graphic by Trina Clark at http://digiscrapkits.com/digiscraps/



The new year is almost here and I thought I would celebrate with a sale in my esty shop! Thanks to illness and life in general I haven't been at my blogging best, but I did at least get a chance to get a few minis done. I have added lots of new things and I am going to get as much up as I can so that starting this weekend I can offer 50% off all my wares. I want to thank all of you for the support you have shown since I have started this adventure. Consider this my contribution to starting the new year off in a good direction. See you next year!

Kibbygirl

Christmas Wishes

It's that time again. Christmas eve. That magical time when you can't help but believe. Believe in yourself, believe in dreams, and believe that there is good in the world. For some it can be a time of pain but even still, to me, it is a time to believe that tomorrow will be a new and brighter day. More so than new years eve even I think it is a time to hope for good things to come. That is what I wish for all of you. Good things to come. No matter what your year has brought you, I wish for you a new and bright day.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!!

Kibbygirl

I'm just an in between

Growing up I loved the old musical movies and one of my favorites was Andy Hardy finds love. Judy Garland sings about how she is not quite an adult and no longer a kid. "I'm too old for toys but I'm too young for boys. I'm just an in between." I thought of that song again the other night when I was sitting on a folding chair in a tiny church listening to my husband parents performing in their choirs annual Christmas presentation. Tomorrow night my husband I will be sitting in folding chairs in my son's school gym watching his Christmas presentation. A lot of us are in that situation now I suppose. We are caring for our kids and we are caring for our parents, even if that is only emotional. I have witnessed a trend in my neighbourhood of parents moving in with their children. In a lot of ways it is a benefit I think. Everyone in the family has an added measure of support. The grandchildren and grandparents have an opportunity to be closer and more involved with each other. And lets face it .. free babysitting! You've got to love that. When you spend years living away from most of your family you start to recognize the family more and more. My parents are now living with us, in an apartment in the basement. I'm thinking the time my son gets to spend with them is, like the credit card commercials say, priceless.

Fun Thrifty Projects

As some of you know I am a big fan of poking around various thrift shops. Just thinking about some my past excursions and the treasures I have found brings a smile to my face. I was on the Value Village web site today and I saw they have a couple of pages of projects to make with thrifted items. One of my favorite ideas is the t-shirt cork board. Its simple but its a cool idea. If you find or have a really cool t shirt that doesn't fit but can't bear to part with cover a cork board with it! How cool would a vintage rock design look in a teens room. Maybe Hello Kitty for a little girls room. Now that I think of it, I have a pretty cool t shirt from back in my Starbucks Barista days. Hmmmm.. We were always given shirts for different promotions and they were always huge on me but too small for my husband. For some reason I kept several of them and now I know what do so with them so they aren't just sitting in a drawer somewhere. I will have to put that on my list of projects to get to someday! Check out the back to school and Halloween sections for more ideas. You can download pdf files of the different projects too so that if you are like me you can save it for later. Happy crafting everyone!

Kibbygirl

I'm back

Hello everyone, as you can see I am back. My husband I made a break for the Dominican Republic last week and it was fantastic. I am not a winter person and since we didn't get a whole lot of summer here in Ontario my husband took pity on me and took me to where the sun shines hot and bright. Our hotel was in the perfect location. The bottom picture shows the view of the pool and restaurant area from our balcony and if you were too look to the left you would see the ocean! I couldn't have asked for better. The weather was great, the food was really good and the ocean was perfect. We spent hours between the waves, the food, and the beach! We did go on one excursion because we couldn't resist. A few tour guides took us out on a boat to a coral reef where we snorkeled and later swam with nurse sharks and sting rays! It was awesome. All in all I would give our trip a five out of five. The only damper was that I was still sick when we left. In fact if you can believe it I am still sick now, after two rounds of antibiotics. Crazy. Still, if you have be fighting a bug you might as well do it on the beach! I hope you all had a great two weeks. I plan on doing lots of catching up.

