garage sale coffee table

My mom scored this coffee table for 5 BUCKS!!! She was driving down her street and stopped to talk with one of her neighbors who was starting to pack up her garage sale when she spotted this beauty. So she asked how much and her friend said she was asking $25 for it but just wanted it gone at this point. She thought about it for a sec and asked my Mom is she would pay 5! Heck yes!!!
Her 90s Hunter Green and lighter oak top was just not doing it for me. I went to my stash of spray paint to see what I had...sitting right in front was a brand new can of Ocean Breeze I had picked up at Walmart for $2! PERFECT! I grabbed the can, a can of Minwax in Dark Walnut and the polyurethane in clear plus sand paper, and a few foam brushes and headed outside!!!

Here she is drying in the front yard!!! I am in LOVE!!!

I did a little experimenting {which can be scary}. 

I sealed the top of the table first while the stain was still a little damp and then the legs. Which left a perfect amount of brown on the Ocean Breeze. Toning it down just enough!!!

painted house

This is what our house looked like when we moved in a few years ago.

Hidden by layers of trees and bushes...

Step one: Remove two larger than life pine trees

I thought these babies had birds living in them...

but, no...

an entire eco system

including BATS! YIKES!

Looking better, but just wait...

Step two: Remove largest bushes across the front of the house...

I am sensing this baby is really going to stand out...

But, I love that the house is now visible 

and 

the bugs and spider populations just decreased drastically!!! 

Best of all...lots and lots of SUNLIGHT!!!

This girl will never turn down a fresh burst of Vitamin D! 

Now to get rid of the BLUE...

Step three: paint door black

I just love me a black door, especially for Halloween!

Step four: paint trim white and house brown. 

{I don't have the name colors but I will find them and add them to the post}

AAAWWWWW! 

Much better! 

I love driving up to my house now!!! 

We are done this summer with outside projects....

but, the projects continue in the Spring with...

change direction of stairs to straight out

change light fixture

new windows 

flower beds 

window boxes

shutters

stone walk way to street

basketball hoop down

{sad day for the Hubs bc he played on this hoop growing up}

new fence

Do the projects ever stop? Probably not! But, I love seeing our house become our home!

Thrifty Tuesday #1

I read Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover a while ago and have been working on switching over to the cash system. I was perusing Pinterest one afternoon and I found this envelope system and instantly fell in love!


I added it to my wish list for Christmas in hope that "Santa" would bring it to me and passed the message on to the Mr.
His reply..."why don't you just make it? I am sure you have enough paper down stairs to make a ton of them!"
He was right...I could make it!

So I went back to Pinterest and started looking around for a tutorial, this place is loaded with them for just about anything you could think of!!


kelliegh ratzlaff designs has a super simple tutorial on how to make them.

Please excuse the quality of the pic's! I really need to learn how to take better photographs, but it works for now.
I made 10 envelops: Gas, Bills, Haircuts, Date night, Fun, Gift's, Week 1, 2, 3, 4 Groceries.

I LOVE that she has different types of files to download...even one that will let your Silhouette cut the envelope out for you!! AMAZING!!  I am making one for my Mom next and trying out that method.

NOTE: The file she has for download are for personal use only! She is gracious enough to give this template away for free! If you would like to buy one click on the first picture at the top of the post and it will take you to her etsy shop.

Have any of you done or are doing Dave Ramsey's Total Money Make Over or have switched to a total cash system? Shoot me an email, I would love to hear how it is working for you! courtney.flipflopsandpearls@gmail.com