Shopping for the Right Outfits

I know I don’t often talk about clothes here, I really am more of a home decor girl, but I like to look good too! I buy most of my cloths from consignment or thrift stores or off the clearance rack (here’s how to do it) so I don’t always go in with something in mind that I need but rather a mental list.

It’s too easy to veer away from a mental list…

I also find myself looking at my Pinterest Fashion Board  and wishing all of it was in my closet. Well, it just hit me, why not print out those pictures to keep in my purse on my next shopping trip so I can try to replicate them? Ah ha! So I’m doing just that and I will check them off as I get them so I don’t buy more than one pair of white pants or emerald green shoes.

Here’s some of the things on my list <3

need: emerald jeans

need: pink scarf and flats, silver bag, pearl necklace

need: simple dress, wide belt, brown scarf, gold earrings

need:flouncy mustard yellow skirt, white button up blouse, blue cardigan, statement necklace

need, green blouse, grey blazer with belt (more versatile than brown)

need: denim shirt, little sneakers, khaki shorts (or hem the long ones i have)

need: white denim, coral scarf, gold jewelry, sea grass bag

Need: artsy top, red earrings

Be Inspired: Dad Edition

Maybe you are like me and have totally slacked off on getting something for the dads in you life. Whaps.

Here’s a few easy quick ideas for you to make tomorrow!

These free printables make any gift a little more special for Fathers Day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love vouchers as gifts because you can make them so personal! Check out these free printables!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yep, I love free printables! Get this cute Father’s Day Card HERE!

 

 

 

 

 

This card would be easy to make and SO SWEET from the little ones! Tutorial HERE!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Who doesn’t like fresh homemade cookies? This recipe is a family favorite!

 

 

 

 

 

If you need some more inspiration, check out last weeks ideas!

Thrifting and Money Saving Tricks

I love thrift stores and consignment shops and I really love garage sales and getting a great deal. Almost everything in my home I got from one of those places or on clearance, I very rarely buy things at full retail price.

How do I do it? Well here are a few tips that I’ve learned over the years.

 

1. Don’t be afraid to wait. If there is something I want but don’t need right away I wait for it to go on clearance or to find it on the Goodwill shelves. My favorite example of this was my intense desire for an espresso machine but my complete disgust over the retail prices. I held out for nearly a year before spotting a nearly new one at the Goodwill for $15!
2. Be okay with not getting what you want. This is a really hard one for me-especially when it’s something in Target and it might sell out before hitting clearance, but that’s how I can afford to decorate.
3. Set a budget. How much would you actually spend on that thing you want? I didn’t want to spend over $30 for a espresso machine.
4. Make a list of what you want. This helps you stay focused and not buy every pretty little knick knack.
5. Keep in mind your decor. Will that knick knack actually fit in your home size and stylewise?
6. Go often. Thrift stores are getting new stuff in everyday. Don’t go in everyday (bad on the budget!). I go once a week or every other week.
7. Learn your favorite store’s discount days. For instance, my Goodwill marks furniture down every Friday morning so if there’s a chair or shelf I’ve been watching I get there when the doors open.
8. Don’t be afraid to ask for a cheaper price. My mama always said it doesn’t hurt to ask nicely. If i see two items I want that are marked at different prices I ask to get them both at the cheaper price. Same for similar items or if i just want one at the cheaper price. Thrift stores are usually good about this. I will even ask for a cheaper price in retail stores on clearance items that have visible problems.
9. Don’t be afraid to suggest a price you are willing to pay. This especially works at garage sales and thrift stores but I’v been known to do it in retail stores too (on clearance items). I bought a rug from Goodwill for $6.99 because it didn’t have a tag and I went up and said I’d give them $10. The lady was super nice and gave it to me for less!
10. Buy pretty pillows from the thrift store. These are always SO EXPENSIVE in retail stores. Make sure to buy ones in the thrift store that have  zippers on them so that you can remove and wash the pretty case! I just throw away synthetic inserts (because i dont know where they’ve been) but you can wash feather inserts! Always buy nice feather pillow inserts at thrift stores when you find them because not only can they be washed, but they last longer and can be re-fluffed unlike the cheapy synthetic ones.
11. Set boundaries/rules on collections. For instance, I collect blue Ball mason jars but to keep from buying every single one I see I set boundaries/rules: they have to have an intact tin or glass lid and be under $3 for small one, under $10 for the large. Rare shaped and sized ones I fudge a bit on price. Another good rule for collections is to place a restrictive number on the collection, like 10 decorative plates and if you find and fall in love with number 11 you have to get rid of one at home. This helps keep things in check.

