Mall Haul

I had a lovely girls day out with my mother and some friends! After a late lunch at Olive Garden, I got some great deals at Deb and Claire's. I also received the gift of undies from my mom's friend Becki. lol Enjoy my little mall haul! ;)

 Claire's had their usual 10 for $10 sale going on! Always fun!

I got a minty blue bow barrette, a black bow claw clip, a black wrap bracelet and some adorable 3-D nails! They are blue with cute white bows and little gems. I also got six pairs of earrings! Some dangling keys, long arrow heads, gold bows with pink roses, tiny black horses, little gold skulls and some coral colored chain ones. :)

Once we arrived at Deb I noticed a pink sign that mentioned that their clearance items were buy one get one free. I bought a $15 dress and got the other dress for free! They are similar layered ruffle strapless styles with stretchy belts. One is a cute blue, purple and white flower pattern. The other is a teal, orange and white kind of tribal tie dye pattern.

And lastly, I was given the gift of two pairs of undies from Lane Bryant as well. lol My mom's friend had some special LB money to spend. You can't go wrong with some quality cotton hipster undies!

Bringing Home Gerbils!

I've recently decided that it would be a good idea to get some gerbils! I have a 10 gallon tank that used to have fish in it. They were too much work and not all that fun, to be honest! The tank sat empty in my room for ages, but after starting work again at a small local pet store,  I remembered how much the little gerbils intrigued me. It took about a week or so to collect all the supplies I needed to make a neat little habitat for them. The most expensive part was the wheel! The actual tank and stand were a gift, so lucky me. lol

So, meet my cute little men! Smitty and Tater are dark eyed white gerbil brothers that were actually born in the store last summer. :) Being a hockey fan, they are named after two of my favorite Red Wings players. One being Brendan Smith who most of us fans call "Smitty" and Tomas Tatar who some of us affectionately call "Tater". lol They are curious little monkies who love to chew and climb. They seem pretty happy in their new dwellings! Here are all the things I bought to help me get started on my new gerbil adventure! I've included some links so you can get a better view of some of the products. Check local pet stores, Amazon, Ebay, Dr. Foster and Smith, and other online pet products sites to find the best deals. :)

(1). Making the Platforms

To make these platforms, I mostly used unfinished craft wood from Hobby Lobby. The "legs" are made of 1 1/2 inch wood cubes. The bottom level has three sets of two cubes that make the legs. I did this to make it tall enough for it to double as a hiding area. The top level is separated from the first by one cube. The first platform is a 6 x 6 inch square and the top one is a 9 1/2 x 3 inch rectangle. I used some non-toxic glues to keep the pieces together. The wood was a little over $4 at Hobby Lobby. I used this piece and this piece. I had the cubes laying around. They were meant for a scrapbooking project. They came in a pack of nine and I bought them for only $1.47 at Merchandise Outlet!

(2). Other Supplies

I bought a Super Pet 8oz plastic water bottle and holder from the store I work at. I might later invest in a nice glass one! Together, these cost around $8. I also invested $14 into a Super Pet Silent Spinner Wheel from another pet store since we were all out and I didn't want to wait. lol I got the "regular" size, which is 6 1/2 inches and supposed to be for hamsters and gerbils. I have been making wood chews for my own rabbits for a while, so I decided to hang one by a paper clip in the gerbil tank. I bought my supplies from this lovely seller on Ebay. I also have rainbow colored wood chew sticks that I bought at Walmart for around $2. I am saving up toilet paper and paper towel rolls for them to chew up as well. I decided on the aspen bedding (packaging is a bit different than that link, mine is blue) made by Alfa Pet. It is finely chopped and looks great for burrowing. It's very safe for them, unlike pine and cedar. The 9 liter bag cost only around $2 compared to the $8 Carefresh and Critter Care bedding.

(3). Room for Growth!

I also plan on getting a tank topper! That will give them even more new levels to explore. I found this Chew Proof tank topper by Ware that seems to quite nice. It comes out to around $30 where I've been looking online.

(4). Exploring Their New Home

They seem really happy and they just love that wheel! It is now officially worth that $14. lol I hope they continue to enjoy their new home and I can't wait to see them become more comfortable here.

Thrift Shopping Haul

I am pushing my Wreck This Journal post until tomorrow! Today I am posting the things I bought while thrift shopping today. I got my usual small hoard of books and some clothes today! I only spent a little over $10 on everything. :) I can always count on the local Salvation Army. It is probably my favorite place to shop nowadays. Also, for some reason everything I bought today was green!

This green dress by Blair is from who knows what decade. lol I didn't have a dress like this in my closet yet. I love the color and the three small buttons on the shoulder! It used to have some type of belt around it. I noticed a thin loop on the waist area. No worries, I can find another!

 Another teal/green dress, this one is made by Merona. It's light and flowy with a high, stretchy waistband... yay for the slimming effect! ;) This one is so comfy! Can't wait until warmer weather. I have so many new dresses to wear from previous SA trips!

While walking toward the dressing room, the horses on this button up sleeveless shirt caught my eye. I had to do it. It was only a little over $2 and on top of that, the tag color was 50% off today! Couldn't pass it up. I love riding horses and this will be great to wear over a tank top or something in the summer time. :) Pretty prancing ponies!

