The Pleasures of Homemaking

Artichokes Out of the Kitchen

2009-11-09T13:05:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! I thought I'd show you a little display I made out of totally thrifted items. I've been lucky to find some great artichoke finials in the past 5 or 6 months so I put them all together.

This one I got at Goodwill last week for $3.13. As you can see there are a few leaves missing but I just turned it around and you can't tell!

The little white one was also from Goodwill and the little black one was a silver one I found in a bag of Christmas floral picks. I spray painted it black and it's sitting in a thrifted candleholder. Everything but the bow is thrifted! Even the black round piece of wood that black urn finial is on!

The big white one was $8.78 and as you can see it still has the Homegoods sticker on it. My Goodwill gets alot of stuff from Homegoods, TJMaxx, Marshalls and Ikea!

Above is one of the two Anthropology bookends I found this summer at Goodwill.

Some people do very well with garage and yardsales, I'm blessed with a wonderful Goodwill! I would never be able to buy these things at full retail price. I go into Anthropology to look, but I very rarely buy anything there. I do shop TJmax/Homegoods but even then I'm pretty careful on what I spend my money on (mostly plates because they are so inexpensive there and always so cute)! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you're having a good week! We're expecting lots of heavy rain due to Ida!

Old Fall Decorating Pictures

2009-11-07T15:00:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! I was looking through my old photos to see what I had done in the past for Christmas and found some old fall decorating photos that I had forgotten about and thought some of you might like to see. I've usually tried to enjoy each holiday as it comes. So I've never started Christmas decorating before Thanksgiving but this year will be different. I always feel rushed after Thanksgiving so I'm going to start making a few things and getting my boxes out now. Anyway, that's why I was looking at old photos!

Dried hydrangeas from my garden next to white pumpkins.

Brown Johnson Brothers plates in between soup tureens in the kitchen.

Before I painted my fireplace white!

The first banner I ever made.

Decorating with things from nature.

The sign below is the first sign I ever hand painted.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you're having a good weekend!

Some Link Love

2009-11-06T12:31:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! Here are some interesting posts that I thought you might like.

Jane @ Thrifty Countrywoman has an excellent post where she took $17.50 and made a 1 week menu. She shows you how to make a meal stretch! My $17.50 Challenge

As usual, Brenda @ Coffee Tea Books and Me has a wonderful pantry post The Holiday Pantry I

Clarice @ Storybook Woods has a delish pumpkin recipe to share but also look at her cute window with the pom pom fringe! Pumpkin Hummus .

Paula @Southern Rose Cottage has a wonderful post on how to make yogurt. It doesn't look that hard! Organic Yogurt Making

Look at this cute marker storage idea from Sophia @ Frugal Ideas At the Parsonage. Make Your Own Marker Storage

Last but not least, you have to see Barb @ Bella Vista's pretty tablescape with those rooster plates from KMart - so pretty! Tablescape Thursday

I'm in the garden building a new raspberry bed out of concrete block, so I'll be back next week.

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend!

My Pantry Organization

2009-11-05T13:45:00.000-08:00

I've had a few people ask to see more of my pantry. I guess the picture on the sidebar with "My Showerstall Pantry" over it is intriguing LOL! So because long time readers will know all about it I'll save it for the end and show you my broom closet first. How many broom closets do you see on blogs?~smile. I know I'm always looking for organizing ideas so hopefully you'll get some here!

Basically this closet is where I keep my broom, mops, vacuum cleaner & bags, kitchen garbage bags, paper products, foil, dish soap - that sort of thing. I use one of these over the door shoe organizers to store my foil, Cling Wrap, plastic shopping bags (we only keep the really big ones the others we recycle), dish soap, sponges...whatever will fit. These are such handy things and can be used anywhere! You can use them to organize toys, craft stuff, sewing stuff, office stuff and use them for food storage like canned goods. All kinds of things. Be sure you get the clear one so you can see what's in each pocket. This was under $10 at Target.

Do use some kind of hanging systems for your brooms and mops instead of just piling them in a corner. This keeps them organized and off the floor.

There was only one shelf in here when we moved in and so much wasted space. So we put another shelf above it so we could utilize all the space to the ceiling. My tall husband and daughter have no problem reaching that top shelf. Me, I need a step stool!

Isn't that a cute feather duster? I hardly ever use it though!

I keep all my cute in aprons here too. I always forget to put one on though!

You may have noticed that the inside of the door is yellow and the inside of the closet is a orangey yellow. I have painted the insides of all my closets and my kitchen cabinet doors (there's a picture on my sidebar). I just think it's such a happy surprise to open a door and see some color. So often we get caught up in doing things to our homes just for other people or for show and forget to do little things that maybe just we would enjoy!

Behind this curtain is my food pantry. I don't have a pantry in my kitchen. I also don't have a closet that I can devote to food storage. This is an old house on the smaller side (18-1900 sq. ft.) I really believe in having a pantry. You never know what will happen and I know so many people who have lost jobs and were able to feed their families because they had a stocked pantry. Anyway, I thought about where I could store food and decided that the showerstall of my downstairs bathroom would be perfect.

I did this bathroom 10 years ago which is why it still has the rag painting technique on the walls (remember that)! It's due for an update. We just got rid of the ugly 1960's BROWN toilet!

You can buy your jars like this but this one I made. I painted the lid and just marked off an area with tape and painted it with chalkboard paint. You can you use that stuff on anything!

I like to keep like things together. I have all my baking things together on a shelf, all my canned fruit together, all my condiments together, all the soups are together etc.

