a MUST share! : www.save-on-crafts.com!

www.save-on-crafts.com

seeing as Im'm a lover of all things discounted, this site has quickly become one of my new favorites. The craft items and decorating supplies on this website are not only affordable, (better than affordable....down right insane!) but they also carry many hard-to-find items, such as birch paper, antique birdcages (that start at about $20!) and a wide range of apothecary jars.

here are a few of my favorites straight from their site!

Enjoy!

Bird Cages (Set of 3) $35!

Natural Birch Covered Flower pot or Vase $7

French Lavender Bundles $8.50!

Natural Twig Stick Birds nest (would look SO cute as a table centerpiece or displayed on a vanity!) $3

Fun Gifts for Him for Under $50!

As much as a love tearing through wrapping paper myself, one of my favorite parts of the Holidays is gift giving. But who knows what to get anyone these days?! And lets face it, the monogramed flask has been done, and no one needs another new bathrobe for the 4th year in a row... so how bout some fresh gift ideas, (and a few classics..) for that hard-to-shop-for gentleman on your list?

(top row from left)

1. SuperHeadz Plamodel DIY 35mm Camera $35! A DIY camera that lets you not only take the photos- but build the camera too!

2. Freaks and Geeks the Complete Collection $36! Seriously, its the best show ever.. Relive every high school swirlie and akward first dance with this awesome box set!

3. Ticket Stub Diary $12 OK so scrap booking may be Über girlie, but the gents still wanna save the memories of the Yankees taking another world series! This album is designed to document your favorite games, concerts and events... in the most masculine way possible.

(middle items)

4. Recycled Skateboard Cufflinks $20 Get him a gift even Tony Hawk would be jealous of! These one of a kind cufflinks are crafted from the wood of old skateboard decks. Each one is unique and it makes a great gift for your extreme sports dude.

5. Collapsible Trunk Organizer with Cooler $32 Its no secret that I'm a sucker for all things organization... so any chance i have to pass my OCD tendencies on to someone, I take. Plus, no gal likes a guy with junk in the trunk! am i right?!

(bottom row)

6. Jack Black Men's First Class Five Grooming Kit $48 One of the best in mens skin care, this airport security friendly kit has everything you need to keep guys skin smooth!

7. Cardboard Animal Head $28 Its a cardboard animal head! it pretty much sells itself.... Oh- and did I mention it comes in Bison too?

8. Double Horsepower SYMA Dragonfly Remote Controlled Helicopter $46 I don't care what any of you men say... you're all 10 year old boys at heart... and there isn't a-one of ya who wouldn't spend hours playing with a remote controlled anything any day of the week...

9. LEGO® Architecture: Empire State Building Set $24 Following the same rules as remote controlled toys, are Legos... Just TRY to not play with em if they're in front of you! and with Lego's new Architecture line, you can have all the fun and not feel like a total nerd stuck building the Death Star, or Temple of Doom ,or whatever...

Well.. I hope that gives you a few ideas... the websites I found these items on are great as well! (especially uncommongoods.com ) And remember : NO ONE UNDER 92 YEARS OF AGE LIKES FRUITCAKE!

Designer Duplication: Rattan Vase!

Well, now that you have some beautiful flowers (flower/pens that its..), you're gonna need a stunning vase to put them in! So why not get the designer look for a discount!!?

Natural elements and materials are a great way to give any room a warm, earthy feel and bring the outdoors in. Fall is the perfect time to experiment with different natural materials like moss, sticks and leaves... and even some twine! (like we'll do in this project!)

Right now, Crate and Barrel are selling these Rattan vases for $64.95....

Here is how to make yours for around $3.00!!! (thats a pretty hard-core discount my friends!!):

You'll need the following ingredients:

• twine or natural braided rope (available at any hardware store... but i got mine at the .99 cent store!)
• scissors
• a vase (again- got mine at the .99 cent store!!) or any item that can hold flowers...even a large plastic cup will work!
• glue gun

now assuming you have a glue gun already, you can see how inexpensive this project really is!

alright: instruction time!

First, starting at the bottom, attach the twine to the vase using a small dot of glue and begin wrapping it around.

You dont need to glue all the way around. A pea-sized amount about every inch or so should suffice.

Its really that easy! ... just wrap it all the way up!

I chose to use two different kinds of twine and used both on the skinnier vase. Get creative! you can mix ribbon or different textures to create a unique and custom look to go with any room!

