Picnik

No...you didn't read that wrong...I'm not going on a picnic in December! What you all need to do is go to picnik.com. This is a sight that allows you to go on for FREE and download a picture and have fun editing it. You can also sign up for a few dollars and get a more advanced editing. Here are some totally cute pics I just did!! Our Halloween pic from last year:

My youngest, Andrew, and I (love his mustache!):

And our family picture (which is also my blog header):

It's super fun to play around with!! On a different note -- what is everyone doing for NYE???

Earrings Galore!!!

So... dangly earrings are the worst to store! My kids just love to get into them if they are in my jewelry box...plus they are so hard to find in there. So I decided to do what everyone else is doing... picture frame plus chicken wire, string, etc and make my own!! Here's what you need: an old picture frame...punch out the ugly picture that was in it (of a house), string...got mine at the Family Dollar for $1...I think it's actually meat string or something! Your trusty hot glue gun and some scissors.

The next step is very simple. Measure, cut, and lay out how many rows you want.

Please don't mind my HIDEOUS pictures (and carpet)...we are getting both new very soon! YAY!! Next, glue one side.

Let it dry and pull the other side tight. Once your earrings are on there they will hold down the string, so the tighter the better.

Repeat the steps for all the rows. And some pics of the finished project!!

Easy-peasy!! Get to craftin!

Love me some elephants!

I have a love for anything vintage!! My husband says that I'm making our home look like it's in the 1950's...but he just doesn't know decorating. I mean, come on....WHO doesn't have a love for vintage? It goes with any decor, even modern. A small piece like these elephants can add a great touch. I got these at the local antique store for $3 a pop. I bought one for me and one for my bestie --- shh...don't tell her cuz it's part of her Christmas present!

I also just recently picked up an old window for $10 at the antique store as well. I couldn't resist it because usually you only see ones with 4 frames, but this has 8!! I decided that instead of just keeping it plain, I would use it as a picture window - I used 4 8x10's of our family and just taped them up. I think that some day I may actually hang it over my bed, but I'm content with it now.

What antiques have you found lately?

My take on "Hillbilly Wine Glasses"

So we had a white elephant gift exchange at our work Christmas dinner. I brought some fancy bull horns that I had hanging in my kitchen when I was doing the whole "Spanish" theme. I am now changing it up and what better way to get rid of things then to give them to your co-workers! lol Well someone made hillbilly wine glasses and they were a hit so I just knew what I had to do -- recreate them!!!!! Just so you know I only paid $6 for this project! The mod-podge I stole from my sister, the glitter I had for some fun projects with my children, and everything else was from previous projects that I probably paid a total of $1 each for...I'm on a budget people!!! The candle stick holder and glass were each from the dollar store and the gorilla glue was $4. The buttons and beads are optional in case you want to add some bling. What's missing from this picture is the glitter...sorry peeps!

Put the Gorilla Glue on top of the candle stick holder and glue on the glass/large candle holder (I don't know what this is called!!!!!!)

Once you glue on your 2 candle holders (this is what we are calling them, so just go with it) place an object on top so that the glue can bond. And as an FYI - the glue says it sets in 1 hour...LIES! I let it sit and picked it up and it fell apart, so I actually let it sit overnight.

Remember not to put too much glue or it will bubble out like mine did...but I was able to eventually pick it off..

The next step did NOT work for me. My sister was right -- I hate when that happens! I just couldn't get the fabric to stick to the mod-podge and I guess I was just too impatient to really make this work.

So I decided to do what I saw in a blog where she glitterfied her shoes with mod-podge and glitter!!

I took about the whole thing of glitter and just a little mixture of mod-podge, just try to get the right thickness of glitter. There is not right or wrong here, the more glitter the better!!

Take your paint brush and just cover the whole bottom half of the candle stick.

Let it dry for about 30 min...go outside and play with your cute babies! Be sure to cover up the glue so it doesn't dry out though.

Come back inside and put on a second coat. This one should be a thicker consistency, just load it up because remember the mod-podge dries clear!

While that dries, take some pictures of your cute children!

The final step will be to just put a final coat of only mod-podge to hold in the glitter. AND...because I'm new to this whole blogging thing I didn't get a picture of the final step -- DO NOT yell at me! So I was able to take a pic with my phone...just love it!

