Decorating with Favorite Sale Finds

Our family loves the Autumn season!  Football, pumpkin patch, caramel apples,  Halloween, the list is never ending!!!  The one thing I love is decorating for Fall and after season clearance sales.  There are always good finds and I can't help but keep adding to my fall decor collection, tee hee hee.

Being a garage sale junkie, clearance sale addict, and Goodwill/ Thrift Store frequent shopper, I only purchase items that can be reused and repurposed.  My latest "diamond in the rough" was this wreath.

She had seen better days, and since she was only 50 cents, I couldn't leave her behind.  So I brought her home and gave her a makeover.

Filling her with pieces from old garland, and this and that found at the bottom of the fall decor storage totes, I was able to give her a new life.  Fabulous!!!

Shirt to Shabby Cute!

One of my first finds on Pinterest was this beauty...

I knew I had to make my own.  I started with a shirt from my closet.  This would make my husband happy, he seems to think I need to reduce my wardrobe...  What a crazy idea!!!

Sewing the bottom together, created my new hand bag immediately.  I then cut the excess of the bottom to use as straps.

It was cute as is, but I needed to embellish, woo hoo!!!  Using a vintage prom dress, I created floral pretties to place on my bag.  Love, love, LOVE!!!!

Isn't she pretty?!?

A Vintage Window Treatment

This summer I found some great vintage sheet music at a garage sale for a $1.00!  I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do with it, but I couldn't pass up a deal like this.  Being the odd size of paper it is made it difficult to find a place to store it, so it has laid on my work surface.  Because of this new found time I have, organizing and decorating my studio has become my focus.  I have picked up the sheet music a dozen times, thinking of a new home for it and could not come up with anything.  Once again this morning, I picked it up and then an idea hit me, I would make window valances out of them. 

My studio is in our sun room, 6 windows without anything but the white wooden blinds.  I was instantly giddy!!!

First I started with Velcro strips

I then cut the backs of my paper pads into 2 inch strips

Securing them onto the sticky side of the Velcro strip

This was my base.  Next, I started cutting and tearing the sheet music.  Realizing right away that I would not have enough sheet music to cover all 6 windows, I incorporated some pages from my vintage dictionary.

Ta-Da!!!  EEK!!! LOVE IT!!!

Curl it, Twist it, Tie it, Hang it, Drape it...

Ribbon, ribbon, ribbon... I have as much "scrap" ribbon as I do "scrap" paper.  I had it draped and wrapped and tucked anywhere and everywhere, making sure I could see it and not forget I had it to use.  I never liked how I had it "stored" around my studio, so I came up with a different solution.  Using the vintage shutters I had in the corner by my desk, I used Christmas ornament hangers and started organizing...

I placed by color, making sure I could see all types and styles...

This really turned out perfect!!!

What are your nifty organizing ideas and solutions?

Another First

Our lives are full of "firsts".  At the age of 16, receiving your first driver's license or your first day of college or your first day as a married couple and so on.  At the age of 36, I have found another first, my first day having no children at home with me, laying in the fetal position, sucking my thumb.  Obviously, I am not taking it so well, lol!  It was funny, not having them here with me, I went grocery shopping by myself and then to Walmart by myself, and back home to put my purchases away, by myself.  They weren't there picking out which grocery cart to use, they weren't there picking out what fruit they wanted for the week, they weren't there helping put groceries away, asking questions, asking for milk in the favorite sippy cut...  They weren't there...

This was my first 3 hours to myself...  I am not sure when I have had time to myself... Shopping for new clothes was always done with a little one in the dressing room with me, our anniversary dinner has always been celebrated with our children, and I don't think I have used a bathroom without interruption for the last 10 years...To some, maybe most, this new alone time would seem a blessing, but to me, it was not.  I truly missed their voices, even their bickering, lol!  So, of course, I needed to take advantage of this time given, and to my surprise I did get a lot accomplished.  My studio had taken a turn for the worse, this usually happens at least once a month.  With this new found time on my hands, I started organizing without any interruptions, hmmmmmmm...  Then the daydreaming started of what kind of "to-do's" were in my future.  I have to say my list is growing by the minute, Halloween costumes to be made before our upcoming "Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party" at Walt Disney World in October, Christmas cards to be made in the next couple of weeks, and the upcoming decorating for fall and Christmas seasons, and so on.  Oh the possibilities!!!

With this change of heart, I opened a box that arrived a week ago, and started observing the contents again...

It was my Webster's Pages purchase through Groupon, so many pretties for just $25, I am exhilarated with this purchase!!!  It brought a much needed smile to my face. 

With these beauties that arrived via snail mail, I have a lot to keep me busy until this school year ends... How many more days until summer vacation????  This Mommy can't wait!!!

Soarin'

As I had stated in the last post, I have been doing more challenges.  Here is a layout I did using the Sketch #132 at The Scrappiest. 

Complete with a cute title and journaling.  Lately I have found that I rather journal on the paper somewhere than to use an actual journal block.  How do you journal on your pages?

i Love My teacher

Last week I decided to enter more challenges, it is a great way to catch up on my scrapping as well as use some awesome sketches designed by some very talented scrappers!  This is the one I chose for Sketch #133 at The Scrappiest. 

Using papers from DCWV, I cut several pieces from different papers and incorporated them all on one page.  It was fun and quick, one of my favorite duos, lol!

Are your little ones back to school?  This is our last day of summer, not looking forward to sending my kiddos to school tomorrow, it will be way too quiet here.