Free Shopping!

Today I really scored some fabulous free deals...

Free Suave body wash at Giant Eagle...

Free v-neck tees at Target...

Free black boyfriend cardigan at Sears Outlet...

All for free!

New To You Sale

This evening I helped out at our church's "New To You Sale".  I helped organize some of the items that are going to be sold.  I've never attended the sale in the past, but am bummed I didn't because they get a HUGE turnout!  Lots of things for sale and lots of shoppers!  The sale doesn't start until tomorrow night, but I got a preview and was able to get some pre-shopping done. 

I was able to score lots of goodies for around $6!

Items include 2 books for $1 each, 2 odd-shaped pillow cases that I'll be using for fabric for 10 cents and 50 cents, 25 tea light candles for 50 cents, a big glass platter for $1, a men's shirt for fabric for $1, an unused Bath & Body Works Energy candle for 50 cents, a candle holder for 25 cents, and a polar bear baby fleece onesie for my new niece coming in October for 50 cents.  Not a bad haul! :)

Strip District

Today Peter and I ventured to the Strip District.  Peter's been there before, but it was my first time.  All this time living so close to Pittsburgh and I can't believe I haven't gone here before! 

We checked out the Pittsburgh Public Market first.  So fun!

Beans and grains for sale:

Yummy homemade desserts:

Today they were selling lots of seedlings for making your own garden at home.  We have already planted our lettuce and spinach and it's not warm enough for basil yet so we didn't get much.  We did get one really dark organic red lettuce plant though!  It was too good to pass up for a buck!

We spent a lot of time at Olio Fresca.  We couldn't decide which olive oil and balsamic vinegars to buy!  We settled on a Ascolano Olive Oil and Pomegranate Balsamic Vinegar.

We picked up a bunch of organic kale from this seller.

So much cool jewelry, but I didn't get any.  Talk about self-control!

The Berry Patch sucked us in so quickly!  They had tons of jams and jellies to sample.  Within minutes, we had purchased a sampler of 4 items.  YUM!

My handsome date for the day.  :)

After the market, we walked around the Strip some more.  We stopped in this cool pottery shop.  I loved these items!  Maybe someday I'll take a pottery class.

The back area of the shop where the work is done reminded us of our trip to Italy when Aunt Grace took us to Deruta and showed us where they made the pottery there.

It was a beautiful day and I loved all of the flowers available.  You can tell the weather is getting nice when people start planting flowers.

We had gotten down there relatively early and it was crowded already, but not too bad.  By the time we were leaving, it was getting really busy though!

On our way home, we stopped at Jimmy Johns in Bakery Square for lunch.  Peter has never been there and loves sandwiches so he was happy to try it out.

Then we went to the Forest Hills Presbyterian Church.  They were having a flea market and car cruise. By the time we got there, around 2 PM, the flea market was pretty much over.  Peter had fun checking out the cars though.

Check out the original price sticker!

Bench seats in the front!

We had a super fun day date and brought home lots of goodies! :)

This flower pot hangs on our front porch.  It's already really healthy and I'm looking forward to it getting to be a big hanging basket.  :)

Close-up.  Love the colors!

My hunny also bought me some hot pink mini carnations.  I love mini carns - they are pretty and last for at least 2 weeks!

Our Olio Fresca purchase!  Can't wait to dig into these! :)

This was something we picked up and drank (obviously), but it was delicious!  I didn't think I was going to like the grapefruit juice in it, but it was light and refreshing without being overly sweet or bitter.

Our sampler from The Berry Patch!  Pumpkin Butter, Elderberry Jelly, Blackberry Jam, and Grape Jelly.

I'm so glad we decided to get down to the Strip.  We'll definitely be making more trips there in the future!

Rogers Flea Market

Peter only had to work a half day today since it's Good Friday.  So I took a half day as well and we met the Schindels at Rogers Flea Market!  The weather was great - not a cloud in the sky and breezy.  It was actually on the colder side which is always my preference.  :)  I was on the hunt for a wooden spice rack.  Would you believe that there wasn't one to be found in the entire place?  I was so bummed!  Oh well.  It was nice to see the Schindels and walk around outside.  Afterwards, we went to The Wooden Indian for dinner.  :)  

St. Wendelin's Flea Market Finds

I've said it before and I'll say it again.  I love flea markets!  Today the church across the street from where I work had another flea market.  They do one every few months and the girls at work and I always go.  This year We went right after they opened and it was packed!  We couldn't believe it since we usually go at lunch time and it's pretty quiet.  

$1.95 later and this is what I got.  4 glass bowls, 1 blue glass vase, a leaf tea light candle holder, a pair of earrings that I am going to take the backs off us and repurpose as part of a flower headband, and a wooden candle holder.  I'm actually not sure if the wooden thing is a candle holder.  It was ten cents, but has found a home on my kitchen windowsill as a mini Bath & Body Works candle holder.  :)  The glass bowls were also ten cents each.  The blue vase was a whopping $1.  

Peter asked what I need these things for, but I already found homes for them all.  The only exemption is the leaf which will be used in the fall.  :)

Pretty Woman

Peter got a new job the beginning of this year, but needed some new duds to go with that job!  It's much more of a professional environment and he needs to wear collared shirts each day.  No jeans.  Not even on Friday!  So totally different than what he was able to wear before.  We set out earlier today in hopes of being able to get a few more pieces to add to his wardrobe.  Boy did we get some deals!  We were able to get some nice shoes, shirts, and pants for him.  And a new coat for me!  The after Christmas clearance sales with additional percents off were killer.  I can't wait to see him in his new clothes.  :)

Online Shopping: Delivered.

When I got home from work today, all of these packages were on my doorstep!  These are most, but not all, of my online orders from my Black Friday shopping.  Even though I was out in the madness, this way is sooooo much easier!  Now I'm off to put these behind closed doors so that Cadi (who you can see is already eyeing up the packages) won't eat the plastic, tape, etc.  

Black Friday Shopping

I'm officially nuts.  I went out at midnight to shop with my mom, sister, and Peter.  It wasn't bad at first.  I did my big order for Kohl's online earlier in the day and only had 3 things I wanted to pick up in store.  2 items at Macy's and 1 at Kohl's.  We hit up Macy's at midnight and were in and out in less than 30 minutes.  Then came Kohl's.  Big mistake.  HUGE!  I was done in a few minutes because I didn't have to stand in the huge long line that wrapped around the store 1.5 times.  I had to go to customer service since I had to add my item to my online order to fix an error with my Kohl's cash.  My mom and sister were buying things though and had to stand in line.  I went to the car with Peter and it was over 2 hours later that they were done.  Actually, closer to 3.  At 1:30 I could've been in bed.  We didn't get home until almost 4.  We were going to go to Denny's for something to eat, but the wait was about an hour and we didn't call until we were ready to eat.  Peter was dying so we went to Sheetz where it took an hour to get a breakfast sandwich.  If we planned better, then Peter and I could've gone to Denny's and waited the last hour there and then could've eaten.  Oh well.  Lesson learned!

We got some sleep and then went out again later that day to Target and a few other places.  It wasn't nearly as bad!  Of course all of the door busters, etc. were mostly gone, but we weren't looking for anything like that anyways.  I ended up getting a dress and sweater that my mom bought me for Christmas.  I'm sure by next month I'll forget what they look like and it'll be a surprise.  :)

Black Friday shopping is always nuts I think.  I suggest online orders if at all possible.  :)

Shop 'Til We Drop!

I think I shopped more today than I have in the last 6 months combined!  Ok...maybe that's a bit of a stretch, but still!

