January Reflections (3): Store bought vs. Home-made (or hand-made)

January Reflections prompt:

Store bought vs. Hand-made

(The assignment was really store bought vs. home-made and I am sure it was speaking of food, but I chose to think in terms of house goods instead.)

I truly love home-made things. I enjoy making them, as well as buying them. I was thrilled to discover etsy.com several years ago for this reason. There is a sweetness in knowing who made something and why, and supporting others in their talent. I loved my husband's gift to me for Christmas because it shows just how well he knows me. He bought me a gift card to the antique market. Not just any antique market, but my favorite one that sells both antiques, home-made (hand-made, really) goods, and art from local artists.

I enjoy my own home-made things because if I make it myself, there is a special memory attached, usually. Sometimes that memory is as simple as a night that I spent all alone with my pent-up imagination.
And other times, there is deeper meaning. Like a painting that was therapeutic for me. In some seasons our budget necessitates home-made gifts, like last Christmas. And sometimes I relish the opportunities to make a cake or an outfit for one of my children's birthdays. They love those simple, hand-made gestures.Here are a few things that I bought that were made by others this past year. A local artist's painting, a local artist's metal work, my friend's bird watercolor, and a needlepoint chair made my a relative of my husband.
I think every room in our house is decorated with several home-made items. My husband prefers it that way. And I enjoy the challenge of making or finding rare beauties. I still have a weakness for certain stores. I just bought this picture from Pier One on Sunday with some Christmas money, and I although I LOVE it, I doubt it will be something I treasure for years to come. When my friends ask for decorating advice, I find it hard to give. I honestly have no idea how to decorate on a fat budget. My gifts lie in finding a treasure at the flea market and making it work in our house. Give me thousands of dollars and it stifles me. But a $100 budget holds endless possibilities!!

Good deals=Cheered up Mommy

Last year I made $275 from my sales in the consignment sale. So anticipating that I will make about the same this year, I used this number for my budget on shopping day. My stuff averaged about $3 per item. Obviously, I will have to buy more things for the boys later. It gets harder and harder to find good clothes for them that are second hand. Lydie, on the other hand, is good to go! And hopefully all of this will be for $0 if I break even with what I sold. Here's what I brought home: For Jackson:

*2 dress shirts (short sleeve polo-type shirts)

*5 shirts

*6 shorts (We found some great Lands End and Columbia brands this year.)

*1 pair of dress pants

*2 toys

For Joshua:

*5 dress shirts
*8 shirts

*5 shorts

*1 pair of shoes

*2 toys

For Lydie:

*9 dresses

*10 separate tops

*4 separate skirts or shorts

*8 full outfits (these were the Gymboree knit tops with shorts, some with matching bows)

*4 hair accessories

*2 socks (came with Gymboree outfits)

*2 night gowns

*8 shoes

*2 toys

Each of these little girlie outfits spoke to me. This skirt said, "It is almost spring! Let's celebrate!"

This one said, "I am brand new and only $2!"

These said, "I am cute!"

These said, "You know you have a thing for the vintage look!"

These said "Stay true to your southern roots! "

Others said, "I am SO Lydie!"

My husband doesn't speak this language, by the way. I wish I could teach it to him. And now, we are counting down the days until Spring. (42 days is not that long, right?)

Woo-hoo!

I almost let myself miss the consignment sale this year. I just did not think I had the time or energy to devote 4-5 hours to the process. But then I remembered the "preview sale". I look forward to the early bird sale for sellers and volunteers every year. So I committed myself to the grueling preparations of tagging all of our old stuff.

Yesterday my friend watched all three children while I shopped alone. I had 1 hour and 15 minutes to scour the goods, and a budget of $200 (this is a conservative estimate of what I hope to make from my clothes). My total was $204. Hopefully, I will break even when it's all said and done. Here's a list of my loot.

~9 boy shirts

~8 boy shorts

~1 bag

~1 girl vest

~1 girl blazer

~1 girl rain coat

~3 smocked dresses

~8 girl shirts

~3 girl shorts

~6 skirts

~2 capris

~2 pairs of girl shoes
~6 dresses

~3 toys

~3 books

~1 movie

Here are a few of my favorites:

I'm telling you, these consignment sales are so worth it! Okay, I'm stepping off of my soap box.

