My definition of thrifting...

Thrifing : {thur-if-ting} verb


Synonyms: bargain hunter, frugal, penny pincher,

To actively seek treasures of the secondhand and vintage nature at the lowest price possible. 


Willing to dig through piles, boxes, and dark corners of all kinds of musty and sometimes questionable places just to score a great find.


To be green and good to the earth by using what we already have instead of purchasing new and putting more junk into the world.

jar, books, flower candle holder, lamp, big wire thing total cost: $9.00

pretty little jars total cost: $1.00

sign total cost: $0.50

old phones total cost: $13.00

vintage books total cost: $10.00

Me and Ryan have been in the mood for thrifting lately.  Sunday was an epic trip to the stores.  We discovered some new places and came home with all kinds of goodies and a plan.  We are going to go to 3rd Sunday Market over in Bloomington Illinois and hit up some of the secondhand stores around that area {this is also around the area where we eventually will be moving too}.

I am excited to go to some new places.  Our ultimate plan is to maybe head over to Indianapolis one day and hit up the Goodwill.  I guess what I am saying is that we are taking our thrifting to the next level!  Ryan loves the show American Pickers.  Have you seen it?  If not you should check it out!  Mike and Frank are hysterical together and you will see some of the coolest stuff and most interesting people. Ryan is dying to picker.  So who knows maybe someday it will be barns and sheds instead of Restore and Goodwill.  I'm not ruling anything out!

We have a lot going on here at 906 {like us on facebook now-  we will be so happy if you do!}.  We are planning some shoots today by pulling props and making mood boards.  It's gonna be a fun afternoon of work.  Lainey {our stylist and my sil}  is coming over to help and we are gonna start knocking things off the list!  Have a wonderful Thursday!

L is for love seat...

So please excuse the mishmash of furniture in my living room.  It is going through some big changes!  We sold our old couch and chair set!  Hurray!  I was ready for a change from beige.  We had A LOT of very traditional furniture and I am, well, a little more funky eclectic then traditional so it was time to move on to something more my style.

Say hello to our newest member of the household-  Lola the Love Seat.  The kitties love her, the hubs doesn't hate her, and I am still deciding.  

I do love her nice lines and the color of wood she has for feet but I am not sold on the color or pattern she wears.  I am not sure when we get other pieces it will pull together or dare I try reupholstering something for first time? 

So I need your help...

Ignore the black bookcase {that is getting painted and put in the new office} and pretend like the floor is painted white.

Leave a comment here or on Facebook telling me what you think I should do:

Make it work as is!

or

Cover that old lady up!

Can't wait to hear what advice you have for me!

Whatcha been got going on???

I have been...

selling almost all of our living room furniture. bought this new love seat for $45 bucks, not sure whether to   love it as is or to have it reupholstered. what do you think?

...

shopping at Anthropology {thank goodness there are none within a two hour radios of me}

...

staying in a hotel and sleeping on a king size bed.

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finished painting the spare room.  just trim, doors, and ceilings to finish upstairs. 

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organized all my props in my basement.  put together 6 shelving units and viola! instant climate control storage at the tips of my finger tips.  this gave us so much more room for activities.

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having dates with Ryan American Pickers style translation: we garage sale, Restore, or Goodwill it up and come home with lots of treasures- this is seriously one of our favorite things to do together no matter where in the world we are.

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cook outs with family.  it is that time of year and I love it!  nothing my belly loves more then something smoky and charred from the grill.  making me wish that my grill worked- Ryan if you are reading this get a gas tank for the grill I need more bbq in my life.

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sisters and kittens that come and stay the night.  nothing better then hanging with my youngest sister Mo and playing with her new kitten {she gave her last kitty to my grandpa to keep him company- isn't that such a sweet and selfless thing to do at 15?

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getting the urge to get my thumbs greener.  thinking about things i would like to accomplish in the yard.  just seems impossible to find the time but it needs some attention to detail.

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bought something new for the first time in months.  am doing the Dottie Angel Challenge of the Utmost Kind and have been doing so good only buying used, thrifted, vintage, or handmade items but last week I caved.  dunno whether it was because I was on vacation or what but I fell off the bandwagon big time.  this week I am back to being a good girl and will continue to do my best for the rest of the year but boy do I miss Target

...

What do you love to fill your summer days up with?

I dreamed a dream...

When I lived in Germany the family I worked for had an amazing coffee machine.  It was made by an Italian company called Saeco.  This particular machine sold for something like 3,000 Euros upwards of 5,000 if you want one delivered to the U.S.  It made lattes and espressos and coffee by the cup.  It even ground the coffee beans fresh each time.  It was AWESOME.  I literally had dreams about this machine when I cam back home.

Since moving back to the States I have never, ever, seen a Saeco anything let alone an espresso machine.  Sunday afternoon me and Ryan hit the thrift stores and found this baby for just $6.99!!! Nicely used models are selling on eBay for over a hundred dollars.  Score!  Just shows you that you never know what you will find at Goodwill.  One mans trash is another mans treasure...

