couponing

Coupons were always dangerous for me.

My idea of "couponing" was to search the ads
and magazines for wonderful coupons
for accessories and tasty food that I did NOT need,
but could justify buying... if I had a coupon :)
So I stopped clipping coupons because it was not
saving money on groceries or home supplies.

But recently I stumbled across several blogs
that teach the art of sales and coupons...
#1 fav is {money saving mom}

So... I have devised a plan to help me
save money while buying only necessary items.
I make my grocery shopping list and then,
only then, do I look at coupons, cutting out only
the ones that match what is already on my list.
Now occasionally I will cross off an item on my list
and add a new item if the sale is extremely good
but for the most part- I'm pretty proud of myself.

I have yet to learn the art of CVS shopping with
these things called Easy Care Bucks...
but I did get some good deals at Walgreens
using their Register Rewards Program:I bought 2 True North Snack Bags= $3 each
but got $3 back for each bag in Register Rewards
(this means $6 off my next purchase)
I wouldn't recommend doing this unless you
were already going to need to spend $6 at Walgreens.
I needed to buy shampoo/conditioner and pickup photos
So I went back through the line with an even greater deal!!Garnier Fructis Hair products were 3/$10 on sale
which is a great deal by itself, but I usually never buy
hair product that is more than $1.50
so then I found a Register Rewards deal that said
if you spend $20 on Garnier products then you get
$10 back in Register Rewards!!! So really it's 6/$10!
Cheaper and way nicer than what I am used to washing my hair with :)
I got 4 shampoos and 2 conditioners- each one had a little
bottle of sleek hair serum attached for a special promo!

For $10 I purchased:
4 shampoos, 2 conditioners, 6 hair serums, 2 bags of yummy snacks
(and I have a $10 credit for next visit!)

I say all that to encourage you to look into couponing
or to ask you for some hints on how you find sales
and work with coupons or store rewards...
Do you have some favorite "saving" websites?

drowsy...

I accidentally bought the drowsy medicine.
These heavy eyelids can't stay open much longer.
My head is going to explode.
and I am almost out of tissues.

but these calming pictures and sipping on "lemon lift" tea
brought me a little smile and one less sniffle.

Enjoy!
because from what I've read in blogland- everyone feels congested and sniffly today :(

Thank you Restoration Hardware.

fall festivals

Last weekend, Patrick and I stumbled across
a festival in a little town called Milford.
The town's old Main street is one of our favorite
places to go on a beautiful day, walking from shop to shop:
antique furniture, fly-fishing, log cabin decor, pottery
"Main Cup" coffee house, and vintage clothing!
"The Vintage Home" was my favorite shop...
so many nice things and very well organized!

The next shop made me sneeze with all the dust,
but it sure was packed full with vintage goodies!
Clothes everywhere, old lace and sewing patterns, vintage ties,
and look at all of these old children's books:

The roads were filled with treasures too!
I wanted this cute yellow lamp:
The one on the left corner of the table in the picture below.

Maybe you can stumble upon a Festival this weekend!

fall at the Garcia's

pumpkins from target after season last year
(gotta love wii bowling!! haha)

(put leaves in a vase/bowl for an unexpected "bouquet")

(fill a small bowl with Indian corn and place a votive on top)

(spooky spider from "The Shop Around The Corner" in Mariemont- best home decor shop ever!)

I love showing off seasonal books with tiny easels- from the dollar store.
(my aunt gave me this sweet book! since this picture, I found some acorns to sit there...)

(Indian corn from Kroger and cornucopia for $1 at target last year)

(the pots were from my mom :) and the S&P shakers $1 section at Target last year)

Vali found some fake flowers to destroy:

(at least she looks remorseful...)

If you can't afford any new fall decor, you at least have to pick up this candle
from CVS because it smells wonderful and is only 99 cents!

(spider votive candle holder- from my mom & Everyone has to have a Paula Dean Cookbook!!)

Growing up my mom always had a glass pumpkin filled with goodies
and last year she surprised me with one of my own!!!
(the oreos are now all gone*)

Have you decorated for Fall already?
If so, share some pictures and I'll pick some for another post!
Or let us know some of your decorating/craft ideas for the season...

it's coming...

I have decorated for fall-Patrick made me wait until after Labor Day :)
my home is filled with leaf decor and a pumpkin spice aroma...

I will post more pictures soon!

I store each season's decorations in Rubbermaid boxes

with labels on every side, so that when the season comes
I don't have to search through a chaotic basement storage closet.
Also, I rotate what boxes are at the front of the closet.
For example, when I pulled the fall box out, I moved the
Christmas box (actually, boxes!!) forward and put summer decor in its place.

Pillow Slipcover

Do you have an old pillow that needs some new life?

I had extra fabric leftover from a little curtain project
and an ugly pillow that I needed to hide :)
The fabric was an indoor/outdoor fabric from JoAnn Fabrics
(sorry I don't know the name)

Here are the steps:

Find pillow you want to cover or a pillow insert.
Measure the pillow or decide on the size insert pillow you want.
Add 1/4 inch seam allowance.
Cut out two squares/rectangles, MAKING SURE to leave
one square 3-4 inches longer (depending on the thickness of the pillow insert)
This is so that the back flaps can overlap and cover the pillow inside.
(Check out the picture above)
My 2nd piece of fabric was not long enough to cover the back pillow
It kinda pulled it apart and showed through
so you want to make it a little longer if your pillow is really fluffy.

Take the longer piece of fabric and cut 1/3 off of it.

Now line them all together so they are equal and the cut square overlaps.

The two pieces that are overlapping need to be sewn under
so they are finished when we turn the pillow inside out.

Sew the ends back...

Now lay the two pieces back together (right sides facing each other)
overlapping the two flaps that now has nicely sewn edges
Pin around the edges of the two pieces of fabric:

Take a little break and play with your puppy :)
(she continued to bring toys and sit them on my lap)

Sew around the edges... Flip inside out through the overlapping flaps...

Squish the pillow inside... and you're done!

sunday drive

Patrick and I are so weird.
We spend our Sunday afternoons (after church and a nap!)
driving around, windows down and country music turned up
looking at houses and landscaping in our neighborhood
and looking for new streets we haven't seen yet.
It is so relaxing and we love our special time
together without a care in the world!
Here are some pictures I snapped on this Sunday's drive: