Repurpose Night Stand Into A Shoe Rack

Have you ever found yourself always thinking of something when you see furniture sitting in your dumpster. I found this nightstand sitting by our dumpster without any drawers. Automatically, I asked my husband for help to take it into our apartment while some projects were playing in my mind. Of course with grumpy happy face my sweet hubby did it for me.

 

This is how it looked when we retrieved it from our dumpster. We my husband started to put elbow grease into it. Sandpapering and cleaning it to prepare for stain and paint.

 

 

I was thinking to use it as a shoe rack by our entryway. Since we didn't have a shoe rack by the front door, this could serve as an entry table plus shoe rack. I didn't do anything with the shelves, just clean them and leave them as is. I paint it with blue color ( I forgot the shade of blue but it was from Valspar ). I stained the top with a mahogany finish 2 coats and put polyurethane to finish.

 

 

 

 

 

This night stand serves the purpose of keeping our everyday shoes in order. Also, I have a little table to decorate to greet me when I come home.

 

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Goodwill Finds

Hi all ! Happy Tuesday ! I hope you have a wonderful day !

This afternoon, I went to the Goodwill in my area and found some nice stuff. I found out that they have lots of goodies. I think because it is Summer and lots of people  are doing yard sales. What they didn't sell of their stuff was just donated to GW. That is why they had lots of stuff on the shelves. If you live close to GW and love to shop then this is a good time to go.

Since I found out that I have a Goodwill outlet not far from my house, I've gotten spoiled and barely go to a regular GW store. But today I just wondering what kind of deal that I can get from a regular GW store.

I found this B. Makowsky messenger/ cross body bag for $4 and still in very good condition without damage, discoloration or anything bad. I quickly took it without giving it a second thought. I know this bag is very popular and a good brand. They are very good quality bags. That is why I just go ahead and take it. If I decide not to keep it for my self, I can always sell it on eBay ( which I might do :)

New pair of cutting edge Cherokee shoes for my niece. They are still brand new donated by Target. I paid $3 for a pair ( not sure how much they are in Target ). I hope they weren't overpriced !!

Nice curtain and still in good condition.  I think it was salvaged from Target as well. I paid $3.99 for it. I can use it for my spare bedroom.

After all, I did pretty good with this hunting mission at GW. I still don't want to get a lot of stuff from their regular store. Especially since Goodwill's price recently is almost the same as a regular retail store. I just get things that I have a hard time finding at the Goodwill Outlet.

Have you recently went to GW and what did you find ??

 

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Canary Melon Smoothie

Happy Monday !! I hope you had a wonderful weekend !! Ours was wonderful.

Have you enjoy your summer so far? This is my favorite season of the year. I used to this weather all year long. I grew up in the tropical Island. On this hot weather, don't you get thirsty a lot? And you are looking for something fresh to drink !

Today, I will share my new favorite smoothie Canary Melon. We went to farmer's market very often. And we got a couple of fresh fruit every time we go. One of them is Canary Melon.

 

 

Canary Melon Smoothie

 

Ingredients:

1/2 Ripe Canary Melon

1/4  cup sugar *

1/2 of lemon juice

about 6-8 ice cubes

 

Directions:

Scoop out the seeds from the Melon and cut into cubes.

Put all the ingredients into the blender and mix it.

*(optional if you want healthy recipe you can leave this out )

 

And ready to serve !!! Easy and you have this fresh drink on this hot summer weather :)

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I Got All Of These For $0

Happy Friday All !! I'm so proud of myself today ! If you have been reading my blog for couple of times you will know by now that I love to save money in everything. One of them is through couponing. So, I will post about couponing from time to time on this blog. I hooked up to this couponing thing since last year and still need to learn a lot about it.

These are a couple of couponing blog that check very often everyday moneysavingmom, hip2save and you can Google to find out another blog out there lots of them. I'm not extreme couponing by any mean ( way far from that :). But every pennies that I save will count to pay the bill, saving or ( sometimes helping others )

I went through my coupon bag yesterday and found out that my $5 ECB from CVS will expired tomorrow. This afternoon I went there. First things I do when I get to the store is to scan my CVS card on coupon machine by the door. This red machine will print out a bunch of coupons. Today I got paper towel coupon save  $ .79  on one. I was browsing through the store and thinking what can use my $5 ECB for ( stuff that use for sure ).

I saw honey bunches cereal for sale 2/$4. So got 2 of them and 2 liter of Coke for $.88 also paper towel for sale $.79 ( remember I got $.79  off from coupon machine so make it free ). The cashier was so nice so she adjust my coupon to $.69 because I was over $.10

 

 



 Isn't  it make your weekend much better when you go shopping and pay nothing out of your wallet for the stuff you bring home!

 

Have a happy Friday all !!

