DIY Decor: Easy Pillows & Artwork

Here's the culprit-Christmasey pillow!

Do you have an area in your house that just needs an update?

We have a random corner in our sunroom that's been driving me nuts. It's just looked oh so empty since we removed the Christmas tree. To make matters worse, the throw pillow that had been on the chair was also Christmas themed.

Super easy pillowcase

I've sat in this room countless times, trying to figure out a solid solution. The last thing I wanted to do was spend any money, so I quickly looked around the house to see what I could repurpose. and came up with a cheap yet chic way to add style to this space.

Using an old empty picture frame and some remnant fabric-I was able to create instant art & an updated throw pillow.

After cutting a piece of fabric just the right size to fill my empty frame, I stepped things up a notch by using leftover fabric to make a coordinating pillow or in this case, pillowcase. I'm not great at tutorials-so check out this simple Pillow Tutorial at Bowl full of Lemons. Her pillows and blog are awesome-super Pottery Barn chic on the cheap!!

Ta-da...updated throw pillow!



Love how the pillow & frame complete this corner!



I'd love to hear your thoughts! How have you updated your space on the cheap?

Thanks for popping by! 

 

Cheap & Chic Easter Decor



Pottery Barn Happy Easter Vase Filler



I'm a bit embarrased that I'm just now getting around to posting something related to Easter.

It's just a couple of days away-so I'm sharing a super cheap and chic DIY to add a little flavor to your current decor. My inspiration for this project came from Pottery Barn. I'm such a PB girl at heart, but on a much tighter, penny pinching budget.



Pottery Barn's Easter filler is so darn cute, but it's surely a bit pricey plus it's completely sold out.



My Easter filler knock off



I loved the idea of spelling out Happy Easter, so looked in my craft stash and found letter stickers, then ran to Hobby Lobby and grabbed a package of eggs. They were $2.99 then 50% off of that!! So there you have it-my slightly more colorful and definitely more affordable Happy Easter filler!!

If you're looking for some fun Easter tradition tidbits, head over to Real Simple.

Hope that everyone has a super Easter!!! Thanks for popping by!!





Turning your Trash into Cash

If you're like our family, you've got a list full of things you'd like to do to spruce up your your yard. A little mulch here, some new patio furniture there, flowers, shrubs, firepit--the list goes on. All of those little spring spruce ups, can get pricey, so today I'd like to share with you some quick ways to help finance your Spring projects.



I couldn't resist this sign-hilarious!



1. Host a Garage Sale: This is a bit old fashioned, but it's a surefire way to get rid of some of the stuff that's cluttering up your garage. What to toss? Clothes, picture frames, artwork, exercise equipment, furniture, linens, appliances, dishes, toys-you get the idea. A good rule of thumb is, if haven't used it within the year-it's best to just let go.
 Click here for a step-by-step guide to setting up your own garage sale.

2. Ebay: I swear by Ebay for casting off my clothes (kids & mine), bedding and other miscellaneous items. Throughout the year, I keep a few big Rubbermaid bins that I toss stuff into. Once it starts to pile up, it's time for me to turn my stash into cash. It's nothing new for me to make $300-$500 off of one single bin.

Heck, I paid for most of our Florida vacation using my Paypal funds!! Faithful Ebayers know all about Paypal-smile! This weekend, Ebay is making a lot of changes, one being FREE Insertion for the first 50 items you sell monthly. They used to charge an insertion fee based on your starting price (ie: $1 fee for $50-$199 start prices).

If you're new to Ebay, check out this Ebay Seller Information link. There are helpful videos, plus step-by-step instructions for setting up your account and getting started.

My Wedding Dress-SOLD!!

3. Craigslist: Some people are a bit leery of the big C, because of scary things they've seen on the news, but I've bought and sold a dozen or so things on Craigslist and haven't had a problem. The biggest thing is to use common sense-as in, don't go to a stranger's house in the middle of nowhere all alone to pick something up at midnight. Got it?

My most recent sales were my son's Race Car bed (made $100) and my Wedding Dress (another $120). Some of you may be gasping about the wedding dress, but no tears here. It was taking up space in my closet and let's be realistic, I have absolutely no intention of wearing it again. So, it made sense to put it on the market while it's still in style!!

I feel that it's best to sell big items on Craigslist (kids play sets, furniture,etc) because it's tough to sell those things on Ebay (just imagine the postage)! Click here for more information on Craigslist. If you're already familiar with Craigslist and just want a quick chuckle, check out Hillenblog's How to Sell on Craigslist for Idiots. Funny stuff!

I'm not much of a garage sale kind of girl-there's just something about sitting outside for hours while people drive by and go through your stuff- so I tend to utilize Ebay & Craigslist.

Hope that this post has given you guys that much needed push to turn some of your trash (such a harsh word, but it rhymes) into cash!!

My Mom Cave Room Reveal

While being a Mom can be one of the most exhilarating & rewarding jobs in the world, it's no secret that it can also be one of the hardest. I love my boys to pieces and truly believe that being their Mom is my life's purpose.

Making their spaces beautiful & comfortable & organized has been my priority from the time we moved into our home and now it's my time to create my own special room. Without further ado, I'm happy to show you my Mom Cave!

I've been working on this space for the past couple of weeks and it couldn't be more perfect. It truly is my retreat, my solace, my perfect little place. Best of all-I was able to pull it all together using things that we already had around the house. Thrifty, thrifty.

 
For starters, I created a Gallery wall using beautiful black and white pictures that I took on a few trips abroad-Istanbul, Sweden, Beijing & Poland. I plan to add many more
pictures and memories over time.

The animal print rug was a deeply discounted indoor/outdoor rug purchased at Walmart at the end of last summer (best time to score outdoor products for less). I have a slight addiction to purchasing beautiful curtains, so I pulled these faux silk luxury length panels from my stash!

In keeping with the whole thrifty theme-several of my favorite pieces in this room have been purchased at Goodwill over the years. My creamy, cottagey desk, matching chair, the mirror about the bookcase and even my computer screen are all Goodwill steals!! Love it!

The most precious thing in this room was a gift from my hubby. He surprised me with this gorgeous antique White model sewing machine & table. It's beautiful & I'm enjoying using it.

The lamp shade next to the table is the only item I purchased specifically for this room-I already had the lamp base and have been on the lookout for the perfect shade. This was a Clearance find-$12 at Target! I love the design.

Do you have a special place in your home? I'd love to hear all about it as well as what you think about my Mom Cave. Thanks for popping by!

I'm linking up to Inspired Room's Gallery Wall party and Debbiedoos Newbie Party!!

Project Simplify Finale

I'm so excited that this is the fifth and final week of Simple Mom's Project Simplify. The purpose of the 5-week project is to simplify & declutter different areas in our homes. Week one focused on the Master Closet, week two was clearing Paper Clutter, three dealt with Kids Toys & Clothes and last week focused on getting your Kitchen & Pantry areas in order. It's never too late to tackle those spaces. Plus, Simple Mom's tips make clearing those areas so much easier.

Sounds like she got a lot of emails and comments from followers requesting that she select certain areas, so she decided to leave the final week up to participants.  

The area that I've chosen to work on is my home office AKA my Mom Cave. As you can see by the pictures-this space was previously Kolt's bedroom. A few weeks ago, we got the itch to do some rearranging so we moved him into the bigger bedroom (which was our guest room) and my old downstairs office is now our Guest Room.

I love how tiny & cozy this space is and can't wait to show you pictures of the transformation.

What rooms in your home are in need of a little TLC? Thanks for popping by!