Small Business Saturday 2013

Growing up, I was always involved with small businesses as my family owned not one, but two. Because of this, I not only learned the hard work and dedication that goes into owning a business of any size, but I also learned how much it means to the smaller businesses to have your support.  Being a small business owner of my own now, with Crooked By Design I am so grateful for everything you do to keep my passion alive and thriving. 

Be sure to check out the Crooked By Design Facebook Page for today's coupons, but also, check out these amazing small businesses too!  Grab a coffee at your local shop, eat at the non-chain restaurant. Every little bit helps!

-For amazing beach jewelry, my go-to shop is Seaside By Arlene.  She makes all her jewlery from awesome finds off the beaches in Maine.  I love her work, and I know you will too.

-For handmade banners and party supplies, my favorite shop is Signed & Sealed. This super mom creates all her items by hand is takes custom orders too. Our banner was a hit at my guy's birthday party!

-For all natural bee products, handmade in my hometown of York, ME, check out The BeeCH Co. These moms specialize in natural beauty products and I have only heard raving reviews of them.

-For hands down the most incredible balsamic vinegars and olive oils, Saratoga Olive Oil is the place to go.

-For all your Mary Kay needs, hit up my gal Susan at her site http://www.marykay.com/sbaurle/


Have a small business or shop of your own? Please comment with a link!!

Your Pins Tested! Sweet Hawaiian Crockpot Chicken

As promised, I am testing out pins and sharing them here.  There are so many, that choosing one really is a hard thing to do! This one, however, was an easy choice because it was quick to put together and I had all the ingredients on hand.  Oh, and in case you are wondering, it was so so so delicious and 3-year-old Atticus approved!

*feel free to send me pins you want me to test out!  You can also follow my pins with the link to the right

I don't know where this recipe originated from, but I found it from this pin. Of course, because it's something I always do, I changed a couple little things to make it suit my family, as you will see from the original recipe vs. mine.

What you'll need:
1 can pineapple chunks
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/3 c. soy sauce (I use a gluten free one, of course)
2 lbs chicken (I used three chicken breasts), cut into small pieces

Toss it all in the crockpot, on low, about 6-8 hours until the chicken comes apart easily with a fork. 

I wanted mine a little thicker, so about 20 minutes before I planned on eating, I added a little corn starch and stirred to thicken it up a bit.  It was so easy and so good!

DIY Laundry Detergent

One of the biggest grocery expenses for us is laundry detergent. I have sensitive skin and tend to be a allergic to some brands, so many of my detergent purchases have been a waste of money when I realize I can't use them.  So when my sister from The Mommy Stories did a series on money saving DIY things, I was intrigued by this laundry detergent.  Because of my skin, I tested her's out before making a batch of my own, and I loved it!  My clothes smelled yummy, were clean, soft and the best part of all: a batch costs an estimated $2!

What you will need:

The initial cost is about $10, but you only use a little bit of the washing soda and Borax, so they last awhile.  The washing soda was a little hard to find, but I did end up finding it at Hannaford, and I have heard that Wal-Mart and Target usually carry it too.

1 1/2 bars of Yardley soap (also found at Target or Wal-Mart)
3/4 C Borax
3/4 C Washing soda
2 gallons of water

 

The first step is the most annoying to do.  With a cheese grater, grate a bar and a half of Yardley soap.  Heat 6 C of water in a large pan--like the kind you would cook a lobster in.  When heated, add the soap and let it dissolve, stirring it to blend.  Next, add the soda and Borax and mix until dissolved.  Add 1 gallon of water, and then 6 C of water.  Let it sit, stirring often until most of the clumps are gone.  The more you can smooth it out here, the smoother it will be when done.  Once it looks basically melted together (there will be some clumps), turn the heat off and leave it alone for 24 hours.  At that point, you can give it a good stir and bottle it.  One batch filled both of these detergent bottles!

Be sure to shake it well before using and it takes about 1/4 C or half of the laundry detergent cup per load.

Your Pins Tested! Crock Pot Cream Cheese Chicken

I have been seeing many dreamy Pins on Pinterest lately, but end up (like I'm sure many of you do) just pinning them and never going back to try them. So, I have begun a mission of testing out your pins and boy and I am excited!