 

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moneysavingmom

How Do I Buy Stuff For "Free"

Hi all ! Oh my...it's hot here ! I have been painting outside and God knows how much sweat I have had. I will show you later in other post what I'm working on.

Are you one of those people who love to get " free" stuff. I do ! Last year I was reading a blog and
talked about Swagbucks. I read and learn about it from their website. I give a try and I was hook ever since. You can get point by just searching, watching TV and printing out coupon,  there are so much more to do to earn the point. After you get 450 point you can exchange it into $5 gift card from Amazon.

I started this swagbucks thing around late August last year and I've already earn $120 on gift card  from Amazon so far. That is a lot consider I didn't do much. You can do more than this if you do survey or other stuff they offer. And I buy stuff from Amazon when they have a good sale for the things I need. This way I got more for my money.

Here are some stuff that bought with my Swagbucks money ( pictures below). I have got stuff for my house, gift for nephew/niece or even some toy for my husband :) So you can make someone special in your life happy without breaking your bank !!

Don't you just love that :)

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Before and After Faux Bamboo Coffee Table

Happy Monday to you all !! I hope you had a nice weekend with your family and friends !

Finally, I finished my project with this beautiful faux bamboo coffee table. I love this table from the beginning I laid my eyes on her. Love everything about bamboo, just not willing to pay the price. I got a good deal with this one that is why I took her home with me.

It has a good bone and it says made by Lane company on the bottom ( not sure if this company still around ). I did some TLC on her, I clean and did a little sand paper. I paint it with Valspar base paint. And after it dry I spray painted it with Rust-Oleum semi gloss white. I spent almost 2 can of spray paint on her.

This beauty still looks beautiful and showing more her true beauty after those make over with the spray paint.

The white color showing more the detail of the bamboo shape.

 

This project is consider easy compare to some other furniture project I'm working on. And I love how it turned out ! I wish I have this kind of project all the time :)

 

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Failed Bargain Hunting turned to BLESSING !!

Happy Friday All ! I hope your area is nice and cool or is it HOT like mine. Either way I hope you have a nice day !

Beautiful Pitcher made in Japan $.50



Last Saturday, my husband and I were searching for an Estate Sale in our area and saw this ad on craigslist. We went there and found out the estate sale was held in this warehouse complex. We went inside and found lots of really old items from furniture to household items and clothes. Most of them had a high price tag. In my opinion, they were outrageous. Some of the furniture was full of dust and really needed some elbow grease and lots of sandpaper but they were selling them for about $40-$50 each. I wish I took pictures to show you.

Nice China Bowl by Noritake $5

After browsing for about 20 minutes and finding nothing. We were about to head home and I remembered an ad from a local magazine that I read 2 weeks ago at my Dentist office. The ad was about this non-profit organization that will hold a yard sale and all the profits go to shelters and care for homeless people in my area.

Have you heard of Caritas? Do you have one in your area ? This is the first time I heard about this organization ( thank God for waiting 30 minutes at my Dentist and the magazine :) I read about their mission and it is very thoughtful and caring. They do yard sales once a month and all the stuff is donated by people or companies. Some of the furniture is consider new or has a little broken piece.

Nice Lemon/Lime Juicer by Chef'n $1.50

Anyway, we went to check it out... out of curiosity. We got inside the building and started looking around. They have so much stuff... mostly furniture because of their mission. My husband and I were thinking to get something from them even if their price was not like a regular yard sale. To our surprise, their price wasn't bad at all and very reasonable.


Window Curtain Rod the person who donated it wrote from Pottery Barn :) $4

We were browsing without planning to buy a lot of stuff. But hey...look what we got after less than an hour. My favorite is this beautiful faux bamboo coffee table. I'm working on this table now. I will share with you in another post what I did with it :)

Lane Faux Bamboo coffee table with bevel glass top ( I took out the glass for this picture ) $20

My husband and I were glad went to Caritas. We met really nice people who have a heart to help others. We were thinking to volunteer there. The fun part from this trip was we only spent $31 for all the stuff  we got ( all the pictures above ).

Have you failed bargain hunting only to find a blessing!!!

 

 

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livingwellspendingless

Hi all !!! I hope you have a wonderful weekend ! We had a nice sunny weather here. We did not do much but most of all I've got to spent a lots of time with my sweet hubby :)

 

I was craving something sweet on Sunday evening and made this Molten Lava Cake. I have all the ingredients on hands except the orange liqueur ( Thank God for my pantry :)

 

Molten Lava Cakes

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

Prep Time: 30 min

Inactive Prep Time: -

Cook Time:14 min

Level :Easy

Serves:6 cakes

 

Ingredients

6 (1-ounce) squares bittersweet chocolate

2 (1-ounce) squares semisweet chocolate

10 tablespoons (1 1/4 stick) butter

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

3 large eggs

3 egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons orange liqueur

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Grease 6 (6-ounce) custard cups. Melt the chocolates and butter in the microwave, or in a double boiler. Add the flour and sugar to chocolate mixture. Stir in the eggs and yolks until smooth. Stir in the vanilla and orange liqueur. Divide the batter evenly among the custard cups. Place in the oven and bake for 14 minutes. The edges should be firm but the center will be runny. Run a knife around the edges to loosen and invert onto dessert plates.

