Tuesday's Tip-Make Your Own Wood Stain

Make your own wood stain instead of using commercial wood stain. Commercial stains are used for a dark wood look or faux effects, but I read that by mixing old brewed coffee and black tea, you can create your own homemade stain. Let home brewed coffee and a tea bag sit for about a day or two in a full coffee pot. The stain won't cost you more than $3. Lemme know if you give it a try!

P.S. If you're a man or woman of fewer words - say 140 characters - follow The Gift Closet on Twitter by clicking here. Tweet ya later! ~wink~

Tuesdays- Tip - (Almost) Free Business Cards

My tip today is for any business owner, or anyone who just wants a calling card of their own, is to check out Vistaprint & Officemax for (almost) free business cards. Did you know you can get 250 business cards for free @ Vistaprint? There is a very small shipping fee, but you can design your own cards. I've always gotten my business cards there, or at Officemax. You can buy blank business cards, design them yourself at home, & print them at home as needed. I hopped over to the Officemax site & happened to see they are having a 20% off online sale right now so you may want to check that out as well. Do you have a great place to get affordable business cards or supplies? Please share in a comment if so! ;)

P.S. The winner of the Travel First Aid Kit is #3 Forever And Always. Congrats!!

Tuesday's Tip - Cleaning Your Front End Washer

A few years ago the hubby & I purchased a front end loader & new dryer. We were sold on the all the energy efficient hype about them. While I have thoroughly enjoyed them, one thing I have heard many others complain about is the mildew/mold in the washer. Ugh! So frustrating considering our whole family suffers from allergies & my husband from asthma. I have scoured the Internet many times looking for ways to get rid of the smell. Since there are so many people out there w/ this same problem, I thought I'd share what I have found that has worked.

1. I try to run a cycle w/ only bleach every so often. This helps get rid of the smell quite a bit.
2. ALWAYS leave the door open when not in use.
3. Fill the basin with warm water and add 2 cups of white vinegar. Let stand for 1 hour. Run the cycle as usual.

Hope these have helped and if you have a tip please share! :)

P.S. If you're a man or woman of fewer words - say 140 characters - follow The Gift Closet on Twitter by clicking here. Tweet ya later! ~wink~

Tuesday's Tip - Gifts with Meaning

Are you looking to give gifts this Christmas that have some meaning to them? I recently read not to give gift cards this year because of so many businesses closing down. And I personally have enjoyed shopping online with some of the great companies I have discovered this year through The Gift Closet. One of those companies is DaySpring.

I introduced you to DaySpring last week and some wonderful Christian Children's Products they make. (Click here to view that post and enter the giveaway.) And today I would like to show you some of their gorgeous Home Decor products!

This canvas wrap has a beautiful prayer for your home on it. I love the last verses which say, "We commit this house to You and we ask that You truly make it a home as we live, laugh, and love together."


Another product they have that I LOVE is this beautiful Tray w/ multiple inserts. You can change the inserts according to your mood or the season, etc. You can't really see it in these pictures but each insert has a beautiful Bible Verse on it. Love it!!!







I'm thrilled to have this Unique Metal Wall Hanging in my church foyer! This would make a gorgeous addition to any home or church.It measures about 2 1/2 ft tall and about 3 1/2 feet wide.


And for my Gift Closet readers DaySpring has offered a generous 25% off and FREE shipping on orders of over $40 through December 12!! Simply enter the code CLOSET25 upon checking out.

Would you like to see your button on my "Find Me Here" page? Please email me, I'd love to do a link exchange! ;)