The Cost of Laundry

By Angela on October 30, 2013

This week I cut two dozen green wipes and two dozen blue wipes from old sets of knit sheets. (Knit doesn’t ravel, so after cutting the squares it’s done–no sewing required.) We decided to color code the wipes per bathroom so we were sure to get the right number of wipes back to each room. Currently they all end up in the bathroom closest to the laundry room (#wearelazy) and the other rooms are out of luck. They are 9 inches square before shrinking. They could be smaller though if it fits better on whatever you are cutting them out of or the container they will be stored in.

(These were more of a turquoise blue but the camera got it all wrong. Interesting that the toilet and wall colors are very close to true life. We have a lot of spaces in this house that need attention, lol.)

A reader asked me last week if the cost of washing the wipes counteracted the savings from using them. That’s a great question and definitely worth looking at. I figure there are 4 costs to a load of laundry: detergent; water; electricity; and gas to heat the water (or for dryer).

There’s a handy calculator that allows you to plug in your rates and type of machine etc and estimate the cost of your laundry. I have a Fisher and Paykel high efficiency washer; use Arm and Hammer powdered detergent (cheap and works great–I don’t like homemade detergent–I used it for 6 months before I figured that out.); we have a gas water heater but electric dryer. I line dry in the summer.

When putting my info into the calculator I found that one load of laundry costs me $.21 to wash and $.50 to dry. I wash a load of wipes once a week. We definitely use more than $.70 worth of toilet paper per week, so the savings is worth it for me. The savings for cloth diapers is even greater and wipes and diapers can be washed in the same load for more savings. Too bad Grant is so huge and can’t wear our one size diapers anymore. Definitely time to potty train. The potty training is not going very well. I think I forgot how to do it.

Just for giggles here’s a calculator to compare whether buying appliances and washing at home or going to a laundromat is more affordable.

So anyhoo, even figuring in the cost of washing the wipes, I save about $18 a month on toilet paper. We have a big family so our savings is higher than average.

Feeling Blessed and Free Baby Crochet Patterns

By Angela on October 29, 2013

The readers here are amazing. One of you sent my son a pair of shoes so I wouldn’t spend the money left in my clothing budget, even though the money was there. She wanted me to get a head start on our 200 ways to save $100. Another reader emailed to ask me what sizes the kids are because her friends are always looking for places to pass down clothes. And our family worship group has taken turns bringing us dinner for the month of October after we found out our foundation needs help. It’s more than we deserve.

Heidi and I crocheted a few baby hats over the weekend for the Women’s Clinic. Thinking too much about myself and our drama is a pathway to depression. So we decided to break the cycle and do something for someone else. We used this free pattern:

Hat picture belongs to www.AestheticNest.com

The hat worked up super fast. We could make a hat in less than an hour all while visiting together and building our relationship. My niece got in on the action too. There’s nothing as much fun as making something for a baby! And doing it with friends is even better.

And then I crocheted up this little peacoat for my new niece or nephew. By adapting what I learned from making the girl hat above I made a matching hat inspired by th is one. I also made a little tie onesie to go inside the jacket. It is meant to help the mother feel the joy of the blessing that is coming in the midst of the overwhelm of daily life. Sometimes at the beginning of a pregnancy it all feels surreal and can be overwhelming when there’s already a house full of children. Holding something for the new baby helped me feel a connection to the new life. And hearing the heartbeat helped a bunch too. So even though the new baby isn’t due until May, we are giving the little package to the mother tonight.

Baby Boy Crochet Layette

I had so much fun with these projects (all from stash too–so no new money spent) that I started this sweater for Grant:

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I had gathered all the supplies one week at a time, using a 40% coupon for each skein of yarn and have had them for awhile. I plan to make the brown part on the arms a lot shorter to match the length of ribbing on the rest of the sweater and am using YouTube videos to learn all the little parts of knitting (like how to cast on and SSK.)

Now that I see this list of projects, I see why my house is a wreak. Forehead slap.

We have settled into a routine with dinner at a table all together and homework in the one room left with furniture in it. Sometimes there are more stories and laughter than progress on homework, but it’s happiness to be spending time together as a family again. We are resting from projects and just living. Next week we have 3 foundation companies coming out to give estimates. Until then, we are finding a new normal in our space.

