Cheap & Easy Wall Art

One of my daughter's favorite sayings is "You Get What You Get & You Don't Pitch a Fit!".  She learned it from her preschool teacher last year who she adored. I said this to her one time when I served her  something she wasn't thrilled about eating and it instantly made her smile. And then she said "okay" and started eating what I gave her.  I couldn't believe how easy it was to make her happy just by saying that one little phrase.  And then one day on Pinterest (I know you know them) and found this little gem.

I was like What?!  I can soooo make that.  So I asked one of my friends that has one of those fancy schmanchy vinyl cutting machines if she would make me some vinyl letters and a crown. 

 And she did except for she didn't have a crown so she cut out a Fleur de Lis instead which I think I like better.  Next, I just stuck them on a $5 canvas (18x24) and spray painted over it with yellow paint.

I used Bauhaus Gold by Krylon first (on the right) but it was too gold so I went over it again with Sun Yellow by Rust-Oleum and it was the perfect shade of yellow that I was looking for.

Peeled off the letters..........

...and Ta-Da!  

I know it doesn't look exactly the same as the one on Pinterest but it's close enough.  Actually it's perfect with all of it's imperfectly spaced letters.  Who needs to measure letter spacing??  Not me, I just eye-ball it.  And then spend an hour "fixing it".  Whatev. 

Besides, it makes my daughter smile and that's all that matters.

I hung it on the wall by the kitchen table just in case I need to refer to it when someone doesn't like the food they were served.  

That goes for husbands too!

(please excuse the poor lighting, it was cloudy today)

  

Scary Barn Sale Find

I have been searching high and low for a round coffee table ever since I spied this one over at the Nester's place.  I've been on Craigslist, I've scoured the garage sales and thrift stores but without any luck.  Until one day the curiosity got the best of me and I decided to follow the signs on the corner that said "barn sale".  You see, I intentionally did not go to the "barn sale" the other times I saw the signs because I noticed the same signs were being put up EVERY weekend on the same corner.  I figured it was one of those people that still had leftover junk from the first "barn sale" and just couldn't let go and donate it to the thrift store like most us do.  But like I said I was curious so I went just to cure my "they might have something good" addition when it comes to garage sales.  It was off a country road that lead to a gate with a long dirt driveway that took you past two small homes and then around a small turn to......a barn.  To say the least....I was sceeeered!!!  It sounded like something straight out of that movie The Texas Chainsaw Massacre!  I just knew that as soon as I stepped out of my car someone would snatch me up and keep me forever!  But then I remembered those signs were put up every weekend and if they were actually snatching people up then they would have been busted by now.  Right?  Well that's what I told myself as I got out of the car and headed to the dark and scary barn that ended up having some pretty decent stuff!  A lot of it was junk but there were actually a few nice pieces of furniture and a couple of large mirrors that I had my eye on.  Oh and the person in charge of the barn sale, was actually a nice little old lady.  Unless she was a decoy to get people out of their cars and into the barn??

Anyway, I made my way through the barn looking at the stuff and looking over my shoulder at the same time and wouldn't you know it........I spied a round coffee table!  And I liked it.  And she had another one plus a matching side table!  Score!  I asked her how much they were and she said they weren't for sale because she didn't have anything else to display her stuff on.  What?!  She said she was going to buy folding tables from Wal-mart and that she could call me when she was ready to sell them.  Score!

 

Fast forward two weeks later....she calls me and says she was ready to sell them and wanted to know if I still wanted them.  I asked how much she was asking for them and before she told me I quickly decided that I wouldn't pay more than $20 for the round one.  She told me she would take $18 for all 3!!  Sweeeet!  Oh and she told me they were from a hotel lobby in Dallas!  So cool!  

I was thrilled to say the least.

They were an emerald green color when we bought them.

Add very dirty with some kind of weird growth underneath??

It looks like someone glued fake eyelashes in a cirlce.  

I scrubbed the table top which is made of some type of fiberglass made to look like solid stone and spray painted the base with Oil Rubbed Bronze.  Of course!

After

Nice and clean!

And now lives in my living room...

...with my pretty new DIY pillow covers!

