Thrifty Miss Priss

Pottery Barn Cubby Storage-KNOCK OFF

Have you seen these in the Pottery Barn Catalog?

pottery barn

I just love these wall mount cubbies.  I've been in PB several times petting them but think their prices are ridiculous.  I figured it couldn't be too hard to make one...but I'm not good with power tools except maybe a drill and a glue gun.

I've been on the hunt for a few weeks for something I could use to make a knock off cubby shelf like this one.

I thought about using a crate and adding my own dividers...again, not good with a power saw.....

so yesterday I was in the thrift store and saw this.

(do your animals have to sniff everything out that you bring home?  mine do)

 It only has 9 compartments and NOT 20...and it doesn't have a backing on it....but for $15.00 it could be mine.  Now I'm not really complaining but I think $15.00 is CRAZY insane for this chunk of orange-ish wood.  But yesterday was my lucky day and everything was HALF OFF so I got it for $7.50.  After I got it home I realized it even has the exact SAME SHAPE at the top as mine.....with those little curved side rails at the top and bottom.

I spray painted it heirloom white and distressed the edges with a butter knife before it was completely dry.

so this is MY version.  What do you think?  I was pretty happy with it.  I hot glued a piece of burlap to the back, and stenciled the numbers with a fine sharpie black pen.

So here's their version:

pottery barn

and here's MY version again:

all the little white pitchers have been picked up here and there for less than $1.00 each, including that Anthropologie Cup with my husbands initial!  The old crusty Virginia License plate dated 1958 is my husbands birth year and I bought if for him at the DC Big Flea last time it was in town.

I can just see changing this out with different themes.  RIght now I've got all whites in there because I refuse to admit that Summer is leaving us fast.  It's a reminder to me of warm days and cool nights and crickets and fireflies and air conditioning.  

But come November I might be ready to try something like this

pottery barn

Is this not the cutest?  I love the little packages and that tiny little squirrel down there peeping out from the cubby!   

So for an afternoon of spray painting and a little stenciling I got something that I've wanted for a very long time!

Another thing that I've always drooled over is this

It's an Apple ipad.  It's basically a mini flat laptop that you can take anywhere, it's as thin as a notebook. Since I'm so addicted to reading blogs my husband kept saying "you really need an ipad".  But thrifty me kept replying that I was perfectly happy with the desktop computer that we have.  Sure it would be nice to lay on the couch and surf blogs...or take it outside and lay in the hammock....but really.....such a luxury!

Well....my husband and kids chipped in and bought me one for my Birthday!  At first I was insistent they take it back!  The frugal thrifty side of me didn't want my kids parting with their hard earned money for something so extravagant.  But my daughter pointed out that by the time everyone bought me a gift combined it was more practical for them to do this!  So I ripped that box open and I've been glued to it ever since!

Here's my favorite spot to relax and visit you

  

 Have a wonderful week!

  

Court dates and Craft Dates.....

Thank you for all your sweet emails about the pillow I made for my mom.  She's enjoying it still even a week later.  Her caregivers tell me she holds it all the time and tries to tell them about her family in the picture.  Since it was such a big hit I will try and do another one for her soon.  It was easy to do, just print out the picture on t-shirt transfer paper and iron it on to fabric, then sew it into a pillow form.

Last week was quite interesting for me.  I was summoned for jury duty.  I'd never been called before so I figured I'd show up and be released by noon and on my way to work.  We were taken into the actual courtroom with the Prosecution and the defense teams.  The defendant was in there too!  We were given random questions to answer out loud in unison, like "does anybody in here have a moral problem with passing judgment on another individual" and "is anybody in here married to someone in law enforcement?".  It went on and on like this for about 30 minutes.  They sent us all out and called us in a few minutes later.  They called 12 people to be the jurors and I was one of them!  I couldn't believe it was happening.  We were told it was a criminal drug case and the trial would last two days.  (It ended up lasting three full days).  The defendant was facing up to 20 years in prison!  We heard testimony for two days, some from forensic scientists from the police crime lab that tested the drug.  In a nutshell it boiled down to this:

The person was caught on two separate occasions by the SAME police officer with a schedule 1 drug (in the same group as cocaine, heroine, marijuana etc).  Schedule 1 possession in Virginia can get you ten years for each offense.  

We found him guilty on only one of the charges.  He was never accused of selling it, just possessing it.  So after we found him guilty we were sent back to the jury room to decide his sentence.  In the state of VA the jury decides.  My heart was pounding so hard.  It was surreal.  Out of 12 jurors, 8 wanted him to have jail time.  We argued back and forth for about three hours.  It's very strange and yet very liberating to argue with total strangers, because you really don't CARE about their personal feelings. 

