Budget Friendly Gift Jars

Hey guys! I know it’s been a while....okay it’s been a long while but I’m finally getting back into the swing of things! :)

With the holidays quickly approaching I’ve been very busy putting together some last minute Christmas gifts. I just finished making these simple Christmas gifts for my son’s teachers.

You will need:

• A glass jar with a lid. (I found mine at Wal-Mart for $2.98. You could also try Goodwill, they usually have LOTS of glass items)
  
• Chalkboard paint. (You can find a small bottle of it in the craft section for about $2)
  
• A small brush or mini roller
  
• Masking tape
  
• A piece of chalk
  
• Twisted jute twine
  
• Gift tag

Directions:

1. Start with a clean jar. Mask off the area you want to paint with masking tape. Make sure you smooth out any bubbles to prevent the paint from bleeding through.
   
2. Paint the area you taped off with chalkboard paint. It may take several coats. I used about 4 coats letting it dry between layers.
   
3. After your paint has completely dried rip off the tape. I found that it works best if you just tear it off quickly like a band-aid.
   
4. Prime the chalkboard area by rubbing chalk over the entire label and then gently wipe off.
   
5. Fill jar with your favorite treat (I filled mine with homemade granola) and label your jar with chalk.
   
6. Wrap twine around the top of the jar and add a gift tag. I made my own gift tags by using plain ol’ printer paper that I dyed with tea bags.

There you have it. Quick, simple, and best of all affordable! Happy Holidays!!

My Granola Recipe:

• 10 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 lb. shredded coconut
• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup sesame seeds
• 2 cups sliced almonds
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 3 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 1/6 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable or canola oil
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 molasses
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• Dried Cranberries (optional)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  In a large bowl combine oats, coconut, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and nuts.  Blend well.  In a large saucepan, combine brown sugar, water, oil, honey, molasses, salt, cinnamon and vanilla.  Heat until sugar is dissolved, but do not boil.  Pour syrup over dry ingredients and stir until well-coated.  Spread into 5 13” x 9” baking pans, or cookie sheets with sides.  Bake 20 to 30 minutes, stirring every 10 or 15 minutes.  Bake 15 minutes longer for crunchier texture.  Cool.  Add dried fruit, if desired.  Put in airtight containers.  Store in a cool, dry place.  Use within 6 months.  Makes about 20 cups of Granola Mix.

Painted Wall Art

 

Hey guys, I know I’ve been a little MIA. Things have been crazy for us these last couple of weeks. Hopefully things will start to slow down soon and I will be able to get back to blogging more often. Fingers crossed.

I just wanted to quick share something with you.

I received a package Monday….

Sooo excited! I won a giveaway from Creative Carmella. She did this amazing painted wall art project and she was sweet enough to make another to give away. I was the lucky winner! Woot woot!

I still haven’t decided where I’m going to put it. It keeps traveling from room to room. I loooove it!! :)

If you want to learn out to make your own fabulous piece of wall art you can go check it out here.

Thanks Carmella!!

Goodwill Mirror gets a little ORB love

It’s no secret that a can of spray paint can do wonders…dare I say, even miracles! But my new spray paint flavor of the year has to go to Rust-Oleum’s Oil Rubbed Bronze.


I’ve used it before on my Goodwill Brassy Globe and loved the way it turned out. Ever since I’ve been on the lookout for more treasures to paint with my new found friend.

I found this mirror for $6.99 on one of my Goodwill treasure hunts last week. I loved the design but was not a fan of the finish.


It had kind of a yellowish green tint to it….


So I popped out the mirror and gave it a few coats of ORB.

I think it turned out beautifully!





If you haven’t tried ORB before I highly recommend you do. Luv it! :)


Linkin' up with:

I Heart Goodwill 5.12.11

I’ve been going through a little Goodwill withdrawal. I hadn’t been to a Goodwill in over a week! I know, shocker, but I was able to get my GW fix in a couple times this week. Here’s what I found…


I scored this shadow box with four little pears inside. I think it was either $3.99 or $4.99, I ripped the sticker off and now I can’t remember. Oops! Not sure if I’m going to paint the frame or leave it as is. I guess I will decide when I get my kitchen remodeled and find a place to put it.


