Adding to my List

Adding to my List-

twine
3 white plates
white plate hangers
old flash cards
wire cloche
"Family" blocks
reed diffuser
spray paint
pillow forms

I am working on changing things up a bit here at home.
stay tuned. :)

Last Post

This is the last post before Christmas.
The cookies are baked, gifts wrapped, house is cleaned, homemade candy is in bags, the christmas lights are on and I am in my jammies.

December 25 is drawing near. It's officially time to relax and enjoy the holiday.

What Do We Love About Christmas?


What do we love about Christmas;
Does our delight reside in things?
Or are the feelings in our hearts
The real gift that Christmas brings.


It's seeing those we love,
And sending Christmas cards, too,
Appreciating people who bring us joy
Special people just like you.

By Joanna Fuchs

Merry Christmas to all my blogging friends.

Things look different

Finally found some white candy canes to add to the tree.
I ended up with 8 of them from the Willy Wonka Gobstopper Candy Cane Collection.
(try saying that real fast)

The tree looks so beautiful at night.



Another view of the nutcracker makeover.

I love him in all white!
Betcha we see more of these in blogland next holiday season. :)


This will probably ( and I said probably) be my last Christmas DECORATING post.

I love Christmas but also look forward to a new year, new ideas and new projects to come.

Stay Tuned.

Nut Man Makeover

Every time I am at the thrift store ; I check out the guys.

I feel sorry for them.


They are always hanging out; staring at all the women shopping.

I decided to take one home.





Of course, he needed a makeover, a shave and a haircut. :)









Men are always complaining that women try to change them.


I think I succeeded. :)

$20 Bling

This year I decided to change up my Christmas decorating.
I love the Primitive,Rustic,Junk,Industrial(I think I got them all)look.
I heart Pottery Barn, Horchow and Restoration Hardware.
But, what's a girl to do when her pockets are looking pretty empty this year?
Get creative! That's what she does!!
I challenged myself to change the decorations for $20.00. That's it.
Let me tell you about some of my deals.

The pine garland was a yard sale freebie. I doubled it over, wrapped the LED lights($3.00 Big Lots) around it and added some ornaments.





Wreath from last year. Added a wooden snowflake from Joann Fabrics- 50 cents.
I already had the paint. :)


Pine cones (free) from the neighbor's yard. Silver balls 12/box Dollar Tree $1.00


Vintage skates already had


Faux pine 49 cents from a thrift store. I added the burlap bow and ornaments.


Large ornament- a gift. :)


Glass icicles on clearance at Dollar Tree 25 cents/box.
I ended up buying 2 boxes(12 icicles.)


Found the cutest metal gift tags at Hallmark. They were $1.98 each . I had three of the $5 off $5 purchase coupons( found in magazines). Ended up getting six of these. 3 "blessings", 3 "celebrate". After the coupons, I ended up only paying $2.01 :)


Wood Snowflakes- 50 cents each at Joann Fabrics. Bought 10.


I have been looking and looking for burlap ribbon. Even posted about it a while ago. prices were a little high. So....

I bought a yard of burlap($2.96), took it to my mom. She cut it in 3 1/2 inch strips, sewed them together and even ironed it.
THANKS MOM!!!

*just so you know if you try this- mom said she had to use the lint roller on her machine afterwards.

More free pinecones and rusty bells.


LED lights were on sale (with trade in)and coupon at Lowe's. I ended up with almost $40.00 in lights for less than $4.00. :)


I forgot to add the burlap skirt under the tree. Sorry!!!


Total cost- $19.06 ;)

Nightstand(s) Makeover

Things have been sooo crazy around here!
I have washed my cell phone( lost all my pics on it), found out that my truck is not the thing to be driving in snow, came home one night to a leaking; no, POURING out water heater, decorating for Christmas and more.
I did borrow a camera to take some pics. I was hoping to buy one on Black Friday but, that didn't happen; too many other things to take care of right now.
A few weeks I found some nightstands(VERY similar to the ones in the pic , since mine were on my cell phone that is now long gone) at a local church thrift store.
Bought both for $25.00. I could see past the 70's Early American swinging handles and
ugly color.

While I was talking to the guy running the shop, I picked up a manilla envelope( cause I am always messing with stuff) lying on a pile of blankets and inside it were a few handles.
Brushed Nickel handles-brand new!
I asked about buying some and he told me I could have the bag of them for FREE. yippee!!!

Got out the white paint last week and went to work.

filled in the old handle holes with wood putty, then painted
and distressed with the sander.


I am so, so happy with the results. :)



p.s. I did away with the word verification thingy when you comment. ;)

Working on decorating.....

