Yami

March 11, 2019 By Yami 2 Comments

Farmhouse Spring and St. Patrick’s DIY’s

Some of the links below are affiliate links, please go here for full disclosure. I am a Plaid Ambassador and some of the products used here were supplied to me

Hey there! I know it has been a while since I’ve posted, but I am sure you’ll appreciate the DIY’s I’m sharing with you all today. I’ve been so busy at home getting rid of unwanted and unnecessary things that I’m making sure I only make what I really want and is truly necessary as far as my decorating is concerned. Since reading the book and seeing her show, I’ve taken the Marie Kondo thing seriously and I don’t plan on going back now.

So while taking that into consideration I am trying to make DIY’s that can be used for multiple occasions or seasons and used in different places throughout the home.

While St. Patrick’s Day is not a Latin American holiday it’s actually very special to me and my husband since my he asked me to be his girlfriend on St. Patrick’s Day (apparently he had some liquid courage that day)…. so it’s kinda nice to celebrate that occasion.

I knew I wanted to add a few touches of green here and there, but I’m not fond of all that green glitter and decor you see out in the stores. So I began looking for alternative solutions and I came across some dried split peas at my local grocery store and had an awesome idea.

I had these candle holders from Dollar Tree that I had left over from last year… ( you can totally use any candle holders you have on hand or even thrifted ones).

And I decided to give them a coat of my favorite Martha Stewart brown paint in Tilled Soil (I have used it here and here as well).

After 2 coats I then took some Folkart acrylic paint in the color Country Twilland used a chip brush to dry brush on some streaks.

They’ll look like this when they are done.

Then afterwards, I used one of my new FAVORITE products… It’s called Antique Wax by Folkart .

All you do is take a lint free cloth and rub it on these candle holders.

And it will deepen the color and make these candle holders look like wood!

They look just fine the way they are and you can totally leave them this way, however, I wanted to add glass hurricanes to the top.

So I took one of the extra tall vases from Dollar Tree, one of the regular size vases and finally one of my leftover Yankee Candle jars (cause DT does not carry any in these size)… I cleaned them and adhered them to the top of the candleholders with E6000 and a little bit of hot glue…

Of course, I did not get a picture of this 🤦🏻‍♀️ but I am sure you can figure it out 😉.

Once they were adhered I added those split peas I talked about earlier along with some Dollar Tree white candles and they make the sweetest Spring/St. Patrick’s Day themed center piece for my breakfast area.

And you would never guess most of the items used were from Dollar Tree!

These are going to be so versatile. I can add orange lentils for Fall, sand if I want a more coastal theme or moss for Summer. The options are endless and I think they look so good together…

Of course my love for this farmhouse version of “green glitter” (as my dear friend Marie from The Inspiration Vault calls it) did not stop there and I made 2 of the following wreaths…

Yeah, I went a little nuts! 😆

If you are interested in how I made it you can check out tutorial for the wreath in my video below…

Hope you all have a wonderful week and I will see you soon! Don’t forget to pin this and share with your friends!

January 24, 2019 By Yami 1 Comment

4 Farmhouse Valentine’s DIYs

You guys have no idea how excited I am to share some more Dollar Tree DIY’s with you all! And while I have never been into decorating for Valentine’s Day in the past, I can honestly say that I have been enjoying it this year (did you see my Berry Suspended Heart!?). Especially because I have found a way to get away from all the in-yo-face red glitter and sparkle you see everywhere around this time.

I have never really been a fan of the color red in my decor, but a teeny bit here or there won’t hurt, however, I would much rather create buffalo check hearts and fill my world with them… and that’s pretty much what I have done lately.

Like, fo’ real!

Anyways, we are going to start with that pretty flag you see above and then I will share 3 more coordinating pieces you will love!

So here’s the basics for what you need:

Some of the links below are affiliate links for your convenience, for more information please go here

Valentines Day Flag from Dollar Tree
Large Wooden Heart from Dollar Tree
Scrapbook paper ( I had some leftover from my Christmas stash)
Burlap
Faux Greenery ( I used some from Christmas but these are a great alternative if you want the farmhouse look)
Scissors or Box Cutter
Glue Gun & Sticks
Free Heart Printables that you can access here
White Paint – I used this one cause I already had it on hand
Matte Mod Podge
M od Podge Roller
Card Stock in White

So first thing’s first, you will need to paint the letters and images on the flag white. Even though I will be placing the burlap on top of the flag, I don’t want the letters to show through.

While that dries cut your scrapbook paper to the same shape as the wooden heart.

Then apply the Mod Podge on the wooden heart with a small brush, adhere the paper. Use a small roller to get all the bubbles out and flatten the paper down. Then finally add the top coat of Mod Podge.

Then while that dries cut your burlap fabric about an inch smaller that your flag all around and glue it with some hot glue.

Once the heart is ready, glue it onto the center of the burlap.

Then take my free heart printables that you can access here and print the language and font of your choice onto card stock. Cut it out and glue it onto the center of the buffalo check heart. You can use a glue stick for this.

Then take some faux greenery (make sure it has small leaves) and start cutting them off into groups of 3 – 4 leaves and begin hot gluing them all around the border of the center heart.

And viola! You have the cutest Farmhouse Buffalo Check flag EVER for Valentines Day!

I was impressed at how it turned out. I don’t see a smidge of Dollar Tree, do you?

Oh and if you love this, you will love these!!!!

Buffalo Check Garland

Buffalo Check LOVE sign

Buffalo Check Wreath Clip Ons

And for the sake of NOT making this the longest post ever, you can see the quick and easy-to-follow tutorials for the rest of them in my video below!

