My So-Called Slipcover

PB's Holiday Anywhere Chairs

I've been obsessed with finding the perfect chair for my little guy's room. I wanted something cute and comfy-the perfect little chair for grabbing a book or just cuddling with one of his plushy, stuffed friends.

My first thought was to just splurge on a Pottery Barn Anywhere chair-aren't they the cutest?!

But then reality set in (in the form of a $100 plus price tag)! So I knew I had to find another option! Armed with my inspiration photo below-I was up for the challenge of re-creating this look for less!!


Pottery Barn Anywhere Chair



During a trip to Tuesday Morning, I spotted this adorable little chair. Well let's be honest....it really wasn't so adorable at first glance. The animal print is just a wee bit much for my taste-but the chair had potential. Super comfy, well made, plus it's a combo chair/rocker-adorable. It was on Clearance for just $35 plus an additional 50% off-so I scored it for $17.

I found the perfect blue twill fabric at Garden Ridge. Also on Clearance-25 cents for 2 yards!!! I grabbed every decent fabric they had and still managed to spend just under $2. Amazing!!



Here it is! My so-called slipcover!



After perusing the web for slipcover tutorials, I stumbled upon the perfect one-The Laziest Slipcover Tutorial Ever-over at Pink & Polka Dot.

This was my very first slipcover and despite most blogs making it look oh so easy-it was a lot of work and it didn't turn out as perfectly as I'd hoped.

I was actually a bit disappointed with how mine turned out, but my disappointment faded when my little guy jumped into his cool new chair the next morning!! He was sooo excited!! 



He likes it, he really likes it!!!

His Monkeys are loving his new chair too!

I honestly thought long and hard before writing this post because often times when you look at blogs people write about their triumphs versus their attempts. You generally see perfectly decorated spaces or beautifully crafted projects.

My main reason for sharing is because I think so many of us Moms can agree that we try so hard to be perfect when the quest for perfection only sets us up for disappointments. Believe it or not, kids don't need much and they definitely aren't judging us as hard as we tend to judge ourselves. The look on my son's face when he saw his new chair was just priceless. He didn't notice the flaws-he was just HAPPY!!

I'd love to hear your thoughts and stories about projects gone wrong or parenting general!!

Thanks for popping by!

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Great Goodwill Finds: Leather Chair Set

It was another super weekend at our local Goodwill stores! Since it was Super Saturday-which is the first Saturday of every month, everything was was 50% off at all of our local Goodwill stores. One of my girlfriends and I headed from store to store in search of awesome finds.  Here's a quick recap of what I found!

Seriously-a practically new leather chair for $30 (it was priced at $59.99 but was 50% off)!!

The matching ottoman was $10 (priced at $19.99 but 50% off)!

I immediately thought of my husband when I saw this chair-ottoman set because he's been wanting to have a sitting area-space of his own in a corner of our Master Bedroom. Here's his perfect little space!

I purchased a brand new Circo Blast Off 4-piece toddler bedding set for $7.50
(was priced at $14.99 plus 50% off)

Found a hard-to-find Pottery Barn A to Z crib bumper in excellent used condition for $2.50
(was priced at $4.99 plus 50% off)

Purchased a book by one of my son's fave authors for $.034 (priced $.69 plus 50% off)

Purchased a brand new copy of Martha's book-which is perfect since I'm in the process of starting my own Professional Organizing & Decorating business! The book retails for $25-I paid just $1 at Goodwill!!

I've wanted a lazy susan to organize my spice cabinet and found a brand new stainless steel one for $2 (priced at $3.99 plus 50% off)

In addition to these great finds, I also bought four practically or brand new shirts for my boys for just $4!!!

Best of all, I spent around $60 total!! Had I paid retail-these items would've easily totaled around $500! Gotta love Goodwill!!

I'd love to hear your thoughts! Have you scored anything fab from Goodwill lately?

Thanks for popping by!

Latest Goodwill Finds

Last weekend was Super Saturday at our local Goodwill Stores, which means that absolutely EVERYTHING was 50% off.

So one of my friends and I headed out to see what we could find. It's nice to hit Super Saturday with a Wish List to keep you focused. My main goal was to find simple school clothes for my Kindergartener.

I spent just around $50 and had loads and loads of clothes and goodies for my kiddos. Polos, shirts, sweatshirts, etc for $1 each...Jeans for $2 each...shorts & pants for $1 each. I bought a dozen or so short and long sleeve polos, another dozen pairs of shorts, jeans and khakis plus a brand new bike helmet to go with my son's birthday bike and a cute little Kawasaki ride-on toy for our one-year old. 



Kawasaki Motorcyle Toy-I paid $3 at Goodwill vs. $35 at Target!

Kolt & Dad enjoying his new toy!

Goodwill shopping is SOOO rewarding! It feels great to save money & be green by buying gently used vs. brand new.
I'd love to hear about your recent Goodwill or Thrifty finds!! 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!!

31 Days of Simple Blessings: Day 9- I Love a good deal

Chances are, if you ever visit my house, you'll feel like a contestant on The Price Is Right! I say that because I love, love and love a good deal-and I get so giddy that I can't help but share my shopping finds with friends & family! For the record, my sister hates playing along and often irritates me by lowballing anytime I ask her how much she thinks I paid for something.

Most recently I was super excited about this awesome inspirational art piece I found and couldn't wait to show it to her. Of course I could not wait to ask her my famous question, "so, how much do you think I paid for this?" She took one look, then looked back at me, laughed and said, "Let me guess, $2!"  Oh, my feelings were hurt!

My recent Clearance rack find

You can't tell by the pics, but this is a nice size piece of art, plus I love the saying, "Celebrate Family, Friends, Traditions." Love, love, love it!! Plus, I found it in the Clearance aisle of our local Marshall's!

Hanging above the couch in our sunroom

Seriously! $5-what a steal!!?? Love, love, love Marshalls!!

Have you found any good deals lately?? I'd love to hear about it! Have a great weekend!!