Yesterday, our local thrift shop had a 50% off sale on EVERYTHING. I snagged this pot for about 80 cents. I have a fondness for these colored pots. Currently, I’m using one as a hanging planter seen here. Typically, you’ll find them in bad condition for cooking, but they make wonderful holders and containers for other things! And, I don’t mind the “worn” look at all. It adds a bit of character.

Here, I’ve taken an item otherwise destined for doom and repurposed it into a lovely fruit bowl for our kitchen. Simply remove the handle, and give it a good scrub in hot soapy water. Rocket science? No. Instant cheer added to kitchen? Yes! Who says you can’t buy anything for a buck these days?

Tune in tomorrow for Where We Live Wednesday!

This weekend my Mom, Dad and little sister were in town to spend some time with us for the New Year. I’ve been studying Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook (that Dustin bought for me our first Christmas as a married couple) quite a bit over the last month. I used it to bake some wonderful Christmas cookies that I’ll share with you later. For breakfast though, I decided to try my hand at making Buttermilk Biscuits from scratch. The local Apple Butter my Mom gave me was so tasty on them, too!

Also, I made this Goat Cheese Quiche with Hash-Brown Crust that I found on Martha’s website. Do I even have to tell you it was good? Well, it was amazing. The only change I made was topping it with grated zucchini instead of scallions. Dustin hates onions of any form… even leeks! (Which I love!) It really added some lovely color to the quite yellow table. Even my 10 year old sister ate this and enjoyed it, even though hearing “goat cheese” made her uneasy. And, of course, Bonsai was trying to sneak some off the breakfast table which I’m sure he could have managed had we not kept an eye on him.

Would you look at that crust! Mmm…

A while back Dustin bought me this lovely hanging plant. I didn’t realize in the hurry to hang it in it’s new home that there was nothing to catch the water. That is, until I watered it the first time and it came pouring out of the bottom! It was a pretty funny moment, trying desperately to catch all the water with cupped hands.

Since then I’ve wanted to find a cute container so I could hang it up again. I never see anything I like, nor do I want to spend any money! Today, I came across this small vintage pot that I’ve been wanting to convert into a planter anyway. It was a whopping $1.91 at my local thrift shop, and the wooden handle simply unscrews. This little plant fit perfectly in the vintage pot! Next, how do I hang it?

A couple days ago I came across Megan’s new book Generation T: Beyond Fashion, and there was a project like this. I have no idea how it was made according to her idea, but I decided to try something similar! I am really pleased with how it turned out. And, I love the little extra bits hanging around the top, it makes me happy.

Hope you enjoy the photos. I guess I went a little crazy! If you want to see more, click here.

I am a sucker for a lovely, useful vessel. Whether it be glass, metal or any other material, I have a very hard time refusing it. And, around $1-$2  a pop (some as low as .69 cents!), I certainly can’t turn that kind of a deal down! I splurged a little on the white tea tin I found on Etsy ($6). But, it was totally worth it!

I’ve decided to share some of my favorite pieces that I’ve accumulated over the last 6-8 months or so. I find these jars and tins so useful around the kitchen as well as the rest of the home. The glass flip top jars are perfect for food storage. I like to keep my nuts, seeds, snacks, dog treat, and baking items in them. Everything looks much prettier in a glass jar! These metal tins I typically use to contain my numerous teas. However, I have also been know to empty a few containers out and use them at a Craft Show as seen in this post.

The possibilities are endless. Enjoy!

This was really fun to make and so easy! I’m already making plans for more, especially since I have a few thrifted jars just dying to become terrariums. I am, however, having a hard time finding succulents small enough to fit into the smaller mouthed jars I have. Where do you get your succulents from? We may go to a nursery this weekend to check out their stash.

If you want to make a terrarium, check out this episode of Decor It Yourself.

The past couple of weeks my favorite thrift store has been very good to me. Take a look at some of the steals we snagged. Some of these we will be revamping, just not sure how yet. Any ideas? 

Chair on the left is the new addition. Only $7! And surprisingly comfortable!
*side note: Dustin snagged chair on right for $4 back in August. 
Oh, and the ashtray was $6 purchased a few months back.
 

I love this piece. It needs some TLC but I’m loving the look of this old nightstand.
I already replaced the bent up drawer pull with one I had lying around from IKEA.
Not sure if I want to paint it white or maybe try to clean up the existing finish.

Bonsai liked it too!!

We’ve been needing a file cabinet for quite some time.
When we came across this one, we knew it was the one… and for $7.50!
Who could resist?
 

