Halloween Treat Tray

My husband asked me to make something for his company dessert contest. With 2 kids and crazy allergies going I really didn't feel like trying to achieve wife of the year by making some ginormous confection but I did feel the need to at least try.

In less than 2 hours this is what I threw together. A tray supporting 2 bags of Caramel Apple pops, with double fudge brownies topped with Hershey's Dark frosting placed on top of a woven Twizzlers mat. It wasn't too hard and it sure was fast. The Twizzlers took the most time because of the weaving; I've never woven candy before so it was... Let's say there is a learning curve!

Hope your Halloween was full of fun!

Stay green,
Yasha

Fast and Fun Table Setting.

I recently had to set a table for a charity luncheon and found myself in the position of needing new table dressings. I did not want to spend a ton of money dressing the table but it needed to look nice.
I decided to only buy things I would actually use on my own table once the event was finished. Here is what I used to make a table setting for less than $5 per chair and a centerpiece for less than $30, of course depending on what you have on hand cost may vary a bit.

Origami directions

Hobby Lobby Items:
Charger
Butterfly Napkin Rings
Origami Paper

Walmart:
Flowers (look for sale prices!)
Napkins and Placemats Colors vary according to season.

Sushi:
My sushi was a gift from a friend bought off etsy but here is a cute tutorial of how to make felt sushi!

This was a super fun project and the kids will love to help with it!

The centerpiece. Origami and felt sushi around a simple glass vase with flowers from Wal-Mart's Discount section.

Close up on the Origami and Felt Sushi.

Napkin ring holder made from Butterfly flower ornaments. Wrap the wire round a toilet paper roll.

Blue napkins and placemats found at Wal-Mart 

Green Flower Chargers from Hobby lobby.

Final Product!

Origami Centerpiece

I had to make a table setting for a charity event some months back and decided I wanted to keep the centerpiece on my counter. Of course the whole thing is much too large to a small apartment counter, so I broke it down a bit and used origami to fill in the gaps.

It really didn't cost anything. Most craft stores like Hobby Lobby will carry Origami paper and there are many varieties. This is so much fun to do with the whole family; everyone can make their own favorite shapes to add!

I love this site for origami instructions they have great videos on some of the tricky pieces. Try it out I would love to see your centerpieces! http://www.origami-instructions.com

Stay green,

Yasha

Charity Table

Simple At home piece

Counter top Piece

New Kitchen courtesy of Resale

I've just gotten home after a full day family fun. My only disappointment today was the realization that I was 100 tiles shy of refinishing the bathroom.

Today we visited Re-Store. Re-Store is a resale store featuring items needed to remodel an repair homes. Everything is donated or rescued from the dumpsters at job sites. This wonderful store is run laby Habitat for Humanity and everything you purchase goes to funding new homes for people that need them!

After spending 2 hours sorting through 8x8in tiles I finally realized I would be 100 tiles short of the 260 I need. *sigh* Oh well, I can try again later.

Stay green, Yasha

Remodeling for Rent!?

Do you want to save on rent? We do.

We moved from our 1000 sqft apartment to a 1500 sqft house and saved $345/month in rent! How did we do it? We have an agreement to upgrade the house by renovating and landscaping while living here. Many of the things are simple such as repainting, wallpapering, redoing flooring, and improving the general curb appeal. So far my out of pocket expenses have been about $50 for some flowers ($45) and wallpaper ($5 at Goodwill). Not too shabby considering how much we're saving.

Many of the things we need to replace or install the owner's have previously purchased but don't have the time to install. The flooring had been previously purchased and sat at the owner's home for over a year until I picked it up. One of them even showed me how to install it! The tiles in the bathroom are only loose and I just need to reset some of them (no water damage or rot just loose grout.)

Depending on the owner I could have found myself paying biiiig bucks for the remodel of this place. You should always sit down and talk about how the costs are going to work out. Who will pay for what. If something breaks (anything from shingles being replaced or a hole in the roof to the AC unit breaking down) who fixes it? You do not want to get stuck replacing the AC unit on a place you are never going to own. It almost like you're a live-in part-time handyman compared to a live-in flipper. Make sure the majority of things purchased (especially big ticket items) will fall on the owner's expense.

DO expect to have to pay for all your utilities. They're expecting you to help remodel a house; they do not want to pay your cable or electric. Of course you can save on electric by line drying or cut back on water by switching shower heads.

DO expect to shell out some money on repairs. You'll discuss this with the owner when you sign your rent agreement.

DO ask what the owner wants done from big to small projects and list them in priority according to the owner. That hole in the wall may be a big deal to you but the owner may want the front lawn taken care of first.

DO ask the owner what supplies they have on hand that you could use or look through. Sometimes that last can of paint left from repainting their own living room will have just enough left in it to repaint the kitchen.

DO stay in touch with the owner and consult them at each step. Before you buy that wallpaper consider it's general appeal to a potential renter or buyer and how much the owner will like it. The wallpaper I bought to put in the kitchen is from the same manufacturer and is in the same collection as the current wallpaper; I was lucky enough to find this at Goodwill.

DO shop at Goodwill, Habitat for Humanity Re-Store, and places that offer leftover items from remodels, new builds, and mass builds.

DO try to schedule shopping trips with the owners. You will both appreciate it in the end. It will also help you learn what they like.

DO NOT agree to anything that sounds fishy. Use you best judgement on this one.

DO check how much other houses rent for in the area. You are going to want a discount on that rent!

DO let them know what you can and cannot do! If you know how to tile a bathroom and repair or shingle a roof tell them! Also, let them know if you have never done this before! They will work with you or move on to the next possible helper. Do not get in over your head!

