Simple Spring

How to Decorate for Spring

the Quick and Simple Way.

Step One-Get a stick from the yard.

Step Two-With a hot glue gun apply moss to the stick
thus turning it from a "stick" into a "designer branch."Step Three-Place the designer branch on a pretty tray.
Step Four-Add a candle. This vintage tray was a $1 thrift store find.

I LOVE the battery operated candles with timers!!!

Step Five-Complete the vignette with
a springtime flower. If the flower is faux make sure it could pass as the real thing.

Step Six-Enjoy!

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Thank you, oh so much!

A Bedroom Retreat

Son #3 just returned home after two years of serving our church in New Zealand. As a welcome home I gave his small bedroom a makeover using furniture from our storage and the thrift store. Even the prop hanging above the closet was a thrift store find.We've owned the lawyer bookshelves for years. They've been used in the family rooms of two of our homes.We pulled the vintage chest of drawers out of the garage. They were used by my husband years ago when my style was a bit more country. A change of hardware gave them a nice update.My favorite piece is the antique bed, a thrift store find. The details are stunning! It likely was originally a tall four post bed; what remained of the posts had been attacked with a saw and were rough and uneven. My husband cut, filled, and sanded, then I stained the ends and now they look original.
Although the room is small (about 10'x10') I love the way the large furniture pieces make the room warm and cozy.I'm pretty pleased with how the budget bedroom makeover came together and so is my son.

Following a Trend

Garden stools are very popular in home design. Their versatility and unique design help to promote their popularity. I've been intrigued with them for some time but I could never justify their price. When I found them at discount stores their quality seemed a bit lacking and I knew they likely wouldn't hold up to my rowdy crew. So I gave up on having the trendy little stool, until I found one at the thrift store for only a few dollars. It's color was not what appealed to me. It was it's weight---it felt like it was made of cement! As I muscled it to the check stand I envisioned it's makeover.
It seemed that it's previous owners likely abandoned it because it had a serious injury. I pulled out a glob of plumbers epoxy putty, made the necessary repair, and waited for the putty to dry. Once dry I sanded the area and then applied a few coats of paint-plus-primer.
The little stool has a new life and I am a proud trend follower!

What's Old Is New

This is one of the last remaining original cabinets in our home that has not been removed or had a paint make-over. It will eventually be replaced with a beautiful thrift store piece that we will fit a bathroom sink into. When we first moved into our home I was overwhelmed with the amount of cheap, ugly, cabinets and hardware. But little by little we have managed to turn ugly into lovely on a very tight budget, which even surprises me.
I remember our first year in this home when I counted all of the cabinet handles on our first floor. It amounted to over one hundred! I knew if I could only replace the ugly antique brass it would update the cabinetry, but with so many pieces even that could prove costly. So little by little we removed some doors, some entire cabinets, and then primed and painted what remained until our home began to look like ours instead of a contractor's bargain build.
Years ago I couldn't wait to get rid of the antique brass hardware but, ironically, just a few weeks ago I added antique brass back. It looks beautiful against the now painted, but still original (cheap) cabinetry. Of course I would love to have all new cabinets in my home but I am very content with the beauty that I have been able to achieve with a small amount of money, time, and energy. It's very rewarding to be able to make a house

your home!

Inspiration Bins and a Scetnsy Win

I have a habit of picking up little "this and thats" at the thrift store or on clearance. It may be a bag full of pulls, a metal house number, curtain rings, hooks, or a monogram. It could be finials, balusters, wood feet, or a miscellaneous part. It's always that little item that is very inexpensive but when I see it the wheels in my head begin to spin.
I keep my this and thats sorted in bins. When I need a pretty knob or a little something to finish off a project, the starting point for a new design or just a reason to smile, I pull out my containers. It's wonderful to have that perfect finishing touch or an object of inspiration tucked away, just waiting to be pulled from it's bin.

Congratulations to Michele of Houseful of Heathens! Random Generator picked her comment, number 84, as the winner for the Scensty giveaway. Michelle, please email me your info so I can send it to Chilly from Scentsy.

