Tips & Advice

How We Did a No Spend Month Challenge

This dreary winter weather puts a serious damper on my mood, not to mention a cramp on my motivation to get any projects done. To combat that, my number one go-to in winter months usually ends up being some retail therapy. Shopping gets me out of the house, takes my mind off the weather and clears my head of anything that’s stressing me out. As you can imagine, in the winter I like to go shopping A LOT. The problem is, when I go on these retail-therapy outings, I spend MONEY. Soon after a shopping haul, that yay, fun, happy feeling I get from buying that really cool stuff is generally followed up with a bit of buyer’s remorse. In the back of my head I know I should instead be saving up for the future or just for that large purchase that may come up. And really, do I need to be bringing more stuff into the house? Near the end of February I was feeling stuck in this cycle of buying and feeling regretful. I finally decided I needed to make a shift. I was going to challenge myself to cut back on shopping for March. Today I’m sharing just how I was able to do No Spend Month Challenge.

March 25, 2018 0 comment

Having purchased a lot of Jadeite glass online, I'm sharing my best tips for buying Jadeite on eBay, including what to look for and how to get a good price.

Tips & Advice

The Best Tips for Buying Jadeite On eBay

written by Robin Budd

As I mentioned in a previous post What I Found: Shell Jadeite Saucers, I have acquired quite a collection of Jadeite glass over the last 2-3 years. My collecting all started with a knock-off bowl I snagged at Home Goods. Inspired by it’s beautiful color, I had the grand idea of using it as a showpiece for my wedding dessert table. Unfortunately this glassware does not come cheap. So, to amass enough Jadeite glass for my wedding use, I quickly discovered that eBay was my best friend. Through trial and error I purchased some excellent and some not so excellent pieces of Jadeite to add to my collection. Today I’m sharing my best advice and tips for buying Jadeite on eBay, including what to look for and how to get a good price.

April 28, 2016 0 comment

Pinterest Tips & Advice

How to Add Rich Pins to Pinterest with Yoast SEO

written by Robin Budd

I am on Pinterest constantly. Because of this, I’ve noticed that some thumbnail pins that show up in my Pinterest feed have bonus descriptive info under the image. This bonus info generally appears as a favicon/logo for a brand/company, a link to the company’s website, as well as a bold article title that the image is linked from. I discovered this bonus info is actually what Pinterest calls a Rich Pin. According to the Pinterest for Developers site, Rich Pins show metadata right on the Pin itself, giving Pinners a richer experience and increasing engagement. Information in a Rich Pin is independent of the Pin description, ensuring that important information is always tied to the pin. As a now blog writer and a VERY long time Pinterest lover, I wanted to ensure my website’s pins are standing out on Pinterest and staying connected to my content. Today I’m sharing how I added Rich Pins to Pinterest with Yoast SEO plugin for WordPress.

April 14, 2016 5 comments

Pinterest Tips & Advice

Create Pinterest Images that People Love to Pin

written by Robin Budd

As a lot of people do, I love having my blog posts pinned or repinned on Pinterest. Not only does it make me feel great that someone is loving my work, but it also helps to promote my brand and work across a whole new platform. As a blog writer and a Pinterest lover, I’ve learned that the key to getting my work pinned is making sure my images are optimized for Pinterest. An optimized image can draw a user in, entice them to pin my content and, if I’m super lucky, even read my post. Now, what’s the trick to creating the most pin-worthy, optimized images? Today I’m sharing my 7 Pinteresting Tips on how to create Pinterest images that people love to pin.

March 31, 2016 1 comment

Tips & Advice

How to Setup a Craigslist Alert

written by Robin Budd

I can spend hours scouring Craigslist for goodies. I’ve found everything to my job, my first rental home, a lovely pair of mauve velvet wingback chairs for my wedding and even my sweet pup Cooper. You might say Craigslist has been the key to many of my life events, which is crazy to consider. The problem with Craigslist is that if the deal is good, you need to be at the head of the pack to get the item you want. In other words, you need to be the first to contact the owner or to even arrive onsite to actually get the goods before someone else snags them. This can be tough. New items are constantly being posted to the site at all hours of the day, which means, to get in early, you may need to be constantly searching to catch the latest listings. Stalking craigslist like that can be time consuming, plus, who really has the time or availability to do this? This is where learning how to setup a Craigslist Alert comes in handy.

