Turning Halloween into Thanksgiving: Getting Double-Duty out of those Pumpkins

A healthy pumpkin or gourd can last MONTHS! I love decorating with pumpkins every Fall. They look great from October 1st through November 26th. I just rearrange them after packing up the Halloween decorations. After Thanksgiving what doesn’t get turned into pies and breads can be composted or fed to goats and piggys. Biodegradable eco-friendly decor!

This year I’m being really lazy (well lazy for me, the unapologetic maximalist). I rearranged the pumpkins and added my old artificial magnolia leaf garlands and wreath as well as pheasant feathers, which I’ve been reusing for about a decade. On the table I added a few of the feathers and my fall ceramics. The only cost was the fresh flowers.

I had fun with the front door. The Fall mums in my pots were looking pretty sad (see below) so instead of tossing them out I used them as a base for cut amaranth, Mohave pyrocanthis, olive branches, and a few other things growing in my yard. I grew lots of amaranth this year as it is easy to grow here in the desert and I love the way it looks, especially when planted with sunflowers (and the birds love it!). It also dries very well, as do the other things I put in the pots. When “shopping” your yard for greenery, WEAR GLOVES and long sleeves! The Mohave pyrocanthis has sharp thorns, and something I cut (not sure what) gave me a thankfully short-lived rash. Next time, long sleeves! I’m pleased with the way the pots turned out, and it cost nothing!

Hope you all have a delightful Fall Season! Thanks for looking πŸ™‚

Before & After – the Catwalk

The new house is coming along nicely. While I think it will always be a work in progress, spaces are starting to come together enough to start showing full before and after tasty goodness πŸ˜„. Today it’s the Catwalk! Yes this crazy house has a freaking catwalk, yet another one of the strange delights this house has to offer. The catwalk was a fun space to design. I wanted to make it as functional as possible for our needs (as cheaply as possible) and think I succeeded. I wanted to have lots of seating, extra sleeping spaces for overnight guests, and a reading/meditation area. We are eventually hoping to have art and music events at the house and this will be a prime spot to watch performances in the great room below.

As you can see on the Before pics, the catwalk was largely unusable, full of nasty old carpet with no structure.

The first thing we did was rip out the nasty old carpet. The wood was in good shape so we did a simple whitewash on it to blend it into the whitewash wood on the walls. I had our awesome handyman build platforms for the black French mattresses (Pottery Barn Teen), build shelves against the east wall and paint the old bookshelves and all the new build outs Sherwin Williams Tricorn black. The desk was moved to my art studio and painted white. I saved a ton sewing all my own pillows. I’m not much of a seamstress but they are certainly good enough. I scored the beautiful designer tiger fabric as a remnant on fabricguru.com, the velvet pink on fabric.com. Most of the art and chotchkies we had, a couple pieces (including the tribal black pieces behind the seating area) we found at the local swap meet.

The area is much more useable now, and I love the way it came out. We go up there to just hang out and watch the sunset out the west windows. We had a couple guests sleep up there recently and got a big thumbs up :-).

Much more to come! Follow this blog and don’t miss a thing.

New Fabulous Finds 2015! Roberto Cavalli & Badgley Mishka!

It’s time for a New Edition of Fabulous Finds!

One of last week’s spectacular finds at my favorite Goodwill is this awesome pair of Roberto Cavalli Jeans in perfect condition for only $4.99! Perfect for the floral trend this Spring.

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I also scored these gorgeous and glamorous Badgley Mishka sparkly T-strap platform heels, looking like they have maybe been worn once! Grabbed these at auction on http://www.shopgoodwill.com for $19 including shipping! Yippee! I love these shoes!

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What amazing finds have you scored lately? I’d love to hear about it in the Reply/Leave a Comment section.

A Sunday Funday Fashion Post! Yes, you CAN Look Great Wearing Clothes from the Thirft Store…

I know I haven’t done a fashion post for awhile, so here it goes! I really liked the funky outfit I put together last night so I’ll share it with you.

I always like to prove you can do almost all your shopping from the thrift store and look great, so here is what I wore last night, with descriptions and prices on everything…

(Pictures taken at Denver’s Union Station)

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I love a little pop of color when wearing neutrals! It makes the outfit.

From Top to Bottom:

The long-sleeve square-neck black top is by “Velvet”, Goodwill $3.99, purchased this Summer.

Faux Fur Vest by Charlotte Ruse, also from Goodwill, $6.99, purchased last Fall.

DIY Black Heart Necklace (see it HERE) Created February this year.

Leopard-print brushed cotton jeans by Jones New York, Goodwill $8.99. Purchased last year.

HYPE black and gold clutch, Neiman Marcus Last Call, $38 (Originally about $200) purchased about 6 years ago. (this bag was a splurge for me, but I actually use it a ton.)

