Fab Accessories at T.J. Maxx!

I was not planning on posting anything today because I literally had nothing worth while to share...this may not be that worth while either, but I thought some of you might appreciate it.

Little Man and I made a run to the closest T.J. Maxx to find him some pajamas (we only came home with one pair) and of course I couldn't help but make a lap around the whole store to see what else I could find, even though I had no intention of buying anything but p.j.'s. 

These first two things are not home related at all, but they're such good finds that I just have to share.

That is a Kate Spade clutch and I was $89.99!  My awful camera phone couldn't really capture the silver logo on the clasp, but I promise it is the real deal.  I didn't get a picture of the inside, but it was navy polka dot.  So cute!

That is a Dooney Bourke bag that was on clearance for $89.99.  I gave it a good look to see if there was anything wrong with it, but there wasn't.  If I had been in the market for a new bag I might have had to ask for an advance on my birthday present and bring that baby home with me.  I'm obsessed with that color leather.  It goes with everything!

OK, now on to the few accessories I came across that would look fantastic on a mantel or bookcase.

The little gazelle (is that what that is?) head was $12.99, the pug was $14.99 and the clock was $24.99.  I really love that pug and I'll probably regret not having it when I start accessorizing my guest room.

Last, but not least....

this little square pouf was just $29.99.  I seriously considered bringing it home with me so I'd have it in case we ever have a baby girl. 

Every T.J. Maxx is different so it's unlikely that you'll see these same items in a different store, but if you're trying to find some great accessories for your home or your wardrobe, it's a great place to look!

New Prints and Thanks!

I just listed a couple new prints in my Etsy shop!

This one can be found here...

...and this one can be found here.

I'd also like to give a big thanks to the following blogs for giving my fall leaf initial a shout out!  Click on the pics below to go give them a visit.

Here's the Plan

Happy Tuesday everybody!  It only took four days, but I'm finally done painting my bedroom.  Painting was definitely the biggest and most time consuming job I had to get done in that room, and now that it's finished I figured I'd share a few other small projects I need to complete.

My original vision for my bedroom was a lot more fancy (is that the right word?) than I'd like it to be now.  I didn't get very far in making my original vision reality, but I still have a few things I need to change in order to give it the casual feel I'd like it to have.

As I mentioned in a previous post, one of the first things I needed to do was switch out my night stands for ones that weren't so matchy-matchy.  My $25 pedestal table should be arriving some time today.  It will be on the left side of the bed and that old blue trunk (which was a gift) will get a new coat of paint and live on the right side.  I'm also going to have to put some caster wheels on it so that it will be the same height as my new table. 

That lampshade has a sheen to it that you can't really see in the picture, but I'm going to cover it with something like burlap to tone it down a bit. BTW I found that lamp for $30 at Marshall's a while ago so I got two of 'em!

I also need new curtains.  I only have two panels of the curtains that I have now, and they're silk dupioni.  I'm hoping I can sell those on Craigslist and get enough to make four new panels out of a less formal fabric....hmmm...drop cloth curtains?

So there you have it.  Those are the projects I'm going to be working on for a little while.

Have a great day, y'all!

Still at it....

...painting, that is.  I decided to take my time, not rush, and I've certainly done that.  I have one more small wall to do, but it will require me to move all of our "office" stuff so I've been putting it off.  I better do it now before 3 months have gone by and I still don't have that wall painted.

Hope everyone had a great weekend and happy Monday!

Thrifty Inspiration

It's been a pretty slow week here at The Thrifty Abode, but I'm getting my rear in gear this weekend.  I started painting our bedroom yesterday and I really love the color.  It's already made such a big difference. 

The following ladies have had a much more productive week than I have and they've created some wonderful things.

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Kim at Cheap Chic Home made this burlap basket that was inspired by a basket at Pottery Barn.  Her version is fantastic and I may have to copy her copy for my bedroom. 

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Debbie at Bungalow made a skirt (with piping!) for her wine rack and it looks fabulous.  A lot of the items in her lovely vignette are also home-made!

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Michele at Scrap Shoppe created the mother of all meal planners.  Talk about organization.  Check out her final product here.

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Kim at Keller Creative made no-sew pillows form napkins that she found at World Market.  Isn't that fabric pretty!?

Y'all have a wonderful weekend!

If you have a thrifty project you'd like to share please contact me at aaron.thethriftyabode@gmail.com

Side Table and Paint

This is the latest purchase I've made with the money I've gotten from selling things on Craigslist.  (If you've just recently joined me...or maybe you've forgotten because I haven't mentioned it in a while, click here for my rundown on "Zero Dollar Decorating.") 

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That table is from Wal-Mart and it's only $25!  I'm getting ready to start making some changes in our master bedroom and the first step is changing out my bedside tables.

The second step will be painting.  Here's the current state of our room:

Cringe.  I've had those paint swatches on the wall for quite a few months and I've settled on Glass Slipper by Benjamin Moore.  It'll be no time before my room is nice and blue and completely put together like the one below.  Ha ha.  Not really.  It's gonna take me a long time, but I'm excited to finally make some progress.

House Beautiful via

Lovely Wreath

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I think I may have figured out what I'm going to do with my fall leaf initial!  It would look great in the center of a wreath like this.  I spotted this pretty little thing over at BH&G.  I might have to give it a try when the super markets start selling those little pumpkins.

What do you think?

Happy Tuesday!

I'm so not ready for this week to begin, so I'll just say, "WELCOME!" to my new readers that I've gained over the last few days.  Thanks for stickin' around!

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Hope everyone had a good, long weekend.  I'll be back tomorrow with a regular post.

Thrifty Inspiration

Need some inspiration for a project to complete over the long weekend?  Go check these out!

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Victoria at Vixen Made created these darling pom-poms for her daughters Pinkalicious birthday party.  These are definitely going in my "If I Ever Have A Girl" file.

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 Erin at How to Nest for Less made this fabric wreath....it's also going in that file.

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Emily (a fellow North Carolinian) at Crisp Interiors created this chalk board to display house rules from an old pull-down map.

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Shanna at Swoon Style recovered the seats of six cane back chairs.  She got a really great deal on them and she made them look even more fabulous!

This week turned into a pretty busy week for us and I think this weekend is going to be busy as well.  Between the coming and going we'll be doing, I'll be checking Craigslist every chance I get and hopefully I'll come across the perfect end table for our living room.  Wish me luck!

Fall Leaf Initial

Happy First Day of September!  Fall is right around the corner.  I'm sure we'll have another hot spell here, but it's been really mild lately and I'm looking forward to cooler days.

I started a bit of fall decorating in anticipation of those cooler days and the first little project I've gotten done is the transformation of my $5 Hobby Lobby "R". 

That fuzzy brown stuff used to be moss.  I left my poor moss initial in the sun too long and then stashed it in a closet so it was pretty sad looking and desperately in need of a make-over.

The best thing about this project is that I had all of the supplies on hand, so I spent zero dollars to remake my "R".

 I used Elmer's Mounting spray at first and then switched to a spray adhesive for a stronger hold.

I had these leaves left over from last year.  They're from Michael's.

As you can imagine, the process is really easy.

I sprayed the "R" with the mounting spray and I just laid the leaves out on the "R" the way that wanted them.  I positioned them so that they overlapped.  Once I got them all laid out, I sprayed the backs of the leaves with a more permanent adhesive spray.

So easy!

I'm still not quite sure what I'm going to do with it.  Right now it's hanging on an old window over a bookcase in our living room, but I may attach it to a wreath...we'll see.

Any fall decorating in the near future for you!?

I'll be linking up to: