Anthropologie "knock offs" & Chair Skirts

Fabulous Finds

Decorating with vintage linens~

$4.00 Valentine & Spring Pillowcases

Dollar Store Gift

*update*  Here is the link to the image!

Free

Dollar Tree Bargains!

coconut oil granola & boxwood update

Re-stuffing cushions and some photography

Dollar store bargains

Hey guys, just a quick post on a couple of things that I like from the Dollar Tree.  They have these pre cut foil sheets, and they are great for covering plates of cookies/ muffins etc.  I was shopping there, and a customer told me about how much he loves them, so I tried them out.  It is a nice sturdy foil.  I have also been getting toothbrushes there...a pack of 4 for $1.00.

Here are some other things I like to buy at the dollar store...(click on the links to popular posts)

* School supplies  (now is a good time to get their 3 ring binders before they sell out!)
* Favorite white dinner plates
* placemats for crafts
* Frames and Frames
* Metal clips to use as magnetic door reminders
* Mounting pads
* Funkin pumpkins
* Fake crows for Halloween
* Candles
* Snowflakes for decorating
* Valentine gift bags
* Decorative boxes

What do you buy at the dollar store?

Saving $ with homemade laundry detergent

Vinegar Wash & More

Isn't vinegar great? I use it for everything...cooking, cleaning, and even as a fabric softener!  (more on that later).  I have been meaning to share this tip for quite some time now.  I clean my fresh fruits with a vinegar water wash.  I never really measure.  I just pour a little bit of vinegar over the berries in the bowl, fill the rest of the bowl with cool water, and then drain and rinse with more water.  I have yet to taste any vinegar on the berries.  And, I am completely satisfied that they are clean!

Randomness & Carpet Cleaner

Are you ready for Easter?  We are on spring break here, and today felt like
the first day of spring!  We will be going to Washington D.C. for part of the break,
and I'm hoping we'll get to see the cherry blossoms.  I've always wanted to be
there when they peak.

So, this is totally random, but I cleaned my carpets yesterday and I'm so happy!
This time, I followed a suggestion from a friend and used lemon ammonia.  I try to
stay away from ammonia because it smells so strong and toxic.  Our white carpets are
so old, but they are in pretty good shape for their age.  However, there are spots that don't seem to get clean no matter what I use.  I have even used bleach!

I think my friend said she uses about 1/2 c. per gallon of water.  I was surprised to
see that on the bottle it said to use 2 cups ammonia to 1 gallon warm water.  I think I ended up using about 3/4 c.  and my old carpets have never looked better!  They almost look new~I can't believe it!  I made sure the doors were open and the kids weren't home...just for my own peace of mind.  :)  Happy Spring!

spring wreath from Christmas wreath

During the home tour, I displayed one of my Christmas wreaths on the chalkboard in the sun room.  I liked the idea so much that after the holiday, I decided I wanted to keep a wreath there year round.  Since the Christmas wreath was only for the holiday,  I needed a new one to last through spring and summer.

I found an old wreath in my basement that I had almost thrown away several times.  I never threw it away though, because I kept thinking I could recycle, ahem, "upcycle" it somehow.

homemade air pouches for packing fragile items

I recently sold one of my birds nests, and had to figure out how I would ship something so delicate.
I thought of those air filled plastic pouches that I usually find in my own purchases.  But, I didn't have
any, and I wanted to get the nest shipped off right away.  I started thinking about what I might have
around the house so that I could make my own air pouches, and it hit me...zippered sandwich bags!

I learned from a friend that when you bake cookies for a future event and need to freeze them ahead of time, you can stick them in a gallon size zippered bag, and suck out the air with a straw before you zip it completely closed.  (zip it most of the way closed except for the part of the straw that fits into the bag before you suck in the air~And push out as much air first).  That way they will stay fresh.  It works so well, that I thought the opposite should work also...  If I inflated the bag with the straw just before completely zipping it closed, wouldn't I then have made my own air packing pouch?

I googled it to see if anyone else had come up with that idea. Sure enough, I found some leads and testimonials.  So I tried it myself...



Just to be sure that the bag would stay inflated in the changing temperatures that would occur with
shipping, I stuck it outside in the cold for the rest of the day!  It worked~remained filled with air.




Then, I considered actually sticking the nest in one larger gallon size bag and doing the same thing
instead of putting little pouches around the nest.  However, I realized that would put moisture in the bag,
which wouldn't be a good thing.

That led me to another idea.  I buy these large food and bread storage bags at my local grocery store.
I use them all the time.  They don't have zippered closure~just twist ties.  But, I realized that instead of
blowing in the bag, I could put the nest in it, and gently wave the bag towards me to fill it with air before twisting and tying it closed...kind of like waving a plastic grocery bag in the wind and watching it inflate and then flying it like a kite!  So that is what I did, and then I twisted it closed and then tied it with a piece of twine and ribbon.  It worked perfectly!  I made sure that when I put it in the box, I pressed on it lightly to make sure there were no leaks.




The great part about using air packing is that it saves on shipping costs!

Name badge labels as gift tags

shampoo in a soap dispenser

New Quote, Old Frame

Mercantile Sign

How to make my $2.00 sign "aged" with apple cider vinegar!

I am so excited about the Raspberry sign I made for $2.00!  In fact, I am in the process of making two more.  A different one for autumn, and yet another for winter.  I will show you those later.  Anyway, this is such an easy project with big impact.  Here are the materials: