I love a Night Stand kitchen more than I could possibly express! They are cute, relatively easy to make and they don't take up too much space. Here are a few of my favorite night stand kitchen ideas!
What is a night stand kitchen you ask? Well it's a night stand or a set of night stands that has been turned into a fun kitchen for kids! (or for you #noJudgement)
The good people over at The Farmer's Nest turned this set of night stands:
Into this amazing set!!!
Visit their site for a step by step Tutorial: The Farmer's Nest
This sparkling creation comes from our friends at Bubble Stitch Quilt. Take a look at the before and after shot!
It really is an amazing transformation! Just goes to show that with a bit of creativity, you can transform any style of night stand into a great kitchen!
For the step by step tutorial, visit: Bubble Stitch Quilt!
This beauty comes for the Curb Alert Blog. Here's the before:
They really did a fantastic job!!!!
For a Step by Step tutorial visit Curb Alert Blog!
If you have the space and want to make bigger kitchen, check look into Entertainment Center Kitchens. I LOVE this one from the SuttonGrace blog.
Erin from SuttonGrace stopped blogging a while ago, but her old blog is still available so you can check out the tutorial and see how this kitchen was made!
It really is a stunning transformation! Find the tutorial for this kitchen make over at Sutton Grace!
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| The Farmer's Nest Night Stand Kitchen |
The good people over at The Farmer's Nest turned this set of night stands:
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| BEFORE |
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| AFTER!!!! |
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| Bubble Stitch Quilt Night Stand Kitchen |
This sparkling creation comes from our friends at Bubble Stitch Quilt. Take a look at the before and after shot!
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For the step by step tutorial, visit: Bubble Stitch Quilt!
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| Night Stand Kitchen from The Curb Alert Blog |
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| BEFORE |
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| Back View |
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For a Step by Step tutorial visit Curb Alert Blog!
If you have the space and want to make bigger kitchen, check look into Entertainment Center Kitchens. I LOVE this one from the SuttonGrace blog.
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| Sutton Grace Entertainment Center Make Over |
Erin from SuttonGrace stopped blogging a while ago, but her old blog is still available so you can check out the tutorial and see how this kitchen was made!
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| Before |
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| During |
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| After |
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Be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom of this post for 1 last tip!
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| Gift Card Exchange Time! |
UPDATE: I first made this blog post in January 2015. I do my best to verify and update each year. As far as I know the information is still valid. READ THE FINE PRINT as terms and conditions may have changed!
Yes you can trade those gift cards for cash and it's fast and easy to do. This post is offered to you as a guide on how best to ditch those unwanted, unusable gift cards.
First Things First
What are you willing to give up?
You can ditch the old gift cards but make no mistake about it you're giving something up! You'll sacrifice time or money or convenience.
The Sacrifice:
Time: Getting the most money for your gift cards takes a little time. So say you have a $100 gift card. You can sell that card for $97.00 but it's going to take you a week or more to complete the transaction.
Money: You can have cash in hand very quickly but it'll cost you. With certain vendors you can trade a $100 card for $60 cash on the spot. But if you want the most you should look around.
Convenience: Some card exchanges are fairly quick (within 24 hours) and offer a descent trade in value, but you're limited on what you get in return. For example, a $100 Target gift card traded in at Walmart will get you $96.60 in Walmart store credit. That's a GREAT and easy outcome but only if you want to shop at Walmart or Sam's Club.
Ways to Trade
Comparison Website: Sites like Gift Card Granny allow you to compare the sales price of various sites to find the best place to buy or sell your cards. Use this type of site to purchase cards at a discount or sell your
unwanted cards. Gift Cardio shows you the recent trends, so you can see
what time is the best to sell. (when the discount trend is at a low you should
sell [see picture])
Pro: This method is relatively easy
Con: You'll need to read about the different rules for the
place you are selling the card at. For example, at Ebay you must mail the card,
while Raise you can mail or upload a picture of it.
Payment Method: Check in the
mail or Paypal.
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| How Gift Cardio Works |
eBay: Before this year I used to sell my cards on ebay. I already have an ebay account so getting started was super easy for me. Ebay typically offers a good value for the cards (I'd commonly get $95-$97 for a $100 card).
Pro: Easy if you already have an eBay account. This method works best for popular cards. You can sell a card (or store credit) in any amount.