We sent a note out to the judge saying we could not decide.  He sent it back and said that he will have to declare a mistrial!  So we got to work and had to have major compromises on everyones part.  I was not happy with the outcome but it is all give and take.  

The defendant got 7 days in  jail and a $2000.00 fine.  

It was an amazing experience and I'm so glad I was a part of it. 

   ...ok...lets clear our thoughts and think of HAPPY things!

 

After all that mental anguish I was really in need of a craft date!  I don't have any crafty friends who want to hang out and make big messes.  I was thrilled to see that  my friends Karla and Beth are hosting an on line workshop called Romantic Gothic Ghosts.  The workshop is just in time for some wonderful Halloween images, but really these projects can be left out all year.  I'm not a fan of the Orange Halloween thing anymore, in fact I prefer just using black and white and tans if I decorate for Halloween at all.

   _{(my Halloween decor last yr)}

 

  (you can see more Halloween decor from last year here)

    The images are full of mystery and leave you wondering if it really is a ghost you are looking at.  You know how the old vintage photos can make your imagination wander.....they've used a lot of old vintage photos and they're incorporating them into several different projects.

I just love the different "gothic windows"

Do you remember the show called Dark Shadows?  I do and it scared me to death! Karla and Beth were able to find some vintage sheet music titled "Dark Shadows" that they use in one of the projects!  You will be able to download all images and backgrounds to use in your own projects!

I can't wait to try these projects myself!  They have step by step instructions and even some videos to explain how they've done different techniques!

They use lots of sepia colors and natural materials like burlap.  Of course you can follow right along and do it just like they show you, or you can get the inspiration from them and use their images and go off on your own to put your own spin on it!

Check out the on line workshop here!  I hope to see you there!   

Art Journal and Home Journal

Happy Day! 

I participated in a Spring Ephemera Swap and look at the packages I received!

There's enough goodies in these bags to keep me busy for a very long time!

(this was my paternal grandparents home in Middleport New York)    

 

Some of these pages are not complete yet.  I've been working on this journal for a year now!  Most people do one a month......suffice it to say I've not been a regular at it.  I enjoy working in it but don't make the time to do it.  It's really fun to go back and look through old pages....to remember where you were or what you were doing at that time.  I don't do a lot of writing...mostly quotes.

about 4 years ago I started a "home book" where I ripped out pages from decorating magazines that I wanted to keep, and pasted them into a regular book from the thrift store.  I had it packed away and forgot all about it....I found it one day this winter when we were buried in snow...and I was happy to see all the pages I'd glued way back then.  It was funny to see that I'd incorporated a lot of the ideas in my current home...even though I didn't have the book for inspiration.  Here's a few pages from that book"

This is the book I'm using....I'm just ripping magazine pages and gluing them in.  I haven't worked on this in a long time until I found it in February. When it's finished I will make my own cover for it.

here's a normal page from the book

  it's all about American homes throughout the centuries.  On pages that are dull and boring I glue my own stuff to it.

sometimes I leave part of the original pictures intact...like the building on the left hand side bottom.

I write on the pages....what it is about why I love the page.....

this is a great way to get rid of your magazines that are hard to part with.  You've saved the best...and now it's all in one place.

So grab a book and start gluing!      

 

Knee Deep in scrap(s)

I forgot to share the gifts I made at Christmas for my twin sisters.  We long ago decided not to exchange gifts at Christmas.  Everyone usually shows up to the party with one wrapped gift and we all pick a gift and steal from others if so inclined.  

I decided I wanted to do something extra for my sisters so I stole this picture of them from my moms photo album and made these little.....gee I don't know what to call them!  I copied was inspired by Lori at my faerie window.  She made the cutest gifts for a group of bloggers that came to Virginia last May.  I used to small gift boxes from Macy's as the base.

 

I also used to gift boxes to make these ornaments for them.  

 This was A LOT more fun than searching through stores for the perfect gifts!

Last weekend I mentioned I was working on my journal for The Remains of the Day online class.  It's so addicting creating this thing...I didn't even want to stop to eat.  Therefore my Christmas Tree did not come down over New Years.  I urge you to check out the blog for the class and consider doing it!