Another pitch for consigning

About this time last year, I wrote a post that sounded like my own personal advertisement for consigning clothes. Here it is. As my friends Maryanne says, "If you are going to buy clothes for your children, why not find things that you love?" Her children always look adorable, and she only spends pocket change on their outfits. Here's how I do it. I hope if you have a tight budget like I do, you will see that you can have beautiful clothes on any budget!

My consignment sale shopping tutorial:

1. Always volunteer for a shift and get a pass to the pre-sale. All the good stuff will be gone by Friday!

2.Take a laundry basket, or even better, a rolling cart if you have one.

3.Make a list of what you need and memorize it. But stuff it in your pocket anyway.

4.Get to the sale early, there will be a line.

5.When the doors open, make a bee-line to the area you deem most important. Have a game plan.

6.Don't panic. Start with a loud outfit, maybe a crazy pattern. Look at everything around the rack quickly, but one by one until you make it back to crazy printed outfit.

7.Throw everything you like into your basket. Check prices later.

8.Go to a quiet corner of the room and look at each item carefully. Are there holes, stains, picked fabric, funny smells? Look at prices now.

9.Return your rejects to the proper place.

10.If you love something that is priced too high, come back on Saturday. Prices are usually 50% off on the last day.

11.Pay and leave with a smile. Enjoy the satisfaction of investing well for your family!

Here's what I got today (a total of 43 items) with $100 (I chose this amount because it is what I predict to make from the clothes I am selling.):

6 new books, 2 for each child

2 puzzles, 2 games

Two pairs of shoes for Lydie...those pink GAP tennies were 75 cents!

An early Christmas present for Lydie

9 clothing items for Jaybird. Those GAP vests were $3 each.

8 clothing items for Toot...Gap, Polo, Gymboree brands- mostly $2 or $3

8 items for Lydie- that pumpkin Gymboree set in the bottom left corner was $8 for a dress, 2 tights, striped turtleneck and striped leggings. All sweaters were $2. That cream one will be adorable with a chocolate "L" monogram.
So now with hand-me-downs, birthday gifts, these clothes, and a few other good finds along the way we are ready for fall/winter. In all, I have temporarily invested around $75 per child for the season. With the exception of rare, impulse buys I only spend what I make on their clothing. (This is my second sale this season and I made $230 at the last one and predict around $100 at this sale.)

Hope this encourages someone to keep their standards high, even when their budget is low!

Sofa love

Yard sale season is back! And just in time because I am finally decorating our playroom and finally adding personal touches to our family room. This past Saturday I was looking for shelving for the playroom and I found this jewel:We bought our old floral sofa in 1999. By 2002 I was not happy with our choice, but we had gone from a family of two to a family of four. So we kept the sofa for years and moves and children. I have grown to hate that floral sofa! (This is the loveseat that matches) It is so uncomfortable and the floral colors leave very few decorating choices. So on Saturday when I saw a sign that said, "See our sofa inside" hanging by the garage sale sign I became curious. They were asking $75, and in my excitement I forgot to haggle. I wrote them a check on the spot! I invested another $75 to have the sofa cleaned and scotch-guarded this morning, for a grand total of $150. It is big, comfy, a great color and worth every penny! If you know me you probably know what I am thinking now...paint color, accessories! I can't wait to work on this room over the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned for more pictures!

Budget-friendly gifts

If you are ever in need of a nice gift for a friend who needs encouragement, I recommend Trader Joe's if there is one nearby. Yesterday, with my own children and two extra friends in tote I bought this little potted rose and chocolate bar for under $5. It was so affordable that I grabbed an extra potted rose (under $3) for another friend. And Trader Joe's is very kid friendly, with miniature carts and balloons. This gift was exactly what I wanted and within my budget!

