Frugal Finds

There seems to be some that swear by couponing, and some that couldn't be bothered by it.  I have found lately, as I did when we first had to pay a mortgage, that using coupons and being smart about purchases can really save you a lot.

While on Maternity leave, I signed up to follow a few blogs related to living well, but frugally, and it really became a game for me.  I did things like signing up for the Target card, to automatically save 5%.  I bought things in bulk, directly from Amazon.com and got free shipping (like toilet paper, and diapers).  I even started searching for and using coupons.  It's really quite amazing how much you can save doing these things.

I wanted to share my finds from this week.  I was able to save myself more than I spent, and everything I purchased, I needed.  Yes, I had saved my coupons for a while, and yes, I had watched for sales on most of the items (a few I got lucky on) but when you start paying attention, it can become second nature.

Here's what I got, all for $44, Retail was around $100:

I went to three stores.  Target, BedBath&Beyond, and Kohls.

TARGET:

• Olay Face Wash (2)                 $4.49 & $2.49        (Retail $4.99/ea)
• (On sale for $4.49/ea plus a $2 off coupon for one)
• Olay Body Wash (2)                FREE                     (Retail $5.84/ea)                        
• (I had 2 buy 1 get 1 free coupons for Olay- I bought the face wash, and got two large body wash bottles FREE)
• Tide HE Detergent                  $10                         (Retail $12.79)                            
• (On sale for $11, had a $1 off coupon)
• Tide Stain Release                   FREE                    (Retail 4.49)                        
• (I had a buy 1 get 1 free coupon for this item, when you purchase detergent)
• Dawn dish soap w/Olay           $3                          (Retail $4.79)    
• (On sale for $4, had a $1 off coupon)

TOTAL @ TARGET: $19.95 ($21, less 5% discount was $19.95, Retail was $43.73, a 55% discount)

KHOLS:

• 3-pack Carters bibs (2)            $5                           (Retail $17/ea)
• (I had a $10 off a $20 purchase coupon, plus the bibs were on sale for $9.99
•  Christmas Snowglobe            $0.41                       (Retail $4.99)
• Because my coupon was $10 off $20, and the two bib sets were $9.99/ea, they rang up slightly lower than $20 (by $0.02) so I found a Christmas ornament for $0.49, and they discounted that 15%, so it was $0.41.  Lucky me, it actually was personalized already with baby boy's name!)

TOTAL @ KOHLS: ~$10 (Retail was $38.99, a 75% discount)

BedBath&Beyond:

• Kitchen Dish brush set            $2.40                     (Retail $2.99)
• Luna Bars (10)                        $7.90                     (Retail $0.99/ea or $9.99)
• Johnson's baby wash               $4.39                     (Retail $5.49)

TOTAL @ BedBath&Beyond: $14.69 (Retail was $18.47, a 20% discount)

 

So, I saved $55, and spent just under $45.  The retail value of these items, even at discounted prices was $100.  

I bought a new shelf for our garage to organize my extras, and so that I can quickly see what we're out of.

What's your feeling on sales?  Do you stock up on items?  What's been your best bargain to date?

That Magic Red Lamp

ok, Ok, OK.  I finally got up the courage to finish my Milk Jug Lamp.  Yes, yes, I posted about him weeks back.

What do you think?

This baby took a while, because through the process: 1. I changed my mind (shocker), 2. dealt with rain and bad weather (CA has seen some bad storms lately) and 3. I had to re-sand him down after the first coats due to paint drips.  What can I say, I was over zealous with the spray paint in a few areas.  :)

Another thing I learned?  Red is hard to paint with.  To get full coverage, no streaks, and no white spots (on the first try) takes talent I sure don't have.  I understand the art of painting a car now.  Plus I was once told that red is the most difficult color to match.

Anyway, I digress.

I started with this lamp, and these two main inspiration photos (one from Pottery Barn, and the other from Shades of Light)

 

 My $10 thrift store find

  

Pottery Barn, $189

 

Shades of Light, price unknown, but over $200...

What, you say?  My lamp looks nothing like either of those?  Refer to point #1 above.  After getting the primer on the lamp, and choosing an off white called "Ivory" (Rustoleum Heirloom white would have been 1000 times better) the lamp base started to look more like the original version from the store!  Totally not what I was going for.  In fact, very far off, from what I was going for.  Sigh.

 

 

Z suggested some color (love him!) and so, I took out my colonial red spray paint, and proceeded to cover the horrible ivory.

Now, as I mentioned in point 3 above, I had drips all over!  I guess I wasn't patient enough to do many light coats this time, which could have helped on that front.  It seemed like after the third light coat though that it wasn't covering so I kept it on some areas longer than spray paint should be.  And got drips.  Sigh.

So, I sanded it down last weekend in the areas where I could really address the drips, and started fresh.

And here, today, with the lamp shade I purchased at Target:

 

...not the greatest photo of the color, because it nearly looks the same color as my new orange drapes.

