Guess Who Has Their Learner's Permit?

Well, the baby of the family has her permit. She had to take the Old "Paper" test (the computers were down) and she received a perfect score! I even like her picture on the id, of course she doesn't.


This is scary! I really hate this part of being a parent! I am too nervous for the actual teaching part. I did the HARD part of taking her to get her permit and being interrogated by the DMV. (Trying to prove you are you are a legal citizen of the U.S. requires a lot of documentation.) Dad is going to have to handle the teaching part!

I was talking to son #1 this weekend and he told me as a kid he didn't understand why I was nervous, but now at the ripe old age of 28 he understood completely!

Congratulations Jessie! Be a safe and courteous driver! I know you will do good! Love you!

Be back soon!

It's Halloween and No Cricut?? No Problem!

I think everyone in blog land has a cricut machine, or some other die cutting machine that does the vinyl also. While I would love to have one to play with, I just don't know how much I would use one. I wanted to create some Halloween plates that simply had a vinyl black cat on it. So I did it my way!

I assembled my supplies.


Found a Black Cat Graphic on the internet and printed it off


Cut roughly around the black cat graphic and cut two pieces of clear contact paper a little larger than the cat.

I applied mod podge to the back of the graphic and placed it on top of one of the contact paper pieces. Put it on the clear contact paper side, not the paper backing.


Then I peeled the back off the other piece of contact paper and slowly covered the cat with the contact paper.

I waited for the mod podge to dry, about an hour. Then cut around the shape. I didn't bother cutting out the whiskers. I wanted the cat really black, so I painted over the shape and allowed it to dry. I forgot to take a picture of that.

Aren't they Cute!


Then I added some google eyes. Much better!


Then I just peeled the back and stuck them to my plates. I stuck a ribbon bow at the top with rolled up tape.


The best thing is, I can change these out with the season!

Be back soon!

Jessie's Witch Project & Great Thrift Finds

I have been trying to get this post done for awhile. I have been really busy with Jessie's Birthday, Mom & Sister's weekend and an October 15th deadline for individual tax returns.

This was a Halloween project that I was going to do, but Jessie took over when I screwed up on the painting. I bought this flat sided fish bowl (at Goodwill of course) and I wanted to paint the inside, I made a mess of it and that is when Jessie took over.

She painted the outside with glass paint, which was so much easier. That was when she claimed the project as hers. She did the rest.

I purchased the witch headband at the thrift store and a big bag of yarn with the black and gray yarn in it to add to the hat. She added wiggle eyes. I made some clay that you bake to harden. Jessie made the shape of the nose, wart, mouth and tooth. After baking she painted them and attached it to the bowl with glue. I put a strand of 50 Christmas lights inside to illuminate her.

And here she is:)................


So Cute!! She now sits in our Bake Center. I removed the little lamp that you can see sitting behind her.

My great thrift finds??? You know that bag of yarn I bought for the witch hair? Well I sold the rest of the bag in 2 separate auctions on ebay for a total of $28.00!!! I didn't realize it but this bag had some Tilli Tomas silk yarn in it. That doesn't mean anything to me except it made me some money. I had no idea who Tilli Tomas was before, but now I will look for her at the thrift stores!

I had the HP56 toner cartridge on my shopping list for a couple of weeks. I wanted to use a gift card I had at Office Depot. I just couldn't seem to make it over there, it wasn't on my usual driving route. One day I stopped in at the little thrift store down the road from my 2nd job and guess what was waiting there for me???

Just the cartridges my printer takes! Two twin packs packaged in a plastic bag for $4.99!! That is about a $95.00 savings!!! Yahoo!!!

I was beginning to feel real lucky, until Hubby's office computer crashed and then my laptop at home crashed two days later! Do you think I can find those at the thrift store??

Be back soon!

Pottery Barn Knock Off - Galvanized Metal 3-Tier Stand

Pottery Barn image found here.

I have loved this galvanized Metal 3 Tier Stand for over a year!!! Pottery Barn you rock! The buffet in my dining room has a galvanized top, so this belongs in there!! This is something I wanted to keep on my informal dining room all the time and change the display with the seasons. Unfortunately I didn't like the dimensions of this stand. It would be too tall and too wide to use for a centerpiece on my dining room table.

I thrifted two silver trays and I was ready to go! I collaborated on this with hubby, who told me to get a threaded rod from the lamp department at Home Depot. He didn't like my idea of just using glue and a dowel. Something about structural support etc, etc..... So he measured and drilled, and drilled, and drilled some more. He used some pvc pipe to increase the diameter of the center post and added a top ring with something he found in our "Parts Bucket" Here it is before painting.