This works for us since we have two other full bathrooms upstairs. We don't need or have ever used this shower. Plus the temperature is just perfect in there for food storage. I like things to be pretty as well as functional so I added some paper on the outside of the shelves. Again, something only I and my family would see (and maybe a snoopy guest as I usually keep the curtain closed).

My point is that you need to think outside the box if your home is storage challenged like mine. Even if you have to use the space under a bed or maybe you don't need a linen closet for your linens, or maybe you have a window seat, or a trunk that you use for a coffee table that you can use for food storage. Those over the door organizers can hold canned food, pasta boxes etc. You'd be surprised at how much space is in those pockets! Here's a post I wrote a while back on the why and how of keeping a pantry Pantry Basics.

Book Winner & A Great Free Find

2009-11-03T06:04:00.000-08:00

Edited to add: Holly (Homebody Holly)invited me to join her Thrifty Thursday party. So I'm linking this post. Please check out her blog for other participants. I'll be back Thursday with a post on my pantry organization.

Hi everyone! I had three people email asking to be entered in the book giveaway so they became the last three people I added to the number of the comments (this was new to me - I've never had anyone email me for a give away before). The person getting the book is..... Cheryl at CopppersWife . Congratulations! I've sent you an email. Please give me your mailing address and I'll ship the book out this week. Thank you to everyone that entered. Next month there will be a special book related give away!

*****************

Look what I found in a neighbors garbage Sunday! You can click to enlarge the photo.

This pretty chandelier! She's doing some remodeling and just threw it out. I couldn't believe it! I didn't think she really was getting rid of it but my husband said it's out on the curb with all her other trash. So he backed up and I ran out and got it!

Sadly it seems to have a broken arm but my husband says that can be easily fixed.

I decided I'm definitely going to paint it (red if I use it inside - white or yellow if I use it outside) and I'll either take the wiring out and use it with candles and put it in my screened porch over the dining table or I'll have it re-wired and swap it out for the light fixture in my foyer. So first I have to see what it would cost to re-wire it (I just wouldn't feel comfortable hanging it until this was done - wouldn't want to start an electrical fire)!

Isn't that so cool! My first choice would be to hang it in my foyer. I've been wanting a chandelier with prisms there but there was no reason to buy one as the fixture that's there is perfectly o.k. I chose it 10 years ago when we moved in. I would have chosen something different now. Tastes change! But we'll see what estimates I get.

I got this black bench at Goodwill last week (isn't that great I don't even have to paint it) . The bench I have on my deck, which sits under my kitchen window seat and has all my plants on it, started to come apart and lean forward with all this rain that we've had. So I got this as a replacement. It's not as long as the one that's there now, but it'll do until I find a longer one.

I also got this basket at Goodwill. I hope to organize my craft/sewing area after the holidays so when I see something I think might help with that - I get it! I'm thinking it could hold my yarn.

I think someone's puppy chewed the ends! Maxie used to love to chew on our shoe basket when he was a puppy! Chewed ends and all it's still pretty and functional! Things certainly don't have to be perfect to be used in my house!

Thanks for stopping by and have a good week!

November Book Give Away

2009-11-01T05:16:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! The sun is finally shining and it's going to be a great day! This months book give away is Country Living's Simple Country Wisdom 501 Old-Fashioned Ideas to Simplify Your Life. It was published in 2009 so it's one of their new books.

It has the great pictures you expect from Country Living and more!

From Amazon: "Is modern life becoming too complicated and messy? Top-selling author Susan Waggoner is here to simplify it all. She shows how anyone can enjoy a more relaxed lifestyle filled with traditional country values—and save time, money, work, and frustration in the process—with household hints our foremothers knew well."

It starts with "What Makes a Welcoming Home" and ends with "A Greener Life". The tips are great and easy to do. I learned some new ways of doing things! It has a little bit of everything, great photos and good info.

To enter just leave a comment. You don't need to have a blog or live in the U.S. Everyone is eligible to enter. Please make sure I have some way to contact you. I will draw and post the winning entry some time on Tuesday. Thanks so much for reading this blog!

Of Cabbages & Tablecloths

2009-10-30T13:30:00.000-07:00

One day it'll stop raining here in Georgia....right? Anyhoo, isn't that a cute tablecloth? Country Living Collection from KMart (they should pay me for advertising don't you think)!

I have so many things waiting to plant! I got some raspberries two weeks ago on clearance at Lowe's and haven't been able to get them in the ground because of all the rain and a fig and so many other things. I had a few ornamental cabbages that have been sitting around and I decided to put them in this tureen for the time being. Maybe next week the weather will cooperate and I'll be able to plant them outside.

I just took them out of their pots and stuck them in this tureen (which I only use for plants btw).

The pattern on the tablecloth is very similar to the pattern on the little curtain I made for my ~~bookcase~~ buffet don't you think?

I asked for a tripod for my camera as my Christmas present this year but I may change that to some more Country Living Collection dishes and linens! Squeezing your arms really tight against your body and holding your breath seems to work as well as a tripod. I think I can do that for another year~smile!

Have a wonderful weekend and remember that the November book give away starts on Sunday so do check back for that. Just my way of saying thank you to all of you who read this blog and especially all of you who make the effort to comment. I'm not able to get to everyone that leaves a comment and I always feel badly about that! But, as I'm sure you all know, there are only so many hours in a day. So I hope this makes up for it!

