Button Heaven

Is there such a place?  I'm pretty sure there is and I'm pretty sure I was there last Saturday.  After posting about my 'Vintage Button' obsession (haven't read it? Read it HERE) I received a message on Facebook from a certain someone (MARCIE I LOVE YOU!) who reads my blog. She said she'd been cleaning out a ladies house who had passed away and that there were bottles, and bottles of buttons that she didn't know what to do with -- until she read my blog.  She said I was welcome to have them ALL!  Can you believe how AWESOME that is?!  That was Friday, and all that night I was thinking and talking about those buttons while on a couples date with the HH and some friends.  They pretty much all (minus one who loves buttons as much as I do) thought I was nuts-o and I pretty much am. ;)  I mean really, is a button suppose to bring this much happiness to a person?  Saturday I (of course) was up bright and early out at  yard sales when I got a call from my "button angel" saying I could meet her to pick them up. Which I did.  And "Oh", the pure joy of all those buttons! There were SIX bottles plus 3 small bags full of wonderful, magnificent, gorgeous, one-of-a-kind, story BUTTONS!!!!  I was TRULY in button heaven while digging through them, carefully examining each and everyone.  When I found an especially great one I would scream and giggle with joy and run to show the HH, he humored me but was CLEARLY not as enthusiastic about it as I was. (RUDE!;)) Thankfully I had called in two of my fellow button lovers to come share in the BLISS with me (It's always more fun to share!).  Oh the fun we had when they arrived...hours of fun!  We ooed and awed at all of them, and laughed at how many times we were saying the word "LOVE", it was AWESOME!   While digging through them we felt sad that we didn't  know the sweet little lady's name who owned them.  I have since found out that her name was Nadine and that she was a sweetheart.   I really hope that Nadine knows how much I  CHERISH her buttons.  Now my jar is 3/4 full and I have some really, really great buttons in it.  Thank you Marcie and Nadine you are truly my BUTTON ANGELS!   

3 Crazy button ladies swimming in button love!

Sorting of the buttons...

Some of my very favorites from the bottles.  The picture does NOT do them justice though!

My new pile mound of buttons.

My jar in all it's glory! 3/4 full and loving it.  Almost time to find me a new vintage bottle. :)

*This is going to be a great weekend for Yard Sales!  The weather is FINALLY going to be warm. There are dozens of them in practically ever city throughout Utah.  So get out there and make me PROUD. :)  Send me pic.s of any great finds you get.  I'd love to share it here on the blog!

A blessing or a curse.

"I am having an out of money experience." ~Author Unknown

I have to admit that I have not always been a THRIFTY girl.  I've always liked getting a good deal , but I wouldn't say I was exactly "THRIFTY". GASP...I know right!  But like many of you out there, this recession has forced me to face reality.   Before, I would buy all my kids clothes at  Name Brand stores, and wouldn't necessarily wait for them to go on sale first.  I'd buy what I wanted, when I wanted it.  Why wait? We would eat out more often then not, or, we would eat out of a box.  I'm embarrassed to say that in the first 5 years of marriage we didn't even go through a 5lb bag of flour.  I can't believe I just admitted that.  But it's true.  Thankfully I've come a LOOOOONG way in the last 4 years.  Because of the recession I have been, not so gently, pushed in the right direction as far as finances go.  I use to think: "Why me?  Why do I have to go through this?  Why? Why? Why?"  Then one day (or maybe more gradually then I thought) I woke up.  I had my light bulb moment!  Why NOT me?  Instead I started thinking "What should I be getting out of all this and what was I suppose to be learning?"  I learned to tell the difference between a "want" and a "need".  I learned how to cook.  I mean really cook!  From scratch!  I'm talking, home made bread and rolls, noodles, and soups (not from the can!).  I learned what is truly important in life.  I learned that it actually was, and is, possible to be poor and happy.  I learned that there is so much more out there that is more important then money.  I learned the JOY of being truly "THRIFTY".   Life is good people!  Life is good!  I am SO HAPPY to have gone through the struggles that I have gone through.  Otherwise we would still be eating from a box; we would be living off our credit cards and wonder why we still weren't as happy as we could be.   I'm not saying that everyone needs to be like me or go through what I went through to learn these lessons.  You are all probably much smarter than I am in the first place.  I'm just saying that I have an AMAZING Heavenly Father who knows what I need, and knows what lessons I need to learn, so that I can become the best version of myself.  So not having money has become a blessing to me, not a curse.   It is funny (and slightly sad) that it took me a good two years to figure it out.  But I can honestly say that I know Someone is watching over me and even though I can't see the "BIG PICTURE" of my life, I know that they can, and I need to trust in that. So this "curse" became exactly what I needed to bless me for the rest of my life.

