New Hunting Grounds: Pier 1

Target and TJ Maxx top my list of places I constantly haunt for fabulous clearance items but I'm ready to make an addition to my reprotoire: Pier 1. I've always loved Pier 1 but I am well aware that I can't be going up in there all the time, buying things full-price so I tend to steer clear.


Well, yesterday I decided to take some "me time" before picking up my daughter and I had a P1 gift card in tow. Much to my surprise, I was able to stretch that $20 pretty far!

Here is my P1 Haul:

Red tags make me happy : D

Candle sticks Orig: $3, Marked: $1.48
I bought them out and they will be used to make pretty things

Orig: $35 Marked: $8.68

Bright frame will be used to spice up my
space @ work. O: $14 M: $3.48
Lavender air freshener: O: $5 but
Lavender is the scent of the month,
therefore 20% off!

There were so many deals to choose from beyond what I bought. It was hard to choose but I didn't want to spend much more than my gift card (I went little over $6 beyond the GC). 


Here's a taste of what I'm going to be keeping an eye on...

Floral Coffee Cups w/Stand

Floral Measuring Cups

Watermelon Serving Bowl
This family is OBSESSED w/watermelon!

Indv Watermelon Bowl
Yes, I realize how corny these are!

These are just a few things I loved during my visit, among a trillion more. I chatted up the guy who rung me up and he said things get marked down all the time as new merch gets brought in and this summer they are getting a TON more inventory. Happy Shopping!

Creative/Reusable Gift Wrap

One of the lovely ladies I follow, Morgan, wrote this blog post: Frugal Gift Giving about her obsession of wrapping gifts uniquely and making the appearance just as special as what is inside. I couldn't agree with her more! Along with making gifts look fun and fancy I also like to make the gift wrap reusable.

More recently I find myself staking out cute boxes, containers or reusable gift bags or shopping bags to save for a special gift to fit inside. The last gift I had the pleasure of giving was for a dear friend's baby shower...

I got K some necessities from her registry (hangers,
pacifiers, etc) along with a necklace with her child and
little one on the way's initials. The necklace is from:
Etsy: Elemental Workshop

As you can see I wrapped all the odds and ends in tissue
paper and I put the necklace on a little tag.

I created and added this bright bow for a little more
oomph as well as to hide the necklace.

I thought about myself and other moms I know, always clamoring for storage options, so I decided to find a colorful bin to put everything in. I found this rainbow hearts bin at Target on clearance and everything happened to 'just fit'. I think it turned out very cute, bright, and cheery. 

Birthday Gift

This is one of the finished products that came from all of those thrift store frames I bought. I ended up giving this to my best friend, Jill, for her 25th Birthday. It just-so-happens that Jill is purchasing her first home and plans to make one of her guest rooms into a themed Victoria's Secret "Pink" room. She said she plans on putting this piece on display there.

My trusty little sanding block.
I find I can grip these best when working on little things.
I believe it is a medium grade grit.

There she is, ready for her makeover.

I just LOVE this color!

I got cheap but cute, round push pins at Wal Mart and
painted them them the same color as the frame.

I also got poster board at Wal Mart.
I had to trim it a bit, then used E6000 to glue it in place.
*This picture was taken at night, not the best -sorry!

P.S. I will be posting my other creations shortly. One needs to be fixed and the other still needs to have accessories attached so it can be hung.

Sneak Peek!

I've become obsessed with revamping old thrift store frames. I can't show the finished product because they aren't done but I'm actually turning these old treasures into functional beauties... Stay tuned!

My first frames set for a makeover

 (popped that ugly picture out of the one)

-Total: $12

Akk! This is all I can show of this one (until next week)

I'm in love with the bulkiness of this one,
 it will be going up in our house...

This frame is about 8x10 for $3.99.
Sorry ducks, you gotta go!

The other frame I bought was $9.99 

This black spray paint from Krylon actually dries matte
- GORGE!

Sorry if you're looking at these, wondering what the big deal is but I'm just so excited to share what I'm doing that I might spontaneously combust!

$Make Your Own Laundry Detergent$

I had some requests to share how I make my own laundry detergent after posting a picture mid-process. This recipe came from my friend Jennifer who is always looking up cooky things like this, making your own hair conditioner, and other frugal/green projects. I love her for it! 


