Thrifty Decorating

March 13, 2012

My weekend at IKEA....

I posted on Saturday that we were taking a "family" trip to IKEA....

many of you responded back..."You're taking your family?!?"

In my mind, I had warm fuzzy thoughts of us harmoniously walking through IKEA...

randomly pointing out a cool and exciting idea...

Mom: Son...what do you think about that for your room?

Son: Mom! I just LOVE it! You're the best Mom in the whole world!

Husband: Honey, thanks for all you do to make our home a welcome and

inviting place ALL while saving money...

(stage direction: family hugs in the kitchenware section)

Okay....would you like the REAL dialog from Saturday???

Me: Honey, I think that is our exit to get to IKEA.

Hubby: No, I want to take the other exit for 476.

Me: Can I see the turnpike toll ticket? I don't think that there is another exit

for 476. (said as we are passing the exit!)

Hubby: I want the "BlahBlahBlah" exit.

Me (slightly panicked): That was the "BlahBlahBlah" exit.

Hubby: No I want the exit that goes up and around not down and you come up.

Me: HUH?! (I am highly annoyed at this point as we are starting to see

signs for New Jersey!!!) What is the name of the exit that you are looking for

so that I can check on the ticket and see where we need to go!

Hubby: Why are you yelling at me? We needed the "BlahBlahBlah" exit.

Me (yes, I was yelling at this point!): WE JUST PASSED THE "BLAHBLAHBLAH" exit!!!

{In the end, we were both right, but it would be too exhausting to try and explain!}

25 extra miles and 3 exhausted and grouchy kids later....we arrived!!!

All I have to say is that it's a good thing that IKEA sells $.99 sodas with

free refills....that saved the afternoon!

I can't wait to show you the changes that I am making with my IKEA purchases!

March 12, 2012

Frugal Easter Table Decor

I have determined that while I'd like to have a pretty Easter table this year, I just

don't want to spent a whole lot of money....that just seems to be my continual mantra...*sigh!*

So I went to my local Goodwill store and found these treasures....

Yes, they are lovely, I know!

I took some some Gorilla Glue and glued the melamine saucers to the lovely 80's styled candlesticks...

Then I used some Rustoleum Spraypaint...

and voila....custom candlesticks!

I can't wait to show you what other inexpensive ideas that I'm working on!!

For another resource on decorating savings, find Promo Codes online.

March 10, 2012

A trip to IKEA and a winner!

My life has been a little crazy recently. My goal is to get all of next year's homeschooling

planning done now so that I can truly take the summer OFF.

What that means though is that I'm still in the midst of this year, writing a blog,

contributing at Craft-o-manic, giving piano lessons and nearly losing my mind!

So my wonderful husband was going to give me today off and take the kids. In

my mind I figured that he would take them to the $2.00 movie theater.....and

then I heard snippets of conversation and the word IKEA!!!

WHAT?! You're going to drive 90 miles and leave me behind??? I'll take my alone time in IKEA, thank you!

So we are off on a "family adventure" to IKEA today...woohoo!!! Since it is

so far away, I've been keeping "a list" of everything that I want to look at!

But you're not here to read about my trip to IKEA...you're here for the winner of

the Cutting Edge Stencils giveaway!!!

Congratulations goes to....

I'll be contacting you shortly to let you know how to get your $50 gift certificate!!

Thank you so much to Cutting Edge Stencils !

If you haven't seen some of their amazing products, head over now!

Now, I'm off to IKEA!!

March 8, 2012

Shamrock Floats

As I've mentioned before, St. Patrick's Day ranks up there next to Christmas for my hubby,

so I try to think of fun "green" food for the holiday.

When I made these ice cream floats for Valentine's Day, I knew from their

success that a St. Patrick's Day version would be in the future! So here it is...

You will need:

green sherbet

ginger ale

whipped topping

sprinkles

mint jelly candy

St. Patrick's Day free printables

Take your green mint candy and smush it between wax paper with a rolling pin.

(I also used my fingers!)

Cut out your hearts with kitchen shears to form a shamrock.

Because ginger ale is on the yellow side, I decided to add blue food coloring

first to get to the color green. I then added yellow until I got my desired color.

Add a little whipped cream, some sprinkles and your shamrock and you've

got an easy St. Patrick's Day treat!

If you are looking for other St. Patrick's Day ideas, check out my Pinterest Board!

Oh....and you'll have to look at your shamrock really quickly because

it will sink to the bottom before you know it!

Spring Lawns...my poor grass!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Scotts® for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Have your heard the birds in the morning...spring is coming!!! For us, that means the grass mowing season is just around the corner! We live on about an acre of land and must fertilize and mow about 2/3 of that acre.

Our yard is often the home of spring football....baseball.....capture the flag...and whatever other boy chase game can be invented, so our yard has to be sturdy enough to withstand the wear and tear of lots of boy feet!

One of the best products that we have found to use on our lawn is the Scott's line of products and the new Scotts® Snap® Spreader System is going to make this spring's lawn care even easier!