I’m starting to look forward to cooking again. I gave myself a head start by putting a breakfast casserole in the slow cooker last night. Darren said I could assemble a few of our lower cabinets if I wanted to put some of my dishes away on the main floor. That sounds like a good plan to me :). I’m gathering a list of crock-pot breakfast recipes and autumny foods that can be made without an oven. I’ll post on what turns out well.

The Other Side of Savings

By Angela on October 25, 2013

Post interruption: It’s hard to say something like this, but a tragedy struck our little private school this week. The visitation for one of my Freshman students is tonight and he will be buried tomorrow. My heart breaks for his family and there is a hole in the heart of every person at the school. Something like this puts things into perspective. We feel entirely different about our foundation issues now. It seems superficial in the scheme of things. We are holding each other as a family, thinking about what’s really important, and praying for those who are closest to this trauma.

Back to the scheduled post:

I appreciate all the supportive emails after yesterday’s post. There are lots of awesome ideas in the comments there.

Some good friends also sent these ideas through private messages:

“Don’t forget the little stuff. I don’t know how your bills are but setting a timer for the shower, always making sure lights are out in rooms you aren’t in and things like that really help!”

“Do you have the HyVee Fuel saver card? I just signed up, and I was careful and bought store brands on sale or others at a good price that also had the fuel saver discount, and in two weeks, I have $1.01 off per gallon.

Also, I noticed they have gift cards that have fuel discounts, too. I know JCPenney is one of them. For $25 gift card you get 12c/gallon and for $50 you get back 25c/gallon. Then you find a coupon to go use your gift card.”

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But also many of you landed on the idea that savings alone can’t fix a big money problem. It’s true!

Heidi Violin

There are things that could go on my list of 200 ways to save $100 that I don’t want to add. Things like stopping ballet or violin lessons. Not only would our kids be sad, but we would be affecting the income needs of other families. We’ve had to make decisions like that in the past, like with a sudden job loss. But if I can find another way, I’d like to do that.

Then there are things like our internet connection. We’ve already let our house phone go (we use Magic Jack) and have never had cable television. But I earn my money through the internet. So our quitting internet service would be like DH quitting his job so we wouldn’t have to buy the gas to get him there. It just doesn’t make sense.

There are other things we pay for that end up saving us money in the long run. Things like a menu subscription :). Or a membership to a discount warehouse. Or insurance.

If I stopped paying anything–the house, electricity, food etc. and saved every dime we brought in over 4 months would we have $20,000? Nope.

So when simply slashing the budget and saving isn’t enough it’s time to consider earning more money.

Selling excess things around the house is a good place to start for fast cash. It’s not a permanent solution, because when the stuff is gone, the income stream is gone too. We have an upright freezer we could part with. An air hockey table (that the kids love); our piano, my guitar, a clarinet, some tiny violins, our furniture, and our wedding rings. The reality is these are items we use, every day. We would feel the loss. In the scheme of things they are just things and I could let them go. But if I can earn money another way…that would be best.

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I could expand my businesses already in place to earn more online. It’s scary for me, this earning money online thing. To do that, I have to put myself out there, make offers, experience rejection, read mean emails from hurting people who forget I’m a real person and it freaks me out. I’m terrible with handling criticism.

But also, it means I get to help people. I only make money when I meet a need, give encouragement, make a better life possible for someone else. And while doing that I get to help my family at the same time. It amazes me how business works!

Of course I don’t have to work online to make extra money. I could teach classes; sell crafts; teach classes on how to do crafts :); do yard work; get a part time job; take on custom sewing. I’ve done them all, but in this precarious situation of ours, I have to be choosy. I have 6 children, I teach school part time and run 3 other businesses from our home. It’s my primary job to keep the family running smoothly, so I have to consider the time it takes me to earn money and choose the most income for the least amount of time. If I say yes to an opportunity to spend a lot of time for a little return, then I give up the chance to use my time to make the kind of money we need.

