Go figure - in the same week I found two awesome coffee tables on Craigslist. Once again, I haggled the price down to get a really good deal on two solid wood tables. It's hard not having a coffee table in the living room - so this has been on my radar for a while, as well. I knew if we didn't buy this stuff before the baby came, we probably never would. It sure is nice to be all grown up now!
Ever since I graduated college, I've wanted a matching bedroom set. I never had one as a kid and have always thought they looked so nice. Years after college, I finally got my wish. I had been scouring Homemakers and Craigslist for a steal of a deal for months. Earlier this week, I found this lovely queen bedroom matching set PLUS mattress and box spring PLUS delivery on Craigslist. Lucas gave me his blessing, and I put in an offer. The seller countered, and we made a deal. Our room now looks like a hotel room than a hodge podge college dorm (with nice bedding and a sweet diamond accent wall).
Go figure - in the same week I found two awesome coffee tables on Craigslist. Once again, I haggled the price down to get a really good deal on two solid wood tables. It's hard not having a coffee table in the living room - so this has been on my radar for a while, as well. I knew if we didn't buy this stuff before the baby came, we probably never would. It sure is nice to be all grown up now!
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Norwex this. Norwex that. I've heard about the amazingness of the Norwex cleaning products for the past year or two. I figured there was something to all the rave reviews, but it wasn't until today that I went to my first Norwex party (similar to a Pampered Chef party). My friend Tina is a consultant and was hosting a party for my other friend Deb. Tina showed us many of the products and talked about the ones she loves the most. Two others already had some products and were able to attest to the hype.
As a bargain shopper, I had prepared myself for high prices. I wasn't far off. The staple of the Norwex line is the envirocloth - a multi-purpose, self-cleaning washcloth. Price? $16. That seems like a lot, but my friend says she doesn't buy paper towels anymore because all she uses is the envirocloth. In that case, it won't take long for the envirocloth to pay for itself - and then some. Plus, many products have a two year guarantee. I decided to purchase the envirocloth and window cloth to test them myself. I also won a pouch of laundry detergent. Once I give the products a try, I'll get back to you. Week 24 Recap
This last week, I started our baby registries. It's crazy - but not surprising - how much stuff a baby "needs." From diapers and creams to play mats and wraps, the checklist is never-ending. Does a baby really need a jumper, bouncer, swing, pack n play, bassinet and crib? How many places can one baby lay? I'm thankful there are at least checklists to guide me! I also signed us up for two prenatal classes at Mercy Medical Center. One class about what to expect as first time parents is five weeks long and the other is a 1.5-hour finance class. Week 25 Preview Adding items to the registry will continue for at least another few weeks. I'm such a researcher - I can't just add something to the list without making sure it's really the one we want. Baby Bump I've gained 10 pounds since getting knocked up. If I could only gain 15 more, that would be pretty amazing.
Two more things checked of the home to do list! We knew our new home would keep us plenty busy. The interior hadn't been updated since circa 1970. Over the past seven weeks, we've been doing this and that including trying to find the perfect living room decor and dining room chandelier. We (finally) found them this weekend. I'm going for a more natural/rustic feel for the main floor of the house with browns, blues and grays. I haven't seen anything quite like this painting. It's rustic yet modern, works perfectly with our colors and at five feet long fits perfectly in the space. As for the chandelier, Lucas and I were having a hell of a time agreeing on what we liked. What we picked out is a nice compromise. The price was also right. It was $100 less than most of the ones I wanted. I like a good deal as much - if not more - than a beautiful chandelier.
I love that my daily commute takes me through the East Village. The neighborhood is so charming; it's a great way to start a work day. Every day I pass the lingerie shop Amour on East 6th St. It just opened last year, and I've been wanting to check it out. A friend/co-worker and I walked over to see if we could find something pretty.
When I go shopping, it's like I have an angel and a devil sitting on either shoulder. But in place of the angel and devil, I have a piggy bank and small business owner. You see, I love supporting local ma and pa shops, but I also love finding a great deal. Far too often I find that in order to shop local I have to be willing to spend more. Amour is no exception. The clothing at Amour is beautiful and no doubt super high quality. From bras and panties to nighties and stockings, all the pieces are sophisticated and many are a vintage girl's dream. I wish the little piggy bank would open up for a $100+ splurge on a bathrobe or $33 on lace panties. That just ain't gonna happen. One of my favorite items in the store was a combo candle/body lotion. The candle came in a tin container with a lid. Inside was a small spoon. After the wonderfully-scented wax melts a bit, you apparently scoop it right onto the body. For $17, I would say that was the most reasonably priced item, plus it was something I've never seen before. I have a few bachelorette parties coming up and think that could be a great gift. a) You spend your Wednesday evening shopping for shingles b) You open a Lowe's credit card c) You swear you'll stop spending money on frivolous things d) All of the above To say our old wood shake roof has seen better days is quite the understatement. We knew it was on its last leg before we even put an offer on the house. The selling agent informed us it would need to be replaced pretty quickly, and the inspection revealed the same diagnosis. I'm definitely a penny pincher but more than that I'm not a gambler. I really wish the roof could last until next spring so we could save up some more cash, but we just don't want to run that risk. Lucas and his dad are doing the roof themselves (with a little help from me), which will save us a good chunk of money.
