WE'VE MOVED!  VISIT US AT www.theartsyagent.com/blog!!

Can't wait to see you there!!

xoxo,

Monica

How I Save A Ton of Money on Shoes

Every girl loves a new pair of shoes.   I'm like every girl, except I don't like spending money on them.    So there are a couple of tricks I have used to save a ton of money on shoes.

1.  I look at thrift stores and yard sales.
I know, I know.  The sound of used shoes doesn't sound appealing, but not all thrift store shoes have been used.  There are a lot of people out there who buy shoes and never wear them.  I usually get pretty lucky finding new or gently used shoes at yard sales and thrift stores and for under $5 each.

2.  I shop discount stores.  I love Ross, Marshalls, Tj max, etc.  There you can find shoes that are significantly discounted from department stores.  Most shoes I find for under $20.  The only exceptions I make are boots and Converse (which I will spend $25 for).

3.  I look for items that need some work.
I am the queen of freezer stretching.  If a pair of shoes are a close fit and I know within a couple of wears they will be nice and comfy, I freezer stretch.

I also look for shoes that are slightly too big that I can add  heel grippers to.  I get these at the Dollar Tree.  Since I have a slightly wider foot, it makes for a nice comfortable fit around the toes.

I try to think of why things are on clearance.  Maybe there are scuff marks that can be easily removed or the dye needs a little touch up, which you can easily do with colored sharpies.

This pair of shoes had little chains on the back, which made for a cute accent, but was really annoying when you walked.  A couple of dabs of hot glue and they are nice and glued on and don't bother me anymore.

4.  I keep it to the basics.  Yes, I love shoes like everyone else, but I don't need a ton of shoes.  I keep a pair of black and brown heels, boots, sandals, and flats.  All the other shoes I have are either gifts or I got for extremely cheap (like in the under $5 bracket).

What ways do you save on shoes?

-mONICa

Anthropologie Knock Off Outfit

So if you haven't noticed I've changed the name of the blog to Simply Thrifting.  It was a long time debate, but as I don't live in a house anymore decorating projects haven't been as easy to come by.  I'm on a quest to live a simpler life one of my best budget savers is buying almost everything at thrift stores and yard sales.  I also love fashion, bet you guys didn't know that.  So I've decided to incorporate some of my fashion into the blog.  You'll get a little bit of everything, from household stuff, to fashion, to furniture.  I promise I won't let you down.

Now for todays outfit.  If you don't already know this I love Anthropologie...I just don't love the prices.  I was lucky enough to get both of these items as hand me down from friends.  The shirt appeared in issue 7 of the 2011 Anthropologie catalog.  Now the skirt isn't authentic, its a hand me down from another friend and it was a little too big for me.  Easy fix...I just zipped down the side with the sewing machine and I got the skirt that I was looking for.

I posted this pic on instagram a month or two ago, but since then its been my go too fall outfit.  It would probably even work on boots.  If you get a change click over and follow me on Instagram @simplythriftingblog.

Best,

mONICa

Guest Post: Dining Room Makeover- Olivia from DIY Mother

Today I'm pleased to share Olivia from DIY mother's Dining Room Makeover. Looks so comfortable and homey. Fire Away Olivia! Hi everyone! I’m Olivia from DIY Mother and I’m so happy that Monica has allowed me to share a room makeover I did recently. While my entire house really needs to be made over, I chose my dining room because it's one of the smaller rooms in my already small house. We bought the 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom house last December and since I have a toddler and a 7-month-old, it's been hard to focus my attention on decorating. We painted, added a new light fixture, and threw in some other small touches. For a budget makeover, I'm extremely happy with the finished product. Sometimes, you can re-decorate using things you already have and it looks brand new. I love that about decorating. OK, enough talking...you're probably ready to see the pictures now. If you want to see any of my home decor DIY projects, check out DIY Mother! I'm always up to something. I'm by no means an interior designer or decorator, but I have a real passion for design so I'm constantly trying new things. Here's how the dining room looked originally: I didn't like the light fixture, it fit more with the original rustic style of the house when we moved in. We switched out the fixture for something more chic and painted the walls a light grey-white. It really opened the space it, but it still needed a little color. And here's how it looks now: Here's what I did: I brought a colorful, modern rug that was originally in the living room. I bought it a couple of weeks ago for a little over $100 and love how it looks. I had a house plant sitting outside for a while, so I brought it in and put it in this basket from Ikea that was originally used to store toys on our fireplace. I love moving things around in our house, and I LOVE that basket. Under 20 bucks but nice and big and modern. I also took a trip to Goodwill and found this light-colored wood tray and white single-flower vase. I can't decide whether I want to keep it on the dining room table or move it into the living room. I'm so happy with how it all turned out. I want to eventually change out the curtains with something more colorful, but I have to save that for later.

