Bargain Hunting

This week Tate was in Florida for work, so after my mom and brother left from their visit it left Jace and I alone for a couple days to get back to reality.  I really enjoyed being able to spend some time alone with him doing things he enjoys (like playing at the park, and his favorite storytime Mother Goose and Friends started up again!) and also doing things I enjoy (bargain hunting!). 

A couple of weeks ago Tate had left me a card with some money in it that basically said "this money is for you, don't you dare spend it on Jace or things for the house...", how sweet right?  Only problem was, I haven't shopped for myself in so long I didn't even know where to start.  I love to shop but usually the only things I leave the store with are things for Jace, or things for the house... I didn't even know where to shop for myself.  I really need some more warm weather clothes since it's t-shirt and tank top weather in South Carolina 9+ months out of the year.  I hadn't bought any new warm weather clothes since the summer of 2009, when I was very much pregnant.  Let's just say those clothes aren't exactly flattering options.

I had big plans to drive downtown and do a little shopping at Express and Forever 21 but it got too close to rush hour so I stopped in at the store three blocks from my house called "Ross".  I had no idea what the store would have, but it was right next to Target and it said "Dress For Less" out front.  My inner bargain hunter had to check it out.  I'm not sure if there are Ross stores in MN and I just never noticed them, but I thought it was great!  It's sort of like a Marshall's but maybe a little cheaper.  I went over to the Juniors department because the other stuff looked very granny-ish and found a ton of stuff to try on.  Anyone with a toddler knows, trying on clothes needs to be VERY quick so I rushed out of there with 5 shirts and told myself I'd try to go back sometime soon when Tate can stay home with Jace. 

Once I got home and re-evaluated what I bought I realize I have a problem and it's called being boring.  Someone please introduce me to color.  If something is black, white, beige or gray I want it to be mine... But, check out those prices!

Boring...

$4.99!

Oh, and I broke the rules a little and ended up buying Jace a little something.  I was trying to find things to distract him with before heading to the dressing room and stumbled across a book I read as a child.  As soon as I saw the illustrations I started having flash backs on reading it as a child, so I had to buy it for him!  He loves anything related to animal sounds too, and for $3 I couldn't pass it up.

Anyone else get childhood flashbacks
from this cover??

Ok, if we're being honest... I also broke the rules a little further and picked up a metal plate rack on clearance for the house.  Oops.  I have been looking for things to put above our kitchen cabinets because our ceilings are vaulted and the wall looks really bare without things up there.  I had a picture laying around that needed a home so I figured this would be a perfect way to display it and use that space.  I still have along way to go with finding stuff to put up there though... what do people put on top of cabinets??  This is a new concept for me.

What do people put on top of cabinets??
PS- Don't mind that I'm burning dinner while
taking these pictures... lol

All in all I spent less than $50 on 5 shirts, a board book and a metal plate holder thingy.  So, after that little trip I decided that I LOVE Ross, and I will be stopping in periodically to see what types of deals they have.  I was impressed that they had a pretty large discount toy section and alot of home decor considering they really only appear to be a clothing store from the outside.

I also decided to do a little thrifting this week.  I'd been told about the Community Thrift Store in Summerville and how much better it is than Goodwill.  I had to see for myself so Jace and I headed over there after leaving storytime.  I've been on the hunt for several weeks now for a large oval antique-looking mirror that I can hang above the fireplace.  I was hoping to find one at a thrift store for a few dollars and spray paint it antique white and hang it horizontally right above the fireplace mantal with a big thick black ribbon tied appearing to hold it up with a bow.  (Does that make any sense at all?  Probably not.)  Anyways... as I was walking in to the thrift store, the lady who was walking out was holding... guess what?... a large oval antique mirror.  My heart completely sank.  I went inside hopeful that maybe, just maybe, there would be another one.  Nope.  Pretty much ruined my day.  The thrift store was pretty cool, but I was "over it" after the mirror let down so we headed home. 

