Making a Bedroom For Macie

 

I've been in the midst of deciding how to decorate the spare room for our granddaughter, Macie, when she comes to see us. We've been so luck to see Macie at least two weekends every month.

After clearing out all the stuff we had stored in this room, it was time to tackle this wall,
definitely doesn't say baby...and not fun and bright like I wanted it to be.

 

 

I got my wonderful hubby to hang up this shelf that came out of my craft space.

And I left it like this for a couple of days while I tried to work out how I wanted

to make this fun for Macie and for any other grandkids that we might

have in the future!

 

This was my inspiration for the room, I love this variety of frames all attached together.

I got the frame Hobby Lobby and it's just a fun idea!

 

I debated if I should spray paint all the frames white

but for now, I'm loving all the super bright colors.

 

 

I got these two frames at Goodwill awhile ago and knew immediately

that they would be spray painted a bright color and would be instantly updated.

 

 

I love how new and fresh spraypaint makes things.

The color is watermelon, which is so bright and fun!

 

 

 

This wreath use to be a dingy gold color and I decided to spraypaint it gumdrop.

 

And nothing says girl, than Hello Kitty, right?

 

 

 

I wanted to have something extra special for Macie when she gets older

and I fell in love with Emily Anns Kloset and owl dolls.
The cross was also a Goodwill find from several years ago and I spray painted it
a light pink.

Next up for the room was to figure out what to put in all those frames.

 

You can fnd the printables on pinterest  and more printables on my pinterest board.

All all together, this wall is now so fun and bright
and perfect for a little girl.

I added the thrifted picnic basket to the shelf to tone down all the bright colors going on.
One wall done, next up is to tackle the other wall.

I've got several ideas going on in my head as to what I want to put here.

I'm trying to find some frames at Goodwill that I can spraypaint and haven't had much luck.

 

 

But for right now, I'm loving all the bright colors.

Macie comes to stay with us over Labor Day weekend,
so this Grandma has to get this room done!

 

Thanks for stopping by.

Linking to these parties

Coupons? Part Two - Top 20 Coupon Blogs

When I was approached by Storage.com

and asked if I was interested in allowing them to do a guest post about coupons,

I was on board...

and to be honest, I find coupons to be a real nuisance...

I would forget my coupons in the car...

or the store wouldn't have the right size of the product on the coupon...

and the main reason - I would buy something just because it was a great price.

But I quit my job last Wednesday, it wasn't a good fit and I stayed there longer than I should have
but for now we can live on my husbands wage...for awhile...

and it's time to go into survival mode...

I have a huge favorite list on my computer of coupon bloggers

and put togther my top 20 coupon blog to share with you.

All You

Baby Savers

Bargain Briana

Common Sense with Money

Consumer Queen

Coupon Geek

Crazy Coupon Lady

Deal Seeking Mom

Free Sample Freak
A Full Cup
Full Price Never
The Frugal Girls
Hip2Save
Hot Coupon World

I Am That Lady

I Heart The Mart

Living On A Coupon
Totally Target
Snag A Bargain
We Use Coupons

Do you have a favorite coupon blog to share?
I don't know much about swagbucks, so let me know
if this is a way to save money or not.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Linking to these parties



Coupons? Part One - Riding the Coupon Current

I was approached by the people at Storage.com as to whether I am interesting

in couponing and if I would like to learn some of the trade secrets when couponing.

This is going to be a two part series with Kenneth McCall sharing his perspective

and the second part will be my top 20 blogs for saving with coupons.

I hope you find both of these posts informative.

Feel free to leave a comment and tell some of your big secrets when saving money with coupons.

Riding the Coupon Current

How to Save Money without Drowning in Paper Promises

If you subscribe to the adage that time is money, then extreme couponers that spend hours upon hours collecting and clipping may be spilling more from their wallets than they are saving. However, with a basic knowledge of the system, you can register significant savings on your family's food bill without having to wade through an endless flow of penny-pinching papers.

Here, we offer some simple tips for staying afloat on the coupon current.

Understand the ebb and flow of grocery prices.

Most Southern markets price their items on a six-week cycle (in the North, it's usually 10 weeks), with the cost of a particular item fluctuating between highest and lowest during that period. To maximize savings, you want to purchase an item at its best, i.e. rock-bottom, price -- in the coupon world, this usually equates to 40% or more off the sticker price. And you want to buy enough of that item to last your family for six weeks, at which point it will go on sale again. The easiest way to know when an item is at its lowest price is to watch the store ads and e-newsletters. You might also want to create a personal price book (or spreadsheet), which is a list of standard prices on the things

you most commonly purchase; referencing this guide, you'll be able to quickly tell if the price on an item is a good one.

