DIY and Crafts

Thanksgiving Prayer Jar + Weekend Sales

November 2, 2018

Something Ryan and I try to do every day is start our day with prayer and gratitude. It is amazing how different things can look when you start the day being grateful for what you have than looking at Instagram at everything you don’t have. Can I get an Amen? When you really look around you, you start to see how truly blessed you are. I think it is even more important this time of year when we are being bombarded with wish lists, kids begging for every toy they see on TV, etc. We decided we needed to do something to help instill this discipline in our children. Hence, the Thanksgiving Prayer Jar!

Gift Ideas for a New Mom + DIY Hospital Door Hanger

December 5, 2016

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BearyMerryVTechMom #CollectiveBias

It’s the season for Holiday Gift Guides and I am having way too much fun searching online for the best gift ideas for everyone. This year, I have been looking for baby, toddlers, women, men and now more specifically, the new mom in your life. I just had a baby 4 weeks ago (how has it already ben 4 weeks?) and I have so many friends and cousins who just had babies or are currently pregnant, so I have new moms on the brain.

Chic Holiday Bathroom and DIY Toilet Paper Decor

November 7, 2016

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #QuiltedHoliday #CollectiveBias

We are moving into our new house over the next couple of weeks. Because I just had our sweet baby boy, we are taking it a little slow and doing a little at a time. One thing I have been looking forward to the most is being able to decorate our own home for the holidays. I missed it so much last year and I have been counting down the days until I could get my hands on this one. Our new home is very light and airy which is much more my style and I am thrilled to finally begin the process of decorating. I figured if we were going to move our Christmas boxes and decorations in, I might as well get started instead of dragging it right back out in a couple of weeks. See? It’s completely logical to decorate early.

DIY Splatter Paint Pumpkins

October 6, 2016

It is officially my favorite month (technically a week in already) and we are just now starting on our fall bucket list! Better late than never, right? We have a really full next couple of weeks with lots of fun things going on including the pumpkin patch, holiday market, Ryan’s birthday, our anniversary, family coming to visit, etc. We are so excited for all of the fall fun to be had! We will be celebrating Hampton’s 3rd birthday, welcoming our new baby boy and moving into our new house at the end of this month/first week of November, so we have a lot to get in these next two weeks starting with a fun little pumpkin craft! These DIY splatter paint pumpkins were so much fun to make, and the whole family got in on it!

My nephew helped me paint the big pumpkin white, then my brother and Hampton helped me splatter the paint on the pumpkins after I covered them with Hefty Ultra Strong Kitchen Trash Bags with Arm & Hammer Odor Control. I will say that painting with two little boys is no easy task. Sometimes I feel like I need John Cena out there with me to help wrestle them.

Here is how we made the DIY splatter paint pumpkins:

First, lay a Hefty Ultra Strong Kitchen Bag on the surface you are painting on to protect it.

Second, paint the entire pumpkin white or black. After it dries, you will probably need to do a second coat.

Third, paint the stem the opposite color.

After the pumpkin completely dries, cover the top half with a Hefty Ultra Strong bag and rubber band to hold it in place. Put a little water on your paint brush and add it to the paint to help it splatter easier, and then begin to sling paint on the pumpkin. Have fun with it!

Take the bag and rubber band off of the pumpkin and let it dry.

It is a really easy DIY, but it does take a couple of hours because you have to wait for the pumpkins to dry completely before beginning the next step.

The kids enjoyed playing in between our painting and it was a really fun afternoon to spend with the family doing something we all enjoy! Of course, I couldn’t have done it as neat with those boys “helping me” if it had not been for Hefty! We bought our Hefty Ultra Strong Kitchen bags in citrus twist scent and I love them because they have Arm and Hammer patented odor neutralizer and are the best bag Hefty has ever made at a lower price! They have active tear resistant technology for superior strength and have a break resistant grip drawstring. I am happy to report that not one drop of paint got on my white table, so I am a happy camper! Hefty was there to protect my table, and it was there for the big clean-up afterwards! We are also starting to pack a few things to get ready for our big move, and we have already filled a couple of bags with pillows and blankets for easy transport! There is no end to their usefulness. Be sure to get your $1 off coupon here!

Kid Friendly Minion Craft + Movie Night

December 10, 2015

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MinionsAtTarget #CollectiveBias

My son and nephew love the minions, so on Tuesday, I made sure to run to Target and buy the new Minions movie Blu-Ray/DVD pack and to my surprise, it came with a $5 Target gift card! Talk about a score. Happy son and happy mom. I call that a win-win!