 Here is my book hoard from today! I've made a list of the titles and authors of each one. I filled a bag of books for the lovely low price of $1.99 today. I love this place. I do, I do, I dooooo! I added Goodreads links to the books that were available. :)

Projection - by Risa Green

The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope - by Rhonda Riley

The Probable Future - by Alice Hoffman

Persuasion - by  Jane Austen

Her Secret Star - by Bennie C. Hall

A Kid's EcoJournal Set (missing summer, sadly) - by Toni Albert

Conejos/Rabbits (Spanish to English) - by Ottenheimer Publishers

Little Rabbit's Loose Tooth - by Lucy Bate & Illustrated by Diane DeGroat

The last little bunny item isn't really a book... it has a cut out on the front and you open the rest of it to see the bunny family. There are 4 square pictures of the baby bunny on the back. Not sure where it came from! lol There was a turtle one too, but I am the bunny lady. ;)

Wreck This Journal... and more!

Happy New Year! I wish I could say that mine has started off well, but I can't. lol We won't get into that though! It's time to be joyful! So, since I was in the top 20 for a certain badge on Influenster, I was rewarded with $10 to use on Amazon! I love to buy books on Amazon and I recently chose three and put my $10 towards the total.

The first two sparked my interest long ago, but I didn't have money at the time... so I sadly forgot about them. Recently I watched a video by one of my favorite YouTubers and she purchased one so I was yet again reminded of these fun books! I can't wait for them to arrive! If you read the description of the first book, you'll have a better understanding of what the journals are. :) The last book is actually more for my 4-H rabbit kids. I am always collecting rabbit books. lol The titles are links to Amazon so you can look inside and purchase. Check peoples journals on Pinterest, YouTube and Tumblr too! Once I get the journals and start using them, I will update the blog with my progress. :)

Wreck This Journal (Black) Expanded Edition by Keri Smith

For anyone who's ever had trouble starting, keeping, or finishing a journal or sketchbook comes this expanded edition of Wreck This Journal, an illustrated book that features a subversive collection of prompts, asking readers to muster up their best mistake and mess-making abilities and to fill the pages of the book (or destroy them). Through a series of creatively and quirkily illustrated prompts, acclaimed artist Keri Smith encourages journalers to engage in "destructive" acts--poking holes through pages, adding photos and defacing them, painting pages with coffee, coloring outside the lines, and more--in order to experience the true creative process. With Smith's unique sensibility, readers are introduced to a new way of art and journal making, discovering novel ways to escape the fear of the blank page and fully engage in the creative process.

This journal also comes in red, duct tape and paper bag pattens!

Mess: The Manual of Accidents and Mistakes by Keri Smith

Your whole life you've been taught to avoid making a mess: Try to keep everything under control, color inside the lines, make it perfect, and at all costs, avoid contact with things that stain.

This book asks you to do the opposite of what you have been taught. Think of it as your own personal rumpus room. A place to let loose, to trash, to spew, to do the things you are not allowed to do in the "real world." It's time to make a mess.

The only three rules you'll find in this book:
1. Do not try to make something beautiful.
2. Do not think too much. (There is no "wrong.")
3. Continue under all circumstances.

 Rabbit Book: A Guide to Raising and Showing Rabbits

by Samantha Johnson

This invaluable resource contains everything you need to know about selecting and caring for healthy rabbits, whether you keep pet bunnies or exhibit animals as National FFA Organization or 4-H youth projects. Advice on feeding, housing, and much more will help you set up your own rabbitry. Learn about maintaining clean hutches and nest boxes, breeding trios and raising kits, and diagnosing and treating health problems. The Rabbit Book gathers information about showing many different kinds of rabbits at fairs and events, including fancy, Angora, and commercial meat breeds. Beautifully illustrated with color photography, this guidebook covers everything you need to know to succeed.

Salvation Army Haul

I went to one of my favorite places this week.. twice! This place, you ask? Salvation Army!

The first day I went, it was near closing... I headed straight for the books! I filled up a bag of books and picked up few little rabbit knick knacks. The second trip was much longer (lots of time browsing and in the dressing room) and I came home with some new clothing! :) Thrift shopping is great for relieving stress... finding a good bargain really makes ya feel good!

Shopping Day 1:

I got the "fill a bag of books" deal for only $1.99! I also picked up some cute little rabbits to add to my always growing collection of rabbit things. I plan on using most of the books as Christmas presents this year for my nieces and nephew.

These are the books I got for myself! There is also a Sherlock Holmes PC game ($1.99) that my mom bought for me too.  The books are The Secret Garden, 50 Ways to Pamper Yourself, Bloodline, The Nightmarys and a set of 6 Ultimate Puppy training books.

Some of these books are for my nephew. He is always taking his Pikachu stuffy with him, so I saw the Pokemon books and immediately thought of my childhood and him. They are in excellent condition considering they are from the late 90s. All of the coloring books have been untouched and still have all their stickers and tattoos. I might sell a few or keep one too. I'm sure there are some collectors out there that would love them. lol Same goes for a few Star Wars books that I found.

 The two children's books (Unlovable and Eating the Alphabet) are for my nieces and I also found a Spiderman Super Thriller paperback called Warrior's Revenge.

Last, I found these three little bunny knick knacks to fuel my obsession with all things bunny. The mother rabbit reading to her little bun-child was 69 cents and the adorable little pair of rabbits were 59 cents each.

 

Total: $4.09

Shopping Day 2:

I found quite a few things to try on... more than I think ever before. As usual, about half of the things I picked out actually fit me well or looked nice. lol For some amazing reason, everything was 25% off. I got an even better deal than usual. I saved between 37 and 67 cents on each piece of clothing. Overall, it was a great shopping day!

Dark navy blue Eddie Bauer rose sweater ($1.99)

 Green print Paris Sport Club sweater ($2.29)

 DBY Ltd. black lace dress ($2.69)

Dark navy blue and floral Old Navy dress ($2.69)

Navy blue and white floral Faded Glory dress ($1.69)

Dark purple abstract floral Elle top ($1.69)

Minty green pleated vintage rose skirt ($1.49)

Total: $11.28