Remember my office re-do that I shared a few weeks ago? Well after spending way too many pennies on those beautiful bookshelves (which I absolutely adore . . . ) I knew there was no way I could spend big bucks on pictures to decorate the walls. But with Easter is right around the corner (and my husband’s family all visiting for the first time in years), I’m working on getting our home look it’s very best ~ even while on a budget.

I have several little projects I’ll be sharing as I get ready, but I’m thinking this will be one of my favorites. I absolutely love the look of these plates on the wall, but I’m not courageous enough enough to put that many holes in my wall. . . I’m horrible at figuring out how to hang things correctly!

So, after walking up and down the aisles at Old Time Pottery, it finally dawned on me that I could use shelves instead, and I’m so excited because I’ll be able to change out what’s there seasonally. Love it!

Take a peek . . .

Here’s the cost breakdown:

• two shelves $16.99 each
• 3 plates $1.99 each
• 1 picture frame (I already had the smaller one) $7.99
• fabric for inside the larger picture frame $3.50 (it was a remnant, and I think there’s enough there to recover my dining room cushions too . . . woot!)
• “h” initial $3.99
• “Keep Calm” canvas $4.99 (not sure I love it, but couldn’t beat the price!)
• plate holders $6
• Total:  $66.42

And by the way, I hung those little shelves {with anchors}  all. by. my. self.  (Applause please!)

But . . . . .  if my sweet husband ever removes them I had absolutely nothing to do with it (and will blame any damage done on the kids.)  Ummmm. . . thirteen {large} holes later those suckers are there to stay.

 
Have you done any fluffing up in your home lately? I’d love to hear about it!  And take a minute to join me over on Pinterest (I love that place . . .)

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

Can you believe Easter is just 23 days away? (Yikes!) I’m so excited, because for the first time since my father-in-law became ill in 2009, everyone (everyone) on my husband’s side of the family is coming to our house to celebrate Easter. Of course I’m getting a little excited, planning my menu, and doing a little penny pinched fluffing around my house!

Now, I’m not one to decorate much for Holidays other than Christmas, but did want to at least come up with a fun centerpiece. So, I started thinking about the glass jars I’d used in the fall to decorate with, and decided to change the popcorn out to jellybeans for the Spring. If I can find some inexpensive daisies right before Easter I’ll switch the candles out to those, but in the meantime the candles work just fine!

Here’s what I used:

• Pink polka dot ribbon $2 at Walmart
• 4 bags Jelly Beans $1 per bag at Walmart
• Pink “grass” $1 at the Dollar Tree
• Glass votives and jars that I purchased at the Dollar Tree in the fall
• Large white platter we received as a wedding present (we’ve had it for almost 17 years …. I’m getting old fast!)

(Note: the jelly beans are perfect because they taste just awful. . . my kids all tried to sneak a few and then hunted me down to inform me they were disgusting. That’s good news, because otherwise my centerpiece would get eaten long before Easter! Word to the wise: when decorating with candy, make sure it tastes horrible.)

Do you have any cans of free Muir Glen sauce you have hiding in the pantry? They’re perfect to fill up your jars so you don’t waste too many jelly beans . . .

And here’s the only other Easter decor I have . . . I found these guys at Hobby Lobby on clearance a few years ago and just loved them!

Looking for a few more Easter ideas? Here are a few of my favorites:

• Absolutely beautiful Spring Wreath (I want this one bad. . .)
• Peep Smores
• Lamb Cake
• Easter Egg Floral Arrangement
• Resurrection Eggs

And of course, you’ll want to make some of our favorite Resurrection Rolls (yum, yum, yum!)

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

Last weekend my daughter had her tenth birthday (yikes!), and she invited five of the sweetest girls over for her very first Slumber Party. I was so worried about what to do with those girls (my husband took our other children to visit his parents for the night . . .), but they had a wonderful time, and were all so much fun! Here are a few things I did to keep the party within our budget:

1. Little Caesar’s has a great deal on pizzas with our local Enjoy the City Booklet. I fed all seven of us for just $14 ~ not bad!

2. Instead of cake, Caroline wanted a Sundae Bar.  I used a few toppings from last summer’s ice cream sales that were in our pantry, and hit Walmart for the items we didn’t already have. I also bought the plates, napkins, popcorn bags, and plasticware all at the Dollar Tree for ~ you guessed it ~ a dollar!

 3. I found these cute metal buckets in the Target dollar bins last fall, and grabbed them because I knew with two little girls I could find a use for them. We filled them with candy from the Dollar Tree, $1 LED flashlights for flashlight tag (those were a hit!), and lemonade packets for them to mix in their water bottles. I used my Cricut Cutter with this vinyl adhesive to create names on each of the buckets, but you could easily just purchase stickers at your local craft store if you don’t have a Cricut!

4. Of course, since I already had the Cricut out, we went ahead and made a sign for the mirror . . .

5. I bought a beach ball at Walmart for $1, and put different questions/dares on it for the girls to answer. They threw the ball, and whoever caught it had to answer the question under their right thumb. Here are a few of the ideas:

• Sing I’m A Little Teapot and do the hand motions
• What’s the grossest thing you can think of?
• Look around at the group for 30 seconds without smiling.
• When you grow up, what will you be famous for?
• Do a backwards somersault.
• Lick your elbow.

 6. When they arrived, we had simple markers and large sheets of paper and they colored their “placemats”. (I thought this was so cheesy, but they all loved it ~ 10 year old girls think apparently think coloring in bubble letters is still awesome ~ thank goodness!)

7. Because both my husband and daughter’s birthdays are two days apart, they shared a cake on her “real” birthday. This was the double decker cake we got at Sam’s for just $14.99! (Warning: you may not want to get icing on the top – it was very good, but with icing in the middle also it was wayyyyy too much for my family. . .)

That’s it! We also watched a movie on Netflix (for free thanks to my free trial), and since all the girls love gymnastics, they practiced their “routines”. (They were so funny . . . they would take turns and “score” each other on how they did, and were incredibly thorough!) It was so much easier than I expected, and we spent less than $100 . . . and Caroline was thrilled when it was done.

Happy Birthday, Sweet Caroline! 

(Can I just tell you how much I love that girl? If you’re a momma, you already know.)

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 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