What I Bought On My Summer Vacation

Any time I can walk out of Marshalls {or Home Goods, TJ Maxx, Pier 1, Tuesday Morning ~ you get the idea} spending under $50.00 it’s a great shopping day for me.   Today’s trip to Marshalls was just such a morning and the $49.79 spent included a pair of shorts at $16.99!  Here’s what I got:

A few of these items were on clearance {the wire tray and the 1, 2, 3 hooks}.  The leaf bowl was $4.99.  I’m thinking I need a little bit of a change from the floral arrangement I currently have on my kitchen table.  Although, I might wait until September and add some Fall-like things to this bowl.  {Digressing ahead: Dollar Tree already has Fall decor out.  They had some cute little ceramic pumpkins that I made myself put down and walk away from}.

These crown hooks were $5.99 each.  About what I’d expect to pay at Marshalls so no win or loss on those.

I couldn’t pass up this wire tray for $5.00.  I don’t know why I like these.  Even though I have enough trays like this I still look when I see them.  I guess it plays to my liking to have things organized yet in view.

 

I saw this 1, 2, 3 hook in a sage green {$7.50} and right away thought, “uh-oh, they’re onto us!”.  I’ve seen various numbered items in blogland before I saw them in stores.   I know this has been mentioned before but sometimes you have to wonder where it showed up first ~ the blog or the store!

I could have spent so much more, but I have learned restraint.  They had some great dishware and a wonderful white teapot {it was missing it’s lid though};  frames, florals and even small appliances like a coffee maker.   I have an upcoming chance for you to throw restraint to the wind.  I’ll be hosting a CSN giveaway that I will be announcing shortly, so please make sure to come back and enter.

Linking up with the following linky parties:

Frugalicious Friday at Finding Fabulous

Slap On A Label And Call It Done!

A few weeks ago, I found these bottles at Goodwill and I’d had them on my mental list to grab them whenever I might see them.  They had bath salts in them and I just dumped them out and washed them.

I have one more I haven’t done up yet, but here’s what I’ve done so far.

 I found the graphics/labels from The Graphics Fairy.  Many times Karen offers graphics that I don’t have a project for at the time, but I always save the ones that catch my eye because I know that at some point I will use them.  I printed the labels on brochure paper {which is what I use for things like this that will be glued or crafted with in some way}.  I also used a “wallet size” print option, which worked out perfectly for the bottles.

I just attached the labels using Mod Podge {also did a coat over the top}.  I used seamed binding/ribbon and on one bottle I used a crown charm found in the jewelry making aisles at Michaels and the other is a button.

I had also found this jar with a seal at Goodwill and for this one I had saved the bee and crown graphic but added the text of “Gluten Free Cookies”.  Unlike the other labels that I had attached with Mod Podge, I just used shipping tape to attach this one to the outside of the jar, because I thought I might like to change this one on occasion.

I was going to end this post with the news that I am now officially a Grandma, but I see my sister beat me to it.  I have been enjoying holding a little one again and am looking forward to spending some time with them next week.  Pictures to come, for sure!

Linking up to Brag Monday over at The Graphics Fairy.

Before and After Party at Thrifty Decor Chick

Count Down To Baby

As if it wasn’t bad enough that I haven’t posted in almost a week, you would have thought my grandchild arrived to explain my absence.  I’m sorry to say that is not the case.  Today is the due date ~ July 23, 2010!  Although, I don’t think she’s coming today.

Not to bring down this wonderful and happy event, but I’ve been feeling a bit “bleh” the past week or so, and that’s why I haven’t had much to post.  Coincidentally, we’ve had some very humid weather the past couple of weeks, and I’m blaming my mood on that.

At any rate, I am now on “red alert” {or aqua, or black and white with a touch of pink thrown in} and looking forward to the arrival of my granddaughter!  I’ll try to get back in the groove here, as well as get to work on completing the 3-4 projects I have waiting to be finished, so I can share them this coming week. 

Kathy’s Korner ~ My Kitchen Table

I use my kitchen table a lot when I take pictures to share with you all here, not because it’s painted, but because I get some good light that I can actually work with {or around, depending on how you look at it} in my kitchen.  I have gotten some comments that have asked to see more of this table, so I thought I would share it with you today.

