My husband, Cam, is very good with construction and building things. His son takes after him and loves Legos. Cam wanted to make a DIY Lego desk or table for him for his birthday. He found a roll top desk for $20.00 on a local classified ad site. When Cam asked me what I thought…
DIY
How to Upgrade Your Dishwasher to Stainless Steel for Around $100.00
I was upgrading my friend’s home and he loved the dishwasher he currently had—the only problem was it was out of date/black. All of his other appliances were stainless steel. We searched around and the equivalent dishwasher in stainless steel would have cost him over $450.00. I decided to see if we could change the…
How to Organize a Garage + Cricut Giveaway
I’ve done my best to keep my garage organized, but with very little storage, it has been difficult. I’d often not know where to put something in the garage and instead just find a place for it in my house. As a result, my home was more cluttered than I wanted it to be. I…
6 Winter Renovations That Can Be Completed On a Limited Budget
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Kohler for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine. For most, winter is cold! As temperatures drop, the temptation to just stay inside rises. Of course, staying inside all the time comes with its own problems, even if it is nice and warm. It’s part of…
Christmas Holly Berry Wreath
Winter is a wonderful time of year. I love to see all of the wreaths, lights, and holiday decor people have or make. Making Christmas Wreaths is something I really enjoy. Yet, because Christmas is such a busy and expensive time of year, I usually like to keep the wreaths I make simple, inexpensive, and…
How to Easily Up-Cycle an Old Trunk
Old trunks and vintage suitcases are favorites of mine. My grandma used to keep blankets and toys in vintage trunks for us. They are so lovely, and I can say even slightly nostalgic. I found this trunk at a garage sale ($20.00) but it needed some jazzing up. Unfortunately I don’t have the ‘before photo,’…
DIY Fabric Wall Art
Last fall I was redecorating my guest bedroom downstairs. I needed inexpensive wall art and saw a fabric project on an online decor website. I decided to try it out. It is about as simple and inexpensive as ‘DIY’ gets. For the materials, I found 6 matching frames at a garage sale for $5.00 total. I found a bunch of fabric remnants, yards,…
DIY Memory Foam Side Table Toppers
I found these darling side tables at Deseret Industries for $15.00 each. They sold them to me as a set for $25.00. I went to JoAnn’s and bought 4″ memory foam to top them. I made sure to use a coupon because memory foam is pricey. Then I went to Home Depot and picked up…
How to Save Thousands on a Bathroom Remodel
Most DIY bathroom renovations cost upwards of $10,000.00—especially when they include new plumbing and installing a shower, tub, vanity, toilet, and flooring. Here’s how I did mine for under 9% of that figure. The guest bathroom needed an entire ‘gut remodel.’ There was no tub, shower or plumbing for it. And no flooring. Everything was outdated and old. This is the…
How to Save Money on Renovating and Decorating a Master Bedroom
Today I’m continuing on with my renovations series. I’m about halfway through. See below for the link to other before-and-afters. This is the master bedroom ‘before.’ There was water damage, so sections of the subfloor had to be removed and replaced. This is after the subfloor was fixed: with carpet, paint, furnishings, and decor. It seems…
How to Make Glitter Vases
I helped throw a bridal shower last week and had so much fun! The bride-to-be had gold, blush, cream, and emerald as her colors. Beautiful together! My mom bought some flowers, and I made the glitter vases. They are super easy to make and turned out quite cute. 1- Take a foam brush and apply modge…
Christmas Present Wood Craft
Recently, I made these D.I.Y. Wood Christmas Presents. They are very simple and inexpensive. Further they are durable and will hold up for years—even with little kids in the house. Standing alone they look great. I also really like the wood Christmas presents displayed next to my Santa. Instructions #1- Get a 4×4 that is…
Gift Ideas for The Twelve Days of Christmas Days 7-9
I love doing the 12 Days of Christmas! But sometimes thinking of what to give can be difficult. So here are gift ideas (most are under $10.00) for days 7-9 of The 12 Days of Christmas… Day 7: Seven Swans a Swimming A Swan Bracelet Swan figurine toy Swan swimming suit Swan Princess Pin Brooch…
How to Make a Dollar Store Christmas Wreath
My friend wanted to make a Christmas Wreath. She asked me how to make one inexpensively—if at all possible. I told her to come on over. In just a few hours, we went shopping at the dollar store, set out the supplies, and made a wreath! Although I already had the wreath base that I bought…
How to Gift the Twelve Days of Christmas to a Recipient
When I was maybe six or seven, I remember my great grandfather saying that he had had the 12 Days of Christmas gifted to him anonymously. He spoke fondly of receiving a gift each day and trying to find out who the giver was (which he never did do). I was so grateful that someone…
