Wish me luck...

I have been in a chain saw massacre snoring zone lately. I picked up these pink ladies at Walgreens today and I'm hoping for the best.

Oooh look it comes with a beautiful carrying case at no extra charge. Excellent!

I vacillate between sleep-deprived crankiness and caffeine fueled mania. Keep your fingers crossed that someone doesn't go missing in the middle of the night. If I call you just bring a shovel and don't ask questions.
The End.

**UPDATE: Best invention EVER!

The Gift of Thrift

I found this bag of glass jars at Goodwill about a month ago. I happen to love this jelly and collect the jars myself. However, the jelly is a little pricey so finding an entire bag for $3.00 is great!!

I just washed them in my dishwasher on sterilize and viola gift jars! Oooh blue ones too!
Perfect for Hanukkah and Christmas!

So I decided to make little treats for my boys and the neighbors...perfect for my collection.

I got the sugar cookie recipe from Bake at 350. I frosted them with White Chocolate and crunched up candy canes. Yumm! Oh and they freeze really well.

It is the perfect dough for cutting out all different kinds of cookies.

I used the jars to add homemade hot chocolate mix, crunched up candy canes, and some cookies. Deeelicious.

A Hilfiger Christmas

This is my kind of Christmas Morning! What a way to disco in the new year!

Merry Christmas...may your day be Merry and Bright and full of Plaid and Dance Tunes!

Happy Hanukkah Merry Christmas!

This was our holiday card this year....we just hung out at a bowling alley and spent $20.00 in quarters shoved into a photo booth. It was a blast!

9News Rocks the Goodwill Holiday Sweaters!

Thanks to Goodwill and my friend Felice for the great holiday sweaters. You all look adorable!

Tablescapes Goodwill Style

We put together this video for www.ThriftingDenver.org. Put together one tablescape and use it for all of your December parties! Happy Shopping.

Look at all of the other fun projects at Thrifty 101!

My Hanukkah Christmas List

Since my parents are coming to my house this holiday season Christmas is on the menu! If you're asking: I would like a shoe shine kit please. Then I would like my dad to help my shine up all my boots. Did your dad ever shine his shoes before church? Mine did. This request can't be any stranger than the time I asked my husband for a lawn mower for Mother's Day! (yes he bought me one and yes I love it.)

Just call me Clarice

I like my eyelashes to look like I belong in a stop motion holiday special. Just like Clarice's-you know Rudolph's girlfriend. The bigger the better. Hey it worked for her! Blink. Blink.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

My friend Lisa gives the most amazing parties! Remember she is the one that gave me a Mad Men Dinner Party for my birthday a couple of years ago? This party was for our friend Barb. Nope, not a big number birthday...just a great party for a great lady! Lisa made the cutest name tags that were big enough for all of us to read without glasses. Smart! She also broke everyone up into five or six groups and sat us at tables where we met all new people. Genius!

The party was at the JW Marriott in Cherry Creek. It was really lovely. Holiday decor, but not too Christmasy for this particular occasion.

We mingled...

We all got up and tried to explain how we first met the birthday girl. Then we all realized there is about one degree of separation between all of the guests..it was crazy!

I was distracted by an amazing pair of red boots...what was I saying again?

Dancing? During the middle of the day? YESSSS!

I love parties, but dance parties are my favorite! It was a girls-only party so we let loose! You all know how much I like to shake it!

(Three Generations!)
Happy Birthday Barb! I was so honored to be included!

Family Photo Shoot Goodwill Style

Here is a little behind the scenes video. The little girls were such troopers to have their photos taken during a snowstorm!

DIY embellished Goodwill rain boots...

Can you believe this entire outfit came from Goodwill?

I asked my friends if I could take their family holiday photo. Naturally I made them all wear Goodwill holiday clothing. Yes it was all adorable. You can watch the video here: http://thriftingdenver.org/2011/12/07/holiday-photos-start-at-goodwill/

I bought a pair of Goodwill rain boots and because I look at Pinterest alll daaay....I just copied a pair of boots that I saw. These boots cost about $6.00 at Goodwill.