See you next time and don’t forget to PIN!!!!!

4 Farmhouse Valentines DIYs Long Pin 4 Farmhouse Valentines DIYs

Yami Signature 4 Farmhouse Valentines DIYs

January 15, 2019 By Yami 10 Comments

DIY Dollar Tree Valentines Day Decor

Okay, so first off I cannot believe it is already halfway through January! Time is flying and I haven’t been on here at all since December basically because my little one has been so sick and of course I had to get whatever she had so I have been battling this dry cough that just does not want to go away and keeps me from my much needed sleep.

The worst!

I have been able to share my first VLOG of the year about the happenings right now in our home as well as how I took down my Christmas decorations on my YouTube channel. It seems to be easier to film most days. I plan on sending out notifications on my blog for any relatable content on my channel that may be of interest. If you want to subscribe directly to my channel you always can do that here.

However, I thought the best way to light a fire under my butt and get to writing again was to join a sweet little blog hop hosted by my dear friend Cindy over at County Road 407. She is an absolute hoot and I can definitely say one good friend (although she’ll probably give me hell for not saying “great friend”😜).

So… she created this fun event!

Yep! We were supposed to take this lovely Pinterest image from Christina over at THE DIY MOMMY and recreate it with our own style.

At that’s just what we all did… make sure to scroll all the way to the end to see what everyone else’s projects look like!

This year so far I have been really applying the KonMarie Method at home (I swear this will make sense in a bit!). I read the book last year, and took a light turn with it, but now with Marie Kondo’s Netflix special it has motivated me even more to use what I already have on hand to decorate instead of going out and getting more crafty things and cluttering my home some more, so I started to get really creative with this project.

The project you will see today is made of items I already had on hand (with the exception of one thing) and leftover Christmas decor so I am really proud of it.

DIY Dollar Tree Valentines Day Decor

Some of the links below are affiliate links, please see full disclosure here

Supplies Used:

Wooden Frame
Berry Bushes from Dollar Tree
Linen White Chalk Paint
Red Acrylic Paint
Artist Brushes
Glossy Mod Podge
Foam Board
Jute String
Box Cutter (or scissors)
Heart Template
Marker or Pen
Hot Glue and Glue Gun

So the first thing you want to do is cut out a heart shape out of foam board. I used some hearts from a decor piece I bought at Dollar Tree.

As always you can view the tutorial below if video is more your jam! 😉

Once the heart is cut out, mark an inner heart on the foam board.

Cut that out as well so you make a frame.

I had a red berry bush leftover from my Christmas Dollar Tree supply stash and I begin taking the berry bundles apart into much smaller ones, even single berries at a time.

I simply hot glued them onto the heart shape, making sure to cover all of the white foam board.

Next, after all of them were on, I used some red acrylic paint to cover some of the white spots on the berries from where I took them apart. If you recall, I did the same thing with my DIY farmhouse ornaments this past Christmas.

Once that was dry, I painted all of the berries over with glossy Mod Podge.

While that was drying I took a wooden frame that I have had for a while (longer than my husband would like) and started sanding the edges. I had painted it with Linen White Chalked Paint a while back, but wanted a more rustic feel so I distressed it a bit.

Now the reason I hadn’t used this frame before was because of the two holes it had on one of the sides. I really didn’t know what to do with it… until now!

So, I turned the heart over and glued some jute string to the back. You can paint the back red or cover it with poster board since it’s not so pretty but since it wasn’t going to be seen, I just left it.

Then I looped the jute string through the holds, tied them in a bow and voila!

An adorable farmhouse berry heart in a frame!

Isn’t she so cute?!?!

And she cost me $0! (I can say that cause that Dollar Tree heart is actually for another project, LOL!)

And look at what everyone else created! Aren’t they precious!? This was too fun! Thank you Cindy for hosting!

Don’t forget to pin this and share with your friends if you love my berry heart as much as I do!

I will see you back here soon!

December 14, 2018 By Yami 8 Comments

Dollar Tree DIY Stocking Hangers

Did you ever see a DIY that made you go……

… in disbelief????

Well, I am pretty sure this one will since that stocking hanger you see was made with mainly Dollar Tree items. Yep! It can be done and your mantle will than you for it!

Welcome to Day 12 of the Fourth Annual 12 Days of Christmas Series!

We have teamed up with 50 plus bloggers to bring you a oodles of DIY Ideas and Recipes to make your holiday season merrier. There are 12 different posts in the series and we have spread them out over a four week period with three posts per week. Now is the time to subscribe!

GO HERE for the complete list of Dates and Topics plus a collection of most popular holiday ideas including ornaments, games, recipes and more from all 50 plus talented bloggers!

It’s Day 12 and we are ready to Hang the Stockings by the Chimney with Care!

Dollar Tree DIY Stocking Hangers

Some of the links below are affiliate links.

Okay, so now that I have your attention you are definitely going to watch closely…

I made a complete step by step video that you will enjoy (while sipping your coffee, or eggnog, or Coquito – I won’t judge😉)

The main components of the stocking hangers are gift boxes from Dollar Tree and the metal wreath hangers they are currently selling with the Christmas items.

>>>Oh and by the way Dollar Tree is having flat rate $1 SHIPPING from Dec. 14th to Dec. 17th so if you do not have one near you THIS is the time to shop! Go here NOW! <<<

And yes, I totally weighted them down so they are fully functional…. can you guess what I used?

They are the perfect blend of function and style. I love their perfect farmhouse vibe and the fact that they go great with the stockings I made earlier this year.

Now without further ado…. I leave you with the tutorial below!

Tell me what you think?! Would you ever have guessed that they were from Dollar Tree?

