Mission Organize

We have family coming into town this weekend. As I’m sure many of you know there is nothing like a visit from family or friends to get your booty in gear and finish a few projects. I have a huge list I’ll be working on this weekend but I thought I would post a couple things I’ve done so far. I’m sure I will have more to blog about as the week goes on

The one with all the dishes…….

For some reason any gathering, party or event I am always asked to bring my serving dishes. Unless it’s something that my Mom is hosting (she has her fair share of serving dishes). I am happy to share what I have but am always coming up with a better way to lug it all around without breaking anything. By looking at the picture I guess I thought a laundry basket, sheets and a table cloth would do the trick; and it did! All dishes made it home safely. The bad thing is they made it home safely to my dining room floor and have been sitting there for the last month! Well good thing we have company coming otherwise they would still be sitting there.

Ok one item can now be crossed off the list! All dishes are gently packed back in our little dish cabinet. Ahhh I can’t wait to get something to house all this stuff. Hummm then I would have more room and you know what that means……more dishes!

The one with all the spice……
I’m going to put it out there and air my dirty laundry…..or messy spice cabinet. I know, I know, shame on me but here it is our awful spice cabinet. When we have people over for dinner or what not I would always make sure I didn’t need to open it. Now here I am now showing it to anyone who wants to look. Well I no longer have to live in shame it’s now organized! I found 4 containers of crushed red pepper! Guess I won’t need to buy that one for awhile. Not I can see what I have! Hopeful it stays this way. I saved a few glass bottles from some of the old spices I threw out. I plan on using them for little flower vases. I’ll post pictures later.

Before

After

Thrifty Treasures Time!

Hello!
I’m linking up with Rhoda over at Today's Thrifty Treasures at Southern Hospitality again this week! I loved looking at all the great finds last week and will be stopping by to take a peek at all the wonderful finds.

Found this at thrift store (I believe I paid $5). It was still in the box and had Christmas wrapping paper left on it. Too bad for the person that gifted it. I guess we know where our unwanted gifts turn up. It was meant to be placed inside a fire place sans logs but I put it behind the tub in my master bathroom. The candles are from IKEA.

Another thrift store find. I’ve had these two lovelies in my had for quite some time. I forgot how much I paid but I’m sure they were a steal!

HAPPY THRIFTING!

Thrifty Treasures

Today I’m linking up with Rhoda at Southern Hospitality for Thrifty Treasures Monday! This is my first time linking up so let’s hear a BIG whopppeeeee!!! I included the items I purchased last Friday and a few things that were bought awhile back. I’ve enjoyed looking at everyone else’s finds as well. You guys find some great stuff!

I bought the silver vase for $2.00 at a yard sale. I see it all the time in little shops for MUCH more.

Flor de lis was purchase at Goodwill. Not sure how much. It was black but I spray painted it red and use it as a book end next to my photo albums.

Picture from Hobby Lobby $3.60, shelf from Ross $6.00. I’m going to spray paint the shelf black and put the two in my kitchen.

This teeny tiny crack saved me a lot of money. I bought this trunk at Marshalls for $18.00. I think that’s a great price. It was higher but since it was the last one left and it was messed up I asked them if they would take anything off. Did you know most stores will did that? It never hurts to ask!

I bought 3 of these plates at Hobby Lobby. They were higher than I would normally pay for a plate but they match my stuff perfectly. They were $6.00 each after being discounted %50. I’m going to hang them on the wall in my kitchen.

Ok on the thrift store finds


This was new in the box waiting just for me, still in the Styrofoam casing and everything $3.00!

Platters for a later project, $1.00 each

I was sooo excited about this one. Kent heard about it the whole day then had to hear me tell everyone about it the next day. I collect nutcrackers and was thrilled to find this antique nutcracker in great condition for $5.00 at an estate sale.

Will be getting rid of the print and doing something fun with the frame. It’s a great frame very heavy and unique. I didn’t really capture it well in the pictures. I think it was around $1.00.

Thanks for stopping by!!

All about ME!!!!

A little glimpse at who I am and what makes me tick.

Kent and I on Easter Sunday

Kent and I on a recent camping trip. This is our new thing…I see a lot of camping trips in our future.

Parker; Momas boy!

Abby; Biggest Daddies girl by FAR!

Well since I am new to the blogging world I only thought it fair to introduce myself in a bit more detail. So here it goes……..

