Chalkboard sign....

A while back I was in a boutique and saw a cute chalkboard yard sign that you could use to write something to celebrate occasions, etc....I loved it, but didn't like the $25 price. So, I tucked away the idea in my head for future possible projects. Since making this post last Fall we now have a great place to put signs, decor etc...With our sons birthday coming up I decided I wanted a chalkboard sign to go out front, but instead of staking it into the ground, I decided to make a hanging sign that we could hang on our post to write different messages like "Happy Birthday" or "Please knock, babies are napping," etc...

The wheels began turning and this is what I came up with.....

1) I found a wooden plaque at Wal-mart for around $4 and sanded down the splintery(yes, my word, probably not real!) spots

2) I chose a green spray paint that we already had to paint the edges/top...I used about 3-4 coats

3) Sand down the the middle portion to remove any shiny parts(paint sticks better to porous surfaces)

4) I wanted the chalkboard to have "rough" edges around it so I took painters tape and tore it down the middle. I taped off the board with the rough edge facing the middle of the board where the chalk board will go. I then added another layer of painters tape in order to keep the chalk board paint from getting on the edges of the board.

5) I applied literally about 6 to 7 layers of chalkboard paint. You do not want to be able to see the wood grain underneath, this gives you a better surface to write on. Wait for the paint to dry(I waited overnight) and carefully peel off the tape (Mine came off really easily).

(I couldn't get rid of the glare!)

6) I needed to make something to hang the sign by. I decided to use jute twine. I took 3 pieces of the same length and braid them together. I then tied knots at both ends of the braid.

7) Using a staple gun I stapled the twine to the back of the sign. The knots will keep twine from slipping.

8) After securing the twine I decided I wanted to "jazz" it up a little so I took some different ribbon that I had and tied it to the twine. I LOVE this paisley ribbon :)

9) The finished product!

I love how it turned out! AND, of course, I love that it only cost me $4 since I already had most of the supplies :)

Thrifty Tuesday

Today is what I like to call Thrifty Tuesday. Today is the day I do my grocery shopping and at the same time try to find the best deals possible for our budget. After looking through the ads and my coupons I realized I needed to stop by a local grocery store today(before the sale ends tomorrow!) because I could get some really good deals on things that I know we use. Here's what I got:

The price? $13! Not too bad. I was able to get 4 boxes of cereal(one of the hubbs favs), 4 bags of goldfish(Our oldest's fav that I normally can't get because they are way expensive), 2 hand soaps, 4 deodorants, and the most expensive were the two bottles of gummy vitamins that were still only $2.50 each. Normally I would have to pay $40 total for these items and that's with buying the generic brands.

Some people roll their eyes a little at people who coupon, etc...but oh well. It pays off. I'm able to put $27 into our car fund that I normally wouldn't be able too.

Happy Thrifty Tuesday!

Valentine's Door Decor

Being in a house full of boys leaves me with little encouragement to decorate for Valentine's Day, with the main decor usually consisting of hearts, red and pink(a major sin according to my husband). But this year I decided I at least wanted something up--actually I am just having withdrawals from the Christmas decor being put up.

My goal? There would be hearts, but I would at least stay away from the detested "pink". Here's what I came up with for the door....It's a little different, but I tried to do something different than the ordinary wreath.

1. I started with 3 different colors of felt (LOVED the cranberry color!). I liked the way the black looked with these colors and even though it's not your typical Valentine's color, I used it anyways! I cut 3 different sized and shaped hearts from the felt.

2. I layered more hearts...

3. Then I added, *a fav*, a burlap layer

I'm not sure why this is sideways...

4. Using a simple whip stitch I sewed the layers together

5. On this one I did a running stick under the red layer to secure the top hearts to the bottom

6. I decided to give these some depth so I stuffed them with some poly fill that I had

7. Using thread I attached jute twine to the back of each heart in order to hang them

8. Finished hearts

9. Hanging on our door! I tied them together along with a couple pieces of burlap ribbon.

I added a button at the top just because :)

I really like how these turned out. Just enough "girl" but no pink, I don't want the men to go crazy...