Anchor your savings with coupons.

Bundling coupons with your store's cyclical sales is the best method for garnering the lowest possible price on the things in your cart. But comparing every deal in your grocery's flyer to every coupon floating out there would sink even the most energetic frugalista. Fortunately, there are plenty of lifelines in the form of coupon match-up websites -- southernsavers.com, thekrazycouponlady.com, and savingmyfamilymoney.com to name a few. So seek out a site that does the work for you, and visit before each shopping trip and take note of any can't-miss deals and bottom-of-the-barrel bargains. With an online coupon crew to do the dirty work, you're able to hunt down and clip only the coupons that you need (see below).

Ride the wave of coupon carriers.

So where do you find these coupons? There are several coupon-collecting opportunities that you will want to seize upon. First and foremost is the Sunday paper, which often contains at least two inserts. Rather than waste time leafing through these and cutting coupons that you may or may not use, try organizing intact inserts chronologically in an accordion file -- this will make them easy to reference when it comes time to make your shopping list. (The aforementioned coupon sites will direct you to the precise insert where your coupon resides.) You may also want to take advantage of websites such as coupons.com, smartsource.com, and redplum.com, which offer printable coupons (make sure your store accepts these -- most do). Lastly, you want to shop for coupons as you shop at the store, keeping your eyes peeled for savings dispensers tucked among the aisles.

Get onboard with the store's policies.

In order to effectively use these coupons, you'll want to be aware of the policies that your chosen grocery has in place for such savings. First, do they double manufacturer coupons (which can be identified by a 5 or 9 at the beginning of the barcode)? If so, up to what amount, and is there a limit on the number they'll double? Given a choice of where to shop, it's best to select a store that does double your savings. Next, can you combine a store coupon and a manufacturer coupon for extra savings on one item? If so, be sure to stack your coupons in just such a way. And lastly, how do the store's 'buy one, get one' deals work, exactly -- does each item ring up half price (so you really only need to purchase one to reap the reward), or does the first ring up full price and the second free (in which case you want to pick up two so as not to leave your savings sitting on the shelf)?
Buoyed by these simple penny-wise points, you're sure to be riding high on the current of coupons streaming into our current economy!

Kenneth McCall builds creative and innovative tools for customer seeking self storage units. Kenneth is a managing partner at storage.com which provides storage units in Cincinnati and in many other locations across the country. In his spare time he likes to get outside, ideally with a boat and waterskis.

Summer Decorating in the Dining Room

I love to decorate for the summer holidays...

red,white and blue are some of my favorite summer time colors.

I thought I'd share our dining room since I shared our living room last week..

Several years ago I bought this dining room set...it went with nothing in my home...

that is because everything in my house was oversized and dark in color..

and I wanted to move toward more of a cottage look...

Once this was in place...things started to change...we added onto the dining room

so if you look at the different pitch in the ceiling...that was where the dining room

orginally ended.. and a glass sliding door use to be where the picture window is....

On the table I added my Goodwill finds - white ironstone coffee pot and a smaller coffee pot on

a sterling silver tray....I also added a flameless candle which I love....

One of my sponsors is Isaboo Designs and she sells the cutest burlap banners...
I've had this banner hanging up all summer and love it...

On top of the hutch I added my thrift find - white wicker basket and picture frame that I spray painted..I change out the printable all the time and it makes it a great addition..

I love Willow Tree figurines and this one might be my all time favorite...

I keep it by the American flag that was presented to me at my twin sisters funeral...

Just because I love my banner, I wanted to share it up close...

Stay tune for a couple of great giveaways later on this week...

Thanks for stopping by!

Wishing you a wonderful week.

Linking to these parties...
Thrifty Treasures
Metamorphis Monday

Reusing Thrifty Finds to Update Our Home

This is how our living room wall has been decorated for the past 9 months...

I wanted to bring blue into the room but it really wasn't working for me..

The 'H' and the candle holders are the only things I bought,,
the rest is all thrift and junk store finds...

This room is small and this was just too much for the wall

my goal is really to reduce what I have...

As I was watching Nate Berkus on the DVR,

I pulled everything off the wall except the shutters..

and started spray painting and got rid of the blue...

