A Quick Post

My semester is up and running and full of classes. It’s actually nice to have some type of a daily schedule again but I’m not looking forward to evenings and weekends full of homework. I’m not quite sure how my classes are going to affect Domestic Princess in Training. I’ve been trying to post several times a week which was easy since I was on a little break but now that things are back in action I may be posting less….not sure though, lets see how it pans out. I’m a BIG procrastinator and just may find myself more interested in blogging than homework :o)

I celebrated my 27th birthday Saturday and had loads of FUN! I will be posting about it later in the week.

Hope has a wonderful week! The weather in Texas is amazing right now! My neighborhood was full of walkers and kiddos enjoying the cool evening. I think a little teaser of the upcoming Fall.

Since I love hearing from ya and didn’t really include anything too interesting in this post I have a few random questions for you. You can answer one or both. In your comment let me know if you are a follower of Domestic Princess in Training.

1.What is your favorite T.V. show?

2.What are you going to miss about the summer?

My Answers
1. I LOVE Big Brother! Kent added Showtime to our cable package as a birthday gift to me so I could watch Big Brother after dark. How sweet is he!!
2. I definitely will NOT be missing the weather but I will be missing the free time. I had a month with no classes and enjoyed not stressing over studying and homework. If you are reading this and fresh out of high school go to school while you are young! Don’t wait because the longer you wait the harder it gets to juggle everything.

Can’t wait to read your answers and be sure to let me know if you are a follower of the site.

Organizing Magazines

If you’re anything like me you may possibly be....... a magazine hoarder. I love home décor magazines and often keep them to use as inspirations for later projects. This has left me with piles of unorganized magazines. If I ever want to refer back to something I’ve seen there’s no way I would be able to find it. I decided to sit down and do something about it!

I knew this would be an ongoing project and wanted to keep the supplies I would be using in a nice organized place. Not that it’s "organized" but this Goodwill basket houses most of the items I used for this project and made it much easier to clean up when I was done. When I’m ready to work on it again I can just get this little guy back out and I’m ready to go!

I cut, ripped, and pasted. My handy dandy tray was very useful! To see this guy get a makeover click here. I did most of this project while watching T.V., Big Brother to be precise. It was a pretty relaxing project and I enjoyed looking through all my old magazines.

Finish product: A notebook full of what else but……inspirations and how-to’s!I wanted it to be simple and easy, as little fuss as possible. I knew if I went overboard making every page beautiful with embellishments and scrapbook goodness I wouldn’t up date often and would find myself with another stack of unorganized magazines.


I titled the sections: Inspirations, Projects, Tablescapes, Garden/Yard, Seasons/Holidays

I forgot to include a picture of this but I purchased plastic dividers that have little pockets on the front. That way if I’m looking through a magazine and see something I like I can rip it out and store it in the appropriate diving folder. When I’m ready to work on this again any new pictures I’ve come across will be organized and waiting to be included in the notebook.

For DIY projects I made sure to keep the directions next to the project picture so I will be able to find them. If the project was self explanatory I would make a few notes next to the picture to remind myself of a few steps or suplies I would need.



I also added pages that had info I thought would useful. This page talks about all the different types of lighting and which wattage would work best for different settings.


A couple pages from my Seasons and Holidays section. Fall is my favorite time of year. I just love the smells and colors. I’m cheating a bit and already have my pumpkin spice candle out!

I have another notebook I put together and use as a makeshift cookbook. I titled dividing tabs by course (such as appetizers, soups, salads…….). The little plastic sleeves come in handy and keep the recipes from getting dirty while I’m cooking.

It’s hard to tell in the picture but the note book has a plastic folder attached to the cover that I use to store recipes as I come across them. I have a few in there now that I need file.

So, what do you do with all your magazines?

If you're new to Domestic Princess in Training click the links below to see past projects

No Soliciting Sign
Chalk Board Décor
Something Cheap and Easy

Few Things Around the House that Make Me Smile

We all have them. We’ve all made them part of our everyday life and without them things just might not be as easy. I’m talking about little gadgets or tips that we’ve taken on and made a part of our home. I thought it would be nice to share a few things around the house that make me smile; not because they are pretty but because they make my life a little simpler.

I know it's silly but I sure love my Splenda bowl! I use to keep Splenda in a baggie tucked away in a cabinet. Now it’s much easier to get to and if a guest needs a little sweetener for tea or coffee they are able to find it.