The first one I wanted to give a go at was this Cream Cheese Crock Pot Chicken, linked to the awesome blog The Larson Lingo.  This recipe had everything my house loves: its quick to prepare and easy, slightly resembles tacos, so I can tell my three year old he is eating his favorite meal-sorta-and I had most of the ingredients handy.  Did I mention how easy it was?

I followed the recipe found over at The Larson Lingo, but changed a few things to cater to my taste buds and what I had on hand.  The first thing I changed was the chicken I used.  I buy large packs of chicken breasts and divide it up in freezer bags with different marinades so I always have yummy chicken ready to toss in the crock-pot. For this recipe, I grabbed the one frozen marinaded in Caesar dressing. This was an excellent choice, because it gave the meal just the right amount of zing! 

You'll need:
2-3 chicken breasts (I used frozen)
1 package of cream cheese (I used a Greek yogurt kind and it was great)
1 can black beans
1 jar salsa (I used peach salsa)
1 package frozen corn (I also threw in some peas because I had some leftover in the fridge)

I put the crock-pot on high and threw it all in.  I left it alone for a few hours, stirred, and once the chicken started to shred, I knew it was close. Total, I'd say it took about 5 hours on high.  About 25 minutes before we ready to eat, I took the lid off so it would thicken a bit and then served it over jasmine rice, topped with cheese and sour cream.  It was so delicious! I am definitely making this one again.

Gluten Free Chicken Pot Pie Stew

One of our favorite meals is chicken pot pie.  As a gluten free-er, you probably understand how annoying and time consuming it is to make a pie crust for it, so I cheat when my house craving this comfort food.  One way is to use gluten free Bisquick on top as biscuits, and another is to make the stew inside and top it with cheese.  Either way, boy is it delicious.  Here's what I do for the stew.

What you'll need:
2 cooked chicken breasts-diced, shredded, however you like it
1 diced onion
1 tbsp basil
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dill
sprinkle of thyme
salt and pepper to tastse
1 cup 1/2 & 1/2
32 oz gluten free chicken broth
1 small package of celery, chopped, with leaves too
about 5 carrots, chopped
1/2 a package-a whole package of frozen corn (depending on much you love it!)
1-2 diced potoates
1 bag of boil in bag white or jasmine rice

What to do:
In a large pan, saute the onion, basil, garlic, dill, thyme, salt and pepper with the butter and olive oil.  Let this cook for a few minutes, but be careful not to burn the onion or the whole soup will have the burnt taste.  add the celery, carrots and potatoes and cook for another couple of minutes. 

Add the half & half and chicken broth and slowly bring to a light boil.  Add the cooked chicken.  Reduce heat to simmer, cover and let cook for a couple hours.  Basically, its done when the veggies feel done, but I find letting it simmer a little longer than needed gives it that extra yummy taste.  About 25 minutes before you are ready to turn it off, throw in the boil in bag rice (without bag, just toss it in).  Let it cook and soak up some of the soup.  If you like your stew a little thicker, you can add a little corn starch. 

I was too lazy this batch to make the pot pie part, so I topped it with some cheese, let it melt a little and enjoyed! My three year old also loves this.  Have leftovers? Throw it in a freezer zip lock and put it in the freezer for later!

*For this particular batch, I had a bunch of stuff in my fridge I wanted to use up, so I improvised some and used what I had.  The chicken was leftover honey mustard chicken, and the veggies were from a previous night's dinner. Use what have to waste less and save money. 

5 Ways to Keep Your Crafting Space Organized

As a crafter, I am always needing ways to organize my stuff.  I have yarn, tapestry needles, buttons, you name it, everywhere!  Naturally, as a DIY-er, I wanted to come up with storage solutions that were:
1. budget friendly/free
2. recycled materials
3. fun to make and look at


Ever seen those yarn containers at the craft store? I actually own one and love it, but they can run around $17 for one.  I made this one out of a large coffee container.  Be sure to clean it and let it dry all the way.  Remove the outer label and either stencil, paint or cover with a paper/washi tape.  You can have so much fun with these!  Another great container to use is those big oatmeal ones. 

To keep my buttons organized (note: they were
organized at one point until my three year old got
into them) I use a tea box.  I found this one, filled
with tea of course, at Bed Bath & Beyond, but
I imagine you can them pretty anywhere tea is
sold. 

