Thrifty Thursday

A few Thrifty Thursdays ago, I spoke about the awesome DIY project my husband and I (well, mostly just my husband) worked on for my best friend's baby shower gift. The theme of the shower and little Oliver's nursery is vintage Winnie the Pooh so I was trying to think of something Pooh-related to gift Jen.

That's when I saw it..

My mom and I were thrifting around my hometown one stormy Saturday afternoon when I stumbled across a Winnie the Pooh coat rack -- I couldn't believe it! It was pretty beat up but I knew with a little elbow grease and a lot of love, I could have it fixed up in time for Jen's baby shower. 

Once my husband caught wind of what I was doing, he swooped in to help with hijack the project (actually, I'm very, very thankful that he took over -- he's a perfectionist and makes everything he touches perfect -- me on the other hand? Not so much.,.). 

Here's what it looked like before:

As you can see, it was in pretty bad shape and housed some showcased some wonky mirrors and a random pink bow. So Brandon got to work! 

Brandon worked hard on sanding, painting, detailing, and stenciling Oliver's new coat rack and it really couldn't have looked better!

Wanna see? 

Isn't that cool? Brandon resanded the whole thing, completely redid all of the paint (including on Pooh himself), and stenciled in the letters. I just love the way it turned out and am so grateful to have such a handy husband who is willing to help me with my projects! 

What cool things have you thrifted/redone lately?? I'd love to see!

Aunt Annie can't wait to meet you, Baby Brossart! 

Thrifty Thursday

Have I ever mentioned that Jackson kinda likes Elmo?

Okay, scratch that.. Jax LOVES Elmo. 

He squeals anytime he sees anything Elmo related at the store.

He sleeps with an Elmo. 

He stops whatever he's doing when he hears Elmo on TV. 

This. Kid. Loves. Elmo.

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

That's a different Elmo than the first picture (not pictured are 10 other Elmo books)

 Exhibit C:

Anyway, you get the picture -- we really, really like Elmo!

I recently blogged about how I thrifted Jackson an original Tickle Me Elmo for $2 back in December and how Jax absolutely loves him, sleeps with him, is always giving him kisses, etc. That purchase has NOTHING on what I scored this week. 

Guess how much I spent? 

Before Christmas, a new Big Hugs Elmo cost $49.99 (I know because I considered getting one for Jax but backed out because that seemed a bit much). I paid $4.99. 

What what?! 

Jackson has been sharing a variety of snacks with Elmo including Goldfish, coins, and socks.    

Friends who watch Dr. Phil together stay together

"Don't bite me!"

I had actually found a Big Hugs Elmo last month at Mile High Thrift but ended up passing on it (I didn't have any cash on me and didn't feel like using the ATM) and had a bad case of thrifters remorse ever since--so you can imagine how excited I was when I spotted another! It is in perfect condition (and after Lysol-ing the heck out of it and letting it air out outside, it smelled brand new too!) and has already provided Jackson with loads of entertainment.

I can't wait to see which Elmo comes to live with us next! 

Lolz, jk. 

No more Elmo. 

Unless of course I score another killer deal. 

Thrifty Thursday (Christmas Sweater Edition)

I finally did it! I bought new Christmas sweaters for Brandon and me!

YEAH!

Brandon and I have been wearing the same Christmas sweaters the last three Christmases and came to the unanimous decision that it was time for a change.. so off to the thrift store Jackson & I went!

I decided that a special occasion like Christmas called for a trip to my all-time favorite thrift store--so Jax and I made the trek to west Denver to check out my beloved Habitat for Humanity ReStore..

..and it didn't disappoint!

A Christmas nod to Edward Snowden? I don't get it but I'm definitely wearing it to Jackson's Winter One-derland party on Saturday! P.S. Whoever owned this gem before me must have smoked 7 packs a day.. I've washed it twice already and it still reeks! Does anyone have a trick for getting smoke out of clothes?

Brandon's new beauty (it's a Women's XL which makes it even more hilarious).

I plan to rock this Christmas morning with some obnoxious leggings.

Everything Christmas was 1/2 off ReStore so I walked out of there with three sweaters and a couple of Christmas mugs (for Jax's hot chocolate bar) for $3.88.

Yep.

I love thrifting!

Have you found the perfect Christmas sweater at your favorite thrift store?

Thrifty Thursday

Remember my last Thrifty Thursday post when I complained about accidentally buying an original Tickle Me Elmo? Well..

..it's officially the best $2 I've ever spent.

Jackson LOVES his Elmo--he's seriously obsessed with it and always scoots him around and gives him kisses! When we went to the thrift store and stumbled upon Jackson's future BFF, I thought it was just a regular stuffed Elmo who didn't talk or do anything special; once we got home and I went to wash it, I realized there was a voice box.. that shakes. 

Yep. It was a real life Tickle Me Elmo. 

I was 6 when Tickle Me Elmo was the BIG thing and I can still remember watching the news and seeing these parents shoving each other and forking out hundreds of dollars for a stuffed animal that I ended up buying at a thrift store for $2 eighteen years later.

Sleepover on the sofa when mommy was so sick.

Welcome to the family, El-man!

Thrifty Thursday

Happy Thursday, Kiddies!

I'm very excited to share another favorite thrifty find! Like last weeks TT (Thrifty Thursday), this piece also comes from Habitat for Humanity ReStore and also only cost $1.

Holla.

Top by Eddie Bauer.

I don't have too many long sleeved shirts so this top will be getting a lot of wear this fall. I love the blue (blue is my favorite color!), the material is super soft, and it's another versatile top that can be dressed up or down. Last week, I wore this bad boy Christmas shopping and paired it with blue jeans and a simple necklace. 

I felt comfortable, confident, and ready to shop!

 

Shirt // Eddie Bauer (out of season)

Jeans // Ariya Curvy Bootcut

Necklace // Riddles Jewelry

Thrifty Thursday

If you know me, you know I love to thrift.

Since moving to Denver, my thrifting hauls have gotten better and better--the Mile High City has so many places to shop! One of my new favorite spots is Habitat for Humanity ReStore (you can read about the best thrifting high I ever had--courtesy of ReStore--here); every Saturday, all women's clothing is only $1 and baby/children's clothes are $.50.

Yep.

I've been thrifting my little heart out (guilt free) and am stocking up on high end brand name clothes on the cheap. With that being said, I thought I'd start sharing some of my favorite finds every Thursday to help encourage people to get out and thrift!

Without further ado..

An exciting new feature like this deserves a showstopper premiere.. this top does just that!

I scored this little number at ReStore (originally from The Loft) and LOVE it--it's soft, comfortable, and I absolutely adore the purple! It can be dressed up for church or for a date night with slacks or a skirt, or I can wear is casually with Toms and jeans. All of this for a dolla?

Win.

Now tell me: what did your recent thrift haul consist of? I'd love to hear!

Shirt // The Loft (out of season)

Jeans // Ariya Curvy Bootcut

White Undershirt // Forever 21

Necklace // Chewbeads Jane

The Best High I Ever Had.

Have you ever gotten a really amazing high that lasted the entire day?

I have--and it was the best ever!

In fact, it happened just a few weeks ago.. let me tell you all about it.

Two Saturdays ago, I had that itch that I just couldn't scratch; you know the one I'm talking about? I tried convincing myself it wasn't worth it.. we're trying to save for a house and I didn't need to be spending our hard earned money on my bad habit.

I tried to distract myself but it didn't work.

When Brandon woke up Saturday morning, I told him I needed to get my fix.

I needed to go thrifting.

Wait.. what did you think I was talking about?!

Brandon, Jackson, and I headed out of the house late Saturday morning on a mission to find some "new" pajamas for Jax (we're very blessed in that we were gifted with boxes of our nephews old baby clothes.. however, Mr. Jax continues to grow and is too big for most of the pajamas now). The first stop on our trip was the gigantic Arc down the street--I figured they'd have tons of pajamas at a good price!