I often want to help my hubby with the lawn, but I never know what setting to put the spreader on....now there's no guesswork. Just Snap, Lock and Go! The Snap Pac connects directly to the Snap Spreader--there's no cutting, no opening and no pouring from the heavy bags!

The system also auto-sets the proper flow rate. I don't have to figure out what Spreader setting to dial it to!

When you're done, the Snap Pac self-seals upon removal making it easy to store! No more half empty bags on the garage floor....do you know how many times we've had one spill because someone has tripped over it or run a bike into it??

And who doesn't love perks? The Snap perks on Facebook begins March 7, 2012. Head over to "like" Scotts® FB page and you can enter to win some amazing prizes!

So this spring, I'll feel better about all the little feet running over my yard knowing that Scott's has nourished my grass!

Look for possible savings on Scotts products and lawn-care tools by using these Lowes Promo Codes.

March 7, 2012

Thrifty Thursday #50

Welcome to the 50th edition of Thrifty Thursday !

If you are just visiting for the party, I don't want you to miss the

$50 credit to Cutting Edge Stencils! The giveaway will open until Friday night!
Head over and leave a comment to enter!

Here are this week's spotlights......

The Crafty Scientist linked this awesome interchangeable wreath! What a great idea!

Ugly Duckling Transformations stenciled on burlap to make these pillows. I
love how she washed them in lavender fabric softener to make the burlap smell better!

Breezy Pink Daisies made this jewelry holder for under $2.00!

A Pinch of Joy shows us how to sew a sleeping bag for an American Girl doll....

....while NatSprat shared the quilt that she made her daughter....so gorgeous!

Frazzled Five shared a very memorable anniversary gift idea.

Finally, Saving 4 Six shared this crockpot recipe for Creamy Chicken Risotto.
I love crockpot cocking!

If you were featured this week, feel free to grab one of my buttons!

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.

You can also party with Johnnie

at Saved by Love Creations!

ThriftyThursdayModernButton1 Thrifty Thursday Week 65

Or Erika at Thrifty and Fabulous!

March 6, 2012

Cutting Edge Stencils Giveaway

I am SO excited about this giveaway....Cutting Edge Stencils is offering

one lucky reader of Thrifty Decorating a $50 gift certificate  to their online store!!

There are so many amazing ideas that will bring dramatic change to

your room all by using a stencil AND the stencils are easy to use!!

Here are some of my favorite ideas from their site....

{Rabat Pattern Stenciled Wall}

{Casablanca Stenciled Wall}

{Nagoya Allover Stencil}

{Large Tree and Bird Stencil}

If you are unsure of how to actually do an all-over stencil...no worries!  You

can watch a video tutorial explaining exactly how to do it!

So how can you enter to win a $50 gift certificate???

You must be a follower of Thrifty Decorating to enter!

1. Leave me a comment telling me your favorite Cutting Edge Stencil.

2. "Like" Cutting Edge Stencils on Facebook and leave me a comment HERE telling me that you did.

3. Share this giveaway on your FB page and leave me a comment HERE.

4. Tweet this giveaway and leave me a comment HERE.

5. "Like" Thrifty Decorating on Facebook and leave me a comment HERE telling me that you did.

This giveaway runs until Friday, March 9th, at 11 pm EST

and the winner will be announced on Saturday, March 10th.

Please be sure to leave a SEPARATE comment for each entry!  Please make sure your email is 
enabled in your profile or else leave your email in your comment, so I have a way to contact you!  
Winner will be picked via Random.org.

March 5, 2012

Spring Trend {Bright Lips}

I walked into my closet today and realized that all that I have been wearing

for the past few months is black.....well, black, gray and sometimes brown.

C-razy....I know...I'm a very boring winter dress-er.

So, as spring approaches, I start dreaming about color.

I recently even bought a t-shirt at JCPenney to refashion that was.....ORANGE!

I also start dreaming about new colors for my makeup.

A while ago I saw Kristie from blushing basics featured on tatortots and jello.

Since then I have really enjoyed following all of her hair and makeup tutorials.

In fact, I had my daughter's hair in a Lauren Conrad inspired braid

today after watching Kristie's tutorial!

I was thrilled when Kristie offered to give us some advice from

blushing basics for fresh spring lips.....

-------------------------------------

this spring, many makeup companies are introducing lots of bright colors to incorporate into our makeup routine. one of the easiest ways to incorporate a bright color is through lipstick because bright eyeshadow can be a bit intimidating.

here's an easy step-by-step makeup tutorial explaining how to best apply that bright shade to your lips.

for this tutorial i am using my Vincent Longo cosmetics

start with your essential tools for lipcolor: a lipstain, a lipliner and a lipgloss.

begin with your (exfoliated!) bare lips.
apply lipstain. this ensures that your lips won't look wonky once your lipgloss or lipliner wear off. the stain will keep lips looking bright.
follow with a lipliner. apply lipliner along outer edge of your lips (for fuller lips) and lightly smudge with your finger tip so that there are no harsh lines.
finish with your bright lipgloss. break out your smile and enjoy!