How to Make a Fondant Cake For Beginners
I’ve never used fondant until last week. And to be honest I have always been a little scared to try it. But I decided to give it a whirl when I was out shopping for my daughter’s first birthday and I found this multi pack of different colors of fondant on sale. It wasn’t nearly as…
D.I.Y. Easy Winter Wreath
I made this winter wreath a few years ago, and I still love it a lot. It was very simple and inexpensive. Further, it is great for all winter, not just Christmas. Instructions #1- Get a grapevine wreath. They are very inexpensive here, can be found at craft stores, or if you have an old…
How to Create a Memorable & Cherished Christmas for Children
Creating a memorable and cherished Christmas for your children doesn’t have to be overly expensive or complex. To prove this point, just take a minute and think back on when you were a child. What do you remember and cherish most about Christmas? As I did this, three main things game to mind: 1- Helping and…
Fall Themed Mason Jars
These simple ‘Fall Themed Mason Jars’ are a great way to add a little festivity in your home. They are great for Halloween and Thanksgiving and are inexpensive to make! Further, mason jars are very versatile. You can put whatever you like in them. Some ideas are: popcorn kernels, fall leaves, beans, candles, candy corn or other…
Homemade Diaper Rash Cream Recipes
My son responds really well to Desitin for his diaper rashes. My daughter does not. It’s been a struggle finding something that works for her as well as Desitin works for my son. Through this experience, I’ve learned that little ones respond differently to diaper rash creams. They are not a “one works for all” type…
Frodo Halloween Costume for a Toddler
I love The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. So, I am having my son (who looks kind of like Frodo) dress up like him for Halloween. My daughter was a Baby Girl Hobbit (photos here) and their friend Asher was Samwise Gamgee (post coming in the next day or two). Overall the costume…
19 Darling Homemade Baby/Toddler Halloween Costumes
I love dressing my kids up for Halloween. It is so much fun for me. I admit I begin thinking about ideas of what they should be months before Halloween. I also love Trick-or-Treating and seeing the creativity of other parents and kids. This next week or two on my blog I’m having a Halloween…
11 Inexpensive Quality Home Decor DIY Projects
You don’t have to spend a fortune decorating your home beautifully. Below is proof of this! Check out these amazing ideas of how you can create quality home decor items inexpensively. 1. Frame Fabric– This is such a gorgeous idea. I have a bunch of frames I picked up at a yard sale. Now I…
11 Inexpensive Fall Decorations
Fall is one of my favorite seasons (I love them all actually). The crisp fresh air, the colorful leaves, and the wearing of boots all make me very happy! I also love Autumn/Fall decor and decided to round up some amazing inexpensive crafts that you can make and decorate with—if desired. Enjoy! 1. Dining Table…
DIY Custom Curtains (Easy Sew)
I love making my own custom curtains. They are very easy and can be customized to fit the window size and the decor of the room. Further, I’ve found they are most often much less expensive than buying pre-made curtains (I purchased the fabric for $10.00 on sale with a coupon from JoAnns-couponing tips here). Here…
Baby Apple Blueberry Puree Recipe
I really do love the convenience of pre-made baby food because I’m usually very busy. That said, if I can make a large batch easily, I like to make my baby’s food because it is more affordable and often more nutritious and fresh. For this dynamite combo (apple blueberry puree), I was able to make it in a…
11 Inexpensive DIY Projects
There are a lot of great DIY projects that are inexpensive. Below you will find eleven awesome ones. 1. Rope Wrapped Candle Holder DIY – Easy and inexpensive and very beach chic DIY. 2. DIY Paper Lanterns – No matter what color scheme or theme you’ve chosen for your special day there is nothing quite like…
17 Darling, Practical, & Custom Handmade Baby Gifts
There are so many fun ways to celebrate the upcoming arrival of a baby. Making custom gifts is one of them. Here are 17 great homemade baby items/gifts to show your excitement for a new baby. Further, many of these are less expensive than buying store bought presents (which saves you money). I know quite a…
How to Keep Your Baby Cool in Their Rear-Facing Car Seat
UPDATE- I have received both criticism and praise for this project on social media. I just have to say that the vent is made of a tin foil type substance that is very thin and light weight. I truly believe it poses no threat to my baby—even if we were to get in an accident…
How to Install an Inground Trampoline
Ever since I was a kid I’ve loved inground trampolines. We had them at my grandparent’s house and at their cabin. They were so easy to run on and off of, take turns on, and were super convenient for us as kids. When I was a teenager, we had an above-ground trampoline at our house. I…
