My $0 Beach Sign

First, let me say thank you to all of you who have written to tell me how sorry you were to hear about my dog.  We miss her so much, but each day is getting a little better.

 Now, let me tell you about this little project I worked on yesterday.  As many of you know,  I'm working on my finishing touches in my kid's beach themed bathroom.  I really wanted to make a "Beach" sign to hang in there, the only problem is that I am not an artist AT ALL. Repeat.  Not an Artist....AT ALL!  I can draw stick people...and flowers.  That's about the extent in which my artistic abilities lie.  So how did I make this sign you ask?

 Well,  it's actually pretty simple and I made it without a Cricut, Silhouette, or even stencils.  I don't have any of those in Lewisville, but I'm hoping there will be some good before or after Christmas sales on the Cricut or Silhouette.  Those machines are awesome, but so far I have to figure out how to do awesome signs without them.  By the way, I LOVE my Beach sign!

Tips & Tricks Tuesday #32

Hello friends,
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Our family enjoyed time with friends and some delish food.  The rest of our weekend, however, turned out to be very, very sad.  We took our dog into the pet emergency room on Friday morning.  Our dog Picabo (peek a boo) has been with us for 6 years.  She was named after the town of Picabo, Idaho where she kept running away from what we think was an abusive home. When we brought her home from the animal shelter, she stole our hearts and became part of the family.  Picabo got sick and went critical on Friday morning.  We don't know exactly what happened except that she may have been sick for a while and hiding her pain/symptoms.  Dogs do that for their family's.  Our vet worked very hard and was able to stabilize her, but within hours, we had to say our goodbyes.  We cried most of the weekend, but slowly are doing better. She was a wonderful dog, but I'm not quite ready to post a picture.

Needless to say, I haven't felt like blogging, but I know we need to get Lewisville back to normal as much as possible.  Sometime this week, I'll include the post I scheduled to get out this past weekend.  Today, as usual, is another Tips and Tricks Tuesday.

I hope today's Tips and Tricks Tuesday post gives you some inspiration to work on the little things around your home. 

Emergency & Life Binder

Hello friends!  I know I've been promising to show you how I organized my Emergency Binder, and I am so sorry for the delay.  I had my binder ready 2 weeks ago, but life and kids and that little thing called  Thanksgiving have taken over Lewisville. That happens to you guys too, right?  Well, I added a few awesome finishing touches to the binder this last weekend, and I have to tell you,  it feels so good to finally share this with you.  Here it is!

Tips & Tricks Tuesday: Last minute Thanksgiving Table decor

 So have you  been out to the stores this week?  OH... MY... GOODNESS!  It is crazy out there!  Everyone, and I do mean EVERYONE, is out in full force getting ready for Thanksgiving.  I was at Costco yesterday, on a Monday in the middle of the day when it's usually nice and quite, and it was a madhouse instead.  Monday is my regular shopping day.  That's the only reason I was there...Ahem.

Today I want to share with you some last minute Thanksgiving decor that you can put together in a few minutes.  If you find yourself needing "something" for the table, look no further.  I put this together over the weekend for our church's Thanksgiving feast.  Just about everything you see on the table, came from the Dollar Tree or Hobby Lobby.

Beach Art

Hi there everyone!  Are you glad it's Friday?  Me too!  I know some of you have been wondering what's happening with my Beach Themed Bathroom that I started back in July.  All I can say is - I'm slow.  It takes me FOREVER to complete a room.  If you're new here, I have indeed been working on my kid's bathroom for the last few....months.  There, I said it.  I'm so ashamed!  Why does it take me so long to decorate the smallest room in my house?  I don't have an answer except to say that I get side tracked, easily distracted, and I'm somewhat indecisive at times.  Can any one relate?

Well, I'm buckling down!  Yup, I am focused. Steady Eddy from now on, and I've decided to COMPLETE this room by next week.  So next Friday, I will have a Beach Bathroom Reveal!  My first room reveal!  I'd like to thank the academy, Hobby Lobby, Michaels, and Home Depot for their support!  Just kidding.  They just willingly took my money these last few months in exchange for goods.  Speaking of goods, I made beach art for that "taking forever" beach bathroom.  You want to see?

How do you like them?  They were so easy to make and as always here in Lewisville, very inexpensive.

