WEEKEND THRIFT

One of my favorite things to do is going to thrift stores and flea markets to find unique pieces, whether it's clothing or stuff for the house. Although, flea markets in New Jersey are more actual flea markets compared to what's common now in New York or more at the west coast, vintage flea markets, I still venture out and hope to find cheaper pieces that I can make into my own. For this particular trip at the Berlin Flea Market, I got lucky with a couple of pieces that are flipped by the seller. Since I do this myself and I just love the rawness and artistry on such items, I didn't think twice and purchased them. We shelled out $75 for the bench, dog bed and our love plank, still a great deal isn't it?!

In places like these, patience is really a virtue. Jersey flea markets since they are non-specific with the items people can sell can get a bit overwhelming. It is best that you go around, ask for pricing for some of the items that caught your eye and then say that you will just go back for it. That's a great bargaining tip too, sometimes if you seem less interested with the price you gave, walking back to their stall you'll hear the seller shout out a lower price for the item you were already eyeing before. Between John and I, I would have to say that he is much much better than me in bargaining. So, having said that, I bring him in all of my flea market trips (haha!).

 Juicy loved her new bed!

* To make this more officially ours, I will be paiting Juicy's name on the headboard of this bed*

Oh, the love Plank! We have plenty of "love" things around the house, I'm sucker for it because I'm just cheesy like that, but I just love how raw this plank is, and btw, the seller made this usable in several ways. She added a hook in the back if you wanted to hang it, but since I'm not a big fan of putting a lot of holes in the wall, I decided to just add it in our corner basket at the family area. 

How could you not appreciate this bench? Made out from two dinette chairs and different plank of woods. Stuff like these if you check them out at etsy or a couple other online stores goes for hundreds, we got ours for a steal for $55!

So, while the weather is still permitting, go venture out to the flea market near you! Explore and enjoy!

JAR IT UP.

Planning my sister's wedding was certainly fun. Tons of ideas came to mind and one of them was to have all these jars line up the pathway where guests enter during the reception. That went ok but as a result I ended up with 72 mason jars! I thought I'd give them away but I was still left with a lot of them. Instead of having it collecting dust in the garage, I wanted to make use of some of them around the house.

Other than for drinks or food, there's plenty more where you can spread them around. Here are some ideas:

Party Helper. 

Paint it up. 

                                                  (acrylic paints will help glam up your jars)

Coffee Break.

                                 (With a little help from good old chalkboard paint and paint pen)

Mood Setter. 

CHOOSING YOUR BATTLES.

I have been fortunate that I found me such a mellow yellow man, I thought, this guy's worth marrying! And I did! John hardly ever gets angry, we hardly fight and even when we do it's mostly petty things (like putting the body lotion where it's supposed to be, which is by the very corner of our vanity or turning too fast when he's driving, etc ). John's cousin even asked that very same question, "Do you guys ever fight?" I took that question as a compliment of course. I mean we're supposed to be in that 7 year-itch thing that some talk about, but I guess there's really not a lot of itching to scratch in our marriage (I'm hoping that will last forever of course!). So we've been married for almost 3years and dated for a good 11months (I think?! We never really kept track).

To date, the biggest battle John and I have had is the battle of the x-box! Now, ladies, I don't know if you share the same sentiment I have with this particular device...I feel that it's nice, yes it is fun, however, it's ridiculously priced, not to mention that you have to buy accessories and games for it, which also cost a fortune. I love my husband dearly and although he has been asking me for one since the beginning of our marriage and even dared to make me promise to buy him one once we have a home, I haven't gave in.

SOLUTION: Entice him with a completely new toy (IN THIS CASE, IT'S A BOSE TV SPEAKER THING, I don't even know what this new toy is called) and lure him into getting it, better yet, make him believe that he's the one who really wants it.
RESULTS: A peaceful ending to the x-box battle.

