Garage Sale Finds Friday Edition 71

Welcome back to another week of garage sale finds Friday, where I share with you my favorite garage sale finds.  

This week I've got some fun woody goodies and a pretty little something.  One of my finds even got a little transformation that will be revealed on Tuesday.  Wonder if you can guess which one.

0

Easy to make tassel pen and coordinating notebook with Duck Tape

It feels like summer just started, but really, it's starting to wind down a bit and we are beginning to think about heading back to school.  My kids have been doing this school thing for quite some time now. Two of the three no longer get lists of school supplies in the form of a checklist. They just know what they like and what works for them.

My daughter is obsessed with stationary supplies. I had no idea that was a thing. But then I started mentioning it to other people and apparently there are other people who love office supplies. Who knew? Maybe you {or one of your kids} is one of them!

I learned that one of the things that office supply lovers love is coordinating supplies in a great print. One of our best tricks is picking up Duck Tape and using that to update cheap school supplies.



A plain composition notebook on sale can be picked up for less than a dollar. One with a fun print is usually at least double. So why not make your own? Not only that, now you can use your Duck Tape to create coordinating supplies for everything from folders, to pencils and pens. The only thing stopping you is your creativity!

Tassels are hot this season, so not only did we want to coordinate some supplies, we wanted to do it in style!

0

Tips from a cancer survivor on how you can support friends and family diagnosed with cancer

Tips from a cancer survivor on how you can support friends and family diagnosed with cancer

A cancer diagnosis can be a super scary thing. It seems like all of us have been touched by cancer at some point or another.  Perhaps, you have been on the receiving end of that diagnosis, or you have had friends or loved ones that have been.  
This past year alone, I've personally known a handful of people who have been diagnosed with some form of cancer.  I know there have been times when I wanted to help but I wasn't sure how.  Recently, I asked some cancer survivors to share their insights and tips with us so that we can better support those around us when they are diagnosed.

0

A collection of the best stackable anniversary bands

My husband and I recently celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary. We spent some time celebrating in Cancun and we had our best time!

I am still a girl, and jewelry is never far from my mind.  I like diamonds and sparkly things, what can I say! I am loving the new stackable ring trend and think that it's a fabulous idea if you are looking for some sparkly way to remember your next wedding anniversary by.

I've rounded up a few of my favorites from Anjolee. Maybe you will find a favorite that you love too!

0

Garage sale finds Friday Edition 70

Welcome back to another week of garage sale finds Friday, where I share with you my favorite garage sale finds.

But before we get started I want to let you in on something super fun!

Today I'm being featured on the Summer Spotlight  The Summer Spotlight showcases creative ideas from a different talented blogger each Friday throughout the summer months.  I am beyond excited to be a part of it!

Katie from View from the Fridge asked some really thoughtful questions and it was fun being a part of this summer series.

I encourage you to swing by and check out the feature about Holy Craft as well as the entire Summer Spotlight series HERE. 

O.k.  Back to business!  Because I know you all want to see what I found this week at garage sales.

This week, I stumbled onto a great vintage sale full of fun old trinkets and what the shops like to refer to as "smalls."  I had my best time digging through boxes and crates.

You know, you can learn a lot about a person when you are digging through their junk. 

0

Handmade cards made from something {free} you would never expect!

Do you ever see something and inspiration just strikes? That happened to me earlier this week on a coffee date with my littlest guy. We were literally standing in Starbucks and I immediately wanted to get home to start crafting.

I whipped up these handmade cards in a matter of minutes.  You wouldn't believe the {free} thing that inspired me to make them.

0

Netflix to the rescue for a playdate!

Can I be honest with you? I broke one of my parenting rules today. I've been at this parenting gig for a LONG time and one of my steadfast rules is that if you have a friend over for a play date, then there is no television.  Because...well...you have a friend over.  You should be playing, not watching TV.

But, there is this weird age that my younger kids are in that vacillates between playing and hanging out.  If you have a kid over the age of 9, you know what I mean. It's not that the kids are too cool to play, it's that sometimes they think they are too cool to play. 

Electronics and video games are far more engaging and with age, my kids and their friends are allowed to spend more time on these devices, which makes the imaginative play they were once so good at start to seem foreign.

 So I broke my rule.  But for good reason.  And shockingly, my plan seemed to work!

0

Transformation Tuesday

Welcome back to transformation Tuesday!  It's becoming one of my favorite new series on the blog.

I share with you on Friday my favorite garage sale finds, and then on Tuesday, I follow up with a transformation from the previous week. 

This past week, I bought all the large things.  I bought a rare art deco dresser for $20 that ended up being worth thousands, Ethan Allen pieces and some other large awesome goodies. Any idea what the transformation item will be this week?  

Think I painted some furniture? I did!  Bet you can't guess which item I painted.

0

Traveling as a Couple

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Chase Ultimate Rewards for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

It's no secret that I love to travel. Just this year, I've been to Cancun, Mexico, Zambia, Africa, Salt Lake City, Utah and Kona, Hawaii. That's not too shabby seeing as how the year is barely half over!

Travel isn't cheap, but experiences are priceless! Our family has made traveling a priority. While we are thrifty in lots of areas of our life {I have been known to dig in the trash for coupons}, we feel like traveling and seeing the world is something we are happy to splurge on. Though, we have found some great ways to save on travel and make it more affordable.

0

Garage sale finds Friday-the week in which I buy large things Edition 69

Welcome back to another week of garage sale finds Friday.  Where I share with you some of my favorite garage sale finds.  You may have noticed that we skipped last weeks fun.  Vacations {missed two weekends while we were in Hawaii}  and holidays {darn 4th of July falling on a Saturday!} will do that to you! But we are back at it.  I super duper missed garage sales and was having sweats and shakes that made me think I was probably having withdrawal symptoms! 