Oh and don’t forget to pin this and share it with your friends!

Scroll down for even more Christmas Stocking Ideas you can use this holiday season!

December 7, 2018 By Yami 3 Comments

Dollar Tree Christmas Gift Wrap Ideas

Okay, I don’t know about you, but I don’t really go all out when it comes to gift wrapping. I mean I have a 6 year old, a 5 year old and a 3 year old…. they tear that wrapping paper up! LOL!

I think the only person who cares about not ripping wrapping paper in my circle is my dad and I get frustrated just looking at him taking his time not to mess up the wrapping paper.

I’m like “Open it up already!”

Ha! So when it actually comes to making them a little bit prettier, I head to Dollar Tree….. cause I know it’s going to get ripped up anyway!

And if you feel the same way I do, make sure you check out my ideas below.

Welcome to Day 9 of the Fourth Annual 12 Days of Christmas Series!

GO HERE for the complete list of Dates and Topics plus a collection of most popular holiday ideas including ornaments, games, recipes and more from all 50 plus talented bloggers!

It’s Day 9 and we are sharing Pretty Gift Wrapping Ideas!

Dollar Tree Christmas Gift Wrap Ideas

The first thing I do when I want to make a present look nicer is add a simple ribbon. Seriously that is all it takes. I wrap it horizontally and vertically and tie it in the front with a bow.

Boom!

But if you want it to look a little fancier, take a garland pick (the same I used to spruce up my Dollar Tree Farmhouse Trees) and bend it in order to form a wreath. Add it to the ribbon and you’re done!

Okay if that is not your cup of tea, you can always add a bow with a little bit of greenery.

Or you can always add an additional “gift” by adding an ornament that matches the theme of your paper.

Or you can add a little bit of effort and make one yourself! I literally made the ornament below with popsicle sticks and wooden dowels. I freehanded the reindeer with a paint pen and added a red nose. Cute!

*LEARN how to make the Shiplap Reindeer Ornament below on my Youtube Channel and get the free downloadable patterns here.*

All of the items I used were from Dollar Tree including the ribbon. The only thing I did not use from Dollar Tree was the wooden dowel that I used to make the frame of the ornament above.

Simple and inexpensive yet totally makes a statement and elevates your gift wrap. How awesome is that!?

Don’t forget to pin this and share with your friends below!

Scroll down for many more Pretty Gift Wrapping Ideas!

December 5, 2018 By Yami 3 Comments

Easy Christmas in a Jar for a Tween

So there comes a time in a kid’s life where they enter that in between stage… ya know, not a “kid” anymore and not a teen either. That “tween” stage. It’s at this awkward time that we scratch our heads the hardest and ask, “What in the world am I going to get him/her?!”

Well I have a few nieces in that stage (and you may too) so I thought I would share this cute little gem I found at my local $5 and Below store….

Welcome to Day 8 of the Fourth Annual 12 Days of Christmas Series!

GO HERE for the complete list of Dates and Topics plus a collection of most popular holiday ideas including ornaments, games, recipes and more from all 50 plus talented bloggers!

It’s Day 8 and we are sharing Christmas In A Jar Ideas!

some of the links below are affiliate links, please see full disclosure here

Easy Christmas in a Jar for a Tween

As you know by now I am a little obsessed with Dollar Tree and I go there for all things crafty. However, I saw a $5 and Below from the corner of my eye while shopping a couple of weeks ago and decided to try it again…

The first time I went I wasn’t impressed, but I guess Dollar Tree has become such a big hit that they had to “up the ante”.

And let me tell you I was so happy they did! They have all sorts of goodies (that are actually nice!) in there and since nothing is over $5 it is all very reasonable.

While strolling through the store, I came across this little beauty:

Isn’t it adorable!?

It’s a frickin’ mason jar with nail polish and accessories inside and you can use the container to drink cause it has a frickin’ straw! 😱

I felt like a 90’s teenager who won front row tickets to see NSYNC!

Okay maybe not that excited…

But still! I just had to get it!

The colors were girly but not too girly.

The nail polish wasn’t too “adult”.

They could all be contained in the jar for no clutter (thinking like a mom here).

It was a done deal for me…

The only, and I mean only, thing is that the cup is not glass (which may be a good thing for a Tween) but that was the only downside.

But you can totally get all kinds of stylish ones in different colors like the ones below if you are looking for something a little more “higher end” – you can totally DIY this and I probably would have if the idea had crossed my mind without seeing this first. But it looks like the universe gave me a break. 😂

Now, of course this isn’t the only thing I would get a niece for Christmas, but it is a nice little side gift.😉

And of course you can always fill it up with the polishes and accessories of your choice if you wish to piece them together yourself.

Scroll down for many more Christmas In A Jar Ideas you are sure to love!

December 3, 2018 By Yami 8 Comments

DIY Thrifted Christmas Centerpiece

Happy Monday! I am back at it again this week for more Christmas goodness!

Welcome to Day 7 of the Fourth Annual 12 Days of Christmas Series!

GO HERE for the complete list of Dates and Topics plus a collection of most popular holiday ideas including ornaments, games, recipes and more from all 50 plus talented bloggers!

It’s Day 7 and we are sharing Holiday Decor Ideas!

So, as you know I created a YouTube channel in order to share my projects there as well. Since becoming part of the YouTube community I have joined in on several challenges and have gotten to know other Youtubers.

One of my favorite challenges is the $5 Goodwill Challenge and there is one every season. I thought my project for this Christmas edition was perfect since I decided to created a Christmas centerpiece out of the candleholder I bought for $2.92 at my local Goodwill.