I’m a good ole Texas gal, born and raised. I’m currently living with my fiancée and our 2 furbabies (Parker a Yorkie and Abby a Chichuhua). Kent (my fiancée) and I have been together for 8 years and engaged for 3. I know that’s a LONG engagement but trust me sister I didn’t plan on it happening that way. We decided to have the wedding after I finish school which is very, very, soon. I can almost hear the wedding bells and the ocean in the back ground. We are getting married in Cancun, Mexico. Throughout my time in school (which was not a short amount of time. I’m one of those students on a 6 year plan although my plan is more like a 10 year plan) I took on jobs here and there (Pre-school teacher, P.E. instructor for various pre-schools) which hindered my focus on school thus delaying the process. A year in a half ago we decided that I should focuse on school full time so that I could wrap it up a.s.a.p. It was so hard for me to leave my little ones. I was a pre-school teacher at the time but I knew it was time to move on to bigger and better things. Well I guess that was a good idea since I am now very close to the finish line. I really thought it would never happen. I’m so excited to know that I will soon have my bachelors and am on my way to planning our destination wedding which will be next Aug!

I am a Development and Family Studies Major. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my degree. I’ve learned so much about family structure, romantic relationships, parenting styles, and the development stages of infants all the way to adolescents. I know the knowledge I’ve gained from my courses will mold me into a wonderful teacher, spouse, and some day parent. I can’t wait to have a little one of my own!!! Once I’m done with school I will be getting my teaching degree through alternate certification (if anyone has done this and can provide some insight I would greatly appreciate it) and hope to teach kindergarten or first grade.

Kent and I were best friends for a few years before it blossomed into something deeper. He is a little more reserved while I am more open and out there! He jumps on board and acts crazy with me sometimes but also knows how to rill me in. We have so much fun together and I am truly blessed to have him in my life ahh I get a tear in my eye just typing this. I really very blessed!

Before I met him I was close minded and only did things that fit into my little box. Through him I’ve opened my eyes and experienced some wonderful things that I would not have otherwise. Such as moving to China!

In my early 20’s I decided that I wanted to pack up and move to China to teach English and that’s what I did. I sold everything I owned except what I could fit into 2 suite cases and moved to a rural area called Zhuhai. I left a piece of my heart in Zhihai. I’ve been back in the states for 4 years but I still miss China dearly! During my time in Zhuhai I had some wonderful food, traveled, made some strong friendships, and realized just how much I loved Kent. I moved back to TX, we bought our house, got engaged and here we are.

Although we’ve lived in our home for sometime we are still putting our mark on it. I’m not sure if you are ever really done working on your house. There is always something that needs to be revamped or spruced up. I love to decorate and be crafty! Kent would say a little too much. He would be fine with just a couch and a T.V.! I got the decorating bug from my Mom and Grandmother who are both wonderful decorators. Since I am college student and with that usually comes low funds I love to find a good bargain! I use my home as my creative outlet and love hunting for the next “good deal”. I guess I would say our house is decorated in French décor with a modern twist. I’ve incorporated textures, patterns and rich colors like red, dark orange, gold, butter tones, black and green. I love all things with a damask print, zebra stripes, and polka dots. I try to incorpaete these in our home without going overboard but add a little fun and whim! I want our home to be cozy and inviting.

Another thing that you may see me referring to is my journey with weight watchers. I re-joined the program about a month ago. I’m loving the cook books I’ve collected and will be posting recipes from time to time. Kent is against anything diet but enjoys many of the W.W. recipes so don’t be afraid to make them for your family. They will never know!

This ended up being a lot longer than planned but I thought I would end the post with a few words that describe me to give you a feel of my personality:

Silly, funny, happy, procrastinator, dreamer, dramatic, planner (to my demise sometimes), loving, open minded, crafty, easily distracted (like right now, for some reason my stapler just caught my eye and I thought hum I need to buy staples, oh I need to write my grocery list. See what I’m talking about) and up for anything that would calculate fun!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my silly little blog.

How to Create a Wreath Under $25.00 for Your Front Door

Wreaths can be quite costly if you purchase them pre-made. Of course you can get small ones with cheap flowers that look ok but if you want something a little larger with better quality flowers you are lucky to find one under $40.oo (and that is a steal). I’ve been on the hunt for a wreath that I love that is within my budget but have just not come across one so I decided to make my own! I thought I would share what I came up with in case anyone wanted to make one as well.

I took on this project knowing that Joann’s was having a huge sale (which helped a lot). The flowers were %50 off and the yellow garland was %70 off. If this is something that you want to do use a coupon whenever possible or wait until they mark things down.

Supplies: Grapevine wreath, spring floral garland, flowers to give the wreath a little pizzazz’s!

1st Step: I trailed the garland around the wreath and fastened it to the wreath with brown floral wire. This was super easy. You could just stop here if you wanted to…I think it looks great without the extra flowers as well, which would also cut down on cost.







2nd Step: I then took the orange flowers cut the stems leaving about 2 to 3 inches and placed them a bit off center onto the wreath. This is something you will need to play with to see what look you like best. I attached each flower with brown floral wire to the wreath and made sure they were on their good. I put my wreath on the front door so I knew it would be moved around a lot. I also removed the leaves from the steam and attached floral wire at the base of each leaf. I moved them around with them until I found a position for them that I was happy with and twisted the wire onto the wreath. This is the finished project!



