Thrifty Fashions

This is a different kind of “thrifty” post than I normally do, but I’ve been busy working on this…
…or supervising little man’s work on this anyway :)

You will have to wait to see the rest of the story…
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This morning while getting dressed…I was so excited about my new spring outfit! 
Then I was even more excited when I realized how cheap it was!!

I decided maybe it would make a good thrifty tips post,
but as I turned back in the house…I saw this…

THIS is why I L-O-ve that song “From My Front Porch Looking In”




Now understand that if I hadn’t just listened to a sermon that touched on vanity…well…I would have cropped my face and hair right out this pic…it did not look like this in real life…or at least I’m telling myself that!


…maybe I missed the real point of the vanity thing…

…and…what do you know
…these two handsome men are dressed in thrifty finds too… 
   

Here’s a few random tips…

- Rely on thrift items for basics…other than jeans…

Notice when your basics are getting worn…and begin looking for your size in that color of pant, short, skirt…

- Go often…
If you only have a little time…choose to only look at a few sections each time

- Leave empty handed sometimes

Only buy what you love and what will work

-For yourself -make sure it “fits like a glove”
If it is a little too long, short, tight, big…leave it there!

-For your little ones…stock up!
I buy clothes ahead of season and store in boxes by size…some things will not work out, but I will resale them now problem…I rarely HAVE to go shopping for the little guy…I just go the closet

-For your man…just hang it in the closet.
If he’s anything like mine…he won’t even notice the new additions…he’ll just grab his dress clothes and put it on.

Well…I could go on, but my hard working man needs me to push the gas pedal in while he tunes the carb…this is the only time he opens the door for me before I get in…so see ya!

Oh…wait…to redeem me from the Sears Catalog looking photos…here’s our thrifty Easter pic…


Please stop by next Wednesday for my first "Shop Your House" linky party!!

(Oh and..Did you see my new button??)

Linking to...
Thrifty Mondays at Southern Hospitality

and...

Pillow talk – decorative

I’m so tired this afternoon that all I can really think about is my pillow.  This pillow in fact…

Ahh… the way it will feel under my resting head as I swing in the warm breeze outside during the few minutes left of the afternoon.

But before I enjoy a pillow for it’s BEST purpose…I have to admit that I was among the last in the world to give in to the impact that throw pillows can make. 


Like everything though…when I do anything…I do it Big.

 I had one throw pillow in the house for over 5 years! Now I have so many pillows that I don’t even know what to do with them!  I am NOT hoarding pillows…just thoroughly enjoying them.

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I’ve even given in to 2 talking pillows.  I thought I would never do it, but…I did…



…now off to shut eye therapy!

Do your pillows talk?

How does your garden grow?

Do you plant…

The perpetually friendly face of gerbera daisies??

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“He that hath friends, must show himself friendly”

Proverbs 18:28

The petite humility of a pansy?

“Before honor is humility…”

Proverbs 15:33

The over joyous osteos?

“My mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips”

Psalms 63:5

The lovingly patient rinunculos?
 

“be patient toward all”

I Thessalonians 5:14

The politely pleasant petunia?

“…the words of the pure are pleasant words”

Proverbs 15:26

The meekly protective fern?

“The meek shall see this and be glad”

Psalms 37:11

The timeless geranium?

“I will bless the Lord at all times”

Psalms 34:1

I just wonder friends…what do you plant in your garden?

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Vintage Kitchen Makeover in a Day…and for under $100!

When I say in a day…I mean everything bought, transported home, set in it’s place and enjoyed…in a day!  A magical, fun, terrific, memorable, wonderful day!! 

We drove around for 45 minutes waiting for our first selected flea markets to open…an older fellow couldn’t tolerate our loitering any longer and waved us in a few minutes early (woot! woot!).

We had so much fun…just look…she’s even beautiful in her bloomers!!

      That’s actually an apron!

You should know that for a while now my BFF has been wanting to give a facelift to her kitchen. Her kitchen had a cute, but not cheery/contemporary/vintage/eclectic look she longed for…

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At our first flea market…this was the load in her cart…
It only takes a quick look to see…her kitchen was born!

All of this was just around $60…she added to it a $10 plant stand and a few other odds & ends for around $25…

That’s a total of $95…

Cool…we can eat the value menu at Wendy’s and still be under $100!!! (Hey…we’re splurging and now in a hurry!!)

Once we had this loot we made a quick decision to rearrange the day and make the quick trip back to her house to put it all together.

First though, we stop at my house to ‘maximize the assets’ otherwise known as ‘shopping the house’…and…she sees these chairs stacked in my somewhat embarrassing garage sale pile and she says - Hey those might look good in the kitchen…she was right!


As soon as we brought them in…it set the whole tone for the room!

I should mention the first step we took and you should take in any room…is editing.  This is not the same as de-cluttering.  Editing is taking out of the room anything you don’t think you absolutely want to keep in the decor scheme…curtains down, beaded garlands, baskets, whatever…some will find there way back in, but you must first slim the visual pallet down!!

There used to be a cedar bench where the chairs are, but these are sooo cozy!  Three of these beach pictures were her FAVE find, so that pushed us into a wide color scheme that really gives the eclectic look she wanted…

We also were fortunate to have the perfect amount of fabric to create no sews in a bold, cheery, and totally yummy print!

The chest was a trade we made a while ago that got me in trouble…sorry sister!! It made a nice mini ‘table’ for displaying her new collection…she will be able to play with this for many seasons to come…

By maximizing her assets (shopping her house) I found this great green screen that actually goes on one of her windows, but they never use it...

The towel bar was already there…we added the vintage linen and the decal which she already had…($5 she paid for it!!)

It really echoes the existing wall words she had on the other side…and that vintage medicine cabinet was one of our finds for just $12!!! It had the makers name and date of 1936 on the back!!

The cabinet and the bread box also give places for storing pens, bills, homework and all of the other things that filter through their very, very busy kitchen since it’s the entryway for their home also!!  

And this little launch pad on the opposite wall  by the ‘green screen’ gives a place for keys in the mini basket and books, etc in the bigger basket…  

So you know I’m not fooling…here’s an example of cost…
Side note: Don’t you think the oval platter really breaks up the ‘boxiness’ of all the other rectangles in the vignette??

So much to be considered when planning vintage eclectic…or really any room…

-pattern…consider shapes
-texture…woods/metals/linens
-size….of furniture and accessories
-color…at least one white and one black item in every room too!
-contrast…mirrors/glass

…too name a few…

Another feature missing in her ‘old’ kitchen is the flow from room to room…it now flows with her dining room, but also by putting one of the beach pics on the entry porch…the kitchen flows out to these!!


Now…you just have to decide where to sit first!!

She even said that her daughter fell asleep in one of these the other night!! I’m so excited that instead of walking through their kitchen…my BFF’s wonderful family can enjoy a family room in their kitchen!! What a privilege and memory maker :)

For me…it was a fun day and I can remember her kitchen re-do while wearing this little vintage smock that only I would wear…well…me and Caroline Ingalls…

…picked up in the loot for $3!

Linking to...                           http://www.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

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