I used that outdated candleholder and turned it into this!!!

Of course, I made a DIY burlap box to go around it as well and in my latest video, I show you just how to make it…. sometimes, things are better seen than read. 😉

Most of the items you see are from Dollar Tree and the burlap was leftover from another project…

I wanted to keep this centerpiece neutral and rustic and I think I achieved just that!

Now grab a coffee and a donut (or two) sit back and enjoy the tutorial below!

Let me know what you think and don’t forget to pin!

Scroll down for many more Holiday Decor Ideas to creative a festive atmosphere in your home!

November 30, 2018 By Yami 5 Comments

DIY Dollar Tree Farmhouse Ornament

Happy Friday friends! Today I hope to get you inspired so that you can hurry to your nearest Dollar Tree and get to crafting over the weekend. I am so in love with my Farmhouse inspired berry ornament and I think you will be too. Plus it’s super fun to make!

Welcome to Day 6 of the Fourth Annual 12 Days of Christmas Series!

GO HERE for the complete list of Dates and Topics plus a collection of most popular holiday ideas including ornaments, games, recipes and more from all 50 plus talented bloggers!

It’s Day 6 and we are sharing DIY Ornament Ideas!

DIY Dollar Tree Farmhouse Ornament

I am not going to keep you waiting so we are going to get right into it!

Here’s what you need:

Cut a piece of twine and add it to your ornament (adhere with hot glue)

Then pull off the berries from the berry bushes. Try to be gentle with them.

Then start hot-gluing them on the styrofoam ball.

You will notice little white spots on them from where they were originally glued, just try to glue that side onto the styrofoam ball.

Try to glue them as close as possible and work your way around the entire ball.

If there are any bare white spots you can touch them up with red acrylic paint. Then apply glossy mod podge to seal it all around.

Finally when it’s dry, just hot glue a small ribbon on top and hang on your tree!

Didn’t these turn out amazing?!?! I simply love them.

If you love these, you will love my fabric ones below as well. Make sure to check out my YouTube channel to see the tutorial on those!

Scroll down for many more DIY Ornament Ideas for your holiday season!

November 28, 2018 By Yami 1 Comment

Puerto Rican Mini Party Sandwiches

Did you every go to a party, eat some food, LOVED it and then when you asked what was in it you totally gasped!?!? But then kept eating it anyways, cause it was that good?

It’s happened to me a few times and I am just about to do it to you…

Welcome to Day 5 of the Fourth Annual 12 Days of Christmas Series!

We have teamed up with 50 plus bloggers to bring you oodles of DIY Ideas and Recipes to make your holiday season merrier. There are 12 different posts in the series and we have spread them out over a four week period with three posts per week. Now is the time to subscribe!

GO HERE for the complete list of Dates and Topics plus a collection of most popular holiday ideas including ornaments, games, recipes and more from all 50 plus talented bloggers!

It’s Day 5 and we are sharing Holiday Party Food Ideas!

Puerto Rican Mini Party Sandwiches

So as some of you already know, I am originally from Puerto Rico and we love to have family get-togethers with a TON of food. And it never fails that they are usually potlucks with everyone usually specializing in a specific dish every time.

While I wouldn’t say I “specialize” in this, I will say I am usually bringing these mini sandwiches along with something else every time. I swear I know how to cook, but this recipe requires no cooking, no prep and absolutely no skillz…. you may even laugh a little.

However, I SWEAR that if you ever go to ANY Puerto Rican get-together you will see these little sandwiches and they are usually the first appetizers to go. No lie!

They only require 3 ingredients:

Sliced white bread
Cheez-Wiz
Potted Meat

I can already hear you saying “WTH?”

Yep I know….

But just hear me out. The marriage that these 3 ingredients create is something that all Puerto Ricans go nuts over. Don’t ask me how it came about (I’ve never looked it up).

And just like my Coquito recipe (ya know, the drink that knocks out Eggnog every time) it’s always a hit and it’s always at every holiday party.

Here’s how you make them.

Take equal parts of potted meat and Cheez-Wiz and mix them in a bowl.

Here’s a visual… in case you’re confused. 😆

You mix it up and spread it on a white piece of bread…. (oooooh, ahhhhh)

Then you put another piece of bread on top… here comes the tricky part….Cut off the brown border and cut it into 4 triangles…

And voila! You have the best little sandwiches ever!

I swear these are so good! And as you just witnessed, the easiest appetizer ever (besides cheese and crackers).

So, there you have it!

My “Is that what that is?!” party food. LOL!

Please tell me, I am not the only one!

Oh an don’t forget to check out my YouTube channel to see other great Christmas DIY’s!

Scroll down for many more Holiday Party Food Ideas for your holiday season!

November 26, 2018 By Yami 5 Comments

DIY Dollar Tree Christmas Woodland Animals

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! I am excited to be sharing another fun DIY today that you can do with your kids! PLUS, I have a FREE printable pattern for you at the end of this post that you can use to make your own as well!

Welcome to Day 4 of the Fourth Annual 12 Days of Christmas Series!

GO HERE for the complete list of Dates and Topics plus a collection of most popular holiday ideas including ornaments, games, recipes and more from all 50 plus talented bloggers!

It’s Day 4 and we are sharing Kids Christmas Craft Ideas!

DIY Dollar Tree Christmas Woodland Animals

If you have been here for a bit you know I have a slight obsession with ~~hoarding~~ collecting craft materials so you would not be surprised to know that I had a few extra Dollar Tree foam pumpkins lying around after my Fall crafts this year ( i.e. my Dollar Tree succulent pumpkin planters).