These are for a friend - but I'm also making a set for my sister-in-law and some other peeps...go make yours -- it's CHEAP AND EASY...the best Christmas gift ever!!

A cute little table

So everyone knows by now I have a love for anything vintage!! I got this cute little side table in my Grandparents basement. I remember when we used to have Christmas and family gatherings down there...it was like another home down there. We have a HUGE family so our get together's were pretty crazy!! But what great memories. When my Grandparents passed we had to clean out there home and we all were able to get sentimental furniture and other nic-nacs. I got a few nice pieces, but this was my favorite because it had such amazing details and for some reason my Grandpa kept his tools in it!! What were you thinking Grandpa!!

I have been thinking of repainting it...but I just don't know if I can bring myself to do it! I just have it sitting in my living room as a side table...I heart it so much!! And check out the cute candle holder my Father-in-law gave me from his basement...it's on the top of the table!

Thanks for taking a look at vintage Saturday! FYI --- GO TO ANTIQUE STORES!!! Look around and see what you can find! My BFF has been wanting vintage books to decorate in her living room so I found some for $1!! She noticed that one of them was a first edition so she looked it up online...worth $219!!! AND she won't give it back to me!! :)

Budgeting

I used to be the worst at budgeting. My husband and I would get paid and then we would just say ...ok what's due? Then we would be left with $100 to get us till next week, and that didn't include getting groceries or gas. Talk about a stressful time!! 

So I decided to look up budgeting online. Let me tell ya -- nothing worked! That's when I decided to make my own. I decided to break down my bills, my husbands and then our families. This helped me find out what our actual bills were, when they were due, and how much. 

The next step was to enter the dates that we got paid. I get paid every 2 weeks and my husband gets paid every week. I would compare the paycheck dates with the due date of the bill. If I got paid on the 9th and I had a bill due on the 12th, I would pay the bill on the 9th just to make sure that it was all done with. Procrastinating on bills is going to be the hardest thing because then you need to play catch up. Once a bill is payed, gray it out so you know that you are all set with that one.

Now, there will be months that you are may have to put a bill on the back burner...you never know when car repairs will sneak up on you, or there is a doctor bill that just came in the mail. So that is why there is a still owed tab as well.

And eventually you will be able to start putting money into savings. This is very exciting because you are living within your means and you are able to save! Please let me know if you have any questions on the budget...I will be more than happy to help. Here's the link...start on your own family budget! 

Click here to get started!!

Ugly Christmas Sweaters!!!

There are so many people that are doing ugly Christmas sweater parties. We are having a competition at work and I'm in-it to win-it!! My twin sister thinks that she may have me beat...but sorry Jules...you are going DOWN!!! Yes... I work with my twin sister, but it's awesome because we have always been besties and we get to see each other every day!

What's even greater is that our kids are all around the same age!

OK...enough about her...more about me! Time to get down to the ugly sweaters! The ugly sweater is hard to come by...so why not make your own or even improvise...maybe with a not so fashionable Christmas tree skirt...I got mine at a thrift store for half off, can't beat $3.50.

wear it like a poncho...or even cut arm holes our for yourself...

And why pay for earrings when you have perfectly usable bulbs on your tree??

Or if you really want to pay for a sweater, go ahead and buy one and uglify (is this a word?) it even more. Just find some bulbs, hideous handmade ornaments, or decorations and pin or glue them onto the sweater.

The good thing about this is that you will only be wearing this once ...unless you think it's that cool to wear it throughout the holiday season...bbbuuuuutttt...I don't recommend it, unless you want to be known as the "not so fashionable" woman in the front cubicle!

First blog post ever!!!

HELLO EVERYONE!!!!! I have been such a fan of blogs for like...ever...so I finally decided to start my own! This is very exciting, yet scary at the same time. Am I going to post everyday??? How will I do this working full time and taking care of three children???  Will the hubster say this is yet another phase that I will drop soon enough?? Will I even have any followers???  AHHHH the world of blogging is scary! BUT I love reading and checking them every day....so I might as well try it out!

So my blog will be about my everyday life and my love of all things vintage, diy, and crafting! I have SO many ideas floating around in this beautiful head of mine and I just don't know where to start!!