 We have a box of PAPERS in our basement that we've had for TEN years....it's full of stuff from my husbands Grandfather, who passed away in the 60's.  I guess they packed up his little apartment and these were all things that got thrown into a box.  Little things that he kept...that my husbands family could never bear to throw away.  I searched through that box and came up with a treasure trove of ephemera.  I'm swimming in it.

I added a tag for journaling...you can see it slipped into the end of this very cool envelope.

the pipe cleaner pack above is also now a pocket....a tag can be slipped into it for journaling the days events.  There's a business card at the top of a tobacco salesman, his grandfather was in the tobacco industry in North Carolina.  On the right is a lift up page with another pocket.

old yellowed security envelopes....these are just the things that I needed for my journal.  

 I sewed this little heart on the page, and look what happened to the back side....

My family kept asking what in the world was I working on for all those days....I showed my daughter and she said "wait...I don't get it...what are you doing with this stuff?"  so I explained it all to her....how cool it was that I was using all this ephemera from her GREAT GRANDFATHER and she had a blank stare on her face.  She said "so you're making a book?"  No.....I explained.....it will be a journal when I'm done, where I can write thoughts, quotes, record things....and she said "thats the part I don't get!"  So maybe it is a little "out there" and I know MOST people don't get it...but I knew my friends in Blogarita Ville would appreciate it!

a few of these images are things I've found on the internet and stockpiled for my scrap stash.  I think the image on the left is from The Graphics Fairy...she has fantastic graphics for FREE.  I'm sure you all know about Karen already.  She's so incredibly sweet to share her images.

So I'm knee deep in scraps and ephemera but loving every minute of it. At least it's finally being used or dealt with some way and not sitting in a box (although there is still tons of stuff in that box)  I might set the stopwatch and take down my tree in record time this weekend so I can get over the guilt of it still being up and get on with my life!

One last little treasure I found in that box.....a Valentine my husband made when he was about 7 years old for his parents.....he even used a little doily!  I brought it upstairs to show him and hung it on my white wreath.  This is one of a very few things that his mom saved that he made.  It must have meant the world to her to hold onto it all those years!

 (we have no clue why he wrote "to the Mods"....my vote is that he was trying to tell his parents they were "cool" or "Mod"

 Have a wonderful week!

What a Beautiful Mess I'm in.....

Happy New Year everyone!  I, like many others use this time to reflect to see whats good and not so good about my life.  Things I have control over and things I don't.  I always feel like this is a great time to make BIG changes in ourselves.....fresh clean slate...all that.  But POOF!  I usually do not follow through.  Actually each new day is a clean slate and a new opportunity to change or do better.

I do feel a shift coming on though....I'm not blogging nearly as much as I used to and my family doesn't have to pry me off the computer kicking and screaming anymore.  

Maybe I got overloaded with all the Christmas preparations everyone was doing.  I just sort of STOPPED getting on.  I've sat and watched t.v. with my husband.  Good movies....HILARIOUS movies(The Hangover) crime shows....the whole shabang. 

I made a commitment to myself to finally finish my journal that I started last Spring. 

 

 I spent the day after Christmas sitting in Barnes and Nobel by myself, with a big stack of books that I've been wanting to look at forever.

I took this picture with my phone while I was there and sent it to my husband I told him not to expect me home for several hours!  It was pure heaven sitting there without a care in the world while everyone was busy making the shopping deals of the century at the mall.  I don't have the need or desire to get in that chaos.  I have more than I want or will ever need and then some.  One tiny resolution for me is to STAY out of thrift stores so often.  I will still go but not as regular as I have been.  It's all just STUFF and I have way too much now.  In fact I've started cleaning out bits and scraps in my art room and will be listing some collage packs one day soon I hope.

 

Speaking of collage.....

 

I've been eye balling this online class forever and finally jumped in with both feet. The Remains of the Day is a Journal  made entirely from your paper SCRAPS on hand.  They are all sewn together, then sewn into a scrappy cover and tied tight.  I can't get my link button to work but you can read all about it here:  http://dispatchfromla.typepad.com/dispatch_from_la/rotdoci.html

Her pages are incredible!  She offers TONS of videos and printable instructions too.  Once you pay the site is available to you until December 2010!   Once the journal is put together and assembled it only takes a few minutes to write your journal entries.  I want to take a lot more photographs this year.  I plan on tucking them in this journal.  Otherwise they sit in my computer and I don't enjoy them nearly enough. If you get the chance go look at Mary Ann's Journals.  They are certainly drool worthy.  You can also look at the Flickr group she has set up here

http://www.flickr.com/groups/purexperimentation/pool/

(my link button is not linking!)