I wanted to repurpose them for a Christmas DIY and started gathering inspiration online, but most people only use them to create snowmen. I am not necessarily fond of snowmen in my Christmas decor…

I mean, did you see my rustic snowman ornament from last year??? Yep, that’s as “snowman” as it gets for me. 😂

So I kept thinking and I came across some cute woodland ornaments on Pinterest and BINGO! There it was. My new idea!

I was determined to make these foam pumpkins into woodland animals and do them with my kiddos (more so my oldest, my son gets bored easily and my littlest…. well, she’s too young to work with hot glue).

But alas! I was able to do it and I am going to share with you how.

Here is what you need:

SUPPLIES:

*some of the following links are affiliate links*

Dollar Tree Foam Pumpkins
Felt Sheets
Googly eyes
Craft pom poms
Hot Glue and Glue Gun
Acrylic Paint
Paint Brushes
Misc. Christmas Foliage

Okay so first, grab your pumpkin. You can remove the stem or keep it on. We removed it. You can also paint the pumpkin your desired color. Since we were making a fox we didn’t have to paint this one, but if you were to make a reindeer you would paint it light brown. If you wanted to paint a raccoon, you would paint it gray etc.

Next you want to cover the top, I simply cut out an orange circle of felt and we hot glued it on (you won’t notice this later on).

Afterwards, you want to cut out white pieces of felt for the face.

And place them as follows:

Then glue a pom pom on the center of those white pieces for the nose.

After that, you want to add the google eyes. You can start seeing the little guy come together now… however, I think he got into a fight since his nose is slightly crooked (my daughter and I laughed at that).

Then you want to cut ears out of both white and orange felt and glue them together.

Then you glue toothpicks to the back of them. You can totally add the toothpick in between the felt sheets too.

Then you want to add hot glue on the bottoms of the ears and the tip of the toothpick before you insert it into the pumpkin.

My daughter was getting so excited by this point (and momma was totally relieved that he actually resembled something close to a fox… remember I was winging this as I went here).

But of course, we were not done yet!!!

We had to add some Christmas flair! And since I had some leftover garland picks that I used to fluff my Dollar Tree Farmhouse Christmas Trees I decided to use one to add a little crown to the top of the fox.

And then a bow and some berries and then he…. I mean she…. was done!

We love how it turned out, crooked nose and all!

As well as the other little woodland animals we came up with…

Eek! This was so fun!

I think we did pretty good. Whatcha think?!

If you love these fun woodland animals as much as we do, make sure to download the patterns I created for them. They are nothing fancy, but it will save you the trouble of figuring it out yourself. Scroll a little more to get access to them!

Scroll down for many more Kids Christmas Craft Ideas!

And don’t forget to grab your free pattern below!

November 23, 2018 By Yami 4 Comments

DIY Letterboard Christmas Countdown Ornament

I hope you have been enjoying the 12 Days of Christmas so far and have been getting a ton of inspiration and ideas for your holidays. If you love anything farmhouse then you are sure to love today’s DIY I have for you!

Welcome to Day 3 of the Fourth Annual 12 Days of Christmas Series!

GO HERE for the complete list of Dates and Topics plus a collection of most popular holiday ideas including ornaments, games, recipes and more from all 50 plus talented bloggers!

It’s Day 3 and we are sharing DIY Christmas Countdown Calendar Ideas!

DIY Letterboard Christmas Countdown Ornament

Supplies:

1/4″ square dowel
1 black felt sheet
1 pack of round wood dowels from Dollar Tree
Glue Gun
Small piece of poster board
Ribbon
Letter board letters
Mini Miter Box Saw Kit

First gather your materials, these are extremely inexpensive. You are looking at about $2.50 below.

Then you want to cut the mini round dowels and take away 2 1/4″ off of them since they are a little too long. Isn’t my little mini saw the cutest?!

Next, you need to cut little felt sheets to fit over the dowels.

Glue the felt down with hot glue.

After gluing them with the felt, you want to glue them all together (side by side) and frame them with the square dowel.

You will need to cut 2 of the square dowel pieces to 4 1/4″ and the other 2 square dowels at 5″.

You can see how I glued them together below.

You will need to add a piece of poster board (or cardboard) to the back to keep them all together.

Then finally, you add a ribbon to hang onto your tree and you can can also add one on the front for decoration.

Finally you will add your letters. But a word of caution…

Since this is not made like the regular letter boards with the right pressure to hold the letters, it will be a little harder for them to stay on so I suggest to glue the “Days Till Xmas” part and leave the numbers free.

If you don’t wish to glue the letters down, then I would suggest using popsicle sticks instead of the round dowels.. You can also find them at Dollar Tree. For that you will need to glue 2 popsicle sticks together before covering them in felt.

Since the popsicle sticks aren’t as round, the gaps between them won’t be as large so they will hold the letters better.

I hope you liked this cute farmhouse inspired DIY! I absolutely love this DIY Letterboard Christmas Countdown Ornament and I cannot wait to use it this Christmas season!

Scroll down for many more DIY Christmas Countdown Calendar Ideas for your holiday season!

As always you can check the video tutorial below….

November 21, 2018 By Yami 3 Comments

DIY Gift Idea – Doll Blanket Set

It’s our Second Day of the Fourth Annual 12 Days of Christmas Series!

GO HERE for the complete list of Dates and Topics plus a collection of most popular holiday ideas including ornaments, games, recipes and more from all 50 plus talented bloggers!

It’s Day 2 and we are sharing DIY Gift Ideas!

DIY Gift Idea – Doll Blanket Set

If you are a mom of girls you know they love playing with their dolls. My daughters have several and I bought them a cute little bed from Ikea a while back so that they can put them to sleep, however, it came with a blue (and not very cute blanket set) and I always thought I would make them something cuter for it.

