Weekend Pictures

As usual, when the weather warms up, all inside projects go on hold and we return to the backyard! We had beautiful weather this weekend so we made the most of it. We started with a little "yard sailing" where the hubby was more lucky this weekend. He got a weed eater, a tool box on wheels, and a Japanese Maple.

We stopped and got a few more bedding plants and spent the rest of the weekend planting and spending pool time!

Someone got carried away when he filled up the Tiki torches- OOPS !!!

Last summer we bought a gazebo/bar. It took up too much real estate around the pool so this year we expanded the concrete around the pool. A couple of weeks ago he tore out a chunk of fence and WE poured a new concrete pad for the bar. His vision for the bar is a Tiki/Pirate look! I know, I know..... we are stuck in the Disney mode!!! He put up a flag pole with a Pirates of the Caribbean flag! And I made him this sign-

He had some of his deputies take the wood out to the range and use it for target practice before I painted it!

He found some bar stools at a yard sale and I recovered the seats. We won't leave these outside - they are just for company.

Jack Sparrow

Davy Jones and I have one more to finish - Will Turner!

So now we are on the hunt for more props for the bar before it's Grand Opening on July 4th! I'm hoping to bring some back from the Bahamas!

One Hour Dress

My friend, Kristie, was just saying that she likes to wear dresses in the summer - me, too! I have found an easy, inexpensive dress that I can whip up in an hour.

You need a tank top ($4- Old Navy) and fabric ($4- Hobby Lobby) ! I used 1 yard for the skirt and 1/4 yard for the sash.

I cut the tank off where I wanted the skirt to start- above the waist. For me it was 5 inches below the arm holes.

Lulu approves.

I just made one back seam and a small hem.

Make a slight gather at the top of the skirt. I measured around myself and added 1 inch because I didn't want it tight.

Sew to the tank. Slightly stretch the tank as you sew to make it fit the skirt. Overedge the seam. Done. You can then embellish it to give it your own touch! I took 1/4 yard of white fabric to make a sash. I cut in half the long way to make it long. Sewed it together then folded it in half , sewed the long seam and ends. Leave a hole to turn it inside out, then hand sew the hole. I have not attached the sash to the dress because I don't know if I want to tie it in the front or back.

This is the first one I made and I sewed the sash to the front and side seams.

It ties in the back. I like this dress, but I gathered more fabric in the skirt and it looks a little "fluffy". Dress #2 is longer and less gathered and I am happier with the fit!

This is the dress I got for my birthday last summer at Disney World. It was a lot more expensive than the homemade version but, I love the added Tinkerbell detail on the waist.

And on the back...

I'm already thinking about adding some ruffles, lace or ribbon to the next one I make!

Thrifty Thursday

I had fun hitting 3 of my favorite thrift stores Friday with my buddy. Even if she did see a plate rack before I did at Goodwill.... This is my favorite find of the day....

And, no I would never pay that much for an evening bag. There was a big stack of donated/new handbags at one store. Many were damaged - but - not bad. I just fell in love with this one! It was missing the chain and had a few loose beads.

It matches a dress and the shoes I'm wearing for a semi-formal dinner coming up perfectly!

Just look at that detail!!!

I usually don't get this excited about a purse!

Found a $2.50 chain at Hobby Lobby which was the right finish...bringing my investment up to a total of $12.50. More than I like to spend at the thrift store.....but a long way from $155.00 !!!!!!

Join all the frugal ladies at Leigh's place !!!

Please Vote for BigHouse

Some young friends of mine had a really big dream and you can help their dream along by taking a few minutes to vote! They are in the running for a $25,000 grant from Pepsi which would make a huge difference in this worthy program. BigHouse is the brain child of a young wife and mother, Micah. She with the help of her hubby have organized a nonprofit support system for the foster parents and children of Lee County. With your help they can continue to grow and expand beyond our county.

