DIY Christmas Flowers

I started working in a flower shop three weeks ago. I decided to put my new skills to work by making our moms Christmas flower arrangements. (Hopefully neither of them read this post before I get the chance to hand deliver my creations.) I did not take any photos before my work was done. I’m sorry I was too busy creating and not thinking of blogging.

Besides, my boss probably would not be happy if I divulged all of the insider flower shop secrets I just learned. Instead of explaining how to arrange flowers, I will share a few tips on reducing the cost of DIY arrangements. Each of these arrangements cost me $5 each and I did not receive any sort of employee discount.

My first tip is to repurpose old containers. I patronized Goodwill. The green vase cost twenty five cents and I splurged on the stainless steel container by paying a whole dollar.

The flowers came from a local shop that often has unarranged flowers on special. You can also buy flowers like these from the grocery store. The greenery was free for the taking when we bought our Christmas tree. I also scavenged our yard for a variety of evergreen branches.

To save even more money on my DIY Christmas arrangements, I wired the pinecones myself. In addition, I used sparkly picks that I found for less than a quarter a piece last year at Michael’s.

Although the DIY Christmas arrangements did not cost much, I did make a huge mess across the kitchen floor. It took a considerable amount of time to put everything together and clean up the mess.  

I really hope one of my wonderful family members bought the handheld pruners that were on my wish list. (Just what every girl dreams of…) The giant limb loppers are awkward and the kitchen shears have been taking a beating.

One last tip, I bought the wet floral foam at Joann Fabric with my online 40% off coupon. The flower shop was out of inexpensive red flowers. I enjoy the fact that the arrangements have flowers that are not traditionally associated with the holidays, yet they still have a Christmassy feel.

The Shabby nest ~ Show and Tell Friday ~ Finding Fabulous ~ I’m Loving it ~ Simply Sweet Home ~ Whipper Berry ~ Chic on a Shoestring decorating ~ Spunky Junky ~ Delicate Construction ~ Homemaker in Heels ~ Family Ever After~ French Country Cottage ~ Common Ground ~ Young And Crafty ~ At the Picket Fence ~ Fingerprints on the Fridge ~ Miss Mustard Seed ~ Addicted to Decorating ~Bacon Time with The Hungry Hypo ~ Making Lemonade ~ I Can't Stop Crafting ~ Over the Big Moon ~ Shabby Art ~ Answer is Chocolate

Goodwill Mirror

The first Saturday of every month, our Goodwill has a 50% off store wide sale. If I am in town, I will join the chaos to treasure hunt. These are my most recent finds. The paperbacks were fifty cents apiece. I envision the skirt becoming a cute apron some day.

I paid four dollars for this golden beauty.

I considered painting the mirror black, but decided red was more fun. I used Rust-oleum Ultra Cover in Colonial Red. (I did read what Garfield had to say before painting over him)

I think the mirror is the perfect size for this spot in our family room. In this photo you get to see a tiny sneak peak of one of the Christmas trees.

It was four dollars well spent and I have no buyer’s remorse!

linked: skiptomylou, dittledattle, blackberryvine, sugarbeecrafts, todayscreativeblog, hopestudios, sumossweetstuff, romantichome

Vintage Curtain Panels

On Saturday I found this giant tapestry at one of my favorite antique stores. It only cost me $5! The owner of the shop informed me that she has been salvaging goods from a professors house who used to travel the world. This fabric was likely purchased on one of his voyages.

{source}

The fabric slightly reminded me of some curtains I have been ogling at World Market. I knew I wanted to transform my new treasure into curtains for the family room.

Here is the family room before. The plain white Ikea curtains do not have the same exciting past as the new ones. (I will be hanging something different on the wall to prevent pattern overload)

Here are the 'new vintage' curtains. I think they add a lot more character to the room. (Please pardon my wonky hems. This was my second sewing project ever.) I also took down the 1991 mini blinds and added some sheers.

