clicked at that exact moment to claim their own spot.

As an etsian, I think we all [secretly or not] want to be chosen for someone’s Treasury. A handful of these hundreds of lists actually make it to the front page, and I know we all want that.

I’d like to thank PaperMail [www.PaperMail.etsy.com] for selecting my Alphabetcha Necklace to be in her very cool typographic Treasury a few days ago. No front page this time, but lots of new views and a few new folks that heart Punky Jane! Thank you!!

www.PunkyJane.etsy.com