AND the whole project cost about $1

***Tip....if you've ever worked with burlap you know it frays really easily. I turned the hearts over and spread elmer's glue around the edges (it dries clear) and it won't fray!

Coke crate recycle

This post has been about 9 months in the making. I finally did something with our entryway. It's eclectic, colorful, and kind of rustic. It meets our typical requirement of not just "there" for the sake of being there, it can also be useful. 

Our living room has one big, long wall that needed something on it and we needed a space to put our books, Bibles, games, toys, etc...so I kept my eye out for a sofa/entryway table that would work for our needs/wants. 

I finally found one at a flea market last April and paid a great price for it. It actually was made to be an entertainment center for a flat screen. I loved it, but wasn't quite sure what to do with the small shelf that was made to hold a dvd player, etc. I would have loved for those to be drawers, but they weren't so I decided to try and put something in there that could be used as drawers. At first I thought of putting rustic looking baskets in there, which would have been fine but I already feel like I have too many baskets so I was determined to figure something else out.

The table, originally a blue-grey with a black shelf on bottom. I loved the blue-grey, but not the black, so I painted the whole thing blue :)

During our brief visit to Dublin, TX this last summer we found various treasures and one of them was a yellow coca-cola crate. I loved it because normally the only color I find those in is red and I decided to get it and figure out some way to use it later. Plus it was only $3, so that made it an even better find.

This Fall when I was still trying to figure out what to do with the small shelf on our entryway table I walked by the crate(that was just sitting in our garage) and had an idea. I decided to put it on the shelf to see if it fit in one of the slots(there were two). It fit perfectly and looked kinda funky(which I love) plus also matched the distressed look I gave the entryway table when I repainted it. It became my new "drawer" and because there were 2 slots I needed another crate. My husbands father has all kinds of *treasures* so we asked him if he happened to have a coke crate he didn't need and he did! I was pretty excited.

We put them both in the slots and liked it(well the hubbs was warming up to the brightness of it), but they needed something else to them. I decided to make rope pulls for each of the crates to give them more of the "drawer" look.

Here's my step-by-step:

1. First I headed to Ace and asked one of the salesmen if they had scratchy rope(yes, that's the official term). They did and it was only $.15 a foot. I got 2 feet.

2. Next I decided where I wanted the pulls to go...in the center, 2 inches from the top of the crate. My crate measured 18 1/2 " long, so I found the middle of the crate at 9 1/4". I wanted my rope pulls to be 4 inches wide so I measured 2 inches on each side of the middle point(at 7 1/4 and 11 1/4) and made a mark---making sure it was still two inches from the top as well. Confused yet?

3. Next find a drill bit that is the same width(or as close too) as your rope and put it in your drill. Drill your holes where you marked them on each crate.

4. Take your two foot piece of rope and tie a knot in the end of it. Starting on the inside of the crate pull the rope through one of the holes and then through the other hole(leaving some lose rope in the front to form the pull). Knot it and then cut off the excess. Repeat the process with the second crate.

5. And last we put felt circles on the bottom of each crate so they do not scratch the shelf.

And there ya go! I like how it turned out. Even the hubbs likes it a lot better now. It fits our crazy household/life.

They go pretty well with the distressed finish I gave the table, ha, and the brightness of the blue(I kinda love our random blue table)

And there ya have it. I definitely think it looks better in person, but what can ya do.

And by the way, the total cost of this drawer project was $3.30. Not too shabby. Happy recycling everyone!

What to do with an old shirt...

Have you ever looked in your closet or drawer and realized that you had WAY too many t-shirts? I have...way too many times. This last week I decided to recycle one of my shirts.

Lately I have been wearing my shirts more often because I have been working out more. One problem I have with shirts is that the sleeves bug me and get in the way. One solution is to wear tank tops, but in an effort to save some money I decided to make this shirt into a tank top of sorts. This requires no sewing, but you could of course polish the edges by making a seam with a sewing machine.