I did manage to get four small panels out of the tapestry, which breaks down to $1.25/panel. I am quite satisfied with that investment. I will show you a full shot of the room once I can convince some strapping gentleman to carry my home gym upstairs.

linked: blackberryvine, ladybug-blessings, todayscreativeblog, chef-n-training

A Tribute to Hot Dogs (sort of), Part 2

On Monday my sister came to visit and I thought I had the perfect adventure planned for us. I wanted to visit Frankfort, IN, home of the hot dogs. I figured it would be the ideal follow up to my first hot dog post and I heard there were some good antique shops in town.

Alyssa wanted a hot dog and I wanted some antiques. Unfortunately we didn't find either. Most of the shops were closed on Mondays and we could not find a restaurant serving hot dogs. We walked around in the rain to see all that Frankfort had to offer.

We didn't let all of that rain ruin our parade. We went to a few antique shops in Lafayette and found some great bargains. I purchased this school spirited button for $1. Sorry if you're not a Purdue fan, but I could not pass up vintage, trash talking memorobilia.

I also found this cute ring for only $2!

We found a hat box for $3 to house Alyssa's old lady hat collection.

{Alyssa was taking the hair dryer on a test drive}

Although we had to eat hamburgers instead of hot dogs on our adventure, we still amused ourselves and we now own some new treasures.

Money Matters, Update #1

I told you about my strategy to save money in October here. The plan was to spend $40 or less each week on groceries and household necessities. The first week I ended up overspending by $5, but I learned a good lesson. Instead of getting excited about bargains and coupons, I need to make sure that I purchase the key ingredients to my planned meals first. Below are the meals we cooked this week.

{stuffed shells}

{slow cooker boneless ribs with baked sweet potatoes}

{rosemary chicken with orange maple glaze and stuffed acorn squash}

Josh was feeling nostalgic for his bachelor days, so we had shake'n'bake chicken and stove top stuffing.

This week I slightly overspent my budget because I threw a small dinner party for Grandma Kregel's 89th birthday. It was definitely worth the little extra that I spent : ) We had spaghetti, garlic bread, salad, butternut squash soup, cake and ice cream.

Even though I have yet to meet my $40 goal, I have changed the way I approach grocery shopping. I go into the store with a specific list and food does not end up in my cart just because it looks appetizing. This challenge is going to become considerably more difficult once our CSA is finished.

A Happy Pillow

I have always felt like I was meant to use a sewing machine. I love fabric and crafting. My only problem was that my skills were limited to a middle school home-ec tutorial and the lingo I've picked up from watching Project Runway. I bought a sewing machine in August and let it sit for weeks out of fear that the machine would be too complicated for me to handle.

My aunt's birthday was the first of October and I wanted to make her something special. I recently purchased vintage fabric from a garage sale that reminded me of her. (I paid fifty cents for four yards) I finally mustered up the courage and got out the instruction manual for my Singer Promise. After carefully following each step for threading the machine, I managed to make this basic pillow.

I embroidered her initials and her birth date on a patch. It's not perfect, but it's made with love.

This is pretty basic stuff, but I will elaborate anyways. To make the flower I cut a 12"x1" strip of fabric. By hand, I sewed a running stitch down one edge. Then I pulled the string tight, which made the fabric bunch up. After knotting the thread, I stitched up the two sides. I repeated the exact same process with khaki fabric for the inner layer. I sewed the two layers together and added a few buttons and I was done.

{I was so pleased with my results that I made one for myself}

linked: somedaycrafts, nightowlcrafting, thetrendytreehouse, typeadecorating, goodbyecityhellosuburbs, bluecricketdesign, southernlovely

Our Boring Spare Bedroom

Our spare bedroom has been neglected. It wasn't until this summer that we managed to get some furniture to fill up the space. The result is a hodgepodge of pieces from my single lady days, including a too small night stand and a tiny chair.

{naked, boring wall}

I decided to spruce it up on the cheap. I will share with you a little bit of my progress. I attempted to change the dorm room decor above the dresser. (I have already used the canvases for a different project in the room. I am just waiting for the handy man to hang them)

{place bowl of ramen and three ring binder here}

I found this guy at Michaels for $1.50 I liked his swirls and figured I could give him a makeover.

I stumbled upon this pretty mirror at an antique store. I only paid $22 for this monstrosity. It is big and HEAVY. Because of its weight and size, I postponed hanging it on the wall. I am still debating whether or not I want to paint it. Any suggestions on a color?