I also like to use cigar boxes to keep random items in, like pens, sharpies or whatever else I have lying around my workspace.  These are so cheap at any cigar shop.  They usually run $3-$5 a box and if you're lucky you can find some awesome printed ones.

I found myself constantly looking for my handy knitting and crochet notions, so to keep them all together I keep a stash in this small bag.  I made this one, but you can use any cosmetic bag or clutch.  I always have a tape measure, tapestry needles and scissors handy.  My needles and hooks are usually kept together in a case, but my go to ones are kept in here too.  

 After losing more tapestry than I can count, I finally put them in an old prescription bottle.  This one I covered with washi tape, which you can find for pretty cheap at Wal-Mart in the office supply section. 

 I am always looking for more ways to stay organized!  I also keep my yarn in baskets or bins, my fabric in a large wicker chest and on shelves in my workspace.  What ideas do you have? Please share them so we can all stay organized!

Tips For Keeping a Gluten Free Kitchen

If your house is like mine, where not everyone is gluten free, you may have encountered some of the issues I have when attempting to keep my kitchen gluten free and prevent cross-contamination.  Here are a few things I do to prevent accidentally being glutenized.

1. Keep everything separate!  No brainer, right? But sometimes, especially when guests are over, its hard to remember what is what, so label everything.

2. Keep two butter dishes, one that has been glutened and one that is 100% gluten free.  We have a flowered one and a plain colored one, to remind ourselves that the flower one may have flour (gluten).

3. Buy squeeze bottle condiments.  Mayo, especially is at high risk of having that bread filled knife poison it, and unless you want to have two mayos and label (we do this sometimes), then squeeze bottles are great.

4. Either avoid the toaster/toaster oven all together, or have two.  I don't put any of my food even remotely near our toaster oven, and we lack the adequate counter space to have two, so I use the oven or a frying pan to toast my gluten free items. 

5. Have a designated gluten free bread maker.  Never, ever, let a "real" loaf of bread in your machine, because even if you wash the pan, you never know where that gluten could be secretly hiding. 

6. If you can avoid it, keep "real" flour out of your house.  I never have it in mine, because we don't use it, and the risk of accidentally grabbing the wrong one isn't a risk I want to take.

7. Remind your family to always wipe down the counters after using anything involving gluten, so you don't contaminate your foods on accident.  


*Photo source: http://www.befreeforme.com/blog/?tag=general-mills-gluten-free-products

Weekly Cleaning Schedule to Make Your Life Easier

I've been noticing for some time now that I always seem to be cleaning. As you probably can relate to, it just never ends.  There will always be laundry to do, dishes to clean, floors to wash.  In an attempt to lessen my burden and stop the constant cleaning game, I started implementing this weekly cleaning schedule.  No, I don't always stick to it exactly, and you may need to tweak your schedule a bit (like if you have a big family, you may need to add a laundry day), but so far, it has been great. It takes the pressure to get it all done off of me, because I know that the bathrooms are for one day, and the dusting for another, and so on. So here it is! 
 

Monday: Laundry, vacuum, all trash out of cans and to the outside (I do trash this day because my trash pick up is Tuesday mornings)

Tuesday: Kitchen, mopping, dusting

Wednesday: Laundry, vacuum, trash cans emptied and out

Thursday: Bathrooms (including showers), pick up the living room

Friday: Clean kid's room(s) and pick up toys around the house

Saturday: Laundry & trash cans emptied

Sunday: Baking for the week/meal prep, change sheets in all bedrooms


Do you have a cleaning plan that you follow?  If so, I'd love to hear about it (comment below)!  You're house might find some chores are harder to keep on than others. In my house, keeping the trash cans empty is a big one, since we are house training a puppy and potty training my son.  Laundry has been a biggie since my poor drier is out of commission and I've been line drying for months and vacuuming is a constant necessity, again, toddler and dogs.  But all in all, if I keep to my plan, it works fabulously! 