Here's your how to on making the tank top...

1. Take your shirt and lay it out flat (No picture, just imagine a shirt on a table)

2. Starting directly under the seam in the arm pit make a curved cut up and towards the neckline.

3. The result is a shirt that covers my sports bra(a must), but also gives me the ease of movement. 

finished product!



Now, in an effort to never waste my scraps :) I decided to use the sleeves to make a headband. Truth is I loved the color of this shirt too much to waste the material! Here's the how-to to make the headband (btw cloth headbands like these sell for about $1 in stores)

1. Lay your sleeve out on the table

2. Cut the seams off of the sleeve

3. Roll the raw edges underneath and put it on! The material will naturally roll under and stay together.

Now if you REALLY had a shirt you wanted to be rid of but love the color too much, you could also make an infinity scarf out of it (This I do not have any pics of, sorry! I'm a busy momma and don't have the time to stop sometimes...that's my story). I'm seeing these everywhere and really all you need is a good jersey material.

1. Lay your shirt out flat

2. Take your scissors and cut horizontally across the bottom. Make the strips at least 4 inches wide because they will curl up. Make as many as you want.

3. Layer them one on top of the other around your neck. You could even do multiple colors if you wanted.

The hem of the sleeve can also become a collar for the dog, as my oldest saw the need for :)

And of course you could always use it for a rag like my husband does, but these options are a little more fun!

So, there ya go! Easy things you could do with an old shirt. Reduce, Re-Use, Recycle, AND save yourself a little cash :)  

**Also, since shirts have two sleeves and I only have the need for one headband, I have an extra headband! So if for some reason you want this extra, just let me know! If no one claims it, it may become part of our dress-up bag :)

Mad love for the "older" generation...



I took this picture while I was in Scotland. Love!



I have always had a "love" of people of the "older" generation(yes, I mean elderly people, but I'm trying to keep it sweet I guess). Ever since I was younger I have loved hearing their stories, seeing them(yes, they stir up the same feelings babies and puppies do), and learning from them(they have been through A LOT!). Today I have been reminded of that "love."

Ever gone grocery shopping in the morning? Since I stay home with our kiddos I usually try to get my grocery shopping done in the morning. Why? I miss the lunch time and after school rush. Usually the only people who are there are moms like me and many elderly people. Even with the "extras" I have "helping" me shop it usually proves to be a quite peaceful trip.



I'm going to let you in on a secret of the grocery store.....where's the "cool" place to hang out at the store? The produce section. Since our store comps prices, that, as with today, is where the "older" ladies and I swap the best sale prices in order that all of us get a good deal(Like us they are usually on a tight budget). Let me insert here that it is SO worth it to take 10 minutes to browse the local ads to get the best prices(I'll point that out below), but if you don't have the time you are bound to find some friendly faces who will help you along, plus also comment on how cute your kids are (who doesn't like to hear that?!). Sweet people.

Another reason I love the older gen....they are a lot more polite and friendly than most other people(like in the grocery store). Today I happened to see my sweet neighbor who is about the same age as my grandmother. She can barely hear, smiles a lot, and loves my boys. She is a great neighbor. Today I love her even more because of her comment, "Have you lost weight?" I was thinking "no not at all, but MAY GOD BLESS YOU!" Ha, I needed to hear that. Ever since my thyroid started going downhill it has been incredibly hard to lose the rest of my "baby love" weight. Ha, that and the fact that I don't diet well.

Next time you see an elderly person don't shy away, take the time to say hello or sit down and talk with them. It may make their day and surprise you at how much you enjoyed your visit.

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Okay, like I mentioned above I have a savings tip of the day.....Take advantage of the local ads and go to a store like Wal-mart that price matches that way you don't have to go to 5 stores in order to get the best deals. Just make your shopping list for the week, browse the ads an write down next to your item the best price you can find in your area. Tell your cashier at check-out, easy as that!

