Tag Archives: DIY

Thanksgiving

DIY Thanksgiving Centerpiece

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I decided to take a shot at making a centerpiece.  I had never made one before, but given that my Granny has a flower shop, located in Russellville, AR,  (quick plug and shout out to all the wonderful ladies and gentleman who do such great work at Cathy’s Flowers and Gifts) that I have worked at and played in a million times, I figured I could handle it!
True to form, I did it with stuff I could find around the house and yard.  I try not to go buy anything when at all possible!  For those of you who’ve missed it, we have established that I am FRUGAL, not CHEAP!  LOL.  Anyway, I didn’t have to buy anything, the floral stuff, straw, and old candy corn were going to be thrown away from church, so no cost there either!  😀
I wanted it to be a little taller than just the table, so I made a stand out of cans, then put a towel over them and a tray on top.  The towel keeps it from scratching the tray.  😀

 

I took an old scrub top I had that was solid brown and covered the tray with it.  I just folded it in so that no one could tell it was a shirt.

 

DIY Thanksgiving Centerpiece
I took a Mason jar and filled it partially with dried beans, then stuck the sticks in the way I wanted and filled the rest of the jar.  In the middle are pistachio shells that Chief Zoo Keeper so kindly put in a jar instead of throwing away.  When I saw the jar, I was pleased for once that he doesn’t clean up after himself!  Small blessings!  On one side I put a leaf toward the bottom of the sticks to make it look like it was falling.  😀
I spread the straw stuff around the outside of the jar, then arranged flowers and leaves.  I stuck in my Give Thanks piece, which worked out perfectly since I had no idea what I was going to do with it!

 

Here is my finished product!  I used varying sizes of sticks found around the yard and stuck the leaves in the grooves of the sticks so there is no gluing!  Next year, I can find new sticks and do it again without throwing away anything!  Yay!
Hope you enjoy it and are inspired to make the perfect centerpiece for your family!  We are so blessed and I love the little reminders to give thanks all around the house!  Stick around and check out the Zoo!!!  There are kinds of things you might just like for your Zoo!
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Originally posted 2011-11-03 21:27:00.

Organization

You can’t Road Trip without this! DIY Road Trip Kit

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Are you a road trip fan?  I absolutely love them!  Especially with good company!  This kit is something that has become a staple in my vehicle! Be sure and do one for yours!

We took a little vacation recently, it was great!!! We took a road trip to Branson, Missouri for four days. It was a great chance to relax and enjoy each other’s company without any outside stresors! A dear friend and her husband have a timeshare there, so we were able to have some great fellowship time with them. I’ll post more about that soon!
Typically, any trip for us is stressful. Chief doesn’t like being in the car long and worries about schedules and traffic. It’s very difficult for both Chief and I to let go of our daily life stresses, so we spend a lot of time in our own little world and it is inevitable that we will forget something and leave it behind!  He is certainly NOT a road trip fan, but he is a good sport.  Most of the time. haha
So, with that in mind, I decided to get super worried BEFORE the trip so I wouldn’t have to worry DURING the trip! Preparation was the key, ladies and gentleman! I went to the library and got five Lake Wobegon CD’s. If you’ve never listened to Lake Wobegon, I highly recommend it! It’s stories told about a small town. Most are funny, remind you of the ‘good ole days’ and all of the stories remind you of what is really important in life and how blessed we truly are!
I got everything packed up the few days before and as I was trying to make sure we had all of the ‘little’ things necessary for the trip, I decided to make a Road Trip Kit. I put in all of the things that our family typically needs on a journey. I’ll put a list of ‘ingredients’ at the bottom of the post!
   I took the biggest shoe box I could find and went to work! (As a side note, these are probably the best shoes I’ve ever had and I will be buying another pair when I finally get through destroying the ones I have! They really work your muscles and do wonders for your back and knees!)

