Super Savings: Before and After

Showing posts with label Before and After. Show all posts

Saturday, October 15, 2011

DIY Table Centerpiece - Easy, Beautiful and FREE!

I recently made a centerpiece that we use on the dining room table and the buffet, and I'm so happy with it! I love how the twine and burlap gives it a natural, rustic feeling, but the glass and mirror gives it a polished look....it gives off the most beautiful glow.....

I was inspired by Thrifty Decor Chick's beautiful centerpiece, and thought that something like that would be perfect for our dining room. I didn't want to spend anything on it though, so I used what I had on hand and it turned out to be a great free project!

I started telling the hubzy about it, and said I wished that I had a "back of the door" mirror like she used......he suggested just using one of our rectangular wooden framed mirrors that we have arranged on top of our china cabinet (you can see them in the pictures where I showed you our Easter egg craft)......he's so smart! ;)

I had no time to spare since it was the busy week before our housewarming party, but I was so excited that I just went for it - and it came together so quickly!

I grabbed any clear or blue jars and vases we had around the house......some were recent thrift store finds I showed you on the Facebook page....(just the blue ones below, the clear one holds Q-tips in our bathroom, and though it's pretty I didn't think it would be stable enough for candles)

Next I got out some white votive candles and arranged (and re-arranged) all the jars, vases, and candles on the mirror until I was happy with the layout. I put a candle inside any container that was big enough to hold one.

I liked it like that, but thought it needed a little something more, so I got out my twine and burlap (2 of my favorite things!) to soften it up.

I wrapped a couple of the votive holders with twine, and added strips of burlap and twine to some of the bigger containers.....no rhyme or reason, just whatever I thought looked good.

I like how the burlap and twine feels "Fall-ish".....I'm thinking about finding some little bits of orange -- ooh, maybe some of those tiny pumpkins! I'll probably change it up for the seasons too.....around Christmas time, adding ornaments, changing out the blue containers for reds or greens, and ribbons instead of twine....adding some color with dried beans, lentils, or coffee beans around the "inside" votives.....maybe adding shells or starfish in the Summer.....

What do you think?? I'm so happy with it!

If you try this and use a frame/mirror like I did, and it has a "teeth-y" hanger thing on the back, you may want to tape over it or remove it so it doesn't scrape anything you set it on.......like when your daughter tries to move it off the table and leaves a big old scrape across it.....just sayin'. =/ (that's ok though....the next week she had a sleepover birthday party and nail polish remover got spilled and took the finish off one of the legs.....ahh, that poor table -- it's so overdue for a makeover)

**I made sure to position the twine and burlap away from where the candles will be burning. We often light it after the kids are in bed, but I usually keep it out of the reach of kids anyway so that they don't play with it and leave the twine or burlap over the flames.

Linking up......

I {Heart} Naptime!

"Look What I Made" party at Creations by Kara

Thrifty and Fabulous

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Housewarming Party - better late than never!

This weekend we had a housewarming party.......we probably should have called it a "thank-goodness-we-have-finally-finished-all-the-big-projects-and-refinanced-the-house party", but neither Evite or Punchbowl (both free online invitation sites) had any invitations by that name.

So we went with "housewarming", which thoroughly confused some of our friends who couldn't understand why we already "moved again" since we just moved into this house two years ago. Of course we hadn't, we just had some big projects to tackle first before it was party time! We did have some little projects left that we'd put off for too long though and we did want to get some of these things done before having the party. Once we set the date, we got to work.....and it's amazing how much can happen when you have a deadline!

In about a week my husband and I:

finished putting up the trim and closet door in the bathroom
installed the bathroom light (we'd used just the medicine cabinet lights the whole time)
put up a lovely vinyl stencil my mom got me about a year ago
fixed the front door trim that was loose
donated the garage sale leftovers once and for all (instead of saving them for "the next sale")
cleared and cleaned the front porch
painted the basement stairway walls (I skipped painting the last stairway going upstairs since I ran out of time)
repainted our key/purse/library book holder thingy (before and after to come)
created a fabulous centerpiece for FREE! (picture below -- tutorial to come)
created a fantastic jewelry organizer {very cheaply} with burlap and a frame (pic below -- tutorial to come)
...and of course the standard extra cleaning for a party (which the kids were all so excited about) ;)

I found a couple recipes via Pinterest that looked amazing, and saved just for this occasion......and oh mylanta, they did not disappoint!! They were both SO easy and SO yummy -- be sure to check these out!