Weekend spelled...J.O.Y!

Two 'no kid' dates with the Handsome Husband, Yard Sales, upholstery class, some sweet deals, a baby blessing, BOTTLES, and BOTTLES, of BUTTONS, and lots of friend and family time.  This weekend was defiantly a JOY! Here are some of my great finds at Saturday's Yard Sales.

My favorite find was this SUPER CUTE shower curtain, complete with the cute hooks and a shower curtain liner.  You can pick this all up at Target today for $48+tax.  Guess what I paid though?  A mere $10 :)  Love this shower curtain so much and have been wanting one for our upstairs bathroom for (literally) years.  That bathroom doesn't get used much so it was hard to justify spending a lot of money on one.  I'll do it for 10 bucks though and especially when it's this cute and matches my wall color perfectly.  JOY!

 Here it is up in the bathroom!  Isn't it PERFECT!  Oh and the shower curtain rod was one my in-laws had an extra of so they passed the love to me!  THANKS GUYS!

At one Yard Sale they were selling a bunch of girlie BBC movies on DVD. The discs looked new, no big scratches which is usually the case when there are DVDs at yard sales.  BBC movies are the best!  If you love period films and old fashioned life then these are the shows for you. ROMANCE, DRAMA, and LOVE.  These are as big of a chick-flick as they come.  Can you say 'Pride and Prejudice', 'Sense and Sensibility', 'North and South'.  The best of the best of BBC movies.  Here are the ones I picked up.  For $1 each. Cha-ching!  JOY!

 I also picked up 'Little House on the Prairie' seasons 1 & 2 on DVD for $1. :)  Thought they would make a great companion for the book set I got two weekends ago.  JOY! 

First yard sale of the morning was a JACK-POT! That is where I picked up the shower curtain and I also got these clothes (some of them brand new with tags still on!) and a very cute ALDO bag. All this plus one more shirt that I happened to be wearing when I took the pictures. ;)  It's comfy and so perfect for weekend lounging! JOY!

 3 Shirts for the HH (which will be part of his Father's Day gift.), 4 shirts for me (Mother's Day! Am I the only one who shops for her own gifts?), 1 sweater jacket, 1 vest with hood, and the cutest yellow dress, and of course the ALDO bag.  Spent $3 for the bag and an average of $1 on each of the clothing pieces!  How can you NOT love Yard Sales?  JOY!

Here are some close-up pictures of the loot...

 This dress is going to be so cute with some leggings and a little shirt under or even a light cardigan over it. I heart cardigans!

 Love the big collar on this sweater.  The picture makes it brighter then it really is, it's more of a mossy color rather then avocado color you see here.

 This was the shirt I was wearing.  I decided to take it off for you.  It has a cute little hood even, and wide arms.  So COMFY!

Now for the ULTIMATE JOY of the weekend...BOTTLES AND BOTTLES OF BUTTONS!!  This deserves a post all on it's own so I'm going to post more on my 'Leaning Tower of Buttons' later.  I really can't believe this happened to me.  Somebody L-O-V-E-S me!  JOY! and JOY!

*Did anyone else go and brave the cold and snow this weekend?   What was your favorite find?