Still working on a bedroom redo and now decorating for Christmas..
Will get some pics on here in the next couple days.
Be back soon,
Kim

Thankful or Thankless

Are you Thankful or Thankless?

Are you Thankful for-
health
family
a warm bed
a home
food in the refrig.
clean clothes
washer/dryer in your own home
a vehicle
fresh water
bath tub or shower
friends
flowers
trees
fresh air
freedom to go where we wish
police and fireman to keep us safe


OR

Are you Thank-less-

complain about the lines
never bother to speak or smile at others
forget to say thank you to the cashier
gripe about the weather
envy your friends
cut off people for parking
bypass the bell ringers in front of the stores
grumble at the family



Take some time this holiday weekend to be THANKFUL for what life has given you.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Keeping Up

The days till Thanksgiving and Christmas are getting fewer and fewer.
My projects list seems to be getting longer.

The DONE list-

Bedroom painted
New living room suit( actually its exactly like the one I had, got it brand new with tags- $50.00!!) I will tell you about that in another post.
Bought bedroom carpet( I love Ollie's Bargain Barn!)
Cleaned out truck
Found a home for one kitten
Washed curtains
Bought a turkey


TO DO list-

Stain new baseboard trim
Install carpet(and baseboard)
Paint the bed frame( or find something else)
Hang curtains
Clean living room carpet( got to be done before the tree goes up)
Put up Christmas tree
Go watch the courthouse light show

Find night stands
Decide on what to hang on the walls in the bedroom
Cook a turkey
Clean out the truck again( it will need it in another week)
Buy Christmas cards

I am getting tired just reading the lists.

Picking YOUR Brain.....

There are a few things I have been looking for and thought I would ask you all where to find them ( and at a decent price).

Where can I find-

1. burlap ribbon


2. FOUND-plate hangers( the metal ones, I think they have a spring on them for different size plates) I got four white ones at a thrift store today for 25 cents each.


3. wicker baskets


4. bedside table/nightstands ideas . seen anything out there thats DIY? or a re-do?

5. lightweight comforter (I am loving this one from Pottery Barn, but ouch!! the price!
Seen anything real close? This one is no longer available, seen one similar?



6. great drinking glasses - These are all great( from Pier ONe). Do you know of any place that has something similar?


Now, that you have helped me do some shopping.... :)
Thank You!!

On to other stuff.

I am saving some money to get a camera (and Black Friday is getting closer) so hopefully I can find a great deal on one. I miss posting pics and we are doing a bedroom remodel!!

Funky Junk Interiors has some great blog tips posted you ought to check out. I think my blog is now more visitor friendly.
I know I was guilty of a few of them. and there are probably some tips on there that you may want to use too..
Just saying.................. :)

Current News @ Simple Needs

The carved pumpkins and anything else Halloween-ish are gone from the yard. I plan on leaving the regular uncut pumpkins and scarecrow out at least another week or so.
We usually put the tree up after Thanksgiving.
I still need to steam clean carpets and paint the bedroom before that happens.
I feel a time crunch coming on. :)

Saturday, I made the Easy apple cake from over at Bakerella.

( picture is from bakerella!!)
OMG, it is so good!!
I love the recipes and ideas on her blog.


I am still on the hunt for a digital camera. It's not really in the budget right now but I feel lost without one. I am not only searching the store ads but also craigslist and the local classified ads.

A new thing for me today- I voted!!
Now I know I should have been voting but I haven't until now.
I even got the little sticker saying I voted.
This girl is proud of herself. :)

I volunteered to decorate a store window front in town!! I am excited!!
Last few days I have been searching for Christmas decorating ideas.


I didn't get the TV from Kmart. I am still mad at them. I have received 11 emails giving me 11 different phone numbers to call. The last one I received was yesterday. It said the promo ocde expired as of 10/31/2010.
I give up!

55 Days

55 days till Christmas.


Are you ready?
Got some good ideas for decorating the tree?

The Eve of Halloween

Backward, turn backward,
O Time, in your flight
make me a child again
just for to-night!
~Elizabeth Akers Allen

Happy Halloween to all!
Gosh, I miss the excitement of taking the girls out.
Please stay safe and watch for the kids trick or treating. ;)

DIY branches, Finds & Kmart

These are the branches that I painted.
Cost- free.
Branches came from the neighbor's wood pile and I "splotched" the craft paint on with a sponge.

I have seen branches online for over $10.00 and that didn't include shipping.
I am thinking about maybe adding some little faux moss pieces later on.
The look right now is Fall and then Winter.
Maybe for Winter I will add some pine too.

