Recreating a Fall Wreath...on a budget

Isn't this wreath gorgeous? It's from Williams Sonoma (discovered via Pinterest) and will cost you $99.95. Wow. I love it, but I don't $99.95 love it.

How about this beauty? I fell in love. But for $75 on Etsy (discovered via Pinterest) I decided there had to be a better and cheaper way to get some of this autumn goodness.

Here is my handmade version for MUCH cheaper. * sigh * I love it.

I haven't decided if I like it better with the jute ribbon or the chocolate brown satin ribbon for the bow.
(The brown ribbon needs to be trimmed, I know. The ends need to be the same length...its making me twitch...something about not being symmetrical.)
What do you think?
Let me know in the comments.
I thought I liked the brown ribbon best but as I look at these pictures, I lean towards the jute ribbon.

Here is my cost breakdown:
Styrofoam wreath form from Hobby Lobby - $4 (on sale 1/2 price)
4 bags of reindeer moss from Dollar Tree - $4
Beaded pumpkins from Walmart - $5
Jute ribbon from Walmart - $2
Total - $15

Assembly was easy. Hot glue the reindeer moss all over the wreath form. Hot glue pumpkins. Tie a ribbon bow at the top and you have yourself a thrifty and beautiful wreath. I just love fall!

I linked up to Rhoda's Door Decor Fall Linky Party
and
Lemon Tree Creations Pinterest Link Up!

P.S. The wreath inspiration was originally discovered on Pinterest. Yes, I have become a Pinterest addict. You can follow my boards HERE.

Recent Thrifty Finds...finally!

I have been SO behind in showing you some of the thrifty finds I have scooped up at garage sales this summer! While I have been crazy busy adjusting to life with 2 kids and nightly sleep deprivation, I have managed to hit some garage sales here and there. Here are some of my finds from the last several weeks:

lamp - $1
marble rolling pin - $2
(You can't beat a good marble rolling pin.
I grew up using one in my mom's kitchen, until it broke!)
small milk glass dish - 25 cents
tall glass jar - 25 cents
2 smaller apothecary jars - $1 each
(I may have a small addiction to glass jars...)
stack of hardback books - 25 cents each

Here is a close up of the hardback books I found for 25 cents each at a garage sale. That is an awesome price for hardback books - usually the cheapest I find them is 50 cents a piece, more often $1 a piece.

I have a bunch of projects that are in the works... including a fall wreath, my Halloween party invitations, a lamp makeover, and of course a couple of new recipes. I promise to show you soon!

Because every girl should have a pony...

Remember the brass figurines that were popular for decorating purposes in the 80s and early 90s? My parents had a couple - a small rocking horse and a group of geese in a row - that seemed to be part of their decor for WAY longer than was trendy. Now if you are a fan of these brass figures, and I am sure there could be a place for them in some households, you may want to avert your eyes. And who knows, maybe I'm just unaware of what a collectors item these figures have become... ?

I found this brass carousel horse (pictured above) at a garage sale this weekend for $1 and thought I could give it a little update. After some heirloom white spray paint and pink and green ribbons tied around the top for girlie flair, here she is:

I thought this would be a cute addition to baby girl Davis's nursery...at some point... when she has a nursery ;). Because every girl should have a pony, right?

I just love what a little spray paint can do!

Another Lamp Transformation

I bought this lamp last summer at a garage sale for $1. With a little Krylon Brushed Nickel spray paint and a new $6 lampshade it is definitely looking more sleek and modern:

It sits on a stack of old books on the dresser in Spencer's room. Simply lovely. I *heart* spray paint!

Stay tuned because I may have another lamp meets spray paint project to show you soon! And check out this American Flag throw pillow from Pottery Barn that I picked up at a garage sale this past weekend for only $1:

Modeled beautifully by my $5 red chair from last summer's garage sales! A couple weeks ago I had considered getting a flag pillow to go with the front porch's patriotic decorations - and now I have one at a fraction of the cost. Ahhh, I love a good garage sale find!

Favorite Things

Just a few of my favorite things lately...

Scented wax for my Scentsy warmer for $2 a piece at Wal-Mart. Better Homes and Gardens brand near the candles. Mmm...makes the house smell fresh and clean.

Going to Sonic during Happy Hour and finding a free 44 oz. drink offer on the bottom of my receipt! Always check the bottom of your Sonic receipts for this survey offer - your carhop won't necessarily mention it to you. Gotta love happy hour and free drinks!