Well, the time finally came! I had some pink flannel fabric left over from another project in my stash and I came across this cute patterned fabric at Hobby Lobby on clearance for $3 a yard!

Ain’t it precious?

Okay, so I grabbed the blanket set the bed came with and used it as my guide.

I made sure to cut the fabric a little larger for seam allowance.

I cute 2 of these in the flannel and also cut some batting since I wanted it to be kind of “stuffed” like the original blue one.

For this you just stack the 2 pink on top of the batting and pin them together.

Run it through the machine leaving a small hole so that you can turn it right side out.

Once you turn it right side out the batting will be in between both pieces of fabric!

Sew the hole and then add another stitch about half an inch from the boarder all the way around. It’s like making a placemat. (Here is a GREAT tutorial that can explain it so much better than me, especially if you need a visual!)

The blanket was much easier cause it was just a rectangle. I actually cut it a little bit larger cause the one it came with was kinda small. Simply cut to desired size and hem all 4 borders… easy peasy!

Then finally I made a simple envelope pillowcase, but added the same type of pleats as my DIY farmhouse tablecloth and DIY placemats.

I am really into pleats right now!

And that was it! Seriously, if you can sew a straight line you can totally do this!

The girls are going to love it!

I even have some extra material so I may add more little items as their gifts! I can’t wait to wrap this up and give it to them for Christmas.

Wouldn’t you love this if you were a little girl? I know I would!

Don’t forget to pin this and share with your friends!

Catch you back on Friday!

Scroll down for many more DIY Gift Ideas!

November 19, 2018 By Yami 3 Comments

DIY Lit Birch Wreath – Pottery Barn Dupe

Welcome to Day 1 of the Fourth Annual 12 Days of Christmas Series!

GO HERE for the complete list of Dates and Topics plus a collection of most popular holiday ideas including ornaments, games, recipes and more from all 50 plus talented bloggers!

It’s Day 1 and we are sharing DIY Wreath Ideas!

DIY Lit Birch Wreath – Pottery Barn Dupe

For my DIY Wreath, I decided to do something totally different and out of my comfort zone, because I figured everyone would be expecting a traditional Christmas wreath. I saw this amazing looking lit birch wreath on Pottery Barn’s site.

Yeah, it was pretty but too expensive so I decided to recreate it myself.

And don’t forget you can always see a video tutorial of this project on my YouTube channel.

I had this foam wreath from Dollar Tree in my craft stash…

I painted it with a tan acrylic paint I had on hand.

I decided to use some “faux” wood scrapbook paper from Hobby Lobby, but since it was one-sided I had to paint the other side. And I just brushed on that tan acrylic paint along with some great and white. I just used long streaks and alternated the colors.

Below you can see what both sides looked like.

Okay so after the paint dried, I created a leaf template from poster board and I traced it on the paper and began to cut the small leaves. I used 3 sheets total for this 10 inch wreath…

After they were all cut, I used a hot glue stick (not hot of course) to create a curve on the leaves.

Then I began hot-gluing them to the wreath. I made sure to place both front and backs of the paper randomly and I also did not add any leaves on the back so that it would lay flat up against the wall.

This is what the wreath looked like after it had all the leaves on it.

Then since the original had glitter on it I mixed some gold and silver from my stash (gotta love that stash!) and added to it randomly as well.

I decided to also dry-brush some gold acrylic paint throughout it as well. The best brush to use for this is a fan brush.

Then finally, I sprayed it with some spray adhesive so that the glitter wouldn’t keep going everywhere.

I think I still have glitter on me 😂

And voila! I had my own “birch” wreath!

I added the same kind of fairy lights that I used for my farmhouse floral sconces and it works great!

Whatcha think? I know it’s different, but I am so glad I tried it! The original cost $129 and mine only cost $3.25! Can’t beat that.

If you liked it too, please pin and share with your friends!

I will see you guys Wednesday!

Scroll down for many more DIY Wreath Ideas for your holiday season!

November 18, 2018 By Yami Leave a Comment

50 Plus DIY Christmas Ideas

Hello sweet friends! It has been a while since I have posted but you are about to be bombarded with some serious holiday goodness since I am participating in the 12 days of Christmas again this year. It’s where 50 plus bloggers (including myself) share DIY’s, gift ideas, recipes… you name it for the holidays!

We are kicking off the 4th Annual 12 Days of Christmas event with a collection of most popular DIY Christmas Ideas from 50 plus bloggers!

We have teamed up with 50 plus talented bloggers to bring you hundreds of new ideas for the holiday season! Scroll down to meet the team and see our 12 Days of Christmas event topics along with free printable calendars with the dates you can expect more ideas throughout the holiday season!

A Fresh Start On A Budget~A Princess And Her Pirates~A Wonderful Thought~Across The Blvd.

