Thrifty Thursday #21

I have been working on 2 thrifty projects recently and each have been big "fails!"  Do you ever have that happen.....where you "see" the project in your mind and then when you get to end, it looks nothing like you hoped it would??


Or......it peels right off the refrigerator???  I was trying to put a chalkboard on my fridge.....yes, primer is a MUST!!


Well, this week's featured projects on Thrifty Thursday are inspiration for those of us who try.....and sometimes, fail!

One that caught my eye right away was this guest bedroom makeover from A Step in the Journey....

My favorite part of the whole room is that gorgeously thrifty headboard made from old wood!  What a great idea!




Taking a Sunday Drive took this $2.00 yard sale chair...

....and turned it into this blue beauty!

It is just so pretty!!




I have to admit that I was a little nervous when I saw the title of this next post...."you can shut your cornhole for less....."
But then I realized that Tres Chere was talking about this....

The cornhole game that they turned into this beauty!!

And Angela and Debbie did it for less than $20!!

Spruce Up Your Nest painted and distressed this gorgeous piece of furniture!

Another project that is just made beautiful with paint!!


There were some yummy looking recipes that linked this week!  


Chef in Training linked these lasagna roll-ups....

...while Sensible Shoppers used wonton wrappers in this version of Petite Lasagnas! 

And finally, Joyful Homemaking linked up this for dessert!

....chocolate freezer pie!!!  I will be making this before the summer is over!

If you were featured this week, be sure to grab a button!

We are at week #21 of  Thrifty Thursday.......

Here are some very simple suggestions for the party:

1. Please become a follower of Thrifty Decorating.

2. Be sure to link to your POST and not your blog.

3. Please copy and paste my link button somewhere in your post

or blog so that others can link back.

4. Share some comment love....We all love to get them!!

After you've linked here, hop over and say "hi" 

to Johnnie at her Thrifty Thursday link party

at Saved by Love Creations!

You can also head over to Thrifty and Fabulous. 

Erika is just starting a Thrifty Thursday link party, so please 
go an visit her "fabulously frugal" blog!

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The easiest sweet rolls.....ever!

If you've been reading my blog, then you know that I am a self-professed poor baker.  Baking is just not my thing although I continue to try.  So, "made-from-scratch" sweet rolls are just not happening in my house!


But.....I can make "homemade" sweet rolls by using my "secret" ingredient.....

Frozen bread dough!!!  

I use it as a base for SO many meals!!

Let your bread dough un-thaw.  If you forget (like me!) and don't put it out early enough, you can microwave it on Power Level 1 for intervals of 10 minutes.  Just don't let it get hard and crusty on the ends!

Grab some brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon and butter.....Oops! I forgot to show the butter!


Melt about 1/2 stick butter (or margarine) over low heat until completely melted.  Brush it onto your bread dough.  I just roll the dough out into a rectangle shape.  If I am trying to "stretch" the recipe, then I s-t-r-e-t-c-h the dough!

Sorry, but I don't measure for the next part.  I probably add about 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1/4 cup of sugar and then just sprinkle the cinnamon on top.  If you add too much sugar and butter, then it all oozes out and makes a big gooey mess in  your pan!

Roll your dough into a long tube....rolling on the longest side.

You will have multiple layers of yummy goodness!!

Place in your greased pan leaving space between the rolls.  They will expand!  At this point (if you are not rushing through the recipe!), you can throw a dishtowel over your pan and let the rolls rise (raise?!) a little.  


I was rushing....it was 10:00 at night and I was making these for my son's birthday breakfast....I just wanted to get to bed!


I bake my rolls at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes.  Because I vary the size of my rolls, I usually have to watch them instead of setting a timer!

To make the icing, I just put powdered sugar in a cup and add small amounts of water to make a paste.  Then, I just spoon it over the cooled rolls!


You must allow the rolls to cool completely before adding the icing....otherwise, it just melts away into nothing on the bottom of your pan!

They were gone in 1 meal!

What are your shortcuts?

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Rustic Key Holder....

I am on a mission organization right now at my house.  If it's not in a bin or basket or hanging on a hook.....then it's not safe!


The one thing that is constantly getting "misplaced" in my house is our car keys.  I may stage my kitchen island to look clean and pretty....

{Kitchen reveal}

But my house doesn't really look like that!  In reality....the island is a junk MAGNET!  Both my husband and I have been known to swipe the wrong set of car keys leaving the other person "stranded" at home!


A key holder was on the list of my organizing essentials, so when I saw this gorgeous idea from Shanty 2 Chic, I knew exactly what I was going to do!


Amazingly, while I was mowing the grass, I found this thrown into the high grass out back!