To do that well, I have to stay away from income streams that earn an hourly wage (like custom sewing or making crafts). And instead choose sources of open ended income where I do the work once and get paid for it multiple times (like video courses, drafting sewing patterns or writing ebooks). This type of income earning is less guaranteed. What if I spend all this time making a digital product and no one buys it? It’s still scary. But it’s my best shot.

There’s no perfect solution, just the best one for our current circumstances. And we don’t have to walk the path alone. And when I reflect on what has happened over the last few weeks, I’m thankful for God and his providence. He doesn’t make bad things happen, but allows us to walk through them to refine us and help us grow in faith.

200 Ways to save $100

By Angela on October 24, 2013

Friday morning, 5 hours before super hero training camp and moments after I frantically finished up my menus for delivery…The doorbell rang.

Women cleaning a window 3

At that moment I had glass cleaner in one hand and a rag in the other. I needed a shower. But I was pretending to be the lovely lady above. The man at the door said, “Don’t you usually clean AFTER the remodel is finished?”

I said, “Are you our Engineer?”

He said, “Yes, I tried to cal…..”

But I could’t hear the rest. I was leaping and yelling, “Yipee the engineer is here!” With the door standing open and the man looking confused. If he had a thought bubble it would read, “Do I go in? Do I stay out here? What is that woman on?”

We had been waiting 2 weeks for this day. The day to find out what is really wrong with our house, how soon can we fix it, and gulp, what it will cost. This moment stood between me and having a kitchen again and I was ready to face it head on.

He spent several hours at the house with a fancy laser level and clipboard. Thoroughly listened to our concerns and even checked out the leak in the attic. The diagnoses? Our east wall has dropped 4 inches and requires 15 piers and jacking to repair, plus landscaping, gutters and annual watering to prevent further damage. The good news: It can be fixed immediately. And as soon as it’s fixed we can continue with our kitchen remodel. The bad news: We should expect to pay at least $20,000. And when we pay that….there won’t be money to finish the kitchen. (The leak in the attic only needed a little caulk around the sky light.)

Now is not the time to panic. It’s time to think and plan. All I have to do is find 200 ways to save $100 or 100 ways to save $200 and boom. Problem solved. And he said we could wait until July (the next dry season) to get the work done, without worrying about further damage. If I’m willing to delay the kitchen that long.

So I’ve started a list. And am giving myself 4 months to find the savings.

Best Christmas Photo

#1 We’re not sending Christmas cards this year. So Merry Christmas–we love you. Savings: $75

#2 Let my hair go officially ombre and then brown with silver streaks. Savings $75 every 6 weeks or $200 over 4 months. (In theory, I really only went every 6 months….) I need to go right now, but can use the money to buy Heidi a hair straightener for her Christmas gift instead.

#3 Potty Train Grant (yep he’s 2 1/2, but I just haven’t felt like I could add that to my plate. Adding it now…) Savings: $25 a month or $100 over 4 months.

#4 My sister-in-law and I agreed to cancel our gift exchange this year. We wouldn’t be together on Christmas Day anyway and the cousins will simply celebrate this year with the annual gingerbread house building and a fabulous playtime at Grandmas. This one was hardest on my Mom, but my kids took it really well. Savings: $100

#5 I crossed 5 budgeted gifts off our Coffman list by planning to sew the items from stash materials and they are going to be the BEST ever! Savings: $100

#6 Instead of going to Chucky Cheese tonight for Caleb’s birthday the family agreed to go to Striker’s $1 night bowling. For which we had a $25 gift card for admission and each child had a $2 gift card for the arcade. (The arcade was surprisingly expensive with games costing between $.75 and $3. Our $2 cards weren’t going to go very far. But an older man came up to me and asked if I was the mother of all these—motioning around with his hand. I said I was, and he handed me a gift card. After he left, I swiped it on the machine to check the balance and it had $52 on it!!! I cried, literally. It was like God looked down from heaven and said, “I see you.”

Official Savings $50 (We ended up buying pizza for $25. I goofed and thought they had $1 hot dogs there, but that was the other bowling alley.)

#7 Exclusively go back to cloth wipes instead of toilet paper (I have been buying more paper since we moved but time to buckle down.) This will save $20 every other month. Or $4o over 4 months. Or $120 for the year

#8 Drop my grocery budget by $100 which will pull us back to the $400 per month ($50 per person) budget. Pinch! This will be hard as I’ve gotten used to my extra $100….but doable. Official Savings: $400.