A Pumpkin, A Fleur de lis & Red Transferware

2009-10-28T14:05:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! What a day! We had very heavy rains (again) yesterday and last night around 2 am a huge oak fell over (very common in Atlanta) and knocked out the power lines to my neighborhood. Thankfully it fell away from the person's house and since it was in the a.m. no was driving around. So as far as I know there wasn't anyone hurt, but we had no power until about 12:30 this afternoon.

The dog is scared of the dark (and loud noises etc) so he kept me up all night(or should I say morning). Anyway, I didn't feel at all like doing anything I actually was supposed to do today (like wash floors and clean out the fridge). Instead I played with the hot glue and a pumpkin and pulled out some plates and hung a new mirror that I got at the thriftstore.

I took various Christmas picks that were lime green and glittery and cut them up and hot glued them to the top of this white pumpkin.

A Christmas Pumpkin?

I chose lime green because that's an accent color I use but you could do traditional Autumn colors if you like. Just snip off each little piece on a pick and arrange them in a pleasing way on top of any color pumpkin. An orange pumpkin with traditional fall colors would be pretty!

My one truly antique piece of red transferware. I think all the pictures are clickable?

Isn't this a neat plate rack? A very overpriced (at least I think so) home furnishings boutique in my town was having a warehouse sale (75% off) so I grabbed this and couple of Christmas Ornaments. I don't normally even bother going in this store other than the warehouse sale days!

Well that's all I've done so far today besides drink copious amounts of coffee!

I want to show you what a reader sent me. Look at the cute monogrammed pumpkin that Anne made. She liked the one I made so she made one for her family. Isn't that whole thing so pretty! Love it!

*************************

Tracey is having a give away of her two books "Frugal Luxuries" and "Frugal Luxuries By the Seasons" on her blog Frugal Luxuries. Scroll down to her Friday post. These are two of my favorite books!

I'll be posting my November book give away on Sunday. So check back for that!

I don't mind answering questions at all but, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE give me an email addy if you don't have a blog that you keep current. It's very frustrating to go to someone's blogger account, access their blog only to find out that the last time they posted was July of last year and no contact info. I never know if I'm wasting my time or not. You can get a GMail or Yahoo email account if you don't want to use your regular one.

Fun Ways to Display Your Child's Art

2009-10-27T05:57:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! I'm back! I bought a 2005 HP with Windows XP for $250 from the computer guys that worked on my dead computer. I did go to Best Buy and I thought about getting a brand new one with Windows 7, but I never really liked Vista so I wasn't sure I'd like the new Windows product. I don't need a whole lot of bells and whistles anyway. Plus this was a totally unexpected expense so I didn't want to spend a whole lot. So far so good! I do miss my Windows Photo Gallery program, I don't really like Picassa but I'm getting used to it.

So today I thought I'd share a couple ideas for displaying your children's art work. Long time readers of my blog know that my daughter is an artist/filmmaker. She actually wants to make animated films (she's 17 btw). Here's some of her framed art that we hung in the hallway.

We've always grouped her art together. When we homeschooled we had a huge bulletin board that displayed her art. It was always a rotating gallery! It looked sort of like this.

Photo credit: CafeMom

We also used to have "art shows" for the Grandparents! Which were fun and made her feel very important. We used to put the cards she would make for us on the fridge instead of her art (easier to remove those when the occasion was over - less questions~smile).

Here are some other fun ideas! I have a friend who did this in her little girls playroom.

Photo Credit: The Style Files

She just used clothes line and clothespins. I believe that above they used a curtain wire. Like this one from IKEA Deka Curtain Wire

How cute is this and easy to make yourself!

Kid's Wood Works

Use barrel clips, a board, some rub on letters (or paint your kid's name) to make this at home! I think this would be a cute gift to make for someone too .

Even now we rotate her art. We take what's in the frame out and put something new in. She keeps all of her art work in a large portfolio now. But when she was little we used to keep them in a box. When she was about 10 we bought her a trunk (those inexpensive trunks that all stores have at the beginning of the school year) and that's where we keep all the things we think she might want later including her earlier art, favorite children's books, special toys etc. You can also take digital photos of their art work if you are really limited in storage space.

Kids really like it when you frame their art! You can find inexpensive frames at any thriftstore or garage sale or paint some frames on the wall like in the photo below.

Photo Credit:San Francisco Chronicle

Now for my Mom Brag! My daughter got into her number 1 college of choice - The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) in Atlanta! She's graduating High School early (this December) and will be taking some classes at Kennesaw State University in January. She'll start SCAD in September 2010! We're so proud of her!

How I Organize My Magazine Clippings and Magazines

2009-10-25T14:53:00.000-07:00

This is an edited older post.

What do you do with your magazines? I use different ways of storing them depending on whether I just want a magazine article that I tear out and want to keep for future reference or whether I want to store the entire magazine.

I like to use these plain white magazine files from IKEA in my living room. That's where I keep my Countryside/Mother Earth News/Natural Home issues that I want to keep for reference. You can certainly cute them up with scrapbook paper but I like them plain white in this room.

I organize the articles I tear out into file folders. That way when I need to look for something I don't have to sift through a stack of magazine clippings! Some people like to keep them in a binder but I find it easier to grab a specific folder like "Fall Decorating Ideas" and just see all the tear sheets with those ideas. This way you can find the specific topic that you need. Other people like to paste them into composition books but to me that's way too time consuming.

I keep all my tear outs that I need to file in the front of the bin and every now and then take a few minutes to file them. If there is just one small item on a page that I want to keep I circle that item. This way I know why I kept that page. Sometimes I make notes on the page.

