Halloween decor and more glittery pumpkins

I keep slowly putting out Halloween decorations so I thought I would share. Just yesterday I picked up another faux pumpkin at the dollar store. I immediately brought it home and spray painted it silver and added glitter dots.

I love glitter and silver spray paint so much that I think if my kids sat still long enough I would spray them with paint and sprinkle them with glitter. On this pumpkin, I just applied mod podge with a small brush in a circle shape and sprinkled glitter on it. So easy.

And in case you forgot, here's the pumpkin that I made a few weeks ago.


And a shot of my mantle that is starting to feel a little bit like Halloween. I have a feeling that more will be added as the month continues. Do you recognize the beware sign?

I even picked up a few pumpkins at the Farmer's Market today for my entry table. Gotta to love something about the simplicity of putting the pumpkin on display on a candle holder.

What's your favorite Halloween decoration?

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What I Wore Wednesday

Welcome to another week of What I Wore Wednesday-Garage sale edition. Where I link up my "cheaper than a cup of coffee" outfits with Lindsey at The Pleated Poppy and Morgan at Meet Virginia.

Do I look like Robin Hood in this outfit? Cuz I'm not going to lie, I sort of felt like I was going to go out stealing from the rich and giving to the poor when I wore it. I'm not totally sold on the whole skinny jean thing yet, in fact I returned this pair yesterday (they had a hole that I didn't put there in them).

Green sweater-$1

White layering shirt-Aeropostale: $1

Jeans-Nordstrom Rack: returned

Boots-Target: $24

I thought I would give the jeans another try the next day and paired them with a tank and a sweater. (sorry for the dark shot, it's getting dreary here)

Tank-Banana Republic: $1

Sweater-Hollister: $1

Jeans and boats: see above

On Monday I threw on this Star Wars shirt (I totally tried to take a close up of the shirt, but it really just looked like a boob shot, so it didn't make the cut) and some jeans.

Star Wars shirt-Junk Food: $1

black layering shirt: 25cents

Jeans-Vigoss: $1

Total: $2.25

On Tuesday I wore:
Grey layering shirt-Abercrombie and Fitch: $1

Sweater: $1

Jeans-Vigoss: $1

Total $3

And today:

Jacket-Self Esteem: $1

Tank-Banana Republic: $1

Jeans-Joes: $10

Total: $12

If you notice, I did buy some "trendier" fall pieces for my wardrobe. I failed at finding skinny jeans this summer at garage sales and I wanted some brown boots I could pair with leggings and jeans. So while most of the items in my wardrobe come from garage sales, there are some pieces that when I can't find them during the summer, I will go out and buy them.

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Swagbucks

If you haven't noticed by my blog postings, I love free and cheap. I love to pick up a good deal and I love the hunt for a bargain. One thing I love is when I don't have to do much of anything to get something. That's why I love swagbucks.

I installed swagbucks as my homepage on my computer a few months ago to give it a whirl. I was cautious and have monitored my spam to see if it's increasing (it's not) or if I became more susceptible to viruses by adding something different to my computer (no viruses to speak of).

Over the past few months I have gotten enough swagbucks to buy four $10 Starbucks gift cards. Swagbucks work just like any other search engine, but you can occasionally make swagbucks just by searching for things you would normally search for. I usually get around 15 bucks a day...not many, but they add up.

I am giving this whole advertising thing a whirl (blogging is time consuming so I thought I would see if it could help give me some incentive to keep on keeping on). I do get bucks for referrals, so if you were thinking of trying it, please, use this

If you aren't sure about it right now, I've added a swagbucks icon just below my labels on the side, you can always check back another time. Go check out their rewards page...what would you save for? Or, what have you bought with your bucks?

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Beware!

Do you have an Artco by you? Sometimes I get tired of the same two craft stores (you know the ones), so when I am on the other side of Tacoma I try to make it into my favorite craft store. I am always inspired by what they have in store. This weekend, this is what I picked up there:

I threw it all together and made this Beware sign.

My mantel is finally starting to look like fall.


Linking up here

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Running

Nothing crafty today to share today but I wanted to share that I ran my first half marathon this morning. I've been training for a few months now and am thankful to have my first half over with. I ended up with several knee injury's (IT band issues paired with pulling my distil hamstring) that had me concerned that I wouldn't be able to do it. I'm thankful to have made it through and very close to the time that I had *hoped* for (2:02-I was hoping to get under 2 hours) but hey, there are some hills in Washington not to mention running while injured. Check that off my bucket list! What's on yours?

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Winner!!!

I rarely win anything. So I was so excited last month when I won Katy's beaded bracelet giveaway. Katy amazes me! She's the mom of five girls and is quite possibly the best seamstress I have seen hit blogland. She has such a great sense of style.

Isn't this bracelet amazing? I can't even imagine the time that went into making this bracelet. All of the beading and the unbelievable pattern. I love it! Thanks Katy!

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What I Wore Wednesday

Welcome to another week of What I Wore Wednesday-Garage Sale edition. I'm linking up with Lindsay at The Pleated Poppy and with Megan at Meet Virginia

First up, this amazing dress. I nearly passed it up at a garage sale this weekend when my friend Heidi told me she thought I should get it. I am glad I listened to her. It fit perfectly!

Dress:$1

Boots: Clarks bought on clearance years ago

Total: $1

I wore this hanging out at home with the kids this weekend

Grey and white sweater-Gap: $1

Jeans-Silver brand: $1

Scarf tutorial here
Total: $2

I ran some errands on Monday and this is what I wore:

Long sleeve layering shirt-Gilly Hicks: bought years ago

Cream Sweater-Target: $1

Jeans-Seven (easily becoming my favorites): $10

Total: $11

I had a school meeting so I wore

Navy button down shirt: 50 cents

Pants-American Eagle: $2

Total: $2.50

But I ran errands earlier in the day and threw on this coat

Coat-Old Navy: $1



I was trying to get better lighting for this picture so I took it in my sons room. Looks like I need to clean the mirror!
Dress-Tommy Bahama: $3
Leggings-Lucy: $7.99 (clearance!)