Kibbygirl

I made that

Good afternoon, I hope you all are feeling a bit better than I am. I have been trying to kick a bout of bronchitis for the past several days. I have been surfing a bit lately though and I found an " I can make that party" over at Just a Girl. I couldn't resist adding my two latest creations. I have a boatload of scrapbook supplies laying around so I decided to start using them again for some gifts. These two project ideas I got from a book in the library. Basically I just pulled out some co ordinated paper scraps and embellishments and glued them on to a plain wood picture frame and a blank journal. I really like the shabby chic look I got with the address book I created from the notebook. I put alphabet stickers on tabs on the inside and viola! With the picture frame I started with the bird that I cut out from a wallpaper sample. I like the tactile effect from that and the flowers that are also from wallpaper. After making these I want to attempt more. I have more ideas now that I started. Let me know what you all think. Are these something you would like for a gift?

Kibbygirl

One Pretty Kitty

Hello Everyone, I hope you all had a great weekend. We sure did. If you can believe it I went into labour Halloween night 10 years ago. It sure doesn't seem that long ago and there are so many days when I wish time could slow down so my son could be my baby just a little longer. Not that he isn't becoming a cool little man, I just miss being able to carry him in my arms and all the other little things that come with having a small child. Still, this is probably his favorite time of year because it becomes an extended party that is basically all about him! There was a party at school for Halloween, which meant no work, games and of course treats. His aunt and uncle came to stay with us for the weekend so they could be here for Halloween - birthday palooza. We all dressed up for Halloween and went to a party at a nabours house after trick or treating. For my son, going to bed is absolutely torturous so running around with about 15 kids until almost midnight was his idea of heaven. The next day my husband and I, my son, his aunt and uncle, and two of my son's best friends went to Medieval Times in Toronto for dinner and the show. The three boys of course were in awe of the sword fighting, and loved throwing all rules of etiquette out the window to eat with their hands. Add to all of this an afternoon of cake, family and presents. What a long weekend of party fun!

The picture up top is my kitty Spook. Yes, his name really is spook. We got him on Halloween the first year my husband and I were married. Add that to his black and white colouring and he just seemed like a spook! He is a funny old guy. He was the runt of his litter and has always been small. He has these little tiny paws and little tiny face. He looks dainty, but he has the attitude of a grumpy old man! Right now he is the only animal we have other than our bearded dragon and he seems to feel he has the run of the house again. Clearly he sees himself as the boss and the rest of us are as much his 'staff' as family! He is still really healthy and makes us smile all the time, so hopefully there will be many more years of 'kitty costumes' to come.

I also wanted to welcome my newest followers. Libbie, who has the blog, The Middlest Sister , a very sweet blog of her life, is my newest reader. Next is The Elegant Thrifter. He is a really nice guy and writer with a blog of the same name. You can read all about his adventures here The Elegant Thrifter . Last but not at all least is Kim. She creates miniatures and has a great shabby chic style. She has two blogs that showcase her work and style. You can visit her at It's a Miniature Life and It's a Miniature Life Dolls . If you are wandering the web, stop by and say hi to these three wonderful people.

Graphics by Chricklwood Graphics

my very own hidaway

Hello again! Posting twice in one day, that can mean only one thing. I am bumbling around the house today without my usual long list of things to accomplish. Actually, I am less bumbling and more laying on the couch. Last night I started feeling pretty sick so today I am 'resting'. Thanks to my laptop I can bring the world to my nest on the couch. As I write I have a cozy quilt wrapped around me, de-fizzing ginger ale beside me, the t.v. in front of me playing an old Michael J. Fox movie called The Frightners, and my husband on call to bring me whatever I might need. His crazy shift work has worked out in my favour today and he is home to nurse me back to health.

One good thing about being stuck on the couch is that I get to visit the online friends I have and get to know some new ones. Some of you may have discovered this blog through blogs of note just as I did. Nat the Fat Rat is as unique as the name. Natalie is one creative girl. Her writing is fantastic too, it gives me something to aspire to. In her post today she writes about she and her family snuggling in to a self made fort. It brought back found memories of my days in the closet. Now I know what you are thinking but I'm referring to my literal closet. Back in the day I would make quite a fort inside my closet, complete with a stack of pillows, a cozy blanket, a good book, a light to read said book by, a few snacks and of course my favorite stuffed bear. I didn't go a whole lot of places without him. He is now so worn that he is regulated to sitting on a shelf in my bedroom. Much more handling and I am afraid he will crumble to pieces. I bet he remembers our hideaway as fondly as I do. There is nothing like a cozy spot to snuggle with your best friend!

