A few things...

1. Today I visited Waterfront Antique Mall  

in an effort to avoid the Black Friday mobs at the mall.

The antique mall is very eclectic. 

A friend of mine has attended their auctions and found some incredible deals.

I absolutely love vintage restaurant ware. 

I snagged this heavy duty restaurant ware plate from the YWCA for just a few bucks!

2. Design*Sponge Online published a book this fall.

I check the d*s website religiously for their latest postings about home decor, food and life.

The book is beautifully designed. It lives on our coffee table so I can drool on it whenever I see it.

Grace Bonney (the adorable gal in the picture) is one of the creators of the website, and her home is featured in the book.

  The design aesthetic is funky --much of the homes are designed with mid-century touches.

The book also has a large section of DIY projects for all skill levels and budgets. 

I want to make these hand towels!

And these place mats!

Toward the back of the book there is a wonderful illustrated "How To" section for all of those intimidating craft projects like rewiring a lamp or reupholstering a chair. 

  I keep seeing awesome craft projects like these but just never stop and take the time to try them out.  

 A New Year's resolution of the crafty sort, I pledge that I will complete (and post about) one new craft project per month in 2012!

3. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars. Leftover pumpkin puree is a great excuse for these delicious bars. Mr. Living Lovely on Little (Mr. LLL) pondered whether these bars were part of my plan for world domination.

No, they are not. I actually borrowed the recipe from Elizabeth LaBau of SugarHero.com.

My apologies for the not so pretty food photos. Man, taking pictures of food is HARD! Please refer to Elizabeth's gorgeous pictures--I promise you they didn't actually look like a chunk of sod!!

Can you find all four?

This fall, the school I work for hosted a grand party... an extravaganza to raise money for student scholarships.

Our school has a wonderful nutrition program that emphasizes whole foods production, so this year our florist had fun with the centerpieces, placing some surprise elements in each one....

Notice anything unusual?

Each bamboo box was filled to the brim with edibles, roses, and succulents. 

There is little frugal about professionally designed centerpieces, but I love the attention this florist paid to the details, even hiding rocks and shells underneath some of the little leaves.

The florist was Fiori Floral Design.

DIY: Make your own laundry powder

Happy Thanksgiving one and all!

May your holiday weekend be merry and bright...

Homemade laundry powder can be a cost-effective way to avoid

the harsh perfumes and dyes of commercial products.

Our supply of laundry powder ingredients has lasted about 3 months, and cost around $8 total.

There are cheaper laundry soaps out there, but the chemical "freer" laundry soap

alternatives can be very expensive. 

Because we have a small apartment and there are only two of us, we make small batches about once a month. I'll share with you the basic ratio of ingredients, so that you can multiply accordingly.

Here is what you'll need to make your own laundry powder:

1 bar Ivory soap or Fels-Naptha bar finely grated

1/2 cup Borax

1/2 cup washing Powder

You only need to use 1 tablespoon for each load--MAX. I only use about 1/2 tablespoon for an average size (and minimally soiled) load.

To grate your soap, I suggest you use a food processor. 

We grate our soap using a standard grater. It is fine for our washing machine, though many washing machine's do not appreciate larger chunks of soap and will leave a residue after each load.

Cadence was on hand to oversee the laundry powder operation. Thank goodness.

Borax is also useful for myriad other chores around the house, and has been a great alternative to the army of toxic chemical cleaners under our sink.

We sprinkle it on our carpets to deodorize before we vacuum each week. 

There is a great list of alternate uses for borax on www.diylife.com/2010/08/12/25-household-uses-for-borax/

Another frugal laundry trick we love is using tennis balls in the dryer. Not only does laundry dry faster, but it also leaves towels and blankets extra fluffy and cuts down on the static! 

We now use those little neon balls completely in the place of standard dryer sheets. 

Fair warning: doing the laundry with tennis balls can be loud!