Canadian Prairie Girl's maiden voyage to Hobby Lobby!

Last week  I accompanied Mr. Frugalista to Southern Ontario to attend his Christmas party. We arrived a few days before the function so my friend Denise and I could do some retail therapy while the boy's were at work (her husband is a colleague of Mr. Frugalista).  On the first day, she and I headed across the border to Niagara Falls, New York.

Since I started blogging, I've been seething with envy reading about all the amazing finds my friends to the south have found at places like Joannes, Target (the Canadian stores were not the same), Kirklands, and Hobby Lobby.  Now you have to remember, I live in the Canadian prairies where border crossings to the U.S. are more than a day trip.

Denise and I pull into a parking lot and on the building in front of us I see those two red neon words and I swear I heard angels sing and beams coming off each letter.  My heart rate sped up and I couldn't get out of that car fast enough.

This is where I should be inserting a photo of me in front of the store beaming ear-to-ear while wiping sweat from my brow.

We enter, my friend heads towards the washrooms and I am left standing in the doorway with my mouth dropped down to my toes. I look to the left, then to the right, a few steps ahead and I can't move. Like how do you choose an aisle when you just want to run in every which direction?

Denise found me in the Christmas aisle and I'm like a kid in a candy store.  Shouting across the aisles, "OMG, look at that!" "Did you see this?" "I can't believe these prices!"  And so we walked, and walked, and walked as my shopping cart got fuller and fuller.

This is where I should be inserting a photo of my overflowing shopping cart but who has time to pull out a camera phone! 

Then we hit the furniture hardware aisle.  I swear I could have sat on the floor in the middle of the aisle crying like a baby.  Too much eye candy for this prairie girl to comprehend.  How do you pick when there are so many choices?   Needless to say, that heavy bag went into Mr. Frugalista's suitcase.

Three hours of pure retail joy and I could have easily gone for another three.  I think Hobby Lobby needs a Starbucks in the center of their stores.  Shop for three, stop for an espresso to refuel, and keep on keeping on.

Then we went to Kirklands. H-E-double hockey sticks yah!!! A repeat performance by this Prairie Girl who clearly has to get out of her bubble more often.

Isn't that metal coffee mug just adorable and so perfect to hold k-cups!  How could I resist this Merry pillow - the green color is so perfect with my color scheme.

I have a thing for birds and when I saw this little shiny Noel Cardinal I couldn't resist. See the adorable skate toothpick holder on the right? I don't know how it happened, but things seemed to be landing in my shopping cart.

On Saturday morning, Mr. Frugalista and I went shopping again,..for a duffle bag to carry all this crap retail goodness home on the plane!

This is where I should be inserting a photo of me slumped in a chair at the Air Canada Lounge with two bulging carry-on bags at my side.

Now that I'm back home and recovering (my post surgery knees are killing me), it's time to put away the craft apron and put on the baking apron.  So while I'm getting messy with some flour and a rolling pin, I want to remind you that this week at the DIY Sunday Showcase Party we are hosting a $120.00 Paypal Cash Giveaway.  Who couldn't use extra cash during the holidays!   One lucky winner will be announced at next week's party.

Are you all ready for the holidays?  If you're chillaxing with a hot beverage and want to enjoy some Christmas pretty, check out the Christmas Ideas Tour where 28 bloggers shared four days of holiday inspiration starting with mantels, then wreaths, tablescapes, and thrifty crafts.   That is where I joined the tour and shared my Patio Candleholders Repurposed for the Holidays.

There was also the Home For Christmas blog hop hosted by Hometalk.com and CountryLiving.com where over 150 bloggers shared their DIY holiday inspiration.  You can follow that fabulous blog hop where I share my Large Outdoor DIY Holiday Lanterns that we made to flank our front door.

My most popular posts during the holidays for the last three years has been my Eight Easy Steps to Decorating Outdoor Pots for the Holidays where I share a tutorial on how to fill outdoor flower pots with fresh greens.

Once I incorporate all my recent purchases (the ones that were not gifts) into my holiday decorating vignettes, I'll be sharing more pictures with you next week.  Oh, Hobby Lobby and Kirklands, how I wish thee were in Canada!