you gotta know how to fold em'

Hang tight peeps...this post has nothing to do with frugality or beautifying my home.  I am about to clue you in on some top secret info..I'm not gonna lie..it's pretty amazing.  You ready?  

K-- you are about to learn the most amazingly fantastic way to FOLD A T-SHIRT!  HA!  So you think I'm kidding... you think wrong!  Here's the story--back in 2000 I met my husband... but then he was just a friend (that's what they all say, right?) so I had no clue that what he was about to teach me would become so ingrained in my daily (OK.. so maybe weekly IF I decide not to be lazy and do my laundry) life.  

I am not really sure who he learned this from but he taught me to fold a t-shirt like you wouldn't believe.  I'm showing you step by step so it might seem a little "involved" and maybe even slightly nuts but when you become a pro like me (10 years strong perfecting the art of folding) it becomes second nature. My friend Jess asked me to teach her but she lives in the Dutch country (literally) so pictures are the only way to pass on my wisdom (ha!).  Because she asked so nicely you all get to benefit as well! 

Go grab a t-shirt...I'll wait.  ..........................

K--now we are ready to fold some shirts!

STEP 1

Take a regular t-shirt (this one is one of his faves) and lie it flat (I actually hold each side by the neck in each hand and shake vigorously two or three times to de-wrinkle:)

STEP 2

Holding the shirt UP (not on a table like the picture) Take your left hand and pinch at the right of the shirt (right next to the head ring-a-ma-bob).  Then place your other fingers and pinch at the bottom of the shirt (straight down from your other hand).  Move your hands so they are straight out in front of you and the t-shirt is sideways.  fold the smaller part under the larger part and put down (once you get REALLY good.. you can skip the laying it down part and move onto step 3). It should look just like the picture below.

STEP 3

Take the shirt and flip it upside down... don't move anything else.  All you are doing it flipping it so you can see the part you folded down in the previous step on the top. 

                                       

STEP 4

Now take the side closest to the bottom of the picture above and fold it so it meets the crease on the far side of the picture above.  Your shirt should look like the pic below.

                                       

STEP 5

Just like step 3 you are going to flip the shirt upside down.  so that you are looking at the back of the t-shirt.  Like so... 

                                      

STEP 6

Fold the sleeve over to meet the edge.  Smooth it out.  Here is a up close and personal view:

Here is a not-so-close view

STEP 7

Take the bottom of the shirt and fold it to the top of the shirt ( Don't judge... I am well aware my edges are not matching up... luckily for me I am not neurotic about that:)) .  Your t-shirt should look like this:

                                       

STEP 8

Because that was SO fun... you get to do it again.  Fold one more time. 

STEP 9

Flip the shirt so it is right side up and get excited cause it is perfect and you are done!  Well... done with shirt #1... if your home is like our home you will have about 20 more to go :)

Side view... 

Pretty great, right?  Now THAT's a lesson that you can take with you for the rest of your life!  

Carolyn

switcheroo

I read a post the other day that said a successful blogger is short, sweet and to the point.  The tell tale signs that you are creating a blog that people won't read is excessive writing and not enough pictures.. so since I aim to please I am giving you a post full of pictures:)


After listening to some advice from my friends, I decided to change up my living room/dining room entrance.


Here are some before pics...

The view looking at the inside of my front door (Q snuck in the pic!)

A closer look at the living room

A closer look at the dining room

No a bad set up but it was a little odd to have a wine rack in the living room when the dining room is right next door so here is what I did...

 

Moved the wine rack to the dining room and added a bench in the living room.  

The perfect spot to tie your shoes as you are walking out the door:) I'm thinking about 

adding some hooks since the mirror looks like it is a mile away from the bench..thoughts?

A closer look at the new living room.  The bench is black velvet from Target!  

I got it on clearance for $17 about 3 months ago and have used it as a vanity bench. LOVE a good find!

The dining room.  Why are my pictures so yellow?  My table runner 

is not lime green... the colors are a little off..  

