Thrifty Thursday: Dresser Organization

Having a full time "town/real job" I don't get to do the things I love as much. Last night I decided I was going to take a little "me time" and check off a project from my list. I had been wanting to paint the dresser that had been in my bedroom for a year or so and finally did it!

 

While I was at it I decided my jewelry and other "stuff" on my dresser needed some organization. Long OVER DUE!




I have been using the coffee mug tree for necklaces for years. But still had other items that needed captured.  I went to my garage in my stack of "stuff I will use sometime"


DISCLOSURE: Usually it doesn't look so "put together" and  this time next week I bet it won't look this organized. 

The solid wooden walnut stand is perfect for perfumes and body sprays. The vintage relish tray works for pendants, rings, and pins. 


This was all done in an evening and cost about $1.35! I guessed on the amount for the stand and tray ( $0.25 is too much, but guess that covers the cost of my purple paint) These were in a box I bought at an auction for $1...yep, you heard me right. A whole box for $1 !!!

While I enjoy having a unique look and not having the same thing as everyone else, I hope I have given you some new ideas.

What is your favorite way to organize jewelry? Do you have any unique items you repurposed?

13 Recipes to Use Leftover Mashed Potatoes

This post came out of necessity. Last night I helped host a large event, with a large amount of leftover mashed potatoes. Thank goodness for 4-Hers and 4-H parents helping serve and keep things going smoothly.
I gave a friend a roaster full of them and told her to be creative. As I was getting ready to send her an email with a list of recipes and ideas I thought why not make this a blog post to help others!


Enjoy these 13...or 14 ideas, from myself and others! I could go on forever, but this is a start.

1. Freeze them! Yes you can freeze mashed potatoes, I learned this from my grandma. If you don't have time to try out the other 9 ideas I will list, this might be the best option for the moment. You can either freeze them in a pan/tupperware or bag. When ready to use, thaw and mix with a handheld mixer to "fluff." I ran across  this cleaver ideas from The Yummy Life.

2. Shepard's Pie

3. Potato Pancakes

4. Potato Soup

5. Potato Croquettes.

6. Gnocci, I love this gnocci, so  way to use of leftovers and have these lovelies is great. Check out this recipe.

7. Mashed Potato Muffins, from Just A Taste

8. Mashed Potato, Cheddar & Chive Waffels. Fun idea from Joy the Baker.

9.Potato Puffs, here is a recipe I plan to try.

10. Potato Bread or Potato Rolls. This Amish Potato Roll recipe from Baked by Rachel looks tasty

11. Mashed Potato Quesadilla. Supposedly this recipe tastes like Perogies, and there you have another recipe idea!

12. Loaded Baked Potato Eggroll.Seems like a fun idea from Spend with Pennies.

13. Last and definitely not least.......Mashed Potato BACON Bombs!   Bacon, cheese, and potatoes, what more can you need?! Think I will try this recipe out tomorrow.

Thrifty Thursday: $142 savings

Have you ever been to a Goodwill Outlet? Well, I had quite the experience at one, 2 weeks ago while in Oklahoma City. Let me tell you about this crazy venture.

Just ask any of my friends, I like a good thrift store. There is always some treasure. The group of us were driving along in OKC and saw a HUGE Goodwill, so we decided to stop. All thoughts were that this was a typical Goodwill....we were WRONG, big time wrong.

Inside were bins of stuff, piled high with clothes, purses, curtains, stuff...more so on the "junk" side of things. You buy by the pound! The rest of the group refused to walk around, they just sat by the door people watching.

No organization, just piles. I was not to keen on this idea, yet it kinda was interesting. Then, there was this wall about 20ft long with shelves that were being stocked with plastic tote tubs chucked full. I went to check it out and was barked at saying "this area is closed!" What?! I am totally lost by now. I decided to ask one of the few friendly looking faces what the deal was. He told me they place about 50 tubs on the shelves then open the area. About this time the staff said, "GO"
All ___ broke loose. People were diving, pushing, elbowing, and grabbing anything they touched. Black Friday has nothing on this folks! I decided to try and check out a box = bad idea.  I was pushed to the side and people started using me as a step ladder.