Adventures Of A DIY Mom~An Alli Event~Blowing Away Out West~Charleston Crafted~Chef Sarah Elizabeth~

Christmas Tree Lane~Cookies, Coffee and Crafts~Cooking with Carlee~Craftify My Love

Create and Babble~Creative Cynchronicity~Creative Ramblings~Dazzle While Frazzled

DIY 180~DIY Adulation~DIY Party Mom~Domestic Deadline~Domestically Creative~Of Faeries & Fauna~

Farm Girl Reformed~From House To Home~Glitter On A Dime~Grandma’s House DIY~Happily Ever After

Intelligent Domestications~Northern Feeling~Little Vintage Cottage~Kristi Trimmer

My Family Thyme~My Pinterventures~North Country Nest~Our Crafty Mom~Polka Dot Poplars

Purple Hues & Me~Raggedy Bits~Sew Crafty Crochet~Shoppe No. 5~Sparkle Living~Super Mom No Cape

That Fit Fam~The Aspiring Home~The Inspiration Vault~The Interior Frugalista~The Latina Next Door

The Moments At Home~This Autoimmune Life~Through My Front Porch~Tikkido

Weekend Craft~What Meegan Makes~

DIY Vintage Farmhouse Style Baking Tin Ornaments @Northern Feeling

Dollar Tree Christmas Candleholders @The Latina Next Door

Vintage Button Snowman Christmas Tags @Raggedy Bits

Magical Snowflake Candle Holders (Free Template) @Craftify My Love

Wire Angel Ornaments @Adventures Of A DIY Mom

DIY ‘Knit’ Christmas Ornaments @Domestic Deadline

Prairie Point Star Ornament @Supermom No Cape

No Sew Quilted Ornament @This Autoimmune Life

Rustic Entryway Holiday Home Tour @North Country Nest

Christmas Ornament Pallet Sign @Creative Ramblings

Winter Snowflake Wreath From Puzzle Pieces @Dazzle While Frazzled

Poinsettia Tree Skirt @Purple Hues & Me

The Best Gingerbread House Recipe @Tikkido

DIY Star Garland @Faeries & Fauna

Candy Cane Christmas Centerpiece @From House To Home

Buffalo Check Christmas Tree @Weekend Craft

Cozy Christmas Tablescape @Our Crafty Mom

Crochet & Cross Stitch Snowman Pillow @The Inspiration Vault

How To Create A Hot Cocoa Bar @My Family Thyme

Hand Painted Christmas Tree Sign @Domestically Creative

The Reindeer Antler Game @Intelligent Domestications

Gift Passing Game @Polka Dot Poplars

Free Printable Christmas Scattergories Game @DIY Adulation

Christmas Party Group Game @Blowing Away Out West

Christmas Movie Trivia Quiz @Creative Cynchronicity

Dear Santa Letter Free Printable @An Alli Event

Crochet Reindeer Christmas Scarf @Sew Crafty Crochet

Recycled Little Golden Book Ornaments @Little Cottage Living

North Pole Christmas Table for Kids @Cookies, Coffee & Crafts

Holiday Gift Wrap On A Budget (Free Printable Gift Tags) @Happily Ever After

Layered Ribbon Trees @Sparkle Living

DIY Nativity Shadowboxes @A Princess and Her Pirates

Farmhouse Christmas Tree Ornament with Mod Podge @Grandma’s House DIY

Ganache Hot Cocoa @Chef Sarah Elizabeth

Peppermint Cupcakes In A Jar Gift @Through My Front Porch

White Chocolate Glaze Gingerbread Biscotti @Christmas Tree Lane

German Gingerbread Cookies @Cooking With Carlee

How To Make A Simple Christmas Bow @The Aspiring Home

Nine Free Holiday Printables @Farm Girl Reformed

A Coastal Christmas Tree @Charleston Crafted

How To Fill Outdoor Planters for The Holidays @Interior Frugalista

Make A Gingerbread Man From A Clay Pot @Shoppe No. 5

DIY Glitter Christmas Ornaments @Create & Babble

DIY Spray Painted Christmas Pillows @A Wonderful Thought

Under $3 DIY Flocked Christmas Tree @Meegan Makes

Santa Shell Ornament @Across The Blvd.

Baking Soda Gingerbread Ornaments @My Pinterventures

A Simple Elf Breakfast @Glitter On A Dime

DIY Photo Holder Gift Made By Kids for Grandparents @The Moments At Home

Non Candy Stocking Stuffers @That Fit Fam

Print our Free Calendars below and stick them on your refrigerator! You will have the publication dates and topics with tons of DIY Ideas! Visit all 12 Days of the 2018 12 Days of Christmas Ideas event with 50 Plus bloggers!

Click HERE to print November Calendar

Click HERE to print the December Calendar.

November 2, 2018 By Yami 1 Comment

How to Make a Tablecloth Farmhouse Style

Do you ever think something up in your head and when you finally get the chance to make it, you find that it came out even better than you expected?

Well, I admit that doesn’t happen too often, but I was so happy when I made this tablecloth for my breakfast table – it was just perfect! And when I shared my Decorate with Me Tablescape Video on my YouTube channel ERRRRRBODY wanted to know how to make one as well.

Which totally blew me away by the way….

Luckily I documented everything and I was able to come up with a tutorial, both a step by step one for my blog and a video for the YouTube peeps (cause ya know, some people are visual learners… ahem… I know I am😉).

Anyways, if you are looking to spruce up your table with this adorable tablecloth, here’s how to do it yourself.

Some of the links below may be affiliate links, for full disclosure please go here.

Items you will need to make this farmhouse tablecloth

Fabric of Choice (I purchased some upholstery fabric in the home decor fabric section at Hobby Lobby.
Sewing Machine (I use this one)
Serger (optional)
Thread
Pins
Sewing Clips
Scissors or Rotary Cutter
Fabric Pencil

First you are going to drape the fabric over your table.

Next you want to measure how far down you want your tablecloth to hang down (without the pleated skirt). I measured mine 5 1/2 inches which included a seam allowance.

After you do this you want to pin down the 4 corners with pins to keep them secure.

Since my fabric came from one of the larger home decor fabric spools it was too long on 2 sides. So after the corners were pinned, I marked 5 1/2 inches from the table edge and used those guides to cut the fabric the same length all around.

