And The Winner Is...

Ginakates {commenter #29}! Thanks so much to everyone {all 66 of you!!!!} who entered and checked out Katie's lovely little etsy site. I hope you found something you liked and are going to purchase something soon. I know Libbi already did! Big thanks to Katie for sponsoring such a fun giveaway. : )

Congrats again, Ginakates! Please send your address to Nuestravidadulce@gmail.com and the necklace will be on its way soon!

Feliz viernes!

xoxo

What's Good In Your Hood {Indianapolis}

Happy Hump Day! Here are the goodies I found lurking in the Indy craigslist. Hopefully you guys can find something that catches your eye : ).

$30 Black Side Table


$55 {OBO} White Dresser


$65 Girl's Hutch and Dresser


$25 Oak Coffee Table


$30 Two Lamps and Coffee Table {I'm really only feeling the lamp bases, though!}

Want me to search your craigslist? Well I'd thought you'd never ask! Just drop me an email to Nuestravidadulce@gmail.com with the city and state and I'll get right on it.

Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Pumpkin Carving and/or Drilling

Yesterday David and I decided to pick up some pumpkins for carving. With only a week before Halloween to go, I'd say that the month has gotten away from us. And when I say that we decided to pick out pumpkins and carve them, I really mean just me. While David is a huge supporter and offers to stand and watch, he simply can't stand the smell nor the pumpkin guts. I finally have to tell him to just go play PS3 because he just stares and I can tell he'd rather be anywhere than near the pumpkin smell. He's relieved, I can work in peace, and we're both happy!

And, even though I thought it'd be super cute to carve them together, I realized I am pretty particular about my designs, and on second thought, David sitting this one out wouldn't be that bad. Our cute couple carving time turned into Joi cranking out 5 pumpkins of her own with support from David in the other room. Hey, whatever works, right? : )

Because we waited so late, I didn't get the pick of the litter. And, our usual trip to the pumpkin patch was just not in the plans for this weekend. So, Dierberg's it was and I am pleased to report that I am kind of digging our choices.

I had saved two images of pumpkins that I had wanted to try and duplicate and/or use as inspiration. I saved the images awhile back and I only remember where the second image came from, craftynest.com.

Here's our little slew of pumpkins sitting pretty on the front porch {pre-drilling and carving}.

And here are the afters with flash and no flash shots.

Have you carved or drilled your pumpkins yet? If so, share some of your pics with me : ).

Feliz martes.

xoxo

Fabulous Little Giveaway: Etsy Necklace!

Hey there all of you fabulous little readers! I've got a great giveaway in store for you today. I am so excited to announce that Katie, from the fabulous little etsy shop, KateBobate, has offered up one of her fabulous vintage-modern necklaces for one of Nuestra Vida Dulce's devoted readers.

Her shop is full of beautiful handmade jewelry with extra special names to them. The necklace up for grabs is "If All The Raindrops Were Lemondrops And Gumdrops." Don't you just love it?

Her description states:

This necklace was made using a vintage clip on earring, attaching it to large, pink, mother of pearl beads, and reworked with vintage gold-toned chain. It has a lobster clasp and measures about 20" long.

All of Katie's items up for sale have a vintage flair to them, but with a modern twist. I am seriously coveting the gorgeous necklace named "Vingtastico."

To enter:

1. Promise to visit Katie's site today {or sometime soon : )}
-and-
2. Become a Nuestra Vida Dulce follower and comment on this post!

Deadline to enter is Thursday, October 29th, @ 8 p.m. CST. Winner will be generated by random.org and announced on Friday.

Buena Suerte!

xoxo

What's Good In Your Hood {Portland}

It's Wednesday and time for another craigslist search. This time a reader asked for me to search through the goodies on Portland, Oregon's craigslist. Here's a peek at some things that caught my eye. They've got some good stuff in Oregon! : )

$25 Chest of Drawers/Buffet

$80 {a piece} Vintage Hutch and Buffet {LOVE them!}

$125 Hutch {I'd offer less}

$10 Coffee Table

$50 Six Drawer Dresser with Mirror

$75 {a piece} *2* Mid Century Modern Chairs

$15 {for 2} Walnut End Tables

As always, feel free to send me an email to Nuestravidadulce@gmail.com and I'd be happy to search your craigslist for you. I've got a few cities still lined up {Indy, Atlanta, and Lexington}, I promise I will get to them! I am definitely a bargain shopper so big ticket items rarely catch my eye...let me know if you're searching for something specific and I'd be happy to oblige.

Happy hump day, folks.

xoxo

DIY: Clothes Hamper Planters

As you all know, I have been searching high and low for some reasonable, tall, and not super spendy outdoor planters. My search has been filled with planters starting at nearly $100 and reaching prices of about $700! Needless to say, those weren't coming home with us any time soon. Especially since David thinks I kill off all my plants {so not true, by the way!}.

However, on a random trip to Big Lots I got the biggest "ah-ha" moment I've had in a long time. You know, those moments Oprah claims to get all the time on her show!