I retreated quickly, but not before grabbing something that looked kinda cool. I realized I didn't have all the parts, so I went back quickly when people weren't around. Yes, it sounds like I was scared, probably because it was a tad intimidating. Finally, when I thought I had all the parts we decided to get the heck out of there.

Check out time, with what seems to be a coffee grinder.

Total: $1

When I was back home I decided to clean it up and then do a little research.

Look what I found. .............

Retail $143

SCORE! So the stop was worth while. 

Goodwill Outlets won't be a regular stop for me, but definitely something people should try once...while wearing a helmet and football pads!

Hooded Bath Towels & Tutorial

I was recently invited to a baby shower for TWINS! The mom-to-be is a long time friend, and fellow crafter, so I wanted to make something myself ...Oh wait, whats new :)

I remember how my hooded towel was my favorite so I thought this would be a great gift, and probably useful to have when bathing twins.  Nursery theme is Carebears, so when I found this cute fabric I was pretty happy. 

I think they turned out well, one boy one girl so they are similar but not exact. 

Each set is a hooded bath towel, matching wash cloth, and burp rag. 

I really like the tutorial I found at This & That. Simple with easy to follow instructions. 

Thrifty Derby Hats

As I promised last week, today's Thrifty Thursday will feature the hats my grandma and I made and wore to the derby.  We took some simple hats bought at thrift stores for a couple of dollars. Bought a few embellishments at Hobby Lobby and the rest were flowers, ribbons, and accents we had, or got at a yard sale. I did a lot of looking online to see what was in-style for hats. The larger the better.

Before:

After:

Custom Painted Boots

I have been wanting a pair of tall fancy boots to wear with a skirt/dress, but haven't found the pair that I really like or that aren't $500. I know this fad won't last long so why invest so much.

My solution: Make my own!

I first found a pair of vintage Calvin Klein boot.

Then I stuffed them with paper to make them easier to paint. I choose western designs, some from other boots I've seen or country "clip art"

 Then I went to painting. I didn't want them to be totally covered, I just wanted boots with a little bit of excitement. The top of the next pair will be completely painted.

Front/Side:

Back:

Thrifty Hospitality

I want to share a picture of my room at the "B&B" I joke, because this is actually the spare room at my good friends parent's house. They always have about 5 different fancy flavored creamers(just for me) and a pot of coffee on all day. See what I mean about a "B&B"?!

When I walked in I thought it looked perfect and I even had a gift basket.This is where the "Thrifty Thursday" comes in. Pam always hits the after Christmas sales and picks up those ready made gift baskets to have on hand. What a great idea! My mom had decided thatshe is going to start doing the same thing.

Many times those sets are under $5 and can also be found after other holidays such as Valentines, Mother's Day, and Easter.

What a thrifty way to make a guest feel welcomed.

Repurposed Gift Tin

We had this old tin in a box to get rid of, I decided to repurpose it for  my best friends birthday. She is the type that likes hand made, one-of-a-kind items. 

BEFORE:

Funny thing is I went to an auction the next day and they had a tin just like this in a box. If I had wanted a matching pair I never would have been able to find another :)

AFTER:

I personalized it with their brand, and since her birthday is the same day as Kansas Day, I thought sunflowers fit perfectly. To top it off,  I filled it with chocolate chip cookies.

How I did it: Washed the tin with soap & water. Let it dry completely. Applied an all-purpouse house paint. Then painted details with acrylic craft paints. Sealed it with 2 coats of clear Krylon spray.

Salvaged Barn Board Boxes

I wanted to share this wonderful gift that my granparents recieved as a Christmas gift and my mom recieved as a houswarming gift.The boards used in these boxes were off my great-great granparents barn built in the 1800s.The bows are from one of our walnut trees.

ENJOY!

I love that he kept the old nails in the board.

