Fake-It Frugal

Puppy Girl Corner

2013-04-23T12:34:00.000-04:00

I'd like to introduce you to our newest family member, Madison! Shh! Puppy's sleeping! She needed a special place of her own to hang out, so I took this rather awkward corner of the kitchen... ... and turned it into Puppy Girl Corner! Madison's crate fit perfectly into the odd space. I added a cutting board attached to some large shelf brackets to make a small counter space.

Fake King Size Pillow Stuffers

2013-04-15T09:05:00.000-04:00

If you have a King Size Bed, then you know that when you purchase a "Bed In A Bag" that you will likely get King Size Pillow Shams. Now I LOVE the look of those large pillows, but darn it, they are expensive - especially when they're just being used for decorative toppers! I found a simple, and possibly FREE, solution to this problem. You see, a King Size Pillow is actually the same size

31 Days of Nothing 2013, Week 4 & Rollup

2013-02-01T10:12:00.001-05:00

It's over! The 31 Days of Nothing Challenge has come to an end! Credit Here's how the last week went: 1. Confession: We totally fell off the wagon and ordered Pizza and Chinese food the last weekend of the challenge. We were all coming down with some version of a cold and we (I) just didn't have the energy to cook. It is definitely hard to be frugal when you're under the weather.

Winter At The Beach

2013-01-22T10:59:00.002-05:00

Before Valentine's Day comes sweeping in, I wanted to share with you some of the Wintery Beach Scenery around my house! Our Winter at the Beach Mantle! Can you believe I scored this mirrored window for only $5.00? See the Mermaid's icy bubble trail? I picked up these candle holders for $1 at my local thrift store. They were ORANGE! The coffee table has sea shells from

31 Days of Nothing 2013, Week 3

2013-01-21T10:40:00.000-05:00

There's just a little over a week left in the "31 Days of Nothing" Challenge! Here's what I've been up to: Credit 1. Using my non-shopping free time, I was finally able to clean up my Craft Room from the disaster that was Christmas that swept through there two months ago! 2. My hubby finally had to buy gas for his car, but I'm still above the 1/4 mark! 3. I also had to buy some meat

DIY Wire Shelf Liner

2013-01-17T16:41:00.004-05:00

It was time. Time to organize the Bathroom Closet. Here it is Before: It's not the worst ever - you can find stuff in there - but it just looks like a mess. The main thing that was annoying about the closet were the wire shelves. They're just not made to hold small bottles without tipping them over. It was a constant battle! I became aware of some products called "wire shelf liners"

31 Days of Nothing 2013, Week 2

2013-01-14T07:53:00.001-05:00

We're nearly at the half-way point of the "31 Days of Nothing" Challenge! Woo hoo! Here are some of the highlights of this week: Credit 1. This week was spent catching up on the many projects I have had ideas about, I had half-finished, or I had just plain been putting off. It's pretty easy to put some little projects on the back burner when you can go shopping for the bigger, more fun

Fake Pottery Barn Mason Jar Chandelier

2013-01-09T10:48:00.000-05:00

I have been swooning over these great Mason Jar Lights at Pottery Barn: Exeter from Pottery Barn Exeter from Pottery Barn Aren't they fun? Unfortunately, there's no way I can afford them (not to mention that I just bought a new house and have all brand-new lighting fixtures), but that doesn't mean that I can't get the same look in my home! All I did was take 5 Quart-Sized Bell

31 Days of Nothing 2013, Week 1

2013-01-07T10:27:00.002-05:00

Wow! We're already rounding out Week 1 of the "31 Days of Nothing" Challenge! Credit Here are a few observations/strategies from this week: 1. It's incredible how wonderfully stingy I've become when faced with the prospect of not being able to run to the store for anything I want. For example, I realized that I only have half of a bag of ground coffee that is supposed to last me for the

Six Super Stingy Savings Scenarios

2013-01-04T12:04:00.001-05:00

"Stingy" is a dirty word, isn't it? No one wants to be seen as Stingy! Credit The Penultimate Word Well, I've discovered that being just a little Stingy with some products I use on a daily basis can lead to Big Savings! Here are Six Stingy & Super Stingy Savings Scenarios that will convince you to think twice before you waste again! 1. Laundry Detergent: In the past, I have been so

31 Days Of Nothing - Take 2

2013-01-01T11:03:00.000-05:00

Hello Frugal Friends & Happy New Year 2013! Credit You may recall that last year I accepted the "31 Days of Nothing" Challenge with Learning the Frugal Life. That is so say, 31 days of not spending any extra money. None. No thrift stores. No Chinese takeout. Only eating out of the pantry. Minimizing electricity and gas usage. Here are The Rules. I won't kid you, last time around

Two Housekeeping Tools To Replace All The Rest!

2012-12-07T11:59:00.003-05:00

If you are like me, you're always looking for a way to CHEAPLY make housekeeping easier on yourself. That is why I have made up so many Fake versions of popular cleaners. There are two things that I have added to my housekeeping toolbelt, however, that are not able to be faked, but have become absolutely necessary. These two things may even replace all of the other cleaners altogether! **

DIY Turducken - I Dare You To Try It!

