Frugal Friday~

Welcome to this week's edition of Frugal Friday!

Since I'm soaking up the sun in Southern Cali, I'm going to save my Frugal Round-up and do a big double-sized round up next week.

But I just HAD to share this pretty white guest room with you from Hello Lovely Inc. Very simple, tres chic!

(I LOVE her blog header too...must be the dancer in me.)

And how is it that I never get such great deals on furniture? (free Louis chair? sigh.)

Now it's your turn! You know "da rules!"

1. Please link directly to your post and not just to your blog.
2. Please link back to The Shabby Nest.
3. Please visit other participants and leave them some comment love!

I reserve the right to remove any post that is not in keeping with the spirit of Frugal Friday including, but not limited to, those posts that link to your link party, your shop or giveaway, and those posts not linking back to the Shabby Nest. Thanks for playing fair!!

Frugal Friday~

Welcome to another edition of Frugal Friday!

For the Frugal Roundup this week here are some of my favorites from last week...

First up...The Starr Family shared a fabulous tutorial on making your own Cherry Blossom Chandelier. This is definitely one for the files!

The lovely and talented Megan at Brassy Apple shared a "too cute for words" Road Trip Craft. You betcha I'll be making some of these for the next time we make the cross-country trip with the kiddos.

Cant Stop Making Things shared a fabulous twisted bat art piece. I can see many incarnations of this great idea!

And finally, Full of Great Ideas share a DIY wire photo holder that I love!!

Now it's your turn...

You know "da rules"!

1. Please link directly to your post and not just to your blog.
2. Please link back to The Shabby Nest so that others can enjoy the Frugal Goodness.
3. Please leave comments when you visit a post! Help our participants feel the love!

I reserve the right to remove posts that are not in keeping with the Frugal Friday theme. For example, posts about your business, your giveaway, or other posts unrelated to frugal projects and frugal finds.

Frugal Friday~

Welcome to this week's edition of Frugal Friday!

I have been wanting something pretty and feminine for a dark corner of my home office. I have also been wanting to try my hand at making some tissue paper pom poms. So this week, I decided to go for it.





I will spare you all a tutorial on how to make them and refer you instead to the tutorial that I used by the ever-fabulous Martha.


Didn't they turn out pretty? I still have a few more to make before I put them up in the office, so I'll have to show you how it looks all finished later...pinky promise.










Now it's your turn...

You know "da rules"

1. Please link directly to your post and not just to your blog.

2. Please link back to the Shabby Nest.

3. Please leave comments on the posts of the participants you visit. Show them the love!

I reserve the right to remove links that are not in keeping with the spirit of Frugal Friday i.e. links to your business, your giveaway or other posts unrelated to frugal projects or frugal finds.

MY APOLOGIES TO THE FIRST 9 PEOPLE WHO LINKED UP TODAY...I WAS HAVING MCKLINKY ISSUES AND YOUR LINKS WERE ACCIDENTALLY ERASED. SO SORRY.

Have Fun!

Frugal Friday~

Hello Everybody! Welcome to this week's edition of Frugal Friday!

You may have noticed that I wasn't able to get the Frugal Round-up post done this week. Let's just chalk it up to a combination of having the hubby's parents staying with us, and having unexpected medical appointments for the poor guy.

So I decided that instead of my regular Frugal Friday post, I'd share my Frugal Round-up...my favorites from last week's linky party.





First up, The Frosted Gardner shared her great gardner's window. This window is massive and really makes a statement in their bedroom! What a great find!

I loved Freckled Laundry's fabulous DIY wire chandelier. Such a pretty accent!

Casa Haus shared this amazing jellyfish tutorial. This is on my to-do list for sure...my two youngest boys are huge Spongebob fans and I'm sure they'll be head-over-heels for these amazing jellyfish.

Finally, Finding Home Online share a pretty black and white Halloween. Don't get me wrong...I love me a little orange, but this black and white theme is so pretty and sophisticated!

Now it's your turn...

You know "da rules"

1. Please link directly to your post not just to your blog.

2. Please link back to the Shabby Nest so that others can enjoy the frugal goodness.

3. Please comment on the links you visit so that our partipants can feel the love!

Finally, I reserve the right to remove links that are not appropriate to the Frugal Friday theme...ie links to posts about your business, your giveaway, or other posts unrelated to frugal projects or frugal finds. (So, if you've posted a link like this in the past, and notice that it has disappeared...it has. Let's all play fair, k?)

