Weekend fun and Dana vs. Godzilla

Ready for a super sized blog post?

My birthday is tomorrow and as my gift Adam planned a top-secret surprise weekend getaway for us. We ended up in downtown Atlanta at the Hyatt Regency on Peachtree Street. When I saw that it was valet parking only I decided that it may have cost a little too much, but Adam knows me so well and knows that my love language is BARGAINS and was able to score an amazing deal on the hotel using Travelocity's Top Secret Hotels. This is the only way we book hotels now, and we've never been let down. Basically we got a four-start hotel at a two-star price.  Way to go honey!

We lived it up and ordered room service when we got there on Friday night. Adam's burger was delicious and the shrimp tempura was the best I've ever had!

We spent Saturday (sleeping in a little) shopping and eating at Ikea, saw a movie at one of those swanky theaters that serve meals and drinks (helloooo pomegranate martini!), and more shopping and eating. Mostly we just enjoyed our time together! And I got to wear a new dress :)

So now that you're jealous of my awesome, thoughtful husband, I can get back to our real life which doesn't involve room service or valet parking. A few weeks ago we started our bedroom transformation, and the paint and moving around of furniture was enough to make it SO much nicer in there.  We installed floating shelves but I hadn't really gotten around to decorating with them, so Adam took it upon himself to make a design decision...

That's right. Godzilla's in my bedroom. 

It goes without saying that I had to make some changes. And I didn't want to spend money. So I went shopping in my home and got a little crafty using stuff I already had on hand. Like these books...

As much as I appreciate a good psychology book from the 70's, I knew I could jazz it up a little bit.  I took pictures of this process but it's kind of a no-brainer.  Basically I used some cute wrapping paper I got at the Dollar Tree months ago to make covers for the four books.  No need for perfection here, we're just going for the look of a cool collection of books...without the collection :) I tried standing them up together, but liked the more relaxed look of the stack.

I moved stuff around on those shelves for what seems like forever, and still am not sure that I'm sold on the finished product, but I'll keep my eyes peeled for things around the house I can use or items from my favorite thrift stores.  Here's what the shelves look like as of right now. I think you'll agree that while Godzilla was an interesting touch, this may work better in our grown-up, beautiful bedroom. And just so you know (as if you haven't guess already) the metal birdie, cream frame, cross, bookends, and books all came from a thrift store.  I used the same wrapping paper from the books in the cream frame to bring the two shelves together.

Let me know what you think! Ever thought about using some old books to decorate with?

Linking up:

http://southernhospitalityblog.com/more-thrifty-treasures-3/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:%20southernhospitalityblog/PQqu%20(Southern%20Hospitality)

Masterpiece Monday

Frugal Friday

Here is my handle, here is my spout...

Happy Friday! I have a couple of fun things coming up, but for now I wanted to share a pretty new addition to my home :)

I don't drink a lot of hot tea and I definitely don't make it at home.  But I just love teapots.  They are so classic and pretty and I'm a big fan of teapots from Pottery Barn.  Not such a huge fan of the price, especially if I intend on using one for decorating purposes.  I loved these white ones I saw online...

potterybarn.com- $29.00

potterybarn.com- $39.00

potterybarn.com- $39.00

Come on, you know me! Look what I just happened upon at Goodwill one day! And yes, it's from Pottery Barn! Flowers in this adorable pot are icing on the cake... 

The flowers are now on top of the piano so they don't get munched on by a certain feline...

Goodwill actually had the whole tea set with cups and containers for sugar and creamer.  I almost bought the whole thing to sell on etsy/ebay, but I didn't think I'd ever make time to actually do it and I really wanted to be selfish and keep the teapot for myself.  This was a great find and she'll be used often, even if its not for her intended purpose.

So, whatcha think? 

Linking up:

Southern Hospitality's Thrifty Treasures

Masterpiece Monday

The beauty I almost left behind!!

This project was a good reminder that if something catches my eye at a thrift store or yard sale, unless it costs an insane amount or has unrepairable damages, I should probably snatch it up.

There's just something so sweet and romantic about a candelabra, and I had actually never come across one until last week during a 5-minute stop at my local Goodwill. It was one of those things where I saw it, picked it up and thought about how much I'd like to have it, then thought about how it might never get used, and then set it back down to check out the rest of the home decor items. And then I get this unsettling feeling that some hateful old woman snuck up behind me to snatch it up and take it home only to let it collect dust along with all the other candle holders, knick knacks, and cat figurines she's collected over the years. So I quickly raced back to rescue the candelabra from such a life. And here she is-In MY house! What I didn't even realize until I got home was that the arms move so you can have them side by side or spread out.






I could have polished her up or gave her a new coat of a metallic finish paint, but I had something else in mind. Just two steps and this beauty was good to go!

1. Clean out old nasty red and pink wax. Really? Pink taper candles??
2. Apply ivory spray paint.

Prepare to be jealous...







I'd be jealous, too. If you were to buy one of these things new, it would not come cheap. If you were wanting one to use for a wedding or other event, it might be worth keeping an eye out for one to fix up, because I'm sure the rental price would even be high! I'm just imagining how great this will be for holiday decorating and parties (baby shower, bridal shower, etc.)

Totally worth the $4.00 I spent on her, no??

Linking up to Thrifty Treasures and...











Can't get their button to work, but also linking up to Six Sister's Stuff

Delicately Constructed Friday

Goodwill Gold!

I had survived the hunt through aisles packed with crazed shoppers, and was waiting patiently in line with the other "thrifters". It was Goodwill's 50% off day, and I had scored a few Old Navy tops, some Gap jeans, a metal scroll-design candle sconce (that will soon get a coat of paint!), and a really cute fabric shoulder bag. And then there it was... hanging on the wall behind the registers at the very bottom of the rack. I noticed the color first (I envisioned it with a little black dress or with a brown jacket and jeans in the fall) and then even from a distance I could tell it was good quality and had been well taken care of (if used at all!). A manager was going around collecting hangers and I caught him and asked him to pull it down for me. When he first handed it to me I mostly just thought it was a REALLY nice bag and great find amongst the outdated and well- worn handbags usually found at Goodwill. And then I turned it around. And that's when I saw it.

Michael Kors.




Yes, that Michael Kors.


Now, I'm not too much of a brand name snob, and by NO MEANS would I ever care enough about a brand name to save up money to buy something like this when I can get a great bag at Target for fifteen bucks. But there's just something about knowing that some woman paid almost as much for this bag as I do for a car payment and I found it at Goodwill... it's sort of like winning a shopping Oscar or retail Super Bowl.

Retail Value: Around $230
I paid: $20

I've researched online for all the things to look for to spot a real Michael Kors bag, and everything I see leads me to believe this is the real deal.


SCORE!!!!

I'm going to try to link up to Southern Hospiltality, one of my fave blogs to share my deal! I'm a goober and cannot for the life of my figure out how to get her fancy shmancy button up so you can go directly to her site, but here's the link: http://southernhospitalityblog.com/weekly-treasures/