Monday, September 28, 2009

Come as You Are

Saturday morning found me crawling directly out of bed and into the car, dragging my Lilly to softball at 6AM.  I often just get in the car, “as is”, and try not to think about what could happen should my car break down…

On the way to the field I saw a yard sale and my eye was drawn to this blue table. On the way home the blue table was still there. On the way back to the field for the softball game, the blue table is still there.But, I am running late and don’t want to miss any of Lilly’s game.

On the way home, again, after a double-header, the blue table is, altogether now “STILL THERE”.

This time I swing to the side of the road and said to the yard sale lady: “I think this table is meant to be mine. It caught my eye at 6 this morning but I wasn’t dressed so I couldn’t stop.”

The yard sale lady replied: “ That’s OK, you could have stopped, I had my shirt on backwards”.

I wonder how many of us have a rough start first thing in the morning.

I wonder how many of us take the risk of being discovered in PJ’s on quick trips in the car?

My guess is that most of you are much more proper and wouldn’t dare!

Anyhow, this darling vintage table was $4 and I love it! I sanded it up to paint it but am feeling the “shabby sanded” look. As I sanded I found several layers of color: blue, green and red. I will share more pics soon.

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This Waverly valance was 1.99 at Goodwill and is in perfect condition. It didn’t smell funny and didn’t need to be ironed or anything. I stuck it in my master bathroom window for a perfect fit. I need to paint my walls and put some candles in the chandelier and I’ll never want to leave!012

Hurry to Southern Hospitality to participate in the last Thrifty Treasures Party. Thank you , Rhoda, for holding this fun time!

Friday, September 25, 2009

Hello, Fellow Pinkophiles!

I am so happy to be back to the Pink Saturday Party. Hosted by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound. I missed a couple of weeks and I missed attending and visiting my friends; the fellow Pinkophiles.
Today, I am featuring one of my favorite artists: Lisa Kaus. Lisa has been creating art for 20 + years and you can't help but feel happy and joyful when you see her pieces. Lisa has a strong sense of whimsy evident in her subjects, layers of color, collage, glitter, bees wax and anything else she fancies. Lisa uses a lot of pink, of course; pink is a mega-happy color! I hope you enjoy this art show featuring Lisa and I hope you will stop by her website. You will be glad if you do and I promise you won't stop smiling!
I was surprised to learn that Lisa lives in Oregon in my old stopin' grounds.




































Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Powder and Liquid Laundry Detergent Recipes




Hi ladies,
Here are the frugal tips from the Mom's Workshop # 2 at our home school group.
The question many of us had about these recipes is :Do they work as well as the commercial products? The answer, without exception is "Yes!" and for pennies on the dollar. Make your own and save lots of $$$$

For Homemade laundry detergent you need: 1 bar body soap, 1/2 c. borax, 1/2 c. Arm and Hammer Washing Soda. Shred a bar of soap and mix in with borax and washing soda. Store in labeled container.
Home made laundry detergent powdered (version I use)one 14 oz bar of Zote laundry soap (Big lots and Walmart carry it in the laundry section.)2 c. borax and 2 cups of Arm and Hammer Washing Soda (Both are in Walmart and King Soopers laundry section). Shred Zote soap and add borax and washing soda Mix well. Use 1 TBS per load. Store in a labeled container.
You can also cut the bar soap up into smaller pieces and mix all the ingredients in the food processor with the S blade.
I would recommend going to youtube.com and typing in home made laundry detergent and watch the videos. Jen at Frugal upstate and the hippees have the easiest videos to watch for powdered detergent. There are also videos on making liquid detergent as well.


Homemade Laundry Soap (2 gallons of liquid)
½ bar of Ivory soap (or any bar soap you desire)½ cup of washing soda½ cup of borax powder-a pot that will hold 2 gallons
Grate the soap and put in a large sauce pan. Add 6 cups water and heat it until the soap dissolves. Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved. Remove from heat. Now add 1 gallon and 10 cups of water and stir. Let the mixture sit for 24 hours and it will gel. Stir after 24 hours until soap has the consistency of egg drop soup. Use ½ cup per load in a top loading washer, and ¼ cup in a front loading washer.

Here is another tip–Recycle as much trash as you can to cut down on your trash volume. Does your city have a recycle center? Combine trash with another family or families in you neighborhood and all families involved split the trash bill.