In case you are wondering (I bet you're dying to know!) there are some cleaning products I love and swear by.  I'm a budgeter through and through, but some things I just don't cheap out on.  Here's some of my favorites:





For my shower cleaner, I have never found a better system than mixing Dawn dish soap with white vinegar and putting it in a spray bottle to spray, scrub and rinse in the shower.  The smell can be a bit over powering with the vinegar, but it cleans like you wouldn't believe.
I know I have mentioned Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day before, but I love their products so much.  They smell amazing, and the bottles can be re-used by buying the concentrated solution and mixing it with water as per instructions on the bottle.  I've found these products in Target, Wal Mart and sometimes Hannaford, but their website has a tons of scents and other products too.  Geranium is my favorite so far, but they are all so good.  Want to try before buying? Ask them for a sample of something.  I did and now I'm hooked!







I am going to start making my own laundry detergent after trying my sister's homemade kind (post coming as soon as I make it!), but my all time favorite detergent is the slightly pricey Gain.  I find it works best, smells best and just is the best.  Though my budget doesn't allow for it, if I have a coupon, this is what I go with.  I also love the Gain/Mr.Clean floor cleaner:


These garbage bags are awesome.  I never thought I would have a favorite one, but these don't break and can hold the weight of heavy garbage loads, making it easy to stuff as much as possible into them.  They certainly aren't the cheapest option out there, but it sure beats having them break and needing to double bag!


Here's a former post about keeping the house clean during the holidays, which are right around the corner!

Re-Post All About Gluten Free Candy

 With Halloween right around the corner, I'm re-posting this from last year.  I hope you find it helpful, I know I did!

 I know I'm late on the gluten-free candy list, what with it being November, and not Halloween anymore, but since my husband and I have been raiding our son's candy supply, I thought I'd share this information I just found.  I was surprised at some of these popular candies that are not gluten-free! (I found this list on about.com).  I know I've accidently ingested gluten because of some of these.  Now we know!

Nestle USA
Nestle USA considers "gluten-free" to mean "no gluten ingredients are in the product, whether directly added, or potentially present due to cross-contact. If a product label has an allergen advisory statement such as 'made on equipment' or 'facility that also processes wheat etc.,' we do not consider that product to be gluten-free. It is important to always read product labels/packaging for the most accurate information." Nestle will label potential gluten cross contamination, a customer service representative says.

According to Nestle, the following candies are gluten-free:
• Baby Ruth
• Bit-O-Honey
• Butterfinger Bar (original flavor only, NOT Crisp, Giant Bar, Snakerz, Medallions, Jingles, Hearts or Pumpkins)
• Milk Chocolate
• Goobers
• Nips (including both regular and sugar-free)
• Oh Henry!
• Raisinets (including Cranberry and Dark Chocolate flavors)
• Sno-Caps
• Wonka Pixy Stix
• Laffy Taffy (including Laffy Taffy Rope)
• Wonka Lik-M-Aid Fun Dip

The following Nestle candy products are NOT gluten-free:
• Butterfinger Crisp Bar
• Butterfinger Giant Bar
• Butterfinger Snackerz
• Butterfinger Medallions
• Butterfinger Jingles
• Butterfinger Hearts
• Butterfinger Pumpkins
• Wonka Nerds
• Sweetarts
• Wonka Bar (all flavors)
• Chewy Spree
• Wonka Gummies
• Wonka Kazoozles
• Everlasting Gobstopper
• 100 Grand Bar

In some of these products, the ingredients themselves are gluten-free, but the candies are processed in a facility that also processes gluten.
Contact Nestle USA at 800-225-2270 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 800-225-2270 end_of_the_skype_highlighting.
Mars Chocolate

Mars Chocolate makes M&M's, Dove, Snickers and other products. The company urges gluten-free consumers to check labels, even if a product normally is gluten-free; in busy times of year (such as Halloween), Mars uses alternative facilities to make its candy, and some of those may introduce cross-contamination risks. The company says it will label any gluten ingredients or cross-contamination.
Warning: At least some packages of two relatively new varieties of M&Ms — coconut and mint flavors — include the warning "May contain wheat" on their labels as of October 2012. Other varieties — including milk chocolate, dark chocolate, peanut and almond — don't contain that warning. In addition, I saw Mars several seasonal products, including M&Ms candy corn, that featured the "May contain wheat" warning. Always read the label before purchasing.

