Strings of pearls...

Love these milk glass plates, and I am not even a fan of milk glass. I don't know if they have a name or not...if they don't, they should be called string of pearls. Bought nine of them at a garage sale a year ago. Paid $1 a piece...which seemed like a lot at the time...but I am so happy I didn't pass them by. They are the perfect dessert plates.

Please take the garage sale survey on my sidebar if you haven't done so already. I will be using the results of this survey in an upcoming Thrifty Shopping article on examiner.com.

Special thanks to all my blogger friends that have visited me on examiner.com. I appreciate your support.

If you would like to receive the examiner.com articles directly you can sign up to receive the articles via email by clicking on the 'Subscribe to Email' button next to my picture on examiner.com, or sign up for an RSS feed which can be found under the title of any article you select.

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Renee @ Cottage Lifestyle

10 Uses for Orphan Sheets...

Stop by and read my 10 Uses for Orphan Sheets article on examiner.com. Creative ideas, photos and tutorials by Vanessa of Vand Co. are featured. Thank you Vanessa!

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Renee @ Cottage Lifestyle

Neighborhood Watch Redefined...

My neighbors know my love for free finds. On my way back from a doggie play date, I was walking by my neighbor Randi's house just as her husband was getting ready to put this dresser out on the street. Of course I couldn't leave it behind as I have been looking for an affordable dresser for my green guest bedroom. Not having a tape measure with me I measured the depth and length using my arm. Not sure why I even bothered as it wasn't as if I knew what size the space was where it will go. Even though my measuring technique was a bit archaic, I somehow knew would fit. It is going to need some TLC.

Being on foot I couldn't take it with me...but I couldn't leave it...what if it wasn't there by the time I got back.  Fortunately Randi's husband was willing to put it aside for me. Hopefully our weather will level out soon and I can get outside to sand and paint (plan is to paint it white). Love the detailing and knobs.

AsI was on the way to the grocery store my neighbor Linda called to tell me she had spotted an old wood bookcase in the neighborhood. Now, that is neighborhood watch at its finest. So on my way home from the grocery store I headed to the intersection where it was spotted andI have great neighbors it was still there (wahoo!).

Back of book case below.

I have great neighbors. Maybe I should distribute a flyer to all the neighbors letting them know that I am scavenger and always on the lookout for 'junk'.

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Renee @ Cottage Lifestyle

Blogging spot...

Short and sweet post today...the weather was warm enough yesterday to blog from the front porch.

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Renee @ Cottage Lifestyle

Round-robin clothing exchange and more…

Per a prior post…I started a gig as the Thrifty Shopping Examiner (freelance writer) for the Minneapolis examiner.com website. Finally, all those years of junk shopping and dumpster diving will be put to use. I will be writing three to four articles a week about searching thrift and antique stores, occasional, rummage and garage sales, flea markets, and dumpsters for deals, sharing junking, repurposing, recycling, and decorating tips, and fabulous blog finds and ideas (I already have four of our favorite bloggers willing to share...stay tuned to find out who they are).

As I browse the blogs I will be on the lookout for a thrifty find or idea. If you have any note worthy finds and decorating ideas and wish to share them, I would love to feature them in an article. Of course, I would give you credit for each idea/photo and include your blog address. You can contact me by clicking on the email button the sidebar or send an email directly to thriftyshopping@hotmail.com.

I was waffling about keeping my blog going…so I think what I am going to do…is on the days that I have an article on examiner.com that I think you would enjoy…I will mention it here and you can decide if you want to link over to examiner.com to read it. On the days I don’t have an article on examiner.com I am hoping to have a post here.

Please check out my first article on examiner.com titled Round-robin clothing exchange and more.

Important note…the photo of me on the examiner.com website is of me and my dog Lollie, but they cropped it so it looks like I have black fur on my face…hopefully it will be fixed soon.

If you are interested in writing for the examiner.com about a topic you enjoy, and have questions the process, let me know.

Thanks for stopping by…
Renee @ Cottage Lifestyle