Where have I been?

Hello Everyone!
I'm so sorry that I've been away so long. I've been moving kind of slow as far as new posts and projects go. Honestly I've been going through some things and trying to get back on my feet. I had to focus on taking care of my son and finding work. ( I've started my own photography business and I'm trying to become a makeup artist.) I was also trying to decide if I was going to stay at my place when the lease is up. I didn't want to decorate a whole apartment just to break it all down again. I have decided to find a cheaper place. The rent is going up again and its just ridiculous. I am all about frugality right now ya'll. If I can get it cheaper. I want that. If it isn't really a necessity. I have to think about getting rid of it because let's be honest, I'm not balling right now. I would like to be one day and I have many plans and goals to get me and my family in that direction. I just want to be able to live comfortable and be in the position to bless others.

I wasn't sure If I wanted to talk about other things in my life on this blog because at first it was supposed to be all about decor. While it will still be a lot about that, I'm doing this to save money so at the end of the day its about saving. There are many areas in our lives where we can cut back. We don't need all the things we have. Especially if you really can't afford it. When I think of all the material things I wasted my money on I just shake my head. Yet there is so much that I've never done because I didn't want to spend my money. Instead of cable I could use that money to go on vacation. Visit another country. Get a facial or give to a charity. Don't get me wrong there's nothing wrong with doing what you want with your money that you worked hard for. But I just don't want to be worried about bills and where the money is coming from. I want to make a good life for myself and my son. I want to be more responsible and reasonable with my money and I want to teach my son those same values. So that's what its all about right now. Besides there are so many ways you can look and live fabulous with out spending all that dough! Now that's a good look.

So anyways, I've got a few months before my lease is up. I'm thinking about downsizing as much as I can to save money. That also includes downsizing to a one bedroom. Ugh! At first I dreaded the thought. Now that I have a two bedroom I don't wanna go back! But it's getting pretty expensive where I live. I was doing some research and I found all these cool ways that people made space in a small space. With room dividers and stuff. If I cannot find an affordable two bedroom I'm getting a one bedroom. So now I'm excited to move so I can work on making space. Next time I will start the decorating process when I move in instead of six months later like I did with this place.

I came across this awesome website Ikeahackers.net where people hack, personalize, and re purpose Ikea furniture. It's so cool. People post their projects and tutorials their. I came across it because I was looking on some ideas on turning a one bedroom into a two bedroom. I came across a similar article there. How to turn a studio into a one bedroom. You should check it out. You can learn a lot. I'm definitely hooked!

So anyways, that's just a little update on whats been going on. I will try to update you all on my frugal finds on everything I can. When I can. Hollerrrrr!
Sist@Boo!

How was your weekend?

Hello Everyone,
Maybe I should have posted this one Monday but I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and Mothers day. I actually had a pretty good weekend. I took my son to the zoo for the first time on Saturday. That was nice. I haven't been to the zoo in 13 years. It was a last minute decision to go. My friend had asked me if I wanted to go so I went. We got there a little later in the day. Around 4pm. It seemed like many of the animals were off the clock by then. (lol) A lot of them were sleeping or eating or something. We didn't get to see everything since they started closing down by six but I really enjoyed seeing all the different birds. They had this big bird area that was closed in but the birds were flying around freely. There were peacocks and some other pretty birds that were just walking around freely. I could touch them if I wanted to. Since it was a last minute trip, I did not prepare to bring my camera but I wish I did. The zoo made for some lovely photos. (Note to self. A photographer should always have their camera ready).


On Sunday I went to church and we had a lovely mothers day message with a special guest speaker and singer. After that we had a cookout at my mother's house. We ate good. Had a lot of laughs. It was a good mothers day over all.
I've been a little lazy obviously when it comes to DIY projects. I'm sorry guys. It's just that...To be honest I've been looking for a job and try to start my own photography business at the same time. I also babysit. So, you know how this economy is right now. It wouldn't be smart of me spend money every week on this, that and the other. That's why I love sites like freecycle. It has really helped put tremendously. 
Anywho, that's about it for today. I just wanted to touch base. I'll try start some projects tomorrow. ( If my nephew would stop destroying my house every time I clean up.) 
Smooches!

Picking a color scheme.

Hey folks!
I know I'm moving along kind of slow as far as projects go. But I'm glad I waited until I got most of my pieces in before I started to paint anything. I think I know what color scheme I want to have in the living room. When I first moved in I was dead set on chocolate brown couches. I wanted the living room to have lots of browns and reds and burnt oranges. That's all I could see. The whole entire apartment was about to be fall colors. ( I love the fall). Now things have changed. Ever since I became interested in decorating I've been reading a a lot of decor magazines and there are so many beautiful things you can do to "swag up" you pad. Especially when it comes to color.

