Halloween Decor on the Cheap

October is nearly halfway over with and I am barely writing my first post. So sorry. :/ This month saw the one year anniversary of me becoming a "blogger!" YAY!!! Let me tell ya... I never thought I would get to have a friendship with ladies who are literally thousands of miles away from me. It has been a joy sharing my projects with you and getting to know you in the process.

Also... drum roll... later this month will mark the 29th year of my life! Surprisingly, I don't feel sad about entering the final year of my 20s. I am so ready to put that decade behind me. ;)

These little celebrations have me in quite the festive mood this year! Just look at the fun invitation I created for my birthday:

I used StoryBook Creator 4.0 and took a grand total of 5 minutes to complete it. Don't you love it?

I don't normally decorate my house for Halloween but I had an urge to do so this year. Nothing big and crazy... just some dollar store decor here and there. Like this sign:

This greets my guests as they enter our front porch. Sure the thing swings like a monkey at the slightest breeze, but I think it looks creepy cool. ;)

Once you enter the porch, you have a mixture of sweet and scary. No, I didn't plan this out. Besides, the mouse will only be up another 3 weeks and then the whole area will compliment each other. That autumnal pail will be up for at least another 2 months. That brown pail used to be a this color. Remember? I already had the spray paint and used autumn decor from last year. The mouse... ahhh... let me tell you about the mouse...

Those little guys are all over my house. EEEK! I saw Martha Stewart use them last year and I searched in vain all over for them.

Would you believe... I found them at the dollar store! A pack had about 16 of them! Sure, they aren't Ms. Martha, but I luv 'em.

My summer wreath also received a minor update. Again, I just used my fall items from last year. I love the black ribbon paired with a small pumpkin.

In addition, I love all the ideas I'm finding on Pinterest, but I need to step back from too much spending. We are preparing to tile again before the weather gets too cold. I can't wait! I want the guest bath and hallway tiled so we can start our kitchen reno. :D

I'll be posting again very soon with a product review. You'll see...

Tween Jewelry Display

I want to start by saying "THANK YOU" to the ladies who have posted summer projects to my link party. You have shared some great ideas! There is still plenty of time to post more, so don't forget about the party and please help me spread the word. :)

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NEWBIE SUMMER LINK PARTY

I have been absent for about a week because I was preparing for a garage sale that turned into an EPIC FAIL! I advertised, posted signs leading cars to the sale, and only two people showed up. I had no choice but to have our sale on a Sunday and I think that was our first mistake. Now, I'm having loads of fun trying to sell these items individually on Craigslist. *sigh*

On a positive note, I finally found a solution for my daughters bracelets and necklaces. My 9-year-old doesn't wear earrings and lacks the space for a jewelry box. So, taking advantage of her walls and a robe hanger, I found my latest victim item that needed to be spray painted:

Look at that brass beauty! You know how much I adore brass. ;) We've had this hanger for years, with the intention of one day using it. However, I thought it was perfect for little necklaces and bracelts. After a couple of coats of some plum spray paint, it looked like this: 

I apologize for the poor color. It was a cloudy day today and I had to use the flash to capture the color. It's not that bright, though. I promise. :)

Here is my daughters cluster, with her new jewelry hanger. And it only cost $3 (for the spray paint).

Remember to keep posting to the party! The last day is July 25th!

I also have a GREAT recipe to share, but I wanted to get some input from my readers. Do you all care much for recipes? I try to only post ones that can be done in under 30 minutes, don't cost a whole lot, and pass the "picky eater seal of approval." However, I've noticed low traffic on my recipe posts. Thoughts? Would you like to see recipes or do you not really care for them?

Linking up with: House of Grace, A Beach Cottage, Christina's Adventures, House of Hepworths, At the Picket Fence, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating

Newbie Summer Link Party!

May I just say, I am loving the coastal style right now. It is a trend I don't want to see going anytime soon. However, living smack in the middle of the desert, I feel a little ridiculous putting up oceanic decor in my home. So, this is my small attempt at "hinting" the coastal style without feeling like a fool.

The inspiration for this began with a lantern that I found at Goodwill for $4. It was a lovely, brassy thing, and the glass panes were still perfectly intact. After a couple of coats of some black spray paint, it looked good as new:

I filled it with some Dollar Tree rocks, a candle, and paired it with a votive holder turned Q-tip holder. :) I found that votive holder at the Dollar Tree and thought it kind of looked like a sand dollar. I also added some coastal looking shower hooks and a hurricane vase:

The shower hooks and vase were clearance finds at Target ($3 for each hook) and Walmart ($7 vase). The base of the vase was brown so I gave it a quick coat of black. This is what my guest bath looked like before:

A bit empty, wouldn't you say? And now: 

We bought the picture frames a long time ago and they had been sitting in storage because I didn't know where to hang them. I put some of my favorite pictures of the hubs with his ladybugs.

So, there you have it. This is my summer, coastal inspired, guest bath. I really didn't know how long I would enjoy a "gray room," but all the white and black accents just make this guest bath feel very crisp and refreshing. Perfect for a candlelit soak! Now, it's your turn! Let's see those summer inspired projects.

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Here's a quick reminder about the rules and who can post:

* You don't have to be a follower to link up (although, I really hope to meet new friends at my party)

* Please link back to my party somewhere in your post AND/OR post my button

* You must be qualified as a NEWBIE

Porch Redo Pt 2

Five more days, bloggies! Is everyone getting their projects/crafts/recipes together for my SUMMER PARTY? Remember, you can post anything summer inspired, as long as you qualify as a newbie. Read here to see all the rules to enter.

Well, I took a break from decorating my own summer escape and finished up with my front porch redo. I didn't find any patio furniture on Craigslist that fit our budget (story of my life), so I have to make due with what we had. First, I needed a paint color on those walls. I tried to be brave and pick something different. Here were my choices: 

Immediately, hubby and I disliked the "Briquette." It was too bright for us and looked nothing like the chip card. Next, I was really into the "Grounded" when I first painted the sample onto the wall... but after an hour of dry time, it reminded me of something my kid upchucked once. TMI? Thought so. Lastly, I really loved the "Roasted Pepper" but was scared it would be too dark for a porch. So, I chickened out and went with my safe color of "Dusty Trail" by Olympic. Same color I used here for my entryway. So, here is a picture of my doorway before:

Strong, solid door in need of a paint job, welcome mat that has seen its days, and unattractive red Spanish tile. Here is the after:

My little summer nook! The window frames and door received coats of white paint. The walls are my safe tan "Dusty Trail," the doormat is new ($9 at Target), and you can read how I did my sign here and my stick arrangement here. The ceramic planter was a GW find ($3.99) and the plant was $5 at Walmart. The rocking chair and throw we've had for years and will be replaced when I find a small porch bench.

Things I still need to do here:

replace the doorknob and locks

update the dated light fixture (not shown on purpose)

replace the tile or cover it with an outdoor rug?

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Linking up with: House of Hepworths, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating , At the Picket Fence, Just a Girl

Porch Redo Pt 1

Our little home in the desert is alive with 100 plus temps, and I feel a strong desire to be OUTSIDE and working on our little porch. Is that not the nuttiest thing you've heard all day? This area hasn't been touched since the day we moved in and I want it to reflect us. Before I could begin throwing paint on the walls, I needed some inspiration to guide me. I already had this pail hanging up there, but it was a bit lonely. So, I painted a piece of scrap wood white and freehand wrote the word "love" on top.

I have been seeing these "love" signs all over blogs and I don't know who the original creator is. I don't know who to give the credit to! Well, anyhow, thank you, "insert name." So, once my sign was painted, I sanded it quite a bit to give it an old, worn look.

Next, I drilled some holes at the top, and double strung it using jute. Really, I think any kind of rope will do, but I just used what I had. 