{Jalapeno Popper Dip via Closet Cooking}

{Butterfinger Blondies via Six Sisters Stuff}

We had great food, great conversation, and just a great time to celebrate this wonderful house we've been blessed with! It was a really nice time with friends and family, and gave us great incentive to check things off that way overdue to-do list!

Here's a sneak peek at the "just for fun" projects we threw into the week......you know, since we had so much extra time on our hands, lol!

{Beautiful Centerpiece that's even better in person, cost $0}

~ Before ~

~ After ~

{Vinyl on Living Room Wall}

{Jewelry Organizer}

I'll be posting the tutorials soon - so check back for those! Let me know what you think if you try those recipes -- you really should! I'm going to go do a quick clean up to keep the house this miraculously clean forever.....or at least for a few days!

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

DIY's, Tutorials, Before and After's, and Recipes!

To help you guys find my "How-To" type posts (tutorials, recipes, DIY's.....etc), I thought I'd make it easy for you and put the most popular ones in one place......

Monday, July 25, 2011

DIY: How to Save Money on Haircuts at Home!

Cutting hair at home is a great way to save money. It tends to make people a little nervous since we're not all "professionals", but it's nothing to be scared of! There are so many resources available to learn how, and hair grows back, so it's not all that risky.

I have a few very talented friends who cut hair professionally, and do a wonderful job, but at $10-40 a pop with a family of 7 it's just not in the budget.

We recently had family pictures taken and I realized the day before, that my oldest two boys had both nearly turned into "Cousin It". They both like their hair a little "beachy" long, but I knew it was getting too long.

I normally cut the family's hair myself, but since I had very little time before pictures, I thought real seriously about taking them somewhere to get it done. I tried to convince myself that it would be worth it to spend the money (2 boys haircuts + tip + gas to get to the mall = $35ish)......but then I remembered a couple times we took them somewhere to get it done "right" and it......um, wasn't. I always thought that you can't hardly mess up a boys haircut, and I was proved wrong! So, I decided to risk it - I don't do a bad job (IMHO), but family pictures are a bad time to possibly make a mistake that you hope will "grow out", but have no time for!

Here's my oldest before:

{11 days before family pictures - cute, but I wanted to see his eyes!}

{beginning of the haircut, after spraying it to get damp}

After:

This cut was a little bit of a challenge, because he wanted it to stay long-ish, but I needed it out of his face. I've done better, but I thought it was definitely good enough for pictures. Of course he ended up wearing his favorite hat for most of them, but you could at least see his eyes, haha!

The phrase "Practice makes perfect" definitely applies here! I've gotten better at cutting hair by simply practicing. My sweet dad used to let us cut his hair when we were growing up to get some scissor time.......my mom stood by and gave us tips, but I'm sure we butchered it a time or two (now that I think about it, she probably just fixed it once we were out of sight, lol)!

Then when I was a young woman I gave my husband and his brothers a few hair cuts, and for the past 12 years I've been the hair cutter of our home - at least for the boys! I haven't braved the girls yet (except an occasional trim)......but I'd like to save some money there too - and watching the videos below on cutting womens and girls hair/bangs has really encouraged me to try it. =)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Edit: Since I originally wrote this post, I've ventured into cutting girls hair and it's been great! I started with just little trims here or there, but my youngest daughter, Emma, wanted shorter hair (6-7 inches shorter!) and I stepped up to the challenge of a "real" haircut, (shown below) with very pretty results, IMO. =)
And a couple times now she's taken her hair into her own hands and I've had to "fix" it by cutting many inches off - frustrating to lose her pretty hair, but I'm happy to not have to shell out a lot of money to have a salon fix it. My oldest daughter, Grace, has also asked for bangs and layers and it has turned out beautifully - and the last time we took off 10 inches because she wanted to donate it.