Something fun, super easy, yet again cost effective (are you sensing a theme yet), and very fast! It took me about 15min to complete this whole project. Another great thing is that nothing is hot glued or hard to remove so if you ever want to change it up a bit it’s very easy to do so. While you are looking for flowers to place on your wreath you may want to find something that will look good throughout the different seasons. I chose yellow and orange knowing it would look great with our red brick, door color, and they were great colors for summer and fall.

Weight Watchers Boston Crème Muffins

Servings 48, 2 points each

I package regular enriched yellow cake dry mix
10 fl oz Diet Cream Soda
4 servings fat-free sugar-free instant vanilla pudding & pie filling mix
2 cups fat-free skim milk
10 servings of ready-to-eat creamy chocolate frosting

Mix cake mix, egg white and soda together. Spray muffin pan with non stick spray or you can use muffin foils and remove after they are done baking. This is what I did. It gave the edges a nice ruffle effect. Fill about 3/4 full. Bake according to the directions on the box. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

Mix the pudding mix and milk. Let pudding mixture set in refrigerator a few minutes until thick. With the handle of a wooden spoon, poke a hole into the center of each cupcake. Put pudding into a decorating bag or a large plastic baggie such as Ziploc and cut a small amount off the corner of the bag to create a makeshift piping bag. Pipe out pudding into this hole. Microwave the frosting until it is very soft (but not too runny). Dip and twist the top of each cupcake in the softened frosting. You may have to put a little dab of frosting to cover the hole. You should not be using a lot of frosting, just enough to cover the top of the cupcake.

*These were delicious! Let me know if you try the recipe and how they turn out.

I'm linking up with:
Arfilkins

Fabric Wonderland and a Home Project!

As I talked about below I wanted to redo the canvases above my T.V. Kent (my fiancee) built me some new and improved frames for my project! It’s so nice to have fiancee that’s handy….he’s my Mr. Fix-It and has the shirt to prove it! Anyway, this required a trip to Fabric Yard located in Carrollton, TX. I was blown away by this place. I can’t believe that I am just now finding out about it. It was so awesome that I had to share my visit with you!

It was literally aisle and aisle of fabric. I walked around a good 30 minuets just to look at everything before I even started thinking about the fabrics I wanted for my project.

They have a wonderful selection of fabrics with beautiful patterns. I could have taken a ton of photos but people were starting to stare so I had to tone it down. Their prices were pretty good. The nicer fabrics were more expensive (which is expected) but they had a great selection of middle range and lower priced fabrics as well. I got so many ideas from just looking at all the different selections. I’m trying to work on finishing one project before I start another or I would have left the store with a lot more fabric than I did.

Not only did they have a huge fabric selection they also rows and rows of trim and tassels!

After a few hours and many, many options I decided to go with these fabrics. I think they complement each other well and will look great in my living room. I hope it gives it a little pop and adds a little fun to the space. 3 yards of fabric = $30.00

Step 1: Build a wooden frame. It’s hard to tell from this photo but Kent built a square wooden structure and nailed a piece of wood in the middle to help the fame keep its shape. We purchased the wood at Home Depot. It was $5.00 for enough wood to build all three frames with some wood left over.

Step 2: Iron fabric if needed and staple fabric to wooden frame. Be sure to pull fabric tightly while stapling to help with wrinkling. The green fabric I chose still wrinkled a bit but I’m ok with it. The hardest part of the project was making sure the corners were pulled tightly and looked good. If you decide to do this project take a look at the corner I did in this picture. I kind of wrapped them like a present. If you do not like this method you can also cut the fabric along the corner at a diagonal.

Here is the finished project! It turned out pretty good until I noticed that the fabric on the far right was off centered and looked like the polka dots were sliding off the fabric. So if you decide to take this project on be sure that you are checking the alignment of the fabric as you’re going along. I ended up taking it down and still need to fix it. All in all it turned out great and really warmed up the room. I will post better pictures once I fix my little mess-up.

Total for this project including wood and fabric= $35.00

Great price and a fun way to fill up wall space. I love that you can change it up when you get bored of the colors and or fabric. This would also be fun for a kids room, game room, above a bed….there are so many things you can do with this idea. It’s a great way to have fun with prints and color. If you try it out let me know. I would love to see your results.

Fun and Cost Effective Ideas for a Baby Shower

I recently co-hosted a baby shower for one of my friends. I was put in charge of décor!! Since I’m a poor starving college student ;) I knew I needed to come up with some cute but cost effective ideas to give the shower a little pizzazz! The shower was for a baby boy but I think the theme and colors could be used for a unisex shower as well. I had ton of fun putting everything together and thought I would share some the ideas.


