Annalee Dolls - Halloween Steal!

My kids think the Annalee dolls are so CREEPY looking!  I think they are adorable and at a price of only $2.50 each I couldn't pass them by.  That's a 80% discount off the MRSP.

 

I purchased them from Marshalls last year at the day after Halloween sale.  $11 Bucks!  These will be so cute on my Halloween mantle.

side note: I just did a search on ebay for Annalee Dolls and each of these were listed at the original MSRP.    Who knew they were collectibles?  Not me. 

Score!

Kirkland's STEALS!

Have you heard about Kirkland's?

 A new store just opened in the Folsom Palladio which is a beautiful shopping destination near my home.  I decided to stop in and see if there were any steals...and as luck would have it, I found a two!

Both were closeouts and sold "as-is".  The first is this metal floor lantern that I'm using in my flower garden.   It is missing the glass insert panels, but for $8.00, I'm in love.  It's about 42" tall and is perfect in my flower garden for ambient lighting with a candle inside or maybe holding a dish of bird feed.

My 2nd STEAL is a 30"x40" Black mirror with a 4" black and gold distressed frame - There is a tiny crack in the frame that is nearly invisible -  Hello...$20.00!!  Cha-ching.  What a GREAT find.  Perfect to hang above my fireplace.
I think I found two really great STEALS for my home and  I'm totally doing the happy dance here.

Hope you have a great weekend :)
 

J Crew Bubble Necklace - Deal of the Day!

I love this bubble necklace from J Crew but with the $150.00 price tag I had to pass.

After a little research and help from Pinterest friends I found an alternative from ebay for $14.50!  Shipping is free and will take two weeks for delivery because it's coming from Hong Kong.
 

This my friends, is my kind of deal.

 

In Bloom - the front porch

Happy Monday!

Now that spring is around the corner, I decided to spruce up my front porch.  I found a few good deals on decor and garden items this weekend that really brighten up the area. 

The first deal is a set of Sunbrella outdoor pillows from Costco - 2/$12.99 which is a great bargain.  Sunbrella is a quality product and is usually expensive.   I love the pineapple and flower motif on the two I purchased.  The pillows coordinate nicely with the patio set and tie in with the outdoor rug at the front door I got at Lowe's last year on clearance for $17.00. 

The second  deal is on 1 gallon Lavender plants that I also purchased at Costco - 3 plants for $9.99.  I planted them in separate areas since they will grow to be quite large.  They smell so good!

I now have a yellow and purple garden that was totally unintentional.  It is pretty though. The two yellow carolina jessamine are blooming and the pansies from last fall are still going strong. Soon I'll have an assortment of roses, geranium, camellia's, purple bearded iris and calla lily blooms as well.  Can you tell I love flowers?  Love them! 

What's growing in your garden?

 

Ceramic Drawer Pull Knobs

Yesterday I was out and about running errands and decided to stop by my local Ross store to look around.  I do that often.  I just stop by various places and look around.  I know I'm not the only one who does that, right?  Well, last August I found this hardware at Ross  when I was setting up my office/mom cave/music room so I figured it wouldn't hurt to look around for some knobs.

Well, I scored.  I found these ceramic drawer pull knobs and thought they would be perfect for the furniture re-do I'm working on for Allie's bedroom.  I've been looking for a set of knobs for the past month, so this was pretty exciting.

$7.99 for 6 knobs is a great deal.  I think they'll look so pretty with the newly painted white furniture.

Thank you Ross!

Bedroom Inspiration and Decor finds

Allie and I spent the weekend looking for paint colors and shopping for bedroom decor based on the inspiration ideas we found online.  As I mentioned before, Allie and I hadn't yet decided on a paint color or decor for her room.   (I don't recommend you do that...especially with a 12 year old).  This will be the room she spends the next 5 years in, so the decor needs to be something that she will love.

We both liked these:

Pottery Barn Teen

Via Pinterest

Home depot was our first stop for paint samples.  We chose two and then went home and painted the samples on her bedroom walls.  After living with the colors for 24 hours, we agreed on Silver Chain by Benjamin Moore.  It's a gray color that shows off her decor choices of black zebra, pink polka dots, white duvet and white furniture pretty well - looks very close to the wall color in the photo above.

Paint color - Silver Chain by Benjamin Moore

We chose the Pintuck duvet and shams  by West Elm and lucked out by finding it at Home Goods for half the price!

Room Decor so far:

Pintuck duvet - by West Elm found at Home Goods

Zebra pillow and throw - Target 

Black/white polka dot pillow - Target 

Pink polka dot sheet set - Target 

White bedskirt - Target 

Pewter lamp with white shade - Home Goods

So far, so good.  Now it's time to paint.  Oh joy!

 

Updating with Hardware

I've been looking to purchase cabinet hardware for several months now. Have you seen the prices for high quality hardware? Me too and I wasn't buying.

Until today.

I was running around town doing errands and I decided to stop at Ross for a looksy. In the back of the store where the close outs are piled high I came across two fantastic hardware deals.

