Tip #14 Try Something Out Of Your Comfort Zone

Four years! Four years ago I was a blushing bride marrying the man of my dreams. Our hearts were full but our apartment was empty. We each brought student loans but not a single dish to the "table." We were blessed by amazingly generous friends and family. Everything, yes everything in our home was given to us. God has been good.

Four years later not much has changed. We are still using all hand-me-down furniture.  He's still the man of my dreams. We are still amazed by the generosity of the people in our lives. 

We did however kick some serious student loan butt and are living debt free. Oh, and there is the whole leaving family and jobs to move a state away and help start a church thing. But God is still good and today I'm showing you my living room and what I tried that was way out of my comfort zone.

 This is just a tea-stained newspaper framed

with birds on a wire painted on the glass.

Literally no moneys spent!

Let's start with the walls, shall we. FreeRecycled or thrifted vintage frames filled with sketches and a feather. A super quick painting in the center. The couch? From my grandparents, and then parents home. The chair? A college roommate didn't want. The rug? My the in-laws old house before they moved south. The pillows? A wedding gift. What's crazy to me is that it all matches.

Power Tools. Sanding. Staining. And Polyurethane-ing. Way out of my comfort zone. Which brings me to this coffee table which I just did all of those things to.

I broke our old coffee table. So it was time for a new (used) one! I got this guy at Salvation Army for $14.

I still don't know if I did it totally right but I'm super happy with the results. I used General Finshes Java Gel Stain and will probably only use this in future projects. It hid my mistakes well and was not too stinky. And thanks to another blogger I didn't ruin everything. Click here for how to stain your stuff!

Tip #13 Make A Bridal Shower Gift

It's Summer. It's wedding season. If you have a lot of friends getting hitched in the same year this can get a bit pricey which is why it can be lovely to make your own gift.

A talented Etsy Seller

Step 1) Find some inspiration! I rarely resort to Pintrest. Mainly because I already have a million projects stewing in my head and I don’t need anymore. But for my friend's bridal shower I needed something NOT so cheap and dirty.

Step 2) Grab some wooden spoons at T.J. Max. I ended borrowing a wood burner from a  friend. Money Saved.

Step 3) Burn these in an afternoon. You can sketch with pencil before or just free hand. 

Step 4) Buy a bright colored mixing bowl and fill with boxed brownies and breads. Wrap in clear plastic and pretty bow.

Step 5) Be super happy for that sweet bride in you life!