A closer look at the wine rack (which oddly enough holds no wine right now :))

There you go!  A switcheroo that was 100% free.  Only thing I need to worry about now is what I am going to sit on when I get ready in the morning:) 


Carolyn

success!

Since I already failed at blogging every single day, I figued I was allotted another skip after my incredibly long day yesterday.  You must be curious...how did the yard sale go, you ask?  Well, let me tell you it was I-N-S-A-N-E!!  It is pretty clear that I live amongst yard sale fantatics. I can not longer pretend that I am a hard core yard saler... before this weekend I had no clue what that term meant:)

Here's the rundown... Friday night me and my friends went to bed around 12-ish.  I awoke to a text message at 6:25 AM from Ash asking if I was awake and ready.  Awake?  Well, now I am.  Ready?  Not so much.  So.. after a quick shower I came downstairs around 7.. we officially had 1 hour before the yard sale would begin- or so we thought. 

My friend Jess, ran out for some coffee, I ran out to finish taping up yard sale signs, and Ash started carrying items outside to set up shop.  I came home 15 minutes later (as did Jess) at 7:20ish and poor Ashley was manning the fort solo trying to set things up and talking to customers. People arrived at 7:15-- what is that about?  They were seriously 45 minutes early and the crowds didnt stop.  Im guessing we were insanely busy from 7:15-9:30... then everyone disapeared.   So we didnt get rid of everything but we definitely got rid of a lot.  Oh.. and we also made some mula! I came in at around $158.00, Jess made $104.00, and Ashley made around $75.00 (or at least thats a close estimate).

So at the end of the day it was definitely worth it.  We had a great time hanging out and making some money.  PLUS we had visitors!  My mom and sister came over to hang out with us and our friend Bev came over with her newest sweet little girl (who is named after me!!  Well.. not really but her middle name was named after my middle name--it counts right?)  One of my team members also gets major brownie points for stopping bye.. Hi RYAN!! Brownnoser, right? :)

So after a long day of selling I had my in-laws over for a DELISH dinner to celebrate the hubs 30th birthday!   I am Ti-Red to say the least!

Just did some amazing shopping at Giant and am making a pot of potato corn chowder..YUM!  Now you are all caught up!

Have a great Sunday!

Carolyn

up and at em'

The yard sale prep is DONE!  After three hours of sorting, sifting, laughing, yelling at Quinten to stop barking, swapping items, and setting up some pretty amazing yard sale "categories", we are ready to hit the hay and get up UBER early tomorrow morning to make some sales!  So who are "we"-- well obviously you know who I am :) My two other partners in crime are Ash and Westy-- two of my favorite friends!  Westy more than Ash since Ash has not read my blog in THREE days!  Ha- just kidding:)  Kindof.

SO.. combined we have some pretty odd items to sell... we decided to categorize our stuff by sections.  Our sections include; bride-to-be (yup- seriously), homegoods, electronics (which includes a printer and a car charger... not the most robust section we have), christmas items, kitchenware, doggy stuff, and clothes/shoes.  This is going to be the most organized yard sale you all have ever seen!

K- No time for gab right now... I am off to get some sleep!

Carolyn

its the most wonderful time of the year

well... not technically-- BUT.... it is YARD SALE season!!!!!  

I am super excited to have my first official grown up yard sale this Saturday! I am a self proclaimed yard sale fanatic... kind-of makes sense since I am 1/2 thrifty (and another 1/2 spender).  I am not a huge clutter person... so I don't rummage to find junk... only diamonds in the rough.  This girl (me) can spend hours driving from sale to sale and not come home with a darn thing.  It's likely that I spend more money on gas then I would save if I found something that I wanted.. but that's besides the point. 

Anywho-- I have cleaned out my house and am ready for the BIG sale this weekend.  Two (maybe three) of my favorites are coming over to sell some of there stuff too-- so it's like a "hang-out, chit-chat, make some money" type of yard sale.  