#9 Adjust the clothing budget. I’ve worked hard to get Darren to raise it up to around $100 a month for all 8 of us. If I can do without for 4 months, that would save us $400. Several of the boys need shoes. But I can make up their other needs in creative ways.

So That’s where I am. That saved us $1,005. Only $18,995 to go. Do you have any more ideas for me?

(We will be ok and my sister and 3 friends already brought over casseroles.)

4 Random Things

By Angela on September 17, 2013

1. The Drywall guy came today. I love the feeling I get when I see that the holes are filled in. He’ll be back tomorrow to tape and thinks it will take him all week to finish skim coating, drying and sanding. Maybe I can paint on Monday? I’m breathing again.

When I took the popcorn off the adjoining family room, I found a small spot of black mold underneath. So we decided to cut out that section. Look away if you have a weak stomach.

This pile fell down–which was mostly made of racoon feces. Not cool. We knew this house needed help when we bought it, but have had a few extra surprises.

2. I’ve been thinking a lot about frugal living lately and have come to the obvious conclusion that too much stress cripples my ability to think and act frugally. And being organized helps me be even more frugal. Simplify, simplify–my motto for today.

3. Why would someone pay $395 for a Burberry scarf, when you can get this one for $7? I bought the $7 one, it’s very nice. Sometimes I think the phrase, “You get what you pay for,” is stupid. I mean, I don’t mind paying for what something is worth….but $395 for a scarf? Really? Am I getting that much more for my money?

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And what about this purse? A used Chanel handbag with scratches on the buckle and creasing on the leather from “mild and ordinary use.”

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Yep, it sold for $3,895 plus $35 shipping. Um, that’s how much we are saving for a used car for my husband. I’ve been thinking about this way too much and I still don’t get it. Even if I had that kind of money to throw around I know a really awesome clinic that I’d rather give it to.

4. And my High School choir is going to sing this song for our Christmas Concert. I know the composer–he’s amazing. And I was privileged to sing in the choir in this video:

When my choir heard it (while following along with the music) they said, “We know the man that wrote this. That’s Dr. Smith. He used to work here.”

I forgot Nathan had a PHD in music, because we are good friends. The kids’ statement reminded me what big shoes I have to fill in my position at the school. I really lean on Christ every day that I’m there. And I spend a lot of time at home researching the best techniques and getting advice from true masters in the field and yet I feel so inadequate. It’s in those moments that I’m reminded that God chooses weak vessels to do His work, and then when results far surpass all our expectations, there is no mistake where the Glory belongs. I have to stop freaking out though! God doesn’t want me to worry or feel stress but to trust Him completely while I do my best and let Him make up the difference.

Big Haul from Dirty Don’s

By Angela on September 11, 2013

I hate reading posts like this. The ones where someone tells you the great deals they found–that you can’t get. I hope you will humor me a little and not throw tomatoes. There’s a purpose (besides shameless bragging…)

Dirty Don’s is a salvage store. I’m not sure where they get their stuff, but it looks like restaurant supply and mis-delivered or damaged train cargo. There are stores like these in major cities spread across the United States and most people have access to some sort of deal if they know to look. Some days I go into a store like Dirty Don’s and leave empty handed–not every day is a haul. In fact, I’d had so many bad days that I stopped going for awhile.

But a friend called and bragged about her awesome purchases, and I ran right over to see if there was anything left.

Here’s what I got: 4 boxes of Larabar’s with 16 count each at $2 a box.

4 bottles of KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce $.50 each

2 containers of Feta cheese: $.50 each

9 lbs of Fajita Chicken Sausage: $6

9 lbs of Spinach Asiago chicken sausage: $6

24 lbs of shredded rotisserie chicken breast: $15

lunch box size individual organic Strawberry applesauce: $.25 for 4 servings

Cottage Cheese: $.50 a 24 oz carton

Cereal (off-brand of Special K with freeze dried strawberries.) $1 a box

3 pkg of Burrito Size Tortillas: $.50 a bag of 8

Individual lunch box hummus containers: $1.50 for 12

And organic white blueberry tea: $1.50 a box

Everything that could be frozen went straight to the freezer. Then I started planning my meals based on the food I just got. I didn’t decide what I was going to cook, then make a list and go buy it. I looked at what I have and said, “Now what are you going to do with this stuff?” I love the creativity that comes with this way of thinking. Sometimes amazing new dishes are born. On the first night we had feta chicken wraps on tortillas (imagine that :).) And all that cottage cheese will become protein pancake batter.