Cons: If you have a gift card from a smaller store your card may take longer to sell or you might not get as good of a return. Since you are paid through paypal the payment method could be a pro or a con. You will incur fees from both paypal and ebay.
Payment Method: Paypal
CoinStar: This method was new to me. I tried it for the first time this year and it's GREAT but there are significant downsides! Use the coinstar website to find the special CoinStar Gift Card Exchange machine near you. You CAN NOT exchange cards at the regular coin star machine. Card Exchange machines are yellow (the regular machines are green). Also, before you drive over to the coinstar machine, check the list of gift cards that they accept. They take a lot of common cards but there are MANY stores that are NOT on their list.
Pro: This is the fastest, easiest process BY FAR! You receive cash on the spot.
Cons: Very poor return. For a $100 gift card I received only $60. There is a $20 minimum on cards. There are a lot of cards that they don't accept. You need to have a valid driver's license or state ID plus a credit card.
Payment Method: Cash
New for 2017 - CoinStar now has an in person trade in option. Use the yellow coinstar machine or find a CoinStar cashier on their website. Some Target stores (the electronics department) function as CoinStar Cashiers).
New for 2017 - CoinStar now has an in person trade in option. Use the yellow coinstar machine or find a CoinStar cashier on their website. Some Target stores (the electronics department) function as CoinStar Cashiers).
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| CoinStar Gift Card Machine |
Gift Card Granny, CardCash and CardPool- This is actually my favorite way to trade, but there are down sides.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION: CardCash and Card Pool and 2 different companies but they work the same way. Also, Cardpool is affiliated with CoinStar. Ultimately there are a bunch of different ways to send your money to the same parent company.
Here's how CardCash/Card Pool works:
Option #1-
You enter the store name and value of the card(s). Card cash gives you a quote on how much cash they'll offer. For example. If you trade in a $100 Home Depot Gift card they will offer you $82.00 if you mail the card in or $77.00 if you enter the information online.
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| How Card Cash Works |
Cons: You get more money if you mail in the card. You might have to wait for your money to arrive in the mail.
Payment method: Paypal, direct deposit, check in the mail or trade for another gift card
Option #2 -
So say you'd like to trade to your $100 Home Depot gift card for an eGift card. Card Cash will give you $86.00 in credit at a participating store. Those stores include CVS, Bed Bath and Beyond, Dell, eBay, Hotels.com. Sears, Toys R Us, Kmart and more.
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| Trade your cards for ebay credit |
Pros: Fast, easy, widely available. Partial gift cards are fine.
Cons: This ecard program is only available online and you have to have email to receive the gift card. Also, depending on the card, you may need to mail the card in and wait for your money or eGift card.
Payment Method: store credit only (arrives by email)
Payment Method: store credit only (arrives by email)
ONE MORE THING-
Say you got a couple of gift cards and you enjoyed your shopping experience, BUT there's a little money left over. It's too little money to spend, but more than you want to toss out. Sell those gift cards! I sold mine on CardCash, but you can sell them anywhere.
I had a year old Lord and Taylor gift card with a balance of $1.46. I was paid $1.08. For a Saks 5th Ave card that had a $7.01 balance I was paid $5.82. Grand total is $6.91. Now, $6.91 is not a lot of money but it's more than I would have had if I just let these cards sit and go to waste.
Make sure you check the card balances before you attempt to sell them. Also, pick up any old gift cards you see lying around. Store parking lots, sofa cushions and old purses can be a gold mine of nearly spent gift cards!
Say you got a couple of gift cards and you enjoyed your shopping experience, BUT there's a little money left over. It's too little money to spend, but more than you want to toss out. Sell those gift cards! I sold mine on CardCash, but you can sell them anywhere.
I had a year old Lord and Taylor gift card with a balance of $1.46. I was paid $1.08. For a Saks 5th Ave card that had a $7.01 balance I was paid $5.82. Grand total is $6.91. Now, $6.91 is not a lot of money but it's more than I would have had if I just let these cards sit and go to waste.
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| Small Balance Cards = cash payout |
Pro Tips:
Shop Around- Smart shoppers know that it pays to shop around. Visit lots of card exchange websites and see who will give you the greatest return on your gift cards. If you'd prefer to check a lot of different sales sites at once, visit GiftCardio.com or Card Cash. Both sites allows you to enter the vendor and value of the card in return they tell you what various sites will pay for that particular card.
