Staying Home Sawyer

Real Life Living on a Real Life Budget

DIY, Wedding

Sweet, Bubbly, and Simply Sparkly!

Sparkly Wine or Champagne Bottle GiftIt’s been one of those days. You know the days. The days that drag on and on, while you sit at your desk or stand at your podium and mentally break down inside, all while counting down the hours until you can make it home and open a bottle of wine. Or a can of beer. Or a gallon of ice cream. I’m no judge.

The best thing about bad days: They only last 24 hours. Tomorrow is a brand new day (aren’t I just so optimistic?). It better not be a brand new bad day.

So let’s start tomorrow with a little glitter, shall we? It’s been a while since I did something sparkly, and well, I’m not quite living up to my name. So in typical Rae of Sparkles fashion, cheers to announcing my Super Sparkly Champagne Bottle!

Apply Modge Podge to the bottle, everywhere you want the glitter, and dump the glitter on (excess will fall off). Spray a coat of clear spray paint over the bottle, and…Sparkle Champagne or Wine Bottle GiftTa Da! (Cue the applause)

Grab a piece of ribbon, and attach the tag to make it a Wedding Shower gift. Or even a Wedding Gift.Sparkle Wine or Champagne Bottle GiftIsn’t she beautiful? If I had her waiting for me at home tonight, I’d be speeding down the freeway right now. Or stuck in traffic. One of the two. I’m going to put my money on the traffic. Ugh. Of course those fellow drivers would get in the way of me and my bottle. That’s life.

It’s just so unfair.

DIY, Holidays!, Party Planning

That’s a Wrap!

Mummy Hershey Halloween FavorsThat’s a wrap ladies and gentlemen! My Halloween favors are all set to leave the nest. It’ll be tough, but I think I can let them go. They are still so little and inexperienced, I hope they survive the flight.

I’m not stingy when it comes to giving out candy, but thirty full-sized candy bars would just be a little ridiculous. If I worked in an office with a handful of people, that would be within my budget. And lez be honest (a little Pitch Perfect humor for you), with this many favors to make, I’d go broke. I am playing the lottery, but I’m just not doing well. Until I win, they’re stuck with the fun-size favors.

(Side Note: If you haven’t seen Pitch Perfect yet, you’re really missing out)Mummy Hershey Bars IngredientsI’ve made these Mummy favors for a Halloween party before, so I figured what the heck? I can make mini-mummies. Besides, good things come in small packages. I should try telling our 24 pound cat Lucy that. Maybe she’d be more motivated to get on the treadmill. Or the stairs. Or even just get off the bed.

Grab a bag of Hershey fun size treats, a roll of white crepe paper, and a pack of mini “wiggly eyes.” This should cost you about $7. Not bad. And that’s without coupons.Create Your Mummy Hershey Bar Halloween TreatsDirections:

1) Cut crepe paper in three strips vertically (about 18in give or take)

2) Cut 1×1 black squares out of construction paper (give or take)

3) Hot glue two eyes to each piece of paper

4) Glue the paper/eyes to one end of the Hershey bar

5) Use hot glue to adhere one end of tissue strip to the bottom of the bar

6) Wrap up around, and then back down around

 You’ll end up with Manny the Mummy:Mummy Hershey Halloween TreatsI made my whole pack, and then decided I wanted to add a little tag to each. I designed the “That’s a Wrap” Halloween tag and then decided not to use it. I couldn’t find a cute way to attach it, so I nixed the idea. I’d love to hear your ideas!Mummy Hershey Halloween TreatsMy sweet mini’s are all bundled up and ready to be delivered on Friday! What are you handing out?

Lifestyle

Spend Your Weekend Local

Find a Local Farmer's MarketBack before everything was “certified” organic and we had to walk both ways uphill in the three foot snowfall to get to school, there was only one way to get organic produce. Go to the farmer’s market. Buy fresh and buy local. Support your fellow citizens. Now, even the food at the farmer’s market has to specify if it’s organic or not. And you better believe you’re going to pay the price to buy the beautiful, pretty, successful, organic zucchini instead of the horrible, rotten, no-good, regular zucchini. I mean, is there even a competition?

Nevertheless, the farmer’s market is one of my favorite spots. I love walking around the booths and just viewing the produce. That and eating it. Right off the table. That’s how I roll.

Cue the “Oh My God! You don’t wash that first?” comments. I get it. You think you MUST wash every single piece of anything that gets even remotely close to your mouth. This may come as a grave concern for some, but I don’t have an issue with eating a tomato before washing it. Since we’re on the topic, I don’t buy organic either. Uh-oh!Farmer's Market Fresh - Visit a Local Farmer's Market for Fresh FindsI didn’t want to disappoint my taste buds, so when I saw these tomatoes, I had to bite in. And they didn’t disappoint. They were amazing. And they weren’t organic!  Is it possible? (Disclaimer: My hands are not dirty. They are stained with paint from my coffee table restoration!)

Farmer's Market Finds - Visit your Local Farmer's Market for Fresh FindsMy mom and I found some great eats at the farmer’s market this weekend. We also found quite a few odd pieces. Seriously, what is that thing in my mom’s hand. Clearly it’s not organic. Because it’s ugly.

Farmer's Market Finds - Visit Your Local Farmer's Market for Fresh FindsI couldn’t be happier that there is a market less than one block from our new home. I will be there every Saturday with my mouth watering.

DIY, Home Decor

Give Old Pieces New Life

DIY Coffee Table MakeoverWe are FINALLY in the new place, and I couldn’t be more in love. Mostly with my new (old) coffee table, but since I don’t want any other piece to feel left out, I’ll say I’m in love with the whole place. But really the coffee table gets the final rose. It’s gorgeous, classy, has life experience, and has had a face lift. What more could you want in a table?

I knew when we were planning on buying a new (town)house, that we would need a lot of new furniture. Because I’m thrifty (read: cheap), I wanted to find some pieces I could buy and mold into something I wanted. I tried to do that with my husband too, but unfortunately he’s still a Bears fan.

I found an ad on Craigslist for three tables: two end tables, one coffee table = $40. Done and Done! I picked those babies up the next day. The finish was a little strong for me, but my vision was even stronger.

I borrowed an electric sander from a co-worker and bought all my supplies. I thought this thing was going to be easy peasy. Done and done.DIY Coffee Table MakeoverNot quite. No one tells you that sanding the finish off tables is going to take you hours. HOURS. I started with one end table, and after over an hour I gave up on getting it completely sanded. I did however sand the entire top of the coffee table. It took me three hours. Seriously.

Compared to that, the rest was like eating cake. Or a cheeseburger. With avocado.

I swiped a little gray stain onto that baby and gave it a good coating. Once the stain dried I painted the white coat over it. Since I wanted a distressed look, I only used two coats. When that was dry, I used sand paper to sand away the edges and let the gray shine through. And it worked. Splendid.

I left the top of the coffee table with just the gray stain (sprayed a matte clear spray paint over to coat it), but painted the entire end table. I loved the look of the coffee table so much, I should have done both that way. Oh well. You live and you learn. And then you get bored in a few months and start over.DIY Coffee Table Makeover