According to Mars Chocolate, the following candies are gluten-free:
• M&M's (all EXCEPT for pretzel-flavored M&M's)
• 3 Musketeers Bars (all flavors)
• Milky Way Midnight Bar
• Milky Way Caramel Bar
• Dove Chocolate products (all flavors EXCEPT for milk chocolate cinnamon graham/cookies and cream)
• Snickers Bars (all flavors)
• Munch Nut Bar (the customer service representative urges consumers to check the labels on this one)

The following Mars Chocolate products are NOT gluten-free:
• M&M Pretzel flavor
• Some packages of M&M Mint and M&M Coconut flavors
• Milky Way Bar (original)
• Mars Bar
• Mars Combos (a snack mix)

Contact Mars Chocolate at 800-627-7852 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 800-627-7852 end_of_the_skype_highlighting.
Tootsie Roll Industries
Tootsie Roll Industries, which also makes Charms products, says that, as of October 2012, all of the companies confections are considered gluten-free with the exception of Andes cookies. "We do not use wheat, barley, rye, oats, triticale, spelt or any of their components and that includes our dusting on our conveyor belts. We do use corn and soy products in the manufacturing of our products."

According to Tootsie Rolls Industries, the following candies are gluten-free:
• Tootsie Rolls
• Fruit Rolls
• Frooties
• Dots
• Tropical Dots
• Crows
• Cella's Milk Chocolate Covered Cherries
• Cella's Dark Chocolate Covered Cherries
• Junior Mints
• Charleston Chew
• Junior Caramels
• Tootsie Pops
• Tootsie Peppermint Pops
• Caramel Apple Pops
• Fruit Smoothie Pops
• Tropical Stormz Pops
• Child's Play
• Charms Blow Pops
• Charms Super Blow Pops
• Charms Pops
• Zip-A-Dee-Mini Pops
• Fluffy Stuff Cotton Candy
• Sugar Daddy Pops
• Sugar Mama Caramels
• Charms Squares
• Charms Sour Balls
• Charms Candy Carnival
• Pops Galore
• Andes
• Sugar Babies

Contact Tootsie Roll Industries at 773-838-3400 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 773-838-3400 end_of_the_skype_highlighting.
Smarties
Most of Smarties' line of products is considered gluten-free and vegan, according to the company. However, Smarties sells its products to different "re-baggers" as well as various retail outlets. Since a re-bagger buys products from many different companies and then places them in different packaging, only re-baggers can verify whether their manufacturing plants are free of gluten or other allergens. "If the UPC number on the packaging begins with '0 11206,' you can be assured that the product was packaged in one of our manufacturing facilities," which means it should be gluten-free," the company says. Smarties Gummies contain no gluten ingredients, but are manufactured in a facility that also processes wheat-containing products.
Contact Smarties through the company's website.
Hershey's

After several years of listing only a few products as gluten-free, Hershey's published a gluten-free list as of March 2012 that includes several more products, mainly Hershey's Kisses varieties. As of October 2012, the following list of Hershey's candies are gluten-free:

• Almond Joy (all)
• Mounds (all)
• Hershey's Kisses
• Hershey's Filled Chocolate Kisses
• Hershey's Nuggets
• Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar, only in the 1.55 oz. size
• Hershey's Milk Chocolate with Almonds Bar, only in the 1.45 oz. size
• Heath Bars
• Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (all except for seasonal shaped items)
• Skor
• Skor Toffee Bar
• York Peppermint Pattie (all)

The following Hershey's products are NOT gluten-free:
• Hershey's Special Dark Bar
• Hershey's Cookies 'N' Creme Bar
• Hershey's Air Delight
• Hershey's Milk Chocolate Drops
• Hershey's Miniatures
• Hershey's Nuggets
• Mr. Goodbar
• Symphony Bar
• Hershey's Extra Dark Chocolate

Hershey's says it will list any ingredients containing wheat, barley, rye, oats and malt on the label, and also will disclose shared equipment or shared facilities on the label. Hershey's gluten-free list includes baking chips and bars, cocoa products and syrup; you can access the list here.