Repurposed Pot Holders-Tutorial

We had some pot holders laying around that had stains, tears, and major signs of wear so I decided to jazz them up a bit.
Here are the new and improved pot holders:

First I decided what design I wanted on the front.
I free-handed that on the wrong side of the denim (old pair of Wranglers)

Cut out design and pin to the fabric of your choice for the top

I chose to stitch them in turquoise. Some of the others were in pink, I love brown with those colors.

I stiched around the edge on some and then in a star pattern on others.

Then I layed the old pot holder onto the wrong side of the top and stiched along the edges leaving a 1/4 in or so.

Finally, I layded the finished top onto the wrong side of the backing( I used denim again) and sewed around the entire holder.The first round served as a guide to put the back on. The second round closed the old worn out pot holder in so it can't be seen.

Last thing to do, is throw it through the washer & dryer so they fray, trim them up and they are good to go!

Thrifty Chicken

I love this little bucket I got at that auction months ago. I bought it in a $1 pile, so I'm sure its portion was about 5cents worth!!!

I decided to do a little research on this item. I found an ad in a Farm Journal from 1900 for this product! Maybe this is a start to an  educational poultry post?!

Ruby Slippers Reception

At the American Agri-Women Conference there was a presidents reception for our outgoing president that is from Kansas. My mom and all her genius event planning wisdom, executed beautiful and fun decorations to, "Welcome Chris Home"

Hopefully, you gather some inspiration.

AAW uses Rosie the Riveter for many promos. So we were super excited when we ran onto this at a thrift store!

We had been gathering red shoes for a year. Oh, the ones you can find at thrift stores!

Floating sunflower candle(KS state flower)

Wedding Present Tutorial

I wanted to share a wedding present I made for a friend. (Casie, realize the cost of this gift is in no way a reflection of how much you mean to me!)

I'm not to good at slowing down and taking step by step pictures AND I think most of you are smart enough to follow.

I first started with an old picture I got in a $1 pile at an auction. So... the cost of this was probably 2cents.

I painted over the picture in tan. Paint cost= free.


Then I took an old certificate frame that had the glass broken out. I believe this was $1 at the Dollar Tree.

I took the cardboard back out as well as the staples to hold the glass in place.

Next I bought a paper mache "N" for their last name- Cost $2.50 at Hobby Lobby.
Painted it Chrome-Paint=free

Then rubbed brown craft paint on the "N" to look worn. Paint= 25cents

Finally, I stacked it all, glued with hot glue and painted their name and date.

Ta-Da!

Big Chicken

Happy Thrifty Thursday!
Today I'm sharing another of my great buys at the auction I attended.

Yes it was a little windy when I took this picture of the lamp

Some of you might think its a little wild, well that is totally Trix.
How could I resist it though!?
1) True essence of Trix
2) County yet Couture
3) With one of my business's name being 2Chick Couture, it was a must.

Agri-Women Farm Tour: Alpacas

The Flint Hills Chapter of Kansas Agri-Women toured Prairie School Farms.

It was a beautiful day and we learned quite a bit; everything from the nutrition, to sheering, trimming of hooves, and the weaving process of the fiber. The owners were wonderful hosts and not only did they make it educational but they also hosted us in their house for a delicious brunch and  our monthly meeting.

Each of their animals has a unique personality.
Alpacas were exported from Peru in the mid-1980s 

The hair of the alpaca is called 'fleece' or 'fiber' rather than 'fur' or 'wool.' Alpaca fleece has 22 natural shades

This guy's fiber is a favorite among the local buyers at the yarn shop.
They are sheered annually.

The noise that alpacas make is humming

Its best to educate at a young age!

Couldn't resist this!

Alpaca babies are called Cria

A little practice showmanship.

Side jaunt to the chicken coop. This adorable coop is from repurposed wood and salvaged items. Everywhere we looked and saw something cute they had a story about where it came from, what it had been, they are great stewards and examples of rural resourcefulness.

Thanks again to Prairie School Farms!