After everything was even, I sewed all 4 corners and made sure the tablecloth fit properly.

Related: Summer Tablescape

Once that was complete I cut 3 1/2 strips for the pleated part of the tablecloth.

I sewed a hem on one side of all those strips.

I then attached all of them to make one continuous long strip of fabric.

Then I proceeded to form the pleated border by adding those strips to the edge of the tablecloth. I wanted pleats but I just eyeballed the spaces between each one and set each with one pin (nothing too formal here).

I started on one corner of the tablecloth and worked my way around. I made sure to hide the seams within the pleats so that when you look at the tablecloth you would see no visible signs of each strip seam.

After that (and I totally forgot to take a picture of this) I used my serger to serge the tablecloth and pleat seam so that it wouldn’t fray. If you don’t have a serger you can totally use the zig zag stitch on your sewing machine.

Then finally I sewed the pleats down so that they would lay flat and not rise up.

And that’s it! You have the cutest tablecloth ever!

I did iron it to get the pleats nice and crisp and smooth out any wrinkles.

Eek! I love how it looks!

Since this was my breakfast table I no longer have my tablescape set up, but I still put the tablecloth on every day (I take it off when we eat on it though).

What do you think? Would you have one of these on your table?

If you like the tablecloth then you will also appreciate my tutorial on how to make the fabric chargers/placemats you see on the table. You can find that tutorial here.

I would love to know what you think in the comments below!

October 28, 2018 By Yami Leave a Comment

DIY Dollar Tree Christmas Trees

You might think I am going a little crazy right now sharing a Christmas DIY before the end of October, but the fact of the matter is you can never start too early especially when Christmas decor is already flying off the shelves at Dollar Tree. I’ll be honest, I am one of those people buying up those items, because once they are gone, you’re pretty much out of luck!

I created these cute little farmhouse Christmas trees in an afternoon and couldn’t wait to share them with you all. Make sure you have your purse handy cause you’re going to want to head to Dollar Tree the minute you’re done with this post. 😉

DIY Dollar Tree Christmas Trees

I partnered with Dollar Tree for this post and I was compensated for this post. This post also contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links

Here’s what you need:

You can purchase galvanized buckets with rope at Dollar Tree but I had these on hand already.

Dollar Tree Christmas Decor 1 DIY Dollar Tree Christmas Trees

I simply removed the owl, painted them with my favorite white chalk paint and hot-glued the rope to the top of the bucket.

Then I took these small Christmas trees from Dollar Tree.

Related: Dollar Tree Stocking Hangers

And I used some wired garland ties…

…to add a little more fullness to the trees.

Then I inserted the bottom of the tree into the floral foam.

I hot glued the foam inside the bucket and then I filled in the top with reindeer moss to hide the foam.

Then it was time to make something for the top, so I made this little bow. And I just hot-glued it altogether.

I have a great tip I share on the tutorial video on how to stop the buffalo check ribbon from fraying that you can check out below:

The final step was to add some floral wire to the back of the ribbon so I can tie it to the top of the tree.

And that was it!

I had enough for two of them so I went ahead and made 2! These were so simple and easy to make and they only cost me about $5 each to make.

RELATED: If you love these you will also love my DIY Farmhouse Ornaments, my Dollar Tree Candleholders and my Dollar Tree DIY Woodland Animals.

You can add fairy lights and light them up. You can place them on your mantle or even use them as gifts for Christmas. I am so happy how these turned out and they are definitely one of my favorite holiday DIY’s so far.

Love this!?! >>>> Don’t forget to pin these and share with your friends!

I cannot wait to share some more DIY’s for Christmas with you all! I have several up my sleeve so stay tuned!

Yami

*Some of the links below are affiliate links, please go here for full disclosure. I am a Plaid Ambassador and some of the products used here were supplied to me*

*Some of the links below are affiliate links for your convenience, for more information please go here*

Buffalo Check Garland

Buffalo Check LOVE sign

Buffalo Check Wreath Clip Ons

DIY Dollar Tree Valentines Day Decor

*Some of the links below are affiliate links, please see full disclosure here*

Dollar Tree DIY Stocking Hangers

*Some of the links below are affiliate links.*

Dollar Tree Christmas Gift Wrap Ideas

*some of the links below are affiliate links, please see full disclosure here*

Easy Christmas in a Jar for a Tween

DIY Dollar Tree Farmhouse Ornament

*some of the following links are affiliate links*

Puerto Rican Mini Party Sandwiches

DIY Dollar Tree Christmas Woodland Animals

And don’t forget to grab your free pattern below!

Get access to the Woodland Animal Patterns below!

DIY Letterboard Christmas Countdown Ornament

DIY Gift Idea – Doll Blanket Set

DIY Lit Birch Wreath – Pottery Barn Dupe

And don’t forget you can always see a video tutorial of this project on my YouTube channel.

Scroll down for many more DIY Wreath Ideas for your holiday season!

*Some of the links below may be affiliate links, for full disclosure please go here.*

Items you will need to make this farmhouse tablecloth

DIY Dollar Tree Christmas Trees

*I partnered with Dollar Tree for this post and I was compensated for this post. This post also contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links*

Instagram

Some of the links below are affiliate links, please go here for full disclosure. I am a Plaid Ambassador and some of the products used here were supplied to me

Some of the links below are affiliate links for your convenience, for more information please go here

Some of the links below are affiliate links, please see full disclosure here

Some of the links below are affiliate links.

some of the links below are affiliate links, please see full disclosure here

some of the following links are affiliate links

Some of the links below may be affiliate links, for full disclosure please go here.

I partnered with Dollar Tree for this post and I was compensated for this post. This post also contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links