Eileen

Summer Blog Hop Kick-Off Week – Making Crunchy Granola

June 8, 2017 by Eileen

This week marked the start of our Summer Blog Hop! Ash and I are collaborating with 11 talented DIY bloggers to bring you awesome inspiration all summer long. Every Monday and Thursday, we will be featuring awesome DIY posts, and today is no exception!

Tammy from Hey Fitzy is sharing her recipe for healthy, crunchy granola. The best part? It’s free of natural flavors and unhealthy ingredients.

Just like my family, Tammy is a label-reader, so I LOVE recipes like this. I’m not exaggerating when I say we eat tons of fruit and veggies (I mean, my birthday cake was literally a fruit cake). So it’s nice to have a healthy recipe that adds a little crunch. Doesn’t it look amazing?!

Here are some fun facts about Tammy:

If your life was turned into a movie, what celebrity would you want to play you? Reese Witherspoon. Probably my favorite actress of all time. Plus…wouldn’t it be fun to meet her!

If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be? Chocolate covered strawberries. No…not really a meal but they would be if someone let me.

Check out her post on how to make crunchy granola here!

2017 Summer Blog Hop Co-Hosts:

From Play Dates to Parties
JENerally Informed
Hey Fitzy
Dazzle While Frazzled
Just Measuring Up
Health, Home, and Heart
Crafting a Family
A Purdy Little House
The Navage Patch
Confessions of a Mommyaholic
The No Pressure Life
Flourish and Knot

Kicking Off the Blog Hop with Free Summer Party Printables

June 5, 2017 by Eileen

Time seems to just be flying by around here. I can’t believe it’s already June! Today kicks off the beginning of the 2017 Summer Blog Hop.

You see, Ash and I are collaborating with 11 other awesome bloggers this summer to bring you all kinds of fun inspiration – DIYs, crafts, kids activities, and printables. Twice a week, for the whole summer, we will be sharing these awesome posts with you 🙂

Today we have an awesome post for you – Leslie from the blog From Playdates to Parties is sharing her spectacular summer party printables! She created 5 sets of cool summer printables, that include pennant banners!

They are perfect for parties, picnics, or summer decorations. I love the color schemes of her summer party printables – they are are so bright and cheery, perfectly encapsulating the feeling of summer.

And, my favorite is her 4th of July printables – I’ll be printing these for my mantel this summer 🙂

Here are some fun facts about Leslie:

If you could hire someone to help you, would it be with cleaning, cooking, or yard work? So, we have a cleaning service that comes every two weeks, but I’d love to just have someone who would come and do all the picking up, cleaning, and laundry. That just sounds like heaven!

What celebrity would you like to meet at Starbucks for a cup of coffee? Steve Martin. There’s nothing better than someone who can make you laugh. And he has the special ability to be funny that isn’t always raunchy or hurtful. That’s a rarity these days.

To view these awesome summer printables, check out her post here!

And, here are the rest of our summer blog co-hosts. If you can’t wait until Thursday for more DIY inspiration, here are the links to their blogs.

2017 Summer Blog Hop Co-Hosts:

4 Proven Ways to Sharpen Your Home’s Curb Appeal

May 25, 2017 by Eileen 51 Comments

Running to the store, I take a quick look in the mirror – smoothing my hair, making sure I don’t have anything in my teeth, checking for food stains on my shirt (toddlers…) because when I go out, I’m on display.

Well, our homes are on display all of the time. If you think about it, people actually see the outside of your home more often than the inside.

When there are twigs all over the yard days after a storm or a rusting mailbox, that’s like having a big chunk of spinach in your teeth when you smile at the store clerk.

Not only is maintaining and updating your home’s exterior aesthetically pleasing, but outdoor projects can tremendously escalate the value of your home.

The following projects are simple DIYs and will undoubtedly increase your home’s curb appeal.

1. Add Porch Railings

Porch railings provide a myriad of benefits. They increase the value of your home, provide a safe place for kids and pets to play, and bring a certain charm to your home.

With selling our first home, Ash and I looked for ways to make our townhouse stand out amidst a large neighborhood of very similar looking houses.

Ash installed white porch railings – and we loved the value they brought.