Be Smart- You'll need to enter the card vendor (Target, Starbucks, etc) and card value to get a quote for your cards. NEVER disclose the card number and PIN unless you're ready to sell the card. Be careful of fraudsters! The Card Number and PIN are all the information anybody needs to swipe the value on your cards. Keep that information safe!
READ THE FINE PRINT!- Every card trade site has lots of fine print. READ IT! You don't want to lose part or all of your cards value because you didn't read careful.
Check your Junk Mail - My eCard certificate came in to my junk mail folder. Make sure you check there if you're waiting on information from one of these companies!
SUPER PRO TIPS:
Don't limit yourself to gift cards. You can also sell/trade store credits!!! So say you wait in line at the store and you are able to return that unwanted gift. The only problem is that the store will only give you store credit. YOU CAN TRADE/SELL STORE CREDITS!!! eBay is a great way to sell store credits for a good return on the dollar!Partial Gift Cards: So grandma is extra generous this year and she gives you a $500 gift card to Bass Pro Shop. That's great, only you live in a big city and you've never been bass fishing in your entire life. You're able to spend $75.23 on long underwear but now you've got $424.77 on a gift card that you'll never use. Sell or trade that odd ball amount!
ONE LAST TIP!
Before you sell your gift cards there's one more thing you HAVE TO do! Check and see who else accepts that card. Say you get a Banana Republic gift card. You like BR, but you don't really shop there. Check the website of the store. Find the place where they talk about their gift cards.
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| Check store websites!!!! |
By clicking the "learn more" tab on Banana Republic's website I discovered that I could use my BR card at Gap, Old Navy, The Options and Athleta! Who KNEW!? And why don't they advertise this!?
I won't spend $100 at BR but I would DEFINITELY spend that much and more at The Gap!
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| Other stores that accept my gift card!!!! |
Good luck and Happy Trading!
Check out More Tips and Tricks Here!
UPDATE: All prices were gathered October 31, 2017.
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| Family Pajama Shopping Guide |
I love the idea of having matching family pajamas on Christmas morning. The reality of finding them is an entirely different story!
This blog post of born out of my own research and frustration!
We are a family of 5 + 1 adorable pup. My concerns are price and availability. We need a lot of different sizes.
This is what I have found:
SHOP EARLY!!!!! It's true what they say, you have to shop early for the best selection. That's REALLY, REALLY true in this case. Lots of people love these matching sets so if you don't shop early you might be out of luck!
PRO TIP:
Before you buy ANYTHING online, you have to check out Honey! It's a coupon code finding app. I did a whole blog about it a while ago. Read about Honey HERE!
Pricing: The prices I quote are for 1 adult female set, 2 adult male sets, 2 boy (sizes 10 & 13) sets and 1 small dog set of pj's.
Style: The price and availability I'm quoting are for NON-footed pajama pants (unless otherwise indicated) and a long sleeve t-shirt. Nothing is personalized.
The Children's Place has some amazing sales on matching family pajamas and their quality is good. Though variety can be limited, most families will find a style they like. Regular price for my family of 5 (not including the dog) was $110.75 (free shipping). The honey app found a 20% off coupon code. The grand total was $88.60
Update for 2017 - I did not find a coupon code this year, but all options were on sale so the total for my family of 5 was $69.40.
For some reason TCP tends to bury their link to family pajamas. Here's the think for the 2017 Holiday season.
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| TCP secret family pajama location |
Target (online) has entered the family pajama game this year. Their prices are good and they have plus sizes and pet options available. Selections are limited. Matching slippers are also available. Prices for a family of 5 is about $105.00. Shipping is free if you shipped to the store.
Snug as a Bug has a pretty good variety, they had all the sizes I needed in stock. Price to outfit our family (including the dog) was $392.70 + shipping. (FOOTED PAJAMAS)
Pajamagram has LOTS of colorful, fun options in a wide variety of sizes including pet pajamas. $279.00 + shipping
The Company Store/Company Kids had good variety of styles. Price to outfit my family (including the dog) $299.00 + shipping. Honey had coupon code for 20% off on this site.
Walmart.com (has had family sets in the past. This year, 2017, i'm not seeing them on their website.)
