Covered buttons

Dreaming of making stuff for my own little shop some day...... 

Thrift Store Thursday

Yep, I have thrifty goodness coming out of my ears lately.  Just a quick post to show you my latest scores!

An Emile Henry jug I bought for $4.99 (that is retailing on Amazon for around $60).  It is perfect and I love it!

A West Elm faux bois patterned planter for $8 (no idea if this is a good deal - they no longer sell it).  I also got that cute geranium for just $1 at the thrift store too.

A complete game board of Mousetrap.  Lord A (I can't keep up with my nicknames for my kids either...) has been asking and asking for me to buy this for him so when I spotted it for $1 I snatched it up.

It doesn't take long for him to personalise how he plays though.

I actually got this before last Christmas (for about $5) but forgot to mention it.  It is not a great quality one but it works fine and the kids love it so that is good enough for me.  Only problem is, we have used up the candles and I can't find where to buy new ones.  Anyone have any advice about that??

Way overdue thanks

THANKS!

I have been meaning to write about these two wonderful prizes I won for aaaaaages.  I guess I really wanted the time to write a very thoughtful post on each of them and of course, as these things go, time just whizzed by.

Firstly, in March, I was oh so lucky enough to win a place in a Playful Learning Spaces e-course with the wonderful Mariah Bruehl through her blog of the same name - Playful Learning.  I was so excited to win this.  Ridiculously excited actually.  I have been a fan of her beautiful and simple approach to children's play spaces for a long time.  The course ran over 5 weeks and we had access to a recorded lesson by Mariah each week as well as other inspirational resources she had collected for us and we shared as a group through Flickr and Pinterest.  I have to say I was not at all disappointed, even going in with such high expectations.  I LOVED the course and wish it could have gone on and on and on.  The information was stellar and I just enjoyed the whole process.  I enjoyed looking at ways to simplify my children's spaces and provide thoughtful little nooks for them throughout the house.  The process even helped me think about how I live and like to create and I made some little nooks for myself.  Below I will share photos of some of the spaces I was inspired to create during this course.  Mariah has just released a 'Playful Learning' book and I highly recommend it if the course is anything to go by.  I can't wait to get a copy.  Mariah is doing a blog book tour at the moment so if you head over to her blog you can follow along as well.

displaying animal figurines in an attractive, easily accessible way... 

a bird watching nook in the family room (the basket usually contains Audubon birds and binoculars) 

the kids' playroom before (I just kept stuffing more and more in there!)

and after (aaaah, much more serene) 

a basket of books in the family room which has led to lots more reading time cuddles

These are just a very few of the simple but profound changes I was exposed to and have made.  There is so much more information in the course that I can't do justice to here and I am truly thankful to Mariah for the opportunity!

Secondly, on another high note, in May I was fortunate enough to win the e-book 'How to Have Your Cake and Eat It Too' by Mandi Ehman through the wonderful Overcoming Busy blog.  I was thrilled to win this book!  It is covering the topic of how to follow your passions/interests and still care for your children and home etc.  I would have bought it even if I hadn't won it.  I would love to do a review of it here but I haven't finished reading it yet (slow aren't I??) but I will do that just as soon as I get it totally finished.  Mandi is holding a book club discussion over on Life...Your Way starting either today or next Thursday (keep an eye out) and is offering the book at a discount (Kindle version is available as well).  Go check it out and join our discussion!

With all this winning in the air I just might go and buy a lottery ticket!

Thrift Store Tuesday

I have seen these around the internet for quite awhile and decided to try my hand after spotting this sweet little vintage plate the other day in one of my thrift store rounds.  So easy and such a fun, quick result.  I think these would look lovely en masse for a party dessert buffet.

I bought the plate and glass candlestick for less than $2.  I used E6000 glue to stick them together, waited 24 hours for it to cure and that was it.  Let me know if you try it or have already tried it.

Makeover Monday - Thrifty Mirror

Remember this thrift store mirror I had plans for?  The white kind of looks all fresh in this photo but in person it was looking a bit tired and tatty.

Here she is, all freshly painted and hanging in my entry way (some hints for indoor, poorly lit photography would be welcome Karen!).  It really brightens up this space and makes me feel cheery every time I walk past.  I love how little tweaks we do have that effect.  By the way, the paint colour I used was Martha Stewart's Cornbread.  The photo makes it look very bright but it is actually a softer colour in person.  Check out the paint swatch next time you are at Home Depot and you will see what I mean.

Mouse mat makeover

I was thinking about doing this ages ago and then Benita from Chez Larsson beat me to it so if you hop on over you can read her wonderful instructions.  The only thing I did differently was to pull off the original fabric from my mouse mat as it was already lifting and I sprayed both the mat and the fabric before sticking them together (spraying one side gives a temporary bond, two sides makes it more permanent).

This is possibly the quickest makeover you will ever do and you get to look at and appreciate it every day.  My favourite kind.

Pin It

Thrift Store Thursday

Woo hoo, have I had some wonderful times in thrift stores lately!

Firstly I found this cute little bongo drum (which I recently saw in a catalogue for $25) for $4.

Then I found this gorgeous porcelain owl lamp.  Just $10 and it is in mint condition.

But lastly, I hit the mother lode yesterday.  All of this jadeite for $25!  I am still over the moon about it.

Anybody else had any thrift store luck?

Rulers rule

Miss E's rulers are getting a little makeover for school.... (and, yes, I specifically bought wooden ones so I could do this - cue Miss E's eye roll).