New Obsession

I know when most people bring up obsessions, I get a little uneasy...

"Oh no, it's about to get weird."

But I assure you, I'm not about to get weird. Well.. weirder.

   I want to share with you one of my new favorite places to visit online! It's an online consignment shop called ThredUp. Perhaps you've heard of it? No? Well then keep reading!

   ThredUp has so many amazing brands of clothing and accessories at up to 90% off retail- what's not to love?! You can even order a polka dot bag to sell your old clothing, but I suggest reading what clothing items they accept first. They even have designer bags and shoes. But I'm a clothing kinda girl. That's just the way it is.

   If you're not into shopping for yourself, may I suggest checking out their kids clothing (yes, they sell clothing for kids!) or perhaps the Juniors section, or maybe New With Tags clothing to give as a gift? No, really. There's new clothing at up to 90% off the tag price!

   I'm sharing my personal invitation link here: Emily is inviting you to ThredUp!
And some of my style shops (so you can see a little of what kind of clothing and accessories they offer) here:

Fresh and Feminine 

Nautical Nonsense

Junior Dream

Love for the Timeless

Mega Maxis

Tribal, Aztec, & Animal

Floral Fantasy

   Following any of those links will get you a $10 off credit to use on your first order ☺ BUT, you will have to pay the $5.99 shipping and handling fee. Which really isn't bad if you choose to purchase something $9.99 or under. That item will only cost you the $5.99 shipping!

   So if you don't already have an account, you really should check it out! I'm going to update this post after while with some of the items I've ordered in the past. I have purchased from them 5 separate times, and have no complaints! Although shipping can be a little slow (up to 8 days), but I'm a patient person! *wink*

   Don't forget to follow me on Pinterest and right here on my blog!

Valentine's Nerd

Hello, hello, my lovelies!

Valentine's Day is approaching quickly and I thought this year I would go a little overboard on my sweetie's gift. You see, I indulge his nerd side as often as I can, and I figured he would get a real kick out of this Star Wars themed gift. It is oh so much better than that standard box of mystery chocolate- you know the one (toothpaste flavor, oh yum!)

I originally picked up some Star Wars goodies in early January to hold until his birthday (March is just too far..), but I just couldn't resist giving them to him for Valentine's Day. He'll be so surprised! I think he'll love it, but according to him, he's loves everything I do that's personalized. Awwww... 

Below, I'll show you everything I put in his box. And when I say I like to indulge his nerd side, I also mean his childlike heart.. Very childlike heart. There are a few extra things I threw in for good measure, which you will see.

Things you will need:

- If it is Star Wars related, GET IT

- A nifty box to put all those treasures in

- Star Wars Valentines add to the overall appeal 

Yup, it really is that simple. And since it is themed, this gift can pretty much cost as little or as much as you want. It all depends on the contents.

Here we go..

I chose a sturdy container so that it could hold whatever I wanted to add. Dollar Tree has tons of options in many different colors. I picked red like Darth Vader's lightsaber. (This is coming from someone who, sadly, hasn't even successfully sat through any of the original films. Maybe that's what we'll do with the rest of the day..) 

When I was in my local Dirt Cheap, I came across lots of ten cent finds, including lots of Star Wars goodies. I didn't spend more than a dollar on any of the small items. What a great find!

There was a 100 piece puzzle, two small stuffed figures, a giant Yoda eraser, a Grad&Go play pack, a Darth Vader cup, and a full size play lightsaber! Can you say awesome? No worries, I got both of us covered: AWESOME! 

My only real splurge in the box was the Blu-Ray/DVD 6-disc combo pack of the three original films. I also got this really cool light-up candy lightsaber (which I've given him before and he loves).

I placed the Star Wars Valentines on each of the items in the box as a "corny yet cool" feature. My favorite is R2-D2: I bet you whistle at all the droids. Boom. I just love that.

It really came together great and may be one of the best themed gifts I've given him since the Zombie Survival Kit. That was a classic...

Now, amongst all the super Star Wars stuff, I put some cutesy/corny more traditional Valentines. My sweetheart likes dinosaurs, too, so I fashioned some little homemade things together for his gift including a hand-drawn dino picture and a card tied to a plastic T-rex from the Dollar Tree. 

There's also a little stuffed bear in there with the tagline: I love you "beary" much!

So, you've now seen this years Valentine's Day gift! You can follow me on Pinterest and LIKE my page on Facebook! Happy gifting! ♥

Belt of Truth Hanger

If any of you are like me, you have belts galore with nowhere to hang them. Mine were actually rolled up inside a bucket tucked away in my closet... Out of the way, but also out of mind because I never saw them. Now, I've seen this particular craft done before and I love it! But this really came together when my best friend brought me a few oddly sized canvases. I looked them over and picked the long skinny one and said, "I have just the plan for you!" This craft is very simple and takes just a few minutes, so even if you're a crazy busy college student like me, you can probably find a moment to do this!