I spent my entire night last night making yard sale signs to hang everywhere... I need this yard sale to be bumpin' so I made 19! That's not excessive right?

Wanna see?  Of course you do :)

Wish us luck!

OH!  And because I am sure you are dying to know... want to see what I had for dinner tonight?  Looks odd but it is SO good... tastes just like a hot dog but without all the weird pig parts.

                                       

I made you hungry right?

Carolyn

big fat fail

Readers... I have failed you.  My BIGGEST goal when starting this blog was to share my thoughts/projects/wisdom (haha.. juuuust joshin you:))  on a DAILY basis.  And what do you know... the world was against me last night--on fateful day 8 of this blogging marathon. 

Let me paint you a picture of my evening last night.  Came home from work all excited to make some pancakes, work on a little project, and write to all of my faithful readers.  Pancakes were delish--dishes done-- so I went to take a picture for my next post and what do you know- the battery in my camera died.  No worries, im flexible--- I charged it up, watched a little Sixteen and Pregnant and checked back 30 minutes later.  Finally in business!  I took my pictures-- set up shop in front of my lovely computer and low and behold the internet was out... WHAT--IS--THAT--ABOUT?  After checking for the umpteenth time I hung my head low and gave up.  No worries-- it just means that you get TWO posts today!


You have to wait until after dinner for the next one...

Carolyn

grey!

So, growing up I am pretty sure I thought grey was the absolute worst color out there.. so dreary and dull and just u-g-l-y!  Im pretty positive that was my opinion until about 5 years ago... so why is it that I LOVE it now and I think it is the best color in the world (K..that it taking it a little far.  I still love you kelly green).

Anyways--I have been thinking about doing a little painting to break up the monotonous "builder beige" in our home. Like a lot of you out there I am all about grey!  This is my dilemma... I feel like I am a little late jumping on the "grey" train and once I make the move the NEW must have neutral is going to change on me.  This happened to me years ago.. various shades of tan were going up on walls left and right and then by the time I jumped on the bandwagon, people had already moved onto grey.  

Lets pretend I make the decision to paint... which shade of grey do you like best?  This would be above an all white chair rail in my office- so pretend there is crisp white right next to the color.  Do you like the darker shades, the ones with blue in them? 

Go ahead... click the comment button below and let me know... I know you want to! 

Carolyn

pillow talk

Nope... not that kind of pillow talk.  I am talking about the fluffy things that decorate your couch and make nap taking all the more fantastic.   


I have always been a fan of the "neutral couch- colorful pillow" scheme and was SO excited when I received a sewing machine for my 30th (eek!) birthday. Like art work from a store, I have a REALLY hard time finding pillows that I like AND that don't break the bank.  I had no clue that my life would change from this little magical machine.   Gone are the days of spending $15-$20 for a pillow.. this has taken my faux frugal-ness to a whole new level!


Once I finally mastered how to thread the spindle thingy-ma-bob and thread the machine, it was a cake-walk from there.  Seriously, anyone could make a pillow... you just make a square. That's it :) 


Now- keep in mind that I am a beginner and all I know how to do is sew a line so my pillows do not have zippers or fancy trim... just some straight up pillows.  


Anyways-- I purchased remnant fabric for about $5.00, then some pillow stuffing that was $8.00/bag (I got two bags) and that's all I needed.  For $21.00 I made 6 pillows!!  

5 of My Homemade Pillows... One is Upstairs and I was Too Lazy to Get it

Quentin Loves My Pillow!

Can you tell they are a little deflated?  I didn't realize that I under-stuffed until I sewed them up... woopsy!  I'm just going to pretend skinny pillows are in style.  :)  Hopefully my next round will be a little more plump.  I am looking to have TONS of pillows-- a WHOLE room of them so I can change up my home's look whenever I please! 