I'm done.  Finished.  Finito!  I'm putting this lamp somewhere.  I swear. Yep.  All finished, and no home.  Maybe that's because he started hissing when I plugged him back in tonight.  Notice I'm referring to the lamp as a him?  That's because it was an annoying project, and sometimes men are annoying projects.  Teehee.  Just kidding.

All in all, I really do like the color, and the shape, and the drum shade I found ($10 at Target and it's linen).  Just have to find a home.  And a cure for the light buzz he has.  Any idea on how to get rid of that annoying noise?  I don't think it's a lightbulb issue because it has an CFL in it.

For now, that's all.  Laters!

PS: do you think it looks unfinished?  Like it needs a fleur-de-lis stencil, or a number (say our anniversary date) on it?  I was contemplating roughing it up a bit and using paint glaze for the first time.  Thoughts?  Like it the way it is?  Horribly ugly?  Tell me!

Leafy Green My-First-Chalkboard

Yes, that title was a throw back to the Little Tykes products.  No, this is not PVC plastic, and orange and yellow like those kiddie picnic tables everyone has.

But, it is about how I made our first chalkboard.  It was a revamp project- a fun find from the HomeGoods clearance section.  Hideous (I think) to begin with, but an awesome shape.

Because the finished product is so much better than a before, here you go:

And, here's what I started with:

 

The project was simple.  The hardest part was finding the chalkboard in the first place!  This chalkboard was on clearance, on the day I had the incredible shopping trip when all the stars aligned.  I picked it up for $10.  Check out the regular HomeGoods price, and the SUGGESTED price... wah?!  $120?  For that?  No sirry bob.

This bad boy weighs seriously about 10 lbs.  It's solid.  it was brown, with a heavy coat of mod podge and some travel theme before.  I love the little cubby at the bottom, and the curve at the top.

After I decided the office colors would be green and blue,  I pulled out the Rustoleom Satin spray paint in Leafy Green.

With my inspiration paint sitting next to me, I dismatled the screws, and took off the metal chalkboard.  (Extra sweet bonus?  since the beige piece was actually metal, it doubles as a magnetic surface AND chalkboard.  SWEET!)

 

I gave it a sanding, so that the paint would stick.  I didn't bother with primer on this one, since I sanded it down, and sprayed a total of two coats on the exposed edges.

Then, I used my little container of Chalkboard paint that I picked up at Jo-Ann's with a 40% off coupon, and painted the metal sheet.  It was banged up to start with, so it needed a coat of paint anyway.  After two coats of paint, I was ready to put everything back together!

Screwed it up, glued it on, nailed some holes into the wall for brackets, and there we have it.  I primed the board by rubbing chalk on it, then, tried to erase it off.  [I need a real chalkboard eraser- where do I get one of those?  Target?]  Ahh.  So much better.  Now, I just need to find a cute jar to hold chalk in!  Maybe a heavy duty wine glass?  I feel another project coming on.  Get me my meds.  teehee.

So, while this isn't an ornate, framed out chalkboard, it is my first chalkboard, and I'm just easing into the idea.  I don't know how much we'll use it- or not. 

Here's a photo in the office (make sure to check out the phase 1 office/craft room post from the other night here)

What do you think of my creation?!  The color?  The wall location?  Did you make sure to check out my post on this office to get the full list of new projects and about my inspiration fabric here?!  I hope so! 

Man, I'm on fire!  There's so much good stuff.  You're in LUCK.  I'm so glad you're here and actually care about my projects.  I'm just having a blast and a half!  :)

Oh, and we're all in luck that they don't make this version of that my first picnic table anymore.  My sister seriously had one.  I was jealous at the time.  :)

Office Craft Room, Part 1

By now, you've probably read a little about my new office (or what I'm lovingly referring to as my "craft room").  (if you haven't read up about it here, here and here...)

I thought I'd give you the first half room view of the side that I've adopted as my own!  The walls are blue in here already, from when we moved in.  Since I found this lovely fabric, I picked the accent colors to be green and blue with touches of black.

Oh, and as a forewarning, this post is FILLED with projects I'll share with you over the next little bit.  Yay! 

Without further ado, here is phase 1 of the office orgnaization, and the colors.  :)

Yes, right now it's sort of decorated for Valentine's day with pink and red accents.  Plus, I'll show you how I made those felt kissing balls, and the red fabric wreath later this week.  :)

This is my functional organization that's supposed to be "pretty" since it's out in the open.  I have 4 fabric lined baskets that are a color somewhere between green and blue.  The four magazine holders are from IKEA, and house folders with all my magazine tear outs, and a few magazines that were packed with ideas to the point I needed to just keep the magazine in tact.

 

Remember my sneak peak post about our Roman Shade in this room?  Well, this fabric is what set the tone for the room.  