So anyhow, the point is–look for deals. Know your prices! Just because it’s at Dirty Don’s doesn’t mean it’s a good price. Use a portion of your grocery money each month to buy those amazing deals (and if there aren’t any deals–save the deal money for when you find the mother-load.) Then fill your freezer and pantry (watch for expiration dates.) And use what you find. I still spend a portion of my budget each month on fresh produce, dairy etc. and to fill in some gaps–but this is the main way we feed our family for so little.

My Birthday Present

By Angela on August 29, 2013

For my Birthday, we got family photos taken :). My cousin Rachael did them and was so patient. She kept the camera clicking even when we weren’t posed and some of those were my favorite. Here’s a sampling of the over 225 photos she took of us.

What I loved most about this session was how casual and relaxed it was. We were at a park so when it wasn’t a child’s turn He could play. AND the frugal part of me loved paying Rachael an hourly wage and then getting a disk with all the pictures on it in full resolution to print at my leisure.

Tutorials for Heather’s Bedroom Birthday Surprise

By Angela on August 21, 2013

Before I link up, I’d like to say a round of thanks to everyone who helped with Heather’s room. I said in the first post that I didn’t have an HGTV crew–but it turned out I really did–just no cameras and scripts (yep, reality TV is scripted.)

Oh and while I’m totally off topic–last year this week we were having Heather’s No-Stress Birthday. How times change :).

Here was our team:

Heidi, J and B for moving day

Heidi also did popcorn removal, Painting, and Organization. Plus was my shopping and design consultant and domestic support–which sounds better than laundry, childcare and dishes :).

And of course Elizabeth, who painted while I had a family visit from the church. She was here for hours and also brought Tapioca pudding, which is Darren’s FAVORITE.

Mom, who was chief mudder (Bwa ha ha–get it? Mudder!); Child care extraordinaire (She kept all my boys for 2 full days); emotional support; pharmacy (she brought me flu meds); seamstress consultant; Floor installation assistant (She was here until 4am people!) And my top person to talk to when I’m not sure how to do a project under budget. She is the most frugal person around and by that I mean she’s the most awesome and responsible person when it comes to respecting the hard work done to get money and making it work hard for her. (Not that she’s cheap–which is not the same thing at all.)

And then there’s Darren, who really didn’t want to do this project from the beginning. But because he loves Heather and me so much, he did a little bit of everything, especially laying a brand new floor all night until 5:30 am Thursday morning. He also mudded, sanded, installed trim, and made the money that paid for it all. And finished just in time for his 40th birthday :).

Ok, now for the tutorials I promised:

Envelope Pillow Tutorial

DIY Canvas Art

Ruffled Duvet Cover

Ombre Curtains–which I sized up and turned into the hula hoop tent.

Hula Hoop Tent

This is just one of the many tutorials I looked at to make the tent. Only I made mine differently to use one full sheet, which meant less ruffle fabric and less cost. But then it didn’t go around my hoop all the way. So I took a hack saw to my hula hoop to MAKE IT FIT in a wicked step-sister sort of way. So just because I did it differently didn’t make it better, kwim?

And if I were smart, I would have used this tutorial to hang my gallery wall. But instead I just hung one at a time by eyeballing it (Do you get the feeling I don’t like to measure?) Then moved it over a bit if I stepped back and it didn’t look right. Which mean I had to patch some holes before the big reveal :).

The Cost Breakdown and Source List for Heather’s Bedroom Birthday Surprise

By Angela on August 20, 2013

More than once, I was standing in line at Home Depot feeling like my wallet was bleeding. This was the most expensive birthday present I have ever given anyone. But then Heather was the most valuable birthday present I’ve ever received. I brought her home from the hospital on my 27th birthday :).

