a thrifty life

i've talked about it a lot lately. my love for vintage. my change in attitude about buying used vs. new. i haven't really explained the extent to which i'm trying to implement this in our family. i've spoken to a few friends online and in real life about it, but thought i'd share it here with everyone in hopes of inspiring others to do the same.

i've always loved thrifting whether it be in a thrift store or at garage sales. i love the feeling of finding a treasure among junk. as thrifting started to become something i did more i soon began to realize the multiple benefits it had.

1. things are much, much, less expensive than buying new.
   
2. by buying used, it saves things that may have otherwise been thrown into a landfill.
   
3. vintage is cool!
   
4. the opportunity to teach my children that new doesn't always mean better.
   
5. the opportunity to teach my children that recycling can extend past soda bottles and cardboard boxes. 
6. the opportunity to be creative and turn something old into something with a new look and a new purpose. 
7. exposing the kids to things that mommy and daddy had when we were growing up.

as i started to realize all these things, it spurred me on to change our lifestyle. i wanted to buy everything i could by thrifting versus spending our money in the big box stores. i've purchased toys, books, clothes for the boys. they're not always in perfect condition, but it doesn't matter to the boys. they're so excited to have new stuff that they see right past that. 

at the beginning of the year i made a resolution to make thoughtful handmade gifts for friends and family this year. believe it or not, i've actually found a ton of supplies to make these gifts through thrifting! it's fun finding something that i know i can use to make that perfect gift for someone. i can't give too much away right now because i don't want certain people to know what's coming, but i'll definitely post my holiday crafts once the gifts have been given. 

speaking of christmas, we've decided that we're going to thrift as many gifts as we can for the boys this year. it's not that we couldn't afford to go out and buy new toys for them, but it makes me feel good to know that we're not. the photos above are just a portion of the books i found them at garage sales for christmas this year. some of them are in perfect condition and some of them are "well loved". many of them are super old with great artwork which obviously caught my eye right away. again, the boys won't know the difference. to them, they're new books. i also scored an easy bake oven for them along with a few packages of mixes for christmas as well. they'll love it for their kitchen. i plan on talking with them about it and sitting down to write a letter to santa explaining how we'd love him to bring us toys from garage sales or other kids who are done using them. the kids will be so excited about it. they both love going to garage sales with us. for them it's a place to go and play with a ton of new toys. 

august 13, 2009

beaded wood mirror

here's a thrifty find that i'm super excited about. i got it a few weeks ago from our local st. vinnie's. it was buried under some other stuff, but i saw just a tiny edge sticking out. when i uncovered it i think i may have gasped! i paid a little more than usual for a thrifted item, but at $4, it was still a steal, in my book! i love everything about this beaded wood mirror. i love the dark color, but part of me also wants to paint it white. (although i don't think i will because it's not possible to remove the mirror and i don't want to ruin it) i'm not quite sure where it's going to go yet, but i'm thinking by our back entry way so we have somewhere to do a final check before walking out the door.

scoutie girl preview

my newest post is live on scoutie girl. check it out!

august 12, 2009

august 11, 2009

birch cuff

this birch cuff is stunning. bettula

busy, please stand by

we're in the midst of a small-ish remodeling project and i need to take a few days off from my photo of the day. this is the first i'll be missing in nearly a year and it feels sort of strange. i just need some time to focus on getting this job done in time for the baby's birthday party in a few weeks! photos of the day may be sparse for the next week or so. i'll do my best! i leave you with a very small sneak peek of the project!

august 06, 2009

vintage pins

these are all my new vintage thrifted pins! i've been having so much fun looking through old boxes of jewelry at rummage sales, thrift shops, and flea markets. the feather pin in the top photo is my favorite! i'm excited to start embellishing my outfits, purses, etc. with all my new finds! oh, and i don't think i paid more than $5 for any of these. honestly, on average they were probably less than $1 each!

august 05, 2009

scoutie girl preview

my newest post is live on scoutie girl. check it out!

august 04, 2009

one day late

i've been holding onto this project for quite awhile now. i showed a sneak peek of it here. one of my best friends was pregnant and i designed them for her as a gift. i didn't want to reveal them until after she had the baby and received the gift. the coast is clear now!

i wanted to post this yesterday for marzipan monday, but no matter where i looked, i couldn't find my prototype to photograph. i knew that i had taken them to the living room to show a friend, but now they were nowhere to be found! well, this morning the baby came running to me holding the magnets in his hand saying "ridg-rater, ridg-rater, ridg-rater". i couldn't figure out what he was saying so i asked him where he found them when he repeated "ridg-rater" again and led me to his play kitchen and pointed to the refrigerator portion. turns out i wasn't going crazy. somehow the little man had gotten hold of them and tucked them in his "ridg-rater" for safe-keeping.

so now that i have them back in my hands, i'm happy to finally share the new alphabet magnet sets i plan to sell in our fin+roe album! they can even be customized! if the baby's name is known, we alter the label to reflect that. for example it might read: "miles' alphabet magnets". even better, we also include an extra custom magnet with the baby's name!

set includes one of each letter in the alphabet in a rainbow of colors and patterns. they're all packaged in a vintage screw-top container. (the containers are limited edition, so they won't last forever!) magnets measure 2.25". they're not available on the website yet, but will be shortly!

neck kerchief

i'm not sure what i'd wear it with, or if i'd have the guts to wear it at all, but i LOVE this neck kerchief! lilianasterfield

ok, ok. here you go....

i cannot tell you how many people have written me asking for the pattern to my painted floor project! at first i wasn't sure if i wanted to put it out there for everyone, but i'm hoping that the karma gods will remember this! ;) plus, it wasn't necessarily an original design. i found one online that i liked and altered it to fit my needs.


so here you go! here's the pattern for the floor! you can print it out and take it to the copier and either reduce or enlarge the size to come up with the right size pattern for your project. if you're not convinced you can do it yourself, i'm for hire! no, seriously, i'd love to do this on the side. so if you're willing to fly me out, i'll paint your floor....for a price, of course!

august 03, 2009

new jewelry addition

i have always admired the surprise, dainty, little glint of a diamond on the side of a nose. although i loved it on others i never really thought i would get one myself. i've recently wondered why that is. it's something i think is so pretty (when done in a modest way), why wouldn't i do it myself? i had run the idea past the hubby who was wholeheartedly behind it. so, saturday at noon, i told the hubby a little white lie about having a haircut appointment and came back home with a new piercing! he was totally shocked. i don't think he actually though i would go through with it. right now i have the standard ball stud which is required by our piercer. in 6 weeks i can change it out to the more dainty diamond version....i can't wait!!

august 02, 2009

august 01, 2009