Found this little guy last month for $1.99. He was on a black stem which was fine but I decided to add twine around it to add a little more character. I don’t know, what do you think?


I found this cloth shower curtain for $6.99 and just fell in love with the pattern. It’s a Target item that sells for $24.99 retail. Woot woot!


The next three items are things I picked up my sister. They just bought a new house and she’s letting me find stuff for it. What’s better than shopping at Goodwill? Getting to spending somebody else’s money at Goodwill!

I’m trying not to get to attached, but they sure do look good in my house. ;)

This twill feather euro was also $6.99


This vintage looking plaque with towel bar was $4.99


And finally I found this sunburst mirror for $6.99. It’s going to get a fresh coat of black paint…I think it’ll look pretty snazzy. :)




So what have you found at your Goodwill this week?


Linking up with:



our interview with

My First Bloggy Awards!

I'm back from our Disney vacation and I feel like we could use another vacation to recover from this one. I tell ya what, taking little ones on vacation can be well... a bit stressful. We had a good time though.

Anywho! I haven't been able to check my email since we've been gone. Our hotel charged for Wifi and I don't own a smart phone. (I'm to cheap to pay for either) So I was delighted to find not one but two blog awards in my inbox waiting for me!

The first one is a Versatile Blogger from Carmella at Creative Carmella. She's one of my new bloggy BFFs and if you haven't been to her blog, you really should. It's a must follow! She is very talented and is always giving me new ideas. Thanks chica!

The second is a Kreativ Blogger award from Andrea at Charcoal and Crayons.  I fell in love with her blog after reading her Mushroom Tags post. So cool! Thanks Andrea!

For these awards, the blogger must:

• Thank the person who gave you the award & link back to their site in your original post.
• Tell us seven things about yourself.
• Pass along the award to 5 newly discovered bloggers.
• Contact these bloggers and let them know they got this award.

Okay so here goes...

1. I have two kids, a 4 year old boy and a 1 year old girl
2. I'm a huge worrier, if there's something to worry about, I'll find it. I'm working on that though
3. I love sushi
4. I can never just buy something at a retail store. I have to go home and thoroughly research it by finding the best price and get all of the reviews on it. There have been many times I've heard "Just get it!"
5. I have 5 brothers and sisters
6. I'm a big Dave Ramsey fan
7. I am a clean freak (Although my house rarely looks that way)

So now I must pass on the award to 5 newly discovered bloggers...so here are 6 fabulous blogs I recently started to follow:

1. A House to Fill
2. Pieces of Me
3. Cinsarah
4. Just Our Style
5. She's Crafty

Since I've got two awards up there you can pick which one you want...or both! Really, they both say you're awesome. :)

I'm going to Disney World!!

I'm off to Disney World for a little family vacation. We've had enough of this rainy and cold Indiana weather!

See you guys next week!!! :)

I ♥ Goodwill 4.28.11

I’ve hit a Goodwill dry spell. This is pretty normal. I will find lots of goodies one week and then not find anything for the next. With all of the Pottery Barn finds I had a couple of weeks ago it was bound to happen. 

Sooo, I’ve decided to share with you some of the other things around my house that I have found at Goodwill in the past. I was surprised myself at my Goodwill inventory. It makes me smile though because I think of all of the moola I’ve saved!

I found this mini Radio Flyer wagon a while back for my little guy’s room. Think it was like 3 or 4 bucks. (Monkey sold separately.)


This little traffic light lights up and changes colors. It was $3.99.


I saw this little car pillow at Target a few years ago…think it was around $10, so this was a steal at Goodwill for only 99¢.


This copper tin is going to get a fresh coat of white paint. I’m thinking about putting it in our Master Bathroom with some hydrangeas in it. It was also 99¢.
 

This piece of coral I got for $2.99 is actually a tea light candle holder from Party Lite.


I love the color of this basket I found for $1.99. I’m using in our bathroom as a magazine holder.


This basket was $3.99. Right now it sits in our pantry and holds all of our excess shopping bags.  (I’m always forgetting my reusable bags.)


We found these Target beanbags at two different Goodwill stores but they were both new and each were $7.99. (I think they are about $20 at Target.)


Hopefully my luck turns around soon…but that’s part of the fun. You never know what you’re going to find and when it’s going to be a good day.
Happy Goodwill hunting! :)

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