March 29, 2016 2 comments

Grey Tufted Headboard Roundup by Robin Budd via www.mendonandbelle.com @robinbudd

Decor Tips & Advice

Grey Tufted Headboard Roundup for under $500

written by Robin Budd

Before Tim and I got married, we promised ourselves that after our wedding our first priority would be updating our master bedroom. We felt as a newly married couple, we really wanted a bedroom that better represented our personal style, with a more finished and put together look. Now that we’re in our 30’s and in a home that we LOVE and own, we feel like we can invest in better pieces (even though I’m still pretty frugal). We want items that represent our current style, my vintage, collected aesthetic, and pieces that will better suit this home’s space. Of course, once we made the decision to launch a bedroom redo, I instantly started a Pinterest board to house all of the inspiration for the room design. One of the biggest items that was reoccurring on my Pinterest board was a grey tufted headboard. I love the softness and elegance it adds to every room that I find them pictured in. They always look so cozy and classic and I imagine it working great in my space. Today I’m sharing a grey tufted headboard roundup featuring my favorite options for under $500 that I found during my hunt for the perfect headboard.

March 24, 2016 1 comment

Decor Tips & Advice

The 6 Things to Avoid When Buying Jadeite Glass

written by Robin Budd

I’ve made my share of bad Jadeite purchases. When I began collecting it, I really had no clue what to look for when I was buying. I would get so excited to actually find a piece of it, I didn’t do a thorough check to make sure it was in good shape. It was pretty, I bought it, and then I’d sadly find out later that it had a chip, a flaw or (dun dun dun) a crack. As I have now learned, if you are looking into buying a piece of Jadeite or Jade-ite glassware, it is always important to check the quality before you make your purchase. Any damage and/or wear can play a major part in the value and collectablity of the item, not to mention how it looks on your shelf. Vintage Jadeite was originally meant to be an inexpensive, every day glassware, so the quality can really vary between pieces. Also, because it is an older style glassware, there could be signs of wear from use over time. Making sure to avoid certain types of damage, wear or flaws will always give you more bang for your buck and make sure you’re investing in a quality piece of glass and not some sad buyers remorse. Today I’m sharing the 6 things to avoid when buying jadeite glass, complete with some examples from my own collection.

March 22, 2016 0 comment

DIY Projects Tips & Advice

10 Tips to Consider Before You Reupholster

written by Robin Budd

I just finished recovering my estate-sale find Mission-style wood rocker. For my first upholstery job of this kind, the chair turned out fantastic. Looking back on it, however, there are definitely a few items I wish I’d done or that I would suggest for other do-it-yourselfers out there before you dive into a project like this. From my experience, below are my top 10 tips to consider before you reupholster a chair of your own:

March 17, 2016 0 comment

The 22 Best Estate Sale Tips You Must Know by Robin Budd via www.mendonandbelle.com @robinbudd

Estate Sale Tips & Advice

The 24 Best Estate Sale Tips You Must Know

written by Robin Budd

As most of my friends and family know, I’m an estate sale nut. In my hay day, I was going to estate sales EVERY weekend and hitting multiple sales per Saturday. Over the years I’ve filled up my house with estate sale finds that I just couldn’t pass up, plus I’ve learned some tricks of the trade to snag some amazing stuff. Below you’ll find a list of my best estate sale tips, advice and hints on having a positive estate sale experience, getting what you want and getting a good deal while your at it.

March 15, 2016 3 comments

DIY Projects Tips & Advice

How to Strip Hardware without Paint Stripper

written by Robin Budd

I hate stripping hardware with a passion. It’s messy, the chemicals are awful and often really smelly. Plus, you have to use precautions to protect your skin, including gloves, goggles, a mask and protective clothing. I feel like I entering a science lab whenever I need to strip a bit of paint. Luckily, my stripping woes are over and I’ve finally learned how to strip hardware without paint stripper.

I have to admit, this isn’t my original idea. I was watching Rehab Addict on HGTV and came across this tip. Instead of using a chemical paint stripper, she used an old crock pot to soak her hardware. I just had to try it.

My dad, luckily for me, has 3 crockpots and offered to let me use one to try the stripping technique. If you don’t have the opportunity to get one from a relative, you can always find one at a thrift shop on the cheap. Nicole Kurtis from Rehab Addict said to not plan on using the crock pot again for cooking, as the hardware can stain the pot and, I assume, leach into the sides. Luckily I don’t like to cook, so this wouldn’t be a problem.

March 3, 2016 0 comment