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Monday, November 5, 2012

DIY: New Entryway Decor for $30!!

I know, I know, I haven't blogged in quite a while.  Life has been keeping me busy!  I thought I'd share with you my newly decorated entryway that I mostly DIY-ed for less than forty bucks!!  I love to decorate, especially when I can do things myself.  I always feel so proud being able to show my house to others when the things around it have a story or are handmade.  

If you want to recreate this look, start by shopping your home.  Look for odds and ends you might have stashed away in the closet or basement.  Use an open mind when searching for things and try to picture what they could look like!  Yard/garage sales and thrift stores are always my next stop; you  can find some great junk at these places!  Lastly, local craft stores with a 40/50% off coupon are a great way to save when buying needed supplies for DIY projects.

We moved into our home 6 months ago, and finally this week I have decorations up in our entryway!  Here is what my new entryway looks like now that I've DIY-ed it!


Now let me tell you how I went from an empty space, to that!

Frames:  I bought two frames from TJMaxx at $5.99 a piece.  Instead of sticking pictures inside, I cut out 5x7 pieces of coordinating scrapbook paper and placed them inside the frames.  I already had the paper, so this DIY only cost me $12.  If you have frames laying around use them and it will cost you nothing!

Wreath: I LOVE these coffee filter wreaths I have been seeing around Pinterest for the Holiday season.  I bought a wooden wreath form from Michaels for $2-3, but with my 50% coupon only paid half of that.  I had coffee filters already but needed a couple more.  I paid $2 for more filters and stained them with coffee ( I was out of tea bags.) I pinched each filter into a cone shape and hot glued the tip onto the wreath form.  A few hours later.... and all I paid was $3.

Wooden Sign:  Almost a freebie!  I grabbed a piece of wood from an old pallet (we have tons of these for projects/etc.)  I painted it a few different shades and of acrylic paint I already had.  I found the words I wanted on the sign, typed them how I wanted them to look, and printed it out.  I laid the paper on top of my sign according to how I wanted the wording to lay and traced over each letter with a pen, pressing hard enough to make an indention on the wood.  Once I was done I used an itty bitty spotter brush from A.C. Moore that cost me $2 and carefully painted each letter.  After a light sanding it was done!

Framed Leaf Prints: I got some old matching frames from my parent's house that my mom wasn't using anymore.  The frames were oak-like in color so I wanted to paint them.  I dry-brushed a dark brown acrylic paint over each frame, only applying one coat.  The oak still shows through, but the paint helps it have a more dimensional color.  The leaf prints started out as a single poster from A.C. Moore.  The original print cost $12.  With a 50% off coupon I only paid around $6.  I traced out an 8x10 box around each picture and cut them out so they would fit into my frames.  This is so much cheaper than buying 3 separate prints at $20+ a piece!  In all for this DIY I paid for the price of the single print.  I already had the frames and the acrylic paint!

Lamp & Mason Jars: My mom got a set of these lamps at a yard sale years ago.  They were in my bedroom at my parent's house and traveled to our bedroom once we got married.  They don't give off much light so I decided one of them would look great on the cabinet.  The mason jars were just extras I had laying around the house.  I used a ton of them at our wedding and think they are so cute for decorating and storing things.  I paid nothing for either of these, bonus!  Try thrift stores to find old mason jars.  You can find all sorts of colors, shapes, and sizes!

Cabinet:  This wooden cabinet is another find from my parent's basement.  I love going through the things in their basement, it is one of my favorite places to find old things to repurpose!  This cabinet was from my mom's house growing up.  It started out as an orangeish oak color--definitely not my fave, so I decided a few quick coats of brown spray paint would do the trick.  I got a $6 bottle of spray paint at Michaels, and with my 50% off coupon I paid around $3!  After a few quick coats it looked as good as new and totally different; perfect!  This DIY cost me the price of the spray paint.

In all I spent around $30 to put together my new entryway.  I'd say it turned out pretty good! 

What are some of the DIY's around your home?

-Megan

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

My new Etsy shop!


I am so excited to share my new Etsy shop, binkies N bits, opening Monday, September 24! I plan to sell 
pacifier clips, burp cloths, taggies, blankets, and much more!  Jace and I enjoy these homemade things so much that I decided to make them for you and your little one to enjoy as well!  Check back on September 24 when my shop opens.  I'm starting with a small inventory of pacifier clips and hope to expand my shop as time allows!

-Megan

Monday, September 10, 2012

Jace's First Trip to the Park!