I bought that bin a few year ago at TJ Maxx and you certainly don't need one to organize your magazine clippings this way. You could use a large accordion file, you could use a cloth bag, you could use a box (you can wrap the outside with scrapbook paper, wallpaper or giftwrap paper, stickers, use your creativity), you could even use a file cabinet if you have lots and lots of magazines clippings. Nor do you need toile file folders! But pretty file folders are very inexpensive these days and I find that it makes keeping things organize just a bit more enjoyable.

This basket holds the magazines that I'm currently reading. I like that it has handles because it makes it easier to move around the house with me.

Recipes that I pull out I put in a big binder in sheet protectors. That way when I'm using it I can just wipe it off if it gets dirty. Also, if I print out a recipe from another blogger, I always include that blog's name so that if I should make it and show it I can give proper credit. I find it very annoying when people say "I saw it on somebodies blog" - it takes a minute to make a note of where you got a recipe or idea.

I just use a really big binder that I decorated with some scrapbook paper. Although it's getting too big and I'm thinking of using smaller more specific binders. Like a binder just for desserts or baked stuff, one for breakfast ideas etc.

I have an old bookcase that I keep in my closet where I store every Mary Englebreit magazine ever published as well as a few of my favorite old Victoria's and a bunch of gardening magazine. I don't know if I'll ever get rid of my Home Companion mags! I got rid of all of my Martha Stewart magazines a few years ago and I'm very sorry I did! But I only have but so much room - so sometimes you have to make some hard choices when it comes to storing things! I'd say I was more Mary than Martha anyway!

Also, every now and then I go through my clippings. It's amazing how I always find some that I can't for the life of me remember why I wanted to keep! This is a good rainy day or sick day activity. I also donate my magazines to my library (my library sells mags for 10 cents!) I used to be a magazine junkie but now I'm much more selective as they've become so expensive. Actually, lots of times I just go to Barnes and Nobles, order a coffee and sit and read magazines for and hour or so. A cup of coffee is much cheaper than a magazine these days!

I should be back on Tuesday with a brand new post as I'm getting another computer!

Checks and Harlequins

2009-10-22T18:00:00.000-07:00

Well my computer needs a new motherboard (forget it - it's $300 for a new one) but they were able to encase my harddrive so I can use it as an external harddrive (this is new to me?). So the good news is that my pictures are saved and more importantly my Quicken is saved! I dreaded having to start fresh with that because I have years of data (history of spending in different categories etc) that I use all the time. I haven't decided what I'm going to do yet. I'll use my daughter's desktop while she's in school and see how that works out for the time being.

This post is an edited repeat.

When you walk through my home you're sure to see a few recurring themes or motifs! Not so many that you can actually say something like "Wow, she really, really, really likes harlequins!" type of thing, but enough so that there's a unifying feeling that flows from room to room.

Today I'll just show the check & harlequin patterns. The first thing you see is that red harlequin door mat outside on my front porch (top photo). Then when you enter you see this black check doormat. The risers say "There's No Place Like Home", for those of you who haven't seen the steps before.

Up the steps and the first thing you see is the black and white checkerboard floor of my kitchen. I really love it. We did black and white marble tiles (peel and stick) instead of the solid white and black you usually sees. It's much better at hiding dirt!

My cute harlequin and rooster kitchen rug from Wal-Mart.

I love those candles! We light them every morning while we have our coffee (since it's pitch black outside when we get up). It makes for such a nice calm way to start the day.

The kitchen isn't really this fluorescent green! It's a kiwi or pear green.

I'm sure most of you can guess at some other recurring themes I have ~ smile.

Those are real leaves on top of some scrapbook paper in a thrifted frame.

Small checks....

Or BIG checks!

I'm always looking for things that have a harlequin or check pattern and surprisingly they're really not that easy to find.

Harlequin bathmat

As you can tell I like black! I pretty much stick to black, white, and red with some apple green as an accent and I think of my yellow walls as a neutral. I find that makes shopping for things so much easier plus I love those colors and have never gotten tired of them.

I try not to go overboard with any of the themes or motifs I have, but that's just me and what I like. I know a lot of people are into roosters, or sea shells, nests, or flowers. What themes do you having running through your house and do you find that people buy you things with those themes? Do you like that? I personally don't like it when people buy me things for the house unless they know me really really well. Just because I like & collect dog paintings doesn't mean I'm going to like that one with all the dogs in clothes sitting around a poker table! Know what I mean!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

RIP My Computer !!

2009-10-22T03:00:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

My computer is dead! Just won't turn on. It's at the computer shop. Aaaack - it's only 3 years old! I don't have much hope for it because this is the exact same thing that happened to the last one. Let's hope they're able to save my pictures and my Quicken (can I tell you how it's freaking me out not being able to download my checking info everyday).

Anyway, in the mean time I'm using my daughter's desktop. I won't have a new post again until next week. I'm going to repeat some from the past since there seem to be some new readers and maybe some of you who have been with me for a while enjoy them again. Hopefully by next week I'll either have my fixed computer, a new computer or figured something else out.

But at least I'll have plenty of time to catch up with everyone!

Country Living Collection

2009-10-20T14:42:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! I showed you the cute toile bowls I got from KMart that are a part of their Country Living Collection. These are the plates I got. Aren't they cute!These are not the only plates they have! They have a several different patterns and colors. I also liked the brown collection. All the photos are clickable.

As you can see, these are the salad plates. The dinner plates are a solid red. They really have the cutest stuff!

I decided I was tired of looking at the gold cord on my little lamp so I made a cord cover for it.