You see, sometimes it pays to take a leap of faith or risk your life to get a great deal!!    

What risks have you taken to get a great deal??

Would you happen to know what that growth was underneath the table??? 
I'm partying over here:  Houseofhepworths, Tales From Bloggeritaville, Theshabbycreekcottage  

New Throw Pillows

 Remember this fabric?  I used it to make these!!

I bought the Navy Chevron and Botanical Print  from Fabric.com for $8/yd and used it to make new throw pillows for my sofa!  Or is it couch?  What do you call it??  I think couch might be a southern term??

I've been sewing my own pillows for as long as I can remember. My mom used to make my sister and I coordinating outfits (mine usually yellow and hers pink) and to keep us busy while she was sewing, she would give us fabric scraps, a needle and thread and have us make little pillows for our baby dolls.  I've since learned how to use a sewing machine.  I must have been 4 or 5 years old and to think that little skill she taught me has served me well all these years.  You can save a ton of money if you know how to sew. It has saved me lots of $$ by allowing me to make things for myself that I wouldn't normally be able to afford from a retailer.

It has also allowed me more options when it comes to interior decorating.  I'm no longer stuck with someone else's idea of pretty or what's "in" or what they think will look good in my home.  Don't get me wrong, I love me some Z Gallerie, Anthro, Ballard Designs but my pocketbook doesn't always love it the same. 

Know what I'm sayin'?  

Besides that, if I forked out a ton of money for something super nice that my kids are just going to throw on the floor, I would be stressed out everyday for fear that they would be ruined.   

The pillows not my kids.  

 

 The cream pillows were from Wal-mart and cost $13 each.

(The center pillow was from JCPenney bought last year on clearance for $3! )

Although my mom taught me some mad sewing skillz (my skills aren't really that mad), I didn't know how to sew an "envelope pillow cover"(see I told you).  I wanted something I could take off and throw in the washer when it got dirty.  I always did the type of cover that enclosed the entire pillow and didn't allow for easy removal.  So I "googled" it and found a simple tutorial on YouTube and followed the instructions.  It was so easy, really, and it didn't take long at all.

Anybody can do this even if you don't have a sewing machine!

 

The floral pillow is actually a place mat I found at World Market.  Place mats are great for making cheap but chic pillows. They are normally two pieces of fabric sewn together so if you rip the seam at one end, you can insert a pillow into the opening and then resew it closed or use hot glue or hemming tape!  Kate has a great tutorial on how to make "No Sew" throw pillows so go over and check out her blog and learn how to start saving money by being your own designer!! 
So what do you think of my sofa/ couch pillows??
Please tell me, what do you call the thing you sit on in your living room!!

I'm partying over here:  Houseofhepworths, Tales From Bloggeritaville, Theshabbycreekcottage  

My High School Reunion

I know I haven't blogged in like forever but this summer has kept this momma super busy.  We've had lots of birthdays to attend, including our own kids, we've been going to play dates, swimming almost daily and trying to stay cool with these super hot temperatures.

My husband and I both graduated from the same high school and had our reunion this past weekend.  We had the best time catching up with old friends and seeing how everyone has changed over the years. Our graduation class was over 700 people!!  I was in Drill Team and also played soccer and 1 year of basketball.

Here are a few pics of us and our old classmates.  

OK, well not old but you know what I mean!

Me, ex-cheerleader, Algebra classmate

 

Drill teammate, Football, Me, Ex-cheerleader, Drill Team

One of my good friends that I've know since 3rd grade, former Drill Teammate, Me 

 

One of my good friends from Drill Team who is just the sweetest person!

And last but not least, Me, my husband and some random lady who was the wife of someone who knew someone at the reunion who just happened to be staying at the same hotel??

Not really sure why we took a picture with her but she was really nice.  Ha ha.  So random!

We had a blast but it took a while to recover since the after party lasted until 3:00 am and this mom of 3 isn't used to staying up that late!! 

My daughter starts Kindergarten in about 3 weeks so I plan on blogging on a more regular basis.  So until then it will be hit or miss with blog posts but I have lots to catch you guys up on and I can't wait to show you what I've been up to this summer besides birthday parties and swimming!!

Stayed tuned............Beth