New Table Makeover

Here is another inherited table that I made over (again, I forgot to take the "before" picture).  I think I'm really getting this glazing technique down already!  I may just glaze my whole house by the end of this...

When I read about a glazing technique at All Things Thrifty I knew I had to try it - like, now!  Isn't that chair gorgeous!  I'm drooling...

So, me, my trusty sander and my super spray paint got to work.  In all of my excitement I forgot to take a "before" picture.  Here's how it turned out:

Not perfect, but that's the point - right?  I'm happy with it.  I'm off to try my second piece.  It's going to be blue!  Once I get MUCH better at this I plan on doing my kitchen table and chairs kind-of like this, but with the chairs in lighter colors.  I'm so excited!

What Can $1 Buy You?

How many times have I said, "Oh, it's just $1..."  I'm kicking myself now!

This is what .90 bought me at Target, Walmart and CVS today:

11 Packages of Pampers Wipes

10 Sobe Lifewaters

3 Old Spice Body Washes with travel size deodorants

and 1 refill pack for an Off! Clip-On

 And while I have you - here is a new picture of our garden:

 As you can see, it's taking over our backyard grown a lot!

Here is some of what we've gotten to pick this week:

There were a few more squash, zucchini and tomatoes, but they were eaten almost immediately.

Fireplace: Keep It or Toss It?

I love fireplaces - the smell of the fire burning, the cozy warmth and soft glow.  There's nothing better.  I just don't like my fireplace.  It doesn't burn wood, just expensive gas.  It doesn't warm the room, it makes it uncomfortably hot in just minutes.  And then there's that UGLY hole above it.  Ick!

(Sorry for the dark, fuzzy picture.)

I know I could cover up the hole and I love having a mantle to hang stockings on at Christmas.  If we removed the fireplace, though, we would have a lot of extra floor space.

Since I'm having a hard time deciding what to do, I thought I'd get some other opinions. 

Should I keep the fireplace or get rid of it?

• Keep It
• Get Rid Of It

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Going Green = Big Savings

Over the past year we've made some changes in our house that are both environmentally friendly and economical. 

• 
  
  We don't use paper towels.  We use wash cloths and towels.  If I can get a roll for free I will use it occasionally when I'm cooking, but for cleaning, I stick strictly to things I can throw in the wash and re-use.  One roll of paper towels last us 2-3 months.
• 
  
  We don't use paper napkins.  I buy cloth napkins when I can find them on clearance (about 1.50/pack).  Then I just toss them in with our daily load of laundry.  Our girls get excited about using "fancy" napkins too.
• 
  
  We use Tupperware instead of plastic bags whenever we can. 

Just these three things save us tons of money every year.  What are some tips you have that are environmentally and economically friendly?

Our Garden

Here is a peek at our little garden:

It has been thriving with all of this rain we've been getting! 

We've got 3 different types of tomatoes, green beans, okra, squash, zucchini, eggplant, bell pepper, jalapeno peppers, basil and a lemon tree all planted in fabulous organic soil from j3organics.  We're already seeing some tomatoes growing! 

You may have noticed that we don't have that pergola built yet.  All of that great rain has kind-of slowed down our project.  There is a nice pile of lumber to the left of these pictures waiting to be put up.  Fingers crossed for a few straight days of sunshine soon!

Why Buying in Bulk Isn't Always Better

Buying in bulk seems to be a pretty popular way to save money.  If you buy the big bag it is generally supposed to be less expensive, right?  Not always.  It's very important to compare the prices per pound, ounce, etc. and to check and see if a coupon can help you save even more money.

Example:  A 20 pound bag of Mahatma Long Grain Rice is on sale at Publix this week for 7.99 a bag (reg. 12.99).

                 A 1 pound bag is priced at 1.19 each.  You definitely save money buying the GIANT bag - if you don't use a coupon.

I had some .50 coupons (which double to 1.00) the each of the one pound bags below, making them .19 ea.

So, I could have bought the big bag for 7.99, making it .40 per pound.

Instead, I bought 1 pound bags and used my coupons making it only .19 per pound and cut the price of the rice in half!

Happy Friday!

Have a great weekend!!

Decorating On A Budget

I adore all things Pottery Barn.  Especially this little Daisy lamp shade that would go perfectly in my girls' room.  I didn't adore the $100 price tag.  Yes.  Each shade - just shade- costs $100.  Gag!

So I had to get creative. 

I got two of these super cute blue lamp bases from Pottery Barn Teen for just $20 each on clearance. 

I had two small lamp shade that I got for $4 at a Lowe's clearance sale last summer that I saved specifically for this project.  They were a little dirty and the colors didn't match.

Then I got some daisy sprays at Michael's on sale with an extra 15% off.

Then me and my trusty glue gun got to work.

I think it turned out adorable!  Not exactly the same as the Pottery Barn one, but still very cute!  And this entire lamp only cost me $31!  That's a big difference from a nearly $200 lamp and shade!