***author note: I desperately miss Sketcher’s Shape-Ups!***

 I attempted to use as much ‘scrap’ scrapbook paper I had as well as the paper that I am really not a huge fan of, I figured the box wouldn’t survive too long! I used my Cricut machine to cut out the letters, camper, and car. I had to do the camper, even though we don’t have one. My Great Grandparents use to go on caravans and travel all over. I loved their caravan as a child, still do! So, as a tribute to them, I added it to my box décor!
That would be my Tator Bug peeking over the box!!!  He likes to be in the middle of things, so if I’m doing something, he lays up by it.  He jumped up there right as I snapped the picture!  Of course, it was too cute to do a different one!!!
Now, back to our regularly scheduled program…
Last but not least, I covered the whole box in contact paper. It’s not an easy feat getting the contact paper to not try to come off at the edges, so I had to use some scotch tape for the corners to make it lay down, but you honestly can’t tell unless you are looking for it!
I used some boxes that would have otherwise been trashed to make ‘dividers’ for my things. Graham cracker boxes, tea boxes, etc. all work really well! I found two boxes that would fit, as I wanted as much dividing space as possible!
Next, I got out my mini baggies! Love those things!!! I put everything that needed to be seperated in different bags.

Road Trip Kit

Now, for my list o’ ingredients:
First Aide Baggies– band aides, triple antibiodic ointment, alcohol swabs, aspirins, tums, etc.,. Don’t buy a kit, it’s cheaper in the long run to make one, as once you buy all of the stuff, you will have enough to make a kit for your house and 2-3 vehicles! Depending, of course, how often it’s needed. Just remember that the medicine has to be in it’s bottle, lest for some reason you get pulled over. Don’t want to have to explain why you have little white pills (aspirin) in a baggie!
Ladies Products: Umm, yeah… Even if it’s not that time, it’s always good to have them just in case! You’d be amazed what can be done with a tampon in a pinch! (Perhaps I will post more of that later! LOL.
Road Trip Meal Enhancements: baggie with ketchup, salt, pepper, BBQ, toothpicks, peppermints, napkins, drink mixes, etc. Use sauces that aren’t going to ruin due to heat or cold. I use the packets that we get when we eat out. Remember, sauces get their own baggies! That way, if they bust everything else isn’t ruined!!!
Additional things I put in the box:
Extra Vehicle Cell Phone Charger
Q-tips
Nail Clippers
Rubberbands (you’d be amazed how handy these come in!)
Plastic Shopping Bags (for when the other trash bag gets full!)
Kleenex
EXTRA napkins!
Clorox bleach pen
Laundry Stain Remover Pen
**Anything Else your family needs at home frequently (i.e. my Monkey’s braces rubberbands)

 

 

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Originally posted 2011-08-27 05:26:00.

Decor

DIY Simple Elegant Name Frame Gift

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I made this as a gift for my little sister.  I bought an inexpensive frame (probably $3) that was matted for two 4×6 photos and got rid of the mat.  I used the insert to measure the cut for the background paper.  The letters were cut at 4″ using the Plantin School Cartridge.  I used the Serenade cartridge to cut the vases at 3″.  My sister loves pink, but I know it won’t match her room, so I used the black to mat my cuts so that it would tie into her bedroom decor (teenagers!).  Hope ya like it!!!
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Originally posted 2011-03-12 06:25:00.

Cleaners, DIY

Handy DIY Wipes for Pennies! #UnleashTheCleanSquad @VivaTowels @Clorox @Walmart

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DIY Wipes for Pennies with @Viva @Clorox & @Wal-Mart!Clorox is a household name, everyone knows it.  Viva however is new to the block, or at least new to my radar.  I picked them up originally because I was couponing and found a great deal.  Now that I’ve tried them, I’m hooked.  It’s funny, I love them so much I’m running around telling people how much they have to try them!  Now with Clorox BLAHBLAHBLAH spray, it’s like the newest all-star team!

 

DIY Wipes for Pennies with @Viva @Clorox & @Wal-Mart!
Viva Paper Towels are even strong enough to scrub the chopping block! Win!

I bought mine at Wal-Mart recently, didn’t even have to go inside thanks to the fabulous pick up they have now!  It’s great for when I have a hundred errands to run because I can place the order in advance, they’ll do all the gathering and then I simply have to pull up and let them know, then my groceries are delivered right to the car!  No worries, no hassle, just on my way!  It’s especially great when the kids have fallen asleep in the back while I’m running around!