Healthy Frugal-ness

Our home school group has started a Mom's Workshop that has an emphasis on "healthy frugal-ness" There is a lot to be learned from this army of moms. Here are the notes from the first meeting.


Workshop 1 – 9/15/09
KITCHEN & HOME:
creamy_chicken_dumpling_soup
-serve homemade soup 1 day/week; gives your G.I. track and your budget a break.
-casseroles help stretch the food
-shop loss leaders at grocery store -stock up -freeze all you can
-freeze in a square pan – uniform size helps save space in the freezer, allowing more to fit
-buy blocks of cheese; cut or grate and freezewisconsin_cheese02
-when cooking big meals; cook 2 – serve 1, freeze 1 -saves eating out when you’re in a pinch for time
-buy meat in bulk; -put in portion size bags & freeze -cook ground meat and put in smaller (snack size) bags for quick meals on the run -can also use in soups & sauces for quicker preparation
-onions at a great price; chop, bag, put in container & freeze -use in soups & sauces
-avocados on sale – make guacamole, place in snack size bags & freeze. Slightly thaw and break up to eat. Great in burritos
-overripe bananas in freezer – when enough for bread, thaw and make bread. Freeze extra loavesbananas
-tomatoes can be frozen whole – thaw slightly remove the skin and make into a sauce
-keep spices in freezer to preserve them longer
-buy spices in bulk at Vitamin Cottage
-save jars & lids for storing & freezing thingscanning jars
-make soups, sauces, salad dressings from scratch. www.recipezaar.com
-save broth from roast and veggies – freeze and use for soup starters later
-make 1 loaf of bread a week (save a minimum of $100)
-learn to cut a whole chicken – 1/3 the cost of pre-cut chicken
wholechicken
-buy whole carrots vs. cocktail carrots; peel and cut them for your family to eat
-Sunflower, Sprouts & Liborio’s are great places to get produce inexpensive
-learn to can produce; you can control the amount of sugar & they are chemical free
-make your own jam & jelly from juice and/or fruit seconds
-get canning jars from the thrift stores or grandmothers that don’t feel they can can anymore
-plant a garden – use rain water drainage to irrigate -use herbs to control bugs, at end of season dry those herbs -can and/or freeze produce
-when planning meals; figure maximum of $2/person for dinner. Then each smaller meal cost should diminish accordingly.
-baking soda & vinegar are inexpensive and work well for several things – bath cleaner, sink scrub, spot remover and drain cleaner….
baking-soda
HEALTH & BEAUTY:
-be willing to try homemade facial care products
-use baking soda vs. Alka Seltzer
-vinegar & honey drink for flu
-sage tea for sore throats
-hairspray removes ballpoint ink
-cayenne pepper bath sweats out the lung & flu – wrap about 1T of cayenne in a rag, tie a knot and put under warm water while filling tub. Soak in this as long as you can stand.
-ginger tea with honey soothes the stomach
-almonds for migraines
-honey helps w/: allergies, acne/face blemishes, and energy boost
-garlic is a great anti-fungal & anti bacterial. Rub directly on warts. Garlic oil on feet of someone not feeling well. Eaten in foods.Garlic
-thyme for sinusitis, flu and as a facial toner
-mint & lavender for migrainesmintlavender
-chamomile tea is a great anti-inflammatory
-lavender tea – great for migraines, sun burn soak and muscle relaxant
-elderberry “tonic” – better than Echinacea because you don’t have to take a break from using it. Builds the immune system and promotes heart health.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Ma Chenille~Je t'adore

One of the things that makes me swoon is chenille. I love-love-love chenille anything. The hugely talented and gifted Cindy from Catnap Cottage makes exquisite pillows, sachets and other goodies from vintage textiles including my favorite chenille. I can barely contain my delight for this pillow made from a piece of a vintage peacock bedspread. And, to make it over-the-top dreamy; it has french lavender sewn inside. Gentle puffs of relaxation-inducing lavender put me right on my way to dreamland. Lassie sleeps better, too.
Coney discusses his turn for next time with Lassie.
Emmett sleeps well on my white chenille bedspread.


He likes it better with the lavender pillow.


He dares anyone to take it from him. We will all have to take turns.





