Quick Table Re-Do

One of my major recent projects involved rearranging my house to accommodate a new giant crate for this girl. With a huge crate taking over my small dining room space, I was left with an empty corner and awkward space.

why hello ginormous crate. thanks for coming in and taking over everything

oh no, I didn't want a dining room there. go ahead, it's all yours.

I decided to re-purpose the space and add a new seating area. I wanted to find a chair and a small side table that I could refinish to add some character to the room. The problem? I wanted to do it all before my parents came to visit... which gave me approximately two weeks to find a chair and a table on the cheap, refinish them, and re-decorate the space. No biggie, right?

Enter thrift store marathon. I literally visited every thrift store within a 20 mile radius multiple times, and I had Craigslist on lock-down. It was rare if I went more than a few hours without checking for a table or a chair online, each under $20. (thank you, Craigslist for iPhone!)

Well, luck was on my side. After a few stops, I found this beauty for only $4 at a thrift store!

She wasn't all that pretty, and she definitely needed to freshen up, but I knew that a quick coat of paint would do the trick!

And Ta-Da! It did! I sanded her down and coated her with two coats of spray paint, and she was done.

I am not a professional re-finisher (as I will prove when I show my chair re-do) so I know I didn't do this the correct way. I should have primed it first, and I probably should have done a clear coat or seal too. But I like to live on the edge. And by edge, I mean the edge of laziness mixed with "is this really necessary?"

But she still looks great. I paired her up with my new found chair (story on that coming soon) and we were set to impress.

Look- she even made a happy home for Mr. Armadillo! Don't they go so well together?

A happy table, a happy armadillo, and a happy awkward corner. Perfecto.

p.s. more pictures of the before and after space to come...

Spring has Sprung

While I was away from the blog, I completed a lot of projects. I'm going to try uploading a bunch of them now that we're back and running, but they may seem a little out of order. Since there has been a back log since St. Patrick's Day, I hope you'll stick with me if I seem to jump from here to there!

First up is the centerpiece I created for Spring/Easter. I used things from the Dollar Tree and the Target Dollar Bins to put together this super cute Spring display:

I bought the basket at a thrift store for $1.99 and filled it with floral foam from the Dollar Tree:

I even left it wrapped in the plastic packaging to keep the mess under control (floral foam sometimes tends to fall apart pretty easily when not wet). I used three rectangles for this size basket, cutting one in half to fill the two ends.

I found these cute bird houses in the Target Dollar Bins. They are supposed to be decorative plant stakes for your potted flowers, but they work great for this project! Just stick them right in to the foam:

Along with the floral foam, I also picked up some flowers and birds. These came in a three pack, so you get even more bang for your buck.

After sticking the flowers and birds in the foam, I covered the entire surface with floral moss (bought at Dollar Tree). I didn't glue it down, but it would probably be a good idea if you want to save this for future seasons.

When it's all done, it looks so cute! I put it on my seasonal dresser display in the living room, but it would also be cute as a centerpiece or on a mantle!

I also found this square picket-fence box at the thrift store and used the extra plant stakes to create a second display for my other table. I can't decide which one I like more- the basket or the picket fence! Good thing I can display both!

(P.S. Sorry about the poor picture quality! A new camera is at the top of my wish list!!)

(P.P.S. I don't think these items are available in the Target bins anymore so I'm sorry if I just inspired you to create something that you can't... but just wait until next year! Now as soon as you see them pop up in the bins, you'll already have a plan of what to make!)

Quickie Craft, St. Pat's Style

Here is a quick and cheap little St. Patrick's Day project for all of you non-crafters...

I found these super cute bamboo placemats at Dollar Tree. They would be super cute on a table alone, but I wanted to do something a little different...

So I bought several of them and used the non-crafters key to success: Duct Tape. I taped together four of them to create a table runner. They line up right next to each other making them easy to connect:

And that's it! Now I have a cute table runner and it only cost $4! Another cheap score!

Now what to put on top of that table...???

A penny for your pictures

Snapfish Penny Prints are here! What a way to wrap up the year- print 99 of your favorite 4" x 6" prints for only 99 cents!

Upload your favorite pictures and use the promo code 2011PENNY before Jan 9th and you can get them mailed to your house super cheap! (shipping not included, but usually only runs a couple bucks)

Looks like I've got some uploading to do! Happy New Year!

How much are you wearing?

I have a friend who used to love to play the game "How much are you wearing?" It was a game to see who had the most expensive clothes and outfits. I always lost.

But now, I've turned that constant losing in to a game of it's own. I wonder how cheap I can get? How little can I spend and still pull together a decent outfit?

Well I am quite the thrift store shopper, so this becomes a fun challenge. (I'll dedicate a future post to some of my best thrift store finds!) Today's outfit is made up entirely of thrift store clothes, but several of them are name brand items.

Todays cost: $18, including shoes. Wow!

(pardon the awkward self-picture and curvy mirror!)

Here's the breakdown:

Button-down shirt: $2 at Goodwill

Gap Sweater: Free from old roommate (she gave it to me new with tags!)

Gap Long and Lean Jeans: $6 at Goodwill

Boots: $10 at Goodwill Boutique

Total: $18

New goal: wear less than $18. I think I can do it.

Daily Deal Gorgeousness

I get a lot of "Daily Deal" emails so I won't share them all here, but today's Housewares Deal is well worth sharing!

Today Only (Sept 14th) you can get this beautiful set of dishes for only $30!

This is the Midnight Silhouette design from Mikasa, and the set includes 4 of each piece shown above. The full set normally sells for $134. That means you save $104!! Amazing!! If I needed dishes, I would totally buy this. It would also make a beautiful wedding or housewarming gift for someone.

Check out the deal at http://www.housewaresdeals.com/ and hook yourself up!