I stopped in Goodwill on the way home, since it's right off the same road, hoping to find an oval mirror to take my mind off the one I just barely missed.  No such luck.  I did end up getting Jace a few things though.  I found a brand new Little People School for $1.71.  Jace loves it!  There is a little swing to push the little people on, and that's definitely his favorite part.

He always squats when he plays, must have lots of leg muscle!

Cheese!

I also found a bedtime stories children's book for him.  He's a little young for it right now, but I like to grab kid's books there whenever I see a good one because they disappear pretty quickly at just 49 cents a piece.  Oh and when I took this picture I realized I also got that little elephant for him at Goodwill a couple of weeks ago for 50 cents.  He loves elephants and kept trying to reach it, so I got it for him.  Can't wait to take him to the Zoo here to see the elephants soon!

Bedtime book and elephant

Oh and this picture reminded me I spray painted that little bubble frame a few weeks back with leftover red paint.  I found the frame for about a dollar on clearance once and thought it'd be more fun red to match the accents in Jace's room.

Oops with the flash glare...

This week I changed up some of the wall art.  I think I mentioned before that I had developed a picture we took at Magnolia plantation last week and framed it.  I had a picture frame and mat laying around so I thought it would be nice to add it to our collage wall in the living room.  The collage wall is still in progress because I'm planning to add a few non-picture items to it, such as a few wooden letters spray painted black to represent our family (like T, K, J) and a couple other things.  I adjusted a few pictures to squeeze in the Magnolia gardens picture and since I already had the frame it cost me just 50 cents (for developing the picture) to add a little piece of Charleston to our wall.

Speaking of adding a bit of Charleston to the wall... I framed the painting I bought from our nearby art gallery recently.  The painting was 11 x 17 so I didn't have that many framing options unless I wanted to pay a ton of money to get a custom frame and mat for it, and since I get the shakes if I buy anything over $20 I decided to pick up an $8 11 x 17 frame from Walmart and spray paint it white.  I decided to start another collage type look on the red entry wall because after adding our new screen door, the newfound direct sunlight revealed this...

A REALLY bad paint job by the previous owners and I don't think we have an exact paint match to roll over it.  I know I could spend the time painting it, but since I'm lazy "energy deficient" I decided I'd rather just cover it up with wall art.  I realize I have way too many collage type things on the wall but I don't care... I love organized clutter and having tons of pictures and personalization on the walls, so oh well! :)

#2 Meeting Street

In the entry way to the left of the door... still a work in progress since
this was all spur of the moment.

For those of you that live in the area, the art gallery is Art Central in historic Summerville, and the artist is Tug Mathisen... he has several Charleston prints for $20 each.  This painting is of the bed and breakfast on the corner of Meeting and East Battery.  Although I love the painting I'm not sure what else to do with this wall.  For now I just added a wooden "Welcome" that I painted white a while back after getting the cut out for $2 at JoAnn Etc... or was it Michaels?  I can't remember now.  I also found a random square frame laying around and sprayed that white and also painted a house key white.  (Umm.. hello my name is Katrina and I have a problem with spray paint.  It's an addiction.  Don't leave anything alone with me or it changes colors...)

Which reminds me!  I spray painted a couple of 40 cent goodwill brass containers with a water proof brown paint I had laying around a few weeks ago.  I posted a picture of two of them on the front steps with flowers in them, but didn't mention that the third one is the new home for a plant that has been in Tate's family for over 20 years.  No joke.  Can you believe he's had a plant that long?  It was starting to look like it was dying so we changed it to this pot because it was a litle more roomy and so far it's starting to look a little better so hopefully the switch worked!

Plant trying to come back to life in my goodwill pot.

I think this is the same type of plant, but it looks alot perkier...
hopefully the other "bounces back"!

Ok, so I realize this post was probably not that exciting... but I'm going stir crazy around the house right now waiting for Tate's delayed flight home.  Does Delta ever NOT have mechanical issues??? Just wondering...  ugh.