Ahh my Keurig! I’m still not sure if I’m pronouncing it right when I talk about to friends or family. Even though it has a crazy name…..I still love it! I use this guy on a daily basis. I’m the only coffee drinker in our home so this single serve coffee maker is a genius do-dad for a house hold like ours!

All you do is lift a little handle, insert your coffee pod, and within second (I’m not kidding, seconds) you have a fresh steaming cup of joe. This also comes in handy when we’re entertaining. They even have pods for tea and hot coco.

No, I’m not getting some type of kick back for talking about this product. I just really love it!

You may think this is just an ugly plastic pitcher and you’re right, it’s not very attractive but I love it! In the South we're BIG ice tea drinkers. Other pitches I used in the past were too open and would allow my tea to go bad very quickly. I found this guy at Walmart one day and had no idea just how awesome he would be. He’s made by Sterilite and cost around $3.00. The cool thing about this pitcher is the lid is a tupperware type lid which keeps my tea very fresh. It also has little spout that closes and locks into place after you use it. One last thing, notice the shape? It works great for a packed fridge.



This is inside my bathroom cabinet. I use a Lazy Susan (purchased at Ikea) to hold all my girly products. I use to have them on my counter top which was not pretty. This way my bathroom counter is not cluttered and I can easily find what I need by spinning the Lazy Susan.


When we first moved into our home we lined every shelf, drawer, and cabinet with laminate tiles. I went to Home Depot and found the cheapest tiles that were not too ugly and stocked up. I rallied a few friends and we tackled the project together.

I can’t tell you how many times these little tiles have saved me from a huge headache. They stay in place unlike contact paper and are a sinch to wipe down. They were super easy to install and very cost effective.

We have little dogs that love to lay on the couch. When they do this they leave little doggy hairs behind. That’s when this guy comes in handy. Never fear PET SPONGE is here! Just a few swipes and all the dog hair is gone. “Where does it go” you may ask. That’s where my next item comes in.......

I HATE sweeping! All the floors on the lower level of our home are either tile or laminate which I love, but that means I have to do a lot of sweeping. See the cream color rug in the picture? It sheds more than our dogs! If you don’t have a Swiffer Sweeper I would recommend it. I can sweep my floors in half the time and it’s very easy to maneuver. I’m cheap or "frugal" however you want to say it so I use the sweeping pad multiple times. I just remove the hair and dust and it’s ready to go for the next sweeping session.

What are some items that you use around the house to make your life simpler? Do you have any of the items I talked about above? If so, what do you think about them? Please let me know in your comment :o)

I’m linking up with: Girly Stuff

Barnes and Noble Fun

 I spent a good chunk of time on Friday relaxing at Barnes and Noble with a Starbucks latte and a stack of books and magazines. Oh how I love to pile my lap with home décor goodness! Yes I do play nice and put everything back in its rightful place when I’m done. It’s the least I can do for hours of FREE entertainment.

I picked up Blogging for Bliss by Tara Frey. It’s chalk full of great pointers and inspiring blogs. I previously asked Kent to get me this for my b-day but it was an easy read. I was able to pull out key points and take a few notes while I was at Barnes and Noble.

*Some of the blogs featured in Blogging for Bliss

Happy Loves Rosie
Paris Couture Antiques

Shanty 2 Chic

Guess What Guys.....

MY FIRST AWARD!!!!

Which by the way has made my week! The award was given to me by Laura over at Our Crazy Adventure. I just LOVE her blog. She's a Texas gal at heart but lives Germany with her husband. She blogs about their travels, recipes, and everyday life. Thank you soooo much Laura for passing this beauty along to me!

So, now that I have this award I have a little assignment that goes along with it. I need to list 5 of my current obsessions and pass this award onto 5 fellow blogs that I enjoy.

My Current Obsessions.....

1. Goodwill! The other day I went "window shopping" at Goodwill. Seriously, who does that! I promised myself that I would not buy anything at Goodwill last week so I figured if I didn’t BUY anything I was not breaking my promise. I'm thinking I should go to some type of thrifting rehab. Does anyone know if they have something like that ;o)

2. Silver trays new and or antique! I just LOVE THEM!!! I need to do a post about all the different ways I use them throughout my home...hummm that sounds like that may be a little boring for some. For those that are not interested you can skip that post.

3. Making list. This is not a new obsession but a way of life for me. Now do I get everything done that's on my list....NO, but for some reason it makes me feel better to know that I have some sort of list. These are just a few of the list I have going right now: to do list, project list, honey do list, grocery list, Christmas list (yes, I’m one of those crazies that is already thinking about what I want to gift family and friends).