Nope. Not at all.

The plan was to get 12 Month PJs (Jax is a tall guy and currently wears 9 Month everything) that he could start wearing in the next month or two.. Arc had nothing.

Bummer.

The next closest thrift store was (Habitat for Humanity) ReStore--we'd never been to a ReStore before but we'd heard they have nice furniture at a decent price so we figured we'd at least go in to peruse.

You guys; I have a new favorite thrift store.

ReStore was HUGE and had tons of furniture, clothes, appliances, cabinetry, and more--for next to nothing!

I loved this desk.. I'm in desperate need of a desk/home office space but we literally have NO room for any new furniture. *sigh* Wouldn't that be gorgeous repainted white with black hardware?

The price of that desk.. it pained me to leave it! Stupid tiny apartment..

Anyway, after scouring all of the furniture we made our way back to the clothes.

I wasn't sure what to expect in terms of baby clothes but we hit the jackpot.

Kinda hard to see but the boy's pajamas were $1.25 each. Boom!

We went through the boy's pajama drawer and found 7 different pairs of like new Carters brand PJs for $1.25 each. SOLD! We grabbed all of the 12 Month ones and made a quick beeline over to the women's clothing to see if anything caught my eye. 

They had several shirts from The Loft for only $2 each.. not bad!

After making a quick trip around the outdoor and cabinetry sections, we headed to the cash register to pay for our purchases and received the surprise of a lifetime. Our total for 7 pairs of gently used Carters brand pajamas and my adorable cupcake shirt was $4.87. 

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?! 

Come to find out, Saturdays are $.50 baby clothes and $1 adult clothing day. 

$3.50 for the lot.

I was seriously on Cloud 9 the rest of the day and had to text my mom and Mamma Nancy to brag about our purchase (I am not a humble person when it comes to finding a good deal). After leaving ReStore, Brandon and I celebrated with Burger Saturday at Rock Bottom Brewery. 

The Bourbonzola Burger--BEST burger ever!

Brandon and I were both really impressed with ReStore and plan to frequent it often--I also plan to donate all of our clothes, furniture, and whatnot to them in the future. If you have one in your area, I highly encourage you to check it out; you won't be disappointed!

Our First Thrifting Trip*

*as residents of Denver.

On (Burger) Saturday morning, Brandon, Jack, and I decided to venture out for a little thrifting adventure. If you know Brandon and me, you know that we love our thrifting and used to go almost every weekend before I began boycotting Goodwill (because of this NBC News report)--however, now that we live in a big city with more stores to choose from, we're back to our old bargain hunting ways and couldn't be happier! 

Source

After scouring Yelp for the highest rated thrift shops in Denver, we decided to head south to Mile High Thrift Store with the mission of finding Jackson some "new" pajamas (this kid keeps growing and growing!). The trip to the store took a lot longer than we both expected (who knew that there was a north and south Sheridan Blvd?) but after passing nearly a dozen marijuana dispensaries, several cops, and a really old looking Arby's, we arrived at our destination. 

Source

As soon as we entered the store, I made a beeline over to the infant section and was immediately disappointed--everything seemed really disorganized and I couldn't find anything in Jax's size.. dang. At that point, I was just ready to leave; the store was packed anyway and I felt discouraged. Luckily, Brandon suggested we make a quick trip around the store so we began walking and discovered all kinds of well priced treasures! 

Good thing Brandon didn't listen to me, huh (this is the only time you'll ever hear me say this)?

We wound up doubling Jackson's book collection for a meer $12 and scored the Disney Trivial Pursuit board game for another $3! Boom! 

I had that same exact Mother Goose book when I was a little girl!

I wish we could have shopped some more at Mile High Thrift Store (I spotted a Coach bag in excellent condition for only $30..), but they only accept cash and all we had was a $20--maybe that's a good thing though? We will be back! 