Have fun!

Frugal Friday~

Today I wanted to share with you my frugal fall tablescape.


I have this small buffet in my dining area. It is the perfect size to fit in what might otherwise be an awkward spot. I love the buffet...but I just couldn't get it accessorized the way I wanted. I thought that perhaps if I painted it a different color it might fix the problem. And that was my plan until I came up with a new arrangement for fall...

BEFORE








AFTER

Yeah, there's still a lot of black, but there is more height, more texture, more color. Let me break it down for you.

(Sorry for the blurry photo...I was taking these in low light...) The first thing I knew I had to do was replace the lamp. I liked the "skeleton" shade on the old lamp, but the hubby? not so much. Plus, I felt like the lamp was the key to bringing in color. So after searching for a while, I found this gold beauty at TJ Maxx for a steal! It was rather short, however, so I made it a little taller by placing it on a book. I didn't like the cover of the book AND I wanted to bring in more white, so I just turned it around to face the pages out. Mr. Two thinks the lamp is especially fitting for fall, because, as he pointed out, "it looks like a pumpkin."

I repeated the gold color on the other side of the tablescape with a plate I already had that just happens to be the exact color of the pumpkin lamp...call it serendipity.


I wanted to add a piece of art, but I just didn't have the right thing...so I framed a piece of my favorite black damask fabric. The perfect touch.

Finally, I added the terrarium that my mother gifted me with a sweet stone bird's nest underneath. Love the rusty patina. So fall-ish.

Aside from the lamp (which as I mentioned was a total steal) I didn't purchase a single new thing for my fall tablescape! And, I like it enough that I've talked myself out of painting the buffet...at least for now.

Now it's your turn...

You know "da rules"

1. Please link directly to your post not just to your blog.

2. Please link back to the Shabby Nest so that others can enjoy the frugal goodness.

3. Please comment on the links you visit so that our partipants can feel the love!

Finally, I reserve the right to remove links that are not appropriate to the Frugal Friday theme...ie links to posts about your business, your giveaway, or other posts unrelated to frugal projects or frugal finds.

Have fun!

Frugal Roundup~

Hey kids! Welcome to this week's edition of the Frugal Round-up!

Over 270 people linked up to last week's Frugal Friday...that's a lot of great inspiration!!

Here are a few of my favorites...




Perhaps it's because I am in the process of working on my home office, or perhaps it's just because this home office is fab.u.lous...but I *had* to share Red Door Home's lovely post with you! mmmmmmm.

I love me a silhouette...and I love me all things French. So make sure and check out La T Da's Eiffel Tower silhouette art. So clever!

Next up, House to Your Home shared a pretty and fresh dresser makeover. Love the stripes!

Finally, be sure to check out the Anthro-inspired art project at A Crummy Marriage Blog. Lovin' it!

If you haven't visited last week's Frugal Friday post yet, make sure you scroll down...RIGHT NOW! You won't want to miss all the frugal goodness!

I'm off to work on my million and one projects. Hope you all have a great day~

Frugal Friday~

Welcome to this week's edition of Frugal Friday!!

This is a photo of my sofa in its summer finery. A pretty white slipcover. I love a white slipcover. And I would probably leave the white slipcover on all year long...except for one thing. The hubby is spending his convalescence in the living room. It was the most convenient room for him in his not-able-to-get-around-without-a-walker state.

Normally, the kids don't spend a lot of time in the living room. But with Dad in there (not to mention a TV that is not normally there) they have been spending a lot of time there. So the white slipcover was really taking a beating. Don't get me wrong, it washes up really well, and with bleach it looks as good as new. But with everything else on my plate right now, washing a slipcover once a week, is not on my agenda.

So I dressed my sofa in a nice, warm autumn-y tan slipcover. And I threw on this pretty sweater pillow to add some additional coziness.


So, you may wonder why I am sharing this for Frugal Friday. Well, let's just say that switching slipcovers is the cheapest way I've found to get a "new" sofa. And, that pillow? Only about $15 at IKEA and it looks a lot like the PB version that sells for 3 times as much. ;-)

Sofa and slipcover........EKTORP from IKEA

Now it's your turn.

Frugal Friday~

Hi Everyone! Welcome to this week's edition of Frugal Friday. And I bet you're not going to believe it, but I actually have a project to share!!