 Anthony and I both love the outdoors.  I'm not so much for the bugs and snakes, but I love to be outside whether it be at the beach, mountains, or anywhere in between.  Our favorite outdoor activities to do together are fishing and hiking.  In fact, Anthony proposed to me on one of our hiking trips last year.



As much as we love to be outside, it is only fitting for Jace to be the same way!  Whenever he is in a fussy mood all you have to do is take him outside and he immediately calms down!  For the past few weeks we have been taking him on nightly walks after dinner.  He loves the fresh air and it helps tire him out before bedtime, (not to mention get a little exercise in for mommy and daddy!)


We live about five minutes from one of the big parks in our town; it has a mile long walking trail.  Since the weather was so nice tonight we decided we'd go walking at the park.  Jace loved it!  He sat in the stroller the whole time, occasionally laughing and cooing.  Needless to say, he is sound asleep now!

What are some of your favorite outdoor activities?? How about your kids??

-Megan

Friday, September 7, 2012

Friday Faves!

I am starting a series on here called "Friday Faves" where I share some of mine/Jace's favorite things of the week!  Since I just decided today to start the series I'm gonna start it off with faves from today!

1. Yes, I did just post a weight loss update and admitted to indulging in too many sweets.  And yes, I did get a chocolate milkshake from BK earlier today.  What can I say, I love sweet treats!  Yummy!

2. Jace has found his hands and is learning to grab things!  His favorite thing for the past week or so has been  his Fisher-Price rocker.  The turtle plays music and the owl and snail are rattles.  The seat also vibrates--ooh la la!  He just sits in it and giggles at the little toys!

3. Totally random, but I made tacos for lunch today and these snack bowls from Target are perfect for holding all of the toppings!  I use them for apples and peanut butter as well as veggies and dip on other days!

4. I LOVE Trifari jewlery.  It looks way more expensive than it actually is and it is all super cute.  These are my favorite studs that I lost a few months ago.  I found them today and was so excited!

What are some of your favs this week??

-Megan

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Food: What's For Dinner #2

Anthony, Jace, and I went over to my parent's house tonight for dinner.  My mom doesn't like cooking, so whenever we go over there I'm the one making dinner unless my dad grills something.  I don't really mind it since there are always plenty of people to help watch Jace.

I decided to try out a new recipe I had on the menu for this week.  I found it on Pinterest of course and it looked so yummy!  The original post where I got the recipe from can be found here

Pinned Image

Ingredients
    • 4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
    • 4 garlic cloves, minced (I didn't have garlic cloves so I just subbed 1tbs minced garlic)
    • 4 tablespoons brown sugar
    • 3 teaspoons olive oil
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 500°F and lightly grease a casserole dish.
  2. In small sauté pan, sauté garlic with the oil until tender.
  3. Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar.
  4. Place chicken breasts in a prepared baking dish and cover with the garlic and brown sugar mixture.
  5. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  6. Bake uncovered for 15-30 minutes.

This was an easy peasy recipe to make, not to mention the family loved it!  I served it with a house salad, garlic breadsticks, mac n' cheese, and green beans.
 
What are some of your favorite chicken recipes?
 
-Megan

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Food: Weekly Meal Menu Planning

Anthony and I just recently reworked out budget.  We are usually pretty good about sticking to what we budget for certain things, except for when it comes to eating!  I always seem to go over the grocery budget when I go to the store (part of the problem was craving certain junk when I was pregnant), and we somehow manage to eat out more than we allot for as well.


With the new budget, my biggest goal is to lower our grocery bill.  I have been pretty successful thanks to a few things.  1. We have changed the way we eat, so all of the junk that I used to buy doesn't even make it into the cart.  2. I finally started couponing again since we have gotten settled into a routine with Jace.  3. I have been meal planning and actually sticking to the plan. 4. We have no choice. :)

When we first got married I would plan our meals for the week and just roughly jot down what I needed from the store and when I thought we might eat it.  However, throughout the week life happened and we found ourselves not wanting what was planned or just eating out because it was more convenient.  Since Jace has been here I've learned that planning meals to eat at home is more convenient than trying to get everyone together to go out to eat (not to mention alot cheaper!)

I always buy 4 newspapers on Sunday with the coupon ad inserts.  Now I'm no crazy coupon lady but I do try to save a few dollars here and there.  Once I have my coupons clipped and sorted in my binder I sit down and try to think of what I want to make for lunch and dinner that week.  I sort through the sale flyers for my favorite stores just to see what is on sale and what I can couple with my coupons.  I always ask Anthony if there is anything special he'd like to have, but he is usually content with pretty much anything I cook.  Not only do I have to plan dinners for Anthony and I throughout the week, but I also plan lunches.  Anthony comes home for lunch each day to get a break from work for an hour, and Jace and I enjoy the company.  We eat different meals from week to week, but I recycle our favorites every other week.

