Easter Finery for a Dollar

Check it out! Jones New York silk top for a dollar at the thrift store. Such a deal!

Gerbera Daisy

My gerbera daisy has a lovely white flower - just in time for Easter. This must mean spring is around the corner.

Floor is Complete-sort of

Yay! The new floor is down in the living room, hall, bedroom and kitchen. It's been finished since January 29. Why so long for the update? Well, I still have to put mouldings around the room's perimeters. That requires more money and more time. For the most part, the job is done. And it looks clean and is MUCH easier to maintain. Love the Allure flooring. 

Hormel Pepperoni Sandwich Slices at Dollar Tree

Woo hoo! Hormel Pepperoni Sandwich Slices are at Dollar Tree Stores. And there is a coupon for $1.00 off two packages on coupons.com. That means you pay just fifty cents per package. Great deal considering they are $2 at Meijer this week.

Lily Finds a Ball or the Reason I Haven't Posted Anything New

It's winter here in Michigan. And we've gotten snow. Since getting out of my subdivision seems like an adventure, I decided to complete my kitchen floor. The same kitchen floor I started ripping out over 6 months ago. My goal for the new year it to get it done by the end of January. January 2013, that is.

Progress is slow. Seems the former owners didn't just use mortar to put the durock and tile down, they also used some kind of adhesive that I can't pry off. That means I have to grind the stuff down. Oh yay! Fortunately, a coworker is loaning me their angle grinder. I can't wait to tackle this latest feat.

In the meantime, Lily and I have been walking more. She likes to eat snow as we walk - running ahead to grab a bite from a snow bank. It's almost as if she's eating ice cream she loves it so. Her eyes light up and she takes great delight in snatching a morsel and dashing ahead of me to find her next treat. Does snow taste different from yard to yard?

Here's a couple photos of a ball we found on our travels. More design posts to follow soon.

Groceries for $7.43

Take a look at my groceries - just $7.43 for the lot! A little bragging I'll admit. The four packages of BIC shavers were BOGO and I had BOGO coupons. The pasta was $1 minus my coupons for $1 off 2 packages. Avocados were 69 cents each, bananas 33 cents/pound. I had a $10 coupon from Meijer so the cheese, flour, garlic cloves, 2 packages of blackberries and tomato paste were free. The Aveeno lotion was free after coupons at Target and the Pampers wipes were 49 cents after coupons at Target also.  The meat was a one pound mix of ground pork and ground chuck for $1.91.

Small Sweater Pillow

Here's a sweet mini version of the sweater pillow. This time, instead of whip stitching the ends, I sewed the piece with a machine and blind stitched one edge. Pretty darn cute for an old sweater I got at a church rummage sale.

Cable Knit Sweater Pillow

After seeing sweater pillows by Martha Stewart and on etsy.com for $50, I decided to make my own. My version is the one on top. Here's a quick demo of what I did.

First, measure the pillow you want to cover. I recommend using an extra large sweater.

Next, remove the sleeves and neckline using scissors.

This is what the sweater will look like minus sleeves. Now I cut the same amount from the front and back of the sweater to make a square shape.

Use yarn in a whip-stitch or blanket stitch pattern to join seams. You can use yarn of the same or contrasting color. I selected a cream color.

I made my pillow in an envelope style and added a fleece flower with pearl accent to close the envelope. Stylish and affordable since I recovered an existing pillow with a sweater purchased from a church rummage sale for a dollar.

Sweater Pillow

Fall is here. Crisp weather means breaking out the warmer clothing. Why not do the same for your furniture?

I had a men's XL merino wool sweater just waiting to be donated when I decided the burgundy color would work well with my family room and the green pillow needed some updating. One thing led to another and soon I was cutting off the sleeves to the sweater and blanket stitching the arm holes. I used a spare sleeve across the neck area of the sweater to create a false fold.

A fast and easy update.

Art Featured at "Knock-off Decor" Site

My dog pictures inspired by Target are featured at the KNOCK OFF DECOR web site. Check it out! This site has lots of great ideas to help you recreate your favorite store finds at a fraction of the original cost.