favorite things: brooke @ all things thrifty

17 November 2010

Look at these colors! I dub Brooke, from All Things Thrifty, the queen of color. She uses it boldly and it pays off:brooke collage I love the quote on her blog:  "Creativity takes courage."~Henri Mattisse.
She has a talent (that I am completely jealous of) of bringing bold pops of color together to completely finish a room and give it new life. I am going to try to get my “All Things Thrifty mindset” on as I tackle my kids’ rooms and family room and try to be more daring with color, because I could look at her photos all day. She also has 3 beautiful kids and is expecting #4 in January!
Did you see what they did on their backyard blockwall?
Her $12 leaf stenciled wall..such a big impact for so little $$!
She has tons of step by step tutorials as well …so excited to have her visiting today :)
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Thank you Melissa for having me today! I have to laugh because every time I've thought about this post this week, I automatically got the song "These are a few of my favorite things" from Sound of Music stuck in my head! So, when I saw the post from Shelley from House of Smiths, it cracked me up that she did a spin on the same song at the beginning of her post! Beware, my "favorite things" list is a bit random, but that's just how we roll around here. My brain is pretty fried most the time with pregnancy brain, so please forgive the randomness! I decided to mainly tell you about the things that I use on a daily basis. I thought that if I told you about a few of the things that make my life easier, maybe those things could do the same for you! So, in no particular order...here are my top... 10...11 random favorite things!!
#1: Dawn Direct Foam
I honestly LOVE this stuff. It is a must have at my house, and when I'm out of it, I get ticked. ;) I tend to gravitate to items that make my life easier, and this definitely does. I use it on a daily basis. It is so convenient!  A quick pump of soap is all I need to wash my pots and pans that I don't put in the dishwasher. Otherwise, they would be dirty (for awhile, lets be honest) sitting in my sink. 
#2 IKEA scrub brushes:
I love these bad boys because they only cost about a buck, and they go hand in hand with the above routine. I love that they are so affordable, so I stock up on them and feel comfortable switching them out often. I love the suction cup on the end also because it stays suctioned to the bottom of my sink waiting for the next time I need it. 
#3 Belly Bands:
I am currently 30 weeks pregnant, and if you have never tried a belly band, it is an absolute must for being preggers. These wonderful inventions hold up your regular pants.  Anything that helps expand my pregnancy wardrobe is appreciated! You can buy these at Forever 21 for only about $8.00.
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#4 Air compressor and air staple gun:
I don't use this on a daily basis, but if you have ever reupholstered anything, you know that it is a challenge to pull the fabric tight and secure it well enough to look professional. This combination of an air compressor and air staple gun has literally saved me hours and hours. 
#5 Diet Mt. Dew:
This is definitely my soda of choice, and if you have never tried it, you must. Disclaimer...if you don't currently drink diet drinks, of course this drink is not going to taste as good as the sugary goodness of regular soda. BUT, if you are accustomed to diet drinks, try this one on ice. It tastes much better than diet coke in my opinion.
#6 Got 2b Glued Spiking Glue:
I have a short, kind of messy/flip hair cut, and a little bit of this stuff holds it right in place. I am one of those people that cannot have hair falling in my face all day or it drives me berserk. So, this "glue" keeps my bangs where they need to be for hours. Plus one tube lasts me forever!
#7 KILZ Spray Primer:
I redo furniture a lot, and have tried a lot of products. I cannot live without KILZ primer. I have not found another one that even compares to it. One can of KILZ primes and seals better than many, many cans of other brands.
#8 Krylon Spray Paint
I use Krylon spray paint to redo most of my furniture re-purposing. I have tried out a LOT of brands of spray paint, and Krylon's nozzle has impressed me the most. I like that the nozzle rotates to spray both vertically and horizontally. I have to admit that if I had a super nice paint sprayer, this would probably not be the case, but as of now, this is the method I use to refinish furniture. 
#9 My Nikon D90 Camera:
I LOVE my Nikon camera. I have had it for over a year, and it has been a great investment. With my old point and shoot cameras, I was always disappointed that the pictures weren't "crisp" enough. I don't have that problem with this camera. It was a bit pricey, but I have found that in order to get the quality of photos I wanted, it has been exactly what I was looking for.
#10 Cafe Rio Chicken Salad
I wish I had a better picture of this salad. I am addicted to it. Cafe Rio is a restaurant that exists in Arizona, Utah, California, Nevada, Idaho and Colorado. I am lucky to have one right her in St. George where I live, and I love this salad. I choose the chicken salad with black beans and house dressing. It makes my mouth water even thinking about it. YUMMMM!
#11 Chili's Chips and Salsa:
While I was thinking about the food category, I decided that I just HAD to include my other addiction. Chili's chips and salsa! I am one of those gals who would rather have something savory than sweet. My husband is the EXACT opposite. I love chips and salsa and Chili's is my VERY favorite. :)
A few other things that I love are pedicures, Halloween, of course DECORATING!!! I hope you have enjoyed getting a glimpse into my life! Thanks for having me!
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Thank you, Brooke! You just reminded me how much I miss Cafe Rio and I so wish I had known about the belly bands about 10 years ago. I love how even your dish soap and scrub brush are bright colors :)
Tomorrow is Favorite Things Party!
favorite things button 
I’ll try to have the link up before midnight Eastern time. Can’t wait to see your favorite things and show you the little giveaway package I put together of favorite things from everyone this week.
Do you have a favorite All Things Thrifty project?

5 comments

  1. Another great post! I'm off to go check out her blog :)

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  2. Her style is AMAZING, and that camera has been on my wish list, she nails it as to why. My pictures aren't crisp and it drives me crazy!!!! Soon...and again, her color! LOVE! Janell

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  3. I love Krylon paint, too. And thanks for the tip about Kilz Primer. I've also heard good things about that brand.

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  4. I love her blog and have been reading it for a while, but I've never seen a picture of Brooke. That was a nice surprise, and now I've got a cute face to put along with all of her amazing projects. Did you see those chairs turned picture frames? I'm scouring garbage piles so I can do the same...... :)

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  5. I LOVE her headboard and every other project she has done! I have been following (maybe stalking) her for a while!

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