Yard sale finds

I went yard sale shopping with a friend a couple of weeks ago.  *NOTE* –Always take a friend!  It’s more fun; they help you find the address in the newspaper; you can laugh at the silly items together; etc.  We went  out EARLY and I came back with a car load –again!



See that “palmish thing”?  Yeah, it’s a crazy looking turkey!  It was $1, and I just couldn’t leave it there.  You should have seen hubby’s face when I brought that palm-tree turkey inside!  I just said “look away”, and he did… but not before he let me know how much fun it is to burn palm branches!   So, if I try to paint it, stain it, or pretty it up in any way, and it doesn’t work?  He’ll torch that baby with a smile on his face!



I also snatched up these 2 boxes of craft supplies for a song. 

 

Do you see the treasure in the box on the right? 




Yep, that’s etching cream!  I have been wanting to buy some of it since I got my Silhouette cutter last Fall.  But it’s really expensive.  And I got like 5 bottles of it in the box!!!  I can’t wait to try it out.  I have all kinds of monogramming projects swirling around my brain.

I also bought several metal objects this time.  Now, my first love is WOOD!   Let’s not forget that a wooden box or bin can make me swoon.  But this day was a metal kind of day.  I’m most excited about the two urns.  Hubby already had them blasted clean for me and primed.  I can’t wait to paint them and put them on my front porch.  You’ll be seeing these again, for sure!

 

Horseshoes and a gate hook?  No, I don’t have a plan, but I loved them :)

I love a good yard sale! 

Happy Hunting,

Kim



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Summer Rules Chalkboard

Summer is here!

You all know how I love the Target clearance aisle.  As I have written about it before,  I love to browse and see just what they have in the scratch and dent or “only one left in the store” section.  So, a while back I picked up a few items to use on those “someday” projects.

One of my girlfriends had a milestone birthday back in December.  Well, through a series of unfortunate events, I never got her birthday gift made.  I knew she was coming over for a visit last week, so I put on my “procrastinators work best under pressure” hat and got to work!  She has 3 kids, and they love to have fun together.  Two of them have had swimming lessons going on already this summer.  So, I dreamed up a little  something cute for the kids to hang their towels on and for mom to playfully remind the kids of the  ~RULES OF SUMMER~

It started with this basic corkboard/chalkboard/pegboard all in one. 



I painted the corkboard part with 3 coats of yellow craft paint.
    

Then I used my Silhouette cutter to make a stencil of their last name and painted the letters a bright Summery orange.

   
I created a super-easy pennant banner from some wide ribbon I had in my stash.  I just cut the ribbon into triangles.  Then using bright orange embroidery thread, I made 2 large stitches at the top of each triangle attaching it to some plain white ribbon.  I had recently seen some type of memo board/chalk board where someone used a pennant banner, but I couldn’t remember for the life of me where I’d seen it.  A few days after I made mine, I came back across the inspiration for my banner here.  Mine was very simple – just the way I like it!


   


I put a dot of hot glue on the back of each side of the board and attached the pennant banner.  I then cut out the words “Summer Rules” in a nice hot pink vinyl with my Silhouette cutter.  I attached them to the top of the chalk board.





I came up with 4 fun “Summer Rules” and wrote them in chalk.  That way mom can change them up as needed. 

Finally, I hung it up, with beach towels on the pegs and waited for my friend to arrive.  




She didn’t even see it at first.  I was exhausted from running around trying to finish it on time (since I’d put it off ‘til last minute).  I couldn’t wait for her to notice, so I just said something goofy like “look over there” : )

I think she really liked it!  I hope it’s a little ray of sunshine all summer long in their home.




Happy late Birthday, Jeanne!

Love, Kim




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Birthday Cake Cups

This year Gabe’s birthday seemed to go on for weeks!  He just turned 11 at the end of the school year.  We had to postpone celebrating, because everyone was too exhausted from 5th grade graduation, Honors Day, class party, and the last day of school celebrations!  So, we had a family dinner with cake right after his birthday and a celebration with his friends a couple of weeks later.  I wasn’t up for baking another cake.  And to be completely honest, I HATE store-bought cake!  I like bakery cakes, but they are expensive!  So, building on this super-cute idea I saw at Flamingo Toes where she featured these push pop cupcakes by Lady behind the curtain, I came up with a little something different for the party.  I admit and will continue to admit (in hopes of being cured) that I am a total procrastinator!  So, this idea came together 2 days before the party.  There was not enough time to order the push pop molds, but I’d love to get my hands on some of those beauties!  I just need to plan ahead….


Ingredients:
~Yellow Cake mix for cupcakes
~Double fudge brownie mix
~ 12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
~ 12 oz. white chocolate chips
~ chocolate fudge pudding
~ vanilla pudding
~ Whipped Cream
~Colored sprinkles

To put it all together:
~16 oz. clear plastic cups
~clear cellophane party bags
~clear plastic spoons
~ribbon
~cardboard box
~wrapping paper
~mini-flags (source: Little paper dog)

Basically, I baked up some brownies and cut them into tiny squares (so I could eat some without anyone noticing).  Then I baked the vanilla cupcakes and mixed up the batches of pudding.  In each cup, I layered white chocolate chips, brownie pieces, vanilla pudding, chocolate chips, chocolate pudding, and the vanilla cupcake.  I then filled in any empty places with whipped cream and topped with sprinkles.  Everything is better with sprinkles- don’t you agree?

source


     

We were going to a laser tag/arcade type party place, and we were only allowed to bring in cake.  I wanted to make it easy on the kids, so I decided to put their spoons in the cake cups.  Hmm…a little too blah.  Never fear!  A quick search of the internet turned up these adorable little (free) printable flags.  So, at 11:30 the night before the party, hubby is cutting out little orange and white flags, and I’m happily attaching them to the spoon handles.



To keep everything nice and contained, I just slipped each completed cup into a clear cellophane party bag and tied it around the spoon and flag with a ribbon.  Super easy!


Now to transport these little gems safely and keep them cool:

 

Hubby found a box and cut some holes to fit the cups.  I covered the box in cute paper and cut x’s over the holes.  I left one side open with a flap, so we could put a few ice packs inside to keep things cold while we drove to the party.

 

 
Ta-da!  They turned out great!  And kids and adults loved them!  I loved 2 of them myself- ha!

 



Oh, and I almost forgot…I let them add their own extra whipped cream!  They made the most of it!!

Happy 11th Birthday Gabe!

Love,
Mom

What's your favorite quote? " "

I love quotes!  I read them in books, pick them out of magazines, look them up online, and even steal borrow them from my friends' Facebook posts.  I found one not long ago that really, really spoke to me.  It's my current favorite.

"Finish each day and be done with it.  You have done what you could.  Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in, forget them as soon as you can.  Tomorrow is a new day, you shall begin in well and serenely..."  Ralph Waldo Emerson

I am going to make something special with this quote on it for my home.  Just gotta find the perfect surface.

So, what's your favorite quote?  I always enjoy reading new ones.  

Leave your favorite in a comment below.  And yes, OF COURSE, your favorite can be a verse from the Bible.  I have my favorite Bible verses posted in various places all over my house.  I don't consider them quotes though; they are so much more to me than that.  They are part of my Life instruction manual.  I may do a separate post later on my favorite Bible verse.