After showing you all my fluffed up dining room a few weeks ago (I still just love it!), I figured it was finally time to share undoubtedly my favorite home project . . . maybe ever? As I’ve shared before, the money that I make on PPP doesn’t get spent, however after working for three years at this blogging thing from my living room couch, my husband and I finally decided to use a portion of the earnings we’ve saved towards a home office.

I would love to tell you that it was incredibly penny-pinched, and that I sewed each pillow by hand and my husband built the cabinets himself. But, that’s just not the case. I spend anywhere from 30-40 hours on the computer each week, haul three kids all over town for their activities, do laundry, iron clothes, make beds, scrub toilets, and cook dinner almost every night. So, there’s not a whole lot of time left these days to tackle any huge projects myself! But, I couldn’t be more pleased with the results of this update, even if it did cost quite a few pennies. (Remember how I’ve shared it’s important not to sacrifice what you want right now for what you really want? This is one of those times that waiting was oh-so-worth it for us. . . even if it did take several years to get here!)

Ready to see it? Here you go . . . (soooooo exciting!)

This is what the room looked like before we painted and any of the bookshelves went in . . . (so dark!)

(I’m still looking for a new picture to put in the center ~ I’d love to do this but haven’t had time to figure it out yet . .. ) 

Here’s the couch my husband picked out so that he could come sit and hang out with me while I work . . .

 

Our builder was Dean with Dean’s Specialty Woodworks, and both he and his workers were just fantastic (I really can’t say enough good things about them!) If you’re looking for a cabinet builder in the North Alabama area, he does an amazing job and I would definitely recommend them. While I’m far from a decorator, I do love pretty things and am so happy with my new space ~ it’s like having an extra 12×12 room added on because when it was a “formal” living room we never walked in the room at all!

I will tell you that this was a very hard decision to build as I know there are so many that go daily without so much. I felt some serious guilt trying to decide if I could just continue the way I had been working, because I know there are so many out there in need. However, at least for now, I’ve come to the place where having an office has made me so much more efficient. (Prior to the office, my bookkeeping was in the kitchen, our printers in the guest bedroom, and our files in the playroom . . . it was a mess!) So, having things a little more organized will hopefully make me more effective as we really do try to save, give, and live an incredibly blessed life.

I don’t know about your kids, but my kiddos love to be bragged on. They love hearing that they did something amazing, especially cute, or even that they just had a good day, so this super simple Valentine treat is a great penny-pinched way to boost their day this month.

As I’m betting you’ve figured out, this craft won’t be featured on Martha Stewart and you can find zillions more way cuter Valentine’s Crafts on Pinterest (I’d love for you to join me there!), but this is something I can manage this month. . .  so I’m sticking with this one. I started adding a note to my kid’s bedroom doors this morning, and will add one each day through Valentine’s to make their initial. Done!

If you have any other special things you do for your kids to celebrate Valentine’s, I’d love to hear them!  And I’d really love to hear any frugal ways you plan to surprise your sweetheart this Valentine’s Day . . . take a minute to leave a comment to share your ideas!

 
I’d love for you to join me over on Pinterest (I love that place!)  If you have a blog and have done a little fluffing in your home, I’d love to see it, so leave your link in the comments section. Also, if there’s a craft you’ve seen on a website that you’re hoping to make, feel free to share that link as well (I’m always looking for new ideas!)

See more previous Friday Fluff Up projects and ideas . . . and Happy Fluffing!

{See what my new office looks like over here}

Over Christmas, my husband and I (finally!) decided to build an office for me to work in (woohoooooo!) Because we don’t spend any of the money made from my work on this site, it was a huge splurge, and I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love having a desk all to myself. I still have a few more finishes before I’ll share the pictures on that improvement, but because it sits directly across from my (*very red*) dining room, I knew it was time to make a few updates there as well (but didn’t want to spend much!) [Read more...]

In lieu of a Friday Fluff Up this week (I’m still reeling back from Christmas and haven’t even gotten near making anything fun this week . . . ) here are a few simple homemade cleaning products that might help you pinch those pennies this year! While I love a coupon deal on convenient cleaners, making your own cleaner using what you already have at home can often help really change your grocery budget. Check these out:

Best Ever Homemade Soap Scum Remover

Homemade Jewelry or Ring Cleaner

Homemade Window Cleaner

Homemade Heating Pad

Do you have a favorite homemade cleaner that you use regularly? I’d love to hear about it . . . I’m always looking for new ideas to try!