This week I purchased all the large things. Seriously, like every large thing I could find, I bought. I didn't try to, it just happened.  You won't believe the deals I got! 

0

Starting to shop for cars. Replacing my mini van

I have driven a mini van for much of my adult life. I have three children and a mini van just makes sense. I couldn't even imagine my three kids sitting together, side by side in a bench in the back of my car.  I make no excuses and don't apologize at all about my choice of vehicle. In fact, I don't understand why there are so many people who are hesitate to jump on the mini van train.  I even wrote a post about it. They are simply the most practical car for a large family. That being said, my mini van that I love and have named Thelma {you name your cars too don't you?} is older than my youngest son who will turn ten in just a few weeks. While I fully plan on driving my sweet Thelma into the ground, the end is {potentially} near and I want to be prepared with a plan of action should Thelma decided to bite the dust sooner rather than later. My children are all getting older. Every single one of them can buckle their seat belts and none of them needs a car seat. In fact, several of my kids can even sit in the front seat safely. One of them can even legally drive a car! We don't need to be looking into vehicles that are using terms like tethers and rear facing. I may even be able to start looking beyond mini van's and thinking about an SUV.  For the next few months, I'm going to be trying out some cars in an attempt to find the best fit for our family. A lot has changed since I last bought a car.  Cars are so much more technical and there are features that are brand spankin' new to me {adaptive cruise control...heck, even navigation systems!}. Because I care very little about a car beyond how easy it is to drive and work, my 16 year old son Aidan will be writing a little bit about the car discussing those features. I'm going to do my best to put every car I test through the wringer to give you the best information and my honest opinion.  This month, the whole family took the Mitsubishi Outlander up to Mt. Rainier for a day trip and a hike. 

Find out how we liked this SUV crossover for our family of five.

0

Easy painted tribal driftwood for your summer treasures

We live just minutes from the beaches of the Puget Sound in the Pacific Northwest.  As an Indiana girl that's been transplanted, I can't get enough of the beach, but our beaches are just a little bit different than some.

We have an abundance of rocks and driftwood at our beaches.  Which means on our beach combing, we usually pick up sand dollars and shells but also cool pieces of driftwood and uniquely shaped rocks.

 I'm always wondering what to do with all of our beach treasures, and perhaps you are too.  Or maybe you are visiting the beach this summer and want to create a treasure from your time there, either way, this easy painted driftwood is a fun summer camp activity for kids of all ages!

 

Start by picking out your favorite pieces of driftwood. One of my kiddos gravitates to the smooth round pieces, another goes for the rough thick pieces.

 

 Pick out your paint colors and start painting! I did one color at a time.  You really can't mess it up!

 

Once the wood was dry {it doesn't take long!} I let my kids go to town with sharpies. They drew all kinds of designs and markings on their driftwood and had their best time!

 

Your new painted driftwood makes a fun keepsake from your trip to the beach.

 

I've made a few other driftwood crafts on my blog.  You can find the full tutorials for them here.

 

Do you make anything with the treasures you find on the beach?




This post originally appeared on Design Dazzle as part of the Summer Camp series.

0

My half marathon recap for team World Vision

I recently ran my fifth half marathon {13.1 miles} and have had some time to reflect on the experience.  I ran for the first time with Team World Vision and it was a great experience.  

After seeing first hand the work that World Vision is doing in subsaharan Africa for the kids and families there, I knew that I had to run.  Mentally, though, this was the toughest race I've done so far. I'm throwing down my thoughts on the Seattle Rock n Roll and all that training today.

©2015 Chris Huber/World Vision

0

Introducing the new We Made It line from Jennifer Garner and Joann's

As a mom, one of my favorite things to do with my kids is to craft and create.  Which is why I love this new line of creative kits and projects called We Made It from Jennifer Garner exclusively available at Joann's stores.

We are barely into our summer already and I am already getting the reports of how bored my children are, so I was happy to be able to take out this fairy princess craft kit with my daughter and spend the afternoon creating together for my three year old niece.  

Bri obviously loved the tutu and wand her big cousin made her and I can't wait to introduce you to the line of more than 100 creative kits and projects designed for kids ages 4-11.

0

Free printable July memory verse

Summer is such a fun time of year when all of the flowers are in bloom and the grass is green and the sun is out.  I love all of those things!  Which is why it's easy for me to forget that in just a few short months the grey skies will be back, and the days will be short.  There is one thing that never fades or changes and that is the word of the Lord.  Can I get an amen?!

0

Easy chalkboard art tutorial

Several years ago I posted a tutorial for easy to make chalkboard art. It was my first ever {and only!} time I have been slapped with a copyright infringement lawsuit.  Thankfully, we were able to work things out, but that meant that I had to take my tutorial down.  I have been meaning to re do the tutorial and post it again, because it's a technique that I use often, but the days turned to weeks and those weeks turned to years, but holla!  I'm finally getting around to getting a new improved tutorial up for you!

And I'm using images that you can find as free printables on-line so there is no copyright issue we should run into!

If you scratch your head and wonder how people make such awesome chalkboard art, this is how non artists do it!  And you can do it too!

0

Easy to make Fourth of July firework decorations

There aren't a lot of holidays that I spend a lot of time decorating for.  Fourth of July falls into that category.  I love red, white and blue and am quite patriotic, I just forget.  It kind of sneaks up on me every year.  I feel like here we are in June and I'm just getting used to the idea and BAM!

This year was no different.  Hello, It's July 1st and I'm just now getting a tutorial out to you about my easy fireworks decorations.  Good news is, they are so easy that you can whip them up today and have them ready for your festivities on Saturday. 

0