The scripture pulled is from the book of Ephesians, chapter 6:

The Armor of God- Ephesians 6: 10-20
¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. ¹⁹ Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

Supplies You Will Need:
- Long, skinny canvas
- Paint and/or Scrapbook paper
- Small hooks that can screw into the canvas
- Marker or sticker letters 
- Decorative stickers (optional) 

The canvas I used was 4 inches by 12 inches, so long and narrow.

Long and narrow!

The hook will be screwed directly into the side of the canvas!

Roll the canvas in the scrapbook paper and screw the hooks through the paper!

See? Easy, easy, easy! Now you have just the place to put all those tangled belts!

All done!!

Pampering Gift Set

What woman doesn't enjoy being pampered? The answer to that- none! This gift is simple and cheap- and sure to be a hit with whoever you give it to! 

What You Will Need:

- Basket

- Lotion

- Shower gel

- Nail polish

- Nail buffer

- Shower poof

- Nail file

- Foot scrubber or file

- Picture frame

Fill your basket up as much as you can.

Put the basket inside of a colorful plastic gift bag.

There is no limit to how much you can add to this gift! The bigger the basket, the more you can stuff it with!

Movie Night Gift Box

A few months ago I made a post regarding a Movie Night Gift bowl (found here) and needless to say, it was a huge hit! Anyone who has received one of these gifts loved it- which makes the giver feel really good.

The best part of this gift for you as the giver? It's fairly inexpensive. The most expensive thing going into the gift is the movie. 

This is just a slightly different way to do the same gift.

Want You Will Need:

- Large bowl or popcorn box (found at Dollar Tree)

- Movie of your choice

- Popcorn

- Various candy

 - Soda

Get as many different types of candy as you want! And of course soda!

Simple, yet very effective at bringing a smile to someone's face!

Tappy Tap Shoes!

My niece really likes to dance around the house wearing her black dress shoes. She calls them her "tappy tap shoes." Since she loves them so much, and of course dancing, I glued pennies onto the bottom of her shoes. Now they really "tappy tap!"

Tappy Tap Shoes!

Supplies you will need:
- 1 pair of shoes
- 6 to 10 pennies
- Glue gun or super glue

Just glue the pennies around the sides of the bottom of the shoe! Any kid that loves making noise will definitely like these shoes!

Fall Wreath

Fall is almost here! I love fall more than any other season because it is so colorful! I bought the wreath used for this craft at Micheal's Craft Store and the leaves were purchased in a bag of 50 from the Dollar Tree, along with the sunflowers.

 Now just follow this easy picture guide to create your own!

Supplies You'll Need:

-Grapevine wreath

-Artificial flowers

-Artificial leaves

-Hot glue gun

Supplies you will need!

Push the flower tip through the center of the leaf before hot gluing.

Hot glue flowers into place.

Single flower arrangement with leaves on the side.

Double flower arrangement with leaves on the side.

Tuck leaves into the vines and hot glue into place.

Your leaves should be tucked into place around your flowers and into the vine.

Hang on the wall or your front door!

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Making It New Again

Have you ever wondered around a thrift store looking at charming old decor, thinking It's cute, but it wouldn't fit in around my home, simply because it was outdated? Well don't rule out something adorable simply because it needs some TLC. I found this sassy Kitchen Closed sign for a dollar. All it needed was a few coats of acrylic paint, some artificial flowers, and a new ribbon- now it looks brand new!

It makes a lovely addition to our kitchen ☺

Thrift store cow hanger for $1

Kitchen Closed: This heifer has had it!

 

So are there any thrift store finds you've come across that you fixed or updated?

I'd love for you to share!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As always, find me on Pinterest and Facebook!

Dollar Tree Finds

 I love a bargain. Especially when the bargain is also adorable! When browsing around the local Dollar Tree, I found some cute wall plaques. The lady bug was begging to be taken home and painted, so I thought I'd share. The plaque is sturdy and came with an attached ribbon for hanging. Kids would love this idea as much as I did!

 You don't have to stay within the standard lady bug colors- go nuts! A light blue lady bug with lime green dots would be awesome! Plus google eyes make everything more fun!

When you finish this simple project, hang it wherever suits you. I hung mine in my bedroom amongst some framed pictures. I think she fits in nicely, don't you? Extra fun: Add a quote on the front!

"Lovely little ladybug

sent from up above

please watch over my garden

and fill it up with love."