Contact Hershey's at 800-468-1714 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 800-468-1714 end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

Wrigley

Wrigley makes chewing gum and other candy products (for more on gluten-free gum, see the link above). According to the company, "all U.S. Wrigley chewing gum and confection products have been assessed to be gluten-free with the exception of the products listed below, which contain ingredient(s) derived from wheat or are made on shared equipment that also processes products with wheat and may contain trace amounts of gluten." Here's the list of Wrigley products that do contain gluten:

• Altoids Chocolate Dipped Mints (made on equipment that also processes wheat)
• Altoids Smalls Peppermint Mints (contains wheat maltodextrin)
• Hubba Bubba Gummi Tape Candy (contains wheat flour and wheat fiber)
• Lucas and Swinkles Branded Candy Strips (contains wheat flour and wheat fiber)

Note that Wrigley makes Creme Savers, Lifesavers, Skittles and Starburst, which in the U.S. are free of any gluten sources, according to the company.
Contact Wrigley at (800) 974-4539 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (800) 974-4539 end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

Jelly Belly

Jelly Belly makes jelly beans in an ever-expanding array of colors and flavors. According to the company, "all Jelly Belly beans are gluten-free, dairy-free, gelatin-free, vegetarian and OU Kosher." This includes licorice-flavored gluten-free Jelly Belly jelly beans (in most cases, licorice candy contains wheat).
However, other Jelly Belly candies, including Chocolate Malt Balls, Chocolate Bridge Mix, Licorice Bridge Mix, Black Licorice Buttons and Licorice Pastels, are NOT gluten-free. In addition, seasonal mixes sold around the holidays contain the malt balls, and so are not gluten-free.
Contact Jelly Belly at 800-522-3267 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 800-522-3267 end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

Necco

Necco probably is best known for its small sugar Valentine heart candies – the pastel-colored ones that say "Be Mine" and "True Love" – but my daughter's candy stash often turns up a few Necco products every Halloween, as well.

According to Necco, the following products do not contain gluten from wheat, rye, oats or barley:
• Necco Wafers
• Necco Chocolate Wafers
• Candy House Candy Buttons
• Canada Mint, Wintergreen and Spearmint Lozenges
• Mary Jane
• Mary Jane Peanutbutter Kisses (available for Halloween only)
• Banana Splits Chews
• Mint Julep Chews
• Haviland Thin Mints, Wintergreen Patty, Nonpareils and Chocolate Stars
• Skybar
• Sweethearts Conversation Hearts (available for Valentine's Day only)

Contact Necco at 781-485-4800 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 781-485-4800 end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

Just Born

Peeps marshmallow treats, made by Just Born, used to appear only at Easter, but in recent years we've seen Halloween Peeps shaped like pumpkins and ghosts, Christmas Peeps in the shape of trees, and heart-shaped Peeps for Valentine's Day.

According to Just Born, as of October 2012 all the company's marshmallow candies that are safe from cross-contamination will state "gluten-free" on the package by the ingredients listing. The modified food starch used in the products is corn starch, according to the company. Just Born also makes Mike and Ike Candies.

According to Just Born, the following candies are gluten-free:
• Mike and Ike Berry Blast
• Mike and Ike Italian Ice
• Mike and Ike Jolly Joes
• Mike and Ike Lemonade Blends
• Mike and Ike Original Fruits
• Mike and Ike Redrageous
• Mike and Ike Tangy Twister
• Mike and Ike Tropical Typhoon
• Mike and Ike Zours
• Mike and Ike Jelly Beans
• Mike and Ike Hot Tamales
• Goldenberg's Vintage Peanut Chews

Ahoy Mateys! A Jake and the Neverland Pirates Party

My guy is obsessed with pirates, so when I asked what he wanted the theme of his 3rd birthday to be, I was not surprised when he said Jake and the Neverland Pirates.  With the help of Pinterest and my sister, Angela from the Mommy Stories, we had so much fun with this party.  Here's some of what did, as told through photos, all taken by Angela (thank you!!!)

A very special thank you to Jenni from Signed & Sealed who custom made the pirate ship Atticus banner!  She's amazing and you should definitely show her some love and check out her shop.

Also, my awesome cousin made the Atticus pirate shirt. She does amazing work, which you can check out on her business Facebook page. She makes custom towels, shirts and more!

I found the Jake supplies at Wal Mart for super cheap.  But also, check your local Facebook groups for a party swap, and you may be able to trade, or buy for cheap the supplies you are looking for.  I sold our leftover supplies before the party was even over!