New Shelves & DIY Bookends

My very kind and generous husband had a great idea of putting up new shelves in our apartment. We had an old wood book shelf that we were using for DVDs and Blu-Rays but it was getting full and getting full fast. We had a great empty wall for this idea. When we put up the shelves and started putting up all of the DVDs and Blu-Rays we knew right away we needed bookends...

We started shopping for bookends and found the cute 'a to z' ones at Barnes and Noble (see second to last shelf). They were around $50.00! Kind of pricey to me for bookends! 

So I'm kind of addicted to Instagram (follow me! @jessicaneedham) and I follow Elsie from A Beautiful Mess and this weekend she put up a picture of a spray painted brick for a bookend. That got me thinking...I could use vintage looking wrapping paper instead of spray paint! Then my husband said, "why don't you use the vintage fabric you have just laying around?" ...So that's just what I did...

Brick bookends wrapped in vintage fabric... (see 3rd shelf in above photo)

You'll Need:

- 2 bricks (43 cents a piece at Lowe's!)

-vintage fabric (check the thrift stores, so cheap)

- Scissors

- Glue gun

Cut your fabric just big enough to wrap you brick, you don't want too much extra fabric

Wrap it just like you would wrap a gift and everywhere you'd put tape use the glue gun instead

Simple as that!

(see 2nd shelf)

Aren't they pretty! Super easy too!

Thrifty 4- Pyrex Heaven

Last weekend my husband and I went to Santa Barbara just to spend the day there. The weather was perfect so we had lunch and before we went home we decided to stop by a thrift store to look for some Pyrex.

My husband is getting pretty good at spotting them. He usually finds them all first, then I give them a once over and usually buy them.

This one (I looked up online) is a promotional Pyrex Cinderella bowl

The outside is frosty white with gold leaves and baby blue on the inside

These casserole dishes we also found there! The bottom one (the black on white) had its original holder with it. I've never seen the holders before!

Once we get in a Pyrex hunting mode we can't stop! So we went to Ojai before coming home.

Here's what we found!

This at the first store...

This one at the second...

and oh my! Yes we found another full set! 

Aren't these pretty!? Not a scratch on them.

My shelves are getting pretty full! But I won't stop hunting. This just means I'll have to look for a pretty hutch for them all eventually.

I also found these Fire King mugs by Anchor. They were only 50 cents each! I see more succulents being planted here in the near future...

Happy Friday!

Thrifty 3 - Pyrex Heaven

So this weekend the Packers had a Bye Week (I guess this means they don't play this week). Since Scott was free from football we decided to go to the Drive-In! We don't have a Drive-In here in Ventura, so we drove south to Riverside...

  Van Buren Drive In, Riversaide Ca

$7.00 per Adult for 2 Movies!

Saturday night we saw Puss In Boots and Footloose. Puss In Boots was hilarious, and Footloose was...well I don't want to be negative so I'll move on...If you've ever seen our cat Jinxie you'd love Puss In Boots. She looks just like Puss! If you love cats you'll love this movie too. We sat in travel chairs in the back of Scott's truck with lots of blankets and a cooler full of snacks. It got down to about 47 degrees which was bearable and cozy with all of the blankets we had.

We stayed the night in a hotel and went to the Swap Meet there the next morning. I normally don't like swap meets but the last trip we made to the Drive In we also went to the swap meet the next morning and I found a Pyrex bowl. Their swap meet is more of a mix of new and old. They sell new things but a lot of people sell their old things like at a garage sale. Maybe that's how swap meets are supposed to be but the one where I live isn't like that at all. That's why I never go. But boy did we score on this trip!

I found this pink casserole dish for $3.00!

(I had the little turquoise one already)

...Walked a little more and found these for $3.00 a piece!

I was satisfied and really Ready to go home. It was starting to get in the high 80 degrees or so. I hate heat so I was ready. Scott said we should finish go through the whole swap meet. We live 2 hours away we might as well... Good thing I listened to him! Look what we found!

$15.00 brought down to $13.00 , thanks to my hubby, for the whole set! 

I've been collecting Pyrex here and there. If I see them I buy them, I haven't really hunted for them. I have to say I am pretty proud of my collection so far. Honestly with the luck I had this weekend I'd be ok going a year without finding another piece. I mean I'd love to find more but I feel like I've already been so lucky!

(this is my whole collection minus an orange bowl filled with cookie dough in the fridge...mmm)

Thrifty 2 - Second Hand Crochet Books

This weekend while shopping for yarn I found a used book store. Well, not really found. I had seen it before. It's next to a fabric shop on Main St. in Ventura, CA. I've been to this fabric shop many times to look for special yarns that Michael's doesn't carry. Every time I go to the fabric store I think about going into the used book shop but for some reason I never do, or they are closed. Well Saturday morning I went in! Look what I found!!!!!

1. The book with the striped Afghan is called Crochet. Technicques & Projects  By the editors of Sunnset, 1975

2. McCall's Crochet Treasury By The McCall Patten Co. 1968

Look at some of the pictures in this book! So classic. Kinda funny too.

I'm making one of these watermelon or strawberry bags soon! I must!

3. Quick 'N Easy Crocheting Golden Publishing 1980's? This book is a mini 2 ring binder with lots, and lots of patterns! Looks like it may have been a display of some kind in a craft store maybe. Here's a picture from it:

Ahhh. Heaven. I guess I should give credit to the store! The people there are very nice.I have to say they made my weekend fun and busy.

Abednego Book Shoppe 
2682 East Main Street, Ventura, CA 93003
(805) 643-9350 () ‎

Thrifty

I found these cute coffee cups last month while looking for something else at a thrift store Downtown.

I forget what I was looking for but I didn't find it. I did, instead, find these cups. They were $2.00 for the set of three. I bought them because I liked the way they looked. Then when I got home I knew instantly I wanted to use them for some Cactus plants I bought at Lowe's.

I love this! Using cute old mugs or tea cups for plants! Try it.