Home & Craft Haul: Dollar Tree, Hobby Lobby, & Walmart

A couple weeks ago my husband and I spent our day off up in the city doing a little shopping! I want to share with you what I picked up!

First up is Dollar Tree! This was the first time I'd been to a Dollar Tree in years but I couldn't resist picking up some of the awesome bins I hear about all the time on YouTube to do some organizing in my home. Here are the bins I picked up...

I'm very excited for the bins on the far left because of their super convenient handles! And the three matching bins along the top have little plastic pieces that allow them to stack nicely on top of one another!

Hobby Lobby!

I went to Hobby Lobby in search of frames because I had ordered several prints from www.jane.com but didn't have frames to put them in yet. I lucked out because Hobby Lobby had all of their frames 50% Off!

I also got these adorable stickers for 50% off. I couldn't resist them.

I love the design on this frame and that it is off white and distressed! Totally my style!

I love the color and style of this frame. I think it looks really pretty with the white and gold print.

This frame is very simple and versatile with its smooth white edges. It feels like it is very nice quality which makes me even happier it was 50% off!

I had initially purchased this frame with the intent to spray paint it. I still might but I thought it looked nice just the way it is so I kept it.

WalMart

I only grabbed a few things from Walmart. They were both impulse buys but luckily they were CHEAP impulses!

The markers were $0.75 and I brought them to work! I couldn't pass up the burlap-esque sticker labels. I found these with the stickers for $2.00.

Here's a better look at them against a white background.

That's everything I picked up for now! I already have the pictures hung and I love the frames I picked out! Next project is the organizing!

xoxo

Budget-Friendly Decor & Organization (Before & After)

A month or so ago I got a $5.00 off coupon in the mail for Family Dollar. I hadn't shopped there in a while so I decided to stop in and check out their selection of bins for some organizing I wanted to do in my kitchen. I found exactly what I was looking for and then some! (I picked up some of their outdoor/patio decor.) 

The bins ranged in price from $1 - $3. The decor was $1 - $10 but they were on sale BOGO 1/2 Off. Then I used the $5 off coupon!

I need to preface the following "Before" photos by saying that I am embarrassed to post these on the internet! These were some real trouble spots in our kitchen. It is easy for clutter to take over if you don't have a functional organization system in place. I am happy to say I have accomplished that in these areas. These photos are over a month old but the areas still look like the "After" photos! Some times I put in place organization that doesn't work for us and soon the space clutters up again but this is working for us and makes it easy to control the mess! 

Take a look...

Spice cabinet: Corralling all of the seasoning packets! No matter how hard I tried to stack them all together neatly they always slipped down, fell over, and never ended back up where I had initialing placed them.

Before...

AFTER!

The small pink container is the perfect size for holding seasoning packets. From my tupperware drawer I grabbed a small container to hold the various sauce packets. Now this space is orderly and clutter free. When I need a spice packet I can easily grab the pink container, get what I need, and put it right back! 

The pink container came in a 3 pack for $1.00.

Kitchen Command Center cabinet: This portion of a shelf in the cabinet above my kitchen desk houses several items that we use in this area of our home or walking out the door. However, it piled up because there was no good way to keep them orderly sitting on the shelf.

Before... 

AFTER!

Another one of the pink bins holds everything together perfectly and again allows us to pull it out, get what we need, and put it all back right where it was. Nothing is falling all over and it allows us to easily see what is is in there!

Under the Kitchen Sink: This has always been a problem area of our home. We store so many bottles and cleaning products here that things were always pushed around, spread out, and chaotic looking.

Before... 

AFTER! 

One $3.00 bin allowed me to bring order to this messy cabinet! When I pull one bottle out I can see the empty spot it came from and put it right back. Nothing slides around or spreads out because each item goes right back into the bin. I put the short products in the front and the tallest items in the back so nothing gets lost!

Now to the other side of that same cabinet where I keep boxes of garbage bags, grocery bags we save and reuse, and large bottles of detergent.

Before...

AFTER! 

