The Thankful Tree

It's my favorite time of year again-FALL!  Growing up in upstate NY I had no idea how blessed I was to enjoy one of the most unique parts of the country.  Some of my favorite memories of fall in the northeast are maple candy, the smell of different species of wood as neighbors began their furnaces on chilly nights (my dad can actually tell which kind of wood is being burned!), hay wagon rides, crisp apples straight from the orchard, slush apple cider, and of course, the best of all, the colors of the changing leaves.  

This year, having our own home, I really wanted to get into the spirit of the holidays with doing some decorating, but, as always, on a budget.  Since our living room is already kind of done in fall colors (red furniture,butter yellow walls) I thought I would just do a little curb appeal with the front porch, and something for the table.

However, with how frequently we use our dining room table, I knew it couldn't be some elaborate, sprawled out design.  I also wanted to incorporate something that could be a learning/sharing project with the kids.  Last year we created a paper thanksgiving tree, and every day we would try to have J come up with something he was thankful for, and add a leaf.  This year, with a 22 mth old on the loose I knew that would get ripped right off the wall.  So the idea of creating four little individual topiary trees that both kids could add leaves to came to me.  

When I am trying to craft something, I first lay out my idea quickly on paper, and then start my hunt for supplies.  I started at Goodwill, hoping to find a base to hold my trees.  I ended up finding two already made topiary trees that I could quickly envision being turned into my "thank-you" trees.

 They just needed some trimming up, and at $4 a piece were a lot cheaper than buying pots, greenery, etc.  Then I headed to Micheal's to look for pre-made leaves.  I was thrilled to find several options, and especially thrilled to find these:

 adhesive-backed, pre-cut felt leaves, in normal, non-glitter shapes! (Sorry all you glitter lovers out there; it's not my thing).  This meant I wouldn't have to worry about getting out the glue gun, tape, or any other adhesive on a daily basis, each time we went to stick a new leaf on a tree.

With a new haircut, my bargain trees were ready for some new foliage....

 ...and we had a kid-friendly, seasonal looking decoration to cheer up the kitchen!  Total cost of the this project was $13 since I bought two packages of the leaves at $2.99 a package.  The idea is to have each child add a leaf each time I catch them saying "thank-you" or just showing a grateful attitude.  J already loves this new project, and enthusiastically delved in decorating one of the trees.  :-)

Overall, I am pretty happy with this little project.  I can already picture re-purposing the trees for different holiday's (little hearts for Valentine's, pastel eggs for Easter, etc.)

Happy fall and happy decorating!

Time for Consign!

Let's talk about one of my FAVORITE subjects: getting the biggest bang for your buck.  Anyone who has children knows that twice a year a (after the first year anyway) kids outgrow their wardrobes.  As a new mom I was blessed to receive lots and lots of previously loved clothes, as well as being gifted many darling brand new clothes from showers which I thought would last forever...oh, how wrong I was.

Then one day my friend Darci clued me to the magical words: consignment sale.  My first experience was a little overwhelming, and I have since then seen that same deer-in-the-headlights expression on some other friends when they have their first look at a "mega" consignment sale.

Of course there are always small shops like Once Upon A Child and such that run year round, but here is why I love, LOVE twice a year consignments sales where I now get about 80% of my kid's wardrobes.

Reason #1: one stop shopping.  If there was no other reason, that would be good enough for me!  I don't have time (or patience!) to clip coupons, or constantly check ads to run from store to store, schlepping my kids all over town.

Reason #2: built-in outfits.  What I mean is consignor's will often bundle 2 or 3 items to be sold together which gives them a bigger profit, (and also helps clean out their closets faster).  I look for these as a priority because if I can get 2 shirts and a skirt/pants for $5-6 vs. $3 for one shirt, it's a much better deal.

Reason #3: perks of working the sale.  Now granted, I have not been a volunteer yet, but I have personal testimony from two friends who have done the volunteer time who say that it is absolutely worth it. Some of the benefits are first dibs on shopping (before the general public is allowed in to shop), higher percentage back on sold consigned items, and tickets for friends to be able to shop early as well.  One of these days I am going to volunteer too, really I am...

Reason #4: most fall or spring wardrobe shopping done in about 2 hours.  2 HOURS!!  Again, I am not that mom that loves to hunt down the bargain.  I want to go to one location, spend about 2 hours, and be done with it (until next season).

Reason #5: the thrill of the hunt.  I actually enjoy shopping at these sales, or at thrift stores because you just never know what you will find!  And to get a bargain on top makes my day like you wouldn't believe.  When I know I can find Ralph Lauren jeans, or Nike sneakers for a fraction of the cost of what they would be brand new, I could care less if the sneakers are a little scuffed, or the jeans look a little worn.  They're clothes-they're supposed to be worn!

Boy's clothes for J.

Girl clothes for G.

So above are two pictures of what $200 can get you.  Overall today, I got 6 prs. pants, 8 play shirts, 1 dress shirt/Christmas picture shirt, 2 sweaters, a winter coat and hat, 1 set of pj's and 2 prs. shoes (not pictured).  For baby girl I got 8 outfits, 4 play shirts, 2 pj's, winter coat, snow pants, 2 hats and mittens as well as 2 pairs shoes (not pictured).  $200 may seem like a lot, but remember, this is about 80% of my kid's clothes for the whole winter.  There is no way I would have been able to get this amount of clothes for that amount of money, brand new in a store.  And really, once you wash an item it looks a little used anyway!