Carolyn

coupon shopping..take II

As I mentioned yesterday I was super excited that Shoppers Food Warehouse was tripling coupons up to 50 cents and doubling coupons up to a dollar, but it turned out to be a bust.  It took me almost two hours to shop and I didn't end up with as many deals as I typically get.   Shopping for two hours is not normal and is WAY too long.  I felt like I was there all day.  Typically I am in an out in an hour or so but because I am not familiar with their store layout, it took me FOREVER!

I saved 56%--paying $22.03 for everything pictured... not my best but I did pick up a few things that I needed and a few items to take on vacation. 

Anyone else take advantage of Shoppers coupon deals?  

**Enough grocery talk.. my next post will be about something a little more fun!

Carolyn

Shoppers-- doubles/triples!

I stopped in Shoppers Food Warehouse last night for some dog food and saw that they are doing double and triple coupons this week-- that's HUGE!

I am going to be heading there tomorrow to see if I can find some super cheap buys.  My sister got me into couponing last year and it is the BEST way to save money at the grocery store.  Keep in mind that I am only a coupon fanatic when Harris Teeter or Shoppers is doubling or tripling their coupons..otherwise I pay full price for things and don't think anything of it... 

Here is an example of my last super double coupon shopping trip that I sent to a few of my friends the other day just to give you an idea of the type of deals you can get... 

...................    .....................    ......................    ......................    ......................  

Super doubles will double any coupon up to 1.98

I went on one of the last days of the sale so a lot of items were gone... you have to get there early to get the best deals. 

Motts Apple juice- $3.89 (On Sale for $2.50). $1.00 coupon-- doubles to $2.00= .50 final price

3 Kraft Mayo-Spicy- sandwich shop-$2.99  (On Sale for $1.99) I had two coupons.  $1.00 coupon- doubles to $2.00 & $1.50 coupon off two doubles to $3.00= 1 free and 2 for $1.00 
final price. ($1.00 for THREE- should have been $9.00!!)

Kraft Light Ranch with cucumber- $2.19.  $1.00 coupon- doubles to $2.00= .19 final price

2 Chips Ahoy Cookie Packs- Buy 1 Get 1 free- $2.99 (total for the two is $2.99 since 1 is free). $1.00 coupon- doubles to $2.00= .99 final price (for two!!!)

1- 8 pack of Lance Crackers with Peanut Butter- $2.99 (On sale for $1.99).  $1.00 coupon- doubles to $2.00= FREE!

100 Calorie Pretzel Packs- $3.99 (On sale for $3.00). $1.00 coupon- doubles to $2.00= $1.00 final price

2 Strawberry and Peach Smoothie Packs by Dannon- Buy 1 Get 1 free- $2.99 (total for the two is $2.99 since 1 is free). $1.00 coupon doubles to $2.00= $1.00 final price (for two)

Philadelphia Cream Cheese- Individual Packs- $2.15. $1.00 coupon doubles to $2.00= .15 final price

2 Packs of Oscar Meyer Hot dogs- Buy 1 get 1 free- $8.80/two. (The sale total for 2 is $4.40). 
$1.00 coupon- doubles to $2.00= $2.00 for two packs of hot dogs

I also purchased some Milk, mushrooms, and a large bag of salad--- which were three non coupon items.

My total Before Harris Teeter Weekly Sales Included was $55.89

My total once the Harris Teeter Sale prices were taken into account was $35.49

My GRAND TOTAL  after my coupons was $14.78!

This is a savings of 74% Whoop Whoop!!!

If you take out the milk, mushrooms, and bagged salad then I got all of the items outlined above for just under $7.00.

So there you go!  Wish me luck tomorrow.. hopefully all the good deals are still there!

Carolyn 

fancy-ish living room chairs

What do you get with a lot of searching, $15, some sweat, and maybe a few tears?


These bad boys! 

        

These chairs were REALLY gross when I found them at my Goodwill.. they were brown with nasty navy blue and maroon fabric on them- tons of caked on dirt and grime and oddly enough a lot of gum on the bottom of them-- waiting room chairs maybe? 