I hot glued the ends and started to hot glue one of the sides and decided that hot gluing wasn't any faster or easier than sewing it! Plus hot glue is messy and I was burning my fingers (as usual)! It's just straight stitching anyway. You're making a tube that you'll stuff your cord through. In an effort to get better at sewing, I set up my sewing machine in the only place I had which is behind my stationery bike! But that way it's always there when I want to sew something. So if you're like me and want to learn to sew better (or at all) keep your machine out where you can get to it easily!

I really like my dish drainer thingie (I think I always say that) but I really do! It really was a good purchase for me to make. It's just so much fun for someone like me that collects dishes and likes to change things around frequently. See my pretty toile cord cover. I don't know why I didn't do this before!

I found these chicken/rooster salt and pepper shakers at Goodwill a few weeks ago!

I also got these cute potholders. The round one is crochet on one side and a red and white print on the other.

I think you can view most of the collection at KMart.com and Sears.Com Just search Country Living Collection. Sears has the really cute bedding! I don't think they have everything on their sites yet though.

Look at the cute basket I won when Mary Annehad a fall give away! It's just perfect for the Apple Cinnamon muffins I baked yesterday. Thank you Mary Anne!

I hope you all have a wonderful week!

A Cold Autumn Day

2009-10-17T11:39:00.000-07:00

There's no place better to be than home on a cold blustery day! There's no room in my house that's as cozy in the fall as my kitchen since it's always the warmest place to be! It's also usually the best smelling room in my home as there's bound to be something good in the oven, stove top or the crockpot!

It was 40 degrees when we woke up today! Just a few days ago I had to turn on the AC it was so hot. We have our first freeze warning for tomorrow so I went outside this morning and brought in some chilies and basil to dry in my dehydrator and some other veggies to use up this week.

It's kind of early for us to have a freeze so I left a few things in the garden and I'll just cover them. We might only get one night of freezing temps and then it could be back to warm weather.

My reliable Mr. Coffee Dehydrator that I've had for about 20 years!

Taco Soup simmering in the crockpot for dinner tonight. I think I'll make some cornbread with that. Here's the recipe I use Southern Food Taco Soup. So I have the oven on, the dehydrator and the crockpot!

My very very cute "Home" pillow from Kathy at Kathy's Cottage is on my kitchen window seat. Isn't the red polka dot door just the sweetest thing! She has an Etsy shop but you have to be quick! Kathy's creations go fast!You can click on the picture to enlarge it and see all the cute details Kathy added.

I made a plum blackberry crisp for afternoon coffee. Yummy! I had half a bag of frozen blackberries from our bushes left and added that to 6 plums. I made the topping using juice and olive oil this time instead of butter (gotta watch my cholesterol apparently it's creeping up every year). It turned out really good! I don't have a recipe - I just threw things together and hoped for the best!

Those bowls are from the fabulous Country Living Collection at K Mart. So much cute stuff! I bought a few things which I'll share next week.

Well, I think I'm going to snuggle under some covers and watch my Netflix DVD "Little Dorrit" now. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

My Backdoor - Doors of Welcome

2009-10-15T09:21:00.000-07:00

Karen at Some Days are Diamonds is having a a Doors of Welcome party today. Her participants are listed on her left sidebar so go check them out for some door decorating ideas!

I showed you my front entrance the other day so todayI decided to show you my back entrance. Of course, I always wait till the last minute to take pictures so forgive the darkness - it's been raining for days now! I slipped out this morning when there was a break to take most of these pictures. It's a work in progress and there are other things we plan to do but I think it's looking pretty cute so far!

This is the before. This is the original door from the 60's and about the only good thing is that old doorknob. It has some sort of metal window/screen in the center that I've always disliked. We never open that window! But it is good because I can see out into the backyard from the garage and it brings in some more light. So it has it's good points.

I matched the color to the hydrangeas that grow nearby.

We had a long left over piece of either baseboard or chair molding from our other house and my husband cut it to fit around that window.

Looks better with a frame don't you think? I just added a natural twiggy wreath. You can click on the picture to enlarge it.

I was going to paint "Come in...wipe your feet and paws" but instead opted for the shorter "Welcome"! I'll paint over that one day when I'm inspired and do my original idea.

As you can see, I pretty much use the same technique for painting words and letters on anything. This is the same way that I monogrammed that pumpkin at my front door. I filled it in with some exterior white paint.

I added some mums to the planter for some fall color. I do like things to be symmetrial and I'd love to add another planter to the other side one day.

I hope you all have had a great weekend! Thanks so much for stopping by!

How To Make Mirror Into A Tray, Candles & Gifts

2009-10-14T07:48:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! I've been looking for a mirror that I can use on top of the storage chest that I use in my living room for sometime now and finally found one that fits the top exactly! I've been looking for almost 6 months! I usually keep things in a some sort of tray so that it's easy to remove.

I had my husband pre-drill the holes for the handles. Be sure you choose handles that have the screws that go on from the top. So many handles now screw on from behind. I love how the mirror reflects whatever is on it and I think it works especially well with candles! You could do this with a picture frame also.

Some of you may remember when I found that huge harlequin candle at Goodwill this summer. Well Aniko bought the same candlestick I believe the same week and didn't really have any use for it and then sent it to me! Now I have two! Thank you so much! Look how perfect it looks! You can click to enlarge to get a better look.

I didn't pay full price for any of those candlesticks or candles. The square harlequin candle I got at Hobby Lobby this spring when they were having that crazy clearance sale. $2.30 for that cute candle!