Pardon the grainy pics below...they are from the cell phone.
I still don't have a camera to replace the one I loaned my daughter.
Camera companies, if you are reading this; please, send me one! I will blog good stuff about you :)


Dollar Tree has lots of Christmas decorations marked down to 4 packs/$1.00.

The icicles are very thin and fragile looking.
I am not sure if I am leaving the silver ornies "as is" or if I am going to make them look more like Mercury glass.
Mercury glass seems to be the big thing everywhere.
You can see it here, here and here.
but there are great tutorials out there too.
like this one , or this one and this one.

Here is another Dollar Tree find- the black crow.

Mr. Crow will definitely be a keeper in my Fall decor stash. :)


Now, here is where the post gets long.
Go pee, get a sandwich, coffee or whatever else you need to do to finish reading this.

I am ticked off at Kmart.



Last weekend, I found a code( on a whole bunch of sites) for an extra $100 off Kmart clearance TVs. Best part was you could even put them on layaway( I am a layaway kinda gal). So, I ordered the TV, added the code and went to check out..... Whoa Nellie!!
Shipping was $179.00!!
Well, I called customer service because the TV was at the store, I was going to pick it up there, why would I pay shipping??
Customer Service gal said "no problem", and to take the code to my local store since she couldn't get shipping( on the screen) to come off either.
I did that.
Manager Jason, said there was no way to enter code at the register. I came back home and spent 2 hours and 3 minutes with another customer service gal on the phone.
The screen kept saying I had already used code, even though I had not processed order previously. I had to take a screenshot of my order, the code, etc. and send it to them.
The next day I got an email saying the code wasn't a "Kmart code". I then emailed back "thanks anyway". I also reminded them that the first customer service person had entered the code and it worked fine.
I figured that was the end of me getting a great deal on a TV.
So...

On Thursday, I went back to Kmart.com.( Can you tell I am a glutton for punishment here?)
Well, guess what code is NOW on clearance TVs on their page??!!! 100OFFTV!!
The same code I was told (in an email) wasn't their code.
Then to make matters worse, they state that the TVs are showing another $100.00 off previous price. Well, no they are not!!
I have the online page from last weekend. The price is the same.
I hate people and places who lie and try to cheat.
Plus, one of the clearance TVs that they are selling, is from a company that went bankrupt AND it gets even better- that TV does NOT come with a manual.
To figure out how to hook it up you have to go online.
Kmart is still selling an extended warranty for it. Who do they think is going to back the warranty??

I sent another email yesterday about ALL of the above.
Last night I got an email back with a number to contact a special customer service manager.
Now that certain TV that was reviewed 48 times ( on their site) for the bankruptcy and no manual problems now states it is "temporarily out of stock".
I am calling the number tomorrow morning to see where this all goes........

I think I can do better.........

I think I can do better than $12.00 for 5.5 OUNCES of Faux Snow

That's not even one cup.

I am now on a mission to find Faux Snow..

19¢ Fish

I found this fish at the local Goodwill.
Price 19¢.

I knew I could do something with him.
He is about 18' inches long and heavy.
He was sad- and black.(why do I keep calling him, "him"?)

Got out the white spray paint(already had) and "went to town".
Not literally to town; its just a saying I got from my grandma.
"went to town" def:; To proceed enthusiastically, vigorously, or expertly..

Two coats later, a little sanding around the edges and here he is-




Another shot, with a picture of my girls when they were young.
Aah, the good 'ol days. :)


This is just a little extra idea to share.
I took a picture of the pumpkin and gourds outside on the bench.
Downloaded them a few weeks ago and did some editing. Rite Aid was running a special to get 50 prints free; so I took advantage of it and copied a few pictures from around the yard.
The frame is from Dollar Tree.

Total cost $1.00!!
Unique and personalized artwork at a great price!!! :)

and I promise............

....that I will have a decent post on here by Monday!


Enjoy the Weekend. :)

~Santa Giveaway~

Santa Giveaway

sign up now!

Tell Brenda that Kim @Simple-Needs sent you. :)

Sweet Finds

Such a beautiful Saturday!!

We didn't leave the house till afternoon and wasn't really expecting to find anything so late in the day. I was wrong.
dd#2 and I went for a drive on some back roads. Conversation was great and so was the sweet tea.
We stopped at what I thought was a yard sale; turns out the guy was doing a little cleaning in the barn.
These things were in his throw away pile.
The old burlap bag is so soft; not tall itchy feeling like burlap usually is.
It says, " produced in USA". Maybe make a great pillow cover?
The sifter is in good shape, just needs a good cleaning.
Bells in the sifter are going to be used for a Christmas project.

Great finds and it was all FREE!!!

Happy Weekend!!!

* thanks for all the emails about my camera situation. I did go to the sheriff's dept. and file a report, checked with local pawn shop, still scanning lost & found ads, Craigslist, and other selling sites.

Till its found or I can afford another camera, I will make do with my phone.

Pumpkin Festival

Barnesville, Ohio comes alive in full swing with pumpkins galore in the last full weekend of September each year with Barnesville Pumpkin Festival. It is a four day event that brings in approximately 15,000 people every year. The 47th annual festival is scheduled from September 23-September 26, 2010.
King Pumpkin contest, Giant Pumpkin Parade, classic car show, Queen Pageant, banjo, crafts farm machinery and fiddle contest and more are other highlights of the event. The event is actually a fund raiser for the civic organizations and clubs running in Barnesville. So, come to Barnesville Pumpkin Festival and contribute your bit while you enjoy watching a variety of pumpkins.

I should have known better.

Okay, I should have known better.

This past week was our county fair.

I let dd#2 take the camera with her yesterday to get some photos.

She left the camera ( setting on the floor) in the Explorer while walking around; she did lock the doors.

Her big mistake was she didn't lock the back hatch; someone crawled through it.

My camera is now GONE.

I am taking a photo of it to the Sheriff's dept. and the local pawn shop.

Weekend Plans

Got plans for the weekend?

Fall, Fall & more Fall

I started doing some decorating the past two days.
This year the look is going to be a little less cluttered and alot more ME!
My Fall decor used to consist of all the usual ghosts, goblins and witches when the girls were younger(and at home). These days its pretty much me and SO. :)
Still, I wanted it to look like we were in the festive mood.

First place I started was on the sofa shelf.
The pumpkin I picked up at a thrift store for about 69 cents.

The sticks were free. I found them out underneath the tree.

Lets go outside.

The carved pumpkin is actually foam.
He used to have a light inside but not anymore.
If I decide to, I can always set a tealight inside.

Old, chippy chair was brought around from the backyard.

Added the mums( which are going to be purple) and more pumpkins.



Birdhouse gourds and a pumpkin take their place on the old bench.

I couldn't show you the pumpkin bread , pumpkin bars w/icing, nor homemade Strawberry jam that we bought at the same place as the pumpkins and corn stalks.

Why?

Cause we ate it!! That's right!! All bread and bars are gone(and I would feel weird posting a half empty jar of jam).

Guess you will have to use your imagination.

Better than Tuesday

The rest of the week has been better than Tuesday.


Wednesday, I spent some time relaxing and catching up on reading.


Thursday, I made some chili base and pasta auce. If you havent tried Mrs. Wage's spice mixes, then you are in for a surprise.

so easy and...... you can freeze what you make instead of the big hassle of canning.

Friday, I stopped at a few thrift stores without alot of success.

This morning, was spent shopping for Fall goodies to put outside .

Love this huge cornucopia made from corn stalks!


More things we seen on our venture.

About 2pm, we headed for National Trail Raceway for NHRA Unleashed..

I love watching races.

Meeting my sister and mom for coffee in the morning. Hopefully, we have the time to make a few stops and do some thrifty shopping. :)

If we don't , well no matter. Just us together is the best thing in the world.

My Tuesday is a Monday

Where should I start?

hmmmm...

1.)The cat is now taking an antidepressant. The theory is she is upset over being fixed and another cat had kittens. Who would have thought??!!

2.)While driving home from the vet's office. I heard a loud thump. Well, kinda like a crinkly noise that a plastic water bottle would make. I see a hairline crack in the window!!
Stopped at the red light to inspect it( and to keep from getting run over by oncoming traffic).
There is a tiny hole, like from a BB!! WHAT THE HECK?!! I have no idea where it come from, an overpass???

3.) I sit here and blog in a room that we removed the wallboard (down to the insulation yesterday). Its so cheery........... not!!!

4.) The toilet seat hinge broke; me sliding sideways on a broken plastic seat with my pants down is not a pretty picture!

I need chocolate or wine.........maybe both. after all, its still early.

Curtain Rod Makeover

Does this look familar??
Cheap( I love that part), white curtain rod.
I have these in almost every room, but I love the dark brown and black rods you see in all the magazines and online.

I bought a can of Rustoleum brown paint..



and turned the cheapo rods into this............................



Its a quick fix; no more white rods!!!
Quick redo for $5.69!

Panels are from Kmart $7.99 each.
They remind me of the ones from Pottery Barn and Horchow.