2010 Christmas Cards

Well, it's almost the end of November, so it's time to start thinking about Christmas cards. This was our card last year.

I loved the way it turned out. I just made it in Photoshop, but I think I'm going to try out Shutterfly this year. They have some awesome designs to choose from.
I"m trying to decide between this one, this one and this one. There are so many great designs to choose from. I love the ones with several pics, but we'll see how well my kids cooperate for more than one pose!

Don't forget to check our Shutterfly's wall calendars and canvas wall art. Both would make great presents for grandparents!!

Do you want to get 50 free Christmas cards from Shutterfly this year? Check this out : http://blog.shutterfly.com/5358/holiday2010-blog-submission-form/

Do you send Christmas cards? Do you send photo cards or premade cards? Well, it's almost time to send those babies out, so you'd better get to it!

Some thrifty finds and some subway art

I have been a really bad blogger since we got back from Africa. There has been so much to do to get things back in order and get the kids ready to start school. K will be in 2nd grade, E is starting Kindergarten and B will be going to preschool 2 days a week. Since we have been back, I have really wanted to get things cleaned out and organized.

I have wanted a great dresser to have downstairs for storage and I found one at GW (of course!) the other day for only $29

I decided to put it in the foyer for now, but it may end up in the living room. I definitely wanted to paint it, but I was seeing it in cream with these original dark pulls, but that may not work out well with the white wainscoting in this room. We will see where it ends up!

I also got these great deals:

A "B" from Bombay for .99, a piece of foam for .99 and a white frame with mat for 2.99.

I loved this slide box that was only .99. I think it will look great in my oldest son's room, but right now it's in my living room.

I also got 6 of these awesome drawer pulls for .99 each!!

I'm linking these great finds to this party today at Southern Hospitality and also this one at Vintage Revivals.

I also saw that Tatertots and Jello is having a subway art party. I have really been wanting to share this project for awhile, so I thought now would be a good time.

I had a large canvas that we'd bought for another project and didn't use it. I wanted to make some sort of subway art with it for my living room and my friend, Nancy, gave me the idea to use the streets we have lived on. I thought it was a great idea since we've lived so many places. : )

It's definitely not perfect, but I just love the way it turned out! It is definitely a conversation piece. Anytime we have someone over, they ask about it!

Well, that's all I have for today. I have a toddler crying on my leg for M&Ms.

A bunch of plates

I bought these at Goodwill for 25 -50 cents a piece.

I've been wanting to do something over my kitchen cabinets, but didn't want it to be cluttery, so I decided to try some plates. I saw this post from the Nester before I went out and bought 13 $2 plate hangers. Thank you, Nester. So, I did this:

Yep, I hot-glued paper clips on the backs of the plates. There is a possibility that the paper clips won't hold, but if they don't and the plates fall and break, I've only lost a quarter!

I love the way it turned out. I like how you can see the plates peeking out above the cabinets.

I'm posting to Rhoda's party!

A bunch of plates

I bought these at Goodwill for 25 -50 cents a piece.

I've been wanting to do something over my kitchen cabinets, but didn't want it to be cluttery, so I decided to try some plates. I saw this post from the Nester before I went out and bought 13 $2 plate hangers. Thank you, Nester. So, I did this:

Yep, I hot-glued paper clips on the backs of the plates. There is a possibility that the paper clips won't hold, but I've only lost a quarter if they do!

I love the way it turned out. I like how you can see the plates peeking out above the cabinets.

I'm posting to Rhoda's party!

$1 can of paint

This past week, I finally finished a project that I have been itching to do since we moved in!! Here's the realtor's pic of our house the way it was when we bought it. It's nice, but I HATED how the trim, the brick, the siding, the door and the shutters were all the SAME color. It needed a little contrast. So, while looking through the unwanted, mismixed paints at Lowes one day, I found a quart of Valspar exterior paint in a blackish brown shade and it was ONE BUCK! Oh yeah.

I painted my door almost immediately and boy did that help! But, I finally pulled off those bland tan shutters last week and painted them. I hung out my 2nd story window to get one pair. It was so worth it!

Isn't that much better!
Here's another before:

and after:

That can of paint may have been the best $1 I've ever spent!

Ooohhh, I also found this pic taken by the realtor before we moved in of our backyard.
Before:

And now, the after:

If you missed the posts about our Backyard Makeover, check it out here and here.

I'm linking to Frugal Friday.

Christmas Hurricanes

What do you get when you take one of these-

and put it in one of these-

put it on top of one of these-

and then add a sprinkle of this ?


THIS....



There are several of these all around blogland. I know I saw them here and here. This is my version.

Vase- Dollar Tree $1
Candle- Dollar Tree $1
Candle Base- Walmart $2
Holly- Free from my frontyard

Most of the other hurricanes like this I have seen had a candlestick base also from the Dollar Tree. I really wanted a softer line and for them to be a little shorter. I found these at Walmart and even though they were twice the amount, it is perfect!! Because of the sturdy wide base, I didn't have to glue them together, either. For only $4 each, I still think they are a great deal!!

