Sunday, August 25, 2013

Redone desk

This little beauty wasn't so bad before in the left picture, however, it was a very poor paint job, and I wanted to give it new life. The paint was chipping and bubbly in spots. It was also really, really shiny. The color is very popular right now, but I still felt like it needed something to revive it. And who doesn't love shabby chic.



I started off with some paint stripper only to find that whomever painted it really didn't take their time nor have concern for the nice piece of real workmanship of this desk. The tongue and groove drawers and great construction showed that this desk was very sturdy and would certainly stand the test of time. The stripper was making a such a royal mess, I asked my little princess to help me clean up.
So after attempting to strip without success (blisters, sweat and curse words later), I decided this was a candidate for a good sanding job, primer and a fresh coat of paint.  I ended up just cleaning it up the best that I could and sanding it as smooth as I could. I applied a coat or white primer. Then took to painting.  Instead of painting, then sanding to make the distressed look, I decided to experiment with some painting techniques. This is what the drawer looked like before as I was trying to strip.Then the after. To get the look, I painted the drawer with primer. Painted a layer of green called Canteen.
                                                                                                                   After that dried, I took a lighter aqua color. I dipped my brush in water first, then in paint. I lightly brushed the drawer and then dabbed off the excess with a paper towel. When that dried, I drug a little stain over the drawer. And that was all. I decided to avoid a lot of distress, I only accented the drawers with the paint technique and used the canteen green and aqua to paint the rest. I am pleased with the results. I finished it off with a wax instead of polyurethane because I wanted it to look more natural and less shiny. I am please. The plan now is to sell the desk, however, I am not sure where to even start. How much to I charge, where do I list it? This is the first piece that I didn't do for myself, even though I think it would look awesome in Ayla's room!                                    
 

Saturday, August 17, 2013

Shopping to save

I'm not sure where the excitement comes from saving money...but it's what fuels me to scour sales and cut and now print coupons. I'm definitely not an extreme couponer, but I do stock up if something is on sale that we will use and won't go bad. My most recent save was on Cottonelle flushable wipes at Giant. These are a luxury I don't think we need, except they come in handy now that Ayla is potty trained. 
The small refill packs were $2, the large $5.99. If you bought two packs of Cottonelle bath tissue on sale for $5.99, you got $3 off the large wipes. So, I bought:
Cottonelle 12 pack: $5.99
Cottonelle 12 pack: $5.99
Cottonelle large wipe refill: $5.99
Cottonelle small wipe refill: $2
Total: $20
Less $1 coupon off two wipes
Less $1 off coupon two packs off toilet paper
Less $3 in-store instant savings
Less $4 in-store coupons off any purchase 
Total: $11
Not too shabby for 24 rolls of toilet paper and two packs of refills. 

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Printable computer art

I cannot take credit for this one....Click here to see the blog post I used to help me learn how to make this lovely computer quote. I have been wanting to add personal bible verses and quotes strategically to my house to inspire us and help us remember what is important. I've seen dozens on Pinterest or Etsy. I have tinkered with it over the past several months in Adobe and Word and nothing came out of it that I liked....until, I used this blog to help me. My one tip is to download the fonts you want with Picasa closed, so they are all there when you open it. I thought it wasn't working, I just had to close out. And of course, my new printer worked awesomely, wirelessly from the laptop! Ah, technology

Saturday, August 10, 2013

Mission: Organize jewels

That my friends was my idea of jewelry organization when I had to organize and declutter before Ayla was born. Well, since then I've discovered Pinterest and having be pining for a more functional and eye-appealing way to organize my jewelry before baby boy comes. These little containers were a great way to contain the earrings in one locale but definitely not easy to find matches.  And once Ayla found them, forget it. So, I made this:

Just by going through and picking out the pairs to put on the jewelry holder was eye-opening. I found a pair I loved, but never knew I had and have never worn. 
And this fancy little holder cost me 25 cents, actually maybe less.  No kidding. I already had the purple beading wire and white spray paint. The frame was a Rescue Mission find. It's marked 25 cents because it was missing the glass (which I didn't need anyway) and frames were but one get one free that day, seriously. 
To be fair, I didn't know what I was going to use this frame for. It was a candidate for Ayla's gallery wall, but I didn't end up needing it. I pick up inexpensive materials as I find them. It makes my craft corner a cluttered mess, but saves me a trip out when I have a project I'd like to start. This is part one of three parts of mission organize jewels. So there is more to come! 

Friday, August 2, 2013

Garden's glory



Even after several years of gardening, I'm still learning what to grow and how much to use without a lot of waste. I feel like I hit the right amount of tomatoes this year. And, they are heavenly. Today, I made Caprese salad. The basil is also from the garden. Yum! 

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Saving on salad

It seems that my grocery bill keeps climbing. Last week, before coupons it was nearly $200. I got it closer to $150, but I'm still looking for ways to cut back with my upcoming maternity leave. I decided to try to make my own salads. Not only does it save money, but I think it's much more fresh and healthier, too. I can sub sugar substitute, light mayo, less mayo and more vinegar, lower fat cheese, etc. Today, I made broccoli salad, thanks to my mom's recipe. 
Here it is: 

Dressing:
1 cup mayo
1/2 cup sugar 
2 Tablespoons vinegar
-----------
8 oz shredded cheddar
2 head broccoli
1 red onion
1/2 lb bacon
Just a guesstimate for non-dressing items, you can put in as much as looks good.