Since I gathered stuff over a period of 6 months, I didn’t have a clear picture of the total cost. While everything was still fresh in my mind, and I could still find receipts, I decided to find out for sure.

Ceiling:

1 bucket of lightweight drywall compound: $14

1 gallon Kilz Primer $17

1 gallon Behr ceiling paint $24

Trim Paint: 1 gallon Behr Ultra Pure White in Semi-Gloss $27

Wall Paint: 2 gallons Behr Ice Cube in Eggshell finish–$50

Spray Paint:

3 cans satin white (Lowe’s)–$12

2 cans brushed rose (Lowe’s)–$8

2 cans primer (Lowe’s)–$8

Tools and Prep supplies:

Paint Rollers–$3

Disposable roller trays–10 pk for $6

Deglosser (for bed frame) $8

Wall Art:

Bed crown –50% off at Hobby Lobby in the metal shelf aisle $8 (I spray painted white and added gold rub and buff)\

Bridal illusion drape fabric–free from Mom’s stash

1. Chevron Magnet Board–50% off at H.L. $13

2. Chevron wide picture frame (80% off clearance at H.L.) $8.50

3. Dry erase canvas (80% off clearance at H.L) $7.48

4. Owl canvas (50% off at H.L.) $10

5. Sunburst frame (garage sale) $3

6. I am Strong canvas (DIY materials; print from Etsy) $8

7. Round picture frame 50% off at H.L–$7.50

8. Lion and Lamb gold plaque–Heather made at Church Camp

Princess canvas (free with Zulily credit, paid shipping) $6

Oval frame with toe shoes (stash from our old house) Frame was originally from Hobby Lobby though I bought it at a garage sale and painted it. The shoes were purchased off etsy–though now, Heidi has her own old broken pointe shoes to use for art 🙂

Wire flowered row of hooks (50% off at H.L.) $10.00

Beatitudes canvas art–Heather made at Bible School (the other closet art was found in her things we took from her old room)

Plastic polka dot tray (Dollar Tree) $1

Other:

Bed Craigslist $50

Feather Pillow Inserts (Pottery Barn brand from Cargo Largo) 3 large at $5 each, 2 small at $3 each total of $21

Hula hoop for tent–from stash

3 twin white sheets (2 for duvet, 1 to cut for ruffles) (Walmart)–$12

1 full turquoise sheet for hula hoop tent base — $11

1 twin turquoise sheet as yardage to cut for ruffles –$4

Fabric from fabric.com for pillows and ruffles–$38

Prints are from Riley Blake’s So Happy Together Fabric Line

2 charm packs of So Happy Together from Etsy (for a quilt, not yet made)–$18.15

Fabric and piping for bird pillow (from Joann with coupon)–$8

Twin down alternative duvet insert (Cargo Largo) $20

White dust ruffle (Ebay) $14.40 (still waiting on delivery)

Pottery Barn Teen Furlicious Beanbag ordered as a second from Uglysofa — $119.99 (big splurge)

Yarn for a polka dotted crochet throw (some from Hobby Lobby, Jo-Ann and my personal stash): $35 (not yet finished–soon!)

Fabric rose satin curtains (Walmart) $10 a panel–$20

Turquoise satin to lengthen the curtain panels (40% off from Jo-Ann) $7.50

Trash can from Target (we’ve had it awhile)

Desk drawer pulls (Liberty Emblem in Heirloom Silver from Home Depot) $13.92

Curtain Rod (144″ Martha Stewart white turned wood from Home Depot)–$25

Total before the floor $676.44

Floor:

Underlayment (Black Jack brand Foam from Home Depot): $129.00

Laminate boards (Trafficmaster Hand-scraped Saratoga Hickory from Home Depot $.99 a square foot!) $263.21

Sales tax: $65.25

Total with Floor: $1135.90

Ways we saved:

Used existing floor trim (even though it was shorter than I like.) And painted it for an updated clean look. Approximate savings: $150

Scratched our DIY upholstered headboard project: Approximate Savings $75

DIY installed click floors instead of hiring mid-range wall to wall carpet: Approximate savings $400