 

 

Saving time not enough?  You can also save money on them with ibotta!  If you haven’t tried it out yet, it’s super simple and a guaranteed way to get money back on some of your purchases!  Viva currently has a deal (we are now stocked up on paper towels AND I got a rebate!)  I love using ibotta to have a little extra stashed back for holidays or emergencies!  They pay you directly to paypal in just a few days when you cash out so I know it’s going to be there when I need it!

My favorite use?  Cleaning up the sticky finger messes after watermelon or popsicles, like these amazing Strawberry IcePops! No matter how hard you try, it never seems like you can completely keep the sticky off of everything!  With my DIY Clorox wipes and viva paper towels, clean-up is quick and easy.  I put them in small containers so that I can keep them in my car, ready for any mess, any time.  I will admit, my friends think I’m totally winning life when we’re at the park and I have those handy!

Quick and simple: since Viva are already in half sheets, simple fold again and place in a container, then pour on Clorox Clean Up Cleaner with Bleach and you are ready to go!  I love having them on hand around the house and I don’t have to spend a ton extra on buying pre-made wipes!DIY Wipes for Pennies with @Viva @Clorox & @Wal-Mart!

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Originally posted 2017-07-08 11:13:57.

Crafts & DIY, DIY, Tips & Tricks

5 Cool Uses for Honey

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5CoolUsesForHoney

Hey Everyone!  I thought this week I’d bring you some great new uses for honey!  Check them out below and let me know what you think!  Do you have any ‘alternative’ uses for honey!?!  Well, get to sharing!  😀

Does wonders for your skin and is super easy.  Also it keeps for a while!  I suggest making less than the recipe calls for because it doesn’t take much to do your facial!  😀

2.  Heal wounds, cuts, scrapes and burns!
Yep, you read it correctly!  God knew what he was doing when he gave us those sweet honey bees.  Honey is a natural antiseptic!  😀  Just put some on your ‘boo boo’ and let it do it’s thing!

3.  Energy Shot
Skip the unhealthy stuff and get you a teaspoon of honey before a workout, it will give you the extra boost without the harmful side effects!

4.  Get rid of those Nasty Hangovers
I can say I’m glad to be past that point in my life, but if you know someone who isn’t you can give them a little honey on toast or in tea.  The fructose helps boost the metabolism of alcohol and get rid of it!  Yay!

5.  Lose Weight!
If you use honey instead of sugar you’ll save lots of calories!  Plus, you’ll get that extra metabolism boost to lift you up a bit!  Now, isn’t that sweet!  LOL.

Do you have any more uses for honey???
Any requests for a Friday 5???
Comment below!
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Originally posted 2012-09-28 05:00:00.

Crafts & DIY, Organization, Uncategorized

DIY Magnet Board

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Hey everyone!!!  I am a list freak and I have them everywhere.  Since I didn’t want to stick 9 million tacks in my beautiful wall (I really love the paint in here!) I decided to make a magnet board.  They have all those cute ones, but they are expensive and we all know I’m cheap frugal fiscally responsible!  So, here is a little tutorial so you can be fiscally responsible too!  LOL.
Let me start by saying, you can easily cover this with some cute material or even scrapbook paper to pretty it up, but I wanted mine to be plain.  I plan to keep it covered and don’t want to be bothered with wanting to see said prettiness behind my magnets!  😀  However, I will be making some adorable magnets to hold my non sticky note papers later!

First, pick up a sheet of metal at your local hardware store.  It only costs a few dollars and you can get whatever size you’d like.  Remember, there will probably be no cutting of it, so get the size you want!!!

Next, take it outside with a hammer, board and a nail.  Use the nail to hammer a hole in the metal so that you can hang it.  Remember that if you want pretty ribbon, you’ll want to use a large nail so that the hole is bigger.  I used a standard nail and some rubber bands.

Finally, use some heavy duty string of some sort to make a way to hang your board.  I used a rubber band on each side then tied the ribbon through because my hole wasn’t big enough.  It actually worked out well as it managed to look good (yes, I WAS surprised!) and it seems to hold the weight efficiently.

 What do you do to keep your notes, memos and lists in order???

 I’d love some extra tips!!!

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Originally posted 2012-08-16 05:00:00.