I used these rubber grippers to prevent the mirror from sliding off the dresser.

The room still has a long way to go. Hopefully it's starting to look like an adult lives here. I will keep you posted on my other spare bedroom projects.

linked: todayscreativeblog, blackberryvine, skiptomylou, craftyconfessions, southernlovely

Money Matters

When I decided to quit my job, we knew that we would have to change our spending habits. Not being in a retail environment everyday has prevented me from shopping so much. Unfortunately, I think I can still work on spending less each month.

I started planning out our meals at the beginning of each week. This small chalkboard menu on our fridge has held me accountable to the process. My shopping list is much more streamlined and I have had to make fewer trips to the store.

Starting this week, I am going to challenge myself to only spend $40 a week at the store. This amount is somewhat arbitrary and I may adjust my goal at the end of October. This will hopefully force me to pay better attention to sales, use coupons, and better utilize the food in our pantry. In addition, I am not going to spend any money on STUFF during the month of October. If I want to work on the house, I will have to use supplies we already have. If I need to give a gift, I will have to get super creative.

Do you have any tips for me that will support my cause?

Roasted Chicken With Tomatoes and Olives

It has been a  fun challenge trying to figure out how to use our CSA goods each week. Our last basket included green beans, potatoes, two colorful bell peppers, beefsteak tomatoes, grape tomatoes, and two spaghetti squash. I'm still stumped on a spaghetti squash recipe that Josh will eat, but everything else will be put to good use. This evening I used a recipe from Real Simple that used up this week's supply of grape tomatoes and it was quite tasty!

Step 2. tomatoes, garlic, olives, thyme, lemon zest, and olive oil

Ingredients

• 1 lemon 
• 2 pints grape tomatoes 
• 1  head garlic, cloves separated
• 1 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved 
• 8 sprigs fresh thyme 
• 2 tablespoons olive oil 
• 1 3-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces 
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 small loaf country bread, warmed (optional)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 425° F. Using a vegetable peeler, remove strips of zest from the lemon. (Reserve the lemon.)
2. In a large roasting pan, toss the tomatoes, garlic, olives, thyme, and lemon zest with 1 tablespoon of the oil.
3. Nestle the chicken, skin-side up, among the vegetables and drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of oil. Season the chicken and vegetables with ¾ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Roast until the chicken is cooked through, 35 to 40 minutes.
4. Remove the chicken from the hot roasting pan. Squeeze the juice from the lemon into the roasting pan and add the wine. Gently stir, scraping up any bits stuck to the pan. Serve the chicken and vegetables with the pan juices and bread (if using). Recipe by Kate Merker,  March 2010

I tweaked the recipe to serve three. We would be on chicken overload if we had to eat a whole three pounder. I substituted three chicken breasts, 1/2 cup olives (I didn't bother halving them), four sliced cloves of garlic, almost two teaspoons of dried thyme. In addition to using a vegetable peeler for the lemon zest, I also used my kitchen sheers to cut the pieces even smaller.

I favor recipes that include wine. It gives me an excuse to drink fancy 'Two Buck Chuck' from Trader Joes.

vegetables after roasting

The next recipe in my tomato-centric meal also came from Real Simple. I made cheesy broiled tomatoes as a side dish.

Directions: Arrange the tomato slices in a single layer on a lightly oiled rimmed baking sheet. Season with ¼ teaspoon each salt and black pepper. Sprinkle the slices with the mozzarella and Parmesan. Broil until the cheese is bubbly and golden, 3 to 5 minutes.

I guessed on the salt and pepper and skipped the Parmesan. I broiled the tomatoes at 425 degrees for about seven minutes until the cheese turned a light brown/golden color.

Broiled cheesy tomatoes fresh out of the oven.

The finished product.

My first encounter with an olive boat occurred about six months ago at my cousin's bridal shower and I immediately knew I wanted one. I found this Italian beauty at a garage sale for $3. Josh said that it was neat, which is high praise in his book. 

linked: thewell, chef-n-training, delightfullydowling, nap-timecreations, 33shadesofgreen, fudgeripple, momscrazycooking, thekingscourt4, southernlovely, thischickcooks