2012-12-04T15:33:00.003-05:00

My family became hooked on Turducken (chicken stuffed inside a duck which is stuffed inside a turkey) many years ago. We have ordered it just about every year from the Cajun Grocer, except when we lived in New Zealand when we begged the butcher to make us one. Cajungrocer.com Seeing as how I'm the "Fake-It Frugal Lady" now, I decided that it was high time that I learned how to make my own

Ditch The Dryer Sheets & The Static Cling!

2012-11-29T08:11:00.000-05:00

I have recently developed an allergy to laundry detergent/softener perfumes, so I've been going without dryer sheets for the past few months. Credit: Cheeseburger.com BUT, now that the weather is getting colder and dryer, I'm getting attacked by static cling! So, I decided to finally try something that I told you all about a while ago in my post about DIY Dryer Sheets. Credit - Core77.

Christmas Home Tour 2012

2012-11-27T10:47:00.002-05:00

Welcome & Merry Christmas! We've been very busy converting our home into a Winter Wonderland using decorations we have collected over the years from family, yard sales, thrift stores & after-Christmas mega-sales! So come on in and I hope you'll find some great ideas & inspiration! First, a view from the top of a tree we got for FREE when my parents decided to downsize!

Kitchen Island Makeover

2012-11-20T13:09:00.000-05:00

There was nothing fancy about the back side of my kitchen island. In fact, it was pretty "Blah." After some textured bead-board wallpaper and some glossy black paint, I have this: I picked up the beadboard wallpaper for only $20 at Amazon.com. It's MUCH easier than trying to cut and fit real wood wainscoting panels! Before & After one more time: The whole project

Gift Idea: Chalk Board Silver Platter

2012-11-15T12:21:00.003-05:00

It's that time of year when we will be visiting lots of friends & family. It's only polite to show up with a gift, but those bottles of wine are getting expensive! How about a different thoughtful, but inexpensive, gift for the Hostess? Go to the Dollar Tree and pick up a few of these "Silver" Platters. They come in three types - Rectangle, Round, & Oval. Next, take some Chalkboard

DIY "Wooden" Office Chair Mat

2012-11-11T18:14:00.002-05:00

After finishing the Chrome & Leather Desk for my Husband's Office, I realized that his rolling office chair was not the best thing for our new carpet. So, I went to look for a basic Chair Mat. I needed a fairly large one - at least 4' x 4' and I was shocked at the prices of even the cheap plastic mats. Even more shocking were some of the fancy wooden mats like this one at Staples.com for

Thanksgiving Home Tour 2012

2012-11-08T09:10:00.000-05:00

A chill is in the air and the leaves are coming down. It's Thanksgiving time! Adding a Turkey to the Fall Wreath makes a Thanksgiving Wreath in 5 seconds! Yes, that is our jack-o-lantern turned around! My Vintage Turkey Collection is proudly displayed at the entryway. A quick floral arrangement with picks from the Dollar Tree adds harvest color to the full wine rack!

Painted Kitchen Lamps

2012-11-04T18:36:00.001-05:00

One of my most favorite Blogs to read is Funky Junk Interiors. Donna's always got some amazing decor and inventive ideas! Have you seen her Kitchen Remodel? Go check it out - It's totally amazing! Funky Junk Interiors I just love the way she has those lamps in the window! I decided to copy that for myself! Yeah, they're nice, but they don't match my Punched Tin Backsplash. No

Fake Martha Stewart Craft Furniture

2012-10-31T08:00:00.000-04:00

OK, I'll admit it. I LOVE Martha Stewart. I'm not ashamed to say that I idolize her ability to cook, entertain, decorate and organize. I think she has brought pride back into homemaking and I respect that immensely. I adore her book, Organizing. Amazon.com HOWEVER, have you seen the prices on some of her Name Brand products? Of course I love them all, but I'll be darned if I'm going to

Painted Garden Rug

2012-10-28T09:47:00.000-04:00

Remember a couple of weeks ago, I told you that I was painting a rug and my son said, "Mama, that's ridiculous - painting a rug!" Well, I invite you to check out The Rug..... BEFORE It's kind of hard to tell from this photo, but there were lots of old stains on this 9 year old rug. We used to have it under the Dining Room Table - with a baby - enough said! But, it was still a nice

Crib Spring Jewelry Organizer

2012-10-25T16:56:00.004-04:00

I've had this crazy idea in the back of my mind for a while, but last night I finally got off my butt and got to work on it! You see, I had a dirty, messy secret hiding in this box: Sure, it's a nice jewelry box with lots of compartments for separating and organizing my Bling, but it became a dumping ground YEARS ago that then became too overwhelming to tame. Enter this crazy idea:

Powder Room Makeover

2012-10-24T15:14:00.001-04:00

I'm excited to show you my first Room Makeover in my new home! I started out small in the Powder Room. Unfortunately, I forgot to take Before pictures - sometimes I get too excited to start a project and I just jump right in! Nonetheless, here's my Powder Room now: My Salty Dog Sign looks cute in here! Of course, I fell in love with this wallpaper border and that was in the

Fake Orangina

2012-10-21T17:58:00.001-04:00

Every once in a while I get myself a treat of Orangina. There's something really refreshing about fizzy orange juice! Orangina.eu Well, the other day I was thinking of it and I had an idea to make a Fake version and it's pretty close to the real thing! Ingredients: 1 Part Citrus Punch (like Sunny Delight) 1 Part Lemon Lime Soda Ice (if desired) Simply pour half a glass of Citrus Punch