Donating stuff to Goodwill and getting a 30% off coupon to use at Gap.
Hmm...getting rid of stuff but being tempted to buy more stuff ;)

White Dishes. Love them. Have a slight addiciton to collecting them.
I'm not sure why it took me so long to realize their versatility.

This is no surprise to you - finding a good deal at a garage sale.

I found this 5 piece suit (jacket, pants, white shirt, vest, tie) for Spencer at a garage sale and snatched it up for $3. It is in perfect condition. The woman said her son only wore it once for a family portrait. AMAZING!

I am IN LOVE with this patio decor from Centsational Girl. L-O-V-E.

Maybe someday I will have a space like this... sigh.

You can see the entire patio HERE.

What are your favorite things lately?

Some of my first 2011 garage sale finds...

Garage sale season is in full swing now! I thought I would show you some of my finds from the last few weeks:

"Mary, Mary quite contrary..." nursery rhyme framed print - $1

(I plan on re-framing this and possibly adding it to baby girl Davis's decor.

If I ever get a space to decorate as a nursery...)

tall coral colored metal pail - 25 cents

small green metal pail - 25 cents

(was a pale yellow color but I spray painted it...more to come on that later)

Farm tractor toy with animals - $1

(adding to Grandma's collection of toys for the grand kids!)

And finally my favorite find!

Wooden "paper" doll with yarn hair and felt clothes - $1

(pictured on the right - This brings me back to my childhood! I got a little nostalgic as soon as I saw this laying on the table at a garage sale. My sisters and I played with similar wooden "paper" dolls when we were growing up. Now baby girl Davis gets to play with one too!)

White gravy boat - 25 cents

remember my fetish for white dishes?

small glass jar - 25 cents

My most frugal find of all - a new bike for Spencer!

How much do you think I paid for it?

Ummm...how about $3?

Yep. $3.

I was at a multi-family garage sale and one woman's husband pulled up with a truck load of more stuff for the garage sale. As soon as he pulled out this bike I asked the woman how much they wanted for it. She looked a little confused and said she didn't know her son wanted to sell his bike. The woman asked her husband about it and he said he wouldn't have brought it if their son had not wanted to sell it. When I asked her again how much she wanted for it she hesitated and said "I don't know...$3?" Seriously!? Only $3 for a bike that was in such great condition? I tried not to do a happy dance as I pulled $3 out of my wallet. I walked to my car really fast, just in case she realized I was practically stealing the bike from her :).

It was a serious garage sale thrill that day!

I'm so excited that garage sale season has begun - you never know what you can find!

Target Halloween 75% Off

An early morning run to Target yielded some Halloween goodies at 75% off! You know I can't resist Target, Halloween, or 75% off! They had several aisles still full of Halloween stuff so I recommend checking it out if you want to snag some good deals for next year.

Here is some of my loot:

A cute Halloween shirt for Spencer - $1.50
2 adorable throw pillows for $3.40 each
black fish net stockings (I wear these in the winter even when it's not Halloween!) for $1.25
black party plates, napkins, cups around 50 cents each (I like to use these for Tech football game food - go Red and Black!).

There were plenty of other good deals to find - look for things that don't always have to be used for Halloween... they had a bunch of costumes left and Halloween candy was marked 50%. I think a bag of fun size Twix may have found its way into my cart :).

This fun wig for $2.50 will be great to have for next year! Did you see my friend Elizabeth wearing a similar wig for our Halloween party (pictures can be found on my family blog)? I was excited to get this for our costume box. I've been working on getting a few things each Halloween for Jeremy and I to use for costumes.

Oh how I love me some Halloween clearance! Have you snagged any good deals at after Halloween sales?

Thrifty Finds and Makeovers

I know, I know. This isn't the post I promised with details of the baby shower. That will be my next post. I promise :). For now I just wanted to share some thrifty finds and a few makeovers of my garage sale treasures. I didn't go garage saleing this past weekend due to the baby shower. These are my finds from last weekend:

3 legged table - $2

(see what I may do with this HERE)

gold star - 75 cents

bag of dominoes - $1

(I will show you what I did with these later...)

bag of corks - $1

(make great vase fillers/dollar store hurricane fillers!)

black frame - 50 cents

cute honey jar - 50 cents

And my favorite find:

Set of 4 platters with iron serving rack for $3! That's right. $3.

I was in love! I have a weakness for serving dishes. And with 4 different colors to choose from...wow. It was practically brand new. And the price...I could go on.

And just to give you a taste of what I have done with some past garage sale finds, and so you don't think I just buy random junk (at least that is what my husband says sometimes...):

Remember these finds from a couple weeks ago?