4. Organizing or obsessing about organizing. The thing is I never follow through with my organizing ambitions! I just add them to my running to do list. Ya know what, in honor of my award I promise to organize this week. Hummm lets see what it will be.....Ok I have it! I promise to organize my tupperware cabinet. I'll blog about to hold myself accountable.

5. I'm obsessed with taking pictures. I always have my camera with me and take pictures whenever and wherever I can. This leaves me with tons of random pictures but I have fun doing it. I only wish I was better at it. Oh well, I’ve got to start somewhere right?

Here are some of those random pictures I was talking about above.

I was walking out of Ross one evening and this is what I saw….beautiful!

I promise I didn’t set this one up. They were just being super cute!

And the Award Goes to (in random order).....

1. Manuela: The Pleasures of Homemaking- Manuela is a fellow thrifter and decorator. She has a great eye for color and print which she uses throughout her home. Oh and I'm very jealous of her beautiful garden!

2. Carrie: Buzzing of a Queen Bee- Carrie blogs about her family and her many DIY projects. You have to see her recent coffee table transformation!

3. Nicole: Taulman Times- I recently met Nicole at a DFW blog event and have fallen in love with her blog. She blogs about her family and everyday life. During our event she said her motto in her home is "If you don't want it blogged about then don't do it." Sounds like a good motto to me. Nicole, you need to have that printed on a shirt or paint it on a cute wooden sign for your house.

4. Cheryl: The Coolest Mom on the Block Cheryl's blog if full of get DIY projects and thrifty finds. She does a wonderful job providing step by step instructions. She recently posted about a ribbon organizing method that I'm going to do. You can guess where I listed this project....right on my to do list with all my other organizing projects.

5. Bill: Affordable Accoutrements -Bill loves estate sale and dishes. This boy has a TON of dishes. He creates beautiful table scapes and blogs about things centered around home decor.

Blog Party

Last week I attended a DFW blog party! It was a blast. We chatted, laughed, sipped wine, and dined on some scrumptious treats. It was great to meet up with some fellow bloggers. Thanks a bunch Jen for setting everything up. I can’t wait for the next one.

Be sure to visit their blogs….so many interesting women with wonderful blogs!

Here is most of the group minus a few

Me, Dina, Alyssa , Jennifer, Nicole, Catherine, Alicia,Adrien, Jennifer, Liz, Undomesticated Wife, Suz

Alicia, Jennifer, Undomesticated Wife, Dina


Liz, Suz, Adrien

I wish I would have taken more pictures but I were too busy chit-chatting. Oh well I promise to do better next time.

I also wanted to let you know about a great giveaway going on over at Reinvented….$25.00 gift card to Home Depot! Stop by to see the regulations and for a chance to make this puppy yours.

Did You Make it to Kroger on Saturday?

My alarm went off at 5:45 am. I could not for the life of me remember why I set it. I pushed snooze a few times and laid there going through list of possibilities as to why in the world I would be getting up at the crack of dawn on a Saturday (class? no that’s not it, doctors appointment? on a Saturday? nope, garage sales? no I’ve banned myself from Goodwill and garage sales for the week, !ahhhh-haaa! KROGER. I may have sworn off thrift stores this week but that’s a thrifty trip I was allowed to make. I popped out of bed threw on some comfy shopping clothes skipped makeup and headed out the door with my coupons in tow.

I don’t know if this happens to you but when I know there’s a good sale afoot I get all giddy and frazzled. Some peeps love to shop but I LOVE to shop and SAVE! I stopped at a gas station on to way see if I could pick up the Sunday early edition news paper so I could add to my coupon stock. I was so excited about getting to Kroger that I jumped out of the car forgetting to turn it off. One gas station patron was kind enough to bring me back to earth and tell me what I just did. Good thing I put it in park and didn’t lock the door behind me. Sometimes I wonder where my brain goes!

I made it safely to Kroger and had just as much fun saving as I did seeing all the awesome coupon systems people were using. I recently upgraded from a little photo album to a small plastic file folder but looks like I need to upgrade aging if I’m going to get serious with this whole coupon thing. I wish I could have made myself invisible so I could have observed the “Coupon Gods” without them thinking I was crazy.

