» Geri

The Gift of Candy for Christmas—it’s the “Present”ation

Geri — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 23:30:11 +0000

Candy is a sure bet when giving a gift to co-workers, neighbors and friends. Who doesn’t love candy? Plan ahead, shop the sales, use your coupons and then be creative in the way you present your gift.

On New Year’s Day last year Carol and I, along with our friends, shopped the 75% off Christmas sale at Dillard’s where I picked up these beautiful Lenox Oriental Christmas bowls for only $1.00 a piece with the idea of presenting them as gifts filled with candy the following Christmas.

So here a year later I’m ready to put my candy bowls together. I started with a small amount of gift filler in the bottom of each bowl and began adding different wrapped candies and chocolates until the bowls were heaping, then sprinkled a little red tinsel on top. Keep in mind that the photo of my supplies indicates only a fraction of the candy I was able to get into each bowl. I then used one piece of iridescent tissue paper to wrap each bowl using ribbon to tie it off. I then added a Christmas pick on one of the bowls and added a small heart shaped ornament to the other four. Even if I do say so myself, they turned out beautiful!

Here is the cost breakdown:

5 bowls at $1.00 a piece ($5.00)
Large bag of candy ($9.90)
1 bag gift filler (.50 cents)
1 bag red tinsel (.99 cents)
1 pkg. iridescent tissue paper ($1.99)
1 roll (3 ft.) ribbon (.99 cents)
1 Christmas pick (.99 cents)
4 Christmas ornaments ($2.99)

The total excluding tax comes to $23.35 which is a whopping $4.67 per bowl. AND, if you shop the 75% and 90% off sales after Christmas you will be able to get the supplies even cheaper!! So plan ahead!

A Newly Redecorated Office Space All My Own

Geri — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 16:30:44 +0000

I’m baaack! I took a little time off to enjoy my visiting parents for Thanksgiving while Carol was gracious enough to cover my fanny. Thank you Carol!!

I have been sharing a lot over the last few weeks about the ongoing process of redecorating my new office space (my son’s old bedroom) while trying to save money. I hesitate to call my project “complete” because I am in a constant state of changing, revamping and adding new thrift store finds. So I will call it complete for now.

I am thrilled with the results!! I have surrounded myself with everything I need for all my future projects as well as all the little things that make me happy to look at, from my purple accent wall to all my precious photos of family and friends. With every project I learn something new—new techniques, new ideas and always something new about myself. As I wind down this project and move on to the next, I want to share some photos and a little about what I’ve learned this past few weeks.

With this project I have learned patience. I have a tendency to want to finish a project as quickly as I start it. But with my office space everything came together slowly and more methodically. I allowed this project to percolate. I would live with each step along the way until I was certain of the next step—so on and so on.

I learned not to settle on something I don’t love just because I got a great deal. An example of this is the old bulletin board that I tried to use on the wall over my desk. Even after working my magic on it, I was not happy with the results. I lived with it for awhile before I made the painful decision to purchase another. Well that was before I discovered (then stole) the one from my son’s room. His worked perfectly in my office and he inherited mine.

I learned that we all need our own space, no matter how small. So I guess this means that my son is not getting his old room back without a fight!!

Don’t Let Your Coupons Expire

Geri — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 12:14:31 +0000

Thank you for following me as I redesign my new home office, but this week I am taking a little break to tackle a virus. So instead I am sharing with you my frustration over expired coupons.

I am not talking about grocery store coupons this time, but instead about all those valuable restaurant, store and service coupons that I keep separate from my grocery coupons and with me no matter where I go. My coupon organizer was bulging over and I needed to weed them out.

By the time I had finished checking expiration dates, I had thrown away more than half of my “collection”. I realized all the coupons that I coulda, woulda and shoulda used if only I had remembered they were there. I don’t always take the time to go through all the coupons when I enter a store, restaurant or service establishment, which is my first mistake. My second mistake is not cutting out those coupons that I think I have no use for and then later have to kick my fanny when I realize I really could have used them after all. Carol asked me the other day if I had a coupon to one of her favorite restaurants. I remember tossing it because I didn’t think I had any use for a coupon to a sushi restaurant—yuck!! Share your coupons with family and friends, they may have a coupon to one of your favorite places.

So in my frustration, I started a simple list of all the coupons in my coupon organizer with the expiration dates. Now with a quick look at my list I will know exactly what I have. It only took me a few minutes to put it together and now I feel a little better organized, but in need of a nap! See you next week!

Thrift Store Finds For My New Office

Geri — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 12:27:55 +0000

It is the final touches to any decorating project that I look forward to. For my new office it is about the little touches like picture frames, lamps, baskets, plants and knick knacks, etc. Thrift stores hold many treasures that can serve a purpose for any space in our homes. Keep a mental note, or if you are like me put it on paper, a wish list of sorts. Knowing your measurements and colors will help you make good decisions. Then be patient, it may take a few weeks of looking before you find what you are looking for. Keep your mind open and be creative. Many times some of the best finds are the ones you weren’t looking for.

I talked last week about my thrift store picture frames (only 49¢ each) and how I revamped them, using scrapbook paper. I also purchased a beautiful lamp (shade included) for only $3.50—perfect as is!

I am always looking for storage vessels to use around our home, so I found a beautiful round basket at the thrift store for only $2.50 that sits on one of the shelves in my office.

I found a beautiful ceramic planter that sits on my desk. I had to remove a few ugly fake flowers, but it awaits a beautiful plant and I love it even more knowing I paid only $3.50 for it!

Then there is my “This-And-That” 3 box set that hides away all my necessities on my desk top. I spent $2.00 for each box—love them!

I have a love for bunnies, especially the little white bunnies with pink eyes that I kept as pets as a child, so when I found my white bunny for only 49¢, well he went home with me!!

I hope this will inspire you to visit your local thrift stores—recycle, reuse, repurpose and save money!! Join me next week…almost there!!

Update Your Old Picture Frames

Geri — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 12:02:25 +0000

Last week I recovered an old office chair for my new office. This week is all about new frames for my new office. It is easy to find inexpensive frames, but my goal was to personalize ones that I already have. No more boring frames, I want something that says ME! My office space would not be complete without my cherished photos of family and friends. Yes I have pictures, my treasures, everywhere in our home, but in my office I can “girl” it up.

Over the years I have become a little obsessed with scrapbooking paper which I find so beautiful. I have actually purchased sheets during clearance sales at Hobby Lobby not knowing what I will use them for, but for only 10 cents a sheet, I’ll figure something out! I am sure by now you have guessed that I put my purchases to use in revamping my frames.

First you will need to start out with a frame that has a flat surface. I had a couple of plain black ones as well as a couple that I purchased for only 49 cents at our local Goodwill. You will need an exacto knife, white glue and scrapbook paper. Take the glass out of the frame and lay the frame face down onto the paper. I used an old board to cut on so as not to damage the table top. Begin cutting the paper using the outside of the frame as a guide and then the inside of the frame using the exacto knife. Brush on a thin layer of glue onto the frame, making sure to cover all areas before attaching the paper onto the frame. Smooth out any air bubbles then let dry.

Once the glue has dried, you are ready to embellish your new frame. Try using buttons, ribbon, feathers or old jewelry. Take a trip down the crafting aisles of your local Michael’s or Hobby Lobby stores for ideas. The possibilities are endless, have fun with it.

Next week I want to show you all of my thrift store finds that I have added to my new office. Stay with me, my office is almost complete.