Here is the 25 cent green vase today:

Nestled in my Halloween vignette with a nice coat of Heirloom White spray paint, some spanish moss, and sticks spray painted black. And of course a Dollar Tree crow perched in the branches. I think this works just a bit better than the candle I had there previously (the candle found its way to the mantle).

Sigh...

It just makes me smile when I look at this :)

Here is the 50 cent chunky frame with a coat of Heirloom White and some calendar art above the toilet in our newly repainted bathroom. This whole piece cost $1.50 for the frame and the calendar.

Gotta love a thrifty makeover!

Frugal Finds, Fall Goodness, and Other Things

This is kind of a catch-all post of several things that have been swirling around in my brain to share with you.

The first order of business - Frugal Finds

I didn't make it out garage saleing this week but I wanted to show you my finds from last week:

Popcorn popper - $2

(I have plans to make some of THIS soon...yummy!)

Lamp - $1

(I really just bought this for the lampshade)

chunky frame - 50 cents

green vase - 25 cents

5 decorative, classic books - 50 cents each ($2.50)

mug tree - 50 cents

(I love spray painting these and using them to hang jewelry on.)

Grand Total: $6.75

My favorite find was the books. I couldn't resist them when I saw "Gone With the Wind." Just classic. And it makes you look scholarly to have fancy books on your bookshelf ;) .

The next order of business - some fall goodness

I recently put together this little fall display and thought I would share a few tips with you:

Tip #1 - Use things from nature to bring a little fall into your decor. The small pumpkins add some color to the display. You can find them at your local grocery store for cheap. I used acorns that have been falling from a tree in our front yard (the driveway has literally been COVERED with them!) around the candle in my hurricane candelholder. They add a little texture and were absolutely free!

Tip #2 - Pull out fun fall pictures from years past and add them to inexpensive picture frames. I always like to get pictures of Spencer in a pumpkin patch, picking apples at the apple orchard, or sitting in a pile of leaves each year. I just went through his photo album and picked out a few colorful fall pictures that make me smile. Simple, inexpensive, and a great way to remember past fall experiences.

In other news:

Have you joined Home Depot's Garden Club yet, like I suggested HERE? I just received another coupon for mums in my email this weekend. And Home Depot had their mums on sale this week for $2.25. With the buy 2 get 1 free coupon, I got 3 - 6" mums for $4.50. What a great way to add fall color to your porch or brighten a friend's day on a budget!

Stay tuned - I have some fun things in store for you this week! I hope to show you the final fall touches on my front porch, the finale of my 6 month long bathroom redo, and some more Halloween decor...and I may throw in a recipe or two!

MUM's the word!

What better way to fall-ify your front porch than with mums in gorgeous hues of orange and yellow? I am on a mission to add a little fall decor to the front porch! (Even if it isn't my house! Thanks to my in-laws for indulging me in my need to decorate.) Mums are inexpensive and add such a nice pop of color.

And I will share a little secret with you... Join The Home Depot Garden Club. I joined the email club in the spring and receive periodic emails with money saving coupons for all manner of gardening and yard items. I don't use the coupons very often, since I don't have my own house and my in-laws' yard doesn't need much, but a coupon for mums caught my eye last week. I had seen these stunning mums at the grocery store, but with a $12.99 price tag, those babies weren't coming home with me. A couple days later, a Buy 2 get 1 FREE coupon for mums popped up in my email from The Home Depot!

It was meant to be...

The 6" mums at Home Depot were priced at $2.88 and much more within my price range! So for $6 plus my coupon, I walked out of Home Depot with 3 beautiful mums! What a thrifty way to add a little pizzaz to your porch or yard. And if you don't have a porch or yard, potted plants/mums make great gifts.

So what's the moral of this story? Join The Home Depot Garden Club , by clicking HERE, to help save you some moolaa on all your yard and gardening endeavors. And don't forget that your front porch needs a little fall lovin' too! More porch fall lovin' to come...

Just a little more Dollar Tree lovin'

I promise Dollar Tree is not compensating me for professing my complete adoration for their store. And I promise that this will be the last post, at least for awhile, that expounds upon the wonderfulness of Dollar Tree.

I wanted to show you some of the other items I have discovered at Dollar Tree. I think often times dollar stores get a bad rap for having cheapy, worthless items or they are not a true everything is a dollar store. You can definitely find some cheapy stuff at Dollar Tree, but among the junk are some gems.

