Thrifty Treasures & My 200th Post Giveaway!

This is my 200th post! If you stick with me until the end of this post, please check out my Giveaway. When I announce the winner on Friday morning, there will be another exciting announcement that will involve everyone and you'll have a chance to win another Giveaway!

But first things first! You see the button here, so you know it's time for Thrifty Treasures! Please be sure to check out Miss Rhoda's new and improved Southern Hospitality blog to see what kind of amazing bargains everyone found over the weekend. Rhoda has some sort of yard sale treasure sixth sense...I don't know how she manages to come home with all of those diamonds in the rough.

Just a simple, average ceramic pumpkin, right?

Turn it around, and it's actually a little "house" for a tea light!

$6 is a little more than I'd normally spend on something at Goodwill, but I had some cash, and it says "Hallmark" on the bottom, so I am assuming it was a lot more than $6 at one time, considering the size and weight of the piece. Also, Natalie begged me. I'll just have to find a nice Autumn home for this pumpkin.

I spotted this tray for $2! It has nice, clean lines, and I will be spray painting it white this week to use at my sister's bridal shower this coming Saturday. I might use it to hold the favors.

This is my favorite find of the week...it doesn't need any work! I got it at Salvation Army last week for $1.50, and I knew Rhoda has one too. She showcased it here on her old site. When I asked her about it, she said someone told her it's a Southern Living at home piece.

I plan on filling the bottom with tissue paper or something and using it to hold the silverware at the shower. This is the third Southern Living at Home piece I've scored at a yard sale or thrift store! I love the chippy details.

Now for the GIVEAWAY!

200 hundred posts is not too shabby, and I'd like to first thank all of you for sticking with me! Besides my sister; Suzanne, Paula, and Donna were my very first readers, and they still faithfully stop by to visit and comment. That means a lot to me.

This blog has become such a great spot for me to not only share funny stories and my attempts at updating my home, but I've also had the priviledge of meeting some really wonderful people!

It's fitting that my 200th post should fall on a Thrifty Treasures post because so many of you have inspired me to realize that just because I have two kids now and can't go out and buy whatever I want anymore doesn't mean that I can't create a home that is both pleasing to the eye and welcoming.

I've been reading a lot about Christmas in July lately, and that got me started thinking about the quickly approaching holidays. I decided that I want to plan ahead even more this year so that I can enjoy Christmas with my family, and not feel like a big ball of sleepy stress.

Something that goes hand in hand with cooler weather, the holidays, and comfort food is the idea of setting up family traditions and creating a warm environment for your family to enjoy while they spend more time at home.

I'd like to give away a copy of Family Fragrance by J. Otis and Gail Ledbetter. On the cover it reads "Practical, Intentional Ways to Fill Your Home with the Aroma of Love."

That might seem a little cheesy to you, but after thumbing through my copy (I got one for me too!) I think this book can be a helpful resource to anyone who wants to make their home an inviting place. You don't have to have children (young OR old!) or a spouse to want people to enjoy the time they spend in your home. (Guys who are reading this, you'll probably get major brownie points for presenting your girlfriend, fiancee, or wife with a copy of this book.)

Some of the ideas might be a little old-fashioned, but the basic premise still stands. Here's an excerpt, so you know what you might be winning:

"Family fragrance is not dreamy-eyed sentimentality. What we want our family members to feel when they pull into the driveway of our home is a reality so inviting, they can't wait to get inside..."

The authors focus on "how-tos" to help the reader create a home that cultivates intentional warmth through AROMA:

A ffection
R espect
O rder
M erriment
A ffirmation

I hope the lucky winner will have a chance to read this book in time to create a safe haven in their home in time for the holidays!

TO ENTER:
1. Just leave me a comment letting me know you'd like to win (so I can differentiate between those of you just commenting on my Thrifty Finds). If you don't have a blog, please leave me an email address so I can find you! Continental U.S. residents only, please. (Sorry, guys, can't afford postage to New Zealand!)
2. Followers get an extra entry. Please let me know if you are a Follower!!
3. Leave me a separate comment after you've blogged about my giveaway for a third entry

I will announce the winner on Friday morning (July 31st) and then I'll announce ANOTHER fun event that all of you can participate in! (I promise it's going to be so much fun!!) There will be another Giveaway for that event.

Thanks so much for sticking with me today...I know this was a long post, but I wanted to be sure to highlight this awesome book so you know what you'll be (possibly!) winning.

{Good luck and Happy Thrifting!}