More Animal Print!

I can't help myself!  I just love animal print and hope it never goes away.  I got this dress at a little tea room in Tyler (Potpourri, for those of you from that area).  The sales lady/boutique owner was so sweet!  I kept walking around with this on my arm, and was ready to put it back on the rack, when she came over to me and offered it to me for 50% off the retail price.  SOLD!  This is a very cool jersey knit dress and what makes it so great, is you can wear it as a skirt, too.  I'll be wearing this a lot this summer. 

Here's a closeup of the safari necklace.  What a perfect combo!

New Look

Just like my clothes and my home projects, I like to change 'the look' every once in awhile.  I've been experimenting with different banner styles for this blog, and with the help of my tech-ie co-workers, I was able to actually learn how to write some code and insert CSS.  Sounds geeky, huh?  Actually it is really fun and I've learned a lot. Let me know how you like this.  I'm still tweeking and playing with it, so if you spot errors or something doesn't quite look right, please post a comment.  If you catch this on Facebook, be sure to click on  'Cheap Frills' which will take you to my full blog.  You can post your comments at the bottom of each post.  Be brutally honest,,,,it won't hurt my feelings,,,,,(much).  I have a big re-decorating project I'll be working on the next couple of days (Douglas says 'oh no,,here she goes again), so watch for more 'Ladyfingers' photos.

Have a great weekend!

Oh,,,I took this photo of the impending storm on Tuesday night.  Sky was really dark and threatened hail.  

Tickled Pink

This is the coolest top. It's all crinkly and is very tiny when you hold it up, but it stretches in all directions to fit nearly anyone.  It is VERY, VERY P-I-N-K!.  I can't remember where I got it, but the tag was still on it.  $1.99.  I wonder why the person that had it before gave it up, unless they didn't like the idea of glowing in the dark. Anyway, it's mine now and I love it.

 

Dining room - Part 2

OK, sometimes I get carried away with my projects.  I've heard 'less is more', but today as I was going to go clean up my 'closet' (the upstairs bedroom) I stumbled on a stencil I bought several years ago.  I ditched the closet cleanup project (b-o-r-i-n-g) and dug out all my painting stuff and decided to add a stencil border to the top edge of the dining room.  It doesn't photograph well, but in person it looks really good.  I used the Ralph Lauren metallic paint that was on the walls before to add a little color to the room.  I've never stenciled anything before but it turned out to be a really fun project.  It only took a couple of hours to complete the project.  Tell me what you think.

LadyFingers Project

 
I think I mentioned in earlier posts that I love to do home projects.  If I had ever opened my own business (and I may yet) I would call it 'Ladyfingers'.  A couple of weeks ago I decided to re-redo my dining room.  (the room is now about 3" smaller because of all the changes I've made).  Originally, when we purchased this home, the dining room had pink/country blue floral wallpaper.  I ripped off the wallpaper as fast as I could, scraped off the popcorn ceilings, and just painted over the bare walls/ceiling with a Ralph Lauren metallic paint.  I liked the color, but in my rush to get rid of the wallpaper, I didn't take time to re-texture the walls.  Now a couple of years later, I decided to give it another go.  Here are the before and after photos.  I did this project in a weekend. 

Before:

I bought the light weight mud and mixed it with water to thin it out and then applied it to all the walls and ceiling.

Here is an 'after' photo. 

The original light fixture was a really ugly brass fixture that I replaced with this antique chandelier.  I searched and searched for something like this.  I was perusing the aisles of an antique shop and was about to give up hope, when I found this chandelier in the last aisle of the shop, way back in a corner, just stuffed in a box.  Some of the prisms were just thrown in the bottom of the box.  I bought it for $35, brought it home, totally disassembled it, rewired it, cleaned each prism individually, and polished up the brass.  The original light fixture was way off center, so I had to cut a hole in the ceiling and rewire the whole thing to get it in the right spot.  Douglas was at our lake house (which is the best time for me to take on these impulsive projects of mine) so he wasn't around to do a 'quality control' of my wiring.  I ended up having my next door neighbor come over so he could spot check me when I threw on the switch to make sure it worked.  (I have a healthy respect for electricity so I didn't want to do this while home alone.)  Turns out it worked the first time.  I was thrilled beyond belief.

