Creative Monday Preview for UpScale This

The weather has turned quickly cool at our house, so the fall decorations came springing to life.  Since next week is the October installment of UpScale This, I decided to look for a pumpkin to upscale to get your ideas flowing for your entries into next week's linky party!

I found this cute little wooden pumpkin at the thrift store just a few blocks from my house. {dangerous}

I added a quick coat of paint.

Then I traced in onto some scrapbook paper and kept trimming away a bit at a time until it fit perfectly.  I cranked up photoshop to create a cute tag shape, added my words, and voila:

The copper leaves I cut out of a pop can and spray painted.  Very easy.  It fits perfectly with my pumpkin mantlescape this year!

So don't forget to come back here next week to link up your UpScale This pumpkins!  I can't wait to see all that you have created!

Linking up today to:

UpScale This! Thrift Store Challenge

I am so excited to announce this fun and new challenge for all you thrift shop loving girls out there!  I know many of you love a great bargain at the thrift store, and I've seen some of the things you have rehabbed to look AH-MAZE-ING.  So I thought it would be fun to put some challenge into it!

Each first Monday of the month I will have a challenge posted here and a linky party for you to show off your fabulous entries.  What kind of challenges you ask?  I can't wait to tell you!

Our first challenge is to upscale, make, or rehab something with DENIM.  The sky is the limit for your creativity, but here are a few rules.

1. At least one item of your project must be made with something you bought at a thrift store or garage sale.  This month that could be the denim from a pair of jeans or something you choose to add or cover in denim to make a new creation.
2. You must provide a before photo of the item you are refurbishing.
3. Just for fun, you can include the price you paid for your thrift item.
4. You are encouraged to use supplies that you already have on hand at home.  The fun of the challenge is to do it as cheaply as possible!
5. If your idea came from Pinterest, please give credit back to the originator.
6. You may include a tutorial or just the photos, whatever you would like.
7. The link party will open on Monday mornings and remain open until Saturday evening.  This should hopefully give you enough time to create!

Are you ready to see my denim creation to get your juices flowing?

 

 

 

 

I am so happy with how it turned out!

I bought a hideously ugly wreath for $1.99 and a pair of jeans for $2.99 at the thrift store.  Isn't it lovely?

I brought the wreath home and tore everything off to get down to the straw and started over.  I simply cut the jeans into strips to wrap around the wreath and used my glue gun to secure them.  I then just played around trying to make a few different looking flowers.  The reverse side of the jeans adds some nice texture and color interest, don't you think?

It goes well on my front porch of yellow and blue:

So just in case you'd like a head start, here is the project calendar for the next couple months:

October -Pumpkins!  Nothing says fall like pumpkins.  Find a pumpkin to redecorate or create a pumpkin out of something else.  Think outside the box!

November - Framed Art.  Pick up a piece of framed art that you can rehab and create something marvelous!

December -Decoupage.  Choose anything that you can decoupage to breath new life into.  Want an extra challenge?  Make it gift worthy!!

After you've linked up your fabulous project here, why don't you add it to the party over at  Creative Me Monday?  I'm also linking to the Wreath Party over at The Nesters.

I can't wait to get this party started and see all of your fabulous creations!

Confessions of a Book Lover

 

After being snowed in for three days, I got very excited to learn that the library book sale was still on!  I must sheepishly admit that this is one of my favorite things.....book sales.  It just hurts to pay full price for a book, and I have found some of the most wonderful things at the library sale for less than $1.00.  I always head directly to the "Inspirational" section.  This title just makes me laugh.  Even the library feels it has to be politically correct.

See the great things I found tonight?  The Bible on the top is a girls bible in the New Living Translation that is just perfect for my 9 year old...yep 50 cents.  The three Faith Girlz books under that...been looking for those on PaperBackSwap for months...10 cents each because they are children's books!  Got a new Max Lucado I didn't have.  I always pick up a clean copy of The Power of a Praying Wife to give away.  I was VERY excited to find The Message copy of the entire bible.  So often you only find it in the New Testament version.  The Children's Bible stories is cool because it has 365 stories as they appear in the bible.

I really need to find some reading time, as my stacks have continued to grow and I haven't done much more than collect them.  Time to dig in!

Do you take advantage of your library's book sales?


My friend Rachel is having a fun link up at her blog today.  Go visit and join in on the fun!

Celebrate!

I'm not one to usually care much about my birthday.  After all, as a woman those increasing numbers are never a good thing!  But today, on my birthday, I am celebrating.....not just my birthday, but the fact that all of my family members are healthy and back to school!  Whew, what a week! 

So how did I spend my day?  Shopping!  I wish I could say it was all for me, but it really was groceries and errands to get caught up from this crazy week.  But I did find a fun trinket at Goodwill for $1.96!

A cardholder someone probably donated after Christmas.  But I wanted it to hang in my office/scrapbook area for some of my favorite cards  I have made.

I'll show you something else tomorrow that I snagged at Goodwill as well.  You just never know what kind of bargains you can find!  I love a bargain!!