finding a pot of gold

When we went on our anniversary trip, I found this little gem of a planter hiding in the bottom of a big hutch full of dishes at Anthropologie:

At $14, it was far less per lb. than every other Anthro item ;), and the gold one I found is the perfect shade {it seems a little more muted than the pictures, actually} so I thought it would be a fun souvenir of our 12th anniversary. I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it in our house:

I think it would make a beautiful plant holder too, if I get tired of using it as a utensil holder. :D

You can barely see it here, but hey- my last utensil holder was a pot too. :)

I didn't end up finding anything else at Anthro, but I was quite happy with my big ole gold pot-turned-utensil-holder souvenir. :D 

Do you ever use any unexpected items in everyday life? 

I also use the silverware drawer for holding every random piece of junk in my house until it overflows and I can't see the forks if that counts...heheheh! 

this spray paint is magic in a can.

You probably know spray paint is one of my favorite DIY hacking tools ever, right? :)

Early last year I started seeing shiny gold spray paint popping up all over blogland and apparently, the Rust-oleum $4 version is one of the very best out there. {or second, according to Chris loves Julia and their test! :)} Of course I had to try it for myself... and I only waited a year plus to buy some. Back in the old days {you know, 2012}, I had to hand paint my gold frame instead of spraying it. ;)

I bought this outdoor lantern at Goodwill for $3 years ago, and I thought it might look amazing in a fresh coat of shiny gold. 

I think that little DIY intuition was right!! :) 

I hope gold never goes out of style again {though I seem to remember gold being quite big in the late 80's?}. Remember when Home Interiors was so popular? I can't believe I've already been through repeating fad cycles at 31!! ha! I totally remember the bleached shorts and plastic neon sunglasses and Keds, and what in the world? They're back already. 

I'm not doing those fads this time around because they make me feel like I'm 8 years-old again. But gold? I'll happily repeat that trend. ;) Especially if I have low-commitment spray paint to do the job for me!

p.s. do you think that big bangs will ever come back? I could totally rock that style with my curls. 

just kidding.

maybe.

What trends have you already lived through? Did you do them twice {or more?}?

Gold- yay or nay? :)

i can't believe these came from the dollar store

I so love $1 items.

I took the kids to the Dollar Tree the other day on an errand, and I was shocked to find these sunglasses for $1 in the checkout line!

They were definitely a little cheaper in quality than my usual Target ones; they had much lighter plastic and hinges, but the lighter weight didn't bother me once they were on! Plus, I'm terrible at caring for sunglasses so I was thrilled to get them for just $1. {I normally get out of the car and drop them on the ground, or step on them in the floor board... it's a good thing I don't wear real glasses, right? ha!}. 

I usually have to pay $5-$15 per pair every summer so I was super happy to find cute oversized shades that cover my face for way less! They are perfect for the swimming pool. :)

Watch them go and last 10x longer than my expensive pairs, too. Hey, if they last a month I'll be ahead of the game! :P

Are you hard on glasses too? :P Any tips for clumsy people like me to not lose them? :)

What's your favorite dollar store find?

Ray-ban people- are higher quality glasses less prone to scratch? Does better quality make them last longer to you? I break mine at the hinges too, so I'm curious if I'm just throwing away money every summer by buying cheaper ones? I wonder which would win- quality or quantity? {At the dollar store price I guess I could buy 100 pairs for the same as one Ray-ban pair, but the 100 would have no resale value...hmmmmm...}

owlish deals on the web {great gifts $10 and under shipped }

I had lots of people asking me where I found this necklace I was giving away last week:

I couldn't remember for the life of me, and I shopped all of Amazon before I found where I got it- Hobby Lobby:

Hobby Lobby owl, $5 {no chain}

It was from the jewelry section with a coupon. But I figured since I searched high and low on Amazon before I figured that out, I'd show you what I found there that was similar in case you were looking for a fun gift. :D

I thought this was super cute on the high end of the price range- with a much different color combo, which I like too:

Vintage Bronze Colorful Enamel Owl Pendant Necklaces Fashion Jewelry for Women,100344, $10.86 {free shipping}

And this was just ridiculously adorable.

Jovivi Cute Animal Owl Flower Print Enamel Gold Tone Chain Necklace Adjustable (Blue), $7.98 shipped

And then this one looked a bit more heavy weight:

 Vintage Style Sweater Necklace Rhinestone Crystal Owl Necklace, $8.99 shipped with prime

And this one was just quirky fun:

BestDealUSA Small Bronzy Brass Elegant Owl Shape Necklace Pocket Watch, $4.85 shipped

And this one had a dragonfly {no owls}, but it is a watch too for $2.99 shipped! 

