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Showing posts with label Awesome finds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Awesome finds. Show all posts

Monday, May 30, 2011

Cool Ideas: Beat the Heat!

Just the thought of Arizona in the summertime makes people shudder. Things don't even start cooling down until October (last year it didn't really start cooling down until late October/early November and then it only stayed AC cool during the winter time! Craziness!). I don't think it's as bad but because I have 4 boys, you'd better believe that there'll be football! Our football season comes during those months that are the hottest in AZ! (Not to mention I will be at the field all day long because I have to watch 3 different games back to back!) 

This year, I decided to "Beat the Heat" by preparing my "cooling gear" early. On a trip to Walmart one day, my husband and I bought a garden sprayer (the kind that sprays insecticide and weed killer).  These puppies hold quite a bit of water and, thanks to a wand and nozzle, can spray streams of water or super fine mists that can keep you cool without making you look as if you could be a contestant in a wet t-shirt contest. The sprayer is portable and can be taken just about anywhere! You could also add ice to the tank to make the mist even colder! 
The price was not bad (about $8) and I knew it would pay for itself the very first week of football.

To personalize it, and make sure no one without my last name could accidentally take it home, I had some vinyl of my last name cut in our team's colors and applied to the outside of the tank. You could also use letter stickers or a permanent marker to spell your name out.

I also applied the symbol H2O so that we or other people wouldn't mistake it for poison. It was also so no one would use the "water sprayer" to spray poison.


Lastly, I brushed a layer or two of mod podge over the vinyl to seal out moisture that could cause the lettering to detach.
Now I am ready to Beat the Heat at all those upcoming football games! I hope you will enjoy using your sprayer just as much as I will!

Brandi-Lee

BTW, don't forget to enter to win in our giveaway! You have exactly 3 more days to enter! All's you have to do is comment to enter to win! Good Luck!


Monday, April 25, 2011

Heads up! "Kohl's $10 cards"

Head's up people! You should be getting your Kohl's $10 card in the mail. These are a good way for you to spend a whole $10 of someone else's $ at Kohl's for yourself! You can either spend up to $10 and get your merchandise absolutely FREE or you can get $10 off something and pay the difference! YAY!
Contrary to what we all are used to, you do not have to buy a certain amount to use your card (which is why we love Kohl's!). That is an entire $10 for you to spend on whatever your little 'ole heart desires compliments of Kohl's.

I would totally have taken a picture of how the card looked when it came in but I already used mine Teehee! The pic would've been helpful for those of you that never realized that the card "the wonderful looking junk mail that you love to chuck as soon as it comes in" is the card I'm talking about. Yes, I've done it before unknowingly!! and Yes, we are literally throwing $ in the trash!

Anyways, here's what I got with my card! (I used the card they sent me last time to buy something but never used it so I took it back and so I had about $22 to spend altogether! yay!)

 With my $20, I bought a box of decorative cubes and 2 wrought iron easels. You can never have too many easels*;) And this is what I love most about what I got. . .




The box of wall cubes
were $29.99
 One of the easels was $14.99





And the other was $12.99

 Q. So how did I stretch my $22 so that I could buy all that cool stuff totalling almost $60? (not including sales tax)

A. Well, those Kohl's cards can also be used on any sale or clearance items as well   

Did you get that? K, I'm gonna type it again in a bigger font~

Kohl's cards can also be used on any sale or clearance items as well!!!

You gotta give me props for this one, c'mon!
Good Luck on your Kohl's shopping spree*;)

Brandi-Lee

PS just got a little tip from a friend of mine, she said that if you subscribe to Kohl's emails, they give you $5 to spend at Kohl's!! Wonderfulness!
Thanks for the tip Amber M.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Shopping Spree! (the paint aisle)

Hey Everybody! So I was stuck at Walmart one day while waiting for the hardworking Walmart employees to give my car an oil change and. . .don't laugh. . .I decided to whip out my trusty camera phone and show ya'll some of my favorite aisles to peruse (<----love using that word!).

Yes, I'm pretty sure people thought I was mental snappin all those pictures of wonderful Walmart merchandise but I was doing it on behalf the cause! (The "knocking it off" Cause that helps impact lives around the world by sharing ways decorate for "as free as can be") LOL!

The first aisle on my list. . .The Paint Aisle. These are the things that are in the paint aisle that I either look at, want, have used, or think is cool. I've chosen to focus mostly on the spraypaint.

K, here's my first picture. . .


This is a pic of all those wonderful 98 cent Walmart brand spraypaints that Mileka and I use so often. If you have tried out different brands of spraypaint before, you will notice that the product fits the price. This paint is not the best one to use on all your projects, but if  you're looking to save some moolah and tackle smaller projects, it fits the bill. You will probably use more paint to get better coverage but with the awesome price tag, you will still come out ahead.