Button, button, whos' got the button?

v I found this jar a couple weeks ago at a Yard Sale for...$1.  Isn't it cute?  It's so vintage, and so GREAT!  So what do I do with such a great jar?  Use it for my newly found obsession...Button collecting.  Vintage Button collecting to be exact. The Handy Husband's Cousin and Cousin-in-law got me hooked and now I can't stop!

Won't this be the PERFECT little jar to hold them all?

This was the very first button in my jar.  It is from the HH's Grandma.  Isn't it cute?

These are some that HH's Mom (BEST mother-in-law on the planet!) gave me.  She has quite the collection herself.  It felt like Christmas digging through all of her many buttons.  Some are even from her Grandma's.  That is so cool!

While we were digging through her boxes and bags of buttons she sat and told me the back stories of some of them.  This cute little blue, round one was used on a dress that her and her mother made after she saw it in a magazine and begged her Mom to help her make it.  She was in the 9th grade.  How fun for her to remember that story and share it with me.  I was eating it up!  Loved hearing the back stories of the buttons and wish that I could hear all the stories that go along with each and every button.  Because you know EVERY button has a STORY. :)

So this is my collection thus far.  Pretty good start.

But I still have a long way to go to fill my jar with those amazing, little, vintage, story buttons. :)

Miss J and Mister C have gotten into my BUTTON LOVE as well.  They carried around their jars of buttons for two days and even had to sleep with them.  LOL.  Miss J loved sitting and threading her buttons for hours.  It was so incredibly precious!

Mister C said the only thing he wanted from the Easter Bunny was a little bit of candy and BUTTONS.  How cute is that?  Here are the 'special' buttons the Easter Bunny brought to Miss J and Mister C.

SKILLZ!

I'm going to to a workshop on Saturday and am SO EXCITED to learn a new skill.  Because who doesn't want skills like this?  I know I do! :)  Nunchuck skills would be equally as sweet, as proven on Napoleon Dynamite.  But for now I think I'll stick with re-upholstery skills.   Anyone want to join me?  Also, work has begun with the desk, and lots of my other projects.  Sanding and priming hopefully will be done by the end of the day!  Woot, woot!

Here is the info on the workshop...

for any or all of our upcoming ... WORKSHOPS and Q&A SESSIONS Below is a list of upcoming workshops which will be hosted by our store in Orem. For EACH workshop you wish to attend, click the    button to the right of the workshop's date; a web page will be opened for you to provide the necessary information to request registration for the workshop. Unless otherwise shown, all of these workshops are being offered at no charge, however each workshop is restricted to the number of participants shown. All participants will also have the opportunity to spend time with our experienced staff design consultants!

Upholstery Workshop and Q&A Session Date: Saturday, April 30, 11am Reupholstering can be a great alternative to buying new furniture for your dining room, living room, or bedroom. You can reupholster almost any type of furniture that has been covered in fabric, and, if you are up to the challenge, you can save a lot of money by doing it yourself. Many people decide to take up the challenge of reupholstering because it: saves time spent on ordering custom furniture allows you to choose the exact type of fabric and cushioning you want in your piece allows you to salvage antique furniture or furniture that has sentimental value So, before you kick that old chair or couch to the curb, consider renewing that old furniture with some brand new upholstery. Like sanding and refinishing, reupholstering an old chair, couch, or cushion can really give new life to some of your older pieces. And, it can give you a chance to express some of your own creativity, in a hands-on fashion! Workshop Location: In Store This workshop will be limited to 50 participants

*Go  HERE to sign-up for the class!  Hope to see you there! :)

Pep-talk For My Brain.

So yesterday I logged on to my blog and glanced over to my countdown, and was caught off guard that I only have 4 more days until my 'Year of Thrift' kicks off.  I'm starting to get anxiety about it.  Why?  I'm not sure?  I'm basically already doing it, but there is something about being all "official"  about it and all.  Can I really do this?....HECK YES!  I know at times I'm going to wish I NEVER did it and wonder what possessed me to do it in the first place. It kind of reminds me of my thought process when I was giving birth to my son...natural, no epidural(What was I thinking? and why would anyone ever want to do such a thing!).  I'm hoping it is like giving birth, in that after it is over and I have had time to process I will think: "How AWESOME and AMAZING it was and that I am pretty much a modern day SUPERHERO.  The outcome was incredible, and if asked if I would do it again, I'd say: "PROBABLY" (but more yes then no;)).  The pay-off vs. the pain was well worth it.  I'm so sorry for the birthing analogy, but this is a Pep-talk for my brain, so I'm going with what works for me.  I can DO this!  I can go one whole year, 365 days, 1 Christmas, 1 Easter, 1 Mother's Day, Father's Day, and a ca-gillion birthdays.  I can do this right?  Well WHEN I do, do this I'm going to need ALL the HELP I can get.  So please drop by often and leave any helpful hints you might have.  I'm especially going to need A LOT of ideas for gifts.  Thanks for staying and playing along with me.  And if all else fails, this should make for an interesting year. ;)  Plus, look how cute we all look in our second-hand finds...

 The BOYZ in their second-hand outfits. 

Mister E.- Babystyle outfit= .50

Mister C-Old Navy Top= $2, Children's Place jeans= $5.99

Us girlies in our Second-hand finds. :)

Miss J-Old Navy top and skirt= $7, Old Navy Hat=1.99

Yours Truly- Down East Jacket=5.99

Layers white cap sleeve top=FREE

American Eagle Jeans=6.99

*The Handy Husband is sadly lacking in second-hand clothing.  Soon that will change and I'll post pictures of thee Handsome Hubby. :)  Apologies for the blurry pictures; my camera is on it's last leg and is struggling right now. :(  Maybe... ... just maybe, I'll find one at this weeks Yard Sales. ;)

**Thanks for all that voted on my paint dilemma.  Looks like the yes' won!  Oh happy day for me. :) 

Weekend Finds.

This weekend was not the greatest for Yard Sales I completely struck out on Friday but  still managed to get a few little goodies on Saturday.

I picked up this cute little Princess Party Set for $1.  It is brand new in an unopened box.  Love it when I find brand new items second-hand!

Ended up using it for a b-day gift for my niece.  PERFECT! 
*Even though she doesn't look thrilled (it was more about me taking her picture and less about the gift), she really did love the gift and so did all the other little girls.  They had it opened up in 2.5 sec. and the b-day girl was so nice to share her new gift with all her cousins. :) $ well spent!

Couple weekends ago I mentioned to the HH that I wanted to find a wooden step stool and low and behold I find this for $3! SCORE!

Note it: Eddie Bauer brand.

Kid's BYU Jersey $2!

At one Yard Sale a lady had over 600 beanie babies that she'd been collecting for years.  they were in mint condition with the tags still on.  I had a hay-day digging through all of them.  In the end I only came home with these nine.  They are SO cute!  They're going to make great gifts. :)

Hedgehog (which was given to Mr. E for Easter), Robin, and a Goat.  We LOVE goats around here and actually own two live ones.  Couldn't pass that one up.

4 ADORABLE little puppies.  My nieces are going to go CRAZY for these little guys.

A Pig, and A Elephant.

I also got HOOKED-UP with these two treasures by a cousin.   She found this 'Little House On The Prairie' set for $4 and the card game 'Bohnanza' for $1(looks brand new)!!!!  She already owned both so shared the love with me!!!  THANKS NATALIE!!!!  I've had my eye on this game for a good six months but couldn't bring myself to spend the $20 on it.  I'm glad I waited and have to say that the phrase, "Good things come to those who wait" must be true. :)

Even though it was a somewhat slow Yard Sale weekend I still had a BLAST waking up @ 6:30am and hanging with my Mom and Sister-in-law who got some great things of their own including a grocery bag filled with 13 pairs of shorts and 2 sweaters for $1, and a Pampered Chef mini-loaf pan for $2!  Good times, good times!