You need:


1 c. Borax
1 c. Washing soda
1 bar Fels-Naptha soap (found in laundry detergent aisle @ Publix)
1/2 qt. boiling water
1 gallon of water in a large container with a lid


First, I get the gallon of water ready and add the Borax and washing soda. Stir until powders dissolve.


Next, grate the Fels-Naptha as finely as you can.

Then, add the grated Fels-Naptha to the 1/2 qt boiling water and continue to stir and boil until melted.

*I always have chunks and never get the soap completely melted, this may be due to impatience. Just get it melted as much as possible.

Finally, add the melted soap to the gallon of water.

The soap will settle on top so you have to stir and stir and stir. The consistency will become thick and chunky, that's just fine. I find that this detergent gets better as you use it, consistency wise. We keep a slotted spoon in the detergent and stir the whole thing every time we do a load of laundry. It doesn't take it long to get to the type of consistency like store-bought.

I use a quarter cup of the detergent per load (large or super-sized).

This detergent gets our clothes clean, I never use stain fighter, but it doesn't leave your clothes smelling a particular way. They're just clean. We use fabric sheets, and I reuse the sheets as dusters when I'm cleaning around the house.

I hate that I forgot that coupon upon purchase!

All the supplies probably cost around $7, but the only thing you have to repurchase each time is the $0.99 bar of Fels-Naptha. My Borax and washing soda have lasted at least four batches and I have enough to make more. 

A Little Slice of [my] Life

This is my little setup on my little side of the bathroom sink (his & her sinks in the master a MUST in the next house we buy). I just set this up about a week ago and I'm proud to say it's still this organized. All of my go-to makeup and jewelry is right there so I feel so organized and so girlie getting ready in the morning. I really don't think I could be in a bad mood looking at this. 


The serving platter has been kinda just sitting around since I made it from thrift-store plates and tea cups a while back for a display at a craft fair (flop). The bowls are from a recent trip to Michael's where I picked them up for $0.49 each! I'm still obsessing about buying more of those bowls as ice cream dishes...

 Thrift store haul when I bought the supplies for the serving dish display.

 Finished serving dish display, naked.

Haul from recent Michael's visit : )

To make yourself a serving dish like I did: find various pretty saucers/plates/tea cups & attach the together with Gorilla Glue. I had to attach each piece one at a time and let it dry with a few text books pushing the pieces together for an hour before I'd attach the next piece. Apply Gorilla Glue very thinly, it expands when it bonds two things together and can cause major bubbling to occur if you use too much.

I'm really into indulging myself a bit with little things that make me happy. I have a lot going on right now so I need inspiration to break up the monotony. 

Bring on Spring

Florals, bright colors, sunshine, and Easter, I'm ready for it all. I cannot wait for spring! The first previews of spring seemed to be all around me and inspired some impromptu crafting... Enjoy!

Mother Nature:

These are neat little birds that fascinate our daughter, as well as our dogs. They stab their long, pink beaks into the ground looking for something to nosh. They're probably tearing up the next thing photographed, but they're so beautiful I almost don't care.

As I looked out into the back yard today I realized that our grass is growing back from the dead! The new baby grass is so bright green and vibrant, it really lifts my spirits just looking at it.

On to the crafting:

I went to Michael's today with a thought in my head and a gift card in my pocket. My original plan didn't come to fruition but as I was roaming the isles I found these sweet flowers amongst scrap booking supplies and I immediately knew what I'd do with them!

More sweet spring whimsies...

       

...viola!

...ta-da!

This is my first time using E-6000 on bobby-pins and ring pads. I used Gorilla Glue on the last ring pad I made something with and the adornment ended up popping off and I'm really not a fan of how GG bubbles when it dries. I didn't want to use hot glue because I don't like the strings created by it. I have used E-6000 on other crafts and I've never had a problem with it. The adornments on each bobby-pin and ring pad were on snug after about thirty minutes but I'm still going to wait over night until I wear an item. If I have an issue with anything staying glued I will post about it.

Bobby-pins with blanks and ring pads can be found on both Etsy and Ebay, just shop and compare since there are new postings on each site all the time.