DIY throw pillow renovation

I call this project a renovation, because I actually transformed an unwanted throw pillow into a tasteful new accent on my sofa. This renovation made the project so much more affordable and gave me a great frame to work with. If you have throw pillows that don't match any more or see someone getting rid of some- grab them! By this I am talking about the good feather filled throw pillows that can be easily fluffed to look as good as new time and time again. Never waste money on the Poly-fil stuffed pillows or something like that which mats down in no time at all. Sure you can try to re-fluff them, but it is never quite as good as new, and after some time more there is really no hope for such pillows. Feathers, however, do not loose their structure and can still make great pillows years down the road.
When I was married I got some of my first furniture from model townhouses that had been sold to individuals so the developer was selling all of the staging furniture and accessories. They had several pillows leftover that nobody purchased which they were ready to just give away to get them out of their storage garage.  Noticing their feather quality, I quickly jumped on the opportunity, even though it meant storing them for several years before transforming them into something I actually wanted in my house. But thanks to that effort, today I have a beautiful set of sofa pillows which cost me only $2.50 in discounted fabric. I took my time searching and found fabric I finally liked on clearance at Hobby Lobby. My other money saving trick was to utilize baby cradle sheets which I was ready to get rid of anyways. I could have just doubled my cost, buying twice as much fabric, but instead I got two cases out of buying only 2/3 of a yard, and utilized the fabric of the cradle sheets for the back side of the pillow. This prevented the need for any pattern matching from front to back, saved money, and turned some of my trash into treasure. It was a definite win-win!

1.  Now to start this project, I removed the pillow form inserts from the decorative case, and then took my seam ripper to remove the zipper as well. It was a good quality zipper, and the more I re-purposed, the more I saved.

original pillow cover with pillow form insert removed and zipper picked out

2.  I laid out my fabric to use the original pillow cover as a pattern for my new one. I cut and prepared to sew. Starting with the zipper! 

3.  I wanted to sew in a lap zipper and used a YouTube video (there are plenty out there) as a refresher for how to do this. 

4.  Once the zipper was in it was really just a matter of completely sewing up the remaining three sides then flipping the pillow right-side-out. I repeated for pillow #2, and refilled the new cases with the existing pillow forms.  Just like that, two new sofa pillows in an afternoon!

Final sofa arrangement. Blog post on mismatched smaller pillows to follow...

Easy money saving tricks

I am absolute impressed by and admire those that do extreme couponing, but I am not one of them.  I know it takes a lot of searching, planning, and stocking which I just have not made the time to do it, let alone completely figure out how to do it. I do, however, have a few money-saving-tricks that hardly take any time and are easy to catch on to.

1.  Before paying for anything, I like to search Google to see if there is a coupon for it. Now this does not mean I go through every item on my grocery list, although I'm sure you could do that, but there are a few things where the return for your search time is usually larger than saving a few cents on your milk.

• Search for store wide coupons at any department store. For example, I was shopping with my mother-in-law the other day at Kohls for a number of Christmas gifts. While standing in the check-out line I pulled out my phone and searched for "Kohls in store coupon". Within seconds, I had on my phone a 20% off coupon for the cashier to scan, taking $40 off of our $200 total....definitely worth the slight effort! 
• Search for coupons before ordering online. A lot of stores will offer codes for free shipping or a certain dollar amount off when you spend a certain amount. I love when I find, just before placing my order, a $10 off a $40 purchase coupon.  Then I look at my $34 total and realize that I will actually SAVE $4 if I order an additional $6 item. 
• I know it seems small, but REDBOX is another one that usually has a promo code available if you just look online. Sometimes, the code is for a completely free rental, but even saving $1 on your rental makes it only $0.50 and even just a dollar here and there really adds up. 
• Whenever I go to any restaurant or even fast food, once again, I just type in google to see if there is a coupon. We have gotten free appetizers and desserts this way. I also often find BOGO deals and other little offers. 

2.  Sign up for Ibotta. It is easy to use and free. Best of all, if you use a referral code, you get an extra $10 just for signing up and redeeming your first rebate. Just enter in this referral code to get your added bonus: ehrphmm. This app is easy to use and usually has great offers. There are plenty of offers for just any brand products that you purchase on a regular basis like milk, eggs, and produce. You can also purchase a certain number of brand specific products and earn added bonuses as well to increase your cash return. It does not need to be done immediately either. Sometimes I scroll through the available rebates while my kids are playing at the park before our grocery run. Then I can scan the product bar codes as I put them away when we got home, and just like that I can earn a few dollars. Sometimes I go back and do it later which is also very simple if you save your receipt. It just means grabbing items out of the pantry or freezer to scan the codes. Especially with the initial $10 bonus, I feel like this app gives you a good return much more quickly and with less time input than some of the others I've tried. 

