Edit: Thrifty Finds!

I promised myself I wouldn't shop a lot for school this summer, and I would focus as much energy as I could on renovating our home. (Books for my classroom library were, of course, exempt from this rule.)

Yesterday I went to the Dollar Store because my husband needed envelopes.  I found magnifying rulers for $1.00/each that I believe will be great in reading groups for students who need to stay focused on the lines that we are currently reading. 

I also went to the local thrift store to "buy large print books for grandmom" and we found plenty of them for her at $1.25 a piece.  She reads a few books per week and we're pretty sure she's read most of the large print books at her library.  I found some books for my library, but also got nice hardcover dictionaries for my students to use for $1.25 a piece.  REAL dictionaries -- like the kind people get you as a graduation gift before you head off to college.  I've got some dictionaries from the Dollar Tree, but they are built more like quick reference guides.

I also bought this lamp.  I left the shade on the shelf at the store because it was hideous and I felt bad throwing it away.  I covered the area where the bulb goes with a dinner napkin and some tape, then went to town with chrome spray paint from Krylon.  This is the result:

I used a Clorox wipe today to wipe off the spray paint dust -- what is that stuff anyway? -- so all I need is a good lamp shade.  I am DEFINITELY going back for another brass lamp.  There is too much chrome spray paint left in that can...it must be used!