Here is to a cozy day to all of us!

Another Contest in blogland

Good morning everyone,





I was wandering aimlessly around blogland this morning and I am so glad I did. I discovered to new blogs to add to my favorites. The first is The Elegant Thrifter at http://elegantthrifter.blogspot.com/ . Stan Williams writes with humor and passion for reusing various thrift finds. He also inspires his readers to see the meaning behind our treasures. The memories and feelings we attach to our objects. I highly encourage a visit to this elegant blogger. If you fall in love with his style afterwards, head on over to my second blog find http://fionaandtwig.blogspot.com/2009/10/giveaway-central.html . Anne, the blogger at Fionna and Twig is having a contest that includes a copy of Stan Williams book The Find. The winner will receive a personalized copy of the book as well as a $25 gift card to Anthropologie! Anne's blog is beautiful in and of itself and is well worth the virtual trip.

Best of luck to everyone who decides to enter.... including me! Have a great day,

Kibbygirl

Welcome

I want to give a warm welcome to my newest follower, Kim from It's a Miniature Life. She has a very pretty blog, makes beautiful vignettes, and has a love for cupcakes. Totally my kind of girl! I recomend checking out her site if you haven't already. You can find her here:

http://kimsminiatures.blogspot.com/ Her amazing mini deserts just make my mouth start to water. She has an etsy shop to so I am going to head over there after this and drool some more. :)

It has been a very busy week. My son has had basketball five out of seven days this week. He is on the rep team again this year and enjoying every miniute of it. I have to say, I am too. It makes me proud to watch him enjoy his passion, and he loves the game so much he is like a sponge to his coach. Very cute the way he follows his every instruction and takes each task so seriously. The other great thing is that I get to spend time with the other parents again. We hang out well together, but we are in a rural area so everyone is living in several different towns. It is nice to have an excuse to sit and spend some time with everyone. He and his team had thier first exibition game yesterday and it was very exciting. The didn't win but it was fairly close and they were playing the girls who are in the next level up, so many of them were much bigger than the boys. Nobody walked away feeling bad though and we are all looking forward to a great season. Don't be surprised if you see a few pictures from a snap happy proud mamma in the months to come.

Thanks again to everyone who has stopped by my little spot on the web!

Kibbygirl

You gotta love a boy!

Boys are a unique animal. I don't know what everyone else thinks about the nature vs nurture issue but based on personal experience boys and girls just aren't the same. Sure, there is a broad spectrum and everyone fits in a different spot on it. Most boys will battle, struggle to be the king of the hill, and try to be the bravest and strongest and fastest and toughest of all. They will pick up a stick and pretend to shoot with it, and they are proud of their war wounds. ( cuts and scrapes ) My son is no different. There is often a battle set up in his room and there are action figures and army men scattered all around the house. He even set a plastic soldier at the head of our bed, to stand guard and protect us while we sleep! What a thoughtful guy. The even have their own code that starts pretty early on. You don't cry in front of your friends, you take an injury 'like a man', you fight hard in any competition, and farting, burping and good naturedly ribbing each other is just a way of life. As any proud mother of a boy can tell you, messes are inevitable.

My boy is most definitely a Representative of this unique animal and he makes me smile every day. When I'm sad he holds my hand and says " don't worry mom, I'm here, I won't let you cry." When I am sick, he will cover me up with a blanket and offer to get me water. He is funny and silly and messy and it is an extraordinary feat to get him to sit still. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Have a great weekend everyone,

Kibbygirl

I've been given an award!

Hello all,

First off I want to give a big thanks to Doreen over at http://doreensminiatures.blogspot.com/ . She has given me a Kreative Bloggers award. How sweet is that? It was such a nice thing to log on to today. The rules for this award are:

1. Thank the person who gave this to you.

2. Copy the logo and place it in your blog.

3. Link the person who nominated you.

4. Name 7 things about yourself that no one would really know.

5. Nominate seven 'Kreativ Bloggers'

6. Post links to the seven blogs you nominate

7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know you nominated them.