Took advantage of paint rebates: Savings: $15

Use friends and family for help with labor and did a lot ourselves too: Approximate savings: $2,000

Took advantage os Hobby Lobby Sales on art and yarn: Approximate savings: $100

Used Joann coupons: Approximate Savings: $16.50

Skipped the 8×10 wool area rug for now (it was out of stock during the sale price :(.) Approximate Savings: $300

Skipped the crown molding–though I really wanted it: Approximate Savings: $150

Reused curtain hardware: Approximate Savings: $20

DIY’d a duvet cover for ($30) Approximate Savings: $100

Ordered Furlicious beanbag from Uglysofa instead of Pottery Barn Teen: Approximate Savings: $100

Grabbed PB brand feather pillow inserts from Cargo Largo instead of Pottery Barn: Approximate Savings: $71

Total Savings: $3497.50

(Whew! That makes me feel better. I always aim to save more than I spend.)

Ok, I said this was the last one, but this post is really long! Tomorrow I’ll share the list of tutorials I used to make the hula hoop tent, duvet, pillows, and some of the art.

The BIG Reveal: Heather’s Bedroom Birthday Surprise

By Angela on August 19, 2013

We have video! But before you watch it I feel the need to explain. I got up and pulled a pair of shorts over my PJs and started working on Heather’s room. She arrived while we were putting the finishing touches on. I never showered, got dressed, combed my hair, touched makeup ( or tucked in the tag on my cami, lol)…..there just wasn’t time. So please don’t judge. I’d say I don’t usually look like that, but I look like that most of the time these days while I fly through life by thttp://www.groceryshrink.com/wp-admin/edit-comments.phphe seat of my pants, having the best time. Anyhoo–here it is. First shot is me dashing in the room to grab my camera to catch her first face. Don’t be alarmed :).

Heathers Bedroom Reveal 2013 from Angela Coffman on Vimeo.

Now for a photo tour :).

Quick, she’s almost here. Let’s leave her a note.

Let me see that.

Oh, that’s a good one. She’ll like that.

Note the tiny little smily face under the big one–they were especially proud of that.

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

Wall hook for bags and hats to the left of the door across from the clothes closet. Bags are VERY important to Heather–she NEVER leaves home without one.

Clothes closet to the right of the main door. There’s no dresser in this room so all her clothes are in Dollar Tree baskets with chalkboard labels. Heidi color organized the hanging clothes. The paper on the wall is her cleaning checklist.

I broke the floor trim in the corner by the closet–still need to buy replacement. But there’s so many beautiful things in this room no body will look at that :). We are waiting to put the doors back on the closet–to enjoy looking at the organization a little longer.

Details of the cleaning checklist. We bought her a swiffer for her new floor–need to update the vacuum bit 🙂

Clothes bin detail

Before

After

Detail of canvas art by the bed and window

First face–Disbelief

Second face–total elation

You did THIS in how many days?

Checking out the walk-in closet organization while Heidi videos

Walk-in Closet detail

Huge mirror on the left–for proper dressing

These pointe shoes were from her old room before we moved and have been in storage. I updated the frame with gold rub and buff. They hang outside the large closet door to the left.

Is my stuff really in here?

Her trash can from before perfectly matches the new curtains–Happy coincidence. We added the blue satin to make the curtains longer since I like to hang them high and wide. My only regret is not making the blue wider and cutting off more white. But I bought all the fabric that was left in stock.

See you have a tent.

How do you feel about your room?

No REALLY, How do you feel about your room?

Her favorite animals made the final cut

Funny story: When Grandma pulled up to the house bringing Heather home after a week, Heather saw her carpet rolled up by the side of the road (The trash company wouldn’t take it–grrr.) She said, “I hope that’s not MY carpet.” Now why would she say that? She hated that carpet. She begged me to take it out long before I did. But here’s the deal. I’m great at ripping out stuff, not great at the construction part (hence my heavy reliance on Mom and Darren this week.) I can sew and paint–that’s about it. At our old house I got a whim and ripped out the carpet–it took us a year of living on sub floor to put anything back–and that was only because we decided to sell. And look how long our kitchen project is taking! But this girl is special. I can push myself for her–I can change–and beg people with skills to help me :).