So I made the cover last night.  Actually it was all day of watching her videos, hunting gathering scraps, supplies...cleaning off my art table....junking up my art room....I'll let the pictures speak for themselves

(my daughter snapped this of me on the floor cutting out the fabric. I instantly told her "DON'T take my picture in this mess!" I planned on deleting it...but I wanted to remember this moment!  Of course Sarah had to be in there on my lap, and trying to lay on the fabric.

   

oh this fabric is so soft and comfy...

   

 

And guess what?  My Christmas tree is still up.  I don't even care.  It's fake so it can stay another week.  Right now there's more important stuff going on around here.

 

Here's hoping 2010 gives you all health, peace and happiness!

We got some snow here last weekend.....just enough to make everything beautiful and quiet....

 Just look at her.....both back feet off the ground!  You'd never know Heidi is 13 years old (91 in dog years!)  She's as frisky today as she was as a pup.  I know our time left is limited but if she can stay active and healthy like this until her time comes I will be grateful!

This is what Sunday afternoon was all about.....laying around enjoying the sights of snow out the window and relaxing.  Does this look comfortable to you?  Who needs a snuggi when you've got this? 

We recently got a new computer....an apple...and it's a whole new way of doing things.....so just when I had mastered downloading photos and editing them...I have to learn a whole new way of doing it.  This computer is supposed to be the cream of the crop but I just sit here and cuss at the monitor when it won't do what I want.

I finished my Christmas shopping!  This is the earliest I've ever finished!  I'm even catching up on some projects I left incomplete when I left Silver Bella.  Pam Garrisons Holly Days class was supposed to be an advent type wreath and I started it in class.  I couldn't get my holly leaves to look right so I gave up.  I recently found several white poinsettia silk bushes at the thrift store.  I bought them not knowing what on earth I'd do with them besides put a few around the tree.  I dumped them in my craft room and then I had the light bulb moment.

since I was not too good at cutting out the holly leaves in class, why not use the white silky-velvetish leaves from the poinsettia?  This way I can leave it out all year too...it's not really a "Christmas" wreath.

  

 I started this project around 10:00 on a work night.  I just kept adding more and more stuff to it....and was determined not to leave it unfinished.  I'm really happy with the way it turned out and nothing new was purchased for it....all stuff I had already.  I have enough leaves left over to do two more wreaths so I might make another one for my etsy shop..which is EMPTY now!  YAY!  My little wallpaper packs all sold out!

OH!  The fat books are finished and in the hands of their owners!  We had 12 participants and one dropped out at the end, so we all made 12 pages.  Which means I have an extra book.  Haven't decided what to do with it yet, but may auction it on ebay with the proceeds to go to my animal shelter for Christmas.

 

 

 

The theme was "Winter Whites".  I was happy with all the pages and the way they all looked together in the book.  I will definitely host one of these projects again someday....with trial and error I now know what is involved in doing this!

I hope you all get the chance to slow down and enjoy the season and soak up all the beauty of it!

More Silver Bella.....

The Bella fun continues....

Vendor night was spectacular!  So much to choose from!  My "big" little sis Karla had an adorable booth and I found some glittered goodies there.

Everyone was supposed to wear an apron as the theme was night of 100 aprons....and wouldn't you know, my sewing machine broke a week prior and I had to use heat and bond to make my apron!  I ordered this fabric off etsy last year, it looks like an old feedsack.  I really hated to cut it but I really loved the graphics and it said "Red Tailed Robin Bird" so I just HAD to use it!

I'm just going to show you random pictures of different booths....such beauty!

 

 

 

 

and here is a picture of Karla's Booth

It was fun to see her in her own element....usually I only see her when she comes to Virginia, so it was a treat to see her booth, along with Beth and Mary....they all have such incredible things!

Karla and Carol and Shelly hosted a "glitter lounge" prior to opening night of Silver Bella.  Everyone packed into two joining rooms and drank pink champagne and ate Karla's glitter cupcakes.  It was the perfect start to a fabulous weekend!

Karla Carol and Shelly standing on the couch toasting all the Bella's!

Looks like a press conference!

Joanna and Jenn

I'm still unpacking all my fun things.  I didn't get home until after midnight on Sunday because my plane LEFT me in New Jersey.  I got up and went to work Monday and Monday night I was sick as a dog.  I've had a fever and cough all week and I'm finally feeling back to normal.  I can't wait to dig in to all my stuff!

I hope to find some daylight tomorrow and take pictures of the fun things I brought home!