Dustin spotted this piece, and I fell in love with this old kitchen cart
complete with a dish towel bar in the back.
Downside, you can’t tell from the photo,but the DIY spray paint job is horrendous.
Again, do I paint it white, maybe red or even a retro 50’s teal? Thoughts?
This piece we “splurged” on a bit. Can’t recall the exact price, but it was about $20.
 

This lamp I loved when I saw it, with the exception of the gold base
which I may end up doing something about.
Any thoughts? Suggestions on dealing with the gold metal base? 
It also came without a shade… well, we chose to take it without the shade. 
For now, an IKEA shade that I had lying around will suffice. How much? $11. 

What’s on my mind now? How can I get paid to shop at thrift stores for the rest of my life? I just adore it. What’s your view on thrifting? Love it or hate it?
 

Our local thrift shop every thursday gives 25% off your entire purchase. Last Thursday I talked Dustin into taking me over there. You see, he knows me too well. I can ALWAYS find some hidden treasure, so it’s best sometimes to just not go at all. Anyway, we scored some great stuff on that trip. When I saw these avocado bowls complete with the plastic lids my heart skipped a beat! But, ouch, $24.99! That’s a little steep for my frugal ways. Thank you Jesus, it was 25% off day!! Got these bowls for around $18.

Where’s the catch? Well, I opened a couple of these lids and (wow!) I could smell the years and years of food storage in them. After a run in the dishwasher they still stunk! So, next step…. white vinegar! My weapon of choice. I simply plugged the sink and soaked the lids in the vinegar overnight. Now they don’t smell at all! 
 

And when I got home, noticed they matched pretty perfectly with these goodies I’d picked up the week before. The fondue pot, fondue sticks and pot all came in around $5! Unfortunately, the small pot’s handle won’t stay on anymore. Also, the inside is pretty worn and will not stay clean. Might turn it into a plant pot since it matches my kitchen/dining! Will share results.

Happy Wednesday!

Dustin bought this Tom Clancy book a few weeks ago from our local thrift shop for about $3. He bought it for the purpose of making a secret Book Safe. Last night, he finally started it, but I might have taken over after he was about halfway through. I was not trying to do it for him, but simply offered to help. Either way, it was definitely a joint effort! We are both really pleased overall with the outcome.

This was a very easy project, just took a little muscle to get through the pages with my Xacto knife. We also went through a couple blades. The sharper the blades, the easier it was to get through the pages. The corners are a bit of a nuisance. Hard to get them really clean. However, the roughness just gives it that handmade quality we all love, right?

Can you tell from the above photo that the watered down Mod Podge bled onto the top red page on the outer edges? I may go over that page with the Mod Podge to just finish it off. I think it would look nicer this way. The opening is pretty deep. Could it hold your secrets? 

I think I prefer the book safe to be displayed like this,
with the pages facing out towards you as you walk into our kitchen/dining area. 
 

This project was a lot of fun, but it sure was messy! Nothing that wasn’t easily cleaned up. 
 

If you’d like to try this project, Bre Pettis has a great video tutorial here.

I have been putting off this post because there is nothing good to share with you except one lesson: Always finish your projects before going out of town for the weekend.

This wonderful ball of stringy goodness is what I left hanging in the kitchen last Thursday. Dustin and I went out of town for the weekend to see family which might I add turned into an exhausting bout of food poisoning for me. Needless to say, I was excited to get back home to see how the light project turned out. 
 

As soon as I walked into the kitchen my heart sank. I had come home to a big white shriveled raisin. I cannot say this shocked me. You see, because I ended up making such a LARGE light, I started to run out of the Stiffy I was using on the string. Also, due to the size, I could not tell exactly where I had covered and where I had not with the Stiffy. We were already late heading out for the weekend, so I chose to leave it to dry (even though Dustin offered to get me another bottle to pour on before leaving.) Looking back, I would have taken him up on this offer, but at the time the food poisoning was starting to kick in, and I was just ready to get into bed for the night. 
 
Lesson learned. I will finish my projects before leaving town for the weekend, especially when it involves a really cool light that could be hanging in my living room right now.
Will try again. Will work next time. Will make it work.

*note: Did you see my AeroGarden? It’s growing so nicely! I have a hard time keeping plants alive. Thanks Dustin, that was a great Christmas present!

Well, I was on a roll Monday night with my project for the week (which quite frankly I thought would be finished by now) but wouldn’t you know I ran out of string, which of course ends up taking two days to replace. Then, finding the time to finish that project always, of course, seems to elude me. Now, in the midst of getting the apartment cleaned, finishing up some work, caring for the dog, packing up to go out of town for the weekend for some family birthdays (HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAX & KYLE!) and preparing to have a house guest for the next week… I am frantically trying to finish up this DIY Light Project before we head out tonight. 

Does anyone else feel like this week went by way too fast??