Unique Retro Design Bronze Dragonfly Pocket Quartz Watch, $2.99 shipped

And I apologize in advance for the cuteness overload. Not recommended for wearing around your neck, but these were too cute not to share! :D

Cute owl salt and pepper shakers, $7.50 shipped w/prime

They look like the little owlings {?} that belong with my cookie jar from World Market:

Owls might be super popular, but I still think they're fun. :) I'm going to try to keep that cookie jar until I have grandchildren. :D

{p.s. this post contains amazon affiliate links- should you buy one of the items above, {bh} receives a tiny percentage! yay!}

super GW score: new fossil tote bag + 3 rules for thrifting

A couple of weeks ago we hit up my favorite Goodwill on the planet. :) It's in the DFW area {and it's so good, I can't tell you where it is unless we're related by blood... :P}. 

I think my shopping habits are definitely changing these days. I've set three standards for buying bargains that set the bar for my purchases a little higher: I have to either absolutely LOVE the item, buy it as investment, or already have a need for it in my house right now.

This usually keeps me from buying something just because it's a good deal or it may fit me someday {like the three pairs of designer jeans that I knew I wouldn't wear or sell quickly}.

So with my newer rules in place, I walked out of my favorite GW with just one item- this Fossil key per tote:

It fell into category #1- I loved it, and I knew it could also be a category #2, because I could resell it for at least what I paid after I finish using it.

It was brand new, with a few little flaws in the shiny patent polka dots on the back, FGW written inside, and a tiny cut in the bottom they do to every bag to prevent returns:

Other than that, it still had the wrapping on the zippers and was perfect. The original retail price for it was $118, and new ones have sold for $62+ on eBay, but I was happy to find mine for all of...

$10.  :D

I walked out of GW with my one happy item, and went on my way. :)

It's fun deals like these that always make thrifting worth it. 

Even when you leave with just one good item. :)

How do you decide what to buy when it comes to bargains?

What do you do with the money that you save when you buy secondhand? 

We have a big goal we are saving for right now. I hope to tell you more about it soon! :) 

___________________________

interested in thrifting? you can find more thrifting tips and finds here:

thrifty thursday finds: metal goods + flea market finds

Confession: I have little to no desire to decorate for Christmas this year.

I'm tired these days {4 months without a full night of sleep helps}, and when you have a small infant + 4 other homeschooling munchkins, the idea of putting out tons of items for 3.5 weeks and then having to turn around and put them up again sounds exhausting. 

We did manage to get a Christmas tree up, though. Maybe next year we'll actually have stockings. :P 

Thankfully, my mom helped me out in the decor department. We went thrifting on Black Friday, and I was in love when I found these vintage style metal trees- 3 for $7:

But I didn't want to spend the extra money so I walked away, and my mom was awesome and snuck them into her cart. I thought she was buying them for her new house but turns out she was buying them for me. :) Isn't that cool? She's the best. I think they are perfect on the dining table!

My other thrifty find that day was this little gold tree for 99 cents: 

I think it's a jewelry tree. I like how it's a little funky too. I added it to my kitchen window to take off rings if I need to. :)

And did I ever tell you about my metal B? I bought it at a huge flea market right before Zane was born. :D Anthro sells big metal letters for close to $100, but I bought mine for $10! It's a little smaller than theirs, but it measures close to 24 inches tall.

I think it works on top of my bookshelf-turned-display hutch along with my thrifted bird cage! :)

Oh that hot, hot day at the flea market. :) I was one day overdue, and we were hoping the walking would inspire Zane to come while my family was still in town. Here was my big belly the morning we went:

He must have been 9+lbs already there! Even that long day of walking didn't make him budge though. It took 9 more days!  :P

I find most antiques and other things to be overpriced at flea markets, but the letters were a steal after a little bargaining: 

And the rest was just fun to look at:

What do you think about flea markets? Do you ever find good deals?

Have you ever been to Round Top? 
I haven't but I would love to go. I'm really not even sure I can afford to shop there though. :)

Have you ever seen vintage metal Christmas trees? 
I feel like they should be vintage but they're probably Walmart circa 2001...

8 fun and thrifty Walmart finds {fall 2013 edition}

With fall arriving, you know it's that time again... :) 

I had a ton of fun doing this series earlier this spring and summer, so I had to bring it back for fall! :P {Again, I'm not affiliated with Walmart in any way, I just have fun finding unexpectedly cute and affordable items there and want to share them with you!}. 

Here are eight of my favorite Wally World finds in no particular order:

1. Funky Floral Doormat, $11.97

If I didn't have one already, I would have hopped on this deal! It's very colorful and so much fun!

2. Ceramic statue night lights, $12.97 {in stores only}. 

I thought these were so cute! It would make a sweet and quirky housewarming gift too! Or a perfect little night light for a nursery or a new mom's bedroom.

3. Boyfriend cardigans, $12.54

I've regretted buying cheap sweaters in the past, but these seem well made and get really good reviews so I wouldn't mind trying one out for $12.54. They were really cute! I'm a big fan of the longer boyfriend style.

4. the Ruffle Scarf, $6.97. 

{I couldn't find these online}. The mustard one is thick and gorgeous in real life!

5. Button knit hats, $5.97. 

We call these toboggans here in Texas. Probably because we almost never need them and have never actually used or seen a real toboggan, ever. Too bad it's so warm here, because these were PRECIOUS. :D

6. Denim Jackets, $15.44

While I'm not a huge denim jacket fan myself, I know they're extremely popular at all of my favorite clothing places: J. Crew, Anthro, and Gap. This classic one gets great reviews. And you can't beat the $15 price {instead of $75+}, unless you find one used at the thrift store or a garage sale.

And I thought they did a pretty good job styling it to be J. Crew-esque here:

7. 6x8 Canvas, $3.97 {in stores only}. 

I tried to find these online, but didn't see them. This little one went home with me because LOVE does save the day!! He already did! :D

8. Danskin Microfleece Zipper Jackets, $8.96. 

I think I saw these in person the other day. This lightweight style is pretty much a winter staple here. These were very well reviewed too, and very affordable for sweating in! :D

And those are my eight favorites for fall!

What were your favorite finds at Wally World recently?

And what do you call that knit warm hat you wear in the winter? :D Beanie? Toboggan? I'm curious to hear what you say and where you're from!

Denim jacket fan or not so much? 
I have broader shoulders so they tend to look more 1990's on me. Hey, if shoulder pads ever come back, I won't have to buy any! :P

garage sales vs. thrifting + finds from Gap, ON, and Gymboree

They say there's a positive side to everything, right?

You know the best part about waking up way too early starving and having contractions on a Saturday in the summer?

It means you'll have plenty of time to go garage-saling! 

In my opinion, garage sale shopping beats shopping at thrift stores every day of the week. The downside to it is that you have to drive all over town and get out and in 15 times to get a few good things. 

Doing the in and out part isn't quite as much fun with little kids in tow, but I think it's still worth it in the end. We had the whole family in the car so we only went to a few yard sales last weekend, yet somehow we managed to score all of this loot at one big sale:

We bought two swimming kick boards, two letter 5x7's that matched the girls room/names, a princess costume and a princess ballet leotard, one decree shirt for me, one pair of Nike's, one pair of Gymboree glitter shoes, three brand new sippy cups {no valves}, and four books.

The price for everything?

$7.

Here's the math on that: 1 item = 44 cents.

That's why yard sales rock. :) At Goodwill {using the lowest average prices there}, I would have paid $28 plus tax for all of that!

I actually already had the shirt {I wore it in my very first WIWW post!}- but mine is older and smaller than would fit me any time soon. The funniest thing is that I actually did a little self-tailoring to the first one those years ago because it was originally too big after wearing it postpartum, and now I bought the same shirt in a bigger size for 44 cents to wear postpartum again. :) I guess I really do love it!

I was also excited to find a whole outfit in the last couple of trips to the thrift store, because I'm nearly out of clothes that fit!  {please tell me this is the last time I'll need bigger clothes! I made it so many weeks not buying any clothes, and suddenly I'm having to find more at the end? Goodness.}

I figured at least when I found them that I could wear them postpartum too, and maybe save them for the next round. ;) 

I bought the pink Old Navy top at a local consignment store for $1.20, the shorts are from the Gap/ GW for $3.99, and hey, they both fit the ever-growing BELLY:

$5.19 for a "new" outfit from the Gap and Old Navy is not too shabby, but I could have brought home an entire bag of stuff for that price from a garage sale. :D

What do you think? Do you prefer yard sales or thrift stores more?

What do you call "yard sales" where you live? 
We call them garage sales here in East Texas. :)

Have you ever bought the same shirt twice? {and used! lol!}