Baby headband from ribbon

I made this headband a couple months ago for a friend, from this tutorial on YouTube, and modeled it here on my adorable SON, ha ha. Just for measuring sake. It was easy, and you could use any ribbon you have on hand, so that's my kind of craft!

Receiving Blankets with borders

I love making receiving blankets for baby gifts, and a while back a co-worker of mine showed me how to make them with a cool border around them. I can give a tutorial if anyone's interested. Here's a couple examples, the brown one isn't sewn yet in the pic, but it gives you an idea of what it looks like when it's done!

Another cheap and easy gift idea..

Mother's Day this year, I found a nice 50% off tray at Hobby Lobby, and then found a cute mug for .75c at the thrift store, added a sweet little flower and BOOM! Cheap and Easy Mother's Day gift! My MIL loved it!

I do need to give credit where credit was due. The flower in the mug idea, that was my mom's! Thanks MOTHER!!

No headboard

I don't have a headboard. I have an awesome frame, that I'm planning on making into a headboard, but until I have the time to undergo that project, I needed to fill some wall space. So what did I do?? dum de de dum! I used what I had! Not surprised? Ok, well I had some shutters I had bought a while back at the thrift store, painted them silver and hung them horizontally on the wall. I then hung some curtains that were not being used on a high window, and then put up a funky clock I had gotten for $2 at a yard sale as well.

Accent with some easy pillow covers with extra fabric and remnants that I had, and bodda bing.

It does the job!

Classified ad fanatic!

My husband might say I'm a little crazy when it comes to ads online in the local classifieds. I was just telling him tonight when I found a new electric hand saw online, that I think I know what it feels like to be on drugs! Does anyone know what I mean?? Like that natural high, almost giddy feeling when my heart is racing in my chest, and I'm like smiling to myself, trying to keep from jumping up and down and clapping when I find an awesome deal!? Oh, the hunt is a wonderful thing. Anyways, here are a few of my favorite pieces I found last year when we were moving, from the classifieds.

Sorry, not the best pictures, but this entertainment center was a steal I found online, where one EXACTLY like it sold for $125 that day, and I got this one for $50. I was lucky because it didn't have the greatest photo posted, so it probably got passed up by a lot of people not opening up the ad. I love it! Make sure you look in the ad if it's a possible gem, or call and ask for better photos!

Next, I had just sold our old, ugly, fabric chairs on rolling brass wheels (handed down to us kindly by my grandma when we got married) and matching kitchen table set, in a community yard sale for $70 (yeah, call me LUCKY) and then I found this awesome table online in the classifieds for $80. YAY! I'd say $10 was pretty good. It came with 6 chairs, so I have the other two elsewhere in the house, and they come in handy when we have people over.

I love the sanded down finish!

Ok people, this is my favorite! I wanted a matching set of couches because we had in our living room a large, TOO large, Love Sac, that took up practically the whole living room after it had been lain (?) layed? on a few times, and then we had a nice mocha colored microfiber loveseat. Both cute, both comfortable, but I didn't like them together. I sold the loveseat for $125 and the love sac for $140, making my total budget for new couches $265.

I searched and searched, and in the classifieds online, I found this black, matching leather set from a dr.'s office lobby going out of business. The guy told me to make him an offer. $150? I asked.... He accepted! That means, I made a total of $115 PROFIT! Waahooo! I think that's a bargain!

COULD YOU WONDER WHY I LOVE CLASSIFIEDS!?

Covering the flower

I WISH I had a before picture of this painting. It was big, I mean really big, like in your face bright pink flower. I liked it. My husband hated it. So I attempted to cover it up. Why throw away a perfectly good canvas? I figured it wasn't going to be perfect, just something to go in the middle of our large gorgeous (aka awful) wood paneling mantle. (The joys of renting, eh?) So in a half an hour or so, I came up with this. This is pre-touchups mind-you so don't go looking at my splatters on the black lines. They're cleaned up now. :) But I used what I had, some wall paint, and brushes, and have a fresh new painting, and a happier husband! $0 spent!

Can't beat $1.25!

This little iron cutie was .25c at a yard sale, sweet! (there just happened to be a screw in the cement wall right outside our front door to hang it on, which I thought was meant to be :)

Vinyl lettering, another .25c at a yard sale, and the wood was .50c at the thrift store. Perfect size, if I do say so myself.

I count another .25c for spray paint, if you're counting, and voila!

$1.25 Can't beat that price!

Be creative, mix it up

For a while, I was making all kinds of treat dishes using two plates with a candlestick in between them, (like this) and I still love those, don't get me wrong. I like to give them as wedding gifts, or birthday gifts because they're so personalized to fit the recipient's style. But for one of my husband's cousins who is a little on the funky side, I thought I'd try something different. I used a cup thing in the middle instead, and I think it turned out really cute. I gave it to her with a bag of chips and a jar of dip as one of her shower gifts. The plates and center glass cost me less than $1.50, and it's cute and personalized. Can't get more budget friendly than that!

White spray paint & a $3 shelf

Just what I needed!

Better late than never..

It's only been a year and a half since I've posted... I don't really have a good excuse.. Except I'll try and say that I did have my 3rd child 7 months ago.. and we moved a year ago.. yeah, ok, nothing that should've kept me away for 18 months. Anyways, I have still been trying to craft, and I'll be trying to catch up a little over the next few weeks, and then update you on my most current projects. Anyone out there who's still with me, thanks for hanging on!!! ha! I AM ALIVE!!