I'm linking to Transformation Thursday (barely made it!), Frugal Friday , and It's So Very Cheri.

The Jackpot!

Yes, I hit the Jackpot at Goodwill when I was visiting family in AL.

Here's what I got....All of this is new from Target by the way!

Black frame, two sets of curtain rings


3D flowers


Mirrored lamp ( I already have one of these, so now it has a twin!), potted point settia, towel hook


Green stamp pad, pony tail holder, barrette and alphabet stamps...

Moss rocks and stick bundles vase fillers.


I got all of this for under $15. I also bought a very nice silver alarm clock that is $19.99 right now at Target, but I only paid $2.50!! Love that!

I'm a day late, but I'm linking to Dalomba Days Goodwill party. Check out her blog!

Yummy Panini!

I wanted to share one of our favorite recipes with you...



We LOVE Atlanta Bread Company's Chargrilled Chicken Pesto Panini. This is my version of that and it's sooooo easy!

Here's what you need:

Focaccia bread sliced in half
Pesto ( I buy the cheapest brand at the store and put the whole jar in the freezer after I make these. Then, I have it when I want to make these again!)
cubed cooked chicken
Provolone cheese (Mozzarella works great also!)
sliced Roma tomatoes



Add the chicken
Then sliced tomatoes

Put some cheese on top and then put it on the grill.


I bought this Krups panini grill at GW for $14.99!! I found them here for $99! Don"t worry, though, you can totally make a panini in a skillet and use another skillet on top with a jar or can inside for weight to press it down. But, this definitely makes it a little easier!!


Press her down hard to smoosh that sandwich down into a panini!



Enjoy! Makes me hungry just looking at that picture!!


While I'm at it...here's my new refrigerator my hubby bought me...aaaahhhh!

I LOVE it! I finally have matching appliances at the new house! It was half price at Sear's, too! Originally $2300 on sale for $1150!!! Yes, I'll take it, thank you very much!

I'm linking to A Soft Place to Land's DIY party! Go check it out!

Coupons really pay...

I'm trying to get back to clipping coupons. It takes a lot of time to get organized to shop and time is just not something I have had a lot of since we've moved. This was my first week back using coupons and I do remember why I use them! I spent $104 and saved $88! $23 of the $104 was that big box of diapers. They weren't a great deal, but I needed them and I did save on them, so they were a must. So, if you take those off the bill, I would have saved more than I spent which is what I always shoot for. Doesn't always happen, but this was a good week!

Transformed chairs

I showed you these awesome chairs here that I bought at GW for $6.99 each. I just loved the curvy lines of the back and the clean, no-fuss style of them.


I planned to use them in hubby's office because he was in need of seating. They may make their way to my house later once his office furniture is more permanent. I toyed around with the idea of painting them and putting some crazy cool fabric on the cushions. My house has been a disaster since I am in the midst of packing (only a week and a half left to pack up all my belongings!), so I decided to make it easy and cover the seats with some leftover fabric from another chair project. (Please don't pay any attention to the lovely outlet in the background! - Oh great, now you are looking at it, aren't you! : ) )


The color was perfect for his office since he has a lot of blue accents.



My pics aren't great since his office is small and I don't have a wide angle lens. Man, I need one of those! But I think you can tell that even just doing something as simple as changing the fabric on a chair seat can make a HUGE difference! I think it would be great to have some lumbar pillows on them, but for now, they work!

I'm linking up to Transformation Thursday and DIY Day! Go checkout other people's projects!

$129.99 rug for $32.74!!!

I have been wanting a new rug for my dining room for over a year now. I was at Target a couple weeks ago and was looking through the rugs. I found one that I've been eyeing for a while. It was originally $179, and marked down to $99. Karli at RockyBella has it here. She only paid $10 for her's, though. What a steal! How can you compete with that? : ). Plus, it was green and brown and my dining room is blue and brown. Then, I looked over and found this one...

It's a great graphic pattern and a neutral stone colored brown and cream. I thought it would definitely work. And it was only $64 - originally $129.99. I thought that was a great price for a 5x8 rug. So, I snagged it up. Since we are in the process of packing for our upcoming move, she has been patiently waiting all wrapped up in the dining room floor. Well, I was at Target again, a few days ago and I strolled through the rug aisle. There was the green and brown one that I adored and what was the price? $44!! It wasn't as great a deal as Karli got, but it was still pretty good considering this rug was $179 originally. I so wanted it, but was still trying to reason with myself about whether I NEEDED it or not. Then, I looked over and found my brown and cream rug's twin. I looked at it and the price was $32!!! Instantly, I threw it in the buggy and green one, too.



I knew that I still had the receipt for the one I'd bought previously and it was still wrapped up since we are moving and I didn't plan on putting it out until the move. So I bought them both for $76 only $12 more than the one rug originally. I just took the $64 rug back the next day and got a refund. I was sooooo excited! I'm planning to put the green/ brown rug in our bonus room. Right now, they are just keeping each other company until they find their permanent homes at the new house!

I'm linking to Rhoda's party today. Check it out!