With the new porch railings, we found ourselves spending more time on the porch. Our dog had a safe place to run back and forth without darting into the road, we loved the porch railings upgraded the look of our home, and our realtor was most pleased to see such a worthwhile update.

For only a weekend of work, we sure reaped the benefits of that project.

If you don’t have a porch area on your home, you can add railings to your steps and entry area. I’ve seen this work wonders on a home’s curb appeal.

Check out how Ash built these porch railings.

2. Paint the Front Door

Doors can get pretty banged up over the years – and a fresh on the front door gives your entry look fresh and inviting.

It’s very trendy nowadays to see brightly colored doors – such as yellow or bright green. Red can be really common. It’s awesome if you can make a blast of color work. Yet, you don’t have to go that way if you aren’t sure that it will work for you and your home.

Even just a fresh coat of paint also goes a long way. Before we moved out of our previous home, I painted a fresh coat of white paint on our front and back doors. It made a huge difference. It got rid of any marks that accumulated over the years and gave the door a brighter, fresh appearance.

Painting your front door is a quick, inexpensive, and easy way to make your home more attractive. It’s another simple project that yields great benefits.

3. Install a Walkway

Another way to pump up your curb appeal is by having a direct and well-maintained pathway to your home. A clear front walk not only leads one in, but it shows that your home is inviting, bringing warmth, character, and direction to your home.

Ash and I put a walkway in our first home, digging up the ground and laying down the rocks to make this stony pathway. We actually built this in our backyard – to connect our back patio to our floating deck; however, this would work as a great front walk too.

It was an easy project – lots of digging and carrying stones. Yet, in just two weekends, we had a fabulous stone walkway. The hardest part of the project wasn’t the labor involved in making the path but carrying all those stones.

Additionally, other ways to dress up these walkways is with bright lighting and pretty landscaping. You want your home to be well-lit at night, and beautifully spaced plants highlight the pathway.

If your home is missing a direct path to your front door, or if you are looking for a pathway that’s simple to maintain, check out our stone walkway tutorial for step by step instructions.

4. Fix Up Your Mailbox

Last, and my personal favorite – the mailbox. Sprucing up your mailbox is an easy project that really escalates your curb appeal. Fixing up your box with either a new post or even a fresh coat of paint goes a long way. Plant a few flowers around it, and you’ll have the prettiest box on the street.

When we moved into our new home, our mailbox was an eyesore. For one, it was rotting. Not to mention its terrible slant. It leaned so far toward the road that when getting the mail, it would practically fall out.

In looking around the neighborhood, the neighbors’ boxes weren’t much better. Many boxes were slanted – some had splints to hold the post up. One neighbor even had duct tape wrapped around his mailbox to keep in on its post.

In fixing ours, we realized just how straightforward it was – and what a huge impact it had on our curb appeal. A little fresh paint and a brand new post made our beautiful orange tulips finally feel at home. A mailbox makeover is a simple project that you can do in a weekend, and it will definitely impress the neighborhood.

And, if your mailbox looked anything like ours did, I’m sure your mailman will be a happy camper.

Check out our mailbox makeover tutorial.

Just as you want to look your best before a party or before leaving for work, your home’s appearance is important too. Your house’s façade is always on display for everyone to see.

This spring, it might be time to take care of that leaning mailbox or give your front door a fresh coat of paint.

If you aren’t sure where to start, choose one project and set aside one weekend. With our step-by-step tutorials, we guide you through these DIY outdoor projects, sharing tips, tricks, and what worked for us.

You may even be surprised at the massive impact it has on your home’s curb appeal.

Awesome Ideas for Making DIY Photo Books

May 18, 2017 by Eileen 32 Comments

I absolutely adore photographs. My walls are covered with galleries of pictures – whether they date back to when my parents and grandparents were young or when my siblings and I were growing up.

Not to mention, Ash’s childhood pictures which are just amazing.

And, I simply adore looking back at pictures of our sweet son. It’s funny how quickly kids change.

Whether it’s a look back on one’s life in pictures or a little memory book of a fun day trip, DIY photo books are simply the sweetest gifts.

They spread love and laughter, bringing back all those happy memories that are forgotten in the day-to-day.

My sisters share my love for photos, and we love making picture albums with all kinds of DIY photo book ideas.

