Thrifty Thursday

I debated running by Goodwill the other day, but I am glad I did!  I might have found my best deal yet: size 7 purple corduroy Toms in perfect condition - for $4.50!  I saw them from far away and thought, "Those look like Toms."  I got close enough to see that they were real Toms, and then I saw that they were 7's.  Score!  I'd been wanting a new pair but decided to put my money toward something I'd get more wear out of in England.  Patience paid off, I couldn't have gotten a better deal that that!

My DIY Celebration Banner

Here are all the details of how I made this cute pennant banner to celebrate my ministry partners.

Do you remember back in the summer when I showed a picture of all these vintage pillow cases?

Well they were the inspiration for the banner.  My partner development teacher told our class that we should find a way to celebrate along this journey.  I immediately thought of making a pennant banner, with each pennant representing a new partner.  At first I thought I'd use scrapbook paper, but then I realized I could use the cloth from old pillow cases.  I'd been seeing vintage pillow cases everywhere and wanted a reason to buy some.  Now I had a reason!

My first step (besides buying the pillow cases) was to make a template for the pennant.  I used a piece of card stock and made a triangle that was 6' across the top and 8' on the sides.  Then I cut open the pillow cases so that they were large, flat sheets.  I traced the triangles onto the fabric in a row, alternating the direction they were facing   This way when it came time to cut them out, all of the sides would be shared, equaling less cuts.

The cutting was the most frustrating and time consuming part of the project.  I used pinking shears, and I don't know if it's because they were old or because the fabric was old and flimsy, or both, but they were very difficult to cut out.

Before I started writing the names on them I made a few trial runs on a scrap triangle.  I tried different handwritings and placements on the pennant until I found what I liked.  I should also note that I bought a special pen for this.  I needed one that wouldn't bleed, and I was afraid a Sharpie might do that.  This pen is designed for writing on fabrics and I got it at Michael's for $2.99.  It worked great except for one of the fabrics that was really thin and flimsy.

Once I had all the pennants ready to go I attached some clear Command strips onto the wall and tied the twine to them.  Then I clipped them up using mini clothespins that I also got at Michael's, a 50 count bag for $2.99.

I love the finished product!  The names are written small enough that they don't overpower the pennants.  It brightened up that blank wall and is a great visual reminder of all the wonderful people people partnering with me on this journey.  And that's what I wanted, something that was simple enough that it would look like a decoration while still having a purpose behind it.

Thrifty Thursday

When I was in Lynchburg last week I went to two different Goodwills, and found a great deal at one of them.  This red, 80% wool pea coat...for $6!  One of the first things I noticed about it was that it had a hood, which I wasn't a fan of.  I like wearing scarfs and hats in the winter, so a hood wouldn't really be needed; but then I realized the hood was removable.  Score!  Then I tried it on and realized that it was a missing a button.  I knew I could remove one of the buttons at the top, under the collar, and sew it where the missing button was, but thought that once I'm in England I might want to button the coat all the way up, since it will be so cold.  I thought about buying the coat anyways and hoping to find buttons in the store that would match.  Then I slipped my hands into the pockets and felt something round.  "There's no way!" I thought, as I pulled the missing button out of the pocket.  There was no debating it now, I was getting the coat!  And one of the nice things about being at home was that Mom sewed the button on for me.

I'm not at all wishing for winter weather, but I will be excited about getting to wear my coat!

Thrifty Thursday

A friend and I went thrifting on Saturday and this is what I scored...


A bunch of vintage pillow cases that I'm going to use for an upcoming project.  I got one for .67 cents at Goodwill, and the rest were .25 cents at Heaven Sent Family Outlet.

And some shirts.  None of these are name brand, so I won't bother with that part of it, but the Boston t-shirt and white ruffle collared shirt were $1.50 at Heaven Sent, and the brown tank and chambray shirt were $4.67 at Goodwill.

Thrifty Thursday

Banana Republic tank = $1.50 / Heaven Sent Family Outlet
Polo Ralph Lauren t-shirt = $1.50 / Heaven Sent Family Outlet
The Children's Place long sleeved button down oxford = $1.50 / Heaven Sent Family Outlet.

So this is a boy's XL shirt, but it fits just fine and will definitely be staple in my wardrobe come fall!  And apparently it belonged to a boy named Kite?

Plue, one of my favorite games for just a dollar!

Thrifty Thursday

First of all, Happy 4th of July!  And second, I haven't done one of these in a while, but here are some recent purchases and a little inspiration for all you thrifters out there!

