my favorite birthday freebies.

everybody knows that the best part about birthdays is all the free stuff places will give you just because its your birthday. and if you didnt know this, im about to blow your mind: TONS OF PLACES WILL GIVE YOU FREE STUFF JUST BECAUSE ITS YOUR BIRTHDAY. 

seriously. if you google "places that give free stuff for your birthday" youll find TONS of super-long lists of free birthday treats like this one. 

the only thing is, like 95 percent of these free things are food, and as you know, im allergic to pretty much every food. so a big chunk of these freebies are lost on me. BUT NOT ALL OF THEM!!!!

in honor of my birthday, i thought id take a minute to share my personal favorite birthday freebies with you:

1. sephora. if you join sephoras (free) beauty insider program, two things happen: 1. every dollar you spend at sephora earns you a point that can later be traded in for prizes (not very useful unless you spend a lot of money at sephora) and 2. a deluxe sample sized (meaning, like, half the size of a regular product) free gift during the month of your birthday! and the gifts are usually pretty good. one year i got a trio of lip glosses, last year i got two wonderful lip balms, and this year theyre giving out a set with benefit mascara and highlighter:

2. daphnes. if youre not familiar with daphnes, its a california chain of what can best be described as healthy greek fast food. and they have this stuff that they call "fire feta" that is literally the best food on the entire planet. anyways, if you join their pita points loyalty program, you get FIVE FREE DOLLARS of daphnes for your birthday. i know that doesnt sound like a lot, but five dollars is the exact price of a family-sized tub of fire feta (for me to eat entirely by myself). 

3. benihana. if youve been reading this blog for a while, youre probably familiar with this totally embarassing story from about six months ago (until very recently it was my most-viewed post), if not, i would like to remind you that benihana totally gives you a free $30 gift certificate for your birthday. you just have to sign up for it in advance. 

and this last one, i actually missed out on, because i didnt realize it was only valid on your birthday (and we spent my birthday at disneyland) but, 

4. yogurtland. so i just found out that yogurtland (my favorite place for dessert when we have a few extra bucks) has this super awesome rewards program, that lets you earn free yogurt. you get 3 free ounces just for joining and three free ounces on your birthday (and if you buy a lot of yogurt, the amount of free birthday yogurt goes WAY up). and um.... with the way we like yogurtland..... well probably get to platinum level (16 oz of free birthday yogurt) by next year.

so those are my favorite birthday freebies, what are yours?

scalloped bunting tutorial.

today im going to show you how i made the cute little fabric buntings (pennants? banners? streamers? whats the proper term for these?) that i used for the photo backdrop at alices birthday party. last year i had made similar ones (from different fabrics, obviously) using this tutorial for alices first birthday party, but id like share it with you guys, this time with an emphasis on efficiency. 

because lets be honest here, aint nobody got time to be dilly-dallying on crafts for hours and hours at a time. last years buntings took like three days for me to make. not this time. im going to show you how to make four nine-foot scalloped buntings in just a couple hours. 

heres what you need:

1.5 yards 45 inch wide fabric

scissors

marking pen

4 packages extra-wide double-fold bias tape

thread

5-6 inch circle template (i used the lid from a tin of pipe tobacco that was about 5.5 inches in diameter because thats what i had on hand)

iron and ironing board (not pictured)

pins (not pictured)

sewing machine (not pictured)

heres what you do:

step 1: start by ironing your fabric and folding it in half widthwise (selvages together) wrong sides together, and then in half again lengthwise (cut ends together). this way we can save time by cutting our circles out four at a time. 

step 2: starting at one corner of your fabric, trace your circle template with your marking pen:

and repeat, placing your next circle very close to the first:

step 3: repeat step 2 in sort of a grid pattern over your whole fabric, you should be able to fit 20 circles (actually 80, since your fabric is folded in quarters):

step 4: cut out your circles, cutting through all four layers of fabric at a time:

and stack up all your circles:

you should now have 80 fabric circles, neatly stacked and already wrong sides together. witchcraft, i tell you. 

