A New Quest!

If you are looking for a place to express yourself there is no better place than Austin, TX. I could fall in love over and over again with the use of color in this town. Upcycling is the new black...and while that is all fine and dandy, it does make finding key pieces difficult or pricey. The market demands for vintage, kitchy, or practically anything outside the parameters of 'normal' styling can put a serious drain on the pocketbook. As I am seeking to decorate my new apartment I have serious qualms over spending money on it. I can not even find a bed frame for under $60! I have taken it upon myself to set out on a new blogging (and consequently decorating) quest. The Chronicles of the Penniless Decorator. Simply put-I'm going to try and find free to very cheap items and DIY projects to make my home fabulous. I'm going to give myself until the first of July.

Holidazzle

Between moving and beginning a new career I don't think I have stopped to take a breath! Naturally I am going into the holidays full blast and am trying to do my best to make it work on the Americorps punitive pay scale. I figured it out to $1.09 per hour, with 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for one year. Considering we cannot legally take on any other work (yet people are allowed to attend school full time?!) in order to be considered fully dedicated to our position, this whole $1.09 an hour thing sucks.

However, nothing will diminish my Christmas cheer.

So for this entry, bear with me, I am attempting to introduce ideas for gift giving when all you have is practically lint in your pocketbook.

There are a ton of ways to save during the holidays- and not just by going out linebacker style on Black Friday. Websites specializing in half price items, special sales, etc. can save you tons of mulah. One of my favorites this season has been http://www.overstock.com/ . While not essentially a great web platform to search for items with, this site has serious deals to offer. Shipping and handling usually comes at a low price to free depending as well. I am truly in love with their home decor and jewelry departments. In fact, my brother and sister-in-law will be getting a very nice mod wood vase in which to decorate their home with!

If you are prone to anxiety when it comes to online shopping-hacker phobias or intense stress over the pitfall of the nation I like to call USPS, there are some great ideas out there for DIY gifts. In years past I have purchased clear wine glasses, some acrylic paint, and gone to town on making holiday or fun and flirty goblets.

Two years ago I believe I indulged family members with homemade truffles from an easy Kraft recipe involving cream cheese and dipping chocolates. I've also done homemade acrylic painted boxes lined with felt, personalized Christmas ornaments, and handcrafted jewelry (I'm not crafty at all-seriously). I honestly believe you can do a family of four for under $20 if you put in enough thought or time.

As always, just remember that as long as you put your heart into gift giving- no matter the price, taste, or (hopefully not) hideousness of a gift they will appreciate and recognize the effort put in.

Avoiding the call of Duty

Do you sometimes feel the need to wait until the last minute for a big decision or project? Sometimes in certain situations (naturally outside of the professional world but more in reference to taking jobs, decorating, packing, etc.) I find myself needing to wait until things are down to the wire. Why do I put myself under this stress? I've been thinking about this and realize I think about doing things, how they're going to get done, all the intricate details of what's needing to be done- and then when that is all fed up with and the deadline needs to be met it all works out perfectly.

For instance, this move to Texas!~ I have random things thrown in a room, know where things are, and have sort of packed up some clothes but not really. I leave this Monday at 8:30am for the long drive. Why am I sitting on my couch watching jeopardy? Well. I know where everything is, what needs to be done, and generally how I want to do it.

Is this just laziness or am I gifted? I think it depends on my ability to pull it off. Slightly worried- but who likes packing? No one.

Also I'd just like to add that when I went to take out some clothes to cut down on baggage I ended up with three more bags than I started with.

HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?

Sticky Situation!

This past week I have fallen in love with easy decorating all over again. Whether it's for my new apartment or a kid's room to that theory of the perfect man pad also known as the "Garage Mahal" in my dad's case I'm just craving those stick on wall decals.

At target you can find a plethora of over priced wall decals including a chandelier shadow with mini crystals to stick to a wall for added spice. The problem is the price. Phrases to make rooms homey and filled with cherishing thoughts go for as much as $22.00! I found the chandelier on clearance for $15.00.

For those of you with the pocketbook quick cash to blow that's great. But after some research I've found that decals can come in many different price packages. At http://www.tradingphrases.com/?gclid=CK_OsMSP4qQCFQgKKgodIXNpKA you can find them as high as $200. These are giant stickers people!~

Definitely do your research instead of just plopping down and forking over money no matter what the design. http://www.roommatespeelandstick.com/ has a very large selection and while it still boasts some prices close to those at Target's clearance aisle, I feel like there are much better selections and complex images that are set to the same price range.

You can even get chalkboard decals and mirror peel and stick decals for affordable insta-decorating. While I may stray towards some nerdy designs myself there are all sorts of choices and options for any sort of decorating and design you are looking for.

Easy Elegance

I found a great tip while re-reading an old Halloween decorating magazine that can actually work in a quick situation for any added elegance. Any four to six (depending on table size) matching clean pillow cases will do. Preferably I would choose white or black cases.

Pick up some thicker ribbon coordinating with your decor, or in a contrasting color (making white and black for instance). Pin the ribbon around the pillow case just below halfway down the chair back.

These can definitely be updated in other crafty ways for different holidays, but I thought it was a great way to update a room from everyday to special occasion worthy in a matter of minutes and for a pretty cheap price.

We used to do something similar to this for recruitment in my sorority- but it involved about thirty girls ironing, folding, pinning, and one hot mess of work to make it as beautiful as it became. This can easily be stored, washed, and whipped out at the last minute if needed.

Microsoft Magic!

Sometimes my faith is restored in the pc and Microsoft's ability to win everything-even in the face of google and Mac awesomeness.

While reading the newest Women's Day magazine (a must have for any person wishing to make a house into a home in my opinion!) they introduced Microsoft WD to me. Previously I had only been seeing items like this working with the iPhone...and only in Cosmo.

Microsoft WD is an application which allows any web accessible smart phone (with a camera!) to access hidden information from advertisements, pictures, etc. In the most recent Women's Day they outlined how to find them (a little square with polka dots a little larger than a postage stamp and a big WD in the middle). I downloaded the app at http://gettag.mobi and once you have that you simply find the WD on pages or ads- access the app-take a picture- and it automatically uploads and sends you the mysterious hidden surprise!

So is it that easy? It is once you get the hang of how to actually take a picture the app will recognize. It took me about 5 times so don't give up! Other than that it is a very straightforward process. So far I have been registered to win a full laundry "solutions set" from Wisk (first prize) or a free bottle at least for one of five hundred second prizes.

I only had time to go through one before it was time to throw the laundry around. However! In one magazine alone there are about 15 other items to either enter to win on or to receive free stuff from. Exciting, no?

So check it out-and let me know what magazines you like to use this with!

Preparing for the Worst

As I am preparing to move to Austin, Texas, I am going through all of my belongings and trying desperately to figure out how to minimize to the point of one small saturn ion as transportation.

Luckily a gal pal of mine is deciding to move with me and we are sharing a two bedroom apartment. She's able to bring a car as well as a truck full of her things and furniture. So I do know that things could definitely be worse. She is able to bring some things that I would want to bring but do not have room for, extra furniture, etc.

However- one small car, one small little saturn ion- and someone who loves clothes, shoes, and kitchen appliances. I don't know how I am going to do it.