Are you a Coloradoan whose been to Mile High Thrift? What did you think? Do you have any other thrifting suggestions for us? Let me know!

What I Wore Wednesday

Welcome to another exciting edition of WIWW!

Today's outfit is called "The Cool Mom" (which describes me to a T, right?)!

Last Saturday, my guys and I spent the day running errands and shopping, so I wanted to wear something that was comfortable and fun--this outfit covered all the bases!

Outfit info:

1.) I picked up the Stone's tee at Goodwill in 2011 and have gotten lots of good wear out of it--I love how versatile it is and how it can be easily paired with jeans, yoga pants, or a skirt & blazer! 

2.) The charm bracelet was a Christmas gift from my mom--it adds a fun pop of color to my pale, white arms (ha).

3.) Have I mentioned that I live next to a Gordmans (yes, I am going to bring this up every post because I'm so stinking excited about it)? That's where I picked up these Amethyst jeans--they fit really, really well and I love the darker wash.

All together, this "cool mom" ensemble cost me maybe $30 (I love a good deal!)--gotta love thrifting and bargain shopping! Next week, I will be sharing the outfit that I'm wearing to Jack's baptism so be sure to stop back for all the deets.

What I Wore Wednesday (& the Debut of the New Do)

Good news: I'm bringing What I wore Wednesday (WIWW) back!

Do you remember the one WIWW post I did over a year ago? Yeah, I don't really either. Anyway, I decided to bring it back (hopefully weekly!) in order to get myself out of yoga pants and sweatshirts and into more trendy/fun outfits--and what better outfit to start with than this "mommy chic" ensemble I wore yesterday!

My personal style is chic, yet comfortable--I love pairing quirky and colorful t-shirts with something dressy, like a suit jacket or pretty necklace. 

Outfit info:

1.) I picked up the suit jacket at Goodwill for $3.99 in 2011 and it has been one of my wardrobe staples ever since (nothing makes me happier than finding cute threads at the thrift store--I'm very cheap thrifty)! 

2.) The Ariya "curvy fit" jeans were a post-pregnancy Gordmans buy (have I mentioned that I live next door to a Gordmans now? Oh, I have?)

3.) The Park Burger shirt was a gift from my aunt (P.S. if you're ever in Denver, eat. at. Park. Burger. It's amazing!!).

I love this outfit! 

So besides the fact that I'm wearing something other than sweats, do you notice anything different? 

If you answered "yes, you have a bit of a stomach pooch going on," you'd be right (rude, but right).. however, that's not what I'm talking about--I'm referring to my new hairdo! 

"The Natalie"

Before moving to Denver, my brother and I had a standing Friday afternoon date where he'd come over to our house to do his laundry and we'd sit around and watch "Monk" reruns.. that's where I got this idea for my new do! Remember Monk's assistant, Natalie? She was my inspiration (you thought I was going to say that Monk was my inspiration, didn't you?)!

I love Natalie's locks--her do is very light and wispy, yet edgy and fun

I absolutely LOVE the way my hair turned out! The layers and side bangs have given my super fine and limp hair new life and it is really easy to maintain--I just have to blow dry it, give it a few waves (with my hair straightener), spray it, and go! Love, love, love!!

On that note, it's to to wrap up this edition of WIWW--I hope to see you all again next week for another super exciting post about how I actually got dressed/put on makeup for once!

Baby Sand's Vintage Nursery Reveal!

I am so excited to announce that Jr.'s nursery is finally complete!

The idea to do a vintage themed nursery originally came about this summer when I was thrifting with my mom--we were browsing around a local antique shop when she came across an adorable old painting of kittens.

"Wouldn't that be cute in the babies room?" my mom asked.

Yes. Yes it would.

Unfortunately, the picture was $95 and the shop owners weren't willing to budge on the price (it was in an antique frame or some nonsense like that.. psh) so I ended up going home empty handed but with a mind chock full of ideas!

Let's begin the tour, shall we?