The final touch, I used a shiny gold lame fabric to cover up the mounting chain.  Who knows?...I might be inspired to cook now so I can actually use the dining room. 

 
 
 
 

Hill Country Photos

This past weekend we made a trip to the Hill Country and took some hiking trips to Pedernales Falls State Park and Gorman Falls.  It is just beautiful down there this time of year.  I was hoping that the Bluebonnets had poked their little heads out, but it was just too early. Perdenales Falls is a great place to hike along the river and do some rock climbing.

By now you know I tend to be 'accident' prone.  While climbing down a pretty high rock, not 50 feet from our final destination, I slipped and jammed my finger in to a rock.  I heard the 'pop', but didn't think much about it until it started swelling.  I went to visit my best friend orthopedic surgeon when I got home just to have it checked out, and turns out I broke my finger.  Darn!!

I'm such a CLUTZ!!!  I have to keep a splint on it for 3 weeks.  At least if people ask me how I broke it, I can honestly say I was rock climbing!

 The Gorman Falls are beautiful, but we weren't aware that the hike would take about 30 minutes each way.  I forgot my hiking boots and ended up wearing canvas maryjanes with no socks.  Ouch!!!  Once we got to the falls (finally) we had to grab on to a cable to lower ourselves down the granite rocks to view the falls.  That was the easy part.  The hard part was grabbing the cables to hoist myself back up with a broken finger but it was worth it.  The falls are just beautiful. The 65 foot falls are the tallest in Texas.

 

 The hike back seemed even longer since by now I had rubbed two huge blisters, one on each foot.  It was worth it though.  If you're ever in the area, take the time to go visit this site. 

With a broken finger and blisters on both feet, I don't see a manicure or pedicure in my near future.

 

I think all I will be wearing this summer are skirts.  They are so cool, comfortable, and lightweight.  Throw them together with a cute cotton T and a pair of flip-flops and you're off to the races.  I've already gathered quite a collection in the last few weeks at my favorite thrift stores so I think I'm set. 

The lacey t-shirt is a Ralph Lauren in perfect shape.  I guess the person that gave it up just got tired of it. Ah...One man's junk is another man's treasure. 

I love how light-weight this skirt is.  The wind just blows right through it.  That's a real plus with these hot Texas summers!

We just got back from Horseshoe Bay/Marble Falls area.  I have some great photos to share soon.  I think I took over 800 photos in a 3 day span so I'll have to pick and choose the best ones.  Until then.....
 
 
 

Spring is in the air

It's time for short sleeve tees and linen skirts.....FINALLY!  I found this skirt and t-shirt at the Salvation Army store just off Harry Hines in Dallas about a month ago.  Total cost...$13.00.  That place is always packed with people and great buys.  If you're ever looking for a nice after-five dress or formal, this is the place to check out. 

See the little gold slip peeking out from under?  You can't see, but in the skirt, there are little gold flecks of threads that match the lace on the slip which gives the skirt a little 'sparkle'. 

The linen skirt has a crispiness to it and the slip underneath adds quite a bit of fullness.  Spread out, it really is a circle skirt.  I love it. Here's a peek at the gold slip underneath.

We're headed to the Hill Country for a long relaxing weekend.  I can't wait!  I'm going to map out the back roads and hopefully get to see some bluebonnets poking their little heads out along the way.  I expect to take lots of photos while I'm there.  I'll share the really good ones when we get back.  Have a great weekend!
 
 
 

Cache!

This top was a very lucky find.  If you've ever seen the brand 'Cache', it is very expensive.  I found this brand-new-with-the-tags-still-on-it Cache top for only $2.99. In fact, there were two different versions of this top and of course,,,,I bought them both.

Look how great this turquoise bracelet looks with this silky top.  This was given to me by a friend at work.  You can see the stash of jewelry she gave me from an earlier post. 