Here it is after spray painting with a hammered galvanized spray paint.

Not quite the finish I wanted!

So I did a little faux finishing and sealed it with a matte sealer. I threw on some of the fall decorations that I had stored in my buffet and a crow I had purchased at the dollar store. Those crows go fast at the dollar store. Do not attempt to find one in October when you are in the mood to decorate for Halloween.

I love the way it turned out!

I still need to accessorize it. I really want a candle on the top tier. I want to put some candy corn in the bottom pumpkin dish and maybe some other type of snack wrapped with that gorgeous orange polka dot ribbon Pottery Barn used! I think I have some some in my sewing room.


The best thing about my Pottery Barn Knock Off is my bottom tier is a ball bearing swivel plate (carousel or turntable)! The worst thing - I love the knob at the top of the Pottery Barn version. I really want a knob at the top of mine. I may make a second version of this..................who knows when of if.......

Be back soon! Jessie has been crafting!

Thrifting Intuition?

At the end of July I was thrifting and saw a gray metal cart with wheels. Price $6.99. It rolled really nice and smooth. But I didn't need a cart! I walked away to look at the books. Something drew me back, I kept thinking I had to have it! I picked it up and paid for it, all the time thinking Hubby will not be happy with this purchase! Where are you going to put it? What are you going to do with it?

I didn't even bother getting it out of the car when I got home on Friday. I just didn't want to hear all the questions.

Late Saturday afternoon I was taking Son #2 and his girlfriend Julie to a BeerFest in Nashville. (Hubby was on pick up duty) Julie gets in the car and looks at the cart. She ever so sweetly asked if I saw another one at a thrift store if I would buy it for her. She really needed one for her classroom to put her computer on.

Sunday we spray painted the cart a pretty blue color and off it went to Julie's classroom!




Thrifting Intuition is great! I need to just learn to accept that "Pull" even though I don't understand it!

Don't you love that sign above the white board?

Good News! Son #2 is now an employed teacher! He is teaching Science to 7th and 8th graders!

Be back soon! (with a Pottery Barn Knock Off!)

A New Dress - Thrifting Again

I bought a new dress at the Goodwill for 99 cents.

....and where will I wear this beauty????

No where! This is what I was after............


You see those rhinestone buttons? Those babies are super expensive in the fabric stores! So snip, snip. snip, snip and the buttons go in my Bling jar. The dress is donated back to Goodwill!

Yes I do have a Bling jar and I work hard to fill it up, as cheap as possible!

Be Back Soon!

Tip of the Day

buy a large burner ring (or two) for the stove to cover your pie crusts. Much cheaper $$$$$ than a purchased pie crust ring, and a lot better than burnt crust!

Pecan pie - a favorite around here! If only there was more pie left from the weekend!

Be back soon! (Hopefully with something crafty or sewing related!)

How to Tell You are a VOLS Fan

When doing laundry you have a separate pile for Orange clothing!

This photo was from Son #2 doing his laundry. I thought it was hilarious!

Be back soon!

Trash Room Treasure

Every floor in our office building has a trash room. Hubby and I were taking a few bags over and what did I spy sitting on the floor next to the bin???

Hubby told me not to take it! "It's UGLY!" he said.

Nothing a little spray paint over the weekend couldn't cure!



Perfect for holding some of my shabby fabrics! Actually, I am debating whether I should give it a whitewash or do some distressing, or both. It just looks too bright.

And just to let you know, this is not the first time I have confiscated trash from the trash room!

Did you see those vintage patterns next to it? I found the "mother load" of them at the thrift store last week! I was so excited! I just love looking at them!

Be back soon!

My first Tiffany & Company Purchase........

.........from a thrift store! Brand new with the tag still attached. This is a little bedside crystal pitcher that has a cup that fits in the top of the pitcher to use as a lid. I think it would be perfect for using in a guest room!


Do you see that aqua tag on it??? That is what drew me to the item. So what did I pay for this treasure????

What a deal considering I have seen these for years (just not Tiffany & Co.) and loved them!

I also found some nice silver trays at half off - $4.00 each.


You see that smaller one in the corner of the picture??? The one with the twisted edge?? Sorry - forgot to bring my camera with me to work to do this post. (On my lunch hour of course!)

Well I turned it over to clean it up and guess what??

Another Pottery Barn find! Somehow I am always attracted to this brand!

I need to get my silver polish out!

Be back soon!