25 things under $25

The time of secret Santa's and white elephant parties. Here are a few of my choices that I would love to   unwrap:

Pure maple flakes $11.95. Not super expensive, they seem to decatant, lovely I would love to try them in cocoa and on sugar cookies. Not something I would buy for myself. 

Dr. Schulze's Air Detox 4 oz $24.00 Makes the room smell better, wards off sickness. 

Stained by Sharpie 8 count $19.49 I looked and looked for these at Joann's so that I could get them 50% off. Alas they do not carry them. What the crap? They carry every other kind of Sharpie except for these. I bought a green fabric marker of another brand, but I feel like I maybe delaying the project, because of it. 

Water color world map no. 6 $25.00 Love this would love it in the bedroom. 

The apothecary matchstick bottle small $15 I am loving candles in the house right now. This is way classier then a lighter. I would also not spend the money on this myself. They are sold out right now, but they think they will be in stock after the 30th.

Beeswax candle 6.3 oz for $21.00 burns for 48 hours and comes in a cute jar. I have been burning through all of the candles in the house right now so that I can can move to exclusively beeswax in the future. 

Rub and buff Spanish Copper .5 oz $13.43 Needed for an AMAZING upcoming project.

Young house love the book $17.30 no explanation needed. 

Electric oil warmer $20 For all those end of the candle bits and essential oils for when I need a break from honey. 

Clarisonic body brush $25

Clarisonic body brush extension $25

EradiKate $22

Tweezerman Satin Etched Zebra tweezers $25

Air Control hairspray $24

Letterpress mixed group unique fonts $18

Industrial Light Vintage Style Porcelain Mount Fixture with Metal Wire Cage Guard $22

Pocket hand warmers set of two $20

Straws of Steel four count $10

Mushroom Kit $19.95

Cards against Humanity $25

Apples to Apples $19.99

Threshold tumbler $19.99 

$25 itunes gift card

Libbey Glass pitcher $14.99

LED baseball cap $24

Happy Shopping!!!

Thursday Thrifting ~ Nightstands

I have been wanting to do the guestroom for a while now. I tried to get Mandi to pick me for the Vintage revivals Epic room makeover, I did not make it. I have been stuck. I feel like it is a pretty nice place for our guests. Mike wanted it orange and we painted it orange. But it is not the best it can be. I was at the Salvation Army a while back and I spied these end tables and I thought they would be great night stands. 

I love the sweet little details and the hardware.

I love the wood grain on the top. 

This is what I would have done with them if I had gotten them:

I could have finished them like this gorgeous end table from Curbside Creations. I love the mocha top since the grain is so pretty and I would have painted the bottom dove gray. I think I would have added a bottom shelf like that with the same interesting shape to hold baskets with for more storage. 

Or painted it like this dresser makeover from Casa Sugar, just a canary yellow. I would have sprayed the hardware white just like they did. 

Alas they were $50 each so they did not come home with me. 

I love this chair - SAFARI CAMPAIGN CHAIR

I want it. 

Well two really love how they fold and the hardware find it here...

& get these to go with them.

1930's Mikey's fashion plan

My friend Melissa is throwing me a murder mystery birthday party soon and I am very excited for the 1930's theme costumes.  I shared the other day about how I wanted to dress, now here are my plans for Mike.

I must admit that I really love those straw barbershop hats, when I was antiquing with Mary a few weeks ago I was telling her how I love them and would love to see Mikey in one. He just bought a hat for Halloween and has not worn in since, so I think we will just have to take a minute to imagine.

via

Actually I love this whole look:

Baby, nudge, nudge...

The week has been bad but the weekend...

This weekend has been all around difficult an I was so ready for it to be over today and it is. I needed an extra bump of this week is over. So as soon as I was done I decided to jump start the weekend with something that I have wanted to do for well,  ever. I know that you are probably thinking of something so much more exciting than I am. which reminds me of a story I sometimes tell about a day a few years ago when Mikey got a new car and a mocha maker. I got a new dyson and I was so much more excited then he was. Today right after I was done with work I ran right over to Bed Bath and Beyond, and bought new trash cans. They are stainless steel and simple human. I love all things simple human. I have a grocery bag holder that I found at a thrift store:

$2.92 was not bad at all they retail for $9.99. I hung it sideways under my sink and fold all of my shopping bags up in to little triangles. I also have a shower caddy they are the first people that realized that women we like to buy our shampoo in liters, and we like them to be put upside down so you so not have to use pumps. I just wish that they could figure out that we/I like to have them both in liters. 

