Cheap & Sweet

I love poking around the internet for decorating ideas and tips--you really can find a lot! But, one of the things that frustrates me is that, even when ideas are listed as inexpensive, many of them are still WAY out of my budget. Granted, I'm on a basically non-existent budget, but even if I had a little more to spend, I would not be spending $100 on a corner of my living room and calling it a deal (this was one of the "cheap makeover" ideas I saw today).

I've found that I am able to do a lot with what I have lying around the house, and I rarely spend more than $10 on any one "decoration." I also am not into building things, cutting wood, using paints or stains, etc., so pretty much anyone can recreate my craftiness. What I'm trying to say is...I come up with some pretty sweet ideas for decorating my house and I want to show you so that you (the other normal person here in blog-world without tons of money and a perfect house) can try them out! Plus, if I sort of promise that I'll document my ideas here, they are more likely to actually happen.

And so, here is a $5 project that ANYONE can do!

You will need:

• gardening twine/jute
• upholstery nails
• clothes pins
• a hammer
• old magazines, postcards, pictures, etc.

 I found the twine at Big Lots...I think it was a dollar.

The upholstery nails are from Joann's...they are the most expensive "ingredient" at a few bucks!

 I don't have step-by-step pictures, but you can see what I did. I have a big blank wall on my porch that is not really good for hanging pictures (due to the siding), so I strung the twine back and forth across the wall, securing the zigs and zags with the upholstery nails. Actually, if you want to make this project even cheaper, use regular nails or thumb tacks--I just wanted mine to look finished.

 Adorn your twine with pictures cut from magazines, postcards, old calendars, even family photos. 

 Secure them with clothes pins and enjoy!

Up until yesterday, this line was holding all of our Christmas cards (but I forgot to take a picture!), and now it holds "green" pictures in honor of St. Patrick's Day! The possibilities for something like this are endless--great in a kid's room, to display kids' art, to hold recipes, favorite pictures, and so on. A truly cheap and sweet project for your house! 

Let me know if you use this idea--I'd love to see what you come up with!

Sunday Thanks: Creative Outlets

I've been feeling a little stifled creatively lately. Not that I'm an overly creative person, but I enjoy opportunities to work with my hands and make something that I am proud of. So, this Sunday I am thankful for opportunities for creativity--creative outlets.

James and I went to Lowes yesterday with the purpose of grabbing a bag of potting soil so that I could re-pot some of my plants. When we got there, however, I couldn't stop looking at the amazing selection of succulents! They had so many different types and sizes--I decided to go ahead and get a few to put together in a little succulent garden. I even had a dish in mind that belonged to my Grandma and somehow ended up in my possession. I don't think the bowl has any huge significance, but I have held onto it because of where it came from. I don't know what my Grandma used it for--probably for serving food--but I hadn't found any good use for it yet. Until now...

 Something this lovely obviously belongs on the back of my toilet...I like that it makes my bathroom feel a little bit exotic.

 What's better than succulents? Succulents that flower!

I stole rocks from the garden outside my apartment building for drainage and decorative purposes. Pretty proud of that creative thinking!

After putting together my little bowl garden, I had leftovers. What to do? Put them in a green glass goblet (say that three times fast), of course...

 New home: kitchen windowsill

I've had this goblet for a long time, and never found much use for it either, but held onto it out of my love for green (or any color) glass.

And so, my friends, today I am thankful for opportunities to express myself creatively. I had a lot of fun planting, and now I get to enjoy my creations every day!

I swear, I am NOT a cat lady!

I just ordered this adorable print from Etsy shop collageOrama. 

 via

They print original work onto old dictionary pages that would have been thrown away. Not only does that add such a cool flair to the art, but it is a great way to save something from our landfills! This print was only $6.99 (just under $10 with s/h), so once I buy a frame for it, it will be a $15-20 piece of art. Actually, speaking of frames, I might have one laying around already! At any rate, isn't this kitty so cute? He reminds me of Cuddles when she looks at me like, "Hello, I'm here. Pay attention to me!"

Can't you see the resemblance? Well, maybe not exactly, but close enough!!

I love to clean...

...so when I see fun cleaning products, I just have to check them out (really, who describes cleaning products as "fun"?) I stumbled upon this product a few weeks before Christmas and wanted to buy a bottle for every member of my family.

Having already made or bought most of my gifts (and being on a student budget), I decided against it and figured I would try it before singing its praises and passing it out to the family. From what I can tell, Replenish looks like an awesome idea. The concentrate is eco-friendly, the bottle is reusable, and supposedly the product can be used on any surface. I'm all about one-stop-shopping, I've become a big recycler, and I really like the idea of using green cleaning products. While I haven't ordered my first bottle yet, I plan to do so next week and let you know how it does. In the meantime, let me know if you like what you see and decide to order a bottle for yourself!