Thrifty Finds

 

I hit the “all things wood” jackpot at Goodwill this week, here are my Thrifty Finds to share with you all and Rhoda at Southern Hospitality and Leigh at Bloggeritaville:

I thought the wood tray was interesting, so for $3.99 I picked it up. I’ve been seeing lots of tray makeovers lately so I’ll have to figure out something fun to do with it. The two wood frames at the top ($1.99 each) are already being transformed, you’ll see them again later this week, so enjoy the daisies while you can, they have gone buh-bye!

You all know I can’t pass up a good frame, that’s why I ended up with four this week! The two smaller ones were just $.99 each. Here’s the detail on the top of that middle frame, it’s a crown. This beauty is definitely getting a visit from Mr. Spray Paint.

I thought this little jewelry box for $1.99 was sweet. I’m seeing it in Ballet Slipper Pink with some rhinestone accents on the little handles. Some little girl needs this in her room!

I already bought some pink satin to recover the inside!

That’s all the thriftiness for this week, be sure and stop by Rhoda’s blog to see everyone else’s entries.

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On another note…….my good kharma has visited me and I am the lucky winner of the postcards from the Everything Etsy giveaway! Someone must have put in a good word for me since I shared all those wonderful giveaway opportunities with y’all last week! Were there any other lucky winners out there?

I’ll be sure and do a vendor review post after I order and receive my postcards….first I have to figure out what design to get!

Hooked on Giveaways

This has been quite the week for blog giveaways! I thought I would share some that I have entered.  I know, I know, how generous of me to share these winning opportunities with you despite the fact that it decreases my chances of winning! Oh, the things I do for my blog readers!  Ok, here we go, in order of closing date (this may take a while)!

Kimba at A Soft Place To Land is giving away a $50 gift certificate to the Pink Pig here (ends today August 28).

 

Everything Etsy is giving away 200 custom postcards from UPrinting.com here (ends August 29).  These would be great for promoting holiday sales in your Etsy shop, or to use as greeting cards or invitations.

 

Two Kids, A Minivan and a Lot of Love is giving away a blog makeover here (ends August 30).

 

Flea Market Style is a great new blog that gives a behind the scenes peek into the making of the Flea Market Style magazine.  They are giving away a vintage wire shopping cart with a handmade liner here (ends August 30).

 

Centsational Girl is giving away a fabulous Wine Country Gift Basket here (ends August 30).

Houzz.com is giving away a Terra Cotta Pear from Ballard Designs on behalf of Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick here (ends August 30).

******You still with me??? Let’s keep going!******

V and Co. is giving away three patterns plus a yard of fabric here (ends August 31).

           

 

Hirondelle Rustique is celebrating her 50th post and upcoming one year anniversary on Etsy by giving away a sweet little birdie print here (ends September 11).

Rhoda at Southern Hospitality is giving away a $40 gift certificate to Sticky Life here (no end date given).

And last but certainly not least, Gina at The Shabby Chic Cottage is giving away a batch of seashells here (no end date given).

 

This post is linked to Hooked on Fridays over at Hooked on Houses.  Be sure and check out everyone else’s obsessions!

DIY Elevated Dog Feeder

This week’s DIY/Thrifty Thursday Find/Transformation is one that I cannot claim as my own but just had to share.  I frequently visit the Decorating and Renovating message board on The Nest (and sometimes the Craft board too) and came across this inspirational project.  I asked Sarah (aka sarahaaron08) if I could post it on my blog since she doesn’t have one and she generously agreed.  So I present to you the DIY Elevated Dog Feeder! 

 

Before:

After:

Total cost: $5.00!!!! Yes, you read right, $5.00!!!  Sarah found the little table at Goodwill for $3.00 and used 2 cans of $.99 white spray paint.  Genius, I say!

A little more info: Sarah and her hubby have a large German Shepherd puppy that already weighs in at 90 pounds.  Bear had been having  issues bending down to eat and drink and would often lay down on the floor to finish his meal.  When they researched buying him an elevated feeder, they found the cost started at around $30.00 for the smallest version. 