The finished look:

So cute! It took me about 20 minutes to whip this together (not including drying times) and I had all the supplies, which made this sign 100% free! Now, my little pail has a pal (cheesy joke) and I have my inspiration set for my porch transformation.

Up next will be a new color on those walls!

Linking up with: House of Hepworths, Sisters of the Wild West, Keeping It Simple, Made By You Monday, Good Life Wednesday, Christina's Adventures, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating, DebbieDoo's Newbie Party

Summer Wreath

One of my simple joys when visiting someone, is seeing a wreath hung on their door. A wreath decked out with leaves, berries, ornaments or pine cones gets me all warm and fuzzy on the inside. While my heart longs for the colder months (Tuesday will be 101 for us, FYI), I must make due with God's design plan that's outside my window. Browns, whites, greens, and blues. Plus, I needed to add a dash of color to the beige that I feel is taking over my home. So, when I saw this wreath, I knew I had to have it on my door. I just needed a couple of supplies:

The wreath was a Goodwill find for $0.99, the letter was also $0.99 from a craft store, and the flowers were $2.00 each from Hobby Lobby. Following the lady who inspired me, I stuck the stems all along one side of my wreath. The flower stems had an ugly leaf color, so I just pulled them off. I gave the letter two coats of my favorite blue spray paint and ended up with this:

My wreath doesn't look as full as hers, even though I used three stems. I may go back for more. Maybe not. Either way, I love the pop of blue on my door:

Door wreath project: $8.00

Linking up with: Thrifty Decor Chick, DebbieDoo's Newbie Party

Simple Wall Decor

Hello there, bloggers! Since we celebrated my littlest ladybugs' birthday this month, I thought I would give her empty walls a little attention. Here are two simple, inexpensive, DIY crafts you can hang in a child's room for under $5.

First craft was creating a monogram for her room. I found a craft wood circle at Michaels for under a dollar and painted it with colors that matched her room. I glued a ribbon on the back and hung it above her headboard. Easy peasy and under $1.

For the next project, I wanted to hang a "Paper Fan Banner." I first discovered it here and I loved the simplicity of it (that and I already had all the supplies).

The link gives a FANtastic step-by-step tutorial and I don't know WHAT was going on with my camera that day, but I couldn't get a decent shot. I used soft colors for my scrapbook paper but they came out very dark and shadowy in the pictures.

The banner is cute and will do for now, until I can come up with a better way to fill up her wall. She, of course, at the innocent age of two has no clue on how much work I put into her banner and keeps wanting to grab it (this explains why I put it high up). My tween, though, loves it and wants to hang one in her room. ;)

Summer Mantel

As soon as I heard TDC and 3 other ladies were going to have a combined link party for next month, I knew I had to jump on board with the "summer mantel" and "spray paint project" train! Here is how I combined the two, to create my thrifty, summer mantel.

First, I needed a focal point for my mantel. I have been looking for a mirror to place over it for longer than I want to admit. I bought one on Craigslist that I thought needed just a bit of TLC to bring it back to life. I was dead wrong. That mirror was going to cost more to fix than I bought it for. Well, luck finally came on my side when I found this at my local thrift shop on Monday:

A perfectly sized mirror for only $9.10! All it needed was some white spray paint to cover up all that dated brass and it would be like new again! On the same trip, I saw this cute birdcage that I couldn't pass up.

Although it wouldn't fit on my mantel, I knew it would look adorable in my living room. The birdcage was only $3.50!

Here is my finished mantel with items I already had, and most of them were blogged about since I found them at thrift stores.

 Yes, those are sticks... that I found... and spray painted white. The moss balls and birds were from the Dollar Tree. I spray painted the birds, mirror frame, and sticks white.

Remember my birdcage? 

It looks precious on my side table. I'm still debating whether I want to fill it with anything or leave it as is. What do you think? Is anyone else getting ready for the link party? Well, I'm off to the gym. Got to get in that last workout before the royal wedding!

Linking up to: Christina's Adventures, Funky Junk Interiors, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating, Thrifty Decor Chick, Keeping It Simple, House of Hepworths, Christina's Adventures



Twice Owned Pail

A couple of weeks ago, I was looking at some decorating projects, posted on a link party. It was during my "craft rut" and I was looking for anything to light the fire in me again. At that time, I was so exhausted from all the home renovations that the last thing I wanted to do was something for fun. I just wanted sleep.

 Well, after some R&R, I was finally able to work on a project that was inspired by The V Spot. Check out what she did to a pail using spray paint, sticks, butterflies, and crepe paper streamer:

Seriously, I was hooked on how cute and easy this was. LOVE!! Remember this metal pail I found at a thrift store for $3.99?

I spray painted the whole thing with 2 coats of primer, followed by 2 coats of "Harbor Blue" by Rustoleum. I gathered some sticks around my neighborhood and stuck them in some floral foam that was placed inside my pail. I didn't have paper streamers, so using coffee filters, I rolled them in little "buds" and hot glued them to my sticks.

 I didn't add too many flower buds because I thought they looked more like spit balls than delicate buds. I attached a burlap bow to the side and voila!

Cute outdoor spring decor for our front porch! I want to add a farmhouse sign next to the pail. The front door is a dark (fading) brown and I'm desperate to paint it white to match the inside. Perhaps when that's done, you will get a "bigger picture" of our cute porch.

I already had most of the supplies for this project, so the total cost was $3.99 for the pail. Sweet spring!

Linking to: A Vision to Remember, Christina's Adventures, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating, Hookin Up With Hepworths, Funky Junk Interiors, Be Different Act Normal, Young and Crafty

Spring Accents for less than $10

Bloggers, March is upon us!

That can only mean one thing... spring is right around the corner and after the winter we had, here in the desert, I've never been more grateful for spring. I'm so eager for it, that I have already started adding flowers around the home. In truth, I'm not a "flower" kind of gal, but Hobby Lobby stole my heart with some of their faux flowers and I couldn't resist.

If any of you are like me, you are probably on a tight budget and want to decorate using little "spending cash." This is why Goodwill is my friend. Here are some mini projects I worked on (in between painting my entryway) that add some spring-like decor without breaking the bank.

Project 1: Twine accented vase for $1

Here is a simple vase with an ordinary white candle. Wrapping twine around it, though, adds a touch of sweetness. I'm sure almost everyone has a vase in their home and if not, Goodwill sells LOTS of them for pennies. The white candle and vase I've had for years. The twine was $1 at Dollar Tree.

Project 2: Flower Display for $6.49

Here, I took a Goodwill jar, for $2.99, and stuffed the vase with plastic bags to fill it up without having to use so much flower foam. Then, I added the foam on top and inserted flowers from Hobby Lobby ($3.50 at their half-off sale). I bought a pack of flower foam a year ago, don't remember the price, and I still have a lot left.

Simple, spring-y, fresh, and under $7.

Project 3: Adding "spring" to my desk for $6.49

I grabbed these little guys for $1 at the Dollar Tree. I spray painted them with a coat of primer, followed by 2 coats of "Heirloom White," and finished them off with a coat of gloss. I was feeling pretty nauseous by the time they were done. I do a lot of my painting in the garage (with the door open of course), because blowing dust is always in the air. Seriously, sometimes the desert life stinks.

I wanted to pair my bird with a plant, and this 99 cent find was the perfect container.

Again, I sprayed it with a primer and 2 coats of "Heirloom White," then filled it with plants I found at Hobby Lobby. The plants were $1.50 (half-off). I bought 3 of them to really fill up the container.

Those birds are so adorable. I bought 5 of them and plan on displaying them around the house. Ca-ute!

Linking up to: House of Grace, A Beach Cottage, House of Hepworths, Christina's Adventures