Local Classified Ads

A habit that I have picked up as a wanna be frugal shopper is checking out my local classified ads. Luckily for me, the town that I live in has a website that has a great classified section that works very similar to Craigslist (which I also often frequent). For quite a while, I had been in search of a new coffee table. I was thrilled one day when I opened an ad labeled "Coffee Table" and found that someone was selling the the Tanner Coffee Table from Pottery Barn. I had often admired this table, but didn't want to pay $400(new) for it. I emailed them right away, because you have to be quick sometimes or someone else will get it first. And I got the table!

This is the table that I had before. It got to looking pretty bad, so about 5 years ago I painted it so that I could continue to use it.

And this is the Tanner Coffee Table from Pottery Barn that I now have:

My cost if I had bought it new: $399 + tax + shipping
My cost by buying it used: $100

In the Garden

I feared that it wouldn't come back this year, but I have a rose bud on my rose bush! Hopefully there are more to come....

A knitter, I am not

A few years ago, my pal, Jenn, taught me how to knit. I was able to find a book that included left handed instructions which helped because I was able to converted what she was showing me to "lefty". The only thing I made was a scarf. An ugly scarf, but it was in fact recognizable as a scarf. Feeling pretty proud of myself, I decided I might as well try my hand at crocheting and jumped right in to make a blanket. Unfortunetly, the blanket was not a success. Though, I suppose I could say it was intended for my Chihuahua. In that case, then yes, I did indeed crochet a tiny blanket. That pretty much ended my attemps at either skill and in time I forgot how to do it. So, last week I decided to re-teach myself to knit. I think it's safe to say I won't be making a living as a knitter because I'm pretty slow and I've yet to venture into any fancy manuevers. So far I've made two squares trying to get the hang of it again. They're not good for much of anything unless I wanted to sew them together to form a tiny pillow. I'm sure my dog would appreciate a tiny pillow to go with that blanket. I've started another attempt and I'll post a picture if it actually starts to look like something. Wish me luck!

Tin Cans

O.k., so I have this thing about throwing away tin cans. Every time I get rid of one I think surely there's something I can do with this. So, I am on a mission to find interesting ideas. Here's a few I've found so far...

Penny Carnival makes really cute fabric covers for them! I soooo want to try this idea! Now I just have to learn how to use my sewing machine....

Elsie Marley gives another version of this idea on her blog and includes a tutorial.

Check out MariposaAvenue. This crafty Etsy crafter makes these cool night lights!

My mom always used these for storing sewing stuff, like thread, buttons, ribbons, etc....but here CrashCanStudio shows us another idea of what can be done with those used Christmas tins that we don't know what to do with, but hate to throw out. Some ideas she gives for these Cake boxes are gift box for a b-day present and a centerpiece for b-day party. Adorable! Other ideas I've come up with:
1. Cover sides with pretty craft paper and store pencils or paint brushes.
2. Paint a big coffee can and use as a flower pot, smaller cans can be used for seedlings or starter for plant clippings.

I continue to seek out other "tin can crafts" and would love to hear some of your ideas!

Thrifty Finds

So, I was admiring the pics from Mary and Hans' house tour on the Apartment Therapy site. Then I scrolled down to the "Resources" section for some of their furniture and decorative items, and I was pleasantly surprised to find Craigslist listed several times. It's shows a lovely example of how you don't have to spend big bucks to make your home look nice, and that some great items can be obtained second hand.
You can even find items from those stores you would love to shop at, but just can't see spending the big bucks, like Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel, and Restoration Hardware.
I wanted a nice white shower curtain for our guest bathroom, so I bought this Restoration Hardware shower curtain on my local online classifieds for only $5! The fabric is like those thick comfy spa robes. A similar item is listed on their site right now for $70. You gotta love a deal like that!
Oh, and for about $5.oo I got a new liner and roller hangers at Linens N Things because they were 75% off. Woo hoo!