I wore this to work today and then remembered that I had signed up to donate blood to the Carter Blood Care Center.  The sleeves on this top would NOT budge an inch, so the technicians offered to give me my doner t-shirt in advance so I could go ahead and participate in the blood drive.

Today's t-shirt was pretty cool!  Of course they're all one size, which is 'super-grande', but I love them because they make great jammies.  Here's the front of the tee:

...and here's the back...

As you can see,,,,I'm dressed for bed. 

I encourage all of you to donate blood if you can.  It's absolutely painless and when you think of how many people's lives you might be saving, it's a really 'feel good' moment.  I'm about 4 pints in to earning my 3 gallon pin. 

Two for One!

Check out this reversable suede all-weather coat I found at a consignment store last weekend in Terrell Texas called 'Linda's Reasonably Chic'.  This shop was one of the many stops I made on my shopping trek and I'm glad I stopped in.  I had seen this store before, but didn't have time to stop.  I found this coat for only $18 and it's reversable so really two coats for the price of one. 

Here's the leopard side (my favorite of course...)

And here's the solid side with a touch of the leopard showing on the collar and cuffs.  The jacket is very light-weight so I can wear it most of the Spring when the evenings are cooler.  Great find!!

 

Checkmate

I love this dress!  I found this last weekend when I went on my power-thrift-shop trek.   This dress came from an awesome thrift store, called Genesis in Kaufman, Texas.  When I was shopping at a consignment store in Terrell, Tx, the owner recommended that I check this shop out on my round-about-way to Canton.  It's a huge warehouse behind a women's shelter, and there were some wonderful things there.  If you're ever in the area, you should make a point to detour off the beaten path and check out this place.  I would never have known about it if I had not stopped at the consignment store. They had everything from beautiful wedding dresses, prom dresses, and shoes, to household items and furniture. 

I bought this dress right off the rack and did not even try it on.  It's a little big, but for $4 I figured I could make it work somehow.  It looks like it was never worn!

The bodice is black velvet and fits off the shoulders.

The skirt is a shiny checkered black and gold fabric with a 'built-in' crinoline to give it fullness.

 
 

If you know of any thrift stores you'd like to share, please write a comment and share your secrets with me. 

Have a great weekend!
 
 

Marooned

I found this darling dress at the Tyler Goodwill store for $4.99 this past weekend.  It is so cute and so comfy and even though it would probably be more suited to wear to a formal dinner gathering, I actually wore it to work to day with some cowboy boots!  Well, the boots had the same colors in them so 'why not'?  The bodice is a very dark maroonish-brown color velvet, and the skirt is a shiny satiny pleated fabric.  A little over-kill for work maybe, but I figured I could get by with it.

This bronze/silver/gold chunky necklace came from the Goodwill store in Canton.  You can't see the earrings, but they are the same as the necklace.  I had to dig through several baskets of jewelry, and by chance found the matching set, but in different locations.  Together, they were $4.00.

I've had these cowboy boots for years and they happened to go perfectly with this dress.  They helped play down the 'formal' look of the velvet/satin dress a lot.  I'm going crazy putting weird stuff together but I'm having a blast. 

 
 

Safari Attire

I found this necklace at 'Genesis' in Dallas on Knight Street.  This is another thrift store that all proceeds go to assist people in dire need.  I always feel good about these purchases because it's a win/win purchase.  I get what I love AND I know I might be helping someone get medical care or a meal for their family.  This necklace is made of wooden safari animals and round wooden rings.  It is super cute and looks brand new.  I can't believe someone gave this up, but I'm glad they did. I know I will get lots of wear out of it with all the animal print clothing I own.

I'm wearing this with an animal print tunic I purchased at First Monday a couple of years ago.  I love this top.  In the winter I wear it over jeans with a turtle-neck, and in the summer I wear it as a sundress with a tank top underneath.  Very versatile and....it's animal print....my favorite!  Hope you all are not getting tired of all the animal print I post.  I have lots of it.