Here’s most my loot. I did buy a few things I didn’t have coupons for but most items you see I used coupons to purchase. Some of the best deals were: Ken’s spray dressing (got that one for FREE!), treated myself to some new eye shadow for only a few cents, deodorant for Kent was purchased for .45 cents each (I believe). Actually I got GREAT deals on everything I purchased with a coupon!

I ended up spending $90.00 and saved $38.00 after coupons. Not as good as I’ve seen but for a coupon gal in training it not too bad.

Did you make it to Kroger on Saturday? How did you do?

A Bit of THIS and a Bit of THAT

Just wanted to do a quick post let ya know about a few things going on……

Kroger is having a coupon extravaganza!

This is a one day event (Saturday August 15th). You may need to check Kroger’s main site to see if this is available in your area but if you are in the DFW area you can reap the rewards!

Info from Kroger:

!SUPER DOUBLE MANUFACTURER'S COUPONS UP TO $1.00!

Here's How It Works:

Kroger will Double Manufacturer's "Cents Off" Coupons valued between 40¢ and $1.00.
Kroger will continue to Triple Manufacturer's "Cents Off" Coupons valued up to 39¢.1 DAY ONLY Sat, Aug 15th Coupons greater than $1.00 will be redeemed at face value. Valid with Plus Card. Limit 1 like item per transaction. No cash back. Manufacturer's coupons issued in store do not apply. See store for details. Valid August 15th, 2009 only.

My coupon stash is a little low but I’m going to see what I can come up so I can SAVE, SAVE, SAVE!

Shout Out: Thanks Andrea for sharing this wonderful thrifty info!

Ok on to the next thing…..Tonight I’m attending my very first blog event! I’m soooo excited to meet fellow bloggers. I’ll be taking my camera along and will post about all the fun later in the week.

And last but not least…..

A very good friend of mine has decided to join the blogging world! She has a new little bundle of joy and a passion for crafting and cooking. These topics plus others will be spotlighted on her NEW blog! Don’t you just love a good mommy blog…..I know I do! She has a great sense of humor and always has me cracking up. I’m so excited to see what she has brewing. As soon as she gets things up and running I will feature her here so you can take a look and welcome her to "blog world".

Parker wanted to pop in and wish everyone a wonderful Friday and an even better weekend!

Summer Honey Sundae

This was truly simple and delicious! This best part is that its low cal and Weight Watcher friendly.

What You Need:*Vanilla Frozen Yogurt (I used Dryers brand)

*Chopped Walnuts

*Banana

*Honey

What to DoScoop desired amount of frozen yogurt (remember smaller portions if you’re trying to be diet friendly) into a dish. The dish I served my Honey Sundaes in was a Goodwill score! Slice banana (I divided one large banana between two sundaes). Top frozen yogurt with banana slices, walnuts and honey.

A wonderful summer dessert! I LOVE the flavor of honey which pairs well it the walnuts and bananas. Let me know what you if you try it out.

No Solicitors at My Door…..

Found this little guy at Goodwill for .99 cents. I’ve had a project in mind for a few months but was waiting to find just the right frame….and I found it!!!

Thick printer paper in a cream color, online image of one of my favorite things (fleur de lis), scrapbook paper, an old frame that has lots of potential, and some black craft paint……I’m ready to start

I loved the origional gold trim around the frame and wanted to leave it so I taped it off and painted remaining area black.

Here he is all finished and ready to do his job. Let’s name him....... Franswa! Not so sure no soliciting signs actually work but maybe Franswa will catch their eye before they ring the bell.

Kent was worried the suction hook would not be able to hold the fame up but I found these great suction hooks at Wally World (Wal-Mart). They were cheap and work really well. You can flip the hook around so you can hang from different sides and when you flip the hook in place it locks the suction. I realized how great it works after I opened the package but I wanted to share it with you in case you’re on the hunt for a good/strong suction hook. Who isn't....RIGHT ;o)


What do you think? Will Franswa keep the solicitors away? Probably not but he sure is cute!


Franswa back in the old days when he was known as Frank



Franswa improved and with a new purpose in life! I’ll let you know if he gets to keep his new job.

I did a little online search while I was trying to decide what I wanted my sign to say. I would love to have been blunt but didn’t want to upset anyone in our “family friendly” neighborhood so I went the nice route. I found some funny No Soliciting signs though and wanted to share. Maybe your brave enough to make one and go the blunt route. Let me know if you do!

(This was my fav!)

No SolicitingYes we’ve found God,

We already donate to charity,

and we already bought candy, popcorn, wrapping paper (whatever you are selling) from our coworkers children!

(This one is funny but a little harsh)

No Soliciting

If we don’t know you…..
go away!

No SolicitingMy dog’s favorite treat is a solicitor

No Soliciting!

Yes we are talking to you!

Did you see any you thought were funny?

Not only can you use this project for no soliciting signs you can also use it for:

*Baby sleeping. Please do not ring bell.

*Welcome sign, welcoming your guest You can place a little quote or small poem inside. I know there are some great little poems about houses out there.

*Change it up with the holidays and seasons…Happy Fall Y’all, Merry Christmas

Let me know if you decide to make your own little door sign. I would love to see what you come up with! Oh and if you do not have a window by your front door you can add a little ribbon to your frame and hang it from the brick or incorporate it into your front door wreath or display.

If you are new to my blog click the links below to see some of my other thrifty projects.

*Something Cheap and Easy

*Tray Makeover

*Chalk Borad Chalk Board on the Wall

Today I'm linking up for:

Thrifty Treasures
Transformation Thursdays

Metamorphosis Monday

Thrifty Treasures

My summer break is quickly coming to an end. I’m doing everything I can to make sure I enjoy my last few days of freedom before my nose gets shoved back into a text book. As you can tell I am by no means excited about being back in a classroom but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and I will be done before I know it. 2010 is going to be a BIG year for me; new venture that Kent and I are taking on (I will post about this exciting news later), graduation (finally! I could have been a doctor by now), our wedding, and hopefully I will fulfill my lifelong dream of become a kindergarten teacher! I can’t wait till I’m stressing about my job and not about homework! Anyway as I said above I’m trying to enjoy the rest of my break and what does any thrifty gal or guy do to have a little fun…..hit up some thrift stores! And that’s just what I’ve been up to!

Little pear and apple originally from Pier 1 but found their second home at Goodwill. They became mine for .59 cents each. I had no idea what I was going to do with them but thought they were too cute!

For now they are holding our salt and pepper shakers but I have a feeling they will be moved around the kitchen a lot.


This find has to be my favorite find of the week, oooorrrr maybe my favorite find of the summer! I found some antique books that were printed in 1909. My heart is speeding up even as I type about them.

I’m crazy in love with them.



They were $5.00 each! I think that’s a good deal but these are the first actual antique books I’ve bought so I’m not to sure how much something like this normally cost. I’ve purchased a few books old books but not near as old as these guys and they were $2.00 each so I thought $5.00 for these beauties was not too bad.

Ahh....don’t you just love these old pages.




This silver box was yet another Goodwill find for $2.99. I had to fight my friend for this one. Sorry Jennifer looks like I won but you can visit whenever you want to see it ;o) The books on the bottom were Goodwill finds from a few weeks ago. I posted about them here.

Talk about mixing old with new…..old books topped with an antique silver box nestled next to my fiance's PS3. I will never be able to get him to part with it so why not make the best of it by decorating around it!

Found these plates at Goodwill for .59 cents each! I love the little gold detail in the middle (this is in our ½ bath down stairs). No natural light for this picture so we will just have to make do with the flash.

Up close and personal, this is my favorite 1 out of the 3.

Don’t you love the shape of this tray, just wait it gets better……

it has little feet on it too. I’ve been on the hunt for a silver tray with feet. I finally found my tray with feet and a pretty one at that! She was a steal at $3.99. I’m going to leave her just as she is!

Sconces purchased at Goodwill. They were $1.99 each.

I sprayed them with bronze metallic spray paint and went in with a little black paint to highlight the scalloped details on the candle holder as wells as the curves of the scones. I liked the original gold color and am now thinking I should have left them alone but I can always change them if I decide to. What do you think, do you like the new color or should I spray them back to the original gold color?

I think they finish out the mirror nicely. The mirror was a gift from my Mom a few years ago. If you look closely you can see the mirror is hiding a niche. I hated it and never found anything that looked good in it so I gave it a coat of paint and covered it up with the mirror. This is the first thing you see when you walk in the front door and I wanted something that made a statement. I think this is better than an awkward hole in the wall.

That’s our front door you see reflected in the mirror. Now that I’m looking at this picture I think it needs a little color, maybe a fun wreath. I’ll add that to the never ending list!

I had ton of fun last week thrifiting and spending time with my gal pal. Thrifting is much more fun when you take a buddy! Thanks for stopping by and check back. I have a few projects and recipes (Weight Watchers of course) that I’ll be posting this week.

Today I’m linking up with:

Thrifty Treasures