 
 Since we are trying to eat better I always include fresh veggies as sides.  We have also stopped eating bread with our meals.  Anytime we have rice or pasta I make sure it is whole wheat, just to include a healthier choice.  As I mentioned in my weight loss post, we don't deprive ourselves, we are just trying to eat healthier foods in place of any "junk" we used to eat.  So far it is working out great!

I plan my weeks starting on Sunday and and end up on Saturday of the coming weekend.  I plan a lunch and dinner for each day, making exceptions on three days: Wednesday and Saturday nights I don't cook because we eat at Anthony's mom's on Wednesday before church and we usually grill out at my parent's on Saturday night.  Sunday's lunch always varies since we eat at church.  One week I might have to make the main dish, the next I may just have to make a dessert, etc.  I always draw out a "rough draft" menu to help in writing the grocery list.


Once I have the meals planned out, I study each day's meals and start making my grocery list.  I look at each meal individually and write down everything I will need to make that particular meal.  While doing this I shop my pantry to make sure I don't buy extra of anything.  Once I've done this for each meal I go through my coupons, picking out the ones I know I'm going to use and setting them aside.  By going to the store with my list and coupons prepared, not to mention my grocery allowance from the budget, the risk of overspending is very unlikely. 

Here are what our meals usually consist of.  For lunch we usually have something simple like a grilled tuna wrap, deli sandwich, or grilled chicken salad.  If we are having something like pork chops the night before, we may have leftovers and make pork chop sandwiches.  We usually eat raw veggies or fruit as a side, and that pretty much does it for lunch during the week.  As far as dinner goes we always have one meat and then two or three veggies as sides.  A few of our favorite dinners are fried chicken (may not be the healthiest, but we are in the south people), turkey burgers, and BBQ pork chops. 

Once I have my list and everything ready to go, I always write down the weekly meals on our menu board  so I can remember what we are having that week and so Anthony can see without always having to ask me.  I used to just write the menu down on the dry erase board on our fridge, but I have since made an affordable menu board to stick to the fridge so I can have the dry erase board for other notes!  I'll have a tutorial up soon on how to make your own!


This routine of weekly meal menu planning has helped out so much with keeping us within the budget.  Since I've been planning meals this way we have only eaten out twice: once for our anniversary and once on a Saturday because we weren't at home!  Hopefully some of you found this information helpful.  

Are you a meal planner?  What are some of your family's favorite meals?

-Megan 






Tuesday, September 4, 2012

DIY: Canvas Wall Art


We moved into our new house in April when I was eight months pregnant with Jace.  Between all of the remodeling and trying to get the nursery finished, I didn't have much time for decorating around the house.  Five months later I finally have some (hardly any) free time to decorate, so each room gets a little decor at a time.

I have been concentrating on the main rooms of the house since that is what visitors see.  No one ever goes in our bedroom, so up until recently it had absolutely nothing on the walls.  This drove me insane because it didn't feel "homey" enough and truthfully I never wanted to spend any time in there. I decided it was time to add something to the empty walls.

When we first moved in I made some super cute canvas wall art for our guest bathroom.  It looks nice, but most importantly was easy on my wallet!



I figured I could easily do the same above our bed, just with different sized canvas.




It took me about fifteen minutes from the time I started until the wall art was hung.  Did I mention it only cost me $11.00?

What you'll need:

- (3) 12x12 Canvas (Any amount or size will work, this is just what I used)
- (3) Coordinating pieces of 12x12 scrapbook paper
- Coordinating acrylic paint
- Mod Podge
- (2) Foam brushes


Start by painting all four sides of the canvas with the acrylic paint.  For a more opaque finish you might need two coats.  I like being able to see some of the white show through so I only do one coat.



Once you've done all three give them a few minutes to dry completely.



Take one of the pieces of canvas and apply a thick coat of Mod Podge just on the surface.  Make sure you coat the corners and edges really well.  Next take a piece of your scrapbook paper and center it on the canvas.  Press it down, working from the center outwards and smoothing out any bumps that may appear.



Repeat this step with the other two pieces of canvas and voila, you're done!



Now hang them up in your bathroom, bedroom, or wherever you need a little wall decor!


-Megan