Things I've learned along the way:

Always remember that you can cut more off, but you can't add it back.
You want to cut your hair when damp - it's easier to cut, and cutting dry hair causes it to fly everywhere. Hair does shrink when dry though, so keep that in mind - especially with bangs. Cut off less hair than what you want the finished length to be.
Go slow as you're learning, but don't be afraid - it will grow back.
Watch a professional. When I have gone to get my own hair cut at a salon or taken the kids in, I've watched how they cut, hold their hands, point the scissors.....to get a better understanding myself.

Supplies:

Clippers - Clipper kits are wonderful for the boys haircuts. We have a Wahl Set similar to this Wahl 79900B Clip-N-Trim 23-Piece Complete Haircut Kit that I think we got at WalMart years ago for about $25. Ours includes clippers, guards (for cutting different lengths) scissors, combs, clips, a cape, blade oil and cleaning brush, a storage case...etc. We've definitely gotten our money out of it! The blades are a bit duller now, and I'm thinking about upgrading, and this Wahl 79524-1001 Deluxe Chrome Pro with Multi-Cut Clipper & Trimmer, 27 Pieces looks like a good value! I've got a good amount of Amazon credit from Swagbucks, so getting it for free would be a really good deal. =)
Scissors - You need good quality, sharp scissors for precise cuts and easy trimming. Regular household scissors will make it much more difficult to get a good cut. Haircutting scissors are beveled so that they cut down and through the hair where as other scissors will just push the hair forward and munch it in small clumps. Clipper sets will usually include a pair, but if you don't have one, consider a pair of professional scissors like these Tweezerman Styling Shears.
Thinning Scissors - Not a necessity, but I've been considering getting a pair of Thinning Shears to help blend and texturize the layers when I cut the kids hair. It's very hard to make a mistake using these - bonus! =)

Resources:

"Haircutting For Dummies" - I haven't read this myself, but have heard it's a great reference to learn how to cut hair. I'm thinking about checking to see if I can get it at our library.
Here's a blog about How to Cut Your Own Hair with some good practical tips - I think I might try this "Ponytail Trick" for "How to Cut Layers" for my daughters hair! (All the comments sound like it works great!)
HairFinder.com - lots of great information on styles and cuts (it is a little ad heavy, just don't click on those)
How-to article - read this article from Dollar Stretcher on how to cut your hair.

Helpful Videos:

YouTube - there are tons of videos on how to cut hair - amazing resource!
How to Get Side Swept Bangs - with scissors. I'm thinking of using this tutorial to do my own bangs soon - my sister does hers all the time and they look great!
Cutting Your Hair at Home - Introduction to cutting hair at home (click below video to go to supplies needed, women's cut, men's cut...etc.)
How to Cut Women's Hair (simple cut and bangs) - Great video tutorial! Covers how to cut a guide and follow that to make sure your length is even. (Learn how to prep hair and section it for the women's cut)
How to Cut Men's Hair
How to Cut Your Hair with Layers - this girl makes it look soo easy and her hair is beautiful!
How to Easily Cut/Trim Hair Nice and Even
How to Cut Layers using the "Ponytail" method - I mentioned the "Ponytail Trick" above. This video is actually a commercial, but imagine using a ponytail holder instead, and you can easily see how to get layers - easy peasy!
How to Cut and Layer Long Hair - she explains the kinds of scissors she uses and cuts her own - then shows how to thin thick hair.
How to Cut and Style Side Swept Bangs - with a razor
How to Cut Boys Hair
How to Cut Girls Hair

Don't be afraid to try - it's not as scary as you might think. What do you have to lose? You could save SO much money (and time) by cutting your own/your families hair! Hair grows back and you could always get it fixed if you really need to.

Have you ever cut hair yourself, or someone else's hair? How was it? Was this helpful? Is this something you think you could try out and save some moola??