L to R

Banana Republic t-shirt = $1.50 / Heaven Sent Family Outlet

Merona dress (with tags) = $7.99 / Goodwill

bubble necklace = $1.47 / Goodwill

Ann Taylor Loft shirt = $1.50 / Goodwill

Merona skirt = $4.67 / Goodwill

Sorry for the poor photo quality on this one.

L to R
G.H. Bass & Co. tank = $2.17 / Goodwill
Banana Republic shorts = $2.00 / Heaven Sent Family Outlet
GAP capris = $2.00 / Heaven Sent Family Outlet
Merona cardigan = $5.27 / Goodwill

Thrifty Thursday

I stopped by Goodwill Monday night because I hadn't been in a while and I had two great finds!  Two pairs of Nike Dri-Fit running shorts for $3.67 each!  These things retail for about $30 if you get them from Nike, and $15-$20 from somewhere like T.J.Maxx, so needless to say I was thrilled!  It almost made me want to go pound out a couple miles on the pavement...Almost...I did go to the gym and bike though!

Thrifty Thursday

I haven't thrifted in a while, but I went last week and scored a sweater, two shirts, a necklace, and a pair of shoes for $20.17!

A big chunky sweater for $5. 27 and a plaid flannel and polka-dotted button down for $4.67 each.

Cute floral Keds for $4.50!

And this necklace that was only .97 cents, which I wore to my friend Brittany's bridal shower the next day.

Saddle Up

Yesterday at church I got to wear a new (to me) skirt and shoes for the first time.  And while the mustard yellow corduroy skirt from J.Crew was pretty awesome, I was most excited about the shoes.  I wore saddle shoes when I was little, and for the past year or so I've been wanting another pair.  I've kept my eyes open for them at thrift stores and finally came across a pair about two months ago.  Technically they're kids shoes, but one benefit of having small feet is being able to squeeze into kids shoes when you need to.  And I really didn't have to squeeze into them, they fit quite nicely!

Thrifty Thursday - Christmas Decorations

Way back this summer I did some redecorating, and replaced the apothecary jars I had in my bathroom with mason jars.  I hung on to the apothecary jars though, because I had seen something on Pinterest that I wanted to do at Christmas.  So last week I went on the hunt to find things to fill my jars with, and I started at Goodwill.  On their Christmas shelf I found two packages of ornaments, one for  .97 cents and one for $1.77, and then later I found a bag of pinecones for $2.97.  I wasn't sure if I would use all of it, but for that price figured it would be worth getting.  I also bought a pack of mini candy canes at Kroger.  

When I got home I just started sticking things in jars and rearranging them until I had a combo I liked.  And I felt better when I used something from all of my Goodwill purchases, since I combined both kinds or ornaments in one jar.  In all honesty, I know that bigger jars or smaller objects would look a little better, cause I could put more stuff inside, but I'm not going to stress about it, or go buy more things.  It's still fun and Christmasy, and because I already had the jars, cost me about $6.  And, I can get more use out of the pinecones, since they're not limited to just Christmas decor.

Thrifty Thursday

One of my tips for thrifting is to get outside the realm of Goodwill; most cities have thrift stores associated with non-profit ministries.  In Johnson City one of those thrift stores is the Heaven Sent Family Outlet.  I was there about two weeks ago looking for lots of random items to make some staging props for Wednesday nights, and while I was the book section I saw this cute little magazine holder.  I wasn't sure if it was to hold magazines that they were selling or if it was for sell too, so I figured I'd ask.  The lady I asked said I could have it for $5, which I thought was a little steep for a thrift store, but I'd still get it.  When I got up to the counter to pay, before I could even say that someone had said I could have it for $5, the lady at the counter said, "I'll put a dollar on it," and I said, "Ok!"  See, it never hurts to ask about things!

I took it home and tried my best to clean it up, since one side had some stains on it.  The canvas couldn't be taken off of the frame, so I spot treated it with Shout and then put it under the tub faucet.  I poured laundry detergent on a rag and scrubbed it as best as I could.  I really don't think it got any cleaner, but I feel better knowing it's been cleaned and somewhat sanitized.

So here it is; so cute!

The only thing is that that whole little wall is all neutral colored and looking really blaaa.  I'll have to figure out a way to bring more color to it.  If the canvas on the magazine rack was removable I'd take it off and paint the wooden frame, but I'd be afraid to paint it with the canvas still on it.

Thrifty Thursday

Last Friday night I went to Goodwill with two of our students and I had one of the most successful Goodwill trips I've had in a long time, and it was all clothes, which is rare.