This is the print on the napkins and plates as well as the and theme for the shower. If you have time, purchasing your paper products online can save a lot of money! I’ve always find a better selection online as well.

I bought these bottles at Wal-Mart which just so happened to match the colors of the shower (black, pastel yellow, green, orange). I think they were around $2.00 for all 3. I just removed the nipples and used the bottles as a vase. The flowers came from a family member’s garden….what a great way to save! If this is something you want to do but do not have flowers on hand Costco and Sams usually has great prices on fresh flowers. Flowers are a great way to spruce up a shower and can be very cost effective if done right.

Baby jars filled with coordinating colored jelly beans and a tea light nestled inside. I was sure the jelly beans would melt once the tea lights got hot but they made it through the shower and well into the shower cleanup. We actually ate most of them after we were done cleaning. I bought the larger sixed jars, cleaned them out and put them in the washer to remove the glue that held the label on. Some jars had a bit of glue left after the wash so I just soaked them in warm water and soap.

This is a candy bar done on a budget. My friends aunt found tons of theme friendly candy!. I love a good candy bar. They can really add a lot of fun to your event!! Keep in mind they are expensive but can be done on a budget like most things. Sorry for the poor quality of the photos.

Inside the black frame is a note thanking the guest for celebrating the upcoming birth and instructions on what to do (I know it seems self explanatory but you know there is always that one person;o). There is an orange basket on the table that has little gift bags inside it for the guest to fill with candy. I bought the bags at Michaels. There were the perfect colors and size and they were under $2.00 for a set of 16!




I made this diaper cake as a gift to my friend. We also used it as a center piece on a table. I made the cake long before I knew I was responsible for the décor of the shower and themed the cake after the baby’s room. A diaper cakes does not have to match the theme of the shower but since we ended up using it for décor I would have rather it did….oh well it was still a BIG hit!

Oh the Games We Play…I’m not a BIG fan of shower games. They can be too structured, too long, and take away from the flow of the party. I did want to include games in my friends shower but wanted to find some that were NEW and did not take up too much time. Here are the ones we played
Draw a Baby (sounds simple right, but it’s not)
Everyone gets a paper plate and a crayon. Ask the guest to place the plate on top of their head and draw a baby to the best of their ability. Give them a short amount of time to complete the task and be sure to have them write their name on their plate. The mommy to be shows off the pictures to the guest and picks the winner! It was fun to see what people came up with!

What was Said the Night the Baby was Made (Did I catch your attention)
This is not really but something fun for the mommy and guest. While opening presents have the person that is writing who gave what also write a few things that are said while mom to be is opening her gifts (mom to be does not know this is going on). Some things that were said at the shower were: oh, it’s so soft and squishy, ahhh, it’s sooo little, how cute, you get the point. After all gifts are opened tell the guest that you were not only recording the gift list but a few things that were said the night the baby was made. Read the list and enjoy some laughs. This was a BIG hit and had everyone laughing!
If you’re new to Domestic Princess in Training click below to see other post that you may have missed out on.
No Solicitors At My Door
Lamp Re-Vamp
Old Eyesore Given a NEW Life
I’m linking up with:Kelly’s Corner for: Show Us Your Life

One Man’s Trash is Another Gal's Treasure!

I was itching to go shopping today but since finances are a little tight and I LOVE a good deal I hit up the local thrift stores and consignment stores (another one of my favorite past times). As some of you may know this is usually a hit or miss type of thing but I ended my thrifty extravaganza with some new treasures that I wanted to share. I only spent $8.00. For a day of shopping that’s not too shabby in my book!





This was my favorite purchase of the day. It doesn’t match the theme or décor in my home…..it just made me smile. I’m going to put it on counter in my bathroom next to my perfumes. It’s a little ring box so I was thinking this would be a great place to store my wedding band until the BIG day!

Not sure where I’m going to put this but I thought it was a great steal, only $1.35. I’m sure I will find just the right place for it. It just needs a little cleaning and a candle.

I love these tea lights. I usually scatter tea lights down the dining room table when we are hosting a dinner party and thought these will look great lit up. Another steal at .30 each!

Our Living Room a Work in Progress

Can anyone tell what Christmas item I collect?

As I said below it’s a work in progress but here are a few pictures of the living room. Sorry the quality is not that great. As you can tell these were taking during Christmas but it will give you a feel of the colors I’m using. It pretty much looks the same minus the Christmas décor. I want to redo the canvases above the T.V. with fabric that’s a bit more fun…something with a hip pattern. Kent (my fiancé) is going to build larger canvases that extend farther off the wall. That’s on his never ending “Honey Do” list. If you have any ideas for patters that I can use for the canvases or ideas for the room I would love to hear them!