Silver Bella hangover!

Still basking in glitter....

(this is the glitter lounge in which you will hear all about later)

So hard to put into words what an experience it was.........meeting people who you feel like you've known for a long time....but really just meeting them.  

I flew out of Virginia into Georgia for a connecting flight.  There I met Suzanne and Jocelyn.  We talked the entire rest of the way to Omaha!  We dropped our bags fast  and Suzanne took me immediately to Second Chance Antiques.  I can't even describe that place.  It's loaded with everything under the sun with new arrivals every hour.  The entire basement was vintage clothing, hats, shoes and jewelry.  I was so overwhelmed I came out of there with just a tiny package......it was just SO much stimulation!

Thats a "Bella" concentrating hard on a purchase!  See what I mean?  Every nook and cranny of this place was stocked.

Even the outside of the buildings were gorgeous.  

                                              

Since I arrived a day earlier than I'd planned, my "little sister" Karla treated me and several others to a trip to an exclusive online Vintage Wallpaper hideaway in Iowa.  Hannahs Treasures Wallpaper was a site to behold.

Every available surface was decoupaged with the most beautiful papers.  

It was quite hard to decide on which rolls to choose.  We certainly all came home with lots of beautiful wallpaper.  (Karla and Tiffany)

left to right:

Jenn, Marilyn, Lori, Suzanne

My precious wallpaper was carried safely back to Virginia in my arms the whole way.  Which wasn't an easy task since when I landed in New Jersey to make my connection there was a two hour delay.  So I grabbed a bite to eat and came back 30 minutes later WELL before my flight and the plane had arrived and left without me.  So I had to sit in New Jersey until 9pm and didn't get home until after 12:00.  Then it was up bright and early to work this morning. 

I'm still on a glitter rush.  I have lots more pictures to share, but I need to collapse and sleep for about eleventy hours first.

More fun pictures of lots of goodies and gifties to come!

On My way to Silver Bella

So.  Imagine my shock when I checked my e-ticket on Saturday.  The e-ticket thats getting me to SIlver Bella on Thursday.  I pulled it out because it was with my supply list for Silver Bella.  I glanced at it and

My ticket was for WEDNESDAY not THURSDAY!  When my husband booked my flight for me he didn't hear me say THURSDAY.  I was not looking at a calendar at the time and I told him "Thursday the 11th".  Well if I'd looked i'd have noticed the 11th is WEDNESDAY.  So.  I get to go  a day early!  Yippee!  That means an extra day of fun!  My "big" little sis Karla already has big plans for lots of bellas, including a shopping spree at a fabulous vintage wallpaper place and a guided bus tour sponsored by Jessi!

If I had not looked at that paper, and waited until Wednesday night, I would have missed my flight!

I can't wait to share this experience with all of you! 

Lots of pictures when I return!

Did you go to class today?

Artist class is in full swing!  I'm up to my elbows in projects and can't wait to start more!  Time is just flying and before you know it Christmas will be here.  There are a lot of cute projects in this class to use as gifts too.

My project is scheduled to appear this week.  It's the "Pocket full of Treasures" scrapbook.  Here's another peek

It's a scrapbook created from an old record album book.

Here is my "bio"

In this workshop you will learn to make a keepsake book, full of pockets to hold your little treasures!  You will receive instructions on building your book by using a vintage record album book, or plain card stock.  We will be using lots of scrap fabric, hankies, trims, laces and jewels to add interest to you pockets.  You do not need to know how to sew to do this project!  You can use glue or stitch tape, or machine stitching.  The fun part is adding all the decorative embellishments to the completed pocket page!  Once completed, your book will hold all your special treasures for years to come.  Special occasions……...love notes from your spouse or children…….Christmas or Wedding Memories…..all held together in little pockets.  The beauty of this project is you are not altering your special keepsakes, but merely tucking them into the pockets to hold forever!

 
I'm hosting a giveaway of one of my Holiday Houses if you sign up for artist class in November using my coupon code "thriftymisspriss" and I'm also going to offer a bag of bits and pieces to use when you create your own "pocket full of treasures"  So thats $10.00 off for you, and a chance to win some great prizes!  Its a win-win situation!There will be other giveaways on the other artists blogs; as well as on the Artist Class blog itself. 

Check out the bio's  and see what this class has to offer! So many talented artists in one place showing us step by step instructions.  The blog will be open until February and I plan on using all that free time after Christmas to create a bunch of these projects, after life slows down a bit.

Have a terrific, creative week!