Beauty in the little things

The following bargains are posted not to brag, but to encourage you to not settle for less than your style, even if you are on a shoestring budget. If you are willing to buy second-hand, you can still have color and beauty in your home and wardrobe that you enjoy. It just takes a little more planning (shopping ahead) and time.
Some of my thrifting finds from Christmas and this month have been very exciting. I continue to be amazed and blessed at how the Lord provides. It is no wonder, as He is the creator of color and sound and nature. Of course He cares about the aesthetics... of course He would!These tights were both gifts, one bought and one handed-down. Both just what I would have chosen! The jumper was found at the Thrift Store...$1.79 with 70% off. I paid less than 50 cents for this dress! I invested $6.99 for the monogram. And Nana bought her the most beautiful white shirt to match. All in all, less than $8.00. I plan to use the jumper with a hot pink turtleneck and some tights she has for her Valentine outfit. (The tights are hot pink with red polka dots, another gift from Mimi!) She also wore three Christmas shirts, red overalls, a red skirt, and a smocked green and white check dress during the holiday season...all handed down from family.

Later I will post our desk we sanded and repainted for Jaybird. I forgot to take a picture of the final product.

And here are some recent finds for Lydie:

Some holiday wear, each $1.48. For the Halloween dress, there is time to take the dress to my sister-in-law to de-monogram/re-monogram free of charge! Long story short regarding the pumpkin dress, I eyed this dress for two years in the CWD catalog. I could not justify a $30 purchase on a seasonal dress, only wearable for a month or two. Lo and behold this dress was waiting for me, and a size 2, perfect for the fall!

I even found a treat for myself, an Easter dress...$1.40. What can I say? I LOVE polka dots!

While the joy is not in the "things", there is certainly much to be enjoyed in creating a home full of color, fun and comfort. The desires to maintain beauty and order in our home seem to be deeply ingrained in who I am. I love my role as wife and mother!

Frugal thanksgiving and a new best friend

Here's a picture of my frugal Thanksgiving basket for Jaybird's teacher. I admit, I found the basket at a yard sale. But, it was new, confirmed by the plastic wrapping. It cost 25 cents. The pumpkin muffins were made from scratch all from our pantry, except the canned pumpkin, on sale for 49 cents. The bath salts were on sale for $1 at Wal-Mart. I threw in a few tea bags that I already had from my own stash. And the thanksgiving card was left over from 1999 when we invited all of our family members to our house for Thanksgiving (to share that we were pregnant with Jaybird). All in all, a fun way to say thank-you to a wonderful teacher for less than $2.

On another note, here is a picture of Lydie's new best friend. We named her first doll "Melly". She kisses, hugs and drags her around for hours at a time. They go in the rocking chair, toddle around the house, and play with her play kitchen together. Through out the day she hugs and kisses her over and over again. Melly is a symbol of all that is beautiful and endearing in little girlhood.

In case there is no time to post tomorrow before we leave for the holidays, have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I hope it is full of family, yummy food and deep, rich thanksgiving to our Savior for the many blessings He has provided.

Happy Thanksgiving!

"Everything in moderation."

Whoever coined that term had a lot of wisdom! I am finding in my life right now that nothing is being done in moderation. I am on again, off again. Hot or cold. Present or absent. I am thinking of my time with the Lord, in particular, but not exclusively. Why is it that I lack consistency, motivation, desire? Could it be sleep deprivation? Are there idols in my heart? I plan to get down to the business of searching my heart and devoting much time to prayer over the next week asking the Lord to "make His paths straight". I am reminded of the quote on my frig and a verse:

"Only by a conscious and continuing nurture of his inner life can any man avoid the tradegy of killing the thing he loves. The man who supposes that he has not the time to pray or to reflect because the social tasks are so numerous and urgent will soon find that he has become fundamentally unproductive because he has separated his life from its roots." Elton Trueblood

"Do not conform any longer to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is- his good, pleasing, and perfect will." Romans 12:2

*Pictured above are my latest bargains. A consignment home store just opened down the road. My new salad serving set (was still in original wrapping)...$7. The two Parisian prints will fit nicely in a corner in my dining room and thankfully I like the current frames...$6.