Thursday, April 14, 2011

DIY Easter Egg Craft - Natural Earthy Colors

Our family has never really decorated much for Easter, not for lack of interest in the holiday (Jesus's death and resurrection is the cornerstone of our faith!), but more because the decorations can be so obnoxious! Plastic grass, annoying (and sometimes scary) bunnies, pastel/neon everything.....most of it's just not my style.

But then I came across these great Springy Eggs from Andrea at BubbleWrappd and we loved the natural colors and thought they'd work perfectly in our home. It seemed like a fairly inexpensive decoration to make, and since the hubzy liked it too it was a go.

So we got the supplies to start - 2 tubs of wooden eggs from Hobby Lobby = $4.99
(reg. $4.99 each, on sale for 50% off)

A green and a blue acrylic paint from the beloved Hob Lob - $1.34
(I used "Baby Blue" and "Basil")

And Andrea used a gel stain, but when the hubzy went to pick some up while at Home Depot, the smallest he could find was a quart that costs $15, so instead he chose a Mahogany tube of Minwax stain and finish = $6.99
(wouldn't have been my first choice {in price or color}, but I also didn't want to drive to the craft store again, so we gave it a shot......I do think you could try using a much cheaper brown paint to get a similar effect)

We decided to paint 5 blue, 5 green, and leave 6 white before the brown coat. We gave the blue and green ones 1 coat.

When I started using the stain, I thought I'd just squirt a little on the egg and wipe it off......here's what happened.

Yeah, not good. It was a mess......although right now it's looking a lot like melted chocolate......mmm. Almost time for supper....I'll try to focus!

After applying (much) less with a cloth to the other eggs, I wiped it off and set it down to dry. It was a little difficult to get it even and then set it down to dry without messing it up (I eventually set each egg on checkers to help them stay a little more stable and have less contact as they dried). The first coat of stain ended up re-wetting the paint and taking some off.

I wasn't quite what we were imagining, so we decided to put a second coat of paint on and try again.

I had to wait a while for the second coats to dry, so I played with the paint a little and painted a picture. ;) I came across a blogger that created a beautiful piece of art based on a World Market picture like this, but I can't find where I bookmarked it! If you know what I'm talking about (or you are that crafty blogger!) let me know!

EDIT: Lesly, my new hero left me the link to the tutorial I was talking about! So, if you want to see an actual good remake, check it out. Thank you Lesly!! =)

Once the eggs were dried, I then applied the stain again and wiped off, as evenly as I could. Here are the eggs, with and without stain.

Here are the finished eggs.....

We decided to put them in a big hurricane type vase (it probably came from Goodwill), that was housing corks from wine bottles beautifully above our kitchen cabinets. I had some shredded brown paperish stuff I had on hand (originally from Dollar Tree) and put that in the bottom of the "vase" and it was alright, but I definitely preferred the color and natural look of the moss in the inspiration post.

So, back to Hob Lob to grab some Spanish Moss and Jute/Twine (each reg. $2.49, purchased with a 50% off coupon) = $2.49 total

I reassembled the eggs on top of the moss and wrapped the twine around the glass. The ends of the twine were laying kind of wonky, so we tried incorporating some ribbon from the Menu Board project to help it sit right.

The hubzy liked it alright, but I wasn't sold......so I went back to the original plan of the simple twine.

There it is!! Done-zo!
(Sorry I had a heckuva time photographing the glass while trying to avoid window reflections.......yeah, didn't work out so well). I'm really liking it, and am now all decorated for Easter.....oh ok, the kids might want to decorate some eggs of their own. ;)

So all in all, we ended up spending just over $15 - not as inexpensive as I thought it would be, but we now have oodles of stain, twine, paint and stuff leftover - and eggs all ready for next year too! =)

What do you think? Do you prefer it with the ribbon or without? How do you decorate for Easter?

Edit (3/28/13):
This year I decided to change it up a bit and put the eggs in a little "nest" instead of the vase. I picked one of my favorite bowls, lined it with the moss and laid the eggs inside. I like it!
(*you might notice the paint is showing a few scratches after a couple Easters....I think it looks fine with the rustic/earthy style, but you might want to give them a spray of clear gloss to protect them.)