I got these cute little shoes for $4.50.  They're from Forever 21 and look like they have never been worn.  I probably won't get much use of them at this point in the season, but they'll be waiting for me in the spring!

This striped turtle neck was $3.99.  It's from Target, the Merona brand with the tags still on!

I debated for a while about whether or not to get this sweatshirt.  I'm not a University of Tennessee fan at all, but I just loved the old school vintage look of it, and it was big and cozy, the perfect being-a-bum-on-the-weekends kind of sweatshirt.  I (obviously) finally decided to get it because no where on it does it actually say University of Tennessee.  I'll just wear it repping Tennessee in general.  Oh, and it was $3.27, which made the decision to get it a little easier.

And this was by far the best find of the night!  I've pinned a few outfits on Pinterest lately that had blazers in them, loved the look but have been nervous about if I could pull it off.  So I told myself if I could find a blazer for cheap somewhere to go ahead and get it.  Well I've been looking at blazers every time I've gone to Goodwill, but they're all outdated with big, brass buttons and shoulder pads.  Not this trip though!  I found this Tommy Hilfiger blazer in perfect condition for $7.27!  I couldn't believe it; and then I couldn't believe that  it fit perfectly too!  Can't wait to finally wear it!

And here are some of those blazer pins:

Thrifty Thursday

I went home to Lynchburg a couple weekends ago and mom, Amanda, and I hit up one of the local Goodwills.  I found this cute little lantern in a very fallish yellow color for $2.00  I considered not getting it though, because if you just put a votive candle in there it would melt all over the place and make a mess, but I didn't think a jar candle would look good in it.  I ended up getting it and decided to just figure something out later.  After considering a few options I put a votive candle in a mason jar lid, and so far it seems to be working well!

I also got this cheese slicer for .50 cents.  We had one like this when I was growing up, but since living on my own I've not had one, and I'm not good at slicing cheese with a knife.  The slices always turn out fat on one end and paper thin on the other, so I'm looking forward to having nice evenly sliced pieces of cheese again.

Thrifty Thursday

I found this adorbale little dish at a Goodwill about two weeks ago.  It caugh my eye because at first I thought the design on the front matched a set of serving ware we had when I was growing up, but it turned out to be different.  Even so, I still really liked it.  I liked the milk glass, and the retro little veggies on the front.   It will be perfect for cooking a single serving of chicken or something, and for baking lots of yummy fall breads!  I don't remember how much I paid for it, but it was at Goodwill, so we know it was cheap.  I'm thinking it was the $2-$3 dollar range.

Thrifty Thursday

I used to do posts called Goodwill Goodies whenever I had some good finds at Goodwill, but I've decided to start doing Thrifty Thursday posts instead.  For one thing, covering a specific topic on certain day frees up the stress of having to come up with something to blog about.  Secondly, like I said in my thrifting posts on Sherri's blog, thrifting isn't limited to Goodwill, although that is where I do the majority of my thrift shopping.

So let's get to the good stuff!  I visited two different Goodwill's about two weeks ago and this is some of what I got...

This Vera Bradley place mat for $1.97.  I'm not planning on actually using it as a normal place mat, but I thought it might be a nice backdrop for when I want to take pictures of food for the blog.

This skirt.  I don't remember exactly how much it was, but it was around $3 or $4.

This pan for $4.97.  I didn't have an ovenproof pan/skillet and had been wanting one for a while.  I can't tell you how many times I have been reading a recipe that sounded so good, and then it would say "in an ovenproof skillet..." and I would just stop reading because I knew I couldn't make it, but now I can!

This knitted blanket for $1.67!  I love knitted blankets, and have been searching for one I really liked.  This one is a good size, and for $1.67 I could not pass it up!  I feel like I kind of have a granny living room, but I don't care, it's cozy and I like it!

And now I realize that my picture frames are crooked.  Oops!

Mug Monday

I haven't done a Mug Monday post in so long!  And I've actually had this new (to me) little guy for a while, but just hadn't used it yet.  I found it at Goodwill and loved it instantly.  I loved its stoneware look, short little shape, and brown and blue colors, and for less than a buck, it was mine!  It's small, cozy, and fits in my hands perfectly!

The Weekend Is Here and Fall Is On Its Way

Yesterday and today I was a guest poster on my friend Sherri's blog, the life of a wife.  You should head over there and check them out! 

And even though the high today was 88 degrees, I'm very much in the fall spirit.  Sniffing all of the fall scented candles at Bath & Body Works just added to the issue, I wanted almost all of them!  But I finally settled on these two - fall, FALL, FALL!!!

Enjoy your weekend, wherever you are, and I hope it's fallish!