 

 

Since I don't have custard cups I put it in cup cakes pans and made half of the recipe ( made 6 cup cakes size ). I reduce the cooking time to 10 minutes. They were delicious !! I'm happy with the result. After all I had a great weekend with this sweet to ended it :) 

 

 

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Yellow Frame Art ( 3D Looking Art Work )

 

 

I hope you all have a blessed weekend ! I'm so happy today that Ruth from Living well spending less featured me on her blog for Thrifty Thursday about my Dumpster ( Shopping Cart ) Diving.  I'm working on a couple of projects from these finds.

One of them is this frame that nobody wanted in that parking lot. I cleaned and spray painted it with Krylon yellow to incorporate my theme color in our spare bedroom.

 

 

I like this frame because of the shape and design. It is so beautiful.

I have this wreath that I made back at Christmas and never took it off the wall. I was thinking to put this frame around the wreath to make it more festive. Here we are with this free frame.

 

I like how it turned out, it looks like a 3 dimension framed art work.

The rose detail on the frame looks great. I just like how it looks.

The whole art work on this wall cost me only $2 which was for the black frames from Dollar Tree. Everything else the stuff that I already have on hands.

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Simple Way To Make Old Lettuce Become Fresh and Crisp

Are you one of those people who sometimes take longer to finish the produce in your refrigerator ? I am one of those people. I do grocery mostly once a week ( sometimes twice ) that means I buy produce enough for a week. Last Saturday, I want to make salad and found out that the lettuce not fresh anymore.

It wasn't that bad but the leaves not crisp. This step what I tried and seem to work. I was glad with the result fresh and crisp lettuce ( even crispier than the one just come from the store :) 

 

Soak them into the water for about 10-15 minutes. Beside make it fresh and crisp. Soaking it in the water for that long I believe make all the dirt came out and who knows might the chemical too.

 

 

Take the lettuce out of the water and drain it with strainer or salad dryer if you have one.

 

 

 Here is the final result of the old lettuce become fresh and ready to enjoy !

What simple way and easy to do it.

Outer Banks On 4th Of July

I  hope you all had a nice long weekend 4th of July. Ours was wonderful. We went to Outer Bank, NC. This is the first time for me to visit this famous beach ( well at least around where we live :) We left early in the morning to beat the traffic. It took us about 3 hours to get to there. Thank God we had a wonderful beautiful day after rain almost everyday during the week. We drove along the coast from Kitty Hawk all the way to Hatteras Island.

First we stopped by at Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk. This museum is very educational. We learn something from this museum about aviation stuff.

We were thinking to see Cape Hatteras  light house and half way there we realized it took further up than what we thought. Since we just spend the day at Outer Bank we turned around. Instead, we stopped at Bodie Island light house. This is also the first time for me to see the light house ( well a couple things that the first time for me on this trip :) 

 

The sky was blue and clear that day. We really enjoy it except the heat and humidity. The beach is really beautiful and relaxing with all the white sand.

One thing, I would say about Outer Banks is very family type of beach. Basically, if you come here just relax and enjoy the family or your company. I barely see a high rise building, mostly a beach vacation house.

We also visit Roanoke Island, this Island has very interesting story about the lost colony from England. We learn something from this Island as well. Our day were very busy and most of all we were spent and had great time together. We were heading home around 5 and thinking to see fireworks but it didn't happen because we were wiped out from having a great time.

 

We were collecting the sea shell from the beach. I brought home a half shopping bag of sand. I will use it for summer decoration or even as a memories keep sake. I put them inside this hurricane, very simple yet very meaningful because there is memory to tell in it.

 



From A Lamp Base Into A Bud Vase

I love to make something beautiful without spending money. And today is one of those moment I'm glad I make it. I posted about what I found from Cart dumpster at Goodwill Outlet a couple of weeks ago. But I don't have this lamp picture on the post. At the time I picked it I don't have any idea what to do with it but I grabbed it anyway. I believe you can find this type of lamp at Target.

Also I don't have any picture before I took off the hardware from the base. There is no wire hook to the hardware. I'm  thinking to recycle it and make it into a bud vase. I wasn't sure if this is a good idea. But since everything free and really easy job I just go ahead and did it.

After I took of the hardware part, I put a silk rose bud ( free as well from the dumpster cart :). And I'm glad with the result. Free center piece on my dining table and very simple.

 

I like the color and the shape of the lamp base. And I'm not planning to make another lamp out of it. I think this is better than keep it as a lamp.

 

 

 

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