Hanna Andersson has a very nice selection of sets including several superhero options. There were a couple of options for pets though most family sets did not have a pet option. Price to outfit my entire family $265. Honey does not yet have coupon codes for this site. They had them last year. Shipping is free for orders over $150.
Lazy One has a very nice selection of pajamas and slippers. Many pajama sets are sold as separates so you can buy just the pants or just the tops if you like. There are pet options and slippers available. Cost for my family of 5 is $186.91. Free shipping for orders over $50.
Chasing Fireflies has a limited selection of very festive Christmas options in stock. I found their website to be quite clunky. Price to out fit my entire family is $246.00 + shipping.
SleepHeads.com has nice looking sets and LOTS festive of styles. For a family of 5 (Matching bandana available for pets.) the cost is $175.75 + tax. Shipping if free for orders over $79. Honey has coupon codes for this site.
FootSteps Clothing is a great option for pjs that match but are not too holiday specific. This site offers sets that you can wear all year! Lots of solid colors that can be embellished with festive themes. They have an amazing amount of variety and the prices are pretty good. For a family of 5 (+ 1 small dog) the price is $224.00 + shipping.
Macy's has a nice variety of sets for the entire family plus pj's for pets and plus size family members. To outfit our family of 5, the price was $234 (after coupon code). Macy's had lots of coupon codes available and Honey has coupon codes for this site.
Kohl's is new for 2017. They have a nice selection of options available including a bandana for a pet. There are usually Kohl's coupons floating around online but I did not find any this time around. To outfit my family + the dog was $122.00.
Burt's Bees is new for 2017. They offer a nice selection of kids pajamas with a couple of options for adults. Because adult selections are slim be sure to order early as they're likely to sell out. There are no pet options. Outfitting my family cost $154. Shipping is free for order over $75.
Etsy has lots of people who make sets. Enter the search term "family pajamas" and see what vendor has a style you like. Because etsy options are hand made you will usually need a long lead time so order VERY early. I suggest ordering by October 1st. Price for a family of 5 averaged between $225-$350.00 + shipping. Honey has coupon codes for this site.
Sew Your Own: This time of year most local fabric stores will sell you an entire bolt (10 yards) of holiday fleece or flannel for between $50-$80. A pattern for simple pajama pants should cost approx $3. Long sleeve t-shirts are available at most craft stores for about $9 each. Look for coupons before you go to the store or search for coupons on Retail-me-not.
So the price to sew my own breaks down like this: Assuming 10 yards of flannel @ $6.99/yard. The cost for fabric is $69.99 (assuming I have no coupons). Plan $15 for elastic and notions. I could make everyone matching pants for $69.99 + $45 to buy long sleeve t shirts. So approximately $132.99 to sew pajamas. Less if you have coupons.
Sew Your Own Using Bed Sheets: The pros of bed sheets as fabric are that they're light weight, easy to find and fairly inexpensive. If you tend to be hot/sweaty cotton sheets do a nice job of wicking moisture away from the body keeping you cool. You can buy "seconds" (imperfect sheets) for greater savings. The down sides: finding enough matching sheets to make as many pj's as you want.
Consider making pajama pants out of sheets and custom embellish t-shirts that you buy from the craft store.
If you live in the NY tri-state area Marburn Curtain has MANY varieties of flat sheets on sale for EXCELLENT prices. Go into the store - don't buy online. You can pick up king size sheets for approximately $12/each. They have shelves and shelves of them. If you're outside of NY check your local curtain or bedding store. Mom and Pop stores are a great resource for discounted sheets. You can buy a sheet set or single sheets. Sewing my own using sheets will cost me an estimated $70 for a family of 5. I can use the remnants to make the dog a shirt!
Semi-Homemade Option: I found sweatpants and sweat shirt "bundles" on walmart.com for $11/set. I'm sure that you can find matching sweatshirt and sweat pants fairly cheaply anywhere. Buy matching sets for the entire family. Then embellish the shirts with an applique, family initial or something festive (like a holly sprig, menorah or Christmas tree).
Custom Embellished Shirt
The cost to outfit my entire family with this method is approximately $80.
PRO TIP:
If you are shopping online before google the store name plus "coupon code." I googled "children's place coupon code" and for a code for 20% off my entire order.
SUPER PRO TIP:
Retail Me Not is an excellent source of coupon codes (they did not pay me to say that). I like them because you don't have to sign up or sign in. I just jump on their site and poof, coupon code!
A Final Word
Sadly, there may come a day when the kiddos will no longer be willing to wear matching pjs at holiday (or any other) time. But alas friends, there is an alternate plan. Coordination! Choose a color or a theme and coordinate around that theme.
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| Super hero theme |
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| Black and Grey - bonus because these colors match grandma's hair! |
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| Red and Blue |
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| November 1st Sale Costumes |
My favorite part of Halloween is the after holiday sales. I don't do after Christmas sales because I'm usually WAY too tired from the holiday to bother. After Halloween is another matter entirely!
Here's why after Halloween Sales are so great:
- Most people don't think to bother with after Halloween Sales, so the crowds are usually light
- Deed discounts on costumes
- It's the fastest cheapest way to restock the dress up drawer
- Lots of Christmas crossover. Yes friends, there are lot of Halloween decorations that can be used for Christmas. More on that in a minute
- Lots of everyday items at deep discounts (I'll elaborate below)
Here's what you need to know:
PRICING
- NAME YOUR PRICE! If you shop at or before Halloween prices are usually clearly marked. After Halloween many or most costumes are out of their original packaging and/or missing pieces, tags and labels. Commonly the cashier will ask me "how much is this?" As there is OFTEN no way to tell, I tell him what I want to pay. If a manager is present there is sometimes haggling involved. If no manager is present they give me the price I name. Now let's be realistic, I'm not saying "I'll pay .10 cents each, but I've NEVER had a reasonable price refused.
- USE THE IN STORE SCANNER. Some costumes will have a bar code on the size label or somewhere inside the item. Use the in store scanning station to scan these costumes. If there is no size tag bar code expect to name your price. This is especially true at Walmart.
HOLIDAY CROSS OVER
So much of bargain shopping is thinking outside the box. The BEST way to save money is to purchase an item designed for one purpose and use it for something else entirely.
Here are a few examples:
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| Halloween Lights become Christmas Lights |
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| Skeleton Cookies become Ginger Bread Men |
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| Cupcake liners can be used at any time of year |
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| Dual Duty Skull Cookie Cutter |
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| Christmas Ball Cookie Cutter |
KIDS DRESS UP BIN
Seasoned parents already know that leftover Halloween costumes are the BEST source of dress up clothes for the kids.
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| Princess Dress for the play closet! |
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| Mario/Luigi mustaches .49 cents each |
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| Butterfly/Fairy Wings $2.25/each |
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| Petticoat at half price! |
EVERYDAY USE ITEMS
There are always everyday items hiding in the Halloween aisle. There's no reason in the world not to pinch a penny by snapping up these items.
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| Shopping Lists |
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| Glow Sticks |
COSTUMES FOR NEXT YEAR
It should go without saying that the MAIN reason to shop after the holiday sale is costumes for next year. As the kids get older this can be a tricky proposition. As friends begin to have more influence shopping ahead can be dangerous and potentially wasteful. (Sizes might change a lot, so might what's in style)
When I shop ahead I keep the costumes generic.
Skeletons, Zombies ghosts and other generic costumes are the best way to go. One year Duck Dynasty is all the rage. The next year nobody cares about those guys. Skeletons are the favorite at my house.
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| Skeleton from several years ago! |
PRO TIP:
Buy big! My children are now 7, 10 and 16. In the past I've bought costumes a size or 2 larger than their current size. These days I ONLY buy adult costumes.
We live in North Jersey and it's (usually) COLD at Halloween time. In the last few years the costumes have been covered with coats and hats.
By buying adult size costume tops by kids can wear the costume on top of winter coats and hats. The entire coat is covered but the costume is not so long that he trips over it.
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| Adult size Biker Dude Costume Shirt OVER a winter coat. |
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| Costume Arm Tats |
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| Adult side Skeleton Costume over a winter coat |
If you live with them you already know - teenagers can be a pain in the neck! There really is not much a mom like me can do to please a "know everything" teen. The kids can't wear costumes to school and this kid doesn't want to come home and change before going trick or treating with friends. SO - I buy him spooky graphic tees. He LOVES a graphic tee, plus it doubles as a Halloween costume.
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| Teenager Halloween Wear |
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| Costume Alternative |
For more TIPS and TRICKS, click HERE!
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