Here are some of my examples of deals I’ve gotten:

Ikea desk chair (in White) Retail:$79 Clearance:$50

Deer Head Vase from Z Gallery Retail:$69.95 Clearance: $34.98 my haggling price: $30

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beautiful curtains from Target Retail:$20-30 per panel Goodwill price: $14 for two!

Target Candle Lantern Retail: $30 Similar one at a garage sale: $2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Papasan Chair from Pier 1 (no foot stool) Retail: $150 Craigslist: $30

 

Various pretty pillows/cases Retail: $15-30 Thrift stores: $2-6

Be Inspired #2

Welcome back! If you missed out on our exciting news check out June 7ths post!

And if you missed last week’s inspiration head over here for more crafts and fun!

Here are some spring/summer inspirations for your weekend! Some of these would be fun to do with kids too!

Make your own splatter art garden with this tutorial from My Flower Journal. This looks hard but it is crazy easy! Practice a little bit and make a few!

 

 

 

 

 

I LOVE this vase from Sketchy Styles. You just need a glass jar, an old belt, and some hot glue!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The space under my kitchen sink is really needing some organizing help. Adding a tension rod  would be a quick 5 minute project that would fix a lot of my problems!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My college friends will laugh when they see this! Homemade Pop Tarts from A Golden Afternoon! I LOVE LOVE LOVE Pop Tarts! Making my own would be way cheaper!

 

 

 

 

 

 

This pretty Acrylic tray looks straight out of some high end store but it’s actually way easy and cheap to make! Visit Just A Girl‘s blog for the tutorial on this fun quick project! (just need a clear plastic box frame and pretty paper!) This would be a great mail catch all for Father’s Day if the kids decorated the paper liner!

 

 

If you want some more inspiration check out last week’s Be Inspired post or click the menu link above!

Blessed beyond measure

It’s easy to forget God and how He blesses us in the day to day. In general, Americans have it really good, and that in itself is a blessing from God.

But today, today I feel His incredible blessings. My mind is completely blown by the way God moves and works in all situations, big and small.

As you probably know, Jeff and I have been all set to move to Texas for Law school at the end of the summer. We both have finally been getting comfortable with the idea and have moving and apartments pretty much laid out. Then it seemed like God threw a wrench in it all. We received a call from an Oregon Law school saying they would like to offer us almost a full ride. Crunching and comparing numbers we were confused, stressed and somewhat angry- why would God seemingly change His mind when we were so sure about Baylor? Why would God want us to trade a Christian based school that was ranked higher academically for a very liberal school in Oregon?

We stayed up late stressing and praying.

This afternoon Jeff called the Oregon school to see if they would give us the complete full ride and make our decision easier; they wouldn’t do it. So Jeff called Baylor and explained the situation. They sent the request to the scholarship committee and we got a call back not an hour later upping Jeff’s scholarship $9000 a year!

I wept when Jeff called and told me the news. I’m completely blow away by the way God moves. If He hadn’t given us an offer from Oregon we never would have called Baylor and gotten a better scholarship.

My heart is full of wonder and joy and praise for my Mighty God, who

“causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28, NASV)

Oh, AND God provided the perfect car for us today!

