Thrifty Thursday- Easter Frocks

Today, I decide that I would begin the search for Easter frocks for the whole family. Usually, we splurge a little bit on our Easter outfits, and when I say splurge, I mean we still get things on sale, but when you have to buy shoes, pants, shirts, ties, dresses, bows, cardigans, tights...it all adds up. And Easter is usually when all the stores introduce their spring dressy lines, so you can't just get something on clearance (although a lot of kids' stores will have a 25% off sale). This year, I decided to set a budget- $100 for the whole family (that's $25 each). Normally, $25 for an outfit would be no problem for me and the kids (not so much for my husband, haha, men's clothes just cost more), but since Easter is when we first break out our spring clothes, we are staring from scratch with the kids' wardrobes.
I decided to start my search at one of my favorite gently used children's clothing stores, Once Upon A Child. To add to my challenge, I like my children to have coordinating outfits for special occasions. I want them to look like they go together when I take pictures. I was really wanting a bishop dress for my little girl and Once Upon A Child has just about the best prices on boutique brands that I have found. I stumbled upon this little beauty by Bow Peep. Similar items new would retail for about $50-$60, so $6.50 is a great deal.

Perfect?

 

Not quite, it's a bubble! They did not have any bishop dresses, or any other smocked dresses for that matter, but I decided it was still super cute for spring/summer and a great deal.

 

So back to the task at hand... Easter outfits!

I found this dress. It's not quite what I had in mind, but it definitely looks like an Easter dress. It's brand new with the tags still on it and it was $7.50. That's a lot better than the original price of $39. Now I just need shoes, socks, a bow, and a cardigan. I searched 5 different stores today and there is not a cardigan to be found in her size. It's probably going to be a little chilly this year since Easter is at the end of March. I might have to rethink the dress if I can't find a cardigan to go with it.

 

And for my little boy...

I got nothing! Well, I got him a few things, but nothing that will really work for Easter. And as far as trying to coordinate their outfits...this is going to be a real challenge. Maybe I can incorporate this shirt.

I got this Ralph Lauren Polo shirt on clearance at Belk for $8.50. Belk is the best place to get Ralph Lauren clothes. I have found Polo shirts for $3 there before. You can't beat that!

 

So my search for Easter clothes continues. I will keep you posted on my progress.

What I Wore Wednesday

I have read several blogs where they do a "What I Wore Wednesday" segment, so I decided to give it a try. I don't know if I will do it every Wednesday (my wardrobe is not that exciting and I have a lot of favorites that I repeat), but I got a new pair of pants that I wore today so I wanted to share.

 

I got a new pair of light blue skinny jeans from Target last week. They were on clearance for $6.88. The black shirt came from Old Navy almost 2 years ago and I think I paid around $6 for it. It is my go to shirt when I don't know what else to wear. The leopard print flats came from Walmart about 3 years ago. I wear them all the time; I have definitely gotten my $5 worth. I've been on the look out for a new pair cause I know they will have to be replaced soon. So there is my less than $20 outfit. What did y'all wear today?

A Trip to Bristol



I have spent the past week and a half in Bristol, TN visiting family and going to the many antique stores. I just love going to antique stores because each item is a glimps of the past. I am such an old soul.

 

Half of the city of Bristol is in Tennessee and the other half is in Virginia. This sign shows the divide between the states.

 

 

I think the old train station is such a pretty building and something about trains is so intriguing. Don't you think it would be fun to travel in passenger cars across the country?

 

From my in-laws driveway, if you look one way, you will see a large cow pasture...

 

 

...and if you look the other way, snow dusted mountains.

 

I have missed Tennessee, home sweet home to me.

 

 

Thrifty Thursday- Sewing Cabinets

I hope you all are having a great week. I wanted to share my thrifty find for the week. I have been searching for night stands for the master bedroom for probably a year. Our bed is pretty high, so most night stands are not the right scale. I found 2 sewing cabinets today that I think will be just right.

This little beauty (OK, maybe it's not yet, but it will be) was only $10. With a little paint and some new hardware, I think it will be so pretty.

 

 

This one was $25 and just needs a paint job. 

 

 

I see a lot of potential in these sewing cabinets. I'm thinking a grayish color to match our bedding. I will post the finished product when I am all done.

Thrifty Thursday- Valentine's Day

It's another Thrifty Thursday! Sorry I did not get this posted last night, but I hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day. I set a goal for myself this year that I did not want to spend more than $5 for all my decorations and wrapping. So here is the breakdown...

I used a piece of cloth to cover the table that I had left over from a birthday party.

Cost: $0

 

For the centerpiece, I used a cake stand and pitcher that I already had. I cut a circle out of scrapbook paper ($.30) to set on the cake stand and put muffin cups (also left over from a birthday party) around the pitcher and filled them with conversation heart candy ($1). I just love projects where I can gather object out of my yard, so I collected a few sticks for our "Valentine Tree". I just cut hearts out of scrapbook paper ($.30) and attached them with clothes pins that I already had.

Cost: $1.60

 

I used some burlap that I had left over from another project to make some placemats and then just cut hearts out of felt (4/$1) and laid them on top so I can use the placemats again.

Cost: $1

 

I cut more hearts out of scrapbook paper ($.60) to make garland for the backs of the chairs. I just slid them onto some red and white twine from the dollar spot at Target ($1).