Micah's parents became foster parents to a sibling group a little over 3 years ago. They recently were able to adopt 3 precious little girls. There are many more children who are still in foster care. Micah's dream is to make sure that those children in foster care are provided with things that the state can not provide and may be difficult for the foster parents to afford. She has organized a clothes closet and already found a rental property that volunteers have been working on. There are plans for music, dance, and art lessons as well as after school tutoring. Here are a few pictures of the progress they have made. The Reading Room-

The Dance RoomA current project- providing a new swim suit and towel for each foster child

The Clothes Closet




Prom Dresses
And the Birthday Room- where foster parents can make sure each child has a special birthday gift!

Voting is easy! Go to www.refresheverything.com/bighouse , register and vote EVERY DAY in the month of April. You can vote for other projects too, but make sure they are not in the same catagory! We need to be in the top 10 by April 30th! Please Help! Thanks!

Thrifty Thursday

This week I am showing another wall of my sewing room. My plan was to clean it up in February. Here it is - April- and I am still not done. I have finished a few more Thrifty decoration and organizing projects-

I still have to hang a few things on the wall- but I have purged and organized all of the things stored under the tables! My Hubby built me the shelves last week and I painted them black.

Here is a view of the corner-

The shelves were made from some old shutters that I got at a friend's yard sale. I spent $2 on them. He used the tall shutters on the ends and made the short shutters into doors to hide more clutter! He cut the shelves from some scrap wood. I put fabric inserts in the doors by covering foam board and glue "gunning" them in place.

I've been taking all the assorted tins (many from Christmas) and spray painting them. Some I have used chalkboard paint on so they can be labled. On these I used a paint pen to paint numbers on- as seen around blogland.

The Hubby also helped me with this project. Thrift store frame, spray painted -of course, dowls, cup hooks and buttons. I glued the buttons on the end of the dowls to keep them from slipping out of the cup hooks.

This shelf was another yard sale treasure. I should have taken a before picture. It had broken and missing pieces on the back of each shelf. I pulled them off and again- went after it with black spray paint!

These jars will go under the ribbon frame when I hang it on the wall. They were from an estate sale and a thrift store. One had a silver lid with a red knob. The other did not have a lid at all. I found a tin lid that fit and two matching knobs. Again- behold the wonder of black spray paint!

As always please stop by Blogerittaville to see Thrifty Treasure. Many of my ideas came from these creative ladies that hang around there!

Wordless Wednesday

Goodwill Returns

Goodwill closed a couple of years ago. I was crushed. It was only a few blocks away from my house and it was so easy for me to run by several times a week. In and out in 5 minutes....and I often found vintage goodies. So you can imagine my joy that it has reopened in town - not so close- but I was happy. They had their Grand Opening on April 1st ....was that a joke?

I got there early and the parking lot was crowded. There were speeches- It was HOT- I got in the shade behind the stage to wait for the doors to open- They were going to release 2006 butterflies to symbolize the 2006 people that the career center helped last year.....Do you see where this is heading?

The speeches were not long but there were several of them.
The crowd grew hot and restless.
The butterflies were beating their wings off frantically in the boxes.
I was being smushed.
They released the butterflies, who in their confusion, flew toward the
crowd-against the building.
Many of them did not make it.
The crowd surged toward the open doors - trying to escape the butterflies,
get in the air conditioning, and be one of the first 200 people to get
a t shirt.
I was carried along in the wave.
I got a t shirt and a butterfly caught in my hair.

I thought that I would just look around and leave but the crowd was pouring in and I hid out in the back of the store to wait for a lull. Then I saw him...
And he had to come home with me...
Then I saw this FireKing bowl and it needed to go to my Thrifting Buddy for her collection.

And since I still could not get near the exit, this milk glass candle holder joined us-

Finally I made a break for it, got in line to pay (with my 20% off coupon) and found out the cashiers had no idea how to work the registers with a coupon! I really think this was all an April Fool's Day joke!!!