Tips & Tricks Tuesday- Fall Inspiration

Thanksgiving is next week! Can you believe it?  Are you hosting a big dinner at your place? Let me guess, turkey will be on the menu!  Our plans haven't been finalized, but I know we will be surrounded with family, friends, and of course, lots of love.

We are hosting a large Thanksgiving feast at our church and guess who's overseeing the table decor?  That's right! Little ole me!  I love stuff like this!  My challenge is to make it look great- inviting, festive, and beautiful, all while spending very little.  I'm so ready for this!  I put a fall table together here in Lewisville last month for under $10.  You can read about it HERE.  Fall decor shouldn't take up a whole envelope in our budgets, so to keep in line with our Tips & Tricks Tuesday, I'll be sharing a little "budget friendly" fall decor inspiration.  
Everything can be found on my Pinterest Fall board, but please click on the "source" at the bottom of each picture and pin directly from that link.  That way, each crafter gets properly credited.  We all love to have our work recognized correctly.

 So here are a few of my favorite Fall inspiration decorating tips.  I like simple, easy, and inexpensive ideas that look amazing.  That's not asking for much right?  Well, all of these can be done quickly, in no time, and they will help make your Thanksgiving decor really stand out.  Are you ready?  Happy decorating.

This little light of mine

Well, I have to tell you.  I LOVE thrift store deals!  I love when I find a great piece of furniture for just a few bucks and make it look like a part of a store collection.  I LOVE saving  money of course, and I LOVE finding items we NEED at home.  In Lewisville, we need table lamps.  We've been sitting in the dark far to long (not really) and it's just time to purchase some beautiful, esthetically pleasing lamps!

I don't know how, but somewhere along the way, every lamp in our house seemed to break or "disappear".  Strange I tell you?  I really wanted matching lamps for the master bedroom, without paying for them with one of my children.  We're talking lamps here-that give light- not a piece of furniture or an appliance.  When did lamp prices surge into the "oh my goodness; are you kidding me" price points?  Then again, I know I'm cheap (loud and proud) so with every price I see, from Pottery Barn to Target, I'm bound to choke on it.
Then one day, I saw these two pretty girls at my local thrift store, and I insisted they come home with me.

Tips and Tricks Tuesday #29

Hello.  I know so many of you are glued to the TV right now looking at exit polls and state predictions.  I'm with you, watching to see who will be leading our country for the next 4 years.  I know that no matter who sits in the White House, I will continue to blog.  I will continue to pay my taxes. I will continue to pay off my bills. I will continue to love on my family and pray for my country; but most of all, I will continue to keep my eyes on Jesus. The president has never changed my life in significance, but Christ has indeed!

So let's blog.  Today is Tuesday, which means it's Tips and Tricks Tuesday!  This is the day of the week where I share some great tips from around blogland, pinterest, and here from Lewisville!  If you're new here, you can find all these on my Tips and Tricks board on Pinterest, and if you feel so inclined, I'd love it if you'd follow me there or facebook.  Let's get on with it shall we?

Re-purposed Canisters for the Pantry

Hello! Hello!  I'm excited to share today's post with you.  I've been wanting to get my hands dirty with paint lately and there are a few projects I'm working on that are "in progress".  Hopefully, you'll be seeing those soon!  This week though, I was busy out side with a little spray paint. I LOVE spray paint. I think spray paint is the fastest, cheapest, and best way to make something beautiful.  After you see today's project, I think you'll agree with me.

So if you're new here, I've been working on getting my home in order and organized.  Most of you know that I have my own little Organizing Challenge going on here in Lewisville.  I'm organizing spaces (even the hidden, messy ones) and doing it for as little money as possible. You can read about my organizing projects HERE and HERE. 

The pantry is an area I would love to "makeover".  It's not about design and decor with the pantry though.  It's about functionality and order, and I love seeing beautifully organized pantries. Is my pantry beautiful and organized?....not so much.  But it's getting there. Look at the canisters I'm using to organize this space.

Do you like them?  I paid $0 for these!  Zip, Zilch, Zero!  Now you LOVE them huh?  Want to know where they came from?  Of course you do, because like me, you like saving money while making your home a little brighter, right?  Ok, so here it is.  I made them.  Yup. These were actually many of these at one time.