Unfortunately the hubby was away, so I had to use this all by myself!

Yep....I used the saw....all by myself....and I still have 10 fingers! Although I am sure that if the neighbors were watching me, they would have been a little nervous!  It took my 30 minutes to cut that little board.....


I've been trying to save money, so I remembered these hooks in our garage....holding the bike helmets that my kids never wear....hey, cut me a break...did YOU wear a bike helmet growing up???

I sprayed them with some Krylon Oil-Rubbed Bronze.

Apparently when I sprayed them, I missed this screw...

No worries, thought, here's my little trick.  Take a plate (preferably plastic since spraypaint reacts with and eats away styrofoam!) and spray a blast of paint onto it...

Use a small brush to touch-up the area that you missed or scratched!

I then went to our local True Value looking for this....

...but I didn't know what to call it.  Now I know that it's called a hose clamp and found in the plumbing section and they come in multiple sizes!  


You should have heard my trying to explain to the sweet old men that work there that I needed a metal "thingy" for a craft and it's found in the plumbing section.....they were scratching their heads!

You can use a flathead screwdriver to tighten the clamp to make it fit around your glass jar.




I wanted something cute for my glass jar, so I made some of these "fake flowers".

The overall cost:  $3.00!  

Board:  free

Jar:  free (sorry Grandma, I dumped out your jelly!)

Flowers:  $1.00

Hose Clamp:  $1.29

Picture Hanger for back:  $0.75

Not bad for a functional (and pretty) key holder!

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Homemade Taco Seasoning.....

Did you know that you can make homemade taco seasoning for pennies of the cost of the store brand??  And that it tastes sooooo much better??

I found this out accidentally one night when I ran out of store bought packets and I had two starving boys and one skillet of unseasoned meat.


I went to Allrecipes.com and found this recipe for taco seasoning and it has quickly become a family favorite!

I don't know why.....but I was amazed that my spices looked exactly like the store packet?!?

So here is the recipe from Allrecipes.com:

1 Tab. chili powder

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (I think I'll add more next time!)

1/4 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. paprika

1 1/2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

I only use ground turkey now instead of ground beef for all of my cooking. Because turkey makes hardly any grease, I had to add at least 3/4 cup of water to my skillet with the seasoning.

This recipe is so much better that store bought....there were actually shouts of "These are the best tacos that we have ever had!"  and "I love how spicy these are!" 

I love the fact that I can cut back on the amount of salt I add to the recipe!

If you are looking for another money saving recipe, try my Chili's knock-off fajita's meal!  

What are you having for dinner

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Thrifty Thursday #20

I've been a little busy this week.....each summer my youth pastor hubby takes about 85 kids to the shore for some evangelism training and I oversee the kitchen.....


At some point, I'll have to post how we (well, just Rose and myself!) feed 85 teenagers 10 meals all for about $850.....yes, that breaks down to $1.00 per meal!!  


It will probably not have any practical purpose in your life, but I'm pretty impressed at how we do it considering the total cost includes all plates, cups and napkins for those 10 meals, too!


That being said....I'm EXHAUSTED!!  So Thrifty Thursday is going to be short and to...the...point!  So here we go!

Art is Beauty linked up this very pretty corduroy rosette wreath.....I'm loving this idea for the fall!

Chipping with Charm shared this unique idea for book ends!

Beauty 4 Ashes made this incredibly creative gallery wall.....

Gluesticks created this framed canopy bed from PVC pipe....amazing!

While Creative Raisins built these functioning window boxes for her porch!

Thanks so much to everyone who linked up this week!!  
I tried to feature many of your projects on my FB page, too!


If you were featured this week, be sure to grab a button!

We are at week #20 of  Thrifty Thursday.......

Here are some very simple suggestions for the party:

1. Please become a follower of Thrifty Decorating.

2. Be sure to link to your POST and not your blog.

3. Please copy and paste my link button somewhere in your post

or blog so that others can link back.

4. Share some comment love....We all love to get them!!

After you've linked here, hop over and say "hi" 

to Johnnie at her Thrifty Thursday link party

at Saved by Love Creations!

Read more ...

Camping out birthday....kind've....

We've done a camp-out sleepover birthday for my older son for many years and it has never rained.....until this year.....


We've had the passing shower....the thrilling thunderstorm, but constant, steady rain in July???


And the worst part about it.....I had absolutely no back-up plan! Me....the girl who thrives on checking weather bug did not know that it was supposed to rain.  (Actually, I don't think that the weatherman knew, either!)

So I had way bigger plans for this cake......but suddenly, one hour before the party, I had to do a massive clean of basement....and the cake...well, let's just say that it tasted good!

Happy birthday, my precious son.....you are so loved!

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