We are roaming through the aisles aimlessly when I spotted it. "It" was a tall, woven clothes hamper. I immediately said, "Dave, do you see what I see?" As you can guess he wasn't nearly as enthralled as I was. I squealed, "I can make planters out of those!!!!" He replied with a, "How many do you want?" and "Can we get lunch now?" Gotta love my husband!

The best thing was that their combined price was $40! That's less than half of the price of ONE planter I had considered purchasing {and that was the cheap one!}.

After a tasty lunch at Arby's {their sweet tea is my new obsession} we stocked up on some black spray paint and came home and I sprayed all of the shutters and my new planters!

And, just an FYI, these hampers aren't merely just fabric. All along the inside the are reinforced with a metal structure. It's almost like they wanted to be planters, I tell you.

Our next step was to buy some pretty mums out at the pumpkin patch to seal the deal. Only problem was how were we going to get them to sit pretty and tall in the planters?

Well, good ol' Home Depot came to the rescue with their $2 buckets which just so happen to be the best planter-lifter-upper out there and the mums are sitting happily on their bright orange concealed perch.

The other DIY concrete planters below the new DIY woven planters are about to be moved, but those suckers are heavy and this girl needs some assistance in that endeavor. Oh, and any handle you see on the planter is now gone, I cut those off easy-peasy with some scissors. Less laundry basket-like and more planter friendly!

Thanks for reading! I am a happy little camper and can't wait to show you all the rest of our house as it moves right along with its mini-makeover.

Up next: Overstock rug, new house numbers, snazzy front door handle, fresh coat of paint on the front door, and garage lights!

xoxo

There Is Potential In Everything

Our weekend consisted of a lot of this...

and a couple of clothes hampers.

Can you guys guess what my idea for a great little project was?

Stay tuned for the reveal of the above transformation and the reveal of other exterior home improvements. I am giddy to show you guys everything, but we still have a couple of things left. Keep coming back to see more. : )

xoxo

Advice Noted...Let The Changes Begin!

Who knew a simple front door question would make me kick this makeover into full gear? I guess that rug post helped a little too. It seems a lot of you are on the same page and recommended one of my favorite colors for the front door...black!!! And, most of you suggested the shutters get painted too, and I am totally feeling it! So much so that I want to paint this weekend. Hopefully our freaky weather will get its act together and let me get to work! Oh and someone recommended we scrap the storm door, but that's totally not an option because it has 2 very big fans that each have four little legs. They live for looking out the front door.

Then after a little persistence, I found some reasonable {note: not entirely cheap!} planters that I am digging too. But, in white or black? These are just an option while I still am on the hunt! They're about 30" tall and just modern enough without being too stark.

And I didn't stop there, I've got these wonderful numbers from Home Depot that I've had for months {over a year is more like it} and I can wait to switch them out to make them look as fabulous as Ms. FC's do!

Oh, and while I'm at it, the garage lights are starting to look lilliputian so I brainstormed some possible new options there, too. The following are all about 5-7 inches taller than what we have now and much more proportional.

Uno

Dos

Tres

Have a favorite or any other suggestions? Don't hold out on me favorite readers! : )

I'm excited to get started and appreciate your input. As always, your always helpful comments make my day!

xoxo

Our Front Door Needs Help

We've lived here in our little ranch home for a little over 4 years now and still haven't re-painted the front door. Currently it is painted a greige shade similar to the siding. We love our little home, but can't decide on a color that will be perfect for the door. But one thing's for sure, it needs a pick me up!

As you can see, our home is a basic brick ranch and our bricks are more of an orangey color than a red. So, question goes out to you fabulous readers...what color would you paint our front door? White, black, a fresh coat of greige, or something a little bit bolder?

I need some serious inspiration! Thanks, loves.

xoxo

What's Good In Your Hood {Central Illinois}

Still at it with our fun little feature. This time around I'm getting to search for a dear friend of mine from back in my highschool days. Hopefully you'll spot something you like, Miss. Lora. There are definitely slim pickings up in Central Illinois!

$75 White Couch {Looks like an Ikea slipcovered one}

$50 Vintage Desk

$50 Retro Hutch {LOVE it!}

$50 Dresser

Asking $50 [but will take $30] 9 Drawer Dresser {Why he didn't just put $30 is beyond me!}

$50 Danish Dresser {LOVE it!}

As always, if you'd like me to search your craigslist for something specific or random, just send me an email to Nuestravidadulce@gmail.com. I'd love to help. : ) I normally just search for things that catch my eye, but I'd be happy to narrow my search to suit your needs.

Happy Hump Day!

xoxo

Bigger Is Better

I'm tired of dinky little rugs. I buy them for the front porch and they never look quite right. We don't have a grand porch by any means, but I think a more substantial rug will look much better. I think I found the perfect option at one of my favorite little online stores, Overstock.com.

It's the perfect size {4x5} and price {$36}, which makes me giddy because you know I love me a good bargain. : )

{Now, the pic looks more like a runner size, but I promise it comes in the correct size that I want}

I'm about to make it mine here soon. Now all I need to find are some tall planters that don't break the bank. I cannot seem to find any for under $200. These are lovely {also from overstock} but again, a little pricey. Guess I'm a cheap-skate.

Anyone know of any places that sell cheap tall planters for under $100? Let me know if you do. : )

xoxo