 

Here's a better view of the desk.  I've got a full empty shelf at the very top I get to fill.  I'm sure that'll be easy if I put my mind to it.  Watch out HomeGoods!

Did you see that Live Laugh Love sign that I made for $1.70?  Check out that post here.

 

To the left of the desk is my magnetic chalkboard that I turned from super ooogly, to more modern.  Bonus was I didn't realize it was magnetic until I repainted the chalkboard itself.  A before and after post of that one coming soon too!

Oh, and did you notice that key artwork?  Check out how I made that here.

 

While this is kind of a cruddy shot, it at least shows my corner of the office, and the color scheme, and where things are in relation to each other.

 

I found these baskets at HomeGoods on the day I went crazy in their clearance section.  They're perfect for my shelves!  They were $3 each.  Gotta love that!  Plus, those IKEA magazine boxes were the perfect color and size too.  I bought those MONTHS ago. Glad I finally got to pull them out :)

 

 Oh, and a sneak peak under basket liner- I just taped these jute laced mini chalkboards to the basket to get them to stay.  Those came from World Market.

Do I dare even remind you about the office before?  Ugh, at least this way you'll pat me on the back (or at least tip your head?) at our progress

So, let me just quickly recap all the projects in here I have YET to post about:

- Chalkboard re-vamp (from oogly, to OOOOHAHHHH)

- Felt Kissing Balls

- Fabric Heart Wreath

- Desk jar organizer

- Jute wrapped Vase/object

- Fleur de Lis print

- Orangization in the organization: pretty folders and how I organize my magazine rip outs

Yes.  This week will be busy with posts!  Stay tuned, because on top of the great stuff in the pictures above, there are about 5 other projects and ideas not even posted yet.

Here's a sneak peak at one I can't wait to finish and post for you all:

YEP!  I painted that, and no it's not done, but I LOVE IT.  Check out this post for more inspiration info.  :)

Gosh, I'm just so excited I'm jumping out of my skin at the amount of good stuff to come.  Good thing it stopped raining here in CA for a day (it's back again Monday and Tuesday, heavy they say).

Anyway, I hope you all had a great weekend, and have a great week!

Key to my Art

Haha, I feel clever with that title!  :)

One of the million 10 projects or so I did between Friday and Sunday night this week, is this shadow box Key Framed Art piece (did you like that teaser list of projects Saturday?!):

I purchased the set of 7 vintage inspired keys with a gift card from Pottery Barn (Thanks Sandy!).  They were $19 with free shipping, and you can see them here.  They were another item from my "wists" (see left frame, toward the middle...) When I unwrapped them, truthfully I was disappointed, but was rejuvenated Saturday when I came across the perfect frame on clearance at HomeGoods.  $10?  Yep.  Check.  (Oh, and side note... you will be blown away by what I scored at HomeGoods this weekend!  I'll share that over the week)

So, here's what I did.

I had to dismember dismantle this insanely well built frame that I paid peanuts for.  Like, it took the big guns to take apart and pop that odd artwork out.  Much more difficult than anticipated!  The glue was like a 1/4" thick so it left a mark on the fabric.  Lucky me, after the frame in a frame project I did a few weeks back, I had scraps of fabric that was almost a perfect match.  I cut a square out and used some spray adhesive to attach.  I left the edges looking raw intentionally.

 

 

(yes, it did take a boxcutter, scissors, a flat head screwdriver, and the end of a hammer to remove the middle plaque.  And I thought I was strong.  My art kicked my ass.)

Next, I decided how the keys would be arranged.  I ended up only using 6 of the 7 keys since one had a bulky midsection and wouldn't have been glue-able nicely.

 

I used the hot glue gun, and attached each key in two places to the fabric.

I sprayed the frame with some semi gloss black spray paint, to match the black velvet interior shadow box, and because the brown had some scratches.

Then, I finally had to reassemble the monster frame.  I re-glued the velvet panels that lined the shadow box section, and hot glued the wood frame onto the back of the frame once again.

Ta-Da!

 

I'm so glad the keys grew on me!  While they're not real vintage, or even real patina-ed, I decided I like the color green that some of them have.  Instead of framing each key seperately, in this piece they look like a series, and will go well with the colors in the new office.  :)

I can't wait to show you the art work in it's place in the new office!  But, we're putting the finishing touches in there, and doing final cleaning up, so I can't just yet.  It'd be embarrassing.  Trust me.  :)

Now, don't forget to tell me what you think about the site, and enter our first giveaway (just in time for Valentine's Day!) over on the 100th post celebration!  Entry is open through Wednesday at Midnight.

You could have one of these banners in your house!  Enter Now!

Happy Monday everyone!

PS:

I'm linking up to the following parties:

MET Monday

Make it for Monday

Making the World Cuter Moday

Just Something I whipped up

It's so very Cheri

Made it Monday

Make Your Monday

Get Your Craft On

DIY Day at ASPTL