With Mr. Two's Pirate Birthday party scheduled for this weekend, I decided that I ought to get going on my home office redo which had been put on hold since John's accident. So I pulled out the old paint brush and set about getting the desks painted so I could get my computers up off the floor before a bunch of 5-year-old feet found their way into that area.

So without further ado, here is the office desk before. This desk was a freebie from one of John's clients who was getting rid of his office furniture. I hate to look a gift horse in the mouth, but I definitely wasn't in love with the desk as is. I could sure see some potential in it, however.

And here is the after...

(Please forgive the lighting...even with color correction, I couldn't get it quite right, but you all get the idea. )

So much better. A fresh coat of white paint really shows of the pretty lines of the piece. It looks much more classic and much less Southwestern Rustic. LOVE IT!!

Cost of the project...about $5.00 for paint. That's it. Love me a pretty $5 desk. Yes I do!

And in other news...

John's lung xrays looked so much improved, the Dr. could hardly believe her eyes!! Hooray for small mercies!! (or big mercies in this case, I guess.) And my Dad has been moved from ICU to rehab. He's doing quite well. So despite the long road to healing ahead for both of the men in my life, things are looking up!

Now it's your turn to share...

You know da rules!

1. Please link directly to your post and not just to your blog.

2. Please link back to the Shabby Nest so that others can enjoy the frugal goodness.

3. Please comment on the posts you visit. Show our participants "the love!"

Frugal Round-up and another update~

Welcome to this week's Frugal Round-up!

Today I have some fun projects to share...I just love all the inspiration I receive from Frugal Friday!!

First up, craft eNVy shared her fun branch mural. I'm always so impressed by people that can freehand these sorts of things!

Paisley Passions shared a darling chalkboard dining table...I'd love to use this great idea for a dinner party!

Aimless Tangents shared a simple and pretty luminary tutorial. I love this idea.

Next, Creative Little Daisy posted about her DIY birdcage pendant light. What a fun and creative lighting option...I need to find me a little birdcage!

Finally, Inspired by You shared her lovely French Text Pillows. So pretty.

Don't forget, Frugal Friday goes up tonight at 10:00 pm EST. Can't wait to see you all there!

And last but not least, I've had people pointing out that I haven't given any updates on John or my dad in a bit so here it goes...

John is home, and, to be honest, things are very difficult. He is still in a lot of pain, so his doctor prescribed some different painkillers that he hopes will work better. John has an appointment today for xrays to make sure his lungs are okay (he had a chest tube for his collapsed lung, and they are worried about the possibility of pneumonia.) After the difficulties we had even getting him in the house, I was extremely worried, so I had to call for medical transport to get him to his appointment. It's a bit pricey, but I really didn't have any other choice. (And don't even get me started on insurance complaints...I could probably go on for years!) So we're plugging along as best we can. But it's so hard to feel so helpless.

As for my dad, he is suffering from pneumonia and is still in ICU. He did overcome a scary bowel obstruction, however, so we are counting our small victories. He also seems in better spirits, and is determined to get through this. It's good to see a bit of my old can-do-anything dad reappearing. It gives me a sense of comfort in the middle of the craziness.

I want to thank you all again for your thoughts and prayers and for your sweet emails and genuine concern. You are helping more than you can ever know.

xoxo

Wendy

Frugal Friday~

Because I've had the week I've had...I'm sharing a Frugal Friday post with you that I originally posted last year. Hope you still like it!

My front door was in desperate need of an Autumn spruce up. But my pocket book put the nix on purchasing a new Autumn wreath. So what's a gal with Frugal OCD* to do?
*Obsessively Consumed with Decorating.

Enter this old Christmas wreath, which was looking a little worse for the wear. Some of the berries had lost their red coating and were left as just little white styrofoam balls. Some of the "branches" were loose and threatening to drop off. But I looked at the wreath, and I saw possibilities...Autumn possibilities.

I searched through my stash of Autumn decor and found a bag of fake fall leaves that I purchased at the Dollar store last year. I grabbed my trusty glue gun and went to work.



I pulled off the berries that were now nothing but white styrofoam. I secured the loose branches. And then I just added in the fake leaves. I started with the largest leaves, gluing them into the largest empty spots on the wreath (making sure that they were all tilted the same direction.) After that, I added in the medium size leaves and finished it up with the smallest leaves. And that's all I did. But I was pleasantly surprised.



Now my sad Christmas wreath has a new lease on life, as an Autumn beauty. And my front door is thanking me!

Quick Update on the Hubby and my Dad: It was a trying day for me emotionally. My dad, it turns out, also broke a disk in his back, and when I went to see him at the hospital, they were in the process of trying to get a brace on his back. He was in terrible pain. It's just so hard to see my father...my brave daddy...the one who is supposed to be big and strong...so vunerable.

And John, was just really out of it. He was doing better physically. His PTs were able to help him walk today, and he was actually sitting in a chair when I arrived at the hospital. Both very good things, but he was drained...and it reminded me a little too much of the first day he was there. I probably could have handled it better had I not just come from seeing my dad. But both men are healing and that is all I can ask right now. Thank you again for your continuing messages of love and support!

Now it's your turn...

1. Please link directly to your post and not just to your blog.

2. Please make sure to link back to The Shabby Nest so that others can enjoy the Frugal goodness.

3. PLEASE comment. Help our participants feel appreciated!!

Frugal Friday~

Hello All! Welcome to this week's edition of Frugal Friday!

Today I'm sharing a project that I've wanted to get done for a long time now. Time zone clocks for Mr. One's Tween Room!

The thing that has been holding me back is the actual expense of wall clocks. I know there are less expensive clocks to be found...but when you have to buy 3 of them, it adds up. So I kept looking. Then the other day, I found myself in IKEA and I ran across these wall clocks for only $1.99 each. Yup! You heard me right. $1.99 each.

Trouble is, they were white. And I really wanted black clocks.

Hello, spraypaint. (Am I a DIY blogger, or am I a DIY blogger?) The answer was obvious.

I taped up the clock faces so that they wouldn't end up black. This was a little time consuming, but needed, of course.


Then I used Krylon Fusion spraypaint since the clock rims were plastic.

It took about 4 light coats to cover completely, but that stuff dries fast...and I mean fast! So it didn't take long. (I was not compensated in any way for mentioning Krylon.)

Then I used my Silhouette Digital Cutter to cut out the names of three cities (by the way, there's still time to enter my giveaway for a Silhouette of your own...just click here). We chose large cities in states where we have family - and our own state, of course. I like the fact that it's a bit more personal than just choosing random cities.

After all the prep work was complete, I just measured, marked, and hung the clocks. Then I used a level to make sure I got the city names straight underneath each clock. That's it. Easy-peasy. And So Ca-uute.

Okay, looking at this photo...it looks like the Boston clock is set for 2:00...that's due to a reflection cutting off the end of the long hand....yeah, we lived in Massachusetts for the last 7 years...I *do* know what time zone it's in, I promise. ;-)

Now it's your turn.

You know "da rules"!

1. Please link directly to your post and not just to your blog.
2. Please link back to The Shabby Nest so that your readers can have a chance to join in the fun.
3. Please comment on the entries you visit. Help our participants feel appreciated!!

Linky Love~

Welcome to this week's edition of Linky Love!

As always, last week's Frugal Friday linky had plenty of inspiration to go around.

Here are a few of my favorites.

Tinsel & Co. shared her fabulous Anthro-inspired bathroom makeover. I loved just about everything in that little room!

Jennifer Rizzo shared a lovely caned headboard makeover. So pretty!!

And I had to share this little monster cake by Views from my Window because it is quite possibly the cutest cake I've ever seen.

Finally, Little Blue Prints shared a darling way to display her boys' silhouettes. Love, love, love this!

And speaking of silhouettes (this just happens to be coincidental...I promise) my Silhouette digital cutter giveaway is still open. If you haven't had a chance to enter, scroll down to yesterday's post. You'll be glad you did.

Starting next week, I'll be moving the Linky Love post to Thursday to give you all a couple of extra days to enjoy the Frugal Friday links (or to link up to the party yourself.) I'm also changing the name from Linky Love to Frugal Round-up. Just like it better. And finally, I'm toying with the idea of posting the Frugal Friday post a couple of hours earlier on Thursday night...say 10 pm EST? So keep your eye out for that as well.

And one last thing...I'm guest posting today over at Lemon Tree Creations! Come by and see how to make a no-sew bedskirt.

Have a great day~

Frugal Friday~

This is the last week of summer for the kiddos. So rather than spending my week working on projects (which I have a million of), I spent the week playing with the kids. We've done a whole lot of nothing important. But all of it was fun.


And so for Frugal Friday, I present....kids in a pool. (Well, the Princess in a pool anyway...darn...I thought I had more photos of my kids swimming...now where did I save them again?)