I got this table through a catalog.  I believe it was Winterthur and it was at least 10-12 years ago.   One of the things I liked about this table besides the painting, was the shelf space underneath and the drawer.

 I keep our placemats in the drawer, but the space above stays clear.

The painting is all around the table.  Four sit comfortably and I have fit 6.

They did have chairs that went with the table, but four chairs cost more than the table!  I couldn’t do it, and decided to find something that would work somewhere else.  {I also found out a few years later that there is a baker’s rack or small hutch type piece that matches the table}.

I did find four chairs at a local All Wood type furniture store that had a brown and white plaid tweedy fabric seat.  The fabric was awful, but I only cared that the seat could be unscrewed and removed.  I already knew that I would be changing that fabric out.  The color of the chairs went well with the table and everyone thinks they came together as a set.

This was just a remnant piece of fabric I found at a fabric store I love to visit whenever I can plan it.  I bought just enough to cover these chairs and I picked this design and color because of the window treatments I have in my kitchen {which I’ll show you shortly}.   While at this fabric store I also pick through their remnant trims.  They bag them up and mark how much yardage is in the bag.  It is an excellent way for me to get small amounts of otherwise expensive trim that I can use on pillows or little fabric projects, like these chairs.

 

Each chair has a different trim!  I love a touch of whimsy in a room and this is my touch of whimsy in my kitchen.  I love these chairs!  Two have onion fringe and two have tassel fringe.

These four chairs didn’t cost me more than $200.00 {maybe $50.00 a chair, if that} and we brought them home the night I found them at the store.  The catalog wanted over $500.00 for the four chairs that actually went with the table!  Crazy!

And here is why I went with this fabric for the chairs.  My Calico Corners soft valance and roman shades, which have the exact colors in them!  There are three patterns residing happily together within a few inches of each other here.  I’ve had these treatments up for about 10 years.  This fabric has the same design on the drapes used in the apartment on the show Friends {that Monica & Rachel lived in}, only they had a different color.

Roman shade lowered.  Although I usually keep them just as you see them above.  I only put one or two down in the afternoons when the sun is very strong.

   

There you go! That’s probably more than you ever wanted to know about this corner of my kitchen!  I love it; I spend a lot of time in it; we have a lot of family talks in it; and it’s a happy room to be in. 

  Thanks for visiting this little area of my kitchen! 

Cloche Party

Finally!  I finally have a cloche so I can join in with Marty at A Stroll Thru Life’s cloche party.  It took awhile but I netted my little cloche from my last trip to Good Will a couple of weeks ago. 

I added a parfait dish/glass {also found at Good Will} as a base with a glass glue.  {I found that regular Gorilla Glue wasn’t holding up on my glass to glass adhesions}.

I was lucky enough to win this beautiful fairy cupcake from Tobi at The Pink Pixie Forest {thank you, Tobi!} and it just fits underneath this cloche perfectly!   Tobi does a beautiful job on these.

  

This cloche shows off my lovely cupcake and I’m looking forward to seeing what else I can display.  I’m heading over to see what the other party goers are displaying with their cloches! 

I’m A Copycat

Besides a monetary gesture, I wanted to make something to give to my daughter and new son-in-law as a gift for tying the knot.  I was thinking of making something with a monogram but then I saw this lovely gift idea from Tara at Just Devine Style.

I love the frame Tara had and she did such a great job on this.  I’m sure her friends are going to love it!  So I did a little playing around in Microsoft Publisher to make one of my own.  I used this image from The Graphics Fairy as a background and lightened it so the text I wanted to add would show up.

I already had an 8x10 frame, a mat and cream colored card stock to use for this project, so the cost was $0.  I still like Tara’s best, but here is my version.

The image is so faint in the picture, but in person you can just see it and it doesn’t interfere with the text.

 

I hope my daughter and her hubby like it! 

Linking up with the following linky parties:

Frugalicious Friday at Finding Fabulous

Brag Monday at The Graphics Fairy

It’s So Very Creative at It’s So Very Cheri

Make It Yours Day at My Backyard Eden