Designer Plastic

Every Sunday we gather as a family to eat in our dining room. It has been a tradition since we moved into this home. We set out "Sunday" dishes, glasses and even unique-to-Sunday salt and pepper shakers. We light a candle or two and enjoy having a delicious dinner, usually cooked by my hubby. And we always have a tablecloth. . .well, not a reeeal tableCLOTH. We can be a sloppy bunch and I don't want to spend my week soaking and removing stains from a real tablecloth so I resort to the plastic variety. But it can be difficult to find a faux tablecloth that doesn't look too country or too grandma-y. So imagine my delight when I found these beautiful covers at Big Lots the other day. Look! Lovely colors and designer patterns. I had to stock up on all they had in my difficult to find table size. I couldn't pass up such pretty, practical, and priced-to-please plastic!

Blooming Bargains

What is it about flowers that make a house a home? My dream is to always have a bouquet of fresh flowers somewhere in my home. My pocket book doesn't always agree with my dream. Of course during the spring, summer, and fall it doesn't cost anything to
bring in nature from my yard. But during the cold days of winter I have to rely on other ways to get my
floral fix on a bargain. One of those ways is to look for flowers in unexpected places.
This beautiful bouquet came from a store that carries out of date and freight damaged food. The tulips were a dollar a bunch. For that price I felt I could splurge and buy five dollars worth.
Another way to save is to ask what day of the week the florist or grocery store has a fresh flower delivery. That will also likely be the day that they mark down flowers to clear them out (look for great bargains AFTER Valentines).
These blooms were on clearance. The great thing about potted flowers is that I can plant them in my yard later. To double my delight these bulbs will bloom next spring. When I buy potted flowers the first thing I do is lose the wrapping, plop the pot into a prettier container, and surround the top with a little moss.I try to save on my outdoor flowers too. Bargains can be found at the end of the season and on holidays. Big box stores will often mark down their plants when they look a little lanky or droopy. I've also been known to ask for the plants that they are throwing away (and have been very tempted to dumpster dive). Annuals can be hard to rescue but perennials can be nurtured back and will bloom for years. My favorite idea for bargain gardening came from a woman who would walk her dog at night and carry scissors with her. As she walked she would take little snippets from her neighbors bushes and flowers; nothing too big that they would miss. ***Edited to add: If you choose to do this please ask permission before taking snippets from your neighbors.*** When she arrived home she would dip the cuttings into root starter. I read that she was able to beautify her entire once-barren yard with just the cost of time, energy and root starter.

Now that's a blooming bargain!
***Don't forget to enter the M.Bellish'd giveaway here***

After Christmas Clearance

One of the nicest things about the

after Christmas clearance sale items...is that they make the best January decorations!

Almost Free Florals and a Winner

I always love having a fresh and free bouquet in my living room. In the spring and summer I bring branches or flowers in from my yard and even though it's winter I've found a way to bring in nature without spending a lot of money. One trick is to ask the employees of tree lots or big box stores if you can have the cuttings from the Christmas trees. They're usually happy to give them away for free. I just plop a bunch into a tarnished silver urn and add a few faux glittered branches for a little more interest and then I stand back and enjoy the beauty and the fresh evergreen aroma.And who says that you have to keep that traditional poinsettia in it's foil covered container? I clipped the flowers and added more evergreens, and curly branches to make this eye catching Christmas bouquet.The only thing that can beat the beauty of two fresh bouquets is the low, low price!Congratulations to Cheryl, comment #38. Random organizer picked her to be the winner of the beautiful Mod Lattice Pillow from FabulousButFrugal.com

An Idea Worth Stealing

A few weeks ago I found the perfect bouquet at the thrift store for $1. What makes it so perfect?

It's simple yet stunning.

Simple because it's made using a half round piece of styrofoam with the heads of faux flowers glued abundantly on top. It's stunning because it can be plopped atop almost anything and
it looks gorgeous.

A silver ice bucket.A white pedestal vase.An old copper pot.On top of moss rocks inside a huge hurricane.

And it's easy to store away when the season, or your mood, changes. It's definitely an idea worth stealing (or buying at the thrift store for $1).