It is pretty great, you should get one. And now the before and after:

Boring white trash cans, because if you cannot get what you really want you should just get something that will get you by until you can. I really live this, I went from a futon to a Restoration Hardware leather sofa. When we bought a tempur pedic mattress it sat on the floor until my parents got us the amazing storage frame that we have been wanting. Anyway. I think I probably paid $20 for both of these years ago at Big Lots. The bags hang out but they worked. I have 2 because we recycle. 

Another feature that I am super excited about the lock so that if I want to leave it open and peel carrots, I can!

Doesn't that just look so much better? You know what would make is so much better that I just cannot seem to get out of my mind even though it is too ridiculous. I want one of them etched with the recycle symbol on top. A girl can dream, if we win the lottery it is totally going to happen.  

Love, Love, Love

I love party potties, those little half baths that people us at your house, so they don't have to go see your bathroom with all your stuff. Its so personal even if it is clean and something like 3 in 8 people look in others medicine cabinets. I saw a great makeover of one today over at live creating yourself (go check it out):

It is brave to get rid of all of your storage. But it looks great. And have I mentioned how much I love it when people use individual washcloths to dry your hands instead of the same towel for everyone or paper towels. I just wish I could figure out where she has people put the used ones. They are so under decorated, under appreciated.

Bloggers day of Silence

For Josh and Midori.

My Birthday

My Birthday is coming soon (in one month to be exact) and I was trying to figure out just what it is that I want. I came up with a few things:

The Domino decorating book I am still amazed that I do not have it.

The Real Simple book 869 uses for old things (Not anymore I picked this up the other day):

The Boxcar Children Cookbook:

Then I remembered that the Boaders by my house is going out of business I stopped by the other day to see if they have any of my books. It was a complete mess in there utter chaos. I did find the Real Simple book, there was actually another one that I saw there but it was not on my list and I figured that I should not buy it. I looked through it and it seemed to be pretty consistent with the one that I got It was not until I read the forward of the 869 where they stated that it was a combination of everything they had learned from the last ten years that I felt comfortable putting it back on the shelf.

HAPPY DAY!!!

I AM SO EXCITED!!! AND I JUST CANNOT HIDE IT!!!

Sorry for yelling, but it is true. Remember when I had a whole post on the Vita mix blender 500 and when I had the step by step instructions on how to make a chalkboard piggy bank, that showed what I was saving for:

I had this all worked out. This blender was the whole reason that I was participating in the healthy choices program, six phone calls over six months yielding a $250 gift card of one of three hundred retailers. I knew Williams-Sonoma would be on there. 

$600

$250 healthy choice gift card

$160 per diem visa from a business trip

$125 cash back bonus Chase

 $50 cash back bonus Discover

Which just left $15 from my piggy bank

That was the plan, then last night when we were baking some beef, red pepper, mozzarella, and basil pinwheels last night in our counter top convection oven, (which we use an awful lot since usually I am just cooking for Mike and myself) and it did not turn off at the end of the time. We have been having some issues with it turning off before it was suppost to but this was the first time that it overcooked something. And then the final tilt I got this message from Williams Sonoma in my email box today:

Usually Vita mix is excluded from any offer, the 10% off you can get if you buy something after cooking class.  For this offer the only thing that is excluded is Shun knifes. So now that I need both my blender

 and my convection oven. 

I figure that if I get my blender now it is almost 50% off the oven. So needless to say I have one on hold at Williams Sonoma right now, that we will pick up today on the way to Sandy's graduation. Then after Christmas I will go get my convection oven. I can still apply my Chase rewards to the purchase without ordering the gift card and I ordered the discover cash back bonus (because you get an extra five dollars) that I will use on the oven. Merry Christmas to me!

What I want for Christmas

Medal Bendy straws from West Elm

This yellow submarine tea infuser that I had previously posted on here.  

These Quartz Crystal Ornaments that I posted about here:

Domino Decorating Book - How I do not have this already I do not know. 

Retired wine barrel lazy Susan Uncommongoods.com (I like the light one)

Bonsai forest Uncommongoods.com

That is all I can really think of how easy is that? Mikey and I already had our Christmas, we pretty much got it ironed out yesterday. Minus a few items that they had to order in, So this year new audio for our home theater. 

Merry Christmas!

.