I guess I'll tell ya'll about the differences in finishes. Do you see the spraypaint covers above? There is a distinct difference in the look and feel of the finishes on the covers. It's like when you order photo prints from the printers. They ask you to check which finish you want on each print. If you want a "shinier" picture, you choose glossy. If you want a smoother, less glossy picture, you would choose matte. Think about the project you are doing. Would it look better done with a glossy finish? or a satiny/matte finish? The good thing is that YOU get to choose which one you want. Oh, almost forgot to mention that the color of the cap, is also the exact color of the paint.


*Cue the Angels singing
 K, picture the heavens opening and a beam of light shining down upon this spraypaint. My personal opinion is that Krylon is the very best brand when it comes to spraypaint (I love Rustoleum as well).


With greater quality comes a bigger price tag. I believe it's worth it depending on what you're willing to spend for your project. These last a lot longer than the cheapy brand meaning 1 can goes a long way!



This Krylon paint is specially formulated for plastics. I've used it on many different shiny finishes that other paints would just run off and it has come out beautifully and "sticks to the surface" wonderfully! I think this one is my favorite! When purchasing spraypaint, always make sure you read the back of the can to see what kind of material that particular paint will cover.


Here's Flourescent paint to mark areas that need to be seen.


Here's paint that has a metallic look.


These Rustoleum paints have an awesome trigger sprayer that reduces hand fatique (I'm sounding like a commercial now!) and lets you spray at any angle. These have a hammered finish and because it's Rustoleum, it stops rust on your metals. This paint is an all-surface paint and will spray on wood, metal, plastic, masonry and more! Awesomeness!


These paints (above and below) have a textured, multicolored finish sort of like stone. The bottom one re-creates the natural look of stone!
So Cool!




I thought this was cool as well. If you have chips or scratches on your appliances, you can fill them with this epoxy touch up. Who comes up with these things!!


How awesome is this? You can paint these onto different surfaces to create a chalkboard finish! I haven't used the spraypaint yet but I love the paint in the can. This sucker lasts forever! Fun, fun, fun for children's rooms! I've seen  painted pantry doors for menus and entire walls made into a chalkboard so the kiddies have a place to scribble. Tape the surface off (with painter's tape) just like you would when using regular paint. Use your imagination with these. Imagine where you would want a chalkboard, and paint one there!


These are clear coats. They seal and help protect basecoat from scratches, water damage, etc. Some clear coats also help protect the finish from UV rays. The lacquer clear coat, has a very high luster coating kinda like those japanese rice bowls. Very Shiny!


Yay!!! One of the most wonderful sights that you could ever see in the paint aisle. Whenever you see a red tag, it means you will save money on paint. The paint may not always be the color you may want but it's always good to take a look because you never know!


This price tag is for 1 entire gallon of paint in this color. What a great find! This'll last me forever!  Most times they get rid of paint that the customer feels is a "tint'' off. Does that little tint off make a big difference? You be the judge of that. Sometimes they are just getting rid of paint that is old stock or they are discontinuing. Whatever the reason, you always come out the winner!

Well, there's the paint aisle for you. Hope you learned something from this post. Stay tuned for other posts from the Walmart aisles (I had a whole 3 hours to kill there!!!). Have fun painting!

Brandi-Lee

Friday, April 8, 2011

Did You Know?...Dryer Sheets

Did you know...

that it isn't necessary to use a full dryer sheet?

Did you know...

that 1/4 of a dryer sheet is usually adequate to dry a full load of laundry?


Story...
My friend Torie B. told me that you can cut your dryer sheet into 2.  So I tried it and didn't see a difference.  Then I thought...if I can cut it into 2 and it still works just fine...can I cut it into 4
So I tried it...and guess what?
It still works!!!

NOW...

I cut my dryer sheets in 1/4.  I get 4 loads from every sheet.

I like to buy the generic brand at Walmart (sorry...I can't remember the brand...because I haven't bought dryer sheets in so long...ooo).  It is $1.00 for 50 sheets. 
But...I cut them into 1/4...so for $1.00 I get 200 dryer sheets.

I do one load of laundry a day. 
2 boxes will last me a full year and then some.

Ahhhh...$2 for a 1 year supply (and some) of dryer sheets.

Music to my ears!!!



Here is my lovely supply of dryer sheets.
Do you love my bucket?  Yes, that's an ice cream bucket.
(In another post I'll show you what to do with all those empty ice cream buckets laying around ...
if you don't have any, start saving them).