Some of you have asked for my garage sale tips on how to find clothes for yourself at garage sales. My first tip is: Don't be afraid to look through the clothes. I think we often get overwhelmed when we see a stack of clothes on a tarp and don't want to dig through them. Just do it. You never know what you will find. I can often tell if I will find anything by just doing a quick run through, and holding up a few items (is there women's clothing, are the clothes my size, do I like what I see so far?) if you can answer those questions with a yes then spend some time looking.

Also, another tip, ask how much they want for clothes before you start digging. I don't like to pay more than a dollar for most things, unless I love them. I get much pickier if I have to pay more, so ask first. I use this tip more on kids clothes than on women's clothing, but it does save time. If I know I don't want to buy a pair of jeans for my son for $5 at a garage sale, I won't bother looking. If the clothes are $1 a piece (or less) then I start looking.

If you have a pile of stuff, add the items up in your head first, then come up with a price you are willing to offer. Most people would rather get rid of more items than just one and are willing to make a deal. For example, I have 13 items at 50 cents a piece, I would typically go up to the seller and say I have 13 things here, would you take $5? Most of the time the seller will negotiate when you buy in bulk.

Know what brands you like and what fits you. I know that Banana Republic pants don't fit me well. I know that I can wear a kids XL in some brands and a woman's M in another. I also know my altering skills and what I am capable of making work if I like it enough. I know that Abercrombie kids clothes have a little a on their label and a big A on their adult clothing. I know popular brands and what resells in consignment shops just in case something doesn't fit you and you want to go that route and recoup your money.

Those are just a few of my tips. Feel free to send me any questions you have and I am happy to answer them. Happy shopping!

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Boys backpack upcycle

I have yet another backpack upcycle to share with you. My son started Kindergarten this year with a really cool messenger bag backpack that just isn't realistic for a five year old...although it is pretty cool. Anyway, I had my eyes peeled for a new *cheap* backpack for him and found this black one at a garage sale this weekend for $1.

I wanted a little bit of a Quicksilver graphic feel to it, so I immediately thought of my bleach pen. I grabbed it and set to work.
I even drew a few designs on paper just so I could get some practice doing some funky shapes.
I got all of the bleach on and thought it looked pretty darn good. I was excited to rinse it off and see the design. So I let the bleach sit overnight (about 15 hours)
and in the morning I washed it and guess what? Not all things can be bleached! You can faintly see some purple lines but nothing that stood out. I was so disappointed!

So I headed out to JoAnn's and grabbed a fabric pen for $2. That worked!
And I think it turned out pretty cool.



And if you missed yesterday's post, here's an action shot of my daughters upcycled backpack

I'm linking up here

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Backpack makeover

I know by now everyone is back in school, but I wanted to share what I did this weekend to personalize my daughter's backpack.

She started with a plain old Jansport backpack that I got at a garage sale for 50 cents. The color was nice, it was a great size, only problem was, is that it was just a little plain.

I happened to have some small coordinating fabric pieces that I knew matched the backpack so I set to work making yo yo flowers. They were really easy and I think they turned out super cute! It's also really versatile because I sewed pin closures on the backs of each of the flowers so she can move them around (or take them off) where ever she wants.

No more jansport logo

Isn't it cute?

I'm linking up here

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flowers

I don't know about you but my fabric seems to breed. I hate to throw any of the scraps away because you never know what you may need them for. I've been trying to be more mindful of this and only buy what I need when I get fabric cut, but it's inevitable, there will always be scraps. So I took some of my scraps and made some singed flowers. I put hair clips on some, pins on others.

Then I packaged them up for gifts. Aren't they cute?

There are tons of tutorials out there. I really like Emily's over at jones.design.company. I think she's amazing! I just love her blog and know you will too.

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What I Wore Wednesday

Welcome to another week of What I Wore Wednesday-Garage sale edition. I take pictures of the outfits that I wore through the week and hopefully it will motivate you to dig into that pile of clothes at the next garage sale you go to and not just walk past it.

I started the weekend by wearing:

Purple hoodie-Free People: $1

Black shirt-Aeropostale: 50 cents

Capri's: Target (bought years ago)

Total: $1.50

I took a close up of the sweatshirt because I love the detail on it. Know what it is? Ribbons turned backwards and sewn on. So crafty!

On Sunday I celebrated my oldest son's 12th birthday at Jump Sky High. A super fun indoor trampoline warehouse center.

Long sleeve white shirt-Aeropostale: $1
Black shirt-Energie: 50 cents
Red plaid vest-Target: $1
Jeans-Vigoss: Nordstrom
Total for the tops: $2.50




A day of running errands
Cream sweater-Hollister: $1
Orange tank-Nordstrom: $1
Joes Jeans: $10
Uggs: $3
Total: $15



Yep, real Uggs, from a garage sale...for $3! I found them last summer and am glad I didn't pay retail for them.

And since so many of you said there was no age limit on leggings, I decided to pull them out again. I hope you all aren't steering me wrong!
Grey shirt: 50 cents
Striped shirt-Aerie: $1
Leggings:$1
Total: $2.50



And another year of BSF started. I'm excited to dig into Isaiah and see what God reveals to me this year.
Blue sweater-Gap:$1
Seven Jeans: $10
Total: $11


I'm linking up with Lindsay at The Pleated Poppy

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