And Voila~ a designer look for a discount AND something you made that you can be proud of!

Enjoy!

And here are the SAME vases featured in this months "Real Simple" magazine! See! they're super "in" and now they can be all yours!!!

(photos courtesy of Real Simple Magazine)

Making Something out of Nothing- Pillows out of Place Mats!

Pillows have this amazing way of pulling a room together. They're great at adding a pop of color without being overwhelming,...

they soften the room, they allow you to mix textures and patterns..

basically... they're a great (and SUPER easy) way to polish off any bedroom

(or office... or living room... or guest room... or bathr-- uh, well... you get the point).

Today I was strolling through Target's dollar section (or whatever its called--- the place at the front with all the baskets of goodie

s ), and I came across some place mats for $2.50*... now- i dont have a dining room table, and have no need for place mats, but they just so happen to be the exact colors I've chosen as accents for my bedroom. (tune in for the Great Bedroom Makeover for under $150!!)

(*side note: Target has SO much kick-ass stuff right now its ridiculous! Follow-up Target review blog post coming soon!)

Sooo.... I after some examination- I discovered the place mats were double sided.... and rectangular...

"DUH!"- you say... but you know what else is double sided and rectangular? Pillow cases! these place mats were soft enough to use as pillow cases and already perfectly hemmed and sewn ... all I needed to do was add some stuffing- sew 'er up- and add 'er to the bed ensemble!

And lets not forget- those are $2.50 place mats! plus all i did was use an old throw pillow that was all flattened out and dirty (and i didnt have to go out and buy) . That brings our grand total for this project to ........

$2.50!!! (well. plus tax...)

And they wanna charge you $25.oo at pottery barn... BAH!

Below is the (SUPER EASY) DIY guide to making place mats into pillows! I encourage you to take a walk down the place mat isle next time your in a department store... and think---could I use any new throw pillows??

Step 1:

Find yo-self a place mat! Make sure you can feel both layers of fabric (and make sure they're separated!... wont really work if the two sides are fused together!) Then, grab an old throw pillow- or buy some stuffing... or buy a new pillow! Big Lots (another one of my favorite markdown stores) sells cheap-ass ones for about 3.99. Since you're not sleeping on these, who cares if theyre firm and not extra firm!

Step 2:

Tear open that old pillow and pull out the stuffing. Old stuffing will (more often than not) be flattened out and matted looking.... but by simply pulling at it and tearing it up (pull at it like an accordion... you'll get that analogy when your holding the stuffing.) you can fluff it up and make it look (almost) new!

Step 3:

Make a 3-4 inch opening by ripping the seam on the side of the place mat. Be gentle when doing this! Remember- this is the side of the pillow people are going to see! Then stuff the hole with the stuffing from the old pillow. I like a well-filled pillow... but that parts up to you!...

Step 4.

With either a sewing machine or by hand, stitch the place mat -- now pillow case--- back up!

Its easy when you just follow the marks left by the stitching that you ripped out in step 3.. you're basically just resealing it...

And thats it! Look at that! Something out of (almost)nothing!!

and just cause were on the topic of pillows-- i'll leave you with this.. A ginormous pillow fight.. that i just so happened to be in on Valentine's Day in San Francisco a few years ago....

SAN FRANCISCO GIANT PILLOW FIGHT!

these are a few of my favorite things...

So every day I have these ideas... every now and then I put them into action, and most of the time, they turn out pretty cool. I thought- wouldn't it be great if i could share some of these success stories (and sometimes failures) with some other people who were feeling crafty? Hence the blog. So what in particular will I be blogging about you ask? Well... my FAVORITE (yes- i use that word a lot... get used to it. its official- i'm the person on the planet with the most favorite things. sit down julie andrews! There's a new gal with a new list of favorites in the house..) anyways- where was I.. oh.. my favorite thing: bargain hunting.. getting the ultimate deal, making something you picked up at a garage sale look like a million bucks and - basically- creating something, (extraordinary) -out of nothing, (or perhaps the ordinary). Here is where you'll find my weekend warrior furniture revamps, latest garage sale finds, DIY craft projects, designer decorator duplications for a discount (say that ten times fast!) and a whole lotta other odds and ends to make you smile. oh- and feel free to make suggestions along the way! (I am new at this)

:)

your friend, sarah