FYI:  The only problem I've had is with my whites.  If I only use 1 sheet I'll get some static cling now and then...so I just throw in 2 and that seems to take care of the problem.

happy drying

mileka:)

Dedicated to Torie B...u r awesome!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Fabric Wall Hanging

 For a while I wanted "gratitude" up in my house somewhere.
I thought about vinyl but didn't want to pay for it
(u know me:)
It was before I figured out how to make faux vinyl.

I decided that the next best option would be to make a wall hanging.
I didn't have any spare wood on hand to make one.
So, the idea just sat around in my head. 

Then one day as we were driving to the community pool we passed a house with a ton of trash sitting out on the curb.  I didn't want to stop.  My hubby said that it looked like there might be some good stuff (I didn't see anything...because I didn't look in it...duh).  I got out and took a look.  I actually did find a ton of good stuff.  I think the best find was this frame. 

It is pretty big.  It still had its glass in it.  The picture wasn't great but I know I good find when I see it. 
We loaded up the stuff into the back of our van and went swimming.

About a week later I finally figured out what to do with it.  I wanted to paint "gratitude" on the glass (like I did in my hand painted mirror project...click this link to check it out).  So I got started.  I took out the picture, cleaned the glass, and painted the frame.  The frame was dry and I was putting the glass back in when it broke...I wanted to cry...I almost did.

I had my heart set on finishing my project.  I had to walk away so that I wouldn't get angry.
I sat on my bed thinking of how I could still make it work.  Then it came to me...use fabric...paint on the fabric.  I had fabric!  I had the perfect color.

I knew that if I painted on the glass I could just wipe away my mistakes. 
Painting on fabric is totally different.  One mistake and it's done.
I decided to use a stencil.


Here is how I did it...


Supplies:
  • frame (with backing-or make one out of cardboard)
  • paint (for frame/lettering)
  • paint brush (I prefer foam brushes for stenciling)
  • fabric
  • box cutter/exacto knife
  • Packing tape or hot glue gun (with glue:)

1.  Prep frame (paint if needed)
2.  Place the fabric into the frame from the back.
3.  Place the frame backing into the frame.
4.  Pull the fabric along the edges pulling the fabric taut/tight.
5.  Tape the fabric in place to the frame backing/backboard
(make sure the fabric is taut/tight).
I used good old clear packing tape ($1 at Walmart).
It is what I had on hand.
6.  Secure the frame backing/backboard into the frame
(double check to see if the fabric is taut/tight)
Did I say that enough?..ok...I think you got the message:)
7.  Find a font and saying you like. 
Use your computer to enlarge the letters to the size you want.
For large projects it will run onto multiple pages.
8. Cut out the lettering with a box cutter/exacto knife/etc. to create the stencil.
Remember...not to totally cut out the center pieces. 
Leave it connected with a little bridge.  This gap can get painted in when you are done.
9.  Tape pages together(if necessary) and tape the stencil to the fabric.
10.  Paint the lettering using an up and down "blotting" stroke.
You don't want to use sweeping strokes as that will force the paint under your stencil.
Go slow.  Take your time.  Hold each letter down as you paint.
11.  Remove the stencil.  Fill in any gaps.

Tada!

my cost = FREE
(I had or found everything I needed)

mileka:)

Monday, March 14, 2011

Helpful Hint: Why go to garage sales?

Why go to garage sales?

They have awesome deals!



Example:
Found these at Goodwill.  Cost?  $3.00 (ok, we've noticed that our local Goodwill prices are starting to climb...not too happy about that).  I started laughing because I found the exact same thing at a garage sale near my home for $1 for the pair (2 weeks prior).  I bought them...but haven't done anything with it...yet.

Did I get a good deal?

You bet ya!

Paid $1 instead of $3.


Happy garage sale-ing!

mileka:)

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Awesome Find: Faux Vinyl Wall Stickers

Wall Stickers

(Found it at the Dollar Store) whoop! whoop!

cost = $1


They have lots of different designs. 


Here are some of the ones that I bought...


This was one of my favorite...






Do you remember the faux vinyl project that I did?

 I added a wall sticker to it...oooo...so pretty.


I also moved a hutch that I had in the kitchen into the room to help take up some wall space.
I got this hutch on the side of the road...marked free. 
 I spray painted it with black spray paint. 
It took about 2 cans.

Total for this grouping $5

faux vinyl $2
wall sticker $1
Hutch - FREE
spray paint $2

Grand Total = $5

stay tuned to see what happens to the hutch:)

"stick" around...lol

mileka:)

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Awesome Finds: Wooden Board Project

So, I bet you're all wondering what I did with all those wonderful wooden boards (from my awesome finds post) that I rescued from certain death. Well wonder no longer 'cuz imma gonna tell ya!

What used to look like this. . . 



Now looks like this. . . . .





 (I still have 2 boards left that I'm going to use for my own house)

I made these gifts for my mother and father-in-law, my sister-in-law, and my sister to give to them when I visited Hawaii. PS I am posting this from Hawaii! Hi Ena!

Not bad huh? Was I lying to ya'll when I said that I literally find trash and turn it into treasure? And this, my friends, is not an isolated incident. I've done this over and over and over so many times that I could write a book on it. Why do I say this? Because I want ya'll to know that anyone, YES, ANYONE! can find stuff ANYWHERE and turn it into something Beautiful! 

How, you ask?


1. Change your mindset. (find out more about how to change your mindset here) You have to believe that YOU too can produce similar results. You need to believe that even you have the ability to make things beautiful (just say "Yes, I can!). When you've allowed yourself to accept these things, you can then move on to #2.


2. Open your eyes. You cannot expect for things to magically appear on your doorstep. You need to keep your eyes peeled no matter where you may be. You may be driving down the road and see something out for free or in the trash, or you may be shopping and see something for an "as free as can be" price. No matter how you do it, remember that there is more than 1 way to acquire what you want or need. (find out more about how to get "stuff")



3. What you see is not always what you get. Train yourself to look at things differently. Do not let appearances deceive you! What may be hideous to the untrained eye is beautiful to someone that sees the hidden potential. People will always throw out their "trash" but always remember that "One man's trash is another man's treasure".


4. Do it! Projects do not complete themselves. This may be the most important thing of all to remember.The reason I say this is because you may have all your "stuff" ready to go, but if you don't physically get up and do something with them (because you "don't know how" or "you can't make things beautiful" or "yada, yada, yada and every other lame excuse you can come up with") it'll lay there and collect dust and you will be where you were the day you brought them home.


I hope you will take these things to heart and finally decide that you are gonna decorate and 'aint no one gonna stop ya!. The only one that can stop you is YOU!


Good Luck--Brandi-Lee

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Awesome Find: Paint Chip Sample Cards (FREE)

On a trip to Home Depot I stopped by the discarded paint area (in this area they sell paint that was mixed incorrectly...also known as "oopsie" paint at a discounted price).  They didn't have any colors that I was interested in that day.  But...on my way out I passed the paint chip samples (those little paint sample cards).  These cards are available to customers for free.  So...I helped my self.

I think a got a little carried away...but I couldn't help myself. 
I love neutral colors and it's free.
(p.s. 2 of our girl's names were chosen from paint chip samples;)

Here is what I walked away with...
I took brown, cream, and white tones.


Here is what I made with it...

Mosaic Hide-a-Boxes.

It hides my ac control panel.  It is creative, awesome, and artsy all at the same time.


(You can also visit your Walmart or local hardware store to find paint chip samples)
mileka:)

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Awesome Finds: New Wooden Boards!

I was out and about yesterday delivering Valentine's goodies to friends when I had an awesome find! To the untrained eye it will look like trash but in my eyes, they are a dream! (to find out what I did with them, click here)


It was sticking out of someone's trash can on the curb, getting ready for the ride to the dump. I could not believe someone would even throw this stuff away!


I got 5 boards at 7 in X 3 1/2 feet long. There are sooo many things that could be done with these. They look practically new! The red paint is a minor matter, the boards will be sanded and painted anyway.


Another cool thing about them is they have these tongue and groove sides which helps them to "snap" together and allow for a flat surface kinda like wood flooring (in fact, I think it is wood flooring!) These boards could be used either separately or together. Fabulous!

Have you had a cool find lately? The random trash finds are my favorites! I will have so much fun with these. . .I hope you will come back to see what I've done with them!

One man's trash, is another man's (or woman's) treasure!

Brandi-Lee

Awesome Finds: FREE Bar Stools

Found...FREE

Q:  Where?

A:  TRASH

I found these chairs in two different areas. 
Both were out on the sidewalk marked "FREE"...so I took them:)
Here is the kicker...ready to get kicked?  Both locations were no farther than1 road from my home!



 The center stool was a light colored oak. 
I painted it using the no prep spray paint method.


The two stools at the ends were found in good condition (just needed a good scrubbing). 
They were too tall for the height of the island so I cut them down.

1. Remove plastic bottoms on legs.
2. Using a hand saw, cut legs to size
3.  Replace plastic bottoms on legs.


3 free bar stools
(I had black spray paint left over from the kitchen table project)

mileka:)
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