For instance there is a store about 20 minutes from me who sells bananas on Tuesdays for $.39 a pound, but Wal-mart(who sells them for $.59/lb) is only 10 minutes away, so I can get the same deal without going as far. Need more proof convincing that you need to be doing this? I found a store that is 25 minutes away that had apples for $.88 a pound...Wal-Mart had theirs for $1.77 a pound...I saved about 50%! I call that a deal and because of this I am still able to feed our family healthy food on a small budget.

And before some of you go crazy on me for helping out a power store like Wal-mart, I do make a point of also going to our "home-town" grocery stores as well. I have some awesome local stores by my house, I give them my business first, and then go to the "bigger" stores for the rest of the items that I can't get there for the smaller price :) Just thought I'd throw that out there!

Waste Not, Want Not....

The past month or so I have been on a mission to save our family money! We love to travel and are trying to save money so we can buy a bigger car(we are quickly outgrowing ours!). That means I need to get creative with our already slim budget in order to be able to save money like we would like!

One of the things I hate spending a lot of money on is food. But the problem? I love food. One of my solutions to "saving" is by not wasting what we have already spent our money on.

Here are some examples of ways I have been able to "waste not, want not" :)

1. Leftover veggies from a meal? Keep a container in your fridge specifically for veggies and add to it after each meal. When you have a full container make a soup or stew!

2. Who loves cake?! I do! But who loves cake after 3 days? Yeah it's safe to say it loses it's *spark* at that point. What should you do with the leftovers?? Make cake balls! All you need to do is take the cake (with icing on top) and crumble it/mush it all together. If it is still a little dry, add a small amount of milk (or I used half and half yesterday) to moisten it and roll the "dough" into balls. I refrigerate them until firm then stick them in the freezer until I am ready to dip them in chocolate. The next time you have company you have a dessert that is almost ready to serve them!

3. Leftover cornbread? I got this tip from a lady I sparked up a conversation with in line at the fabric store (random!). Stick it in a freezer bag and put it in the freezer. Add to it each time you have leftover cornbread. When you get a significant amount stashed away make cornbread dressing/stuffing!

4. Leftover hamburger buns/hot dog buns? Our small family never uses all of them that come in a package at one meal. So, again, freeze!

5. Leftover rice from stir fry night? Add it to some black bean, chicken, sour cream burritos (YUM) in the next few days and toast it. We always have leftover burrito filling from this meal so we fill more tortillas and wrap them in wax paper and foil and stick those in the freezer too! Can you tell I love our freezer? Use this recipe and tweak it as needed: http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2009/09/crispy-southwest-chicken-wraps.html 

6. Leftover pasta, but don't have any more sauce? Again, Freeze :) Pop it out later, thaw, add it to a sauce, and bake. You have a pasta bake that took hardly any time at all to make!

7. Buy a bunch of grapes but don't think you will eat them all before they go bad? Freeze them. They freeze great (some people like to eat grapes frozen) and I can put frozen grapes in my son's lunch in the morning and by the time lunch rolls around they have thawed but are still cold.

8. In my house I am the only one who loves onions and bells peppers. My hubbs will stand them, but usually picks half of them off. This means that I typically only use half an onion or half a bell pepper for a recipe. With the halves that remain I slice them thinly, put them in a freezer bag and label it "Fajita Veggies." Now most of your prep is taken care of for the next time you want to make fajitas!

9. Buy a big bag of potatoes, onions, or apples? I do this all the time because you can save about half the money you would typically spend by buying them loose.

• Potatoes: Make soups and freeze, put them in breakfast burritos, make twice baked potatoes (bake) and freeze them....the list could go on...(Fav potato soup: http://www.food.com/recipe/crock-pot-style-loaded-baked-potato-soup-301754)
• Onions: Did you know fresh onions freeze well? Chop them up and put them in pre-measured bags for the freezer.
• Apples: Have the apples been in the fridge a little too long? Make apple pie filling and freeze it. You can also chop them up and make an apple cake. OR make two and either freeze one or give to a neighbor.

Okay I've rambled enough. There are SO MANY ways to save money by not wasting the food you have. What are some ways you "Waste not, want not?"