Sunday, September 13, 2009

Thrifty Monday~Williams Sonoma



Sometimes I really rake in the thrifty treasures. Sometimes I hit all my usual spots and see what I would like already going out in someone else's cart.

The ONLY thing I came up with in the last week is this set. It is a set of 4 luncheon size plates from Williams and Sonoma. They were never used and had the original packaging and cost 2.99 for all 4 at Goodwill. I believe it is from an "Oasis" collection. I have been using more yellow in my decorating, lately, and figured I can work them into a display somewhere.

I'll take another look for the plate hangers I bought approximately 1 year ago, and haven't seen since, and see if I like them on the wall.


Have you ever bought anything you didn't love just because it was a great deal? Ever spend due to fever and frenzy during the thrill of the hunt? These plates may fit into that scenario. I like them. Don't love them. Might love them later.


I have lost out on some items that were a good price but I debated with myself too long and the goods went home with someone else.


Hope you enjoy the Thrifty Finds event hosted by Rhoda at Southern Hospitality. It is always so inspiring to see what everyone is finding for very little $$$$$.


Have a blessed week!














Saturday, September 5, 2009

Happy Birthday My Precious

How did I become old enough to have a 27 year old today?



My heart felt like it would explode with
uncontainable love. I have loved seeing her grow into the beautiful woman, daughter, sister, wife and
mommy that she is. I keep seeing her as a baby in my grandson. The same looks, expressions and movements.




And this creation is the type of thing that I wake up to on the rare occassion that I get to visit her in her home, hundreds of miles away.




Happy birthday my first born! I love you with all my heart!










Thursday, September 3, 2009

Pink Saturday~Vintage Linens

It's Pink Saturday fun again. What fun! Be sure to visit Beverly, our dear hostess of this weekly event.


A beloved family member; a beloved shedding family member: Homer.



Vintage linens; how I adore them! There is something about the vibrant colors and designs that speak to my cottage heart.
I have 5 pillow covers made from old Wilendur tablecloths.




These are handmade but not by moi.


I am sure that no perfect tablecloth was chopped up to make these. The tablecloths must have had a tear, a stain, a moth hole...
What a great way to use something that is not in good condition. When I am on the hunt, I keep in mind that the linen can have some flaws but still be used to make something else.


You can get some real steals this way. Often, old linens are just a few dollars.





I'm a bit partial toward this sweet clover pattern. I haven't seen much of it.







I am wishing you all a weekend of refreshment this Labor Day weekend!





Now, that I have posted this pictures, I am pretty sure you can see Black Lab hair on the couch. Ewwwwww, you know we love 0ur family pets and they love the couch!
Black and pink go well together, don't they?






My Life at Pansy Cottage & Garden: September Celebration Apron

Take a look at the luscious aprons, pillows. tea cozies, and other goodies in the most scrumptious fabrics over at Pansy Cottage and Garden. You can have a chance at winning a reversable apron in beautiful Fall colors!


My Life at Pansy Cottage & Garden: September Celebration Apron

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Farmer's Market




We live in a neighborhood north of Denver and get our groceries at Super Target, Costco or Safeway.

Lilly, our 14 year old, had a softball game in the country and hubby and I had time to kill. We found 3 farmer's market stands in a 2 block area. The farms came right up to the farmer's stands. That is probably common for many but unusual and exciting to us!

We had fun looking at and picking out all the fresh vegetables. We got Bugs Bunny carrots (what the kids call them) with the green tops attached. Fresh tomatoes and cucumbers. "Peaches and Cream " corn on the cob; so sweet it needed no butter.

There were about 5 different hot peppers. We got one called "Firecracker" the hottest one they had. I wasn't brave enough to try it but our 16 year old, Christian, can handle spicy hot and gave it a try. We are pretty sure we saw flames coming out his mouth and ears. The other kids grabbed milk and bites of chicken for him to help snuff out the burn. Did you know water doesn't help?
Limes do not grow in Colorado but they are such a staple in salsa, guacamole and other Mexican dishes that they are conveniently carried by the Farmers.
All of these veggies tasted so much better than what we have at the grocery stores. I hope we can get to the Farmer's Market again.
Seeing customers carrying out boxes and boxes of fruit and vegetables to can and freeze make me think that it is something I should do. I never have. I guess this city girl better look into it.