The two smaller harlequin candles I got from another blogger last year, the large black one in the middle I got at Hobby Lobby at half price as well as those two cute votives. Items with harlequins are things I'm always on the lookout for and black is such a basic thing in my home that when I find something on clearance I buy it because I know it will work.

When I think about it, this whole arrangement has been in the making for at least a year! Patience is truly a virtue and helps with the budget!

I also want to thank Matty from Lazy Bee Farm for this cute acorn that she knitted!

She showed them on her blog and I commented that I wish I could knit so that I could make cute things like this and she sent me one! Thank you so much! It's just adorable! I truly do wish I could knit, but for some reason I just can't get the hang of it. Last year I taught myself to crochet and that comes much easier to me!

It's pouring rain in here in Georgia (which we truly do not need)! I hope everyone has a lovely day. I think it's a good day to stay inside and catch up on some reading!

The Book Give Away Winner Is.....

2009-10-13T04:27:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! The winner of the two books is Jennifer Millet (who doesn't have a blog). Congratulations! I've sent you an email please contact me within a week with your address. If for some reason I don't hear from Jennifer within 1 week, I will choose another name. Thank you everyone for entering and remember that there will be another book giveaway next month.

Thrifty Finds for Christmas

2009-10-11T13:43:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! I'm totally surprised by the response to this months book giveaway! I want to thank everyone for entering and know that I appreciate all your lovely comments. I will continue to do a monthly book give away as long as I can. Sometimes they will be new books and sometimes they will be from my collection or thriftstore. But they will always be about frugality, simple living, and homemaking. I will announce the winner of this months give away on Tuesday morning so there is still time to enter if you haven't done so already.

I thought I'd share some thriftstore finds that I've found in the past few months that I plan to use this Christmas. I don't know about your thriftstore, but mine has an aisle for Christmas items all year round!

I found this two red velvet pillows yesterday! I had been wanting red velvet pillows for my living room for Christmas (although I wanted larger ones to put on my couch) but these will work too! Who knows, I may still find big ones! The tags inside the pillow covers say Banana Republic - most have been a special promotion since I don't think they normally carry any housewares?

Isn't that frame beautiful! I bought it for the frame. It doesn't have any hanging apparatus in the back so maybe it's tray? Anyway, I think I'll do something different in the center. The center part is glass.

I had to buy this lime green tree with the harlequins! I use lime green in my Christmas decorating and at $4.37 it was a good buy!

I've been collecting pretty mini teacups as I see them at Goodwill and these are my latest two. Last Christmas I made this china tree for my dining room.

I liked it so much that I'm going to do it again this year! I'm going to glue the cups to the saucers so I can hang them on the tree.

Those are just some of the things I've found at thriftstores this year that I'll use for Christmas!

I hope you all have had a great weekend and have a lovely week to come! Thanks so much for stopping by!

Book Give Away

2009-10-10T03:00:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! I mentioned last month that I would be having another book give away. This month I'm giving a way a copy of Tracey McBride's fabulous book Frugal Luxuries by the Seasons (Celebrate Holidays with Elegance and Simplicity on Any Income) and Jonni McCoy's Miserly Moms (Living Well on Less in a Tough Economy -revised edition).

Tracey's book shows you how to live beautifully and celebrate the seasons on a small income. The book is divided by Part I - Spring's Promise, Part II - Enchanted Summer, Part III - The Still Small Voice of Autumn and Part IV-The Magic and Majesty of Winter. Some people say she's a bridge between The Tightwad Gazette books and Martha Stewart! Her books have had a huge influence on me and I'm honored that she stops by this blog now and then. She also has her own wonderful blog Frugal Luxuries by The Seasons.

I chose Miserly Moms to give away because even though I admire Amy Dacyczyn and the The Tightwad Gazette, but that's not how I live my life or want to live my life. Jonni was a working mom who lived in San Francisco when she originally wrote this book and quit her job to be a stay at home Mom. She looked at frugality as way to achieve that goal. Some people are naturally frugal and enjoy it and some people do it just because they have to. I don't particularly enjoy it - even though it's second nature to me at this point in my life. But when we have extra money I generally revert to my non-frugal ways! So I really could relate to Jonni more than Amy. All the advice she gives are things she has done herself. Go to her website for more info Miserly Moms. *In this revised edition, she starts off with a whole chapter of stories about women who stopped working outside the home to be home full-time. So I would just skip that chapter if you don't think along those same lines. The rest is full of practical advice. Plus, she really did update it and has changed and added things.

Both books are full of wonderful ideas and even recipes! As always, please feel free to enter even if you have the books - they make wonderful gifts!

Just leave a comment on this post and I'll post the winner Tuesday morning. Next month is another book give away and December's is an Amazon GC so you can get whatever book you want. Just my way of saying thank you to all who stop by and read my blog. You don't need a blog to enter, you do need to leave me an email addy if you don't have a blog. I hope you all have a great weekend!

Fall Decorating Outdoors

2009-10-08T09:36:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! I'm in the throes of cleaning my house but I snapped a few pictures of the fall decorating that I did outside. I don't do a whole lot because my husband is crazeeee with the Christmas lights and starts early in November so I'd have to take most everything down so he can put up all the Christmas stuff! All photos are clickable.

This is my wreath. I use the same one every year but add a few different fall picks each year so that it's not always exactly the same. It's hung on my storm door. I don't know how people are able to get wreaths in between the front door and the storm door? There's not enough room for mine!

Anyhoo, this is how I hang my wreaths on this door. I use various 3M hooks this one has the quick release tab on the bottom so I don't have to worry about scraping anything off the glass.