Goodwill to the rescue!  It took them less than 30 minutes to complete the project using a jig saw and some spray paint.  The table  itself looks like wood but when you actually touch it you can tell it’s plastic with a wood grain finish (even better for a messy eater/drinker).  The table is heavy enough to where it won’t scoot as Bear eats and walks at the same time.

Here’s Bear trying it out:

Looks like we have a winner!  Thanks so much for letting me share your thrifty creative project, Sarah!

Think of the possibilities with this…..you can coordinate it to your decor so your dog’s “area” isn’t such an eyesore.  Even personalize it for them if you wish. If you can’t find a table short enough, just trim down the legs!

Be sure and click the buttons at the top of the page to check out everyone else’s submissions.

Beach Party

I’m joining Gina from the Shabby Chic Cottage for a beach party! I originally shared my beach bathroom in this post, but I thought it would be fun to re-visit a few things since I’ve gained a lot of new friends since then! I have also done a post on the interesting seashell wall technique in our first home, so be sure to visit here and here for the full details from both posts.

I thought I would highlight a couple low-cost projects using beachy elements to also join Maman Tattoo’s Projects Under $15 Party. One of my favorites is this seashell wreath that my mom made:

The materials needed (which should cost less than $10 ) are:

~grapevine wreath

~seashells

~ribbon

~hot glue gun (or adhesive of your choice)

~small pearlized beads (if desired)

Speaking of the hot glue gun, looks like I need to get it out and fill that blank spot at the top left with more shells!

Wrap the wreath with ribbon in a criss-cross pattern, then group the shells together and glue them on (watch your fingers). Accent with the tiny beads in between the shells if desired.

I also love the seashells hanging from the shower curtain:

So easy to DIY with just some ribbon and glue! See how I used this same technique as a window treatment here. One last stop in the beachy bathroom is this little display shelf:

My parents brought me the little wooden bird on the left from Jamaica and I bought the starfish in Florida on our honeymoon. I love the juxtaposition of the natural elements with the silver and crystal pieces.

I also have a couple beachy touches in our dining room. Whenever you need to fill in some empty space on a table or shelf, just fill a vase with shells! Total cost to me was ZERO dollars since the vase was a gift and the seashells were of course free from the beach!

And here’s our unity jar from our wedding, we each filled it with sand from the beach where we were married:

I hope you enjoyed the little beach party! I wish I could be at the beach everyday, but these little touches help bring back those special memories.

Me, Fabulous and Flair-Worthy?!?

I recently received a couple blog awards. I'm always shocked and giddy with excitement pleasantly surprised when someone recognizes my blog, it means you people out there really are reading and enjoying what I write! The same goes for every comment that I receive, I just love reading and responding to them as well.

First off, from Jennifer at Chester and Donkey:

Jennifer has a knack for finding unique china, silver and other treasures at Goodwill and giving them new life. Like this pitcher:

And this clock to cloche transformation:

Be sure to check out her blog for tons of thrifty treasures and adventures in spray painting!

And from Jessica at Happy Together:

Jessica’s blog is full of fun craft and sewing projects that absolutely inspire me! I have bookmarked so many of her tutorials and will someday get around to doing them, I promise!

Check out these cute earrings she made using fabric scraps:

And this precious toddler dress and coordinating mommy top, both made from an old tshirt:

Too lazy to make something yourself? Just buy it from her Etsy shop!

Thank you ladies for recognizing my blog with these awards! For all the blogs that I think are fabulous and flair-worthy, check out my blog roll over on the left sidebar.

Thrifty Treasures

I hit up Goodwill and Hobby Lobby this week and scored a couple thrifty deals! All this cute scrapbook paper at Hobby Lobby for 35 cents a sheet:

I think I’ll use some of it to embellish some frames.

Goodwill had two shopping carts full of Target dollar spot goodies, but the Goodwill price was 5 for $1!!! For those of you not so good at math, that's just 20 cents each, folks! Most of it was kiddie themed stuff, so I picked out a couple things for our niece and nephew and two square canvases that I can embellish or paint over:

Those were the only two canvases, I wish there would have been more. Most everything else was stuff like stickers, fake tattoos, and mini notepads.

Nothing earth shattering I know, but I’ll take a good deal wherever I can find it! Check out Rhoda’s blog post for everyone else’s fun thrifty finds.