step 5: take your stack of cut circles over to your sewing machine and sew all the way around each pair of circles with a 1/4 inch or smaller seam allowance:

yes, sew all the way around, and dont worry about backstitching. trust me.

step 6: repeat 39 more times until you have 40 circles that look like this:

step 7: cut your circles in half, making sure to keep your pattern straight:

step 8: turn all your half circles right side out and iron flat:

step 9: open up all your bias tapes and iron out all the creases:

step 10: find the middle of one piece of bias tape and open it up. place one of your half-circles all the way into the back of the fold:

and pin it shut:

step 11: repeat step 10 nine more times on each side of your second scallop (for a total of 19 scallops per bunting)

step 12: starting at one end of the bias tape, sew a straight stitch very close to the open (not folded) edge:

continuing all the way down the length of the tape, making sure all your scallops are properly "sandwiched" in the bias tape:

 step 13: repeat steps 10-12 with your other three pieces of tape (youll have four scallops leftover), and then youre done!

please let me know if you find this tutorial helpful, id LOVE to see what you make!

sponsor spotlight: stacey of grace believer

hello everyone! i am so, so, SO excited for todays blog post. why? because today i get to do my very first ever sponsor spotlight!!!! just like a legit professional blogger!!!! is this even real life?

anyways, id like you to meet poverty luxes very first sponsor (and my very new friend) stacey:

in addition to being an all around nice lady, stacey blogs about her daily life over at grace believer. ive had a really great time getting to know her over the past month or so, and for her sponsor feature, i decided to ask her a few questions so that you folks could get to know her too!

here we go:

why don't you start by introducing yourself to my readers?

Hello! My name is Stacey and I currently work as a high school English teacher and when I'm not busy working, I volunteer with an organization called Young Life. I have lived in Florida for almost my whole life and even graduated from a Florida university. In high school my life long dream was to play college soccer and then on to the Women's National team. But, life happens and you make the best of it :]

what got you into blogging?

I began blogging as a way for me to express myself in a new creative outlet. I have always been an avid writer in my journal but wanted to try something new with a community of like minded people.

what's your favorite part of blogging?

My favorite part of blogging is the community. It's crazy to be reading someone else's words and feel as if you could have written the same exact thing. Also, the encouragement you receive from other bloggers is incredible. 

what are your favorite blogs to read and why?

Poverty Luxe- duh! No, honestly, it is such a genuine read I sometimes catch myself wishing to be right there alongside the writer.

The Nectar Collective - Melyssa did a fantastic job designing my blog, she is a joy to work with. Also, whenever you visit her blog it's really down to earth and you feel as if you could talk to her about anything. A real friend across the oceans, ya know? 

A Beautiful Mess - 1. They're seriously famous. And 2. Their content is out of this world!

A Place to Dwell - Reading Katie's blog is the real reason why I started a blog. I read over her 29 Things (I think now 30) list and was instantly inspired to start sharing. She has an incredible heart for the Lord and I am constantly encouraged by her words. She releases her new e-book on October 8th, An Inspired Life.

what advice do you have for new bloggers starting out?

Be consistent. I have struggled with finding a "voice" and sometimes opt out of writing because I feel like someone else has, could have or will write it better than me. Build relationships with other bloggers and continue to be intentional about keeping those relationships. 

what do you like to do outside of blogging?

If I'm not blogging, I'm hanging out with my high school friends or reading! I love to be inspired by things outdoors, and I love nothing more than spending time with those whom I love. 

five random facts about you:

I was born in Seoul, South Korea

I have an identical twin sister

I really dislike mayonnaise and Ranch dressing

One place I'd like to visit most is New Zealand

I love old movies. 

isnt she just the sweetest? you can read more about staceys adventures on her blog, grace believer. and if you want to get to know her better, i highly reccomend following her on bloglovin, facebook, and twitter!

hope you all have a fantastic week, ill see you next time!