This sweet little wire basket which says "Home Sweet Home" is filled with mums, both real and faux. I'm sure I'm breaking some decorating rule by having faux flowers in my front yard! (What's next you ask? Pink Flamingos? Gnomes? - oh those are in the backyard)! But if you get your mums early there comes a point when the blooms are brown and the new ones haven't opened yet. Then you have either dead blooms or if you're like me and you give your mums a haircut, you have green stubs for a while. Anyway, from the street you really can't tell! So shhhh! No one will know if you don't tell on me!

A monogrammed pumpkin. Which was very easy to do. All you do is print out whatever letter in the font that you like. The size I used for this was 300 (you delete the size in the box and type in 300 then enter). Use some tracing paper and transfer the image and then fill it in with a paint pen, a sharpie or some paint. If you're ambitious you can even spell out a word instead of an initial!

Did you know they make candy corn in all kinds of colors and flavors now! That's caramel candy corn in the candle holder.

On this side of the house I added some scarecrows that I had in my veggie garden all summer (I got them at Goodwill btw). I always put a pumpkin in the birdbath...every year LOL! The neighbors probably wonder when I'll think of something else to do! I think all the gold flowers I planted this summer and the orange bench make it look fallish!

Hopefully my ferns will make it another month! They still look good but then it was so hot yesterday I had to turn the AC on! They probably think it's still summer. Where did fall go?

That's all...just a few touches. But you know, very few people in my neighborhood decorate the outside of their homes for fall or even have a wreath. So for my neighborhood it's a lot!!

I have a book give away this Saturday so stop by over the weekend to enter. I hope you all have a great weekend!

What I did With My Monogrammed Silverware

2009-10-05T11:23:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! I cleaned and fluffed my dining room this morning and wanted to show you all what I did with my monogrammed silverware which I usually have stashed in my dining room cupboard. I also changed a few things around and twined some some jeweled garland in my chandelier for a more festive fall look.

I've had this jar for several years now and it's never been a favorite of mine.

I got it on deep clearance at TJ Maxx and thought I could get past some of the things I didn't like. But I wound up not using it very much. So I decided it needed an easy makeover! All the pictures enlarge when you click on them.

Looks better don't you think? I put it on a silver candlestick that I already had and sprayed the top with some silver spray paint. I didn't attach the candlestick permanently but you could. I did silver because I have it next to my coffee pots but I'm thinking that I might like black better, black bottom and paint the top black too.

Some of my monogramed silverware is in the jar nestled in a dried hydrangea blossom from my garden.

I made a quick fun tag for my other jar of silverware.

I made this with some card stock and two rubber stamps. I never ever ever buy stamps or any scrapbook stuff at full price. Hobby Lobby has it on sale at least once a month and Jo-Ann/Michaels/etc always have a coupon you can use. Also, end of season is a great time to buy (I noticed a lot of shell and beach themed stamps are on clearance now and would be perfect for summer craft projects next year!)

I was going to make a shadowbox with some of my silverware in it but these were 50% off at Hobby Lobby a few weeks ago and at $11.50 they are very near what I would have spent to make one! The picture below it is one that I showed you how to make with wallpaper a while ago. I just sprayed the white frame black.

I changed out my tablecloth for this toile runner and added a simple candle as my center piece. It has some little faux green apples as filler around the bottom.

Cleaning my dining room is so much more fun than cleaning bathrooms (which is my job for tomorrow)!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a wonderful week!

P.S. Lyn was so encouraged by your response to her guest post that she started a blog! Go to Essential Thrift and say hello. She said I have the nicest readers and I agree!

The Garden in October

2009-10-04T06:55:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! I'm so glad you guys enjoyed Lyn's post yesterday! She's working on some more, so look for them in the next month or so.

We spent a glorious day outside Saturday! The weather couldn't have been any better! I had to pull out my zinnias, they were pretty done anyway and had some powdery mildew. But I snipped the last few blossoms and some wildflowers that I still have blooming and put them in this white pitcher to keep me company while I weeded the vegetable garden.

He was also keeping me company. Do you see how he made himself a nest in the pine straw under some blueberry bushes LOL!

When I got tired of weeding I took my camera and walked around and snapped a few pictures!

These beans are done!

These yellow tomatoes are still going strong!

The bell peppers are still trying although much smaller now

Hot peppers are ready

Maybe one or two more white eggplants?

Some other pretty plants in the garden

Purple Beautyberry Berry such a colorful bush!

Yellow and orange mums

The Pee Gee hydrangeas are changing to their fall colors

So are the other hydrangeas

The leaves of the Oakleaf Hydrangea

These will stay out in the veggie garden for as long as they last. I'm not done weeding and I need to plant some fall veggies.

Learning From the Great Depression

2009-10-03T03:00:00.000-07:00

My dear blogging friend Lyn is guest posting for me today while I attend to my gardens. If you'd like to see her previous posts just look in the Money Management category on my sidebar and they'll pop up.

When we think of the Great Depression years (although many of us did not live in that era), what does it make you think about? Although I have no remaining grandparents, I do remember talks with my grandmother. Many of us have someone in our lives who lived in that era or has stories about that time in life.

Some have compared this financial recession to that time period. I don't believe that we have even begun to realize or acknowledge just how hard most people had it back then! Today, how many Americans live on just a few vegetables with few extras? Imagine having to cook back then. You were considered lucky if you had meat or meat fat to use in cooking. Having fresh fruit was a treat. We are so spoiled, with our packaged foods, treats, meals out, coffees and gourmet goods. These are things that many today call "necessary". People made their own entertainment and they actually spent time with each other, imagine that. They didn't need to be entertained. They made do with everything they had and used everything up before they bought anything new (something I am working on in my own life).

