snug as a bug in a RUG! a striped RUG!!!

I'm beyond excited... like super duper so happy I am bursting kind of excited!!!!!  Why so much joy?  Well  that's cause this girl FINALLY found a reasonable priced striped rug last night and made the big purchase!

Remember when I was looking at the navy blue and white striped rug that was a steep 890 smackeroos?  (http://tszujjingitup.blogspot.com/2010/09/i-want.html) Well I think we all knew that wasnt going to happen-- this girl is too cheap (um... yeah and poor) for that kind of purchase.  SO.. last night while searching ALL my favorite blogs I stumbled across a posting on dwell studio rugs that just so happened to be on sale for $200 (PLUS free shipping)-- eek!!! sheer happiness! After jumping up and down for like 10 minutes and talking a mile-a-minute to the husband about why I HAD to have this rug- I made the big purchase.  Now don't get me wrong- $200.00 is a load of money BUT compared to other look alike it was a steal AND lets be real- tis the season to be jolly and this rug makes me jolly!

Here is a picture of the lovely..

To be honest I don't really know what color it is.. the info said ink and cream but what color is "ink" really?  Are we talking black ink or blue ink people?  I'm sure you thinking, "isn't that kind of important information to know before you buy" well yes, normally it is- but, I couldn't really decide what color I would want so I look at this like the best possible situation- I don't have to make the decision- the store does it for me.  Double win!

Lets hope this rug looks as good as I think it is going to look- fingers crossed!

Muah!

Carolyn

Pillows a-la IKEA!

So... judge all you want but this girl is a big fan of IKEA!  I ran over there this past Sunday and was pretty excited about my uber cheap purchases.  Wanna see?  Bet you do.... 

So before hitting up the "Last Chance" corner which is full of their sale and clearance stuff I ran through the store real quick and found these great black and white "frankenstein-ish" pillows.  So the pillows have nothing to do with Frankenstein but the design on it reminds me of the big knob things that come out of his neck.  Anyways... back to the point.  I decided that even though I am quite the sewer and can make my own pillows that I liked these enough to pick up two.  At $12.95/piece they were fairly inexpensive.  THEN... I made my way to the sale corner- MY FAVE!  Low and behold what did I find there?  Two black and white pillow shells (i.e. the outside of the pillow with no stuffing in them) they were- get this- only $2.99 a piece.  I couldn't find anything wrong with them so in my cart they went!  I also found  a really thick piece of white fabric for $1.00 so I picked that up to and stitched up a new pillow when I got home.  Here are my newbies...

Pillow cover stuffed with some batting

Pillow cover, Frankenstein pillow, green pillows I made a while back, new white
pillow, and another Frankenstein pillow :) 

Love me some good cheap finds!

Carolyn 

thrifty shopping

Whats a girl to do with a free morning and a few smackeroo's?  You probably guessed... Yard sale and thrift store shop!!!


Look at all of the loot I got for less than $35.38.  Sure it looks like trash right now but wait till you see what I do to it...or attempt to do to it!!

Almost all of my goodies!

What a STEAL!  Seriously!  I have been looking for one of these dresser's FOREVER!
When I saw it sitting all by itself I was so excited to see that it was $25.00... then just as I
asked the sales person to take it to the front for me he lifted off the lamp on it to show a SALE
sign for $10.00!!!!  You can't beat that price!  It is going to go in my guest bedroom.  I just need to
decide if it is staying wood colored or not... stay tuned!

U-G-L-Y you ain't got no alibi you UGLY... hey hey you ugly!
Ahh.. j/k.. I have high hopes for this one! This gem was $5.00

A closer look!

Don't love these right now.. but I think they will look fantastic prettied up.
The pink one was $1.99 and the white one was .99. 

Another plate for my plate wall!  Love how colorful this one was!
Plus for .99 it had to come home with me.

Pretty excited about these little mirrors that already have hooks for the wall.
They are going to be fancied up first though.  Total- $3.99

An Apothecary jar with sea shells.. you cant beat that!  $5.00

I debated on these things forever! They are wall sconces and I think I like them.. not 100% sure.
For $1.96 a piece I will see what I think of the end product.  

This is a HUGE bargain that I found at a yard sale this morning.  It is a warming dish that just
needs a little TLC to make it silver and shiny again.  Never been used for $3.50!

Have you gotten any good deals lately?
Stay tuned for some before and afters coming this week!

 Carolyn

favorite frugal finds

 Wanna know the best feeling ever?  Lets paint you a picture... You are out shopping, minding your own business, and you stumble upon the most amazing item ever.  For some it could be fantastic shoes, or a great top, for others it could be the most amazing lamp or pillows you have ever seen (for me its always about the home decor... dressing myself is not my strong point).  You fall instantly in love and start searching frantically for the price tag hoping and praying that it is within range.  You find the price tag and immediately notice the orangeish-red sticker on it (can you tell I shop at Target a lot?)...and you realize that you have hit the jackpot... your most favorite-have-to-have item is on CLEARANCE!    That my friends, is what I call happiness.

Here are some of my favorite finds that I have collected on DEEP clearance over the past few years.  Some of these things may look familiar from other posts!

The lamps that started my LOVE of navy blue.  These beauties were on sale for $13.00 at one Target and $11.00 at the other.  I found one and HAD to drive to find another.  I. Love. Them. 

    

My old man chair.  Isn't he handsome? He was only $2.50...just like the matching chairs that I re-did! 

   




My Craigslist Coffee table- kind of girly huh? 

This was a GREAT find if I do say so myself.  I got this large kitchen table from the Crate and Barrel Outlet store for $100.00.  In know what you are thinking...$100.00 isn't that cheap and you are right.  BUT for a solid wood table that will live with me as a kitchen table or craft table for the kids I don't have, it's well worth the relatively small cost. P.S. Here we go again with the yellowish pictures. Humph!

I love this cute little silver tray table.  He was left all by himself on a shelf at target and I couldn't leave him.  Plus for $14.00 on clearance he was a steal!

  

I feel the need to exclaim my love for Homegoods!  I fall in love with a mirror every time I walk into that store.  This mirror was $40.00--  and it is HUGE (and beyond cheap in comparison to others).  

Of course I have a million other random chochski's in the house that were bargains... but my camera just died so  I must leave you in suspense for another day.  Anyone find any BIG bargains lately?


Carolyn