Cost: $1.60

 

Valentine's Day is such a great opportunity or me to teach my kids about God's love and loving others, so I put some scripture verses on our "Valentine Tree".

Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. Proverbs 3:3

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13

Let all that you do be done in love. 1 Corinthians 16:14

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 1 John 3:16

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 1 John 4 :7

We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19

"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind." Mathew 22:36-37

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

For our Valentine's menu, I was going for simple, but festive. A heart-shaped cookie cutter does wonders.

For breakfast, we had heart-shaped waffles with powdered sugar and heart-shaped strawberries. We also had some eggs that my kids helped to gather from our friends' chickens. They had so much fun with that.

For lunch, I used some pails that I already had and fixed heart-shaped sandwiches with cinnamon pretzels, grapes, and a Valentine treat.

Don't Laugh! I know it's a little burt well done. I don't know why, but I never set the timer when I'm cooking and then sometimes I get side tracked and forget to get it out. But anyway, for supper, we had mini heart-shaped pizza with salad. We ate it, in spite of it being a little "done" and it tasted just fine. For the heart shape, I made a template out of wax paper and cut around it.

 

I like to give my kids a little something for Valentine's Day. This year it was Veggie Tales DVDs. I am not including them in my $5 budget (although I did get them on sale), but I am including the wrapping. I got the wrapping paper on sale after Christmas ($.50) and I used leftover scrapbook paper and twine. A different color button would have looked better, but I wanted to use what I already had. Cost: $.50

 

I made a shirt for each of my kids out of t-shirts and fabric I already had.

Cost: $0

 

Remember these? Originally, I was going to give them to my kids, but they look too girly for a boy. Then I started thinking, since there are 3, my Mammaw probably started making them for me and my sisters, so I decided to frame them and mail them to my sisters. I'm sure there are much more original things I could have done with them besides just framing them, but I didn't want to alter my Mammaw's work too much (I am sentimental like that). I'm not including the frames in my budget (but they were only $3 at Hobby Lobby), but for the wrapping, I used scrapbook paper ($.60) and the same twine and buttons again.

Cost: $.60

 

I love to decorate for holidays, but I don't want to spend much money on things that I'm only going to use for one day. Being able to use things I already had definitely helped me to work within my budget. My grand total was $5.30. I think $.30 over budget isn't too bad.

A Very Special Valentine

A few weeks ago, I was "organizing" all of my craft and sewing stuff (Ugh! Don't even get me started on what a disaster area that is. I don't know how I find anything. I have a makeover project in mind, but haven't gotten to it yet.) I came across an old sewing basket that used to belong to my Mammaw. And inside...

 

 

I found these needlepoints she had been working on. She never got around to finishing them, but they are still so cute for Valentine's Day.

 

My Mammaw was such a special lady. I think I get my love for crafts from her. She was so creative and always found ways to reuse things. She is greatly missed.

 

 

 

I have something very special planned for these!



Thrifty Thursday

It's Thrifty Thursday! Whenever I move to a new place, I always try to find local thrift stores or antique stores where I can shop for "treasures". Since moving to North Carolina, I haven't found that one special store like I had when we lived in Alabama. I think I'm going to have to start exploring a little more. In the mean time, I have discovered the Goodwill stores here. Some of the items can be a little pricey, but you can also find some good deals. At least you know that whatever you spend is going towards a good cause. I wanted to share a few of my favorite "finds".

 

This vase came with 3 stems of white hydrangeas and 5 stems of blue ones for $6.27. I mostly wanted the flowers, but the vase is cute too and I love the color. It just happens to be the color I'm trying to use as an accent in my kitchen.

 

 

Here are the blue hydrangeas that I put in a copper pot that I also found at Goodwill for $2.98.

 

 

I think they add just the right touch to the top of my new bookshelf in the family room. I will post on it later.

 

 

This family "sculpture" (I know that's not the right word, but I'm not really sure what to call it) is also a good addition to the new bookshelf for $2.67. It might look cuter painted, but for now, I'm going to leave it.

 

 

These antiqued mirrors where $.69 each and too cute to pass up.

 

 

You might remember seeing them on my mantle in my burlap wreath tutorial.

 

 

I have been trying to add more real plants around the house, so this little pot was perfect for only $.49.

 

 

I found this for $1.28. I'm not sure where I'm going to put it, but for that price, I'm sure I can find some place :)

 

 

I just LOVE my church lady fan and it was only $.79. I can just picture a lady back in the 50s or 60s, headed to church wearing her Sunday best, which, of course, includes pearls and a hat. I can picture her singing hymns and fanning herself because it's Mississippi during July and there is no air conditioning...so, I could be totally wrong on the fan, but that is my fantasy.

 

 

 

Originally, I was going to put it on my kitchen counter...

 

But then, I decided to put it on the top of my other new bookshelf in the family room.

 

 

I paid $3.28 for this clock. We have a few boat pictures in our family room, not that I want it to be too theme-y, but I thought it might work.

 

 

I fell in love when I saw this! The wood is a little scratched up, but for $1.28, I can deal with it. I'm thinking about painting it anyway, but I haven't decided for sure yet. I have seen these used so many different ways. Now, I just need to decide how I want to use mine.

 

I am pretty pleased with the $20.42 I spent. Have y'all found any goodies at the Goodwill lately?