 The Reading Corner

This is my favorite part of the room--our little reading corner. The rocking chair belonged to Brandon's Great-Grandma (she even made the beautiful afghan cover to go with it!) and my Aunt Cheryl made the "Poky Little Puppy" quilt.

Close up of the quilt.

And one more (because it's so cute and I love the book).

This is actually a last minute thing we decided to do--the quilt on the one wall made the other wall look really bare so I had Brandon print out pages from some of our favorite childhood books (The Tale of Peter Rabbit, Corduroy, and Curious George). I just love the way it turned out--plus I only paid $1.50 per frame at Walmart which can't be beat.

The Buggy

 I do really love this old fashioned buggy! Mamma Nancy (Brandon's mom) and Aunt Paulette found it at an antique shop in South Dakota and gave it to me at my surprise baby shower! It is really cute and in perfect condition--I'm currently using it as Jr.'s little blanket basket (it's setting next to the rocking chair so I can easily grab a blanket if we're rocking in the middle of the night when it's chilly).

Lots of fleece and swaddle blankets!

The Picture Corner

 I'll cover everything in detail here in a sec but I wanted to point out the beautiful dresser that Brandon's Grandpa made--there are lots of cute little clothes inside!

When we decided on a vintage theme, I knew I wanted to do a mini gallery wall with pictures of Baby Sand's Grandparents--it's still kind of a work in progress (we're missing my dad's and Mamma Nanc's pictures) but I like how it's coming together! The two cuties on the left are Brandon's step-mom, Val (top), and Dad (bottom), and the little curly haired sweetie on the right is my Mom. The "God Keeps Promises" sign used to hang at the top of the stairs in my Grandma and Grandpa Kasten's house (I think my Aunt Nancy made it in Sunday school?) so it's very special to me.

The picture on the right used to hang in Brandon's nursery (and do you see that Colorado Rockies bear--that belonged to my cousin Angie)!

Bitsy: the room inspector 

For the record, I dusted the dresser after seeing this picture.. Oops.

(The picture of Jesus was also in Brandon's nursery, the "Wizard of Oz" pop-up book was a Christmas gift from my Aunt Nancy when I was little, and the Kansas flag was in one of the rooms at my Grandma Kasten's).

Two of my banks from when I was little--the one in the back is a replica of the bank that my Grandpa and Grandma Wernsman own; the little blue tooth pillow was made by Brandon's Grandma. 

The Changing Table

This changing table is the only piece of furniture that we have actually had to buy (no joke)--we have been so blessed with friends and family giving us heirloom furniture that we haven't had to worry about picking out dressers, cribs, etc. Thank you so much to everyone whose helped us; you have no idea just how much it means to Brandon and me!

Brandon gets all the credit for the changing table--he spotted it at Goodwill for $30! Love the color!! The Diaper Genie was a gift from my wonderful boss. 

The Crib

 We have a little bit of a jungle theme going on over here! The vintage crib actually belonged to Mamma Nancy (don't worry--we went through all the safety checks/inspections and it is good to go!), the Boppy was given to us by our friend, Jana, and the adorable quilt was made by Baby Sand's Aunt Jen (my best friend/maid of honor)! Baby will be sleeping in a Rock and Play in our room for the first couple of months before he gets to sleep in his crib but it's all ready for him.

One more shot of the adorable, cushy blanket! 

Wide Shots

 Since we live in a rental and plan to move when our lease is up in April, I decided to hold off on doing the wall behind the crib--I want to eventually get some of those stick on wall decals (of what, I'm not sure) but I'll wait until we buy a house.

Vintage was such a fun theme to do for the nursery and I love how we were able to incorporate so many different family heirlooms/treasures into it! I was looking around the room trying to estimate how much we've spent and I'd say we have maybe hit $50 (changing table, a few books, frames for pictures). The nursery was originally the guest room we had just finished painting but we liked the color (which of course I can't find now but I know it's Behr brand and that we got it from the Home Depot) and decided to leave it.

Thank you for touring the nursery with me! Now all we need now is a cute baby to live/play/sleep in there!