#19 Upcyle the world!

I love maps. I love globes. I love traveling. I love the world. So naturally I want my home to encompass the things I love.

I know for a fact I copied this idea. Essentially, I got an old school globe from a rummage sale and removed the thin piece of plastic that keeps those hemisperes together.

Since I already owned a stack of vintage maps I used my Big Shot die cut machine and made circle shapes. I used gloss mode podge to keep them all in place. At this point I have and empty globe bowl.

Now this next party was all my idea. What does one fill a globe with? More GLOBES!

Since I've loved all things world for a while, I already had a bunch of little worlds from resale and rummage stores. But I did end up buying a couple more from World Market. Gasp! So not cheap of me. It's okay, I used a coupon.

#18 Make your own Christmas decorations. Christmas 2015

If you know me well. You know I like things cheap. Even better if it's free. Especially, around Christmas time!

This year I used an Etsy recipe to create non-edible gingerbread ornaments and a ginger bread house. I can guarantee you'll find the ingredients in your cupboard and I already have oodles of puff paint which I used for "frosting"

So check out what I got to make on a Saturday after noon:

1) I sketched my ideal "home."

2) Came up with some real life dimensions.

3) Cut each piece out of thin cardboard.

4) Taped the pieces as a mock up.

5) Rolled out the dough!

6) Used my mock up cardboard pieces as a cutting template.

7) Baked.

8) Puff painted.

9) Waited for the paint to dry.

10) And assembled with a hot glue gun.

I suppose that doesn't sound too easy. It may even seem crazy. But I would go crazy if I wasn't making something! 

#17 Make your own stockings! Christmas 2015

Just over four years ago was my first Christmas as a wife. I felt I had really joined the family when my awesome mother-in-law made me this amazing felt stocking to coordinate with the others hung above the fire place.

Much to my husbands' delight, I decided to continue this tradition in our home. So the next few years I made some for us. I find the Bucilla brand felt stocking kits on eBay or amazon. If you LOVE mindless, time-consuming, and tedious tasks with very small pieces...these are for you! I happen to love this stuff.

I essentially followed the (Santa's gift Bucilla Christmas stocking) pattern perfectly for the husband.

I altered my (Bucilla Fairy Sweet Christmas Stocking) slightly.

And this year I made this for my pup using the pieces from the (Bucilla Santa's Bakery Felt Stocking) I almost completely changed the design. I love that silly dog so much it doesn't matter that if he got his paws on this he'd tear it to shreds.

For some reason I always do things the hard way but once I'm finished I'm so happy I did!

#16 Get Spooky. Halloween 2015

Good to see you again. I've been gone from blogging for a long time so I'm super excited to get back into it with one of my favorite Holidays. 

It's a new year so time for some new habits. Actually back to some old habits for me so let me catch you up on: Halloween, Christmas, my home, and my newest challenge.

After just a bit of digging at my favorite place to get the things that are cheap and dirty...

 My husband and I decided for Halloween this year I would be Little Dead Riding Hood!  My cape is made out of a thrifted sheet
with some help from this youtuber. I found the dress at the same thrift store for two dollars. And of course slashed my face up real good thanks to this gent.

My sweet husband was the Big Bad Wolf and one our guy friends was a great enough sport to be Granny.

Tip #15 Remember Halloweens Past

Well Hi-ya-there! Sorry you haven't heard from me in a while. I've been busy. Like crazy busy. Like almost bought two homes, then actually bought a home, packed up, moved, got sick, did some international traveling busy, had family in town (twice), and am currently sick again busy. But one is NEVER too busy for Halloween!

We are two days out and I'm not sharing what I'm going to be until after thee Holiday. But I will share that I may or may not have woken my husband up two mornings ago and by jumping on top of him chanting, "HALL-O-WEEN HALL-O-WEEN!" And I will share that I stole my husband's phone and changed the background photos to some good ol' fashioned wife as a vampire selfies (Good thing I married an incredibly patient man who also loves Halloween). And I will share some of my homemade costumes from Halloweens past:


A few years ago we were Fred and Wilma! This was done with some thrift store tees and double sided iron on interfacing.

 Before that I was a storm trooper. Same stye of costume making. Just ironing on black cut outs from a t-shirt onto a white t-shirt.

 I loved sewing my Phoenix/Jean Grey costumes but making Bane's mask for my husband was WAY too much fun. I used kids' foam craft clay and painted it. I ended up selling both of these costumes on ETSY later.

The most most most fun costume ever was being an AVATAR.

And I've never missed an opportunity to be undead with my best friend!



HALL-O-WEEN! HALL-O-WEEN! HALL-O-WEEN! HALL-O-WEEN! HALL-O-WEEN!

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!