The first is for my recently refurbished desk that is in need of a desk pull.

See...no desk pull.

But I found some by Stanley.  Not just one cabinet pull but 10 cabinet pulls - the exact size I needed 3-3/4", oil rubbed bronze for $4.99.  Now I have enough for all of the cabinets and drawers in this room.

Hallelujah!   These babies are priced at $4.99 for 2 at Lowe's and I got 10 for that price.  Thank you Ross!

A

I also found two drapery tie backs - $1.99 for both.  They're also in the oil rubbed bronze finish which I love.

One for each of my two front windows.

Much better now.

Happiness

Sherbet Blossom

Gift Box Deal at Wal-Mart

I stopped by my local Wal-Mart today for a couple of grocery stockpile items...salt and black beans.  Exciting, eh?  Maybe not so much.  

When I was checking out I noticed a big rack of clearance items right next to the checkout area. There were quite a few Christmas items available including these gift boxes.  

Each package contains:
3 lingerie boxes

5 shirt boxes

2 robe boxes

I purchased two packages.  One of each design.  Total cost?  $.50 per package.  Wowza....$.05 per box! I love that half of each package contains boxes that sport really cute designs and can be used for gift giving throughout the year.

Score!

I l♥ve a good deal.

After Christmas Deals at Target - 90% off!

I think I got the last of the after Christmas deals at Target.

My Haul:

3 rolls cute wrapping paper - $.19 each (perfect all year long)

8  gold shatterproof ornaments $.50 for all (1 is damaged)

"A" Christmas stocking - $1.49

Small burgundy Christmas stocking - $1.00 (for our doggie)

Sparkling sugars - $.39 (great for Valentines Day and St. Patrick's day cupcakes)

Table runner - $1.49

Bundle of twigs $.50

Total Spent: $6.00

SAVED: $53.00!!

Costco Product L♥ve

32oz. pump  $8.99 each

I recently purchased these products...Costco's NEW Kirkland Brand Professional Salon Formula Moisture Shampoo and Moisture Conditioner - Sulfate Free, Paraben Free, 100% Vegan, Gluten Free and "Safe for Color Treated Hair"

Have you tried them yet?  In my opinion they are fantastic!  I've been using both all month and from my first use, my hair looks and feels fabulous!   The shampoo and conditioner both have a very light citrus scent which I l♥ve. 

When I try a product that really wows me, I like to pass the recommendation along.  At $8.99 each, It's a bit more than I would usually spend, but I will definitely be splurging on these again and again. 

 You may want to give them a try.

Thanksgiving Decor Freebie

I just LOVE these picture prints. And I love them even more because they're FREE!

Compliments of Craftily Ever After

PRINTING INSTRUCTIONS:

To get the print at full resolution, make sure to click on one of the pictures above (it takes you to another screen) and click on the picture AGAIN so that it is so big it doesn't all fit on the screen. THEN right click and save onto your computer.  

Print away!

Feeding My Freezer - Ground Beef Bargain

My local Safeway has a fantastic deal going on right now- 80/20 ground beef for $1.49 per pound for the max pak. The lowest price for this same product is $2.59/lb at Costco.

I stocked up big time.  How does thirty pounds sound to you?  Sounded like a deal to me.

The first thing I do is cook up about 7 pounds at a time in my trusty cast iron stock pot.  I add Lawry's seasoning salt and let it cook in it's own juices on medium until done.  This step takes about 20 minutes per batch so I usually do this when I know I'll be home for at least a day with no other obligations.

After I drained off all of the fat and juices, I let it cool for a couple of hours and then bag it into 4 cup increments.  I use ziploc quart size freezer bags that really do hold up well in the freezer.

Pull out a bag the night before you need it and let it defrost overnight in your fridge.  Works like a charm.

Tonight I'm making Beef Strogonoff and having the ground beef precooked will save me loads of time.   I'll post the recipe tomorrow.  It's a keeper.

Tablecloth Bargain

 
My little kitchen table has spent most of the past three years a little exposed.  The glass/wrought iron look is a bit overkill, so I've been shopping for a tablecloth to change things up a bit. 

Now that it's Fall, I decided I needed a tablecloth that would warmify it a bit.   I went to my neighborhood thrift store and came across the perfect solution...

What a lucky find!  The tablecloth is custom made out of a merlot crinkled taffeta.  It fits my little table perfectly and really warms up the area.   I took a chance and washed it in cold water and put it through my dryer...it cleaned up beautifully.

I ♥ that it only cost $3.00. 

I encourage you to go checkout the thrift stores in your area.  You will be surprised with the treasures you find.

Boots, Baby!

It's Autumn now and the rainy season is not far off. Time for a pair of rubber boots to keep my feet dry.

Aren't these matte red rubber made-for-rain boots cute?  I found a similar pair online by Chockra for $74.95.

Instead I found these on clearance for $3.00.  Solid rubber matte red boots.  I think they'll be perfect on my feet while I'm working in my garden this winter.

And wouldn't they be cute with white polka dots painted on them? Hmmmm...I feel a craft project coming on.