I happen to find this in the house, Crystal brought it to sell at our rummage...(FREE!)

and it fits perfectly in the room not to mention that

red is really the color that I love and it works better with

the kitchen/dining room....

Several years ago I bought this cast iron mediallon off eBay...

(it's really heavy)

I had put it away and had forgotten it until we started cleaning out the storage unit...

I spray painted this huge frame that I got at a junk store....now it's back to a cream color

and I love it so much better than when it was blue...

in the middle I added the newest picture of our Macie into another frame from Goodwill....

My little Macie is getting so big...and I'll change out picture as she grows up...

And now instead of the living room wall looking like this....

Our living room is now more of my style..

creams and reds...and soft....

And best of all, the only cost involved was to get the picture enlarged...I think $2!

Since I got going on the living room, I did a few things in our dining

room with more thrift finds that I had...it cost me nothing...

On the dining room table, I pulled out a sterling silver tray and added one of my

white ironstone coffee pots with the pink pineapple candle from

Bath & Body Works...

in front I added a rose covered frame

with the cutest, funniest, sweetest picture of Macie..

(can you tell I only have one grandchild?)

For the hutch, I've added a burlap banner from Isaboo Designs and is just the

right amount of color for the space....

Would you believe that the two fiesta cups and saucers were found at a rummage last year for

50 cents a piece?.

The subway art can be found on pinterest ...
the picnic basket is from a junk sale and the white ironstone dish is from Goodwill...

the colors all fit in perfectly together...

Another close up of the banner and to remind you that my giveaway ends tomorrow and

so you'll want to click here and get entered...

Thanks for stopping by!
Linking to these parties

Thrifty Treasures

Less is Really More!

Next weekend is our town annual citywide rummage and this year I am determined

to reduce and elimate the need for a storage unit..

DH and I spent today going through our unit and started pulling out containers

and brought them home for the rummage sale..

Here's one side of the unit...I have so many tubs full of Christmas things...

I'm a sucker for Christmas things..but I am committed to reducing what I have...

and that means everything in the unit...seriously needs to be purged...

In the middle of the storage unit is where the snow blower is kept in the summer

and in the winter time, the lawn mower stays here...

And now after we went through all the containers,

this is what is considered...the good stuff...

My flower pots and outside things are still in the unit to be used after the sale is over...

If our weather ever warms up again..it's been in the 40's lately...

Here's what's left over of the Christmas things and
there are three tubs that hold a set of dishes/acessories that I can't part with....

Next step is to pull things out under the steps in the house

Purging is hard work...

but I'm going with the theory of

"Less is Really More"

For the next two weeks, I'll be busy getting ready for the rummage...

I did go to a city wide rummage this week in Sioux Falls and I'll show you my finds very soon
as well as what my daughter found for Macie......so many cute baby girl clothes..and of course...shoes!
Does your city/town have a city wide rummage?

I've got a new sponsor...Isaboo Designs and a giveaway later on this week!

Linking to these parties...

Thrifty Treasures





Thanks for stopping by!
If you haven't done so, please join my Sunday Blog Love party going on right here...

Wishing you a wonderful week!

Showing Off My Goodwill Finds!

It's been awhile since I showed off some of my thrifty (Goodwill) finds...

I happened to find a quilt that matches perfectly with the chair and pillow  in our living room.

Found this at Goodwill for $4 and it's hand made...

I have found so many quilts at Goodwill and seriously I didn't need this one...

but for $4 and a perfect match..can you blame me?

I have a serious love for globes and display them in our family room.

Another Goodwill find that I got today...$2!

No label on the bottom, so unsure of the brand but it's going to fit in so nicely...

And less than a month ago, I fond this clock...$8!

The tag was still on it from Hobby Lobby..

Pier One had one similiar and much bigger and a lot more money..

love this clock!

I changed out this shelf from Goodwill to show off some of

my fall things...

The fall flowers look so pretty in the canning jar..

Blue canning jars - also Goodwill!

I was going to make some of the fabric pumpkins this season but found this at

a craft show and couldn't pass it by. The owl was one of my finds at Kohl's...

don't you just love owls right now?

This silver pumpkin was a find a couple of years ago at Goodwill.

I got 3 of these in different sizes and they use to be candles

from White Barn...

As you can see, my house is full of Goodwill finds...

If you haven't checked out your thrift stores, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised..

ones man trash..can be your treasure!

Have a great week!

Don't forget to link up to my party going on right here!

I'm also linking up to these parties!