Category Archives: Gettin’ Crafty

Goodwill Hunting

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Hey there… yes.. Goodwill Hunting- and not the movie… 🙂   .. I paid a visit to see if my $2.00 Tuesday Fairy has left a goodie for me under my pillow   …. (yes I remember the days of the toothfairy so now she’s my $2.00 Fairy – cause that’s how much we use to get for a tooth..)  Thank you Daddy (r.i.p) … OK  moving right along… but yes, she struck again.  After being well acclimated in my new office space the one thing I was missing and realized I needed was a wastebasket.  Brand new ones were overpriced.. I mean really you see my office.. I don’t think I need to make a fashion statement in there..  but at Target I found these.. Prices range from $9.99 to $14.99

Well I found this one at Goodwill  –  Yes it was $2.00  (starting the new year off right)

     

A Martha Stewart wastebasket… sure it’s got some bruises .. but that’s ok… It’s sturdy, not torn or falling apart..   but it’s not staying this way… (you know me – Spray Paint to the rescue)

         

But you know wandering eyes just couldn’t stop at this.. I had to keep looking – just to see.. (thank God hubby wasn’t with me.. because he’d say  ..”ok – you got what you’re looking for – let’s go” .  Well – like I said in the title of this post.. Goodwill Hunting.. I found all these items there too!!!

        

Battery-operated candles were definitely a steal of a deal.. for $0.75 for this one

and for the pair of the olive green trees were $2.50 (OH MY GOD!! they smell soooo good – I can’t wait to get batteries..)

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Much needed picture frames..  the glass (for someone who’s got a birthday coming  🙂 – and a gardener can ALWAYS use watering can

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The pillows… can’t pass those up.. for $2.00 each.. (besides.. didn’t Pantone say the new color this year is Orchid.. chuckles..)

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All in all…. I will definitely say it was a good “GOODWILL Hunting”

My total spent …   $14.25  –

now it’s time for me to get busy working on that wastebasket.. I’ll see you soon to show you how I incorporate my new goodies around the house..

Tah-tah….

Costco with a Cause

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Today was a day spent at Costco with hubby.. while perusing the many isles of shoppers delights I came across this stand with these beautiful baskets.. OMG!  I had not seen them before.  So, naturally I begin looking at them.. I’m studying the many design patterns salivating over their beauty and wondering which one of these babies is coming home with me.  Then I happen to pay attention to the little card/tag on it and saw they were hand-crafted by women in Africa.  The cause.. ALL ACROSS AFRICA – helping to serve the poor and impoverished.

            

All Across Africa is dedicated to improving the lives of the poor and marginalized with economic opportunity through job creation and educational programs.  They  work with more than 3000 weavers on a regular basis. Each basket made and sold means food and medicine, education, community, and security for their weavers— and each basket means new life.  Read more about this vital organization here.   By now the Hubs is rolling his eyes, waiting patiently for me to make my choice…Here I am trying to read all the cards and decide which one .. I just said “go ahead”  I’ll catch up.. and his reply “nah, nah – you’ll be here forever”.. Oh boy – darnnit..    now you tell me.. how can I choose one so quickly when they’re all so beautiful.. take a look at some of these.. basket      basket1     basket2

Do you see what I see… decisions, decisions…    I mean look at those patterns and colors…

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Oh my, my, my.. I just can’t make up my mind… by now I’m hearing “WILL YOU COME On!!!!” and then I say  Uggghhhh… “Will you wait!!” .  You know how we women are.. we have to think first .. ok…..where is it going to go, what room, the colors in that room and the size & shape.. what are you going to do with it.. .

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Is your head spinning like mine with excitement????  chuckles…

In addition to these beauties.. they also had jewelry – get this – made out of recycled magazine paper..

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They also had handbags too!!

        

This was too much… ok,  now I’m realizing… I need to hurry up and make a decision..  

 This is the one that landed in my cart and came home

With this note from Jeanne:

I haven’t decided where or what I’m going to do with it.. but in the mean time, it’ll hang here reminding me that instead of shopping just “because” ……  I shopped with a “CAUSE”

          

So instead of me getting my 4 bags of brownie brittle and a few other goodies I normally get, I exchanged them for something more viable.. and knowing my purchase could help the Rwandans gives me a rewarding feeling.  If you’re not a Costco member, you can still make a purchase through their website.