You may also want to checkout this list of favorite (frugal!) Friday Fluff Up Projects in 2012.

Here’s a peek at a few of my favorite Friday Fluff Up projects shared here on PPP over the last year. If you have a blog and have made a fun project this year, I’d love to see it (just leave your link in the comments section), or share your favorite decorating tips of 2012 in the comments if you don’t have a website also – I love to hear your ideas!

Don’t forget you can join me on Pinterest to see all my favorite fluffin’ up ideas, and see the complete list of Friday Fluff Up Projects over HERE.

Frugal Laundry Room Re-Do

Checkerboard Table ($5)

$12 Organizing At The Dollar Tree

Yarn Obstacle Course

Summer Bucket List

The Nerf Gun Wars

Birthday Party Favors

Chalkboard Contact Paper Fluffs Up The Pantry

Cleaning Out The Closet (yikes!)

$6 Decorating at the Dollar Tree

Trick Or Treat Bucket

Homemade Christmas Potpourri

Christmas Decorating at the Dollar Tree

This hand printed tree skirt is far from the fanciest craft I’ve ever made, and will never even come close to gracing an issue of Southern Living Magazine, but it’s my most treasured Christmas decoration. On my oldest’s first Christmas, a sweet friend gave me this simple tree skirt with a plain red back (I think she got it at Dollar General), along with a green paint pen.  Each year, she told me to add my child’s hand print along with their name, and we’ve been doing that now each Christmas for twelve years.  We lost the paint pen several years ago and just use a plain ole’ Sharpie marker, but it seems to work just fine.

When we pull out this tree skirt each year (it goes around our “snow” tree . . .  know, I’m one of those crazies who has three trees ~ all bought on sale of course!), my kids can’t wait to see how much their hands have grown since last year. I love seeing my big oldest’s handprints next to his baby sister’s, and I’m so glad my friend shared this tradition with me when my babies were tiny.

This is sooooo not something fancy and I’m almost embarrassed to show you how sloppily it’s made, but with wiggly little fingers, a tree skirt that refuses to stay flat for me to write on, and an always-hurried-momma, this is what we get. Know what though? I love it just the same.

That’s it! Not all that exciting, but something we just love, and maybe a great gift for you to give a young mom this year. Now if you’d like some thing a little more “fluffed” you may also want to check out this painted handprinted tree skirt (too much work around our house, but soooo cute!)  If you have any special crafty Christmas traditions I’d love to hear those too.

Here are a few other fun Christmas crafts you may want to check out:

 

I’d love for you to join me over on Pinterest (I love that place!)  If you have a blog and have done a little fluffing in your home, I’d love to see it, so leave your link in the comments section. Also, if there’s a craft you’ve seen on a website that you’re hoping to make, feel free to share that link as well (I’m always looking for new ideas!)

See more previous Friday Fluff Up projects and ideas . . . and Happy Fluffing!

After hearing the Nester speak at a conference a few weeks ago, I’ve been so inspired by her site to take a few minutes each week and make my house a home. This week when I saw her post with about Fall Decorating with what you have, I knew I could actually do this!  I had several pumpkins outside that I’d gotten earlier in the season, a ton of candles (and some corn from those cute Dollar Tree Decorating candles), and spent just a few minutes to throw this centerpiece together.  It makes me happy every single time I look at it!

I was also a little inspired by the beautiful pictures in her home to think about adding a coffee table in our family room . . . we’ve never had one in our main family space, but do have one in our tiny-living-room-about-to-turn-office.  Since this poor table will soon be in need of a new home, I decided to try it out and so far I just adore it. My husband was not happy about moving it into our family room (our girls do cartwheels for hours on end in here, plus the boys spend quite a bit of time wrestling in that space. . . ), but I *think* he’s okay with the results now.  (At least I hope he’ll forgive me soon!)

Are you doing any special decorating for Thanksgiving? I’d love to hear about it!  You can also check out more penny pinched DIY projects HERE.

I’d love for you to join me over on Pinterest (I love that place!)  If you have a blog and have done a little fluffing in your home, I’d love to see it, so leave your link in the comments section. Also, if there’s a craft you’ve seen on a website that you’re hoping to make, feel free to share that link as well (I’m always looking for new ideas!)

See more previous Friday Fluff Up projects and ideas . . . and Happy Fluffing!