May 13 | Easy DIY
I’ve been meaning to show you how I decorated our fireplace mantel for spring this year. Not because I think it’s wonderful, but because I actually spent a little bit of time into making our home feel more homey. You see, I’ve been struggling with a bit of discontentment when it comes to our current living situation. So, aside from Christmas time, I haven’t decorated the mantle in quite a few years. I figured, why decorate something I don’t love? Why show this small, cramped, old place, that we call home, any love when I don’t feel the love for it?
Well, wouldn’t you know it, but I had a bit of an “ah ha” moment when I realized that this is the place we call home and we do make memories here. This is also the first place my daughter has known as her home. My home doesn’t dictate who I am as a person so when I succumb to discontentment in my circumstances, I’m creating an unhappy person on the inside.
This mantel project will hold a place in my heart forever as the project that “kicked some sense” into me. I have nothing for want. My needs are well taken care of. So each time I look at the banner, I will be reminded of all that I have to be happy for. And remember that I’m a work in progress and that one day (or starting today), my circumstances won’t decide who I am as a person. So I will welcome friends and family into my home without feeling ashamed.
Friends, please tell my you have the same sort of struggles?
Now, in case you”re still with me to find out how I made the paper banner, I’ll tell you how!
First of all I chose a few pieces of scrapbook paper that coordinated and were spring-like in colour. Next, I folded the papers in half and free-handed with a pair of scissors a pendant shape. this is so I could drape the paper pieces over a piece of twine.
Finally, I added mini clothes pins to each paper and added some burlap flowers I picked up at Michaels in the dollar bins. Simple, right? The jars holding the daffodils are from Target and the ribbons tied around the jars are also from Michaels.
How have you shown love to your home lately?
May 1 | Easy DIY
Mother’s Day is quickly approaching, and I’m still not sure what I’m going to get for my own mom to show my love and appreciation. Sheesh! However, I did find quite a few Homemade Mother’s Day gift ideas that my mom and all the mom’s of the world would love to receive. I really like the idea of creating something from scratch for gift giving, makes it seem that much more thoughtful!
I hope you enjoy these 10 Homemade Gifts for Mother’s Day:
Homemade Grapefruit Scrub
“Family” kitchen art work
Dishes with children’s drawings
Vanilla Bath Bombs
Homemade Soap
Kids Art Tea Towels
Bird Nest Necklace
Mother’s Day Herb & Tomato Gift
Tickled Pink Gift
Mother’s Day Footprint Flower
May 1 | Easy DIY
Check out this quick, simple beginner soap making tutorial for Clementine Poppy Seed soap (great way to exfoliate!) from The Pickled Herring. Kathryn made hers in a mini-horse baking pan, but you could easily make soaps in a mini-muffin tin as well!
Have you got a frugal DIY idea that you’d love to share with others? Submit your idea here!
Apr 28 | Easy DIY
I have discovered an activity that will keep Sienna occupied for at least a half hour. That is money in my books! It allows me to do the dishes, get supper started or anything else I fancy at the moment! Sometimes, I’ll even get down on the floor with her and we can play for an hour.
A Toddler Activity: Playing with Dried Beans
This bean activity is super cheap and uses things you probably already have on hand:
- Dried beans (I used a bag of the cheapest beans I could find)
- A big bowl
- Measuring cups
- Other miscellaneous containers
- Plastic animals (found them at Dollarama)
- A blanket/sheet (optional)
What I do, is throw down a blanket onto the floor (sometimes I don’t, and clean up is still okay). Next I fill up a big mixing bowl with the dried beans and place the bowl on the blanket with the measuring cups and other containers. Sienna will scoop and pour contentedly for quite a while. At the moment, her favourite thing to do is to bury the plastic animals in the bowl of beans, and then “hunt” for them by scooping the beans into the other containers.
I hope this activity will be just as entertaining at your home as it is ours! I have plans to highlight a few more activities that are fun over the next while.
What sort of activities keep your toddlers entertained?
Apr 1 | Easy DIY, Recipes
We had a birthday party over the weekend for our new two year old which was a blast! I tried my hand at making another cake from scratch and a batch of gluten-free cupcakes. Time consuming, but they tasted great!
Along with the cake and cupcakes, I made some little Oreo Frogs. Aren’t they adorable? They were such a hit with our guests! They’re even quite easy to make. That’s always a win in my book. End up with something cute with only a little effort? Check.
Here’s what you need to make some Oreo Frogs:
- Mini pretzels
- Oreo cookies
- Candy eyes
- Red Starburst candy
- Green chocolate candy melts, melted
Directions:
1. Dip two pretzels into melted chocolate and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper so that they are side by side.
2. Coat Oreo cookie with melted chocolate and place centered onto the two pretzels.
3. Allow chocolate to set for 5 minutes then place candy eyes on the top of the Oreo so that they are standing on their sides.
4. To form the tongue, take a small piece of red Starburst candy and warm it in between fingers. Create a small snake with a slight point at the end and place it where the filling of the cookie would be.
5. Allow to set for 15 minutes or until candy is hardened.
And now, you should have these cute little guys!
Mar 28 | Easy DIY
Every few months I like to freshen up the drains around the house because they can get a little yucky over time. My recipe for DIY natural drain cleaner is so easy and I’m fairly certain that I can guarantee you already have the ingredients on hand. Baking soda, white vinegar and water. That’s it!
DIY Natural Drain Cleaner
Grab the kids for this cleaning activity! I assure you, they’ll think it’s neat 🙂
Here’s what you need to make your natural drain cleaner:
- 1/2 cup baking soda
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- a kettle full of boiling water
Here’s how you put the ingredients to use in picture form:
(Supervise the kids well or do this step with the boiling water yourself.)
Sprinkle the entire sink with baking soda and scrub using a scrub pad. Rinse and dry.
Ta da! A clean and shiny sink! This recipe can also be used to unclog small clogs by simply pouring the baking soda, then the vinegar and stuffing a cloth to plug the drain. Let it sit for about 1/2 an hour, then pour the kettle of boiling water down.
Let me know how you like my DIY natural drain cleaner!