This $1.00 bin now holds the grocery bags (which I'm rolled up and tied to save space) and the extra garbage bags we have in the other sizes aside from our huge Costco box.

Here's what the whole cabinet looks like now...

I hated opening this cupboard before but now it makes me so happy! The best part is that it actually works for us! This area still looks the same even after a month of use!

The final area I have to show you is a shelf in our pantry we use to hold snacks such as chips, crackers, and granola bars. The boxes and packages were taking up so much room and quickly became a jumbled mess!

Before... 

AFTER! 

Look at this! LOOK! It makes such a huge difference! All I did was buy 2 clear bins for a $1.00 each (They came with lids but I'm not using them for this project so I have them stored away) and organize all of our snacks by throwing away the boxes and packages and putting everything in the bins! It looks 100 times better I think! Plus, it is so much easier now to keep track of what we have and what we are running low on. Before we never knew how much of something was left until the box was empty. I hated it! We don't buy the same snacks every week but I haven't had any problem making the different items fit together in the bins. I actually quite enjoy arranging all of them!

Now go pick up some cheap bins and organize that clutter in your house!

But before you go take a look at the cute decorations I picked up and how I'm using them!

Home Decor...

Teal Ceramic Solar Lantern (with solar top removed) 

This ceramic jar came with a cheap little solar lid on it. I didn't really think it would work and didn't like how it looked so I popped it out and am instead using it to hold a bottle of lotion in our guest bathroom! I was lucky that the lotion happened to fit. When it runs out maybe I will move the jar somewhere else. I could even put in some battery powered tea lights if I wanted to use it as a lantern! But for now I'm loving how it looks on the bathroom counter to hide the ugly bottle of some yummy smelling lotion!

I love when I find creative uses for items in my house! Who would have thought a cheap solar lantern would actually make a great lotion holder in the guest bathroom!?

Red & Blue glass candle holders

White ceramic solar lantern (with solar top removed) 

I bought another ceramic jar from the same line but in a different color and pattern. I again took off the lid but have this jar in an arrangement on my front porch along with two other jars I picked up. These glass jars were only a $1.00 each. They came in a variety of colors and seemed like great quality. I love the metal handles on them and think they would look cute with tea lights in them hanging on a hook. For now though, they live as decorations on my front porch!

White flower metal garden stake

Bronze solar lantern with candle 

The last items I picked up was the metal garden stake in the flower pot and the bronze lantern on the ground. I love this lantern. I think it has a timeless look to it and would go well with any kind of patio decor. The garden stake was only $1.00 and adds some interest to the potted Marigolds.

That's everything I picked up from my trip to Family Dollar! I hope you enjoyed seeing these items and how I'm using them in my home. 

I'll leave with a few photos of my silly kittens as I tried to work on this project...

My little NON-helpers

With my back turned she climbed into the bin. I thought if I picked up the bin and put it in the cabinet she would jump out...

I was wrong. She knows she's the boss around here.

xoxo

August 2014 Ipsy -- Urban Decay, Dr. Brandt, Klorane, & more!

I'm so excited to share what came in this month's Ipsy bag!

The bag...

Last summer they did a very similar bag to this one. It was the same shape and material but was a clear neon pink. I'm absolutely in love with this white and orange polka dot pattern!

Klorane extra-gentle dry shampoo with oat milk! 

Retail value of travel size: $9.00

Received the full travel size bottle in bag!

I was so excited to see that they included a dry shampoo in this month's bag. I love using dry shampoo and I love trying different kinds. This is the perfect size for travel or keeping in my purse for touch ups throughout the day.

Dr. Brandt Pores No More pore refiner primer!

Retail value of full size: $45.00

Retail value of this sample:  $11.25

I have always been intrigued by this brand. I've gotten samples from Sephora and loved every one. I'm especially excited for this primer because it says it is for oily/combination skin and that's what I am! I am always on the lookout for something that is going to help with the big ol' pores on nose, cheeks, and chin! I can't wait to start using this!

Urban Decay Perversion mascara! 

