Chalkboard Wine Glasses!

LOVE THIS IDEA! So I won't lie and say I came up with this myself...I found this idea on Pinterest.com and decided to make little Christmas gifts out of them...

 The best part...it is SUPER easy.  All I did was buy a few wine glasses at the Dollar Store, (one of my favorite stores for crafts like these) got some Chalkboard paint (walmart for about $9...but it's huge so I can use it for a ton of other crafts!) and dip the bottom of the wine glass into the paint! SO EASY and SO CREATIVE! These are great little gifts or party favors! Try it out and send me a pic!

Abbey's Room!

Over the Thanksgiving break, my 8 year old little cousin, Abbey, begged me to do crafts with her every single day....so, I was trying to find a fun little craft to do with her that isn't too hard..

This is what we came up with!

This is such a fun craft to do with kids...All you need is crayons, new or used, a thick poster board, and paint! We glued the crayons to the top of the poster, and just ran a blow dryer over them to melt them down the page (This can get very MESSY, so please do this outside!). When we were finished with that, we just got out the paint and painted some flowers/hearts/butterflies (basically everything little girls love) all over the poster.  This is currently hanging on Abbey's bedroom door, and she loves it!

Once again, a thrify and nifty craft!

DIY Wooden Picture!

Let's Be Thrifty & Nifty!

Beautifully Colored Vases!

My new favorite thing is to go on Pinterest and just read all the DIY (Do It Yourself) tutorials and start crafting for my apartment, or for gifts!

I found this great one...
Using Dollar Store vases and turning them into colorful works of art vases!
And all you need...Dollar Store vases, or ones you can find around your house, and PermEnamel paint!

Check out this website and create one yourself!!
Thrifty Nifty Colorful Vases!

HALLOWEEN!

I don't know about you guys, but I love decorating for holidays...for a low price of course! So if you're having a Halloween party tonight and need some last minute decorations, check out this website!

CLICK HERE! ...for some easy and cheap ways to make decorations!

Now for my favorite part of Halloween...COSTUMES! While I was crying over the Gators loss to the Bulldogs, My parents were sending me pictures of the Halloween party they were at...But, the Halloween party had some rules...you had to go dressed as someone who had been nominated or won and Emmy...My parents were partying and I wasn't...there's something wrong with that! HAHA! But take a look at these pics...All of these costumes were made from things you can find at home...except maybe the wigs!

So first...John Denver!

Second...50 Cent!

Third...my parents, Carrie Underwood and Tom Jones

 Last...Cindy Lauper!

So if you don't have a costume yet for tonight, look around the house and see what you have!! I guarantee you will be able to throw something together! If worst comes to worse, put a white sheet over your head, cut some holes for you eyes and mouth and go as a ghost!! hehe

Canvas Art

If you've ever looked for a canvas painting to use as decoration, you've probably noticed that they aren't cheap...they're actually pretty expensive....UNLESS you look at the right place!

Here is the canvas that I have in my bedroom...

I got this canvas at Michael's craft store on sale for $15!!! Always go to the sale aisle first! To top it off, I am a substitute teacher, and Michael's gives teacher discounts....so on top of this awesome price, I got an extra 15% off. Originally, this canvas was about $35. Yes, that's more than 50% off. Michael's always has some great stuff on sale. Take a look!
Next, here is the canvas I have in my living room....

To me, It's a beautiful scenic painting of Italy...I got this canvas at Big Lots for $20. You can't really tell by the picture, but the size of the canvas is HUGE. It takes up a lot of space on my wall which was what I was going for.  A canvas this size usually runs for about $60. No thanks, I'll keep my canvas from Big Lots for $20. Big Lots also has some great home decorating stuff so check that out after you go to Michael's!

Drink Wine!

...only if you're of age, of course.  But if you drink wine, you can save your corks to make something very unique...or you can cheat, and buy corks online off of amazon or any other cork selling website (just type it in on google)...Now for the finished product (that I made myself)...How cool is this?...

I made myself this cork board because I wanted something different...and something to hold my jewelry (especially my necklaces so they don't get tangled)...This adds some spunk into my bedroom, and I love it. 

P.S. I found this old frame at home in a box that was going to go to goodwill...so look around your house before buying one!

Candle Love

I love candles.  Two summers ago, I walked into my best friend Katie's house in Philly, PA and smelt one of the best smells ever (this sounds weird, I know). It was the magnificent scent of Coconut Banana. To my surprise, there was a mason jar candle all the way in the other room that my nostrils fell in love with.  Mama Paula (Katie's Mom) promised me she would buy me some candles next time she went down to the Jersey Shore, since there was a candle shop there that sold "Our Own Candle Company" candles....In the fall, I was given a little gift bag with 2 of my favorite scented candles...

Every since then, I have collected a few more of these...

These are GREAT little centerpieces for a kitchen table, a coffee table, or in the bathroom...they're also great as gifts! They come in all different colors and all different scents. A 13 oz. Mason jar candle sells for about $5.00 which is very cheap compared to Yankee Candle that can sell for up to $25.00! And you have my word for it that these "Our Own Candle Company" candles all smell AWESOME. So next time your nostrils are craving a delicious scent,  CLICK ON THIS LINK to go to the website to order!

DOLLAR $TORE

I love the Dollar Store...There are so many things in there that are so cool for just $1...and 7% tax :)
I found this awesome wine/goblet glass that is great for the fall. 

Of course, I had to buy four of them to set on my dinner table (total of $4.28).  The design on the thick crystal-type glass is so pretty and unique.  Being on a college kid budget, this is an awesome price for some great glassware.  The Dollar $tore also has great coffee mugs and other types of glasses. Check it out next time you're there!

Nifty Shell Mirror!

I love the beach...so any decorations that remind me of the beach are my FAVORITE. My family has a beach house that my aunt decorated (without consulting me first...shaking my head!)...In the bathroom, she found these shell mirrors that are beautiful, but VERY expensive.  These mirrors range from $100 (for a small one) to around $800 (for large ones)...Definitely not in my price range...Here they are...

They are so pretty though, right? And you really, really want one, right?! Just make it yourself!
Now is the time where I'm going to give a shout out to a good friend of mine, Caitlin, who I interned with this past summer...She sent me a pic of her shell mirror...THAT SHE MADE!

How awesome is that? It might take some time, but it's totally worth it! Get some shells (you can buy them at a beach store for a low price) or just pick them up on the beach yourself! Get a mirror (preferably one that has flat edges so it's easier to place the shells)...you can find a cheap one at a thrift store (always look here first!) or at walmart. After that, get your hot glue gun and start gluing a pattern you like! VIOLA! You have yourself a beautiful, creative creation!

Thrift Store Find!

Thrift Store Find!

Hey everyone! Thanks for checking out my new blog: "Thrifty & Nifty!" Let me start by introducing myself...my name is Lysette, a college student,  and I am a huge BARGAIN $HOPPER! I love to decorate...whether it's decorating myself with clothes and accessories, decorating my apartment with thrift store finds, or decorating my food with delicious desserts!  This blog is to help you all save money when decorating...

So let's start off with my current TV stand in my living room that I found in a thrift store for $15!!
Before:

  

Green and off-white aren't the colors I wanted for my apartment...so I used one of the BEST THINGS EVER!...PAINT! BLACK PAINT!

AFTER:

Ohhh! Look how shiny and nice it looks! So this TV dresser costs me about $20 after buying the actual stand, buying some paint, and I had paint brushes at home. What a deal! And it looks so new!

I suggest that before buying any new furniture, check out this website!
Thrift Stores!
It's a website that allows you to search thrift stores all over the U.S.
Check it out!