We love to choose some kind of theme with funny, silly, or relevant sayings that accompany the pictures. These photobooks are so unique and such a hit, as they turn out amazing!

Keep reading for all of our DIY photo book ideas!

Check out our four favorites – a photobook of commonly-used sayings, quotations from various countries of travel, a Seinfeld-themed book, and special occasion photobooks. Then, see how you can easily make a DIY photo book for the ones you love.

60 Photos, 60 Catchphrases

The first photo book my sisters and I made was a scrapbook style album for our mom’s 60th birthday. Over the years, our mom has coined so many cliches and phrases, so we used these sayings in the DIY photo book gift. 🙂

She always says “I’ll let you get going” but keeps talking. When passing a hay truck, she always asks if we made a wish. When seeing something that reminds her of her parents – our nanny and poppy who have passed- she always says, “You know who would have loved this…” 🙂

And growing up, there was the saying I used to dread. At the end of the weekend or a vacation from school, she would always say in a bummed out tone, “Back to reality.” Boy did that snap us right back…

So, my sisters and I brainstormed all of the the phrases we could (this involved a few phone calls and visits to mom to jog our memories) and picked our favorite 60 phrases.

Then, we went through all of the photos – past and present – and matched the phrases with relevant pictures. This was especially entertaining. Looking through piles and albums of old photos was a blast – and we were cracking up matching photos with mom’s sayings.

We found one of mom cleaning the dishes for “The kitchen is closed,” a picture with all of us standing with our coats on for “I’ll let you get going,” an old first day of school picture for “Back to reality,” a picture of us playing in the hay for “Did you make a wish,” and many more.

Then, we put the pictures in chronological order, so it was like a real photo album, telling the story of the past 60 years in the DIY photo book.

As far as the design for the DIY photo book, we made this book like a scrapbook, printing the pictures and gluing them down.

We even printed each saying in a unique font. For example, the school pictures had a font made of pencils and the “Ok ty <3” text message was written in a typewritten font. I love how much character that fonts add, so this definitely made for a nice touch.

The DIY photo book turned out amazing. Not only does my mom treasure it, but the photo book always gives us a good laugh too. It’s such a fun way to put together a collection of photos from the past.

4 Countries, 40 Years of Marriage

With my in-law’s 40th anniversary coming up, my sister-in-law and I decided to make mom and dad a photo book too. Ash and his family have had the unique experience of living in four countries. Each of these places had their own sayings, dialects, and cliches.

Ash, my sister-in-law, and I picked out sayings that were common to those countries. Then, we paired them with pictures of his family at that time. I absolutely love the way this DIY photo book turned out!

The sayings were so funny to hear. I mean Ash talking in a Jamaican accent alone was cracking me up.

The DIY photo book started in Guyana, referring to spicy curry and roti.

Here are a few from Jamaica – Ash loves the picture on the right of the photo book. He’s climbing a fallen tree after a huge hurricane hit.

The DIY photo book went all the way to present day in New York. I just adore the wedding picture of my sister-in-law and father-in-law with the phrase, “Anything can happen in a New York minute.” So beautiful and true 🙂

We included photos with all the grandchildren and phrases like “hold your horses” and “pretty darn quick” that are unique to the United States.

The DIY photo book turned out so cute – and was such a beautiful montage of all the experiences and memories of the past 40 years in four countries.

Seinfeld Quotes Paired with Pictures

With my sister turning 30, we planned a surprise party that was Seinfeld-themed. When discussing how to make it special, my mom said, “Why not make her one of those nice photobooks?”

So, we did exactly that.

We ran with the Seinfeld theme, using dozens of hilarious quotes from the television show and pairing them with pictures of Bridget over the years. The DIY picture book turned out awesome.

We started the photos chronologically, beginning with a baby picture of her and our Nanny, quoting the Seinfeld episode from The Hamptons.

The photo below is one of my favorites. We were at a family get together and someone took this candid shot of us. I mean, look at each of those faces! After all these years, we finally found the perfect Seinfeld quote to go with it.

And, of course, we had to include “close-talker” in the DIY photo book.

