Halloween Mantle

It's the second most wonderful time of the year! Pumpkins, gourds, acorns, yellows, reds, oranges, and... CANDY CORN! I am ready for fall, ya'll! Even though it was a high of 90 today in my little nook of the desert, it didn't dampen my desire to decorate my mantle. Eeek!

I took it easy last Halloween and had very "kid-friendly" decorations here and there. This year, my 10-year-old is a bit braver and my 2-year-old... is... such a nut. Nothing scares her. She actually called the skulls I pulled out from storage "pretty." Yes, that's my silly willy.

I used all of last year's decorations and threw them together with projects I've done throughout the year. I only spent $4 for this mantle display. Vases are my favorite thing to use during ANY holiday because you can fill them with practically anything. For the sake of keeping costs down, I filled one with a candle I already had, but stuck some fall leaves in there to jazz it up a bit.

I have found many of my vases at GW and enjoy finding clever fillers for them. Take a look at this fun idea:

Those are black river rocks found at the dollar store. I've seen blogs where people paint these with chalkboard paint, then write things on them with a chalk pen. I was going to do that until I found out that was going to cost me almost $10. Instead, I bought a bag of black rocks ($1) and wrote on them with white-out (FREE). Yeah, buddy!

Remember my brassy, GW lantern I fixed up here? Well, it was quite lovely in our guest bath when I was aiming for a coastal feel. Now, it is holding spot for a scary skull...

Throwing in some more of my GW finds over the year, here is my finished Halloween mantle:

The only thing I purchased was the black crow, headstone, rocks, and the gray, torn material (each only $1). Not exactly "child friendly" but my weird kiddos love it. ;) This week, I'll be working on TWO Halloween wreaths. LOVE!

Linking up with: Amaze Me Mondays, Debbie Doo's, Keeping It Simple, Made By You Monday, Nifty Thrifty Tuesday, Good Life Wednesdays, Twice Owned Tuesdays, 20 Below Thursday, A Creative Princess, Freshman Friday

DIY Twine Balls

Yoo hoo, bloggers! ;) How are ya'll?! We were hit with some minor setbacks these last two weeks, but we are slowly picking ourselves back up and brushing it off. Adoption hasn't happened yet... was postponed until Monday. We were notified 2 hours before it was to happen, so naturally we had this huge cake we had to eat. Couldn't throw it away right? Hahaha.

Anyway, to ease my frustration, I was finally able to work on some crafts! I've seen these done before and can't remember who did it first, so if you know, please tell me so that I can give credit where credit is due. ;) It all started with an inspiration that I found at GW. A dirty lonely platter seeking a table:

For $4, it was mine. Now, I had someone awhile back leave a rather... rude... comment about how my thrift stores finds seemed pricey. I recently discovered a thrift store on the opposite side of town that priced their items significantly lower. However, since I don't want to be making that 30 minute drive there and back, I will take my over-priced items instead. Thankyouverymuch! To me, the price STILL beats new, store-bought prices.

Anyway, after a couple of coats of some brown spray paint, it looked better:

Remembering the post I read ages ago about creating twine balls, I wrapped some jute and twine around balloons and coated them with my tacky glue spray can.

Once they were dry, I popped the balloon and removed it. The twine looked great and held strong, but the jute turned white and easily lost shape. I purchased that particular twine months ago at the dollar store.

LOVE the crazy looking twine ball, not so much the jute. Throw in some dollar store moss balls, jute wrapped around styrofoam balls I made here, bada bing, bada boom, and you have yourself a cute table centerpiece:

Remember that burlap table runner? I promised I would wait until fall to use it, but I couldn't resist! I blame it on the BHG magazine that was delivered to me today. Did anyone else see it? The fall leaves on the cover? *sigh* Be still my heart...

I had nearly all of these supplies on hand, except for the platter. Total project cost: $4! Yeaaa buddy!

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

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

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

Thrift Store Love

Looking back at my recent posts, there is a total lack of crafting going on. Granted, I've been doing a lot more remodeling lately, but crafts are my love. My outlet. I sought out inspiration on more than one trip to my favorite thrift store. However, nothing spoke to me. I started to worry that people weren't "spring cleaning" this year. *cue dramatic music* Noooo!

Well, someone finally cleaned house! Look at what I snagged during my latest thrift store visit:

I am loving turquoise and blue lately and this planter will look beautiful with some fresh, spring flowers. This cost me $3.99 (forgot my bag of donations for a discount this time).

This wooden container was $1.99. After cleaning and lining the inside with felt, I am going to use this at my daughters upcoming birthday party... as a utensil caddy. Cute! After that, maybe a planter for some herbs? The winter freeze killed my rosemary plant, so this might be an opportunity to try growing something. HA! Or maybe I'll just use it to hold my makeup brushes. No sense in killing another plant.

I know what you're thinking.. ew, right? Trust me! During a recent "link party" I participated in, there was a fellow blogger that had something just like this and she turned it into the cutest door decor! I am so copying inspired by her! I'm working on this project now and will post soon (and give credit where it's due). ;) This metal container was $3.99.

Lastly, this item wasn't found at a thrift store. I found it at Walmart (gasp, yes I shop there) and couldn't give up the great deal.

I have seen these exact same hurricane vases at GOODWILL for higher prices. Seriously, I couldn't pass it up. I'm not crazy about the color of wood, but a couple of coats of my trusty spray can ought to fix it. Can you just see this filled with Christmas berries? Or snow covered pine cones? UGH! Spring. Spring. Spring. Think Spring. Spring. Spring.....

Girls Bedroom Makeover

Ever since we moved into our home, I have been trying to accept like the color my daughter picked for her room. It's called "Himalayan Mist" by Behr and it's..... an okay color. Her walls were painted this color but with the dark brown carpet, dark brown doors, and black ceiling fan, it just made the color look dirty blah.


Last month, we tiled her room and I was thisclose to repainting her walls. However, she insisted she still loved the color and I decided to give it one more shot. After all, we were about to add light colored tile, white baseboards, white doors, and bright wall decor.


Boy, has her room brightened up now.


Here is the before:

Those chest of drawers have been asking for a new paint job for a year and a half now. One day I will be brave enough to tackle them.

That brown carpet is all over our house. I was told by a friend (who liked it) that it "hides all the dirt." WHAT? No! I want that nasty dirt revealed so I can clean it up! Ew, buh-bye dirty carpet.

 helloooo tile!

After:

 

Look at how beautiful and clean that looks.

Cute wall decor from Savers. Each one was $2.99 but I had a 20% off coupon for donating a bag of items. Tip: I always leave a bag of donations in my car, specifically for unplanned Savers visits.

Also, Hobby Lobby had all their wall decor on sale for 50% off. I grabbed these mirrored words for $6 each. They really reflect light from her window and her room doesn't look like a dungeon anymore.

Her room isn't "done" yet. Seriously, are any of the rooms I've started "done?" Will they ever be "done?" I still need to paint her windowsill, fan, door frames, and put in some updated doors and knobs. Little at a time.

Linking up with: Motivate Me Monday, TDC Before & After Party

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