My tastes have changed a little. In my room instead of burnt oranges I now want creams and golds and pinks. Who would have thought. Me and pink? Not hot pink though. Grown woman pink. Soft petal pink. I think the combination is very romantic and ladylike. I might have a little edge in me. But deep inside I'm a die hard romantic. (who tears up when watching love stories. Don't tell anyone!) When I come home from beating people up in the streets, I want to come to a clean soft, lovely room, with a vanity and perfumes that I spray on with one of those vintage pump thingies. yeah, That's what I want. Here's some inspiration if you're thinking about adding these colors.

Aren't these cute little rooms? I love the touch of pink. Note too much. So it still looks grown.

Any who, I'm getting off track! We're not worrying about the room. The living room. That color scheme had definitely changed. I'd like to have the main colors be royal blue. Then I will throw in some golds and a touch of orange and reds I guess. The couch I'm going to make will definitely be royal blue and gold a we'll go from there. Here's a few blue rooms I for inspiration.

Now these are not all the same colors I was thinking of but I love, love, love these living rooms!

So those are the colors I'm feeling right now. It's time to get the ball rolling though. I've bored you all enough!

Smooches!

furniture Update

What's up people!

Sorry its been a while. I've got a lot going on right now so I haven't been able to update as much as I'd like to. I have some new "old" furniture updates! The place is coming along. I'm actually kinda proud because I haven't had to spend much money yet to buy furniture. Most of the spending will be on material to revamp everything. Let me show what we're working with so far.

So, someone was giving away  some slipper chairs on freecycle. She had two of them! I looked online to get an idea of what slipper chairs looked like. Now, there were many variations and the looked cute. I had it in my mind that maybe she was giving away this style.

I thought now that I can work with. Its shaped nicely and it would be easy for me to re-upholster. But, it was not the exact same style she was giving away. I was so pressed to pick these up. Meanwhile, I wasn't quite sure how I was going to place them in the living room. I didn't even ask anyone to come help me. I had to have these chairs! When I got to the Freecycler's home there chairs were already outside. It took me a good ten minutes to try and squeeze them in my car and trunk. I didn't even bring anything to tie the trunk down so instead of taking them one by one I drove with the hazard lights on and the trunk nearly flying open. Good thing the chairs were close by. 

I fooled around with different ways to place the chairs. My living room and is shaped weird so there wasn't many ways I could come up with that looked decent. Plus, my living room isn't that big. This is what I came up with though:

 Here's how it looked before.

I'm actually kind of proud. I thought is would take longer to get decent looking pieces for my home for absolutely free. But so far I think I did a good job. The place is filling up! I think I have enough furniture in place to start the upcycling process. I know you see the couch is still bare. Yes, it is. I've been struggling on what colors I should paint the would. Should I paint the would first? Get the fabric first? Should I just go with the flow? Should everything be matchy-matchy? Do I want contemporary or shabby chic? Eclectic or Romantic? There are so many possibilities. So many influences. When I first moves in my mind was set on brown couches with the decor full of reds, and golds and burnt oranges. It seems like the more I learn about decorating, the quicker what I want changes. I wasn't trying to go overboard with spending money on furniture but since I have spent close to nothing so far, I can go ahead and get the decorating process started! Yay me! Hope you all stay tuned. I will try not to bore you all too much. I'll try to get some more projects done. I'm still working on managing my time between life and blog. I've got so many other things going on. 

See ya soon!

My first Project! Decoupage

Hey people,

So I recently did my first DIY project. I decoupaged a table! According to Merriam Webster's Website Decoupage (pronounced Da-ku-pazh) is the art of decorating the surface by applying paper cutouts and then coating them with several layers of finish. There are many sites and tutorial that can show you how to do this. Although its fairly easy to do. Depending on the size of your project it can be a little time consuming. Some people do parts of the surface while others do the entire surface.  The finish product was cool and cute and well worth it. Here's how I did it.

This is the table I used before. My friend who no longer needed had given it to me. Not bad. I decided I would use it as a small accessories vanity of some sort. Its a little too small to be a full vanity. Although you can find tutorials any and everywhere on how to decoupage surfaces. I'm going to show you how I did mine

Tools

Scissors

Cutout/ Paper pieces- You can use pictures, napkins, magazine cutouts etc.

Surface to apply paper to

Paint brush

Adhesive mixture- Most people use Modge Podge but I opted to do it myself using regular elmers glue and water mixed together.

Spray paint or paint for base color (optional)

Old sheet - to put under the piece of furniture to minimize mess

Clear coat or some type of finish to seal

Procedure

First thing I didn't was cut out the pictures I wanted to use for my table. I used fashion and beauty pictures of things that I liked. I wanted it to be pretty and girly. I cut out products and accessories and people and celebrities with cute outfits on and perfume. I also cut out words that described the girly table. Like pretty, sexy, beauty, fashion and lovely. You know, stuff that described me. (lol)

This took a while especially since I chose to layer my pieces like a collage. I ran out of pieces half way through and had to go cut some again.

First thing I did was wipe down the surface. Some people sand it if its a wood item. Although mine was wood. I did not sand it.

Next I prepared the adhesive mixture. I just mixed some Elmers glue with water. You don't need a whole bunch of glue for this. About 8 table spoons of glue mixed with 4 table spoons of water was enough for this project. I didn't really do any measuring for this. You just used the water to kinda loosen up the paste.

I spray painted the table so that if any of it where to show throw if would be the color that I wanted. This is optional especially if you plan to cover the entire surface. I let that dry for about five minutes.

Now I'm ready to start placing my pieces. I start with the largest pieces to act as the background images. One at a time I used the paint brush to brush on the adhesive to the back of the cutout and smooth it onto the surface. After smoothing it to the surface I brushed on some more adhesive over it. This helps to stick the other pieces when you begin to layer. I did this over and over until the entire surface that I wanted covered was covered. 

For the edges and the legs I did the same thing except I fold the pieces over the edges and smoothed them. It was not hard to do that since magazine paper is really thing. When i had every piece in place I let it dry. I was in no rush and it was late so I just let it dry over night. I'm sure it doesn't need over and hour to dryer using magazine paper.

Last I sprayed the entire table with a glossy protective spray from Krylon. It looked good still without the spray but I wanted it to have a glossy look.

That's it! So i hope you like it. Feel free to leave your comments and feedback. Let me know what you think!

Smooches!

Why Buy A Couch When You Can Make One?

Hello Again!

Everything is moving along nicely. It feels great to not be sitting in an empty room. Even better that I'm saving a lot of money. The past few months I've been looking on Craigslist for a sofa for my living room. So, I thought I'd find a used one. Either one that was in decent condition or almost new, or one that was in good condition but cheap or less so I could try and reupholster it. I'm the type of person that likes to do things herself. (As you can clearly tell) Why pay for it when I can do it or make it myself? That's my motto.  I like new stuff, don't get me wrong, I love new clothes and new shoes. I like to shop. I even like new furniture. But if you are just tuning in, I'm trying to save some money. Plus I like the fact that you can take something old a raggedy and turn it into a beautiful work of art. Creativity and art! Right up my ally. 

On Craiglist you can find anything for sale. I've noticed that there's a lot of stuff from Ikea on there. One very popular sofa is from Ikea's Klippan series. Here's what looks like.

I like it because its very simple. Clean lines. So it would be very easy to re-decorate with pillows and fabric. I was planning on learning to re-upholster so I thought this would be easy to do. You don't even have to buy expensive upholstery fabric. You can decorate it with some graphic sheets or a quilt.

Another couch I see a lot on CL is the Lillberg sofa. I believe the series is discontinued at Ikea but this is what it looks like.

The cushions come in different colors and the wood finish is different. I thought this would be easy to change around and paint as well. I was looking for something that would be easy for me to try my newly learned DIY tricks on. I'm not into all the wood but I figure I can change that with paint. So, I was in the goodwill look for some stuff I can use. I saw this frame.

Now I know its just a futon frame and it's a little scratched up.Its not small though. I figure I can make the cushions and paint the wood myself. I'm excited about this one!

Furniture Update

Hello Lovely people!

I know it's been a while. Forgive me. I've been procrastinating a little I must admit. I have so much to show you though. I'm not sure at what pace this is all supposed to be going. I mean, since it is not my full time occupation to blog and build things all day, things haven't gone as fast as I thought. I have to be very careful not spend all my money on fixing up my place. " I gots bills to pay man!"

So, I got some new furniture. Well its not "new-new". But remember, I'm trying to spend as little money as possible fixing this place and I love free stuff. Especially If I'm redecorating or repainting it. I would feel a lot better if I messed up a piece of furniture I didn't spend money on! So lets take a look at what I got.

Remember my sad little desk space. My back was starting to hurt from using the computer this way.