We also just opened a Lowe's credit card to ease the burden. Over the holiday weekend they are offering special interest-free financing for 18 months on purchases over $299. Yes, please! Ideally, we'll pay the roof off in just six months, but it's good to know we have that extra cushion in case of an emergency. ... til the sweat drop down my... Don't you just love when you get a good song stuck in your head?
Anyway! Our house is starting feel more and more like a home every day. This weekend we finally (we've only owned the home two weeks) put some holes in the walls. I have plenty of decor from my previous apartments to hang up at our house, but I'm being very strategic about what I want to use. I envision a rustic, vintage, colonial feel for the house. In order to achieve that, the decor has to be just right. At this point, we've hung paintings/portraits in three rooms. I know you're thinking the group of four Asian landscapes doesn't go with the rustic flavor, but we really like them and felt they were a good fit for the guest bedroom. I'm on the hunt for a mirror for the living room and am hoping to create some art myself to hang in the dining room. I purchased new curtains for the living room and fining room that bring the outdoors inside with nature patterns. Both sets are sheer so they allow a better flow from inside to outside also. Man, curtains aren't cheap! Luckily, I got the dining room panels on sale at Kohl's for $20 each (plus used my 15 percent off coupon). The drapes in the living room were about $35 each from Bed, Bath and Beyond (also used my 20 percent off coupons). That's eight panels in total, plus we had to purchase four curtain rods. Although more expensive than this thrifty gal would have liked to spend, I'm super happy with how much they add to the room and increase our privacy from our neighbors. Browsing her site makes me want to never buy another piece of furniture again, and instead build everything ourselves. As a new homeowner (a whoppin' two weeks now), I'm in constant search of the perfect pieces to make our house a home (and a very well decorated one, at that). I came across a photo of a cool cart coffee table on Pinterest and fell in love. A few days later I saw one in a local store for $250. While $250 doesn't sound terrible, it's more than I'd really want to spend.
Last weekend, I caught up with one of my favorite people who lives back in Chicago. We got talking about homeownership and she pointed out this killer sandbox her hubby made. He said he got the design plans for free on this Ana White's website. I'd never heard of her but decided it was worth checking out, especially since Lucas had just decided he wants to build a picnic table for our screened-in patio. On my lunch break, I popped over to www.Ana-White.com. Holy moly! She not only has a slew of design plans for woodworking projects, but she also breaks them down for you by shopping list, tool list, cut list, plus step-by-step instructions with pictures. Designs are also labeled with a category, like beginner or intermediate, with the hope you don't bite off more than you can chew. I'm definitely a beginner, but my husband is probably more intermediate. The cart coffee table pictured here is a beginner project and estimated to cost $50-$100. If you know me at all, you know I'm thrifty. To me, it's completely worth saving $150-$200 by putting in some sweat equity. Not to mention, I'm sure there's a huge sense of pride knowing you built something yourself. That way when guests say how much they love my table (which I know they will), I can tell them Lucas and I built it with our own four hands. We have some other projects lined up first - like the picnic table - but some time this summer I hope to be able to post about my first time building a coffee table... ... so now let's celebrate! Not to toot my own horn, but I think I'm getting pretty darn good at planning bridal showers. The tricky part, though, is keeping costs in check. I'm planning a friend's shower with a group, and I took on the responsibility of invitations. I knew the bride wanted to incorporate the nautical theme that guests would also experience at the wedding in a few months. Being the comparison shopper I am, I visited several stores and websites before selecting an invitation. Price and design were the main considerations. I would have loved to hand-make all 30 invites, but that just wasn't going to happen due to lack of time.
Instead, I found several vendors on Etsy that email you a pdf and/or jpg of the design and then you print out as many invitations as you need on whatever paper you want. This seemed like a great deal because the design was just $15 - putting each invitation at 50 cents. My research told me I couldn't beat that. I went with Bella's Boutique Design for her awesome nautical design, size, price and speediness. You could order them in a 5x7 or 4x6 size, which not all shops offered. Bella also touts she can get most orders emailed to you in just 24 hours; mine were in my inbox in less than 12. I opened the files, they looked great and printed perfectly. I did have access to the color printer, card stock and paper cutter at my office, which I'm sure helped polish the look. I had never ordered downloadable invitations before so I was a little nervous they wouldn't turn out well. Not at all! I do have to take credit for the little alarm clocks you see in the photo. The shower is also an "Around the Clock" theme so I figured a little clipart would compliment the invitations just fine. |