Here is what you will need: rubber boots, ribbon (I like the wider silky ribbon), and a leather punch. I found the punch at JoAnn Fabrics for around $8.00.

I just eyeballed the measurement. You can put it wherever you want it,
just make sure both sides are the same.

I actually punched two holes right next to each other making a larger opening so the ribbon would fit through.

Light the end of the ribbon to seal the edge.

One for each girl! I think they turned out so cute!

Movie Night

Well I got one of my boys to watch a Christmas movie with me. I did have to bribe him with a ton of junk food....It was worth it! I have to take every minute I can get at this point. It was a lovely snowy night with a movie, junk food and candy. Perfect.

Hair Flipper!

 
We did a little news piece on the plethora of ugly sweaters at Goodwill. Please do not count the times that I flip or touch my hair! I need to work on that, (she says with a hair flip and a smile.)

Beautiful on a Budget

You know that I truly believe that you can have beautiful things while sticking to a budget. Take this beautiful tufted bed that I just put in my guest room. You will never guess where I bought it...no not the GDub...I found it at Big Lots! I know!! Crazy! It was on clearance for $239.00. I found the Serta mattress there also...I know, I was shocked myself. The bedding is from Tar-jay of course. If you would like to know any further details leave a comment and I will ask Tami from Zeal Denver.

Speaking of Big Lots...that is where the chair came from also! $99.00

The mirror is Ikea and the fur rug came from Costco! You can stay on budget, and have an amazing guest room to show for it! (The doggie loves the mirror, but don't worry she is NOT allowed in there!)

Zeal Denver

Holy Moly! This is amazing! Tim and Tami from Zeal Denver are miracle workers. Tami took my little owl print and ran with it! I love the sparkle and sophistication that she added to my boring and bleak guest room.

The room looks sooo much bigger! She removed the armoire and re-purposed a dresser that was already in the room for the television stand.
cozy spot for your tootsies

This is the exact color story that I was looking for!
Swanky!
If you would like your own design consultation and transformation email my friend Tami from Zeal Denver!

Here are the before photos....

If you have sensitive eyes...avoid this post! This is our guest room where spare furniture goes to die an ugly death. Maybe I tried to make it extra uglier for the before photo...okay maybe it already was extra ugly. Just trying to keep it honest for y'all.

Remember back in the old days when televisions were two feet deep...yeah me too. That is why this armoire is way to big. It is at Goodwill right now on Parker Road and Belleview, along with a truck load of other furniture....go look!

Crunched up day bed.....booooring.....Oh and the bookcase to the left of the photo hold 9,000 sports biographies that my husband insists that he will read someday in his "spare time". hmmm Anyone ever hear of the word Kindle?

Don't tell the husband but that loud racket of a ceiling fan is on its way oooutt! (why do men love ceiling fans and when was the last time he was even in the guest room?) This room is booring and I should get some kind of reward sharing its fugliness on this blog!
I can't wait to see Tami work her magic.
Have I mentioned that I am the worst design client she has ever encountered? I gave her this picture that I like then said. I just like the colors....no I don't like owls....or any kind of blue...or symmetry...I like the essence of the image...Oh, don't re-arrange the books....make sure they go back in order...(someone may or may not have OCD and he knows when one book is moved...just an observation not a condemnation:) Oh it goes on and on....she will be happy when this is over!!
Thanks Tami and Tim! You two are the best!

Color Story

Aren't these images cozy? I love them...you can find them on my Pinterest page.

My friend Tami from Zeal Denver is working on redoing my guest room. This is the color story that I gave her to work with. I can't wait to see how it turns out! I will take "before" pictures today. Let me say ahead of time that right now it is a room where old furniture goes to be ignored. Not cute....Not yet anyway!!

Very Pinteresting!

Look at this outfit I found on Pinterest.....I decided to Goodwill it! Everything but the Burberry scarf came from the GDub. I am addicted to both.