Seating For 6 in A Small Kitchen Nook

Not too long ago I turned our Dining Room/ Area into a Music Room/ Office/ Guest Room/ Mud Room so that left no room for a dining table.  What is a family of 6 supposed to do when we want to eat?  I tossed around the idea of tv trays or a folding table, but didn't like that it was too casual. Someone was bound to turn the TV on and there would be no conversation.  I don't like that!

I had already built a tiny table using 1 x 8 boards and Ikea legs for the kids to eat in the kitchen.  I really wanted benches, but my nook has 2 uneven sides since there is a doorway on one side.  I thought about building in a banquette, but one side has a cabinet that I need to get access to.  Well, building my own benches was the answer.  I found this super simple bench on Ana White and decided to go for it, tweaking the dimensions so I could have custom sizes.  

Then I expanded on the existing table by adding 3 more 1 x 8 boards.  Now the trick to this table was that I attached it to the wall using shelf brackets.   It made it much more solid.   I moved around the legs a bit on the original table for better support.

Here's the final product.

 I painted the chairs the same color as the bench using a custom chalk paint I mixed up at the last minute.  I was too cheap and lazy to go to the paint store.  The vinyl on the seats used to be black, but I spray painted them white using plastic spray paint.  (Seems to be holding up well.)

Now I'm able to put the 6 year olds on the small bench, my husband and I on the larger bench, and the teenage boys on the chairs.

If we have a dinner party I just pull out a folding table with and put a bunch of chairs around it in the living room or dining room.  Works like a charm.

mONICa

Kids Art Center for Under $35 Bucks

Last weekend since it was an extended weekend I ventured off into a bunch of projects.  One of the projects was to create an art area for my kids since they love to color.  I had stools that I took out of my kitchen to extend my nook area (post coming in a week or so), so I thought I would make good use of of them.

All I did was basically mount a long shelf.  I had a 1 x 12 cut to size (around 50") and stained it in a dark ebony color to match the other furnishings.  Then I used 3 Ikea Shelf Brackets at $2.00 each.  

I then added a couple of Ikea Rails.  This allowed me to attach a basket to put pencil cup holders in.  

I used laundry twine from the Dollar Tree and nailed 3 rows on top of the desk for the kids to hang their finished art projects.  Some Clothes Pins to secure their art and it was a wrap.

Super easy and fun project and the kids love it!!  If you need stools there are always the ones Target and Walmart sell for around $12.00 each, or you could also mount the desk at chair height.

xoxo,

Monica

21 Day Fix

So by now I'm sure you have all seem the infomercial for the 21 day fix.  I always watch those informercials and never order anything thinking that they are all gimmicks or too good to be true and some are.  Plus, have I told you all I'm allergic to exercise.  Haha!  At least that is what I tell myself.

Well,  a few months ago my good friend of mine tried the 21 day fix and wow!  Her results were awesome.  Totally inspiring!  Ever since I moved back to California I started gaining weight, stress weight and it wouldn't come off.  I tried every diet in the book and nothing worked.  Well,  my friend convinced me to try the 21 day fix.  The way she convinced me was by telling me there was a 30 day money back guarantee.  I thought to myself, if it doesn't work I've got nothing to lose and ordered it.

I am so happy I did.  My results are incredible.  I've done 2 rounds and feel amazing.  I also drink Shakeology daily to get my daily dose of dense nutrition.  Its loaded with super foods.  It can also act as a meal replacement.  In total I lost 8.4 pounds and 10 inches. Read more about my joinery at my Fitness Blog.

Anyway,  I'm so proud of myself I had to show you my results.

This was just in 21 days.  I haven't had the chance to take anymore pics since.  The eating plan is pretty simple, you have these containers and you fill up with a list of approved foods and you are never hungry.  The workouts are only 30 minutes a day.  They have a modifier if you are new to working out, but these exercises are not aggressively hard, they are doable.

Anyway,  I had to share.  If you are interested in getting the 21 day fix Challenge pack which gives you a nice discount on your first month of Shakeology click here.

DIY Piano Stand

Since I went back to work full time its been challenging to get projects done around the house.  I've resorted to buying Ikea stuff as disposable furniture.  This weekend however, was different.  I needed a stand for my keyboard (a newly found hobby of mine).  However, I couldn't find one that fit my keyboard.  Yeah, I could've resorted to one like this that they sell at Amazon and hope it wouldn't fall apart.

But  that one is $89 dollars plus tax and who knows what it is made of or if my keyboard will even fit.  Then I found this online.

It was perfect (well almost).  See my keyboard doesn't have a lip that the side could slip into.  So that meant it would need a top.  He made the above one out of two shelves from Ikea and some added wood, for only $26 dollars.  I thought I could get even cheaper if I did the whole thing DIY.

Here is what I came up with.

I cut 2 matching sides out of 1 x 12 and a 1 x 4 support beam.  Then added the 1 x 12 top, screwed it all together and gave it a quick coat of stain.   Viola!  It was super easy and fits my keyboard perfectly.  

xoxo.

mONICa

My First Attempt At DIY Makeup

So last night I decided that I wanted to play chemist.  I ran out of my typical Maybelline Foundation and thought it was time to try to explore the next phase of my chemical free life.  Make up!  and boy did I make a mess.

I never realized how bad makeup is for you with the multiple amounts of chemicals.  How could something that makes you feel so beautiful be so bad.  Not only that, but what kind of harm is it doing to your skin?  Well one thing led to another and by the end of the night I had  foundation powder, blush, mascara, eye liner, eye shadow, dry shampoo, regular, shampoo, and conditioner.  I can tell that some of these recipes still need some tweaking (at least for me), but are definitely a great start.  If you want to get a hold of some of the recipes please feel free to visit my Pinterest Board.  As I perfect these recipes I will start posting the recipes that work best for me.

So the preliminary results are in;  Here is my before and after from this morning.

What do you think?  Who has tried DIY chemical free makeup?  Do we have favorite recipes?

Best,

`mONICa

Why I Lost My Mojo and How I Got It Back

Life, oh life.  Life has a funny way of pushing you down and picking you back up when you need it most.  I've always been known for being a positive person.  My big saying is "Problem?  Solution!" I'm a fix it person I can fix anything, but this year my mojo was no where to be found.  I found myself in the situation of "life".  A few years ago, my husband and I were doing great.  We had a house, 2 jobs, 2 cars, you know the typical stuff that people have, nothing outrageous (I'm too frugal for that), but then we decided to move back home.  With the promise of a job for my husband and my industriousness, we would make this work.  Then came the job loss.  I really thought that my husband would recover quickly, but the "Great Recession" took us for a loop.  Sure, I was painting furniture and making some extra money, but that was hard work and definitely wasn't a full time income.  After all, we had 4 year old twins.  So in the mean time we worked hard, odd jobs, a couple of real estate deals, but nothing stable, nothing set in stone.  After a year, we couldn't pay our rent anymore, our utilities, our car.  I found myself anxious and depressed.  I couldn't get up, there was no hope.  Granted, my practicality pushed forward. I knew my changes would mean that I had to give up a lot.  If I lived in an apartment, where would I paint my furniture?  Would I have to give up my business? "I can't decorate an apartment" (yes that thought went through my head.) We found a smaller place, and yes it's an apartment, and a pretty decent one I might add, and no I no longer have my furniture painting business (I have been know to paint occasional pieces in my kitchen, but I wouldn't recommend it full time).  We replaced our car with one that is 15 years old, and stopped spending money all together.  Eventually, I found a part time job that was steady, which luckily turned into something full time.  I've realized that the best things come in little packages, and that allowing yourself to live simply is the biggest reward ever.  See, I feel like I got my mojo back.  I'm so happy to be rid of the material things.  We have a nice place to live, transportation, and food on the table.  We live simply and eat organically.  I started making homemade things like cleaning supplies to save money.  With that came cosmetics, toiletries, etc.  I've embraced my new chemical free way of life (Ironically, I work in a chemistry lab. It's all about balance).  There are some toxic things that are hard for me to give up because as my mojo has come back and I'm not in this horrific zone of depression, I'm starting to paint and I'm starting to decorate an apartment that I have lived in for 10 months. For those of you who know me 10 months is an eternity to decorate in my book.  Although, my husband still doesn't have a job...we've embraced a new way of life.  It's a bit of a role reversal, but we are a team and he makes it happen, well we make it happen together.  Our kids are happy, they get excited about the dollar store, the park, hiking, the beach, and just spending time as a family.  It has made me realize that kids don't need a lot to be happy, they just want their family and friends.  Things are good, I'm smiling again, excersising, eating healthy, and starting to think about me again. I'm feeling like I can once again take on new things  With that being said,  lets talk about the blog.  Like I said before, I have started decorating.  Soon we will have a finished bathroom project, a coffee table, and a kitchen in progress.  I also mentioned that I have embraced a chemical free life and would like to incorporate some of that in the blog.  The question is turning Decorating Insanity into more of a lifestyle blog.  Do I change the name?  Not really sure yet, but only time will tell.

~mONICa

IKEA Expedit Turned Kitchen Island (Tutorial)

I know this is not the first Ikea expedit island hack you have seen, but I had to post it.  See originally I was not going for the whole island with seating thing, I was just going buy on expedit to place it on the floor for extra storage, but I couldn’t help myself.  I saw the opportunity for a couple of stools and had to go for it!!!  The best part it was super easy.

Step 1- Put together your expedit (I don’t have to show this step because lucky for me, I was able to find one on Craigslist for $30 bucks already put together)

Step 2- Attach the feet.  I used ball feet purchased at Home Depot and painted them white using Pure White Annie Sloan. So first you just screw these metal leg brackets in.

Then you screw in the feet.

Step 3- Attach the Table Top.  I used an Ikea Vika Furuskog Tabletop, because it is made of wood and is stainable.  Just use long screws to screw it in.  I used 2 1/2 inch wood screws (Note- At this point I was just going to go natural with a sealer so if you decide you want to stain, you may want to switch Steps 3 & 5)

Step 5- Flip it over to see what you’ve got so far.

Step 6- Seal or stain it.  If you want to leave it natural than just seal the top, if you want to stain it, then you can go ahead and do it now, or do it before attaching it to the expedit. I used Miniwax stain in Provincial and sealed it with a dark wax.

Step 7- Decorate

Step 8- Add stools and Enjoy.

xoxo,
mONICa

Side Table Out Of Salvaged Cabinet Doors

It all started with these windows that my dad brought to me.  He had found them on the side of the road in the trash.  There were four of them.

He brought them to me and said, “Can you use these?”  Did he even have to ask?  I was like, “Of course, I’ll find a place for them.”  So, the first one got painted bright yellow and I added hooks and placed it near our front door, which was merely decorative since we never used our front door.

Well, these windows sat in my garage for so long I forgot about them, until we moved a few weeks ago.  During the move one broke so I was down to two windows. Then I realized I needed a side table to hide my wine fridge and I started planning.  Wouldn’t you know that the windows were the perfect width for the sides of the table.  That made me super happy because now I could have a cool table out of salvaged stuff.  So my good friend Dustin and I started plotting our trip to the lumber store and this is what we came up with.

   
We used pine 2x6’s for the top and the shelf and just used finishing nails to tap it in.  Then we  used a super thin plywood for the back to give it some extra stability.  It’s a fun conversational piece in the living room and I”m in love.  Plus since the wine fridge is kind of an eye sore on its own it’s an awesome disguise.
Speaking of disguises, check out the awesome video my friend Dustin made, if you look really hard you will find a cameo of me.  If you get a chance, subscribe to his channel, I’m sure there are a lot more awesome videos to come.

xoxo….
mONICa

Its Been Too Long

Hello all.  You are probably wondering why you haven’t heard from me for a while.  Although I absolutely loved what I was doing, unfortunately my furniture business journey has come to an end.  I know I’m sad too, but I’ve done all my crying and I’m moving forward.  With that being said, the reason for the end of my journey is that I moved into a new place, which unfortunately does not have a garage.  I’m also working on a couple of other things to keep me going financially. 
Now as to the question, will you ever see me again?  The answer to that is an big absolutely.  1.) I have a new place to decorate and 2.) I’ve got some other stuff up my sleeve which may allow me to reenter the business in the future. 
Love you all!
xoxo….
mONICa

This Table Is Just Right

Yes I'm talking about Goldilocks and the 3 bears, because that is exactly what happened with my Dining Tables.  A year and 3 tables later, I think I finally have it just right.  See the first one was too big.

Now that I go back, in the scheme of things is would've been fine closed using no leafs, but then we found out my husband would be working from home and our formal dining room had to double as a home office.  So then we found option #2, complete with two drawers.  I thought it would be perfect to double as a desk and dining table.

Well the concept was good, until I realized that it would be my husband using it as both.  I don't know what possessed me to think that by dinner time the table would be clear of work stuff and that we could actually use it as such.

Well one day while making my usual thrift store runs I found it, and it so happens that the same day I found 2 chairs to match 2 others that had already headed for the for sale pile.

That's when I made a quick decision....I decided to get rid of an antique dresser that I had been using as a credenza in the room and use that space to tuck a desk in for my husband in the corner of our dining room, and finally get us a proper table.

And here it is:

 I used Annie Sloan Pure White Chalk Paint for the base of the table and covered it with Minwax Dark Paste Wax.

 I got this great Better Homes and Gardens fabric with a coupon at JoAnns fabric for 50% off.  Fabric for all four chairs cost me around $20bucks.

 The chairs are painted in a custom color mixed by yours truly with leftover paints from other projects.

 I decided to leave the top wood, but stained it in a much darker walnut color.

I'm super happy with the whole project, and the better news is this whole thing cost me around $80 bucks, thanks to the table having a crack in it (adds to the character) that I picked up for only $20, the chairs being $10 bucks each, and the fabric for $20.

Does anyone else out there go through several pieces of furniture a year?

xoxo....

mONICa

Living Room Reveal

Hope you are up for a Bohemian eclectic rendition of my living room.  I'd like to take you back to what my living room used to look like.

This was before I moved in

 and this was Thanksgiving of last year

 This is what it looks now. obviously with new furniture pieces.

Heres the view from my dining room office with the bench I made for 5 bucks.

 I moved my tv to the corner and added this decoupaged cabinet.

 This is the view when you walk into my front door.

 and a little reading corner featuring my simply spray spray painted chair and some of my children's art work.

 The top of the tv cabinet which really was an old hutch was used as a shelf in my entry way.  At the top I added an old leaded glass cabinet door with some extra hooks for coats and hats and painted to match.

 Some extra pillows in a basket are my daughters favorite for napping on the couch.

 Some inexpensive pillows found on clearance at Pier One and Ross ranging from $3.99- $9.99

 More pillows 

 This little corner I have used to put my wine fridge along with a tray for glasses decoupaged to match my chair.

I love the eclecticness and hominess of my living room.  Wish I could paint, but I can't so I used pops of color to give it a fun vibe.

xoxo....

mONICa