Lets see, 7 things that no one would really know about me....ok.

1. I am fascinated by human nature

2. I love music.. my favorite gift of all time ( other than my engagement ring ) was my ipod. I have days and days worth of music on it.

3. I have very sensitive ears. I can hear things that lots of other people don't.

4. Thanks to my son I am really starting to like basketball.

5. I did volunteer work in a prison. That was an education!

6. I have lived in many places in north America.

7. I love just about every kind of critter out there with the exception of one thing that I hate so much I don't even like to mention it!

Now it is my turn to nominate some blogs. That will be very easy since there are so many that I love.

1. Kim at Flowers and Art. http://flowerkim.blogspot.com/ She was my first follower, and I love her for it.

2. Erin at Toronto Yard Sale Snoop http://torontoyardsaler.blogspot.com/

3. Wendy at The Shabby Nest http://shabbynest.blogspot.com/

4. Mitzi at Vintage Goodness http://vintagegoodness.blogspot.com/

5. Debbie from The Dollhouse at Pooh Corner http://dollhouseatpoohcorner.blogspot.com/

6. Christy at A Lil' Welsh Rarebit http://www.alilwelshrarebit.com/

7. The creative lady at Swish and Swanky http://swishandswanky.blogspot.com/

Thank you once again Doreen. Have a great night everyone,

Kibbygirl

welcome and contest

Good afternoon everyone,

I want to welcome my newest follower, Erin from Toronto Yard Sale Snoop. You can find a link to her blog at the right of this page. She has found some pretty cool things in her wanderings and I am sure she would be fun to wander with. She is also celebrating her 100th post by hosting a giveaway. It is a great idea. She is going to go 'thrifting' for one lucky winner. If you are interested put on your thinking caps and make a wish list of possible treasures. This is perfect for someone who likes collecting just about anything... coloured glass, salt and pepper shakers, tins, pyrex, or whatever else your heart desires. That is within reason of course. I thought it was very sweet of her to personalize her contest this way. So, check out her blog and leave her a comment. You know I did!

The other exciting thing I thought I would mention is my very first attempt at a 'favorite things' swap. Ok, that is probably not all that exciting to most of the rest of the world, but it made me happy to get the name of my swap partner, and to start to put together my package for her. I got on to this exchange through Tip Junkie whose link is at the side of this blog as well if you want to check it out. I will show you all what I decided on for her next month. I don't want to put it up too soon just in case she sees my blog. I don't want to ruin the surprise.

Until next time,

Kibbygirl

my goings on and a few pictures

Hello again everyone,

It’s been a busy two weeks around here. My son lives for basketball. All sports really but basketball is his absolute favorite. I don’t know where he gets it since both my husband and I are sadly not athletic at all. I tell people we saved our sports prowess and funneled it all into our son. It seems to be true since he is that kind of kid who excels at whatever sports you throw him into. It is basketball season again now so he is back with his Rep team and working hard. I have to say, his sports have been a lot of fun for us too. The house league games are fun because some of the kids can be very amusing. They don’t all take it too seriously so we get a kick out of the kids doing handstands or dancing or pretending to do karate moves and generally not paying attention. The rep games can be really nail biting type exciting. All these boys are very competitive and work really hard to be a good team. Sometimes watching them you forget they are still young kids.

I have been playing around with some miniature pictures. They are fun to do because there are endless possibilities and the results are more immediate. The rocking horse and the sunset are two of my favorites so far. Now I just have to frame them and they will be ready to go. Let me know what you think of them.
Until next time,
Kibbygirl

More giveaways

Hello everyone,

I have discovered a new blog called Homebody. Holly who writes this blog is celebrating her one year anniversary. To do this she is giving away a whole lot of great things she has found while thrift shopping. A girl after my own heart. She has a beautiful blog and I encourage all of you to check it out. You can find her and her fabulous giveaway here http://www.homebodyholly.com/

have fun,

Kibbygirl

50 posts and still working away

Good evening, how is everyone tonight? I just realized that this will be my 50th post and I am pretty proud of myself. Its not the biggest milestone but it is fun to see how far I've come and give myself a tiny pat on the back. I have been having a great time blogging and I am so impressed with the all the cool people I've met and the great blogs I've discovered. There are so many beautiful people and beautiful things out there.