I also picked up a few supplies so that we could make a minion craft to get the boys excited for their movie night! They loved helping me make these cute little popsicle minions and I must admit, I loved it too. It was the perfect kid-friendly craft to get them in the mood for the movie and we had so much fun making memories.

Here is all you need for this simple, fun Popsicle Minion Craft:

-popsicle sticks
-glue
-yellow and blue paint
-black permanent marker
-googly eyes (varied sizes)
-black cotton balls (for the hair)
-optional: Santa hats

I thought it would be fun to add little Santa hats to a couple of the minions since the boys are getting so excited for Christmas. They loved them!

Directions:

I prepped the popsicle sticks the night before so the paint would be good and dry by the time the boys got a hold of them. If you have older children who can handle paint, you can definitely let them do that part, but for my 2-year-old, I thought I’d better go ahead and paint them myself.

Once the paint is dry, glue the googly eyes on the popsicle stick and draw a smile and belt with your black marker. Then, you can glue hair or the Santa hat on, or leave it bald-headed. It is totally up to you! We made a mixture.

This craft is so simple and perfect to do with the kids, although I do recommend being present and helping younger kids. Target, once again delivered big time! I was able to pick up all of my craft supplies, Minions movie and even scored the gift card all in one stop! The metal Minions Blu-ray and DVD deluxe pack is a Target exclusive and includes 40 minutes of bonus content. While I was there, I also perused the toy section to get some Christmas ideas and noticed they had so many minion toys that were perfect for gifts for the kids! They also have all kinds of minion apparel, books, etc.

We ended the evening with popcorn and the movie which was adorable and hilarious! The boys loved it and I did too! It was such a fun day and I’m so thankful for the time we got to spend together as a family.

Have you purchased the new Minions movie at Target?

How To Make a Burlap Wreath

September 3, 2015

Post contains affiliate links.

Last week’s cooler weather really got me in the spirit of fall. Over the weekend, I started decorating for my favorite season and even got a little crafty. I went to Hobby Lobby and grabbed a few supplies and decided to make a new wreath. I know it is technically a little early, but our home is almost ready to welcome the new season! Here is a really simple tutorial on how to make your own burlap wreath:

What You Need:
1 – 18″ wire wreath
60 feet of 5″ wide burlap ribbon or garland (20 yards)
1 – 18 foot spool of 1.5″ wide orange gingham wired accent ribbon (9 yards)
1 – 18 foot spool of 1.5″ wide orange Moroccan wired accent ribbon (9 yards) (or the ribbon of your choice)
– A 6″ Tin Letter
-A pumpkin floral accent
-Hot Glue Gun and glue

Let’s Get Started:

1. Tie the burlap into a knot on the back side of the wire wreath (I did it on one of the middle wires). Repeat with other ribbons.

2. Turn the wreath back around and begin weaving the ribbon through the wired wreath, alternating sides and ribbons. I created about a 4 inch loop (height) but you can make it smaller or larger depending on your preference.

3. Make sure to push the loops tightly together so you don’t have any unwanted gaps.

4. When your spools run out, go ahead and start a new one by tying the end of the ribbon in a knot on the backside of the wired wreath.

5. When you get to the end, tie the ends of your spools to the back of the wired wreath and fluff/arrange the loops to your liking.

6. Tie your letter to the top of the wreath using either twine or leftover ribbon. I chose to use my ribbon.

7. Place your floral pumpkin (or flowers) on your wreath and poke the stem through the wire. Twist it around the wire and then hot glue the back of the pumpkin to the wreath to hold it in place.

8. Hang your wreath and enjoy your newest DIY!

Homemade Laundry Detergent

May 8, 2015

I began making my own laundry detergent right after Ryan and I got married. We were looking for ways to save money and this was such a blessing because it saves us about $200 a year! I love that you can make one simple lifestyle change and it helps you so much financially. The recipe is simple and has been used for many years. Everyone has their own way of doing it and their special little additives, but mine is pretty simple.

Ingredients:
2 Fels Naptha Bars
1 box of Arm and Hammer Washing Soda
1/2 box of Borax
Optional: Oxi-Clean

Directions:
Grate the Fels Naptha Bars very well. Blend all ingredients in a large tub. Use 1 tbs per load.

This mixture lasts us about 3 months. I love it because it doesn’t take me long to blend it and it saves us so much money! It works really well. We have never had any trouble with it. Our clothes are just as clean as they were before, AND bonus points: it’s safe for babies!

Have you ever made your own laundry detergent? Do you add anything different to yours?