We’ve been searching Craigslist for a while now with nothing in our price range that was worth two glances. After a disappointing viewing yesterday we were wishfully talking about how nice it would be to find a little gas saver that use to be owned by a senior citizen. Guess what I found on Craigslist last night?!

I called the guy this morning and we went a test drove and checked out this car this evening. It was just as amazing as the ad said. So we bought the 2005 Camry that was a single owner, senior car with under 150 thousand miles on it and it pretty much looks like we just pulled it off the lot! God answered our prayers down to the littlest detail and then threw more blessing on top!

Oh and we had to drive to Lincoln City to get it so we got to eat yummy sea food for dinner and put our toes in the sand.

Why do I ever doubt Him? God is in control!

Weekly Inspiration

So I have been surfing the blog-o-sphere and criticizing my blog stats and trying to figure out something fun and new to do with this space. It really was quite obvious, though it took a me awhile to see it, that ya’ll like crafts, decorating and inspiration best and that’s what you requested most in my survey a while back.

So I’m finally answering the call with a Weekly Inspiration post! I think I’m going to call it “Be Inspired.” Hmmmm…

Anyway, it is also a great excuse to have a half hour of Pinterest/Craft Gawker/blog time on a Saturday morning before I start my chores (or crafts).

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I love this free computer background from mallorypaige.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I would really like to add some plants to my apartment but I havent yet because there isn’t enough light. A succulent garden would be perfect, and even more so in these DIY pots from offbeatandinspired.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I want to make this cute book page wreath, it totally speaks to the English-major-shabby-chic-DIY-crafty me! Actually, I think I’ll make one today! See how here at endlesslyinspired.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve been wanting to make these paper hydrangeas from one young love for a long time. So pretty!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love this shabby chic bunting. Collect a bunch of fabric doilies (or go even cheaper and use paper ones!) and fabric glue them to ribbon. To make it stronger, fold the ribbon in half over the top of the doilies and sew together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, that’s all for this week! I’m going to go try to be productive now that the coffee has kicked in!

What Does the Future Hold?

It’s fun to dream about what the future holds. Moving to Texas, new home, new job, getting a kitten (hopefully), making new friends. It’s fun to dream about the further future too; moving back to Oregon, having dogs, our own home, having babies, having two cars, vacations, etc.

But how often do my plans really happen?

A lot of things have “worked out” the way I wanted. I dreamed of falling in love and marrying my sweetheart by 20 as a little girl- and that totally happened!

I also dreamed of being a teacher as a little girl, with my students clustered around my chair as I read them stories and filled their heads with knowledge I scribbled on the chalk board. But God had different plans for me and it took me until Junior year of college to submit to him my teacher dream. Instead I graduated with an English major and am still learning to wait on HIS TIMING and not demand my own.

It’s scary to think that my plans might not workout, that things could change entirely, that the life I have thought out to the smallest smidgen of a detail might not be/is probably not what God has in store.

It’s comforting to know that God has bigger plans for my life.

Some of what I have planned out will happen because I trust that He puts certain dreams into my heart (like marrying Jeff.) But how could I know at 5, or 10 or 15 years old that my grand dream of being a high school literature teacher wouldn’t be what God wanted for me. I don’t know yet what my career will be or even if it will be a traditional career. Perhaps I will use this college degree to better bring up my children, home school them even. Maybe the Lord will call me some where in the world that needs my eye for thrift store junk, or a smile at a receptionists desk.

What I know for sure is God is good. God is wise. God is loving. God will use me and put me in a place where He wants me.

Right now I live in a little apartment and work a minimum wage job an hour away from my family and God is using me here to love on those around me.

By the end of the year I’ll be in Texas, 36 driving hours away from my family, probably in a little apartment, hopefully with a full time job while Jeff goes to school and the Lord will still be using me to touch those specific people who will be in my life.

The Lord holds my future.

I will trust the Lord.

Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust Him, and He will Help you.

Pslam 37:5