Retail value of full size: $22.00

Retail value of this sample: $5.50

How could I not be excited to see Urban Decay in this month's bag?! And a mascara no less! I love trying new mascaras and they are the perfect product in sample form because you get to try the brush and the product and there is enough for several uses! Then you can figure out if you like it before buying a full size.

Jersey Shore Sun Mongongo Nutrient Dense anti-aging lip conditioner!

Retail value of full size: $5.50

Received full size in bag! 

I was excited to see a lip balm in my bag but as soon as I smelled it my opinion quickly changed. It is described as "Mandarin green orange and ginger" My sister and I describe it as bug spray! lol I just think it is really stinky. My mom really liked the scent though so I am going to give it to her!

J. Cat Beauty Single eyeshadow in Half Naked

Retail value of full size: $2.99

Received full size in bag!

I haven't had the best of luck with eyeshadows from Ipsy over the past year. Mostly because I got really odd shades. I was so happy to see that this month I got a nice neutral champagne shade. It has a slight shimmer to it but no glitter. I'm really excited about it. I've never tried anything from J. Cat Beauty before so I look forward to trying their brand for the first time!

That's everything in my bag this month!

Retail Value of the bag: $34.24

Amount I paid: $10.00

I'm telling you, I just love Ipsy. I love getting new products to try every month and I love all the cute bags!

If you are interested in trying out Ipsy you can check them out here.

Thanks for stopping by!

xoxo

Quick Mid-week Grocery Haul

Happy Saturday!

I have a couple pictures from when I stopped at Walmart earlier this week to get some groceries and a few odds & ends we needed. My grocery schedule has been a little off lately and I haven't been going every Thursday like I used to. This week we had mostly everything we needed for dinners but ran out of a few things for lunch. We needed a few toiletries and some party decorations for a craft project at work. I am not a fan of these small in between shopping trips so I'm determined to get back on regular shopping schedule!

The food...

Bread: Harper's Homemade Bran Bread

Milk: Great Value 1% Milk

Lunch Meat: Oscar Mayer DeliFresh Cracked Black Pepper Turkey Breast

Sliced Cheese: Kraft American Singles && Sargento Ultra Thin Cheddar-Jack

Shredded Cheese: 4 Cheese Mexican

Extras...

Party Decorations: 2 blue/1 white paper tissue balls (which I'm using to make 3D paper fish)

12 pk aqua colored balloons (to make some octopus)

Red party plates (which I'm using to make paper crabs)

3 pk paper tissues fans (I'm using to make jellyfish)

Aqua streamers (for the octopus & jellyfish)

Yellow streamers (for the octopus & jellyfish)

Toiletries: Degree Men deodorant twin pack

Revlon Colorstay foundation for oily/combination skin 

If you are interested in what we've been having for dinner lately click  here!

Thanks for stopping by!

xoxo

Cute & Affordable School Supplies from Walmart! {+ a few beauty products}

I made two trips to WalMart recently. The first was to pick up a prescription (which obviously meant I needed to wander through the school supply section) and the second was with my friend to purchase things we didn't need (which resulted in the purchase of a few beauty products).

Take a look...

Covergirl -- Line Exact liquid eyeliner & Lashblast Volume mascara 

(both in color: Very Black)

I had a coupon for $3.00 off any 2 Covergirl products. I decided to purchase an old favorite I was out of and try something new! I have loved lashblast volume for years. It is always my favorite mascara to go back to. The eyeliner however, was a new product for me. 

I've been loyal to the L'Oreal Lineur Intense liquid eyeliner for quite some time but the small packaging is part of what drew me to this CG product. If you've ever seen the L'Oreal liner you know the lid is ridiculously long. Like... doesn't make sense it is so long. I thought perhaps this would be easier to work with. I do love the size but I've been having a hard time getting as thin a line as I would like. I don't know if the felt tip is too thick or what but my liner always turns out too thick when I use this. I also feel like it is a little too dry. I'm having to go over certain spots multiple times to achieve an opaque black. 