I got each of them for $2.50!  Five bucks took home both chairs... I know, thrifty right?  I will admit when the husband saw them for the first time, he thought I was a little nuts but it seemed like all of my blog friends (technically they don't know who I am but I stalk their blogs religiously so they are my friends) were doing it-  so I had to give it a try.  I scrubbed, cleaned, pulled off fabric, sanded, used a primer/paint spray-paint, then re-covered the cushion, back, and finished it all up with some black velvet trim.  They look pretty amazing from this photo but to be honest they are nowhere near perfect.  They bunch in the back and "gluing" trim to cover staples from the staple gun is hardly the right thing to do.  Luckily my friends and family don't look to close:)  


OH! The white table next to them?  $20.00 on Craigslist... another ugly duckling made beautiful with some cleaning and some white spray-paint!  I am trying to get up the nerve to make a slipcover for my ottoman and BIG chair.  It's a bit out of my league so I may stick with painting and gluing trim. 


Carolyn

fashioning some art

OK so-- I was pondering about what my first official topic should be about and decided to go with art-- or at least what I refer to as "art"(Which is really just things framed on a wall).  


About a year ago me and my husband bought a brand spankin' new house that had tons of "builder white" walls.  We have yet to paint and are a little weird about nailing tons of holes in our walls, which means that if we are going to hang an item we have to LOVE it.  


Like I said before.. I am really not frugal but the "art" in my house would say otherwise.  I seriously searched for weeks.. make that months for the perfect art pieces to hang around our house.  You know what I figured out?  I really don't love traditional art that much.. I know, odd. 


So I had to let my inner thrifty girl come out and fashion some of my own art.  I purchased super inexpensive frames from Macy's (after Christmas sale for $6.50/piece) and found the most PERFECT table runner at Pier 1 for $10.00 on sale... after a little Tszujjing I had the most perfect "art" for my family room.  Don't you love it?

I am in love with my pictures and they were SO inexpensive.  Obviously I need more than three pictures up in my home so I moved onto my living room and printed some blow up pictures of my two puppies, Bentley (tan) and Quentin (black) and one of our engagement pictures to put in huge frames (again.. Macy's after Christmas sale... only $12/piece!).   I am equally in love...

To point out the obvious...  I know both rooms look pretty similar... I love the three in a row effect and am sad that I have to come up with another way to hang art now that I have done that twice! Besides these two pieces, I have three pictures in my dining room (not in a row- promise) and that is it for my entire house.  I am looking for other ways to fancy up the walls but love that sometimes the cheapest option is the best way to get exactly what you are looking for.  


Carolyn 

Im a BLOGGER!!!!

Thanks for stopping in to read my thoughts! I make no promises with this blog... I have GREAT intentions today but tomorrow-- that could be a different story. This is most likely because I change my mind at the drop of a button- sometimes I am messy- sometimes I am neat and organized.  Sometimes I want to paint furniture and redecorate my entire house and sometimes I go months without touching a thing in my home. I can be silly... and I can be serious.  You get the idea. 

So.. what in the world am I going to blog about?  Well... I am pretty obsessed with making old and ugly items pretty again.  I love yard sales and get SO excited when I find a great furniture steal at Goodwill or my local thrift store. Don't be mistaken though--- I sound frugal, but I'm really not.  Regardless, I LOVE to make my home pretty... So... I am thinking thats what I will talk about.  I just got a sewing machine for my 30th b-day so things could get crazy here:)  Stay tuned! 

P.S. I would introduce myself but I am fairly certain that my mom and sisters will be the only people reading this blog :-/

BLOG TITLE? Tszuj means to fluff up or make better (I'm pretty sure).  You can use it in any sentence for anything... even if it doesn't make sense no one will know.  Think Rachel Ray or Carmen from the Queer Eye-- Jooj or Jujj.  One of my MOST favorite words!


Carolyn