What You Can Do with $1

You can't do much with $1 these days. Or, can you? Saturday morning the Smurfs were over at a friends house, Mr. T was at work, and I was at home scrubbing the kitchen floors. OK...just kidding! I took advantage of the time and boogied on down to the Habitat ReStore. You know, the one where I bought this. I spent $6...yes, I know this post is about $1 and I'll get to the other $5 later. So, what did I buy with a $1? Here you go...

It's a pallet. Yes, a wooden, often found on the side of the road for free, pallet. I had a project in mind and didn't want just any pallet, I wanted one in good condition. Apparently those cost $1 these days...sold! Here are a few things you can make with a wooden pallet:

Under the Sycamore

re-nest



Apartment Therapy

Life on the Balcony

Amanda Carver Designs

 Here is what Mr. T and I did with our pallet:

A few weeks ago we unbunked Brainy Smurfs bunk beds. All of a sudden we had two twin beds and lots of wall space.  By sticking to our super small budget we were able to create two great walls spaces for Brainy to use! What can you do with $1?

Rachel :)

 

 
 

Cold Treats

Let's face it...I am not really creative. I am, however, really good at using other people ideas. So, when I saw this picture, I knew it was something I wanted to make. Like, right away...

Could there be a better way to get the Smurfs to eat more fruit on a hot, summer day? Probably not! Into the kitchen we went!!

We took our favorite fruits (along with a few they normally don't eat) and sliced and diced. Filled the containers with the fruit and topped them off with Capri Sun Fruit Punch (it took 3 pouches to fill 8 popcicles). Into the freezer for a super yummy afternoon treat!

Rachel :)

the Moving of the Light

A few months ago I came across this light at a favorite thrift store of mine (technically my 2nd favorite, but who is counting). I wasn't sure if it worked or not when I bought it, but for $10 I was willing to take a chance. There was a slight problem...the current light fixture was about 3 feet away from where I wanted this new awesome light to hang. Hmmmmmmmmm....The electrician quoted us $125 to create a new spot and hang my fabulous new light...no thanks! When we created the new laundry nook, we spent a lot of $ on plumbers and electricians doing work we could not have done ourselves. Mr. T and I have super limited knowledge in the electrical department. That being said, Mr. T thought he could hang this light solo. That's right, all by himself! Yikes!

I measured and marked the spot where I wanted it to hang. Mr.T carefully cut a hole out of the ceiling (our PLASTER ceiling) and removed the "stuff". He went in the attic, located the old light box, installed some stability beams and moved the existing light box. Holy cow! I was amazed! If you read about our newly finished kitchen bench then you already saw this picture...


Oh Yes! It works and it is bright! L.O.V.E.!!!

Rachel :)

I Spy...

Do you remember this picture from a few days ago? I spy something green...

Yes, the farmhouse table has green legs, but that's not what I'm spying. It's the super cool vintage food scale on top. How awesome is that?!? While I don't weigh my food, I really wouldn't mind having something cool like that in my kitchen. Yesterday while the Smurfs were at art camp I took a few minutes to visit my favorite thrift store. You know, the one where I found this. You'll never guess what I found! Ok...so, maybe you will...

That's right. My very own vintage food scale. Total charm!! It was $10, but in June everything is 10% off...yahoo! $9 for this great find. It turned out to fit perfect here...

the kitchen bench

Do you think I should paint it? Just try to clean it? Leave it the way it is? Off to hunt for something for the other side!

Rachel :)

Scrabble Tiles

We love to play Scrabble. All of us. Even the kids. So when I saw this on Pinterest (yes...i know I'm addicted), I knew we would love it:

Oh Crafts

Oh yeah! Scrabble magnets! The only problem was, I didn't want to buy a Scrabble game for the letters only and we didn't have extra letters that we were not using. A few days later I came across this FREE printable for Scrabble letters:



I printed out the letters, found a roll of magnetic tape and let the Smurfs go to work. Here's what they did:

I can't even get mad with their greasy, grimy fingerprints because they are so cute. I mean, what's better...They love mom and the refrigerator!

Rachel  :)

Bliss

After the pain-in-the-rear outdoor chalkboard project...this is the first thing the Smurfs did when they came home from their grandparents...



...they love it! Happy Smurfs...Happy Family!

Rachel :)



Farmhouse Table

Now that we've finished the kitchen bench, I'm kind of looking forward to moving on to the next project. You know, taking the kids to the pool, doing laundry, cooking, cleaning...ok...just kidding. A year ago my mom and her wonderfully handy better half bought a place at the beach. Ahhhhhh, it doesn't get much better than always having a place to vacay. Except for the fact that I've never been there. So, in a few weeks, the entire family, along with spouses and kids, cousins, some aunts and uncles, and anyone else that wants to tag along, will make the trek to the beach to enjoy a week of sun and sand.

We always have a great time, enjoying the sunny days and cooking together at night with big family style dinners. Our trip also consides with my mom's birthday which falls shortly after this wonderful week is over. What's this got to do with a farmhouse table? Well...the beach place doesn't have a dining table + mom's birthday is in July = Mr. T and I are making her a farmhouse table for her birthday.

It's obviously not a surprise. I needed measurements and wanted some input since I've never been there. It should also be an interesting project because we've never actually made a piece of furniture before. Yes, we took our new kitchen bench apart and made modifications before putting it back together, but this is our first from scratch project. I've got 4 weeks to ago, and during that time we also have Smurfette's birthday, Father's Day, 2 kids going to 5 summer camps, 6 ballet classes, haircuts, allergy shots, check-ups...hmmmmmm. There's also a triathlon I would like to do along with a 5k race. I would really like to have a garage sale and....oh nevermind...time to get busy! Here are a few inspiration pictures...all from my new addiction Pinterest.

Rachel :)