There was no such thing as a "credit card" back then. People did everything possible to live within their means or they went without. If they wanted something, they saved for it. Personally I don't think that many have learned the lessons yet that perhaps they need to learn. Yes, there are many who have lost their jobs and homes. Budgets are tighter than ever. All you have to do to realize the difference though is to look at what most of us have today versus then. We are blessed with so much - the list is endless.

Why is it important to look back to our history? I believe it is because learning from those who have walked before us teaches us things we may never experience. We are able to stop for a moment to step into shoes that we will probably never step into in real life. It helps to keep us grateful instead of ungrateful, humble instead of prideful.

Like many, our budget is squeezed tighter and some days I think it can't get much more squeezed. Yet truly I feel thankful. How can I not be? I have food in my pantry, fridge, and freezer. I have a home and a comfortable place to lie my head upon at night. I could go on and on...and so could you I imagine. I often wonder why sometimes when things are tough we look to those who have more and feel sorry for ourselves for what we do not have. Instead we should look to those who have had less or have less so we feel blessed and encouraged to keep moving ahead. By doing so we are not self-focused and perhaps we could reach out more to those who have less than we do.

I'm afraid though that many have become a bit selfish. Do we hold onto what we do have with dear life - or do we open up our hands and share abundantly instead? Do we sit with worry and fear, and by doing so, forget about others in need? The most wonderful thing that encouraged me about people in the Great Depression, is that they gave freely to their neighbors and to those in need. Even when life seemed bleak, they opened up their homes. They welcomed strangers in for meals and made that pot of soup stretch even further. No matter where we are financially, we can all do something, whether it is giving material items, money or our time. These are lessons we all need to be reminded of.

Even with all the challenges that these present days hold, there is much to be appreciative for. My mother had told me that my great-grandparents lost everything during the Depression. After losing their home, they rented a place to live and never again were able to own. I never had the opportunity to know my great-grandmother as she died shortly before I was born. I wish I could have had time with her to learn all that she had been through.

I do wonder how many today would survive as those in the Great Depression did. Could you survive it and overcome such a time? I have so much respect for those before me who came through stronger and with much wisdom.

*For some Great Depression recipe inspiration, visit Clara, a 94-year old sweet lady and her YouTube videos here Great Depression Cooking Episodes.

*Recommended reading - "Stories and Recipes of the Great Depression" by Rita Van Amber

Read or listen to actual stories Survivors of The Great Depression Tell Their Stories

*All photos are from Google Images*

It's Fall Y'all!

2009-10-01T03:00:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Rhoda (Southern Hospitality) is having a fall decorating party today so I hope you drop by her place to see the others that are participating. It's a good way to get some new ideas! You don't want to do the same thing every year do you?

I've added some fall touches to the inside my home like my fireplace mantel. All my pictures enlarge when you click on them.

It's not your traditional mantel - I thought more about fall fruits and used the picture from the thirftstore as inspiration. There's more to fall than pumpkins!

But the room that I'm making the most changes to is our screened in porch. We can finally eat outside again since it's cooler. So I've been working on the "dining area" this past week. I'm going to tackle the "living room" area in the next few weeks and cozy that up!

Here's my buffet which I painted and the mosaic on top was done by moi!

The mirror used to be blue and have blue transferware around it. I painted it red and hung up the plates I got at Goodwill recently.

Some closeups.

I grew these and decopauged a leaf onto the big pumpkin.

This jar is filled with those bean balls I just found at the thriftstore and a few pinecones I picked up when walking Maxie.

Prickly balls from our chestnut tree

This is the bottom shelf of the buffet.

We got this wall fountain recently at Lowe's end of season clearance. It was half price and the last one (besides the floor model). We really enjoy the sound when we sit outside and we can hear it in the dining room when we have the doors open!

Dinner by candelight. I've had this big candle for a few years now! They really last.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope y'all have a wonderful week.

Garbage Pickin's

2009-09-29T11:51:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! It's finally fall in Georgia!! It was actually cold this morning - yippee! I feel so energized! I've felt like an exclamation point all day~giggle!

Well I promised I'd show what I found in the garbage so here they are. First, my wonderful husband dragged this perfectly good french door out of a neighbor's trash.

The hinges are all rusted but otherwise it's in perfect condition. Not one pane of glass is broken and it's a nice heavy door. I have a stash of windows and doors that I've been saving because one day I'm going to build myself a little greenhouse made out of salvaged windows and doors. OR maybe I'll use this one in the garden somewhere - wouldn't that be cute - a door to nowhere or somewhere!

This is a wooden valance. When I saw it I thought it would look so cute in my daughter's bedroom. I was going to paint it apple green because her bedroom is blue and apple green. Brought it home and it didn't fit! Tried it in all the windows, even the smaller bathroom one....didn't fit! So I was moaning to my daughter about how I have no place for it and she said "Mommy why don't you try it over a door?" That girl is brilliant if I do say so myself!

How cute is that! We tried it on all the doorways and decided this one in the kitchen was best.

Another place to decorate! Think of the possibilities!

I shopped my house and have my "ode to the rooster" display up there right now.

Anyway, I'm just thrilled with it! You can't beat free!

I hope you all are having a lovely day - I so enjoyed being out in the garden today and not sweating! More fall decorating on Thursday - I started fluffing up my screened porch for fall because we can finally eat outside without fainting from the heat!