Hahaha, just kidding Lovey! For couples out there, this is true though. Learn to compromise, not everything you ask for or want is gonna go your way. Learn to choose your battles, you can tug and push or you can totally just make a 180 degree turn to something equally exciting yet agreeable to you both. The new toy he got although is mainly for him and for his movies or football games is a great addition to our home anyway. So go ahead, make him win one battle. As for us ladies, this is a win-win situation, because though many people say a happy wife is a happy life, a happy husband and wife is an even happier life!

Quick tip:
For new home owners, make sure you take advantage of all resources, places such as hhgreg or best buy will send you coupons in the mail, carry it around you (I need to follow this advise because I totally regretted not using the 10% coupon I had at best buy when he purchased the speakers) so whenever it comes up, you're coupon ready!

Happy battling newlyweds!

QUICK AND EASY FALL.

Yes, fall has definitely arrived! We feel it in the air, we see it in the trees, we taste is all the pumpkin spice delicacies everywhere! For a first time home owner like me who's still adjusting with the new expenses of owning a home, any seasonal updates are not a priority. However, I didn't want to dampen my decorating spirit this fall so I had to find a quick and easy and of course, CHEAP way to add fall in my home.

Mini pumpkins, they are $3.99 for a bag of about 6 at Shoprite. I went on my normal grocery shopping and thought, this would do great! I kept a couple of them in its natural form and have decided to spread them around my living room, which worked great with the rustic feel I was going for in that room.

Also, remember to make use of what you already have in the home keep it within the budget. My living room center table immediately turned "fall" with just the addition of this magazine I got for free in the mail! (Very good pointer to keep in mind, come christmas, I'm sure I'll have something there with a tree or snowman!) My thrift find, $2 vintage owl coasters fit perfectly as well!

Another thing I do is buy fresh flowers weekly or sometimes bi-weekly to add color or freshness at home. But since, we're nearing halloween and it is fall, I decided to keep these dried roses to add a spooky elegance to my center piece. At any craft store, you are can find a dried flower preserve spray and use it any dried flower of your choice. Make sure to wrap around the stem up to the bottom of the flower with flower wire to keep it from dangling down. 
       
As for my receiving/formal living area, to add little more art and glam to the pumpkins and to fit the decor the room, I took advantage of my left over acrylic paints and dressed up our mini pumpkin friends.

Voila! I think, good parts of the home are now fall-ready! I thought my white pumpkin ended up looking like garlic, so I had to add another element to it (haha!). So using a sharpie paint pen (that can be purchased at any craft store), I added some silver polka-dots in them to glam it up even more.

Seasonal updates are always fun but can also get pricey, with a little dash of effort and creativity, maybe recycling things you already have, you can join that bandwagon without spending much! Happy fall everyone!

And I'm Back.

I forgot how good it feels to do this. For new readers, let me rewind back to 2011...Janelle's Work Diary. This is the name of my first blog. JWD was mainly about the clothes I wear to work, hence the name. I gave advise on how to put things together or where to get the cheapest and yet the chic-est items, and all things fashion. Now, 3years and some months later, I've changed. I'm no longer the "young" professional I thought of myself before. Now I am just a professional, a 28 almost 29 years old professional (not so young anymore!). I have also ventured into starting a little business with my not-so-baby brother, shout out to Pictured Notes Photography (check out our website, www.picturednotes.com)! I have also found the love of my life (did I just say that?!), my partner in crime and in life, John (he hates being called that, he prefers Jeb). You may also say that I am a home maker now because we've just moved in to our home two months ago (yehey!!!). And though many things have changed since then, few things remained the same, I am still my sexy hot momma's daughter, daddy's little girl, and part of the tres marias club with my sisters, Jocelle and Joanne.

(with John)

(Throw back to JWD)

(We're moved in!)

Obviously, with these many changes in my life and having to play a different role or sometimes all roles in a day, I had to end JWD. But, let me say this now...I'M BACK! Playing Janes will slightly be different with JWD. Fashion will always be with me but now, I'd like to share about all other interests I have--home design, arts and crafts/diy's and even cooking! I hope you all enjoy this blog as much as the first one or better yet, more than the first one! Thank you all for reading!