DO write yourself a schedule for your repairs and keep track of everything done. Keep the owner updated on your progress. This can be done easily in the form of a simple and sweet monthly letter. Make it fun or business like your choice. Include pictures of your progress; I prefer to do before and after shots.

Hopefully if you do a good job they will let you continue living there with or without discount. They may ask you to start on a different house they own or refer you to a friend that needs the same work done. That about sums it up. Most of the repairs are pretty easy and There is no project I cannot finish in a day or two. Go check your newspaper for listings! Have fun and happy remodeling!

Stay green,
Yasha

The New Floor

We just finished (about a month ago that is) redoing the entire hallway and kitchen floor. I'm so excited about it! It looks wonderful; much better than the yucky flooring that was under the tile removed tile. Unfortunately, the hardwood that should have been beautiful could not be restored due to the cheap stick-down tile that had been placed on top of it (3 layers!) Some of that wood had to be replaced where a previous tenant had let water pool and it warped and rotted. (Yuck!)

What has been placed down is a stick on vinyl flooring but looks much better than the yucky brown "tile." The new flooring is imitation wood in a walnut color. I'm so excited about it! It was purchased by the owners over a year ago. Since I had never installed flooring before one of them showed me how. It's actually much easier than I had envisioned and I'm ready to tackle it by myself next time.

The next floor to be redone is the secondary bathroom. Oi, it needs a lot of work tiles need to be reset in the bathing area, flooring needs to be put down, and the whole thing needs a general remodel.

Wondering why all the remodeling on a rented house? Check my post on saving on rent: HERE.

Pictures will follow but my camera is dead!

Stay green,

Yasha

Dumpster Score!

Say what!?

Most Parents discourage children from touching, going near, or even thinking about dumpsters. I try to encourage mine to look at them. Why? Well sometimes people throw out completely good things. Toys, chairs, couches. Any of these things can be spruced up and resold or kept depending on he condition.

Now I haven't gone so far as to actually jump in a dumpster nor would I let my kids do it (or see me do it if I ever work up the courage.) Jumping in a dumpster takes some preparation and caution. You don't know what is in there. If it will shift. If it will break. If there are bugs. *shudder* However, things conveniently placed next to a dumpster are fair game.

Trash day has become one of my favorite days. I have found some of the more affluent neighborhoods are awesome to cruise through on trash day. Amazingly, there are still a lot of people out there that never take things to Goodwill. They just leave them on the curb.



Still think I'm crazy? Take a look at some of the treasures I found.

Kitchen Chair needed a new bolt
(Please ignore the pile of blue bags in the corner. They're full of donations waiting to go.)

Fully functional keyboard needed new batteries

Dora the Explorer chair Hole needed sewn up

I finished a project!

Now to get the pictures posted before I forget! I repainted the kids' toy box. Eventually I will add a lid to it also but for now, at least, it is painted!

Before Picture; not so pretty. This was my Husband's toybox that his grandpa built when he was 3 or so. That is the origional paint job. (His sister added her name later to the corner.)

 Primer White It took 2 cans and a part of a third of Krylon "2 in 1 Primer and Paint" in White

 Taped off. Random spacing because I'm too lazy to measure. I don't care if the lines are crooked or uneven. It will add character. At least I will say it's character.

Painted and waiting to dry so I can remove the tape! Krylon Pistachio (green) and Krylon Peekaboo Blue (blue) are the colors I used for the stripes. I did one blue one green rotating colors. it helps to spray a bit of the base or top with the correct color before doing stripes so you don't mess up.

Ignore the screen in front of the camera. I got lazy. Note to self Clear coat the white before taping off! Yeah, I will have to go back and touch up the white.

Christmas presents for Grandparents

While at the Goodwill today (browsing for more frames) I noticed some very nice photo albums. Hmm, Grandparents like pictures of the grandkids right? Just how expensive are these albums? 50 CENTS!?

Score!

Now how to fill them? I know Walgreens has deals on 4x6 photos from time to time. Usually, 10 cents each. I think I could swing that. It looks like the grandparents will be getting more pictures of the grandkids this year. Won't that make them so happy?

The coffee table said what!?

Well let me just go deal with that!

Ok I'm back and I think the coffee table took the worst of it. Ok, ok. I'm not punishing the family coffee table. I'm merely bringing it new life. Follow along with my sporadic posts as I refinish this wonderful piece of history. Well it should be history. At least if you consider a hand me down from your mother in law a piece of history.

Step one: Sanding off the old finish.
We'll call this step half done.

My "new" old picture frames

I have some old picture frames that just don't match. You know the kind, every shape, size, material, and color ever thought of. Some how my taste has changed over the years and I decided to buy new frames while never throwing out the old ones.

I finally got fed up with my frame fetish and decided to fix the problem only to discover a new and much larger problem.

I'm broke.

So what to do? What to do? Hmm... Don't I still have a can of spray paint around here somewhere? I do. I do! Hooray!

I am now the proud owner of 7 "new" black frames. All it took was a little bit of time and effort. No my frames don't all match in size or shape but they are all the same color. It gives it a kind of eclectic feel without being overwhelming. Since the color scheme in my living room is pewter and black this worked out pretty well for me.

Tips for decorating on a tight budget:

• Look around. You may have something you can use. The picture frames and spray paint I already had.
• Check resale, yard sales, and charity stores. Since I'm painting all the picture frames the same color and don't care if bevels or sizes match I could get any frame I want.
• Redefine your limitations. For the longest time I wanted frames from only one collection. One shape, one size, one bevel. I'm much happier with reusing my old frames and actually being able to display my pictures than having to wait and save up to buy the new frames at $8 a pop.

My next project will be a DVD stand that currently has a wooden finish. It will soon be black to match the rest of the living room!

Stay green,
Yasha