IS IT OCTOBER ALREADY ????

October 1st, where has the year gone?  Working on my Christmas projects already, just not quite ready to share them.  On the first of each month we have to take a trip into town to take care of some business for Uncle Brad (my brother-in-law) who resides in a nursing home.  A trip to town is a half hour drive, so I always try to make it worth my while.  A few years ago I took to watching Extreme Couponing on television and said I want to be one of those people who can go shopping and only spend $20 for $100 worth of groceries, well last year I took to learning the ropes.  Have learned a lot in the past year, but one thing I know for certain, it is very possible to save 50-100% every time I go shopping.  I like to challenge myself each week and this week I had a $10.00 budget for my favorite store, CVS Pharmacy.  CVS is the last place I learned to shop (seemed a little intimidating) and now the only store I religiously shop at each week.  I LOVE CVS (can't say that enough).  This is today's haul

The retail value of these items is approximately $110.00, the sale price is about $82.00, my actual out of pocket cost was $7.22 and I have $28 CVS dollars to spend next week !!!!!!!

 

I would encourage everyone to pick a store and learn to shop it, whichever that may be and for anyone interested in more information I would be happy to provide some help.  Because I have this new found skill for saving tons of money on needs, I have tons of money left for wants.  Who can go to Michael's Arts and Crafts and not find lots of wants ?  Great clearance items at ours today, so my craft stash got a little bigger today.

GO NINERS

I'm a San Francisco 49er fan and football season has and still is big doings in my house, except for my husband, he merely tolerates my obsession.  My children and grandchildren are also 49er fans, not that they had much of a choice growing up (ha ha).  I recently made my grandchildren some 49er lounge wear for their lazy Sunday days watching the games.

Anybody that knows me or has seen my sewing room knows I have a problem throwing out fabric scraps (probably something I learned from my grandparents).  I just know their must be something that can be done with them.  Yesterday was Sunday and since the niners had played a Thursday night game, I found myself home alone without much to do.  Into my sewing room I went, and started gathering supplies for a new project, had an idea in my head, but had to work on the execution, I ended up with all of this

Using a piece of pipe insulation I pick up at Home Depot, some duck tape, those fabric scraps, some ribbon and heavy thread, I came out with this

Now my Niner obsession will be out there this fall for all the world to see.

ARIZONA YARD SALE FIND

Paid a young man .50 cents for this little stool in Prescott, AZ a few years ago (sorry no before pictures), it was broken, ugly and unloved, but I hauled it all the way back to Montana with me.  It was originally painted a dark brown with a flat wooden top that was broke in half and had been decoupaged on with some travel stickers.  It was an old stool, you could tell by the construction and the twisted wire on it.  When I decided to pull this out of my junk-pile, the first thing was to make it sturdy, so out came the wood glue and clamps, followed a few days later by sanding, painting, sanding, waxing and covering.  It is now sturdy and soft enough to sit on and as cute as it can be.

WHAT TO DO WITH SOMEONE ELSE'S CAST OFFS

This little seating arrangement are all cast offs, the chairs came out of an office reception area, think light colored wood and blue fabric, they were dirty and ugly, but only $2.00 for the pair at an auction, so home with me they came (sorry I could not find my before pictures, but trust me the transformation is amazing).  I painted them, yes, not only the wood, but the fabric as well, just used left over paint I had used painting my house.  Had never painted fabric before but figured if I ruined them I would only be out my $2.00, but I am in love with the outcome.  The table is one of those little bedside tables we all had to have in the 80's, you know the ones with the screw in legs and the ruffled green fabric cover to go over it, well look what a little paint, fabric and Mod-Podge can do.  I still had the glass top for it, just cut the legs down so the height would be right for my chairs.  The lamp is, of course, another yard sale find, think glass and brass, plastic broke shade, yea, those are the kinds of things I can see beauty in and for another buck it was worth the risk.  When I pulled it out of my junk-pile and plugged it in, it required no re-wiring, yea!  Again, a little spray paint, fabric and some more Mod-Podge and I now own a one of kind lamp.  I love that you won't find most of my pieces in some furniture store, or big box store, they are truly one of a kind repurposed pieces.  So for a $4.00 investment I have a unique one of a kind seating area that is the perfect little reading nook.

CHURCH RUMMAGE SALES ARE THE BEST !!!!!

All I could see was the $3.00 price tag on this little piece, so home with me it had to come.  It's a six foot long coffee table with a lot of scars and a couple of cracks, but I knew she could be a beauty.  Let me just tell you my husband accuses me of "junking up his garage", but for those of you who knows him, knows my "junk" takes up very little room.  Anyway, onto this find, it sat for several months in the garage, just taking up floor space, until I bought a new sofa for my living room and realized I needed a new coffee table.  The sofa could support a lengthy table and I wanted it to be something soft so I could rest my feet on it, as well as firm enough to support a candle or vase of flowers, some books or whatever I chose to put on it.  Out to my "junk" pile I went hunting and there she was just waiting to come indoors, so again, some sanding, painting, sanding, waxing and covering, she now holds my books, candles, flowers and my feet every evening.

The top is covered with one inch foam, soft enough for my feet, but firm enough for all those flowers and candles and topped with a faux tooled leather piece of fabric I had been hoarding for several years.  I chose the turquoise paint to match some end tables that had belonged to my grandmother that were my first rescued pieces.  I will post about those another time.  The young lady I had purchased this $3.00 table from told me her husband would be so excited to see that "ugly" table leave their home, bet he might change his mind if he could see it now.

LET'S EAT

Believe it or not, I created these letters by cutting out some foam and chipboard using my Cricut, glued the pieces together, painted them and finished them off with some two part resin epoxy. There is now no doubt what my dining room's purpose is. 

JUST THROW IT OUT

 

This is one of those found treasurers my husband thought was just doomed for garbage pickup, but I could see the beauty in it.  It took a lot of work, but it was a sturdy piece.  A lot of cleaning, sanding and painting, I was able to save it, even saving and re-using every original screw.  Several days of hard labor later and I had a treasure for my kitchen, which will be with me for many more years. 

 

Just another reason why I have a hard time throwing anything out.  Hope you enjoy my "new" piece as much as me.

MY NEW LIVING ROOM SIDE TABLE.....

This "ugly" little table was someone's throw away, I couldn't resist so I rescued it.  Wasn't sure at the time what I was going to do with it, but one day as I was re-arranging my living room, I realized I was in need of a new side table, so off to my "garage stash" I went hunting, finding this little treasure.  It took some sanding, some paint, some more sanding, waxing and some resin, but the outcome was incredible, now it sits proudly in my living room.  I hope you enjoy the "new" piece as much as I do.