Homemade Christmas cards

Today I have a great DIY blogger, friend and cohort when it comes to appreciating a handwritten note in a handmade greeting card! Chris from Just a Girl has a wonderful tutorial for creating handmade greeting cards that would make a wonderful DIY gift idea!

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Hello! I’m Chris from Just a Girl, and if you’re anything like me, you’re already thinking about Christmas. It’s that time of year. That time when we have to find the means to come up with all those Christmas presents for loved ones, friends, and neighbors. Unfortunately, the extra money just doesn’t seem to be coming in. Brittany had a great idea to come up with ways to spend less, and I’m so happy to share my idea with you!

I’m a big fan of stationery. I think the written word is dying on us, so I do my best to correspond with it. I especially believe in thank you notes! Even (especially!) at Christmas, thank you’s need to be sent, and I have an extremely inexpensive way of personalizing them.

I picked up a package of blank white notecards at Hobby Lobby. They were about $4.00 with a coupon.

Blank cards

My madness in action involves my Silhouette machine, but you could easily choose designs that don’t involve intricate cuts. I’m crushing on pink and gold now, so I just used a combination of the two to come up with some pretty designs. Cut vinyl and scrapbook paper are adhered to the cards using some glue sticks to apply the shapes and a little bit of ribbon to add some dimension. Read more

Spoon Tealight Candle Holder

Spoon-Tealight-Candle-Holder-Feature

Jacque and I are so excited to be contributing in Brittany’s Trés Frugal- 30 DIY Gift Ideas!  We’re no strangers to DIY gift ideas!  In fact for as long as I can remember, my family has taken part in a Make-a-Gift tradition.  Each year we have to come up with some creative DIY gifts to give to family members.  It’s one of my favorite traditions!

With the holidays closing in on us, who couldn’t use some quick and budget friendly gift ideas? So today, we’re sharing a quick look at how to make a DIY tealight candle holder!

Spoon Tealight Candle Holder

Reclaimed wood seems to be the perfect material to make DIY gifts out of.  We have made a few different custom wall hangings using various types of reclaimed wood and love the rustic look.  We found out that a family friend was replacing some of his older barn boards and were lucky enough to snag a few for our stash!  Barn wood and pallet wood are great options for this project, but don’t rule out other sources of lumber.  We’ve actually used old decking boards for tons of projects.  If you can’t find any wood to reclaim, take a peek at Brittany’s tutorial on how to make new wood look old, weathered, and rustic.

Materials List:

  • Weathered Piece of Wood
  • 3 Spoons
  • 3 – 1 ” Wood Screws
  • D-Ring Wall Hanger (with screws)
  • 3 Tealights

Tool List:

  • Nail Set
  • Hammer
  • Drill
  • 1/8″ Drill Bit

Instructions: Read more

you look lovely today mug

dish with tea bags Homemade Tea BagsHomemade Tea Bags

Oooo, you are going to be so excited! I have a very special lady visiting today, she traveled all the way from the Netherlands to share her Très Frugal DIY gift idea with you.

Please welcome the very sweet and very savvy Marianne!

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Hello sweet friends. This is Marianne aka Songbird and I am so happy to be here again. I am thrilled and honored that Brittany asked me to be part of this awesome DIY gift ideas party. Today I want to share a quick and easy homemade gift that will warm the heart of any receiver for sure.

Who doesn’t love a nice cup of freshly brewed tea?

And how much better will that tea taste if it is made with a homemade tea bag?

Exactly!

You only need a few supplies, a bit of time and some patience.

Supplies for homemade tea bags

You will need:

♥ loose tea leaves
(make sure there are no ‘big’ pieces in there or it will be harder to fill the bags)

♥ coffee filters

♥ thread

♥ a template like a cookie cutter

♥ optional: washi tape for the labels

♥ sewing machine Read more

Beach-themed Succulent Garden | Pretty Handy Girl

Beach-themed Succulent Garden | Pretty Handy Girl

You like the beach right? Who doesn’t?! Come December I long for the feeling of burying my toes in the warm sand. Bring back those memories by having a Beach-Themed Desktop Succulent Garden nearby. The idea for this garden came as I sat looking at all the shells I’ve collected that were hidden away in the attic. I chose a big conch shell that had few holes and decided it would make a great little planter.

Material:

  • Succulents
  • Conch shell
  • Smaller shells, beach glass or colored glass filler
  • Play sand
  • Potting soil
  • Plant tray

Optional: Hot glue gun, hot glue sticks, felt pads

Instructions: Read more

DIY Scented Room Spray | Pretty Handy Girl

DIY Scented Room Spray | Pretty Handy Girl

I’m not exactly known for my short and sweet tutorials. But, I assure you this recipe for making DIY scented room spray is exactly that…short and sweet! What I like best about this DIY room spray is that it uses natural ingredients and natural scents. The chemical or fake smell of commercially bought room deodorizers really bothers me.

Ingredients & Supplies: Read more