To be quite honest, I don't think I'd purchase it again. I have such better luck with the L'Oreal liner I think I'll just stick with that.

Olay Fresh Effects {Everything Off} Deluxe Make-up Removal wet cloths

Whenever I talk about makeup wipes I always say the Simple Cleansing Wipes are my favorites and that I'm always disappointed when I try a different brand. I went to Walmart to pick up a pack of those exact wipes but Walmart was out!!! (People are catching on, they're the best). These caught my eyes on the shelf below. I've seen them talked about on YouTube (I'm pretty sure those people were paid to talk about them though... so I never trusted their opinion) so I decided to check out the package. They are almost a dollar cheaper for the same number of wipes and I figured I would like something called "Deluxe Make-up Removal Wet Cloths". 

I was wrong.

These aren't wet. Not nearly wet enough. And the fragrance in them is so overpowering it makes my eyes burn! The cloths feel thin like they will rip easily. It says on the package that it removes waterproof eye make-up. I can't even get it to remove regular mascara. I would hate to try waterproof.

 Gahh.... I hate them. I'm going to finish the package because I won't waste them. But I want it to be known I hate them. The only thing going for it is its cute packaging. That's all.

Now on to the really fun stuff! The school supplies (or since I'm not really going back to school we will call them really cute office supplies!)

Scotch Magic Tape + bonus roll of Scotch Expressions tape

I bought the 3 rolls of plain ol' tape so I could get the "free" role of freakin' cute patterned tape. I think it stems from my washi addiction. I will say it was only $2.97 for all 4 rolls and I will save the three plain rolls as backups at my desk. So they won't go to waste but yes, I bought it just for that one cute roll. And how cute it is!? I mean, really. I can't wait to start using it!

Post-it Super Sticky Notes

I bought one pad of Post-it notes in a bright coral pink color I didn't already have. I'm somewhat addicted to Post-it notes and couldn't resist the color... It was cheap though. And you can never have enough sticky notes so I felt justified :)

College Ruled 5 subject poly notebook (8.26 x 6.75)

I'm a sucker for cute notebooks. The cute purple cover and the different colored tabs of this notebook are right up my alley. I like that it isn't quite a full size notebook which makes it easy to carry in my purse but is still large enough for substantial lists (I write big lists...). I'm also a fan of the plastic-y tabs. I think it will help them last longer and hold up to wear and tear!

Studio C The Sugarland Collection 5 subject notebook

The print. Did you see the print? I love the print. Gahh this is so cute! And what can I say... I always need notebooks and it is nice to find ones that are both cute AND sturdy. The cardboard cover and tabs are very thick and sturdy. I like having notebooks to corral all of my lists together and one with tabs means I can categorize my lists too!

Studio C The Pattern Play collection folder with pockets

I was so excited to see this folder! I think it will be a great organization tool and its so cute! I'm a full believer that organization and home management can be cute! Aside from the adorable color and pattern these folders feel sort of plastic-y/vinyl (that might be the totally wrong description but I just mean to get across that it isn't paper) so it is going to last! It won't tear or fray like paper does which makes it a great long-term addition to my home management organization system.

Imagination Academic Year weekly/monthly dated planner

You might be thinking "But Brittany, you just bought a planner not too long ago, why do you need another one!?" Well, I was finding that there were so many things I wanted to write in that small planner that I was running out of room. When I saw this adorable planner for $9.00 I knew I had to pick it up. I'm thinking of using it for finances and cleaning. That might seem like a weird combination but the biggest lists I make are cleaning lists and the things I forget most are finances (most of our bills are automatic but I just want to be more aware of when things are going to go through and I think keeping track of it in a space that is less cramped will help me achieve that). Then I can save my small planner for appointments, birthdays, fun plans, etc.

That's everything I picked up! I'm really excited about the new office supplies I picked up. There is something about school supply season in the stores that makes me want to wander every aisle of every store with a "Back to school" section. (& pick up a few cute things, lets be honest)

Thanks so much for stopping by!

xoxo