3. Be familiar with the stores that always have coupons available. Now I know this may mean that sometimes their price may be higher than competitors so the coupon is not significant, but this is not always the case. My two favorites are Michaels and Bed Bath and Beyond. Michaels typically has a 40% off a single item coupon, and sometimes you can wait it out for their special 50% of a single item coupon or 20% off your entire purchase coupon. For this reason I usually wait it out for buying certain craft supplies to take advantage of these. Such as buying something bigger like a new photo album or something I look for the 40 or 50% off coupon, but when I need a lot of little things like a set of acrylic paints for a project then I love my 20% off the entire purchase coupon. Also, in case you did not know with Bed Bath and Beyond, they take expired coupons and they will take multiple coupons (not for the same item, but within the same purchase). This could vary by store, but I have been told this at several stores. I don't shop there often, but when I do I always have a collection of coupons for 20% off a single item and for $5 off a purchase of $15 or more.  Once again, use these strategically to get the best bang for your buck. Items costing less than $25 use a $5 off coupon and group items together to total the minimum $15 if needed. Using basic math, any item costing more than $25 will give you a better return using a 20% off coupon. This is an awesome way to make your money go further especially in gift giving.  Bed Bath and Beyond, also affiliated with Buy Buy Baby, is great for weddings, baby showers, and even a lot of Christmas gifts too. 

A little extra thought can go a long way.  Most of the time, I don't even realize any time was spent in making a couponing effort.  It has become such a habit for me and I try to utilize time that would otherwise be spent just waiting. 

My philosophy with couponing is not to buy something just because you have a coupon for it, but if you are going to buy something anyways, definitely see if you can save a little money while doing it!

Thrifty Table Refinish

I have a dining table that was given to me as a hand-me-down. It is a nice piece, but had 15+ years of heavy duty use by the previous owner which means it definitely could use a face lift. The previous finish was so worn down that the table top would soak in any stain immediately. This made me especially paranoid when my kids ate anything with colored frosting or any food color for that matter and especially any and all crafty things like watercolor paints and markers were the worst. It needed a new protective finish and I wasn't going to do that without touching up the damage that had already been done.  With money being tight and my time for a project minimal, I needed something cheap and easy that still looked good.  It was a rather experimental effort, but it is finished and I am very pleased. In total I spent approximately $25 as well as around 25 hours to refinish the entire table and 6 chairs.  The chairs were a much bigger project than I anticipated, but the end result is totally worth it!

Here's the secret to such an affordable yet fabulous refinish:

I wanted to use chalk paint because I heard it had such great coverage and didn't need a lot of prep work. With two little munchkins around, I figured the less prep work the better.  I know Annie Sloan chalk paint is very popular and I haven't used any yet so I cannot compare, but it was a lot more than I wanted to spend and seemed more of a hassle to get it. Instead I headed over to my local Michael's just 5 minutes down the road, brought my handy 40% off coupon with me, and found this-

At only $12.99 a bottle, plus an additional 40% this was definitely something I could do! I started by disassembling the table and cleaning it really well. It wasn't long before I started painting. I used a regular chip brush, also from Michael's, for just $0.99. The paint is definitely thick and has excellent coverage so I mixed with water in the ratio 2 parts paint to 1 part water. This ratio varied by coat, but I just went with how thick I needed the paint initially for coverage or how thin I wanted to help it go on more smoothly for later coats. Pour your paint in a plastic cup so it is easy to add more water or add more paint as needed. Regardless of how smooth I tried to go, there were still brush strokes, which is inevitable whenever there is a brush involved, but I still wanted to eliminate them as much as possible. I did 3 coats on the table top to be extra thorough, and only needed 2 coats for everything else. So I bought a sanding block from Home Depot for $3 to very lightly brush over the top coat to smooth things out. 

Once everything was covered in the paint, it was time for the wax. I did worry about the durability of the table top so I gave just the top of the table a 2 coat polyurethane finish from a tiny can I had on hand. It did not effect the overall finish at all- the top looks the same as the rest, and I don't know that is was entirely necessary either; I just wanted to take extra precautions to protect my table. 

For the main finish I bought 2 types of wax from Michael's. From the same line as the ArtMinds chalk paint I bought a large 16 oz. bottle of clear wax and a small 8 oz. bottle of the antique wax. I then used an old rag to generously rub clear wax over the entire piece. You just have to be careful that the wax does not clump so that it ruins the nice smooth finish, but as long as there are no drips or large blobs, this step is very simple. It goes on easily and pretty quickly and it really helps to give a polished look. Once again, I did a double coat of wax just to add some extra protection to everything.

The final step was the antique wax. I don't like the strong distressed look, but I did want a little contrast to the plain white table and chairs. I did not do any sanding, I simply added a little bit of a "smokiness" with the antique wax. It can be very dark and add a very stark contrast, but I was looking for subtle, so I mixed about half and half antique wax with clear wax and diluted it with a touch of water so that it would rub on in a thinner amount. I then worked, section by section, rubbing this wax on with a rag and then continuously rubbing over it with a dry rug until I liked the amount of contrast. Sometimes I ended up adding more wax, other times I had to rub vigorously to lighten the contrast of the antiquing. 

The best thing about finding everything at Michael's is the constant 40% off one regular price item coupon, or even better, the occasional 50% off a regular price item. I took advantage of this and made several trips to Michael's throughout my project so that I could use a coupon on every bottle I needed.  I was even lucky and had a 50% off coupon become available during my project which I could use to purchase both bottles of wax I needed.  In the end, the grand total of this project was:
2 -16 oz. bottles of chalk paint (@ $12.99 each + 40% off = 7.79 each, so $15.58 for both)
1 -16 oz. bottle of clear wax (@ $12.99 + 50% off = $7.79)
1 -8 oz. bottle of antique wax (@ $6.99 + 50% off = $3.50)
a chip brush (@ $0.99)
and a sanding block. (@ $3.49)
means I spent $27.86 for what looks like a brand new dining table!

Dinner time grocery run....not for me!

Early evening hours never seem to run that smoothly in hour house between kids that are cranky after waking up from their nap, kids that needed a nap but didn't have one, I'm usually exhausted and trying to get my hands free long enough to put a quick meal together.  Adding a run to the grocery store in the middle of that is out of the question. Planning out a weekly menu before the weekly shopping trip is ideal and definitely helps in preparation, but in all honesty, sometimes we forget ingredients or have to through together a last minute meal. Below is a chart of my favorite, tested and approved, recipe substitutions. 

When you need…	Use instead:
1 tsp baking powder	1/4 soda+ 1/2 cream of tartar
heavy cream	evaporated milk from the can
shortening	equal amount of butter
1 cup sour cream	1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup buttermilk	1 TBL lemon juice or distilled white vinegar + enough milk to make 1 cup
oil in baked goods	equal amount of applesauce
1 cup brown sugar	1 cup white sugar + 1-3 TBL of molasses (depending on light or darkness)
bread crumbs	slices of bread in the food processor with an herb seasoning mix  or substitute cracker crumbs or dried stuffing mix
1 TBL fresh herbs	1 tsp of dried herb
1 cup beef or chicken broth	1 beef or chicken bouillon cube + 1 cup of boiling water

I have come to love these simple substitutions because most of the items are easy to always have on hand and they do not effect the outcome. I typically only buy heavy cream when we plan to make homemade ice cream, because otherwise it would go bad in my fridge. However, it is easy for me to always keep a few cans of evaporated milk in the cupboard and turn to that when I make soups, cream sauces, homemade caramel, and other recipes that call for cream. I also use it to replace half and half by combining it with a low fat milk. Once again, I have never purchased buttermilk, but this substitution works like a charm. I have even largely increased the ratio of lemon juice to milk and let it sit for a couple minutes until it really thickens to the consistency of sour cream, then used that in place of sour cream in recipes. That trick works great for cakes and sweet breads that use sour cream to keep them moist. 

Hopefully this list can help avoid last minute grocery runs and help prevent less frequently used ingredients from spoiling in your fridge!

Making Food Fun

Everyday we must devote a good amount of our time to nourishing ourselves and our little kiddos-- why not make it fun sometimes!? Making food fun is a great way to promote nutritious food, and can also be a great approach to combating picky eaters. Millions of dollars are invested by companies to promote their food products. Our kids are definitely affected by this advertising, which is why we must do a little advertising of our own sometimes when it comes to encouraging them to enjoy good and nutritious food.

Make it Fun- 

When appropriate, let eating be a part of play. One of my boys' favorites is "eating like a puppy."  One night when our friends hosted us for dinner, my especially stubborn little boy refused to take a bite of dinner. Of course when everyone else had finished their meal, a large plate of chocolate chocolate chip cookies was set on the table for dessert. It was hard to deny him one when he could see them in plain sight, but I was not about to let him fill up on dessert alone. He could not be persuaded with reason or even a bribe, but I persisted in requiring that eat some chicken and veggies before he was permitted to take a cookie.  With a little creativity, his bits of chicken soon became 'puppy treats', and he was eager to have one with a little, "here puppy, here's your treat" and "good boy." It was fun for him to enjoy his food that way, then I felt fine about presenting him with a cookie treat. 

Presentation also sets the tone for how fun food can be. Cutting or arranging food into recognizable shapes or figures turns their plate into an interactive scene. 

Do something different-

Sometimes all I need to do is serve their food in a different container or with different utensils to make an impression. Using a personal lunch box instead of a regular plate or providing a toothpick instead of a fork suddenly makes the child more interested in eating. 

