DYI No Crease Pants Hangers!

Some people just HATE ironing....but....don't think I am crazy when I say....

I don't mind ironing....in fact it can be kind of relaxing!

But what I do hate is when the pants that I have ironed get creases in them hanging in the closet!

The problem is the hangers.....

Even wooden pants hangers don't seem to solve the problem for me.


The wood bar still leaves creases....and I don't like to hang my pants from the cuffs!



I have looked all over for padded hangers for pants and have been unsuccessful!  And chances are...if I ever do find some....I will be too "cheap" to shell out the $$$ for them!

Read More to see what I did instead!

Goodwill Goodness!

YIKES! 

I just realized that I haven't devoted a post to Goodwill for a while! 

 Did you think (GASP) that I started shopping RETAIL!?

Not to worry!

This post will catch you up on all my deals and steals the last few months!

Here is a peek at my Spring and Summer Wardrobe!

"Wardrobe" sounds fancy....

actually this is "the stuff in my closet" that I got at GW!

I think I have a thing for Navy Blue this Spring!

This St. John Sport Jacket...

This great little Ann Taylor shell...

a grey and navy Izod T...

and a pair of navy leggings...and a slim legged pant I bought awhile ago...

almost a whole weekend worth of clothes for less than $25

I usually look through the shoes at GW.....but hardly ever buy....

somehow shoes need to be in the "new" or "almost new" before I buy them!

Even then...I wipe them down with a disinfectant wipe....a COUPLE of times!

These sandals fit the NEW category! Absolutely no sign of wear!

This is a case of "risk taking" at GW....they are cute but kind of trendy....but for $9.99 worth a go!

I have been wearing this fun necklace a lot...

The color goes with a lot of my clothes....

Another case of taking a $4 risk...even at Target this would have been over $10!  

The silver backing is nice and heavy and it is interesting!

The perfect Summer skirt is long and flowing....

this one is my favorite shade of brown...the picture doesn't really do it justice....

add a camisole and a jean jacket and it is a never fail look!

hmmm...I bet those sandals will look nice with this!

Now...you know I almost never pay more than $10 for anything at GW...

but this Eileen Fisher jacket was too good a bargain to pass up....even though it cost $14.99!

The picture makes it look sort of green.....

but it is really a great brown and black tweed color that will be a great neutral!

 

Most of these GW scores seem to be clothes....

now that I have my "wardrobe"....

Maybe I can score some new "decor" for the house on my next GW trips....

I guess that is a good reason to go again soon!

Have a Great Day!

Link Parties
A Vision to Remember   Life on Lakeshore Drive 

Halloween Spell Book Tutorial

This is essentially a repost of something I wrote last year.
It is WAY too early for me to start decorating for Halloween!
BUT.....
Some of YOU...are way ahead of me and actually planning and making decorations for next month.....and I thought you might like to try this fun project!

I love this wonderful decorative set of Halloween Books that my daughter gave me a few years ago.



They came from "The Shop Around the Corner" that I told you about from our Weekend Wander in Waconia!

Alas....this cute little shop is now closed....and I sure will miss it!

Last year I put the books on the entry hall  table with the Owl I splurged on....

We even saved the "perfect" branch to use again this year!

When the time comes....I will probably do something similar to this!


I loved the idea of these books  so much that I wanted some for my school Halloween display....and of course I didn't want to spend the money to buy the "real" thing....

I did a knock-off version and only spent $7 instead of the $25 for the originals.

Since this was BB (before blog), I can't do an actual tutorial with photos.....
so I will try to explain how I made them!

I bought these paper mache books in a set of 3 from Michael's for 6.99

• I painted the outside with flat black craft paint.

• I painted the book page area with metallic gold paint.

• I printed out the cover and spine images on my computer

• I used Modge Podge to attach the printed titles and cover to the books

And here is the finished result! 
I left them loose....instead of gluing them together....so I can stack them every which way!

I will put them on the center table in the Media Center with all of the Halloween books for kids to check out.....
Last year a kid actually tried to check one of them out.....He was so disappointed when he found out they weren't real!

I still have these photo albums that I bought at Goodwill.....hmmmm


I am thinking I will distress these....add some Halloween themed titles and have another set....


I meant to do this last year and never got it done!!!  Maybe this year!
Wish me luck!




Speaking of Halloween....there is really nothing better than a good spooky book to read to your kids.....check out this post with lots of suggestions!

There is plenty of time to get to YOUR library and check them out!!!

 Halloween Books for Kids!


Enjoy!!!  I am going to relish the rest of September and NOT rush into Halloween!!!

Link Parties
Throwback Thursday  

Pillow Talk! And A GIve AWAY!

NO! Not that kind of pillow talk!

This is a family friendly blog after all!

Let's "Pillow Talk" about making pillows!

Every thrifty decorator knows that pillows are a great way to freshen up the decor around the house!

The pillows I found last winter at Goodwill were great but not very summer like!

It was time to put the slipcovers made from sheets on the couch to get a summer look (click to read the post about that).  And the pillows were OKAY.....but hey they were 2 years old!!!

Now...Look see the new pillows in the Sweetwater family room!

You gotta love the fabric!

So summery don't you think?

Read on to learn some of my tricks for making pillows in short order....
AND....I am GIVING AWAY a pillow cover just like these to one lucky person!!!
All you need to do to WIN is start following Sweetwater Style and leave me a comment!

Hope you Enter!

Blazers on a Budget!

Fall is in the air...and of course that makes me think about shopping!
I have been paging through the latest catalogs on my iPad catalog App.
There are lots of blazers and jackets featured in all of them.
I guess this classic look will never go out of style!
After shopping the catalogs....I shopped my closet!

Inspiration: Camel Hair Blazer from Brooks Brothers. A whopping $598!

Seriously, who would spend $600 for a jacket no matter how classic and soft?

 From my closet!

Brooks Brothers 100% Camel hair Blazer!

$8.99 from Goodwill!

$30 tailoring tab!

Sweetwater Stye at it's finest!

And....I've got more to show you!
I don't think I have a single jacket that I paid more than $40 for...and most were under $10!

A 10 Minute Project!-Many plants from One!

 This is the herb garden on my deck....trying to raise herbs in my garden is impossible because of all the creatures wanting breakfast, lunch and dinner! (more on my ongoing war with the wildlife another day)

Plants on the deck always thrive because they are right in my face and I feel guilty if I don't take care of them.  When the mint and basil start to get leggy or just seem to be overtaking the pot, this is what I do.