My sister gave me this desk. Its a pretty good desk. It has some scratches but its functional. With a little primp and polish this desk can look brand new in no time!

Look over there! My little flat screen is sitting on top of a stepping stool that is supposed to be in my son's room! (lol)

Mow its sitting pretty on this little side table I got from my bff! Well, not exactly pretty, but hey at least its not on that stool anymore. I'm definitely going to paint that.

 I also received this little side table that I thought was perfect for my room as a little vanity accessory table.

I found this little sculpture too. Its shaped like a woman or something. Looks kinda tribal. I may re-purpose it though. So, there you have it. That's some of the things I got so far. My apartment is filling up and I barely spent any money! I like that! Make sure you stay tuned to my updates. I have more to show you!

Let's Get It Started In Here!

Hey people!

I've decided that I'm only going to focus on decorating the living room and dining room. This is because I have six months left on my lease and I don't think I'm going to renew it. Its a bit to pricey for me at this moment in life. So, there's no point in decorating my entire pad only to tear it all down in a few months. I might not finish until the summer! My lease is up in September. But don't worry, I'll have plenty opportunities to do other people's homes I'm sure. Many projects as well. I hope you will stay tuned. So, instead of re-doing furniture as I get them, I'm going to put the pieces in places as I get them. Show you what I've got. Then we can start the plastic surgery once most of what I need is in place. Let me show you what I'm working with.

This is my dining room. It's kind of plain and "blah". I got this dining from set for free! It only had three chairs but I thought I'd find a really cool chair I could add to it. That would be my chair of course! I'm not a huge fan of this kind of wood. I would not want a home full of wooden furniture. To me it makes the home look old. Maybe even a little country. no offense to anyone. Its just not my style. Thank God for paint! I don't plan to do this area up too much because I plan to use this spot for photography purposes as well.

 This is part of the living room. I need a desk for my computer. Free computer too!

A little bit over to the right is a little space I use for the bookshelf. I got that book shelf for five bucks at a church yard sale. I plan to make that wall a wall of photography all the way up to the ceiling.

This is the living room. All I've got is a t.v. that is sitting on top of my sons mini steps. (both free stuff) A church member gave me that t.v. That little tub chair is an Ikea Tullsta that was given to me as well. That little lamp was like five bucks at Walmart! So far I spent a total of fifteen dollars on my living room! 

So, a couple of days ago I got a little advanced birthday money. I decided to spend it at the thrift store! I've been really anxious to get some projects started. Let me show you what I got;

I got these cute little shells from my neighborhood thrift store for a dollar. There were eight shells in the pack. I don't know what I will do with them yet but Hey! They were a dollar!

I got these little artistic tiles for $1.96 each  from the Goodwill. It looks like it might have been a student project but I thought they were cute. I'm not sure where I'll put them yet. They're a little to big to be bathroom tiles. I like 'em.

I Purchased these shabby chic candle holders for a dollar each. I'm not a shabby chic fanatic. But I could do a few shabby chic pieces here and there. I like to mix up different styles. I haven't decided if I will keep these shabby chic though. At least not in that color

Now this...Well, I don't quite no what this is supposed to be. It looks like a big metal fly swat for killing large mutant bugs. But I had to remember while shopping to also look at things for what they could be. Not what they are. This concept makes shop ping longer for me but it workers when you are looking for things you can re-purpose. So, I figure I can make this some type of jewelry organizer or key holder. What do you think? What else do you see when you look at it? 

Smooches!

New Old Stuff

Hey Folks,
So, I told ya'll the other day some ways you can get free stuff. The past few days I've been putting those ideas to work. I sent a message to some of my friends and family to see if they had any unwanted items. Only two people responded. (Booo!) But I did get some things from my mother. My mother has so many things in her home. Surely, she could spare a few! At first she was like, " Nooo, I want all my stuff!" She must have been feeling generous because she let me have a few items. Here's what I got;

I got this set of candle holders. Hmmm. I'm thinking centerpiece maybe?

I also got this wooden bowl. I think its a little too big for my dining table but I can find some use for it.

I have been freecycling and posted a message asking for spray paints. Someone had a few cans available and I was really excited about that. They had some stone textured paints in the bunch and primer. Yay! She saved me a good forty bucks because I've been wanting to try those paints out for a while.