I have been stitching away here and there in the evenings, usually when watching tv or a movie. For some reason I can't do just one of those things at a time. It is good that way because I feel as though I am accomplishing something while I am chilling out. The pictures are of some of the things I have either finished or am working on. The finished rugs need to be steamed and reshaped but I think they turned out fairly well. The bed spread I don't love. I've had some trouble with the backing. I do like to stitching and the matching pillows though.

It will soon be time to pick up my son from basketball and then hopefully an hour or two of relaxing and stitching. Fortunately it is not hard to make me happy since that sounds great. Hope you all can kick back and do something you love tonight as well.

Kibbygirl

Janet Granger's site

Hello everyone,

I am sitting at my computer now seriously debating putting the air conditioning on. It is soooo muggy here that it is kind of gross unless you are sitting directly in front of a fan. I am going to try to hold out though because I really don't like having the air on and I am really hoping this weather will break soon. My son is using it as a perfect excuse to sit still and play his new video game. To be fair I can't imagine running around outside right now either. He would come in soaked in sweat in ten minutes I am sure.

I just received an email from Janet Granger with the news of her newest designs. If you are like me and like to stitch things you should check her site out. She mainly did dollhouse rug kits but she has branched out and has the cutest tea cosy and tray kits now too. I am thinking the tea cosy idea is a must. I am not sure how hard it will be but you know I will try! This is the link so check it out. http://www.janetgranger.co.uk/acatalog/WhatNew.html

Have a great night,

Kibbygirl

thrift shop finds of the week

Hello everyone, I hope the week is going well for all of you. My week started of great. Value Village had a 50% of day on Monday and I spent probably 2 hours in the store hunting down various goodies. My time paid off, I found lots! These pictures are just a sample of the many things I ended up buying. By the end of my extreme value shopping experience I was lugging three, that's right three of the huge bags they give you back to the van. Even though I came away with so much the grand total was only 50 dollars. It was just like that Ikea commercial only I had no one to shout "start the car" to. Among my finds were the vase and cup that I am going to use as a vase in the top picture. The second picture is two sweaters I picked out and some craft stuff I found for a buck. The last two are coats, one for me and one for my son. I am not a big pink person but I just couldn't resist the coat for less than 5 dollars. It is so soft and cushy I almost can't wait for the cooler weather. My son's coat is an almost new winter jacket originally from the Gap. Now not only is finding a jacket for him out of the way, but it was sooo cheap too. You gotta love that.

Now that you have seen my goodies... ok that didn't sound right, make that treasures, check out this blog by the Dalomba's. They are hosting a Goodwill finds day so be sure to check out some of the other cool things others have found lately. You can find them here http://jobandbrittany.blogspot.com/ .

Other than my shopping I have been painting some dollhouse furniture and doing some stitching. I am planning on posting some of those pictures tomorrow. Until then, have a great night,

Kibbygirl

quick link update

I am just popping in to give everyone the link for the black and white initials that I featured in my last post. They came from a site called Briar Press which offers free decorations you can download. Check it out here: http://www.briarpress.org/ . Have a great night everyone,

Kibbygirl

Frugal Friday

Hello, Hello...

I discovered a blog called The Shabby Nest http://shabbynest.blogspot.com/ and she usually does a frugal Friday post. This week she is hosting a frugal Friday Link party so I decided to add my two cents to the pot of frugal inspiration. I am constantly on the lookout for thrifty ideas to decorate with or for fun gifts. I have a wonderful garden with lots of flowers and I love making up bouquets to give to friends and family. By doing this I have been forced to get creative in terms of vase options. One day I literally had nothing left to put the flowers in, at least nothing that was meant for that purpose. I went to the recycling bin hoping for an idea and I found it. I ended up using a washed out tin can from spaghetti sauce that I covered in some leftover wallpaper. I tied some ribbon around it and attached a small note card and voila.. pretty flowers to give to a friend. As those of you who have read my blog before probably know I love to wander the thrifts shops in my area. The last few times I was out I had the brilliant idea of picking up vases and other things that would work well as a vase from the thrift shops. Now I have a box of vases ready to go when I need them.

Another thing that I have done in the house I have mentioned in an earlier post but I have so much fun with this idea it is worth mentioning again. I will use just about anything as artwork. Two of the pictures above are from my guest room. The sailboats are postcards. The two larger scenes are from magazines. The bird above the bookshelf is from a calendar and the floral picture is actually wallpaper boarder. The letters are something I found on the web and thought they would be great to frame in black frames using the initials of our last name putting them up with black and white photos of our family. I haven't tried it yet but I want to.

My last idea of the day uses my beautiful china tea cups. I have been given several gorgeous tea cups over the years and since I never use them for tea and I have no great place to display them I have come up with other ways to use them and have them out where I everyone can see them. I have one in my bathroom of all places. This is on the counter top and it is currently holding q-tips. On my dressing table I have two pretty cups. One holds lipsticks and the other holds bobby pins and hair elastics. It may seem frivolous to use these delicate cups for these things but I like it and this way I can enjoy them whenever I see them.

I can't wait to see what everyone else comes up with. Have a great day everyone,

Kibbygirl

Janet Hill Print givaway

The Country Hotel Print
By Janet Hill

I have some exciting news today. Whimsy by Victoria is having a contest and she is giving away along with Janet Hill, two of Janet Hill's oh-so-beautiful prints! That's right, not just one but two. I highly encourage everyone to check out her work. The contest is at Whimsy by Victoria at http://whimsybyvictoria.blogspot.com/2009/09/janet-hill-studioswhimsy-spotlight.html?showComment=1252529510589#c286599044294535231 . Be sure to check out Janet Hill's blog as well. http://janethillstudio.blogspot.com/2009/09/whimsy-by-victoria-print-giveaway.html The contest is easy and well worth the effort anyway. This won't decorate your dollhouse but it is a great way to decorate your home! Other than discovering this great contest I have been spending my afternoon painting, gardening and stitching. I feel as though I have accomplished a good bit today which is a good feeling. Have a wonderful night everyone,

Kibbygirl

DYI dollhouse

Good afternoon everyone... miss me? I missed you. We had computer issues around here so I have been a bit out of touch with all of you. So sorry about that but I am glad to be back. I have been wandering around blog land to see what is new and what the world has been up to without me. It has been so much fun discovering all the new things and ideas out there. One of the ideas that I came across came from a site call One Pretty Thing at http://www.oneprettything.com/ . It is a craft site with all sorts of projects. There are a lot of stitchery type things but some non sewing ones as well. One of her links actually sent me to the Cookie Magazine site to check out a do it yourself tutorial on a dollhouse. The picture above is the finished house but I was thinking if someone had a cardboard box or cabinet or something the foam board could go inside for a more complete or finished house. I may have to play around with that idea myself sometime. Just in case any of my readers would like to give it a try here is the link to the Cookie site. http://www.cookiemag.com/magazine/blogs/nesting/2008/02/diy-dollhouse.html . I'm thinking this could be a fun thing to make with a kid before they get on to a full scale wooden dollhouse, or for someone like me who just has a bit of an obsession with mini things and has lots of extras! I could also use this as a test room area. That way I could try some things out before I do the same in my wood dollhouse. Hmmmm... the possibilities are endless. Yep, I am definitely going to have to add this to my never ending list of things to do.

Have a great day all,

Kibbygirl

newest thrift store finds

My son and I had some time on our hands so I convinced him that taking a trip to our local Re-Store would be a great idea. Just like most boys, shopping is not exactly his favorite pastime so it did take some convincing. I got him out there though and we both had a ball going through all the toys on offer. He kept himself occupied for the entire time I shopped around. That's pretty close to a miracle so I was very thankful. One of the best things we found is a girls rolling suitcase that has a dollhouse inside! The pictures I took aren't great but you can get an idea of what it looks like. The front also has a place that opens up so there is a balcony and front porch area. The jumble of stuff in the front of the first picture is a bunch of the items we discovered inside. The second picture shows some of those things inside the dollhouse including a couple of little people. Now I will have occupants for my dollhouse once it is fit to move into. The best part of it all, and I am sorry if this inspires jealousy in any of you, it cost only $2!! It was actually marked at $4 but it just so happened to be half off all toys day, so I scored big. Isn't it great when a bunch of second hand toys can make you really happy? I think so.