This has been my week. And well worth it, I might add. But, I have a whole load of projects coming up. And yes, since my kids will be back in school, I promise that you will see more decorating and DIY projects than you've seen in a while...so I hope you'll all join me.

Oh, and I want to make sure and thank all of you who weighed in on my little pillow dilemma in yesterday's post. If you didn't get a chance, and feel so inclined, I love to hear your opinion on my little living room facelift. So scroll down and take a look.

And another thing...those million projects I mentioned above? Some of them have to do with a fabulous giveaway that I'll be hosting on Monday. ooooooh!! You really don't want to miss this one...so make sure and drop by!

Now on to your projects...you talented folks!!

I wanted to reiterate a couple of things about the rules today...


1. Please link only to your post and not just to your blog. You all are pretty good about doing this.
2. Please link back to the Shabby Nest. I'm so happy that you all link up to this party, and I hope that it brings new traffic to your sites, but I would really appreciate the favor in return. After all, others would love to come see all the creativity that links up to Frugal Friday, so please link back to this site...even if it is just a text link. I'd really appreciate it!!
3. PLEASE comment on the posts you visit...nothing makes a blogger's day like great comments!


M'kay I'm off my soapbox!! ENJOY!!!

Linky Love~

Welcome to another edition of Linky Love. As I was pouring over last week's Frugal Friday links, I noticed a bit of a theme. And what theme is that, Wendy? You ask.

Well, I noticed that many of my amazingly creative readers were using unexpected materials in their projects this last week. So today, I wanted to share a few of these...

First up, Cottage Hill made a super-fabulous, custom headboard out of plywood. Yep, plywood. But it sure doesn't look like plywood. Check it out for yourself.

Next, Less Than Perfect Life of Bliss shared her thrift-store coffee table remake using sheet metal! I just love a metal table, so I'm putting this one on my list of honey-do's.

This next project is one of those you-have-to-see-it-to-believe-it projects from An Oregon Cottage. It's a floor treatment made with Kraft paper. Yep. Kraft paper. And she swears it wears well. I think it's unexpectedly fabulous.

In My Own Style shared her creative version of the ultra popular subway art craze...using shopping bags. This one should appeal to the fashionista in all of us!

And finally, Twice Lovely used a vintage flight poster to inspire this super darling dresser redo. An aviator bedroom set perfect for the little guy in your life. This was just too fabulous. You know how I love to decorate children's rooms! There's some serious dresser envy going on at The Shabby Nest right now.

If you missed last week's Frugal Friday, you better hurry over. The inspiration is flowing as usual!!

Have a great day~

Frugal Friday~

Howdy y'all!! Welcome to this week's edition of Frugal Friday.



Or perhaps I should say "HALLÅ" (yeah, that's "hello" in Swedish...I'm smart like that...) seeing as how today I'm going to show you all an IKEA knock-off project.

Some of you may remember a few weeks back when I showed you the Dignitet display system from IKEA. I really wanted this for Mr. One's Tween Room...but even though IKEA prices are quite reasonable, I just didn't want to spend the money. So I decided to create one of my own.

Ikea Dignitet Display System

I thought I'd personalize my version just a bit, so I decided to add some interest by using house numbers. I happened to have a few laying around that I used in the boys' room in our previous house to number their towel hooks...

I just had to purchase the number 4. So I ran to my local big box hardware store (you know the one that rhymes with "foam repo" and bought one.) I also picked up a package of picture hanging wire. But that was it for my purchases.





I wasn't sure what to use for the clips until I remembered that I had some old drapery rings in storage.





I removed the clips from each ring, and I had just what I needed.





The actual assembly was easy-peasy. I just measured and marked where I wanted the numbers to go on the wall (I made sure to use a level so that the wires wouldn't look all wonky once I put them on.) Then I screwed the numbers to the wall leaving the bottom screw a little loose on each one so that I could wrap the picture wire around them. After I wrapped the wire tight, I clipped it with some wire clippers and finished tightening the screws. Then I added the clips and VOILA! My $6 version of IKEA's Dignitet display system!



It adds a fun little sumthin' sumthin' above Mr. One's IKEA Expedit workstation.

I'm sure he'll have it filled up with his artwork in no time!!


Now it's your turn!

You know "da rules"...

1. Please link directly to your post and not just to you blog.
2. Please link back to the Shabby Nest so that others can enjoy the frugal goodness.
3. Comment, comment, comment! Show our participants the love!