Let them be the creator-

Kids will be more eager to eat something that they have had a hand in preparing. My son loves mushrooms because it is the one thing he can help cut since they slice so easily with a butter knife. I don't think he would find them nearly as exciting if he didn't have this personal experience with preparing a dish containing mushrooms. Another way to let them create without actually doing any cooking is to provide different dipping sauces or serve a meal that can be assembled on the plate (like a bed of rice, with a sauce, then chicken, and diced veggies on top). Let them create their own snack or meal within the limitations you set by using what is placed on the table. 

This technique can also start as early as involving them in planting a garden. Children become eager to eat the food through the duration of watching it grow, that when it is finally ready they may try and enjoy things they don't usually care for from the grocery store. 

Combating Picky Eaters

Early in our marriage, before any kids entered the picture, my husband and I agreed that our household would hold little tolerance for picky eaters. While others laughed and said, "just you wait..." or made their own disproving comments, we have been rather impressed by our children and their pallets. Others have been impressed by what they see our children eat, and especially impressed by what they see our children try. While I strongly believe that children are each unique and some kids are just pickier than others, I do believe that there are certain approaches and foundations that can help combat picky eaters or prevent them all together.

Truths:

1.  The only food that is "bad" or "gross" is food that has actually spoiled or a substance that is, in fact, harmful to eat. 

Just because you do not care for something, or prefer not to eat it does not in any way make the food itself bad or gross. Be careful in your wording and expression. 

Occasionally in a restaurant, my son has entertained himself with creating his own concoction at the table using leftover sauces and ingredients remaining on the table. While sometimes I want to gag at the thought of it, I have to restrain myself when I want to save him the disgust of trying what he has just made. Instead, we smile at his creativity and support his attempt at trying what he has just made. After all, there is nothing in the mess that would harm him. Usually he is proud of himself, and will just smile as he tastes it then says he doesn't want to eat any more. Other times he will admit that he didn't think it tasted very good and we will discuss how he could make it better, or suggest starting more simple next time. 

2.  There is no way to know you enjoy something or not unless you try it. 

Looks and smells can be deceiving. Even previous experience can be deceiving. The same ingredient can be prepared multiple ways and sometimes you will love it and other times you won't. There are a few foods my son doesn't care for- one of them being cream cheese. He gags and spits it out every time, yet every time he sees someone eating a bagel with cream cheese, he still wants one. As positive as I am that he won't care for it, if he wants to try a bite, he most definitely can try a bite, and I will encourage it. He use to have the same response to tomatoes too, and although he still doesn't really enjoy them, he also doesn't seem to mind them too much anymore. Taste buds change and your body can react differently in different circumstances, so food always deserves another chance.

3. There is no such thing as "kid food"

Why are hot dogs, chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese, etc. so often labeled as kid food? I enjoy those things too every once in awhile, in fact, I think many other adults do too. But, the reverse can be just as true. Kids may love a good filet mignon, some crispy calamari, or starting their meal with a refreshing salad. The truth is that everyone's palette is just different.  All ages can enjoy food that is both simple or complex, and nutritious or indulgent.

Rules:

1.  We only speak positively about food at the dinner table. 

Expressing appreciation and enjoyment of a meal is absolutely appropriate and very encouraged. You have to at least try everything, then you if you don't care for something in particular, our rule is to "keep it a secret." You are only expected to try it, you are not expected to like it, but nobody needs to know. This will help prepare them for when they eat at someone else's table, but it also prevents enforcing a bias on other siblings. 

2.  Never assume that someone will not like something. 

This follows after truth #2, but is an especially important rule for me. Just because most kids don't like _____ who's to say my kids won't? I have been surprised many times by the things my kids like, and even the foods they love, so I try to keep an open mind in preparing and presenting food to them.
I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered my second child loved brussle sprouts before he was even 2.  I made them for dinner one night, and he just could not get enough of them. When he finished his plate, he reached over to finish off the rest of mine, and even starting climbing across the table to serve himself some more. As crazy as it seems, he continues to get excited when he sees me preparing them for dinner. 

3.  Do not force your kids to eat.

Kids are better than adults at listening to when their body needs food and when they are full. The only rules I set that govern what they eat is that they must eat a specified amount of balanced, nutritious food before any treats. 

With that said, if they are not hungry, they do not have to force themselves to eat. I will likely save their plates so that I have something ready for them to eat when they are hungry.  I also make sure they at least try or eat a portion of everything served to them before taking second helpings of their favorite dishes. They are still expected to sit at the table with us even if they are choosing not to eat, but they are allowed to get down when we are finished. They are just not allowed to eat anything else until I'm satisfied with the attempt they've made at their meal. 

Listening to your body when it is satisfied goes a long way. I have seen my toddler turn away a cookie at the end of his meal because he took one little nibble and realized he was full. I offered to save it for him for later and I was very proud of his self control and his awareness of his body.