Here's what I look for when I shop: number one bee-line is to the shoe section.  Shoes will go super fast; this year was a good example since we weren't able to find boots or some play and church shoes. Next I head to the boy's section.  Boy's clothes are always more scarce than girl's and the older J gets, the harder it becomes to find clothes that are in good shape.  Also, if I find a single item like a skirt or pair of pants that has a specific little design on it, I will keep that item aside as I look to try an match it with a shirt (or vice versa) so that I end up with a ready to go outfit.

As with most things in life, the early bird gets the worm, in other words, the earlier you can get there the better.  If you are a soon to be first time mommy, a consignment sale like this is the way to go!  And if you can volunteer some time, you can get in early and score some sweet deals-everything from strollers, cribs, bedding and clothes to baby slings/carriers, you name it: pretty much everything you need for your little one will be at one of these sales.  Do your self (and your back) a favor and bring a couple of large plastic bags (I love using my Ikea bags-they are huge, sturdy, and have 2 different handle options) or, if the space allows  a cart, wagon, or even an empty stroller (if you're alone) to tote all your items around.

As I shop, I am thinking about size first, function second (where will they wear this, etc.), cursory glance over for rips, stains, and such, then lastly, do I really LOVE it. (yes, just like for my own clothes!) I have a mental list that I am trying to fill, but it wouldn't hurt to make an actual list just for reference so you don't end up with stuff your child already has in their closet, or things they will never wear. Of course, with re-sale you are not guaranteed to find everything you have, but just like at the grocery store, a list will keep you on track for what you are hoping to find. Once I am completely done, I find a spot where I can quickly sort through everything again and calculate roughly what I'm spending.  I don't like to go over $200, and less is better, which is why I almost never will pick up an item that is over $10 with the exception of, for example, an entire snow suit for $15. Buying just a jacket brand new can be up to $25 in a store, so getting both the jacket and snow pants for that price is totally worth the money.  Most children's outerwear will be in pretty good shape, too, since they usually have only worn the item for a few months.

Finally, I am by no means a label snob.  But I have found that the nicer brands (Carter's, Gap, Hannah Anderson, Janie and Jack) do hold up to wear and tear better then others, so if I happen to see two similar shirts and one is a Carter's while the other is Circo, I will usually pick the Carter's even if it is a little more expensive because, folks, you get what pay for.  But be careful not to fall into the trap of buying something just because it's a brand name. ('Cause I've never done that and hated it the next day...)

One more little tip: when you're doing your last scan before jumping in the cash out line, double check your sizes!  As I mentioned, I usually do a last once over just to weed out my pile.  But this year my husband and kids were with me, and I got distracted.  Because of that, I did not double check my pile and 2 things resulted.  One, I ended up with a higher bill than I had wanted (if I'd gone back through I would have discarded some of the higher priced items). Two, I ended up with three clothing items that are too small for my daughter.  That is definitely frustrating because nobody likes to waste their money.

Hope you have enjoyed my little blurb (ok, not so little. But I am passionate about resale!!)  And I hope some of these tips can help anyone who has been too overwhelmed by the sheer volume of a large consignment sale to try again. Just remember to stick the areas for the size you need, and make sure you love it.   Happy hunting!

The Beginning

Hello and welcome to the Happy Homemaker!   As a mother of two small children and a stay at home mom, I find that my life revolves a lot more on the practical these days.  The purpose of this blog is to share tips and ideas for a wide variety of homemaking skills such as  crafting, sewing, organizing, cleaning, cooking/baking, decorating, and lots of DYI ideas. My background in art has helped me a lot to come up with creative ideas for how to decorate our home, and how to do things myself, instead of having to buy something pre-made, or hire someone else to do it for me.  A lot of this thinking comes from the way I grew up where if something was broken, we fixed it instead of immediately buying something to replace the item.  My ideas and inspirations come from all over (though since I've discovered Pinterest my imagination has gone into overload!)

While many of the tips and ideas I share here are my own, or my own variation, I also love to pass on the knowledge I've gained from others.  Since this blog is all things homemaking, it will be a hodge podge of things like for instance,  today's tip about thumb-sucking, to the occasional post about sharing a favorite well-loved recipe.

My goal is to be able to connect with other mother's out there, and to be able to share back and forth.  This blog has been several years in the making, and I am very excited about embarking on this new journey because the subject matter is so near and dear to my heart.

This blog is also solely for the purpose of edification and will be a "safe" zone for all who visit.  It's always with a little trepidation that I put myself out there with the lurkers of the internet world.  My goal is to glorify Jesus Christ in what I share here, and to be a testimony to His grace.

 And with that introduction, today's tip is for how to heal the skin of a voracious thumb-sucker.  My little girl has been a thumb sucker from infancy, and she sucks so hard she has literally broken the skin.  I was very against applying an antibiotic cream because I knew that would going right back into her mouth.  My sister suggested cleaning it with hydrogen peroxide which does a fabulous job for cleaning, but unfortunately dries the skin out.  Lately I've been doing some research on the benefits of coconut oil, and have been very happy with the results in my cooking.  But I also read that coconut oil http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/organic-coconut-oil/health-benefits-of-coconut-oil.html  contains antibacterial properties, as well as being a great skin treatment.  I tried it on Miss G's thumb and was amazed at the overnight difference.  The open area was almost entirely healed, and the whole area in general looked amazingly better!  Just a little bit goes a long way with coconut oil, and it's a wonderful natural alternative to chemically filled creams.

Happy healing!

Thanks for visiting-blessings
Laura