Kisses for Monday...

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I am sure by now you have seen this instantly famous image from the Vancouver Riots {seriously over a hockey game??? come on people burning cars is just something they do in Superbad not in real life...}  What an amazing photograph!  The man who took the picture didn't even know if he had captured the moment because he was being pushed by riot police!  Check this out to here the story of the couple.  It's a pretty sweet moment to capture.

Here are some other famous kisses...

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Daddy don't like...

Ok...so I know it's Sunday {and Father's Day} and I don't normally blog on weekends but what the heck?  Why not?  I am up early, enjoying the peace and quiet {if you count two cats running around being crazy peace and quiet} google image-ing my heart away and I have a confession...

I WANNA PAINT MY WOOD FLOORS WHITE!!!

I know what you are thinking and my dad already told me not to do it but our floors are really damaged and there are some large stains that will not sand out!  If we have carpet installed again then we are out at least a thousand bucks, probably two.  Ew.  So that brings us to the painting option.

We are putting laminate in the kitchen and dining room {our office right now} that matched the bathroom....remember that?  I do like the wood laminate that is currently in our kitchen but it is damaged from a leak.  It has to be replaced and it's more expensive then the tile laminate that my dad is gonna help us put in.

So to help you visualize what I am going for here are a few reference points {how I convinced Ryan} for inspiration...

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I think it looks kinda wonderful and goes perfectly with what we have going on in the kitchen.  I haven't priced it out or anything yet but it has to be our cheapest option.  I guess I need to start doing some research on how to paint wood floors and see what I can come up with.  Wish me luck and hope you are out spending your fathers day with someone wonderful and fatherly!

Are we there yet?

Am feeling very tired this Friday.  I know haven't been as creative or inspiring around here lately but please do not be discourage with me.  Good things are coming.  I am working my little tail off over here at 906 behind the curtains and soon, very soon,  I will be coming back to full force.

Juggling a job while also starting a business, renovating a home, and thinking about babies has my head all spinny and it feels like my thoughts are never going to slow down and be cohesive again.  I have so much to do and so little time.  I know this is a challenge for most women.  But I need to say it- it's hard.  We all want to be Wonder Woman but tonight I feel like Wimpy Woman.  I needed a good trip to the thrift store and some Real Housewives to calm my mind and nerves {found some freakin' awesome props for the biz! pics to come}

Next week comes renewal {and nice much needed vacation} and Albert!  Next Thursday we are headed for good ol' St. Louis for the Cardinals game and to meet the best player in baseball {yes along with playing X-Box I also love baseball- I know the line up, some stats, I don't get crazy with it but I definitely sport something sporty : ) }

Hope you have a happy crafty weekend!

Kitchen Update...

I love being in my new kitchen!  Just cleaning the counters gives me a little grown up thrill.  I really wish I had a before picture but I don't so let me paint you a picture...

The walls are a dark cranberry red and the windows had poker cards with pinup girls on them.  The ceiling was dingy and had streaks of the red paint on it.  The cabinets were 1970's cheapo standard wood  cabinets.  The outlet faces were painted with the red paint {well some were and some weren't}.  The sink was super shallow, the hose sprayer thingy didn't work and there was no garbage  disposal.  Plus it was freakin' dirty- I'm talking boys lived here alone for 3 years before I came around.

Now it is light, bright, and most importantly CLEAN!  All under $500 dollars...not bad.

Things I am lovin' right now...

Hall Pass

{who knew it would actually be funny?!}

Getting all my craft supplies organized!

{who knew one girl could have so much stuff?}

A husband who is doing my dishes

{after a couple of months of late nights Ryan finally gets home before 8!}

Rainy mornings

{cause it's nice to wake up and have coffee before work and the day gets hectic}

Vacation time 

{starting Friday at noon, meeting Albert Pujols in the middle, and ending in 9 glorious days!}

Dreaming about upcoming craft projects

{I have a seriously cute DIY idea for wall art and I hope, I hope it works!}

New video camera

{for the biz...my brother is going to do our videography!}

Red Dead Redemption

{yeah did I mention that I am closet xbox gamer? it's how I relieve stress}

Searching for wedding venues

{for a good friend}

What are you lovin' right now???

The wedges that changed my mind...

I was never really a wedge shoe kind of girl.  I mean don't get me wrong there are cute wedges out there but there are also some really ugo ones.  This makes me not trust the wedge.  I can never be convinced enough to wear them.  Until now.  Meet these lovely ladies....

These wedges had me saying "I do!".  They were so comfy and I got so many compliments on them.  I could wear them for hours running around like a crazy woman and my feet never hurt me!  It was like heels but with no pain.  It felt amazing and I will definitely be looking to add a few more to my summer wardrobe.

More yellow, navy, and grey wedding...