Costa Blanca Hot Pink satin ankle boots, Neiman Marcus Last Call $18. (originally over $100) purchased about 7 years ago.

Bracelet, Goodwill, $2.99, purchased a couple months ago.

 

So there you have it, more great looks from your neighborhood thrift store. What have you found lately? I’d love to hear about it.

 

Find of the (almost every) Week – Carolina Herrara & Jones New York!

It’s time for Find of the Week!

This week’s find is a gorgeous leopard-print wrap dress by Jones New York. I LOVE this dress, it’s very comfortable and flattering. Looks like new. I’ve already worn it 3 times. $8.99 at my favorite Goodwill. Also, a very nice pair of authentic Carolina Herrera sunglasses, in near perfect condition, only $7.99 also at my fav Goodwill. Hooray for the Thrift Store!

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FIRST FRIDAY tomorrow! Plus lots of Free Stuff to do & Cinco de Mayo!

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It’s time again for our Favorite Free Date-Night, First Friday, and the weather is great! No excuses, get out of the house and go see some art…

In addition to the usual Fun First Friday Madness at the usual Arts Districts, (Santa Fe, RINO, Golden Triangle, etc.) There are a heap of openings. (See the list below)

ALSO Saturday is FREE DAY at the Denver At Museum.

The Denver Botanic Gardens is FREE on Cinco De Mayo! (Monday)

Here’s an odd-ball event of note: Remember the Fonz? (Yes I know, I’m showing my age πŸ˜‰ What teenage girl didn’t have a crush on him? Henry Winkler will be signing his new children’s book & giving autographs at Mile High Comics Mega Store on Sunday. (you do have to have a ticket (they are free, but limited! So contact the store asap) http://www.milehighcomics.com/newsletter/041614email.html For tickets: boyd@milehighcomics.com. AND May 3rd is FREE COMIC BOOK DAY!

The Cherry Creek Farmer’s Market starts back up for the season on May 3rd, Saturday, 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. The produce ain’t free, but the window shopping and entertainment is. (Most of the other Denver Farmer’s Markets start back up in June.)

And of course there is the big Cinco De Mayo Festival in Civic Park both Saturday & Sunday starting at 10am. Free admission.

Ever fantasize about riding the rails? Saturday is FREE DAY at the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden. Open 9-5.

Here is your listing of Art Openings this weekend and beyond, courtesy of DenverArts.org. Have a Fantastic Weekend Everyone! Happy Cinco De Mayo!

[Upcoming Events from the DenverArts.org Calendar]

May 02, 2014
May 03, 2014
May 05, 2014
May 07, 2014

Find of the (Almost Every) Week…GUCCI!

It’s time for Find of the (Almost Every) Week!

This week’s find…Gucci Slides! How cute are these? And perfect for this time of year with Spring just beginning to poke in it’s pretty head. They are in near-new condition, too. Oh Happy Me! Found these at my favorite Goodwill for $12.

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What great finds have you scored lately? I’d love to hear about it in the Leave a Reply/Comments section.

Find of the (Almost Every) Week…Theory & Laundry!

It’s time for Find of the (Almost Every) Week! It’s a two-fer this week featuring a perfect black dress from Laundry by Sheli Seagal And a cute wool color-block sweater from Theory, both shown here on my mannequin Tallulah…

I love this Laundry Dress. Comfortable and flattering, can be dressed up or down, and it’s in perfect condition. Retail about $225, Goodwill $8.99.

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And this darling color-block wool sweater by Theory, retail $195, Goodwill $3.99. I love it! I’ve already worn it twice. Totally my colors.

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What did you find at your favorite thrift store this week? I’d love to hear about it in the Leave a Reply/Comments section.

Ode to Chanel DIY Camelia Necklace with Polymer Clay

I love Chanel. The first thing I’d buy if I won the lottery is a big fat Chanel handbag. And some Chanel shoes. And belts, and scarves, and jewelry…ok, you get the idea. So in the meantime, I’ve created this Chanel-esque camellia necklace from painted polymer clay (Super Sculpy) and a vintage faux pearl necklace.

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Find of the (Almost Every) Week…Diane Von Furstenberg! (& Dr. Seuss!)

Find of the (Almost Every) Week!

It was a great week at my favorite Goodwill. I found several delightful goodies, including an adorable Diane Von Furstenberg dress for $6.99. It is in perfect condition, but alas, it is too small for me 😦 I am selling it on Ebay to help fund my future thrifting adventures (see it here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/121264480095?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649 )

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I also found some great goodies for art projects,Β  a couple cute black tops by Velvet ($2.99 each) and this adorable set of vintage Dr. Seuss nesting blocks ($12.99). I have a thing for Dr Seuss, and I just love these.

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Have you found anything awesome at the thrift store lately? I love to hear about it in the Leave a Reply/Comments section.