Ash and my mom came over for the day.  Peter joined us and I'm pretty sure he was regretting that at some point haha.  We went to Robinson, Cranberry, and made a stop for dinner at Wooden Indian followed by Bruster's for dessert.  Fun times and great food!  I didn't actually buy that much.  I bought 2 cute necklaces at New York & Co. for $2.99, some Yankee Candle votives for $1/each, and Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin Soap for $2.50 at Bath & Body Works.  It's my absolute favorite scent for fall and I was pumped that the "Halloween" graphic bottle was on clearance already!

I also started my Christmas shopping for others.  It feels so weird that it's getting to be that time of year!

By the time we got home, we were definitely exhausted.  We probably won't be able to keep our eyes open much longer...

New Sheetz

A new Sheetz opened in Monroeville and we got a bunch of coupons for free items.  Awesome, right?  Well, one of the coupons was for a free "coffeez" so I decided it'd be the perfect opportunity to try out one of their frozen chai beverages.  I saw that there pumpkin beverages were back for the season and asked for flavor shots of pumpkin to be added.  Yum-city.  This newly discovered treat did not disappoint and will likely be enjoyed many times this Fall.  :)

Randomness

I love crafts. Possibly a little too much because I see great ideas online and want to make everything haha.

I recently saw ideas for appliques for onesies and whipped up these 2 as gifts for friends. The birdie was for baby girl Marando, now known as Laney.

The elephant was for Eli. Cute and pretty simple to do!

I now have a small stockpile of white onesies that I've gotten at Walmart and Babies R Us for pretty cheap. Now I just need to find some more ideas for appliques! I'm thinking a pumpkin and Christmas tree may be fun for the holidays!

Is there a limit on free samples for paint colors? I hope not! I got a nice stack to use my paper punches on for gift tags, etc.

Is this post random enough? No, not yet?

How about 2 random pictures of our dining room to add to the mix. I have the linens we got while in Italy out and have been enjoying them and thinking fondly of our trip last year.

A new centerpiece arrangement that I came up with a few weeks ago:

Well that about does it for what's going on here, haha.

Weekend Shopping

This weekend while I was out and about with my hubby, I snagged a few things to use my Kohl's gift cards on.

I'm super into ball stud earrings right now. I feel like all of my dangly earrings are getting caught on scarves, in my hair etc. The studs are great and super cute! I have some silver ones that I constantly wear as well as pearl ones from my sister's wedding.

This isn't a great picture of them, but I love these bronze ones. They are slightly different colors so I bought both! haha

For $1.20 per pair, it was a great deal! My plan is to possibly paint a pair black. I've been looking for black ones to no avail. I don't know how painting a pair would work, but for $1.20 I figured it was worth a shot! Those red/yellow stickers closely compete with Target's red stickers...

I also got this cute Chaps skirt for $6. It's got a great paisley pattern that should (hopefully) be easy to pair with several different options for tops.

This dress isn't from Kohl's, but I saw it at Target and thought it was so cute! It will be cute with boots and a sweater in the fall/winter and sandals in the spring/summer. Love that! I'm somewhat embarrassed to say, but I paid full price for this. I honestly can't remember the last time I paid full price for clothes...?? It was too cute to pass up. I figured I'll wait to see if it goes on sale/clearance and get a price adjustment. If not, then I think I can afford to "splurge" every now and then.

Poppy Plate

I've got so many gift cards in my wallet. For so many different places. It actually makes shopping fun since I don't have to spend my own money! haha

While in Marshalls this morning, I saw this cute plate. I love the colors on it and the scalloped edges.

I also love the price tag - $2.99!

I've been rearranging some things in our dining room and think this plate will make an awesome addition. :)

Fun New Stuff

This weekend, Peter and I did a bit of shopping. We didn't have anything specific that we needed to get, but just wanted to go out and browse and see if we stumbled on anything good. I love shopping trips like this because it seems so much more relaxed than if we're looking for something specific. Maybe because when I'm searching for something specific, I can never find it...