Anywho, my car is broken down and I plan to have it fixed this Saturday. So, I can't get this project moving as fast as I'd like to. I have some little projects I'd like to start on but I'm wondering if I should wait. I had planned to get all the main pieces I needed for my place first. (sofa, computer desk, bed, etc.) Then I would wait until I had them all in place before I refurbished anything. This is because I change my mind often. What if I find a lamp and paint it green and when I get my sofa, I don't like the colors together? I've learned that when dealing with free items, you are getting things as is and its not usually close to the ideas you envisioned. Of course thats where refurbishing and repurposing comes in. But I have to take that into account when planning. I do have some little projects as I said before. It wouldn't hurt to start them. What are they you ask? Well, one is a jewelry organizer. If you are already a do it yourselfer you may have seen many variations of this already. But I want to make my own. I want to make several different ones actually. Two other things I have planned are a night stand made from card board and picture frames made from shoe boxes. One of the best pieces of advice I have learned since I entered into the world of thrifting and junking is " Do not look at something for what it is, look at it for what it could be." I think that was The Salvage Sisters. Who says a lamp can't double as an earing holder? Or an old chandelier can be a centerpiece on your dining table! The possibilities are endless!

Where I Get Used Stuff

Hey People,
So now that it's time to begin, I need to figure out where I can find used things. I first began looking for things on craiglist. I found out about Craigslist a few years ago when my sister and her boyfriend bought a car from there. I was looking for a car myself but I noticed they had other areas for sale. They even have a free section. ( I love free stuff!) People post their free and unwanted items on there and you contact them by email to arrange to pick up. (Be careful when responding to ads online. There are crazies out there!) In the free section there are alot of raggedy items being given away. But, there are alot of great things on there. I once saw this great looking couch being given away. I wanted it so bad but I didn't hve anywhere to put it. ( I was renting  room at the time) I missed out on that opportunity but ever since then I became addicted to searching the sale and free ads for great finds.


Another great way to get absolutely free stuff is from Freecyce.org. With freecycle you can help the economy and keep good stuff out of landfills by giving it away for free. What you do is join your neighborhood freecycle. Everyday you will recieve posts on items that your local freecyclers no longer want. If something interest you, you contact that person and arrange for pickup. Most people do porch pickups or arrange to meet some place. People give away all sorts of things from furniture to clothes to coupons. Even things you would think nobody could possibly want like a half full jar of peanut butter or used underwear, there is somebody out there who could use it. If you need something you can post a message as well. For example, maybe you need a tall lamp. You post a message saying so. If someone out there has a tall lamp they no longer need or use, bada-Bing! There you go. A new lamp and you didn't even have to spend a dime! I've gotten a few things from freecycle. A toaster, a blender, spray paints for my projects, a christmas tree and decorations, and a blower dryer. So, before I go to the store and spend money I see if a freecycler has what i'm looking for. Did I say i love free stuff?


The thrift Store. Since I've been looking for ways to save I started exploring the thrift store. I must admit, its really fun digging for treasure at the thrift store. You can find some really neat and unique things there. I guarantee you there are cool thrift stores and consignment shops in your area. You can find vintage things or new things. Clothes, shoes, furniture, and electronics. Before I buy anything new I'm hittin' up the thrift store first. (except for clothes and shoes. I like those things new) The other day I went to a consignment shop and found one of Mariah Carey's Cd's for $2.99 and the movie "The Village" for like, $3.00. Both used but in perfect condition. Great!


Yard Sales and flea markets. Just like the thrift store you can find some great stuff at yard sales and flea markets. The bigger the yard sale the better. Last summer I started going to yard sales. More like yard sale hopping! The great thing about this is that the sales are usually cheaper. The actual owner is usually right there and most times you can haggle the price a little. Sometimes you don't even have to. I went to this one  yard sale and I noticed a young boy selling his PS2 games. I bought two that I thought my five year old would like. But I should have bought them all. The boy was going to give me about fifteen games for eight bucks! For some dumb reason I passed. ( I'm still learning)


Family and friends. If your family is anything like mine, i'm sure they have some things laying around that they don't use anymore. Call around and ask your family and friends if they have any items in there home they are trying to get rid of. Offer to come and pick it up. Sometimes things stay collecting dust inside peoples homes because they don't feel like moving it.


Swap Party. This is an idea I've been playing with. People are holding swap parties all over the country. Its a great way to get rid of all the stuff you don't want and connect with friends and family. You can hold  swap party at church or at your home. Wherever you want. Have everybody bring everything they dont want. Then everyone can go around and pick up the stuff they want from other people's piles. All the leftover stuff you can give to charity! I plan on having a swap party real soon.


So, these are just some ways you can get your hands on used items for little to no cost at all. I have utilized all of these methods as I continue to search for cool stuff to recycle. I Hope this was helpful if you are looking to do the same.
Smooches!
SistaBoo!