Here are some of the pictures decorating using baskets from their website:

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Are you just as excited as I am???  now – go get your basket  🙂

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$2.00 Tuesday #6

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Well it’s that day of the week and so far so good… Your Vintage Girl is at it again.  My luck may be running thin on these items, but I managed to get something.  I re-visited the Goodwill (went back to check on the bean bag) and it was gone  🙁  oh well … but I came across this item.   Here I go… thinking .. hmmmmm…  maybe? maybe not? maybe?   Yes!   I’ll take it…  Here is what I brought home… I know you’re wondering what is it?   It’s a  wall vase… I clearly see why the owner got rid of it…pretty boring (well, unless you like black & silver together)..

The price….$2.50  —  that’ll work…   🙂

and I noticed something interesting.. it was made in the USA…. ok.. even better.. because I did’t think I’d ever see that tag

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Well, time to give this a refreshingly new look…..Paint is the first thing to do… I already have some latex paint left over from this project..

Much better – starting to look a bit more eye friendly  –  at least for me it is…   Time to fill the vase..  Since I’m going to use it outside, I’ll make a winter white theme.   Mother nature is my resource for those items.  Oh, and I also wanted to add a little decoration to it.. my feeble attempt failed.. but I did like the little silvery hearts (thanks to  Cassie- my neighbor-  gave a bag of them) so I decided to keep those on it.   (I’ve never been too crafty – but one day I’ll work on those skills).   I went outside to get a few tree branches and sprayed them silver (to match the little tip) and added them..

needs more nature to it..  these will work just fine

and here’s the finished product for my Winter White Arrangement

            

I think I really like this little arrangement….What’s your take???   Keep in mind – not bad for $2.50 “giggles”.

 

A Gourd-geous Sunday

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Here it is – Thanksgiving already,  and I still haven’t created a tablescape for Fall..  So today was a perfect day to do something.  The weather was pretty crisp so I decided to decorate these gourds I got from a  neighbor.  He generously gave me 6.. which I was truly happy and thankful for.  As I reflect on this holiday, I realize there is so much to be thankful for.   Even something so simple as getting these gourds for free.   I created this simple tablescape with items that were found around the house and cost zero dollars.  What a blessing it was to be able to do that.   These are the gourds I started with:

After I washed and dried them I used leftover spray paint I had from previous projects to give them color.   Then it was time to get creative.  I had a mirror put inside a frame a few months back and decided to use that as my platform.  I found a bag of popourri I purchased from a yard sale back in summer for $0.50 cents.   This is the tablescape I created for fall.

I used some of the small pine cones from the popourri to outline the candle base  

    Twine left over was used around the neck of this gourd.

The gold paint on this one has a gentle glow…     

I still think it needed something else, so I went outside and plucked a few of these dried berry leaves  to add to the arrangement.    This is the finished look for my Fall tablescape.

          

Like I said…. I have much to be thankful for.. Being able to have a home to create this lovely centerpiece for..  Is truly a blessing.. Amen…..

I really like the table centerpiece  glow by candlelight……  Simply Fall … 

Have a wonderfully blessed and safe Thanksgiving

Falling Lite as a Feather

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When I think of feathers, I see the bird in  flight .. soaring high in the sky..    Watching how it soars so high is one of nature’s beauty.   It’s something special about feathers.. I believe it’s a combination of their softness mixed with the array of colors they come in that draws my attention.  I love using them in home decor.   As you listen to the lyrics in this song, they really exemplify the significance of feathers and how they can be used in home decor because not only are they important for birds to fly high, but as the lyrics say.. make your heart lite as a feather so you let nothing hold you down.  When it comes to decorating with feathers- go with the wind  and flow free as a breeze thinking of all the possibilities.

This post is the journey I took using feathers in home decorating.  Here I took a strand of feathers just to outline  pillar candles that were sitting on a charger plate (the left pedestal is a tiffany shade turned upside down  and the right is a old lamp base)

 

When I made these pillows,  I used feathers as the trim instead of the usual fringe

     

Feathers flowing from the lampshades adds  extra flare to them

         

There’s even a feathered wreath greeting you at the door- Open your eyes and appreciate the beauty they bring

This fall and winter  season  incorporate a few in your decor to see the difference they make in your room

Even create a beautiful table centerpiece with feathers in a vase with nuts or pine cones

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So as plenty feathers fall from the sky and grace us with their beauty,  you can use your imagination and let it soar with so many possibilities to use in your home

The knobs on the antique wine cabinet caught these beauties (they were christmas tree ornaments but I used them for knob enhancements)

The glass knobs on the French doors caught this feathered ornament

A simple spray of ostrich feathers tucked inside a candle holder – adorns the french vanity

So you see… using feathers in your home decor is simple and lite as a feather

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Have I convinced you to tickle your fancy with a few feathers?  I hope so……

But however you choose to use them, let your imagination  soar high and Fall with feathers

Milvus_milvus_R(ThKraft)