For instance, the picture above with the "Families are Forever" sign. The metal tin that is holding my faux greenery came from Dollar Tree's spring line of gardening products. It was a metal tin with orange and green paint sponged all over the etched leaf design. But a simple coat of spray paint makes it look more elegant and was the perfect container to hold this greenery. I looked at buying a similar tin at Michael's, but on sale it was still $6. For $1 and a little spray paint I already had on hand I have the look I wanted to achieve.

Other Dollar Tree items I enjoy:

Sometimes they have some great storage bins available. I bought several of these plastic baskets to hold my son's toys and they work great. For only $1.


Thank you to my sister-in-law, Krista, who introduced me to my next love. I think these diaper disposal bags are one of my favorite things from Dollar Tree. So handy to keep those smelly diapers under wraps. And you get 75 for only $1. You can't beat that - even at Wal-Mart.

Did you know Dollar Tree has a great selection of cute board books for kids?

Don't underestimate the food section of Dollar Tree. Yes, they sell food. There are definitely some good buys to be found. A 14 oz. package of animal crackers for $1. They also have some really good "fig newton" like cookies in apple and strawberry flavors that I enjoy. Another good find - jars of roasted red peppers. Roasted red peppers at the grocery store can be pricey. But the Dollar Tree jars are only $1 and they are good quality. I use them alot in dips and appetizers and love to put them on sandwiches.

I showed you the hurricane candleholders from the Dollar Tree, but here are some of the other variations you can make using the glass candleholders and vases available for only $1.

Other great items: picture frames (sometimes hit and miss), these removable, vinyl wanabe, wall stickers (says "Family: a gift that lasts forever"), and small favors in the wedding/baby shower section.

I am lovin' Dollar Tree's autumn/Halloween decorations. The fake crows are all the rage around blog land as are the glittery skulls. And if you are not a big fan of skulls, those are the faux leaves I used to fluff up my garage sale wreath - 10 for $1.

Another glass creation: Individual cupcake stands from candle dishes

Glue one of the tried and true glass candlesticks to one of these candle dishes (below). The dishes come in all different colors. I think these could make cute shower decorations...whether for cupcakes or candles!

A few Christmas ideas from last year.

Might get your mind thinking for the holiday season this year?

Dollar Tree had these small wreaths of berries or pine boughs with berries last year. Here is my recreation of a candleholder I had my eye on at Target last year. (The picture above is my dollar tree candleholder, the one below is the one from Target).

The pine bough version. Just a small wreath with a glass candleholder nestled in the middle. Total cost - $2

Not bad huh?

A few other things to note:

Dollar Tree has great party supplies.

Gift bags

greeting cards

helium balloons

($1 is a great price for these!)

So after this very long post, if you are still with me, I hope you have been inspired by the $1 possibilities. But beware, it makes it really tough to leave the Dollar Tree without at least $10 worth of stuff when you recognize the possibilities!

Happy Dollar Tree shopping!

Calendar Art

We are more than half way through the year and I am seeing 2011 calendars all over the place now. I thought I would give you a thrifty tip for reusing your old calendars and creating some beautiful, custom wall art.

Several years ago, I used an old calendar that had different pictures of Christ for each month of the year. I picked out my favorites, bought a mat and frame during Hobby Lobby's 50% off sale, and put together my own pictures to decorate our house with. Here are a few of the results:

(This one is my favorite!)

How easy is that? And you still get the custom look of having bought expensive works of art by choosing big, chunky, expensive looking (but not) picture frames on sale. You can even find great frames at garage sales!

If you don't have an old calendar you like enough to frame prints from (aka - The Chick-fil-a calendar I have hanging up in my room right now... not exactly the art you would probably want hanging in your home! It was totally about the monthly coupons for free chicken sandwiches - not asthetics!), I found some nice 2011 calendars at Michael's for only $1. That's right, $1. You could get 12 pictures from one calendar for only $1. Now that is thrifty art! Here are some pictures of the calendar I bought for $1:

The front of the calendar.
They had a fairly good selection of all different calendars.

I liked the feminine, frilly look of this calendar with nice sayings printed on each page.

(Keep in mind that the beautiful colors are not translating very well through the computer...)

You don't even have to frame the whole page.

Cut out just what you love.

If you don't like what the page says, but you like the beautiful flower or bird, frame just the part that speaks to you.

This calendar would make some lovely botanical prints with just the flowers.

And you can conveniently see all the pages available on the back of the calendar.

If you need artwork for your walls on the cheap, consider this option!

I love all the possibilities!