Monday, September 3, 2012

THRIFTING! My Kind of Shopping!!!

Get ready, cuz this stuff excites me. So please pardon me if I get a little over-enthusiastic. IT'S JUST SO EXCITING!!!

Today (Labor Day) means that ALL thrift stores in the Denver area offer 50% off sales. Now, not just 50% off a certain color ticket. No, no. We're talking the whole. gosh. darn. store! FIFTY PERCENT OFF! And given that we're talking thrift stores, we're already talking cheap, cheap items! THEN ANOTHER FIFTY PERCENT OFF THAT! Whoooo!

Ok, so I know many people who are scared of thrifting, or they think that thrift stores are just icky or that you won't find good items. I've never had thrifting-phobia, so I can't relate to those mindsets. But I'm here to tell you that if you are persistent, patient, and willing to wake up early, you can find some STEALS!

My reasons why you should shop thrift stores?
1. Reduce, reuse, recycle! Purchasing thrift items and not always buying new helps keep things out of landfills and re-purposes perfectly good items!
2. It's so much cheaper!!! Goodness knows I'm about as frugal as they come, so getting clothing and other items at a steal of a price is so much better than paying through the nose for new, marked up items!
3. Thrift stores help your local community! Money earned in thrift stores (such as Goodwill, ARC, and Savers) helps support those less fortunate, so go buy, buy, BUY! =)

Still squirrly about buying items at thrift stores? If it's clothing you're scared about, just take it home and wash it! Clean! If you still refuse, at least take some time to go look at books, furniture, or other household items, because you can find some awesome things that other people simply don't want/need anymore! Like they say, one man's trash is another man's treasure! AMEN!

Today we traveled to 3 different Goodwills, ARC, and Savers, and we fought the bustles of people just like us out for bargains! I set my budget for the day at $100, and I am happy to report that I got TONS of items for a grand total of $84 - and that doesn't include the items I'll be re-selling in my garage sale (for even more money...shhh!)

Stop 1: Goodwill on Broadway (in Denver)
What I got:







 TOTAL: $51.10
Broken down:
2 pairs of Corduroy pants - $3.00 each - $6.00
Blue sweater - $2.50
Khaki H&M Jacket - $5.50
Brown/Tan Jacket - $2.50
Red fedora - $3.50
Vera Bradley bag - $2.00 (VERA BRADLEY! I'll re-sell this.)
K-State sign (for the McKassons haha) - $2.00
Wilton tip saver case - .50 cents (these little things retail for $6.99!)
White "shabby chic" lantern - $2.00
2 HUGE ruffled blue pillows (I was going to keep these, but they don't look right in my room. Oh well! Garage sale it is!) - $3.50 each - $7.00
Kid's easel/blackboard - $5.00 (I've already re-sold this for $15, so $10 profit)
Small wire dog/cat cage - $5.00 (I'll also re-sell this)
*not pictured* - 4 large IKEA plates to make in to cake stands (I'll do another blog about this little crafting endeavor!) - $1.00 each - $4.00

Stop 2: ARC on Broadway (in Denver)
What I got:
  TOTAL: $8.00
Broken down:
1 green skirt (unfortunately NOT 50% off, darn) - $4.99
ADORABLE blue purse - $2.50

Stop 3: Goodwill on Broadway (in Englewood)
What I got:

TOTAL: $12.39
Broken down:
Gap Body white fitness tank (for my upcoming 5K Color Run!!!) - $1.50 
Blue/White H&M dress (WITH POCKETS!) - $3.00
Green khaki pants - $2.50
*not pictured* a MVHS choir dress in pristine condition! - $4.50 (I'll either sell this to a choir girl or just donate it to the choir department. I couldn't leave it in the store when those dresses normally retail for upwards of $80!)

Stop 4: Savers in Littleton
What I got:
TOTAL: $12.86
Broken down:
Strapless coral ruffle maxi dress - $4.00
Purple dress - $3.00
White shorts (again, for my upcoming 5K Color Run!!!) - $3.00
Red beaded necklace (unfortunately not 50%) - $1.99 (still a bargain!)

Stop 3: Goodwill on Broadway (in Highlands Ranch)
What I got:
NOTHING! haha. I tried, but we got there later in the day and the store had been picked over. Nothing for this exhausted shopper!

DO YOU SEE HOW MANY AMAZING THINGS YOU CAN FIND IF YOU JUST LOOK!? Thrift stores are great to begin with, but add the benefit of shopping on 50% off days and you're in for a steal of a deal! Just try it out! I promise it's worth you while! =)


Thursday, August 30, 2012

Parade of Homes - I'm Moving!

Today my mom and our friend Joyce took off to various parts of Denver to see some of the homes participating in the Parade of Homes. I'd never been before, but goodness knows I'm obsessed with house hunting and all things on HGTV, so I was stoked! The first house we visited in The Backcountry in Highlands Ranch was by far my favorite - I'm ready to move RIGHT NOW! =) I snapped a few pictures as we went on my iPhone, so nothing is fabulous quality, but my goodness were these houses beautiful!

1st house:
 My new home. It's decided!

 2nd house:





 I wanted a picture of the mirror, then realized it was more a picture of me. Failed to smile for that one, oops!
 Map Wall!
 Awesome staircase layout. One side led up to the map wall room, the other side led up to the rest of the house.



3rd house (Spanish inspired):


 The walk-out basement led to an interior courtyard. It was heavenly!

 Outdoor kitchen complete with pizza oven
 Oh yeah - they had a wine cellar. NBD.
 Interior courtyard. Ahhhhh!

 Complete with overhead lanterns!


 Reading nook. It reminded me of 'Beauty and the Beast'

 Master bath.  I LOVE the tiling!

4th house:


 This tub was AWESOME!
 Kitchenette behind the hidden door!
 Love this tiling!

 All behind the hidden passage!
 Awesome, but SO not practical!

Houses 4 & 5:


Wednesday, August 29, 2012

DIY Bulletin Board

DIY : Music Bulletin Board

With all the garage-sale-ing we've been doing in this house, I've seen my fair share of items! We had a small-ish bulletin board donated and it just wasn't selling, so I decided that rather than give it away for practically nothing, I would bust out my arts & crafts skills and refinish the board for my future music classroom! This was EASY-PEASY and the end result is super cute!

What You’ll Need:
Bulletin Board (taken apart)
1 yard of fabric
Scissors
Staple Gun
Spray Paint (optional)

My original board - in pretty sorry shape.

 The fabric I chose. Yay MUSIC!

 Step 1: Iron your fabric, if need be, and lay it on a flat surface.

Step 2: Cut the fabric so that there is about a 2-3 in border on all sides.

Step 3: Work on one side at a time, pulling the fabric snugly and stapling to secure it in place. (I found it best to work on opposite sides. So staple the top, then the bottom, then work on the sides. Fold the excess fabric in like you're wrapping a present and staple to secure.)

Step 4: Spray paint your frame, if you so choose.

Step 5: Once dry, reassemble the bulletin board for your finished product! 
Ta-Da!

This whole project took me all of 15 min., and since I already had the board and the spray paint, the grand total of this makeover was around $4.00!

Pretty snazzy, huh?
{I realize upon further inspection that all my pictures of the fabric are upside down. Oopsies and oh well!}