A few weeks ago we were at Marshalls and I saw a case that I almost bought for my phone. It was only $8 and I was going to have Peter check it out, but forgot to before leaving. It didn't matter to me since I wasn't in need of a new case (even though my current one is cracked from the many times that it's been dropped). This weekend I was back in the same Marshalls and wanted to see if it was still there...and it was! And it was on clearance! It is the gunmetal grey colored case on the right in the picture below. $6 instead of $8. Sweet! But then I stumbled upon the rust orange case for $4! One of my favorite colors and even cheaper! Double sweet! For a grand total of $10 (plus tax), I got two new cases for my phone. :) They are incase brand, which my hubby tells me is a good brand. And they slide on just like I like. It covers the sides and the back, but isn't too bulky and doesn't cover any of the screen/buttons. Perfect! It's not often that we find something "decorative" for me, "practical" for Peter, and cheap! What a trifecta. Peter should be proud of me for just using the word "trifecta".

I've been using the rust colored case for a day and already love it! It's like having a new phone! :)

I currently have about $50 in Kohl's gift cards and merchandise credit from Christmas, etc.. Usually I find a ton of great things at Kohl's. I know I just have to hang onto it and great things will come in time, haha. I did manage to use $7 from the $50. $3 was on this adorable little "love" plate. It was a valentine's clearance item at 80% off. So cute!

The other $4 was on this bracelet (also 80% off). I plan to remove the flower charm from it. I received this great Stella and Dot bracelet for Christmas from Matt, Ruthann, Wesley, and Zack. I love it and wear it all the time. I've been so tempted to get the turquoise one, but am hoping it goes on clearance eventually. $34 is just not what I spend on jewelry. I know, I'm cheap, haha! For now, this little $4 beauty will do me just fine. :)

I {heart} Clearance Items!

Peter and I were out this evening and I found some great clearance items. I've already admitted to my weakness to the red stickers at Target. Those little suckers just pull me in.

I've seen this apron before and thought about getting it. At $3.74, I just couldn't resist. Surprisingly, that's the only thing I bought at Target. My husband can attest to the fact that this is certainly not the norm. Although I do have my eye on some other home clearance items that I'm hoping move from 30% off to 75% off in the next few weeks...

While at Joann purchasing zippers to redo our current non-Christmas living room pillows and a few other random supplies, I happened upon their 90% off Christmas section. I couldn't believe there was still stuff left! Tons of wrapping paper. Too bad I'm trying to use up my current supply before purchasing more. I have a love/hate relationship with wrapping paper. I love it because I can find tons of cute paper, but I hate it because it seems so wasteful. I have resorted to many boxes/bags that already have Christmas pictures/scenes/prints on them so that no paper is needed. Thanks to the Dollar Tree at 50% off, those can be pretty cheap (10 cents each or so) and many of my family members save them for reusing themselves or just give them back to me haha. I digress...back to Joann.

I picked up a few ornaments. None that I actually plan to use as ornaments, though.

I thought this little star/bell was super cute to just put on a shelf somewhere. I love the country-ish feel to it and super love the metal. Peter asked if I was going to use it to decorate for the 4th of July. I hadn't thought about that, but now that he mentioned it, I think it could be cute mixed in with some red, white, and blue. Good eye, hunny! :)

It was originally $9.99. Thanks to 90% off and a coupon for an additional 20% of, I snagged it for a mere 79 cents! Now I'm wondering if there were more and if so, why I didn't get them. This may warrant another trip to Joann this week.

This little metal heart with "FAITH" on it is cute, but I actually liked the plain backside of it better. Originally $1.99, I got it for 16 cents!

I plan to use it on my hurricanes. Looks super cute, right? I think I need to change the wooden beads out for the red ones again as a shout out for Valentine's Day.

This cute little tree was the same as the heart with "FAITH" on the front. I again plan to use this on a hurricane at Christmas time. I'm thinking red beads, green twine, and this cutie hanging on the front. I have several things to use on my hurricanes at Christmas time so I'll be switching things around, hanging them from knobs on furniture and some may even be wrapped around candles next year.

All of my purchases tonight came to a whopping $5.36. Can't beat that!