Here's to being easily pleased. :)

Kibbygirl

Enjoying my part of the province on bike

Good afternoon everyone,

My husband and I decided to get out and explore a bit yesterday. Our son was hanging out with his Poppa so we hit the road. We live in a such a beautiful part of Ontario that when the opportunity comes up we just have to take advantage. My husband has wanted to do this for a long time and so finally got his motorcycle licence last summer. I have been surprised at how much we all enjoy it. We live in the Hills of the Headwaters area of Ontario and so we wandered the country roads and meandered through Bellfountain. I can't help but be impressed with our home whenever I see the incredible nature all around us. The weather sometimes gets me down, but we really are lucky in some ways.

Kibbygirl

giveaway

Check out http://lessapathymorecake.blogspot.com/. She is having a contest to celebrate her 28th birthday. She has a cute blog and is giving away a whole pack of stuff. I have to love her blog title too.. Less apathy + more cake. Maybe that is the real solution to all the worlds problems! Chocolate cake, vanilla cake, carrot cake, strawberry shortcake .... sorry I drifted off there for a minute. Have a look at her site to find out more about her birthday giveaway. As for me, I think I need to track down a slice of cake for myself!

Kibbygirl

My Frugal Home

I don't know about everyone else out there, including my faithful readers, but I am kind of addicted to frugal living. I like the word frugal. It sounds so much more chic than cheap or thrifty. Mind you there is nothing wrong with being either of those in the right situation. I haven't gone overboard, yet. I don't think so at least. My husband might disagree but fortunately he humours me. Since my little spot in the blogosphere is dedicated not only to dollhouse miniatures but to being frugal I thought I would share some of the things that I have done in my own home.

One of my favorite ideas combines an old spice rack I couldn't use anymore and the bathroom. An odd combination I know but it works. I hung the spice rack up on the wall in the bathroom and use it to store my nail polishes on one rack and my perfumes on the other. This way everything is organized instead of being stuffed into a drawer and I didn't have to throw out a spice rack. Win win, right?

I have used a multi-tiered plant stand from church sale in the bedroom as a place to store my folded sweaters and pants. I use glass spaghetti sauce jars as flower vases. My old plastic medicine bottles serve as containers for seeds I harvest from my garden to reuse next year. My last idea for the day is an old one but a good one. I have all over my walls, framed magazine pictures, wallpaper scraps, and even menus from special restaurants. My son's artwork too of course. Basically if I end up with an object I can't use anymore I rack my brain to think of a new way to use it. Otherwise it winds up in the donation pile or the garbage.

I love getting new and unique ideas to reuse or re purpose things. If anyone out there reading this has some creative thrifty thoughts please pass them on to me. I will use them in a future post. If we put our heads together who knows what we can come up with. :)

Here's to all my thrifty companions out there,

Kibbygirl

perfect day

If you asked me to describe my perfect day it would probably look a lot like the one I spent yesterday. First of all, I woke up a bit late, played on the computer and drank some coffee. Then I went out and spent a couple of hours shopping at some of my favorite places, including Michael's, which is a craft store. When I got home, it was such a beautiful, warm afternoon I spent a good bit of time enjoying our new pool which has finally warmed up enough to be comfortable. I love the water and I have really been looking forward to swimming this summer in our own backyard. After my mid afternoon dip, I got out a good book I am in the middle of and read while soaking up some much needed sunshine. It really is like medicine to feel the warmth on your skin. Later on I had a nice dinner with my boys, enjoyed an after dinner coffee with my husband then we finished the night off with good movie I found at the library. Have I mentioned before that I love that place? It is like an archaeological dig full of treasure. So, it was a day of leisure, shopping, swimming, reading, sun and family time. I laid in bed last night thinking the day was pretty close to heaven to me.

I wish you all a perfect day tomorrow.

Kibbygirl