Scraps into Sign

  In my beautiful, new to me, rental house kitchen, there is a soffit above the sink, that has been dreadfully boring since we moved in.  It needed something.  But again, the budget.  Wa wa waaaa...  Not much room for decor in that little budget.  So I do what I do best, and I improvised!  

 I cut the "friends and family" out of a piece of scrap book paper a friend had given me, and I cut up a burlap wine bag I had with my wrapping paper collection.  I used hot glue to hem the burlap, and a glue stick to glue the paper. Finally, I added ribbon with more hot glue, and Ta Da!  My soffit is naked no more. 

  Eventually, I'd like to put something up there relating to pie..but I haven't figured yet what that is.. Mmm..pie..

Hanging Cork Strip

  Here is a super simple and fun way to use some of your old corks.  Mine is still a work in progress.  I don't like where I hung it, and I plan to build a shelf right there.  And I don't love the yellow ribbon.

 Now, I found the inspiration on Pinterest, and the Pinner suggested used a yard stick to glue your corks too.  This is GOOD advice.  But if, like me, you're in a hurry and don't have a yard stick, you can use ribbon. The downside to ribbon is that if you bend it too much, the corks easily come off, and you can only hang it vertically.  To hang horizontally, you really MUST use a hard surface, like a yard stick.                                                                                                                                            





SUPPLIES:                                                                                
1. Corks!  As many or as few as you choose                              
2. Hot glue gun and glue                                                            
3. Wide ribbon or (preferably) a yard stick

4. Scissors

Directions could not be any simpler: Glue corks to ribbon/stick.  Make sure you leave a space to attach it to the wall.  Hang and, Voila!  Practical cork art.  I love it.  Now I just need to find a better place to hang it...

Just call me Bargain Betty!

I have been working hard to stick to my budget.  But like many of us, I still get that itch to shop!  Often!  So I'm trying to get more into garage sales, rummage sales, and the like.  I've had GREAT luck lately!  So I wanted to share some tips with you.

1. Go early!  The best deals usually get picked up in the first hour - so get up early!
2. Go late.  Some of the best bargains and giveaways can be gotten at the end of the day when the sellers are tired and ready to see everything GO!  I scored my son's Pottery Barn Anywhere Chair (like theses http://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/boys-anywhere-chair-collection/?cm_src=AutoCSLPIP) for $10 at the end of the day!
3. Don't be afraid to negotiate - especially if you're buying  a bunch of stuff and especially if it's late in the day.
4. Be inspired!  Some of my best crafts and kids' activities have been inspired by random stuff I found at garage sales.  You never know what you're going to find!

Stay tuned for tips on your own successful garage sale!

Fall decorating Fail

   I have been so excited for FALL!  Cooler weather, cozy sweaters, fuzzy slippers, cuddling in front of the fireplace with hot beverages, and delightful colors and scents all around are all things I wait for all year long!    So, of course, today was the day for some FREE Fall decorating.  I had a great plan in place.  I had been eyeing all those gorgeous red and orange leaves for days, and today was the day my one year old son and I would gleefully bond over collecting the best of them!
   But alas, all it took was a few days for all those lovely colors to turn from fiery and ferocious, to brown and crunchy.  We considering collecting acorns, but they were all stepped on and cracked.  So we hung our heads low and returned home leafless.
   The silver lining of the story is that I had just a few blooms left on the flowers in my yard.  I paired these with some lavender (which I am happy to report we are never short on at this house!), and made a quaint but lovely bouquet to enjoy until I can regroup and figure out my "Fall Decorating Plan Take 2".  So watch for that post, coming soon!  In the meantime, enjoy the last of summer:

Introduction

Hello, all!  Welcome to my new blog!  I am new to this, so bear with me.  I am a a proud Coastie wife, and stay at home mother of two crazy boys.  After six years married to the love of my life (and his career..), I am getting pretty good at this whole moving and making a home anywhere and everywhere thing.  Though his last few assignments have all been in the same general area, we have moved 6 times in 6 years!  And I'm not the type to let those moving boxes sit unpacked.  So a theme you'll probably see here will follow my projects and decorating exploits - all on a tight budget of course.  And you'll see us laugh and cry through daily exploits of parenthood - hopefully more laughing than crying!  So hopefully it will be an interesting and educational adventure - much like my real life!

Thanks for reading!

E