We tried to limit the quotes and photos in the picture book to 30 in honor of 30 years. Yet, with all of the funny Seinfeld quotes and pictures we had collected, 30 was a drop in the bucket. The Seinfeld DIY photo book ended up being much longer (and hilarious).

Special Occasion Books

As a thank you to grandparents or friends going on a day trip or vacation, I love making a cute book of the pictures we took.

We recently went on a trip to a train museum and petting zoo, and it was a really perfect day. To thank my parents, we made them a little memory photobook with our favorite pictures from the day. They LOVED it.

There weren’t any fancy quotes in this one – just some cute designs and fun pictures.

How to Make a DIY Photo Book

You have so many options when creating your DIY photo books. We have made so many of these, so we have plenty of tips to share!

Digital Photo Books or Scrapbook Photo Books

You can make your DIY books either digitally or scrap book style.

I find digitally to be a little faster. It takes a little bit of time to arrange layouts, but it’s fun to pick layouts and embellishments. And, my time is much better spent creating something cool rather than on my newsfeed 🙂

I like using Walgreens for photobooks. You can use same-day pickup on some items (check which items for your local store before starting your book). The hardcover photobooks tend to be better quality when you have them sent to your home instead of same-day. Yet, if you are running short on time, same-day pick up is a great option for your DIY photobooks.

If you are working on the project with someone else, like a sister or friend who doesn’t live close, you can both log in to work on the photo book before printing.

Also, definitely search google for a Walgreen’s coupon code. They always run deals, so you will do well with the price of photo books.

You can also make the book scrapbook style. Albums can be ordered on Amazon or picked up at a craft store with a coupon. We made my mom’s DIY photo book this way, and it was nice because each of my three sisters and me had a role.

One of my sisters printed the photos with her 4×6 photo printers. (It’s awesome!! We always have her printing pictures for us 🙂 One of us bought the stickers, album, and embellishments, one of us printed all the quotes in cool fonts, and another sister put everything together.

To keep everything organized in the DIY photo books, as far as quotes and pictures, we used Google docs. You can easily share this with others. So, we made a simple spreadsheet of quotes and then wrote a description of picture we planned to use. This kept everything organized and sequenced properly.

DIY Photo Album Ideas

As far as themes for the sayings or quotations for your photobooks, you can be as creative as you want. Think about your recipient’s life and interests, and I’m sure something great will come to mind.

DIY photo books also make a great gift for father’s day and mother’s day. You could pair photos of your kids with funny things they say (I should make this for Ash!). It doesn’t have to be a grandiose book – a collection of 10-20 photographs in the picture album will turn out wonderfully.

Why You Should Make Photo Books

With today’s technology and everything being digital, it’s hard to find time to organize and print photo albums. Dropboxes and clouds (wherever they are) are filled with hundreds of pictures that aren’t looked at often.

This is exactly why I love making photo albums for others as gifts. And, exactly why these picture gifts are adored so much.

DIY photo book gifts are simply awesome presents to give. Not only will your recipients love the collection of pictures, but they’ll just adore the cute or funny sayings you included too. My mom, sister, and in-laws absolutely LOVED the photo books.

So much, that my sister is already asking for an addendum with more Seinfeld quotes and pictures 🙂

I can’t tell you how many laughs the Seinfeld book got – or how much my mom chuckles looking back at her photos and her sayings.

And who couldn’t use more laughter and love in their life?

For other gift ideas, check out our ice cream sundae gift basket and our Valentine’s Day Scavenger Hunt.

How to Make Tissue Paper Suncatchers

April 27, 2017 by Eileen 28 Comments

Do you ever try to do a craft with your kids and it ends up a complete fail? Either it doesn’t turn out anything like you pictured, or it was too complicated for your kids, or it was more work than it was worth?

Boy, have I been there. Having been an inner city teacher and now a mom of an active toddler, I have quickly learned to keep activities simple.

Today I’m sharing how to make tissue paper suncatchers with your kids. It’s an easy craft that turns out really cute! And, you can use cookie cutters – another favorite among kids.

I love having my son make things for others. Even more, I love having him create something with a specific person in mind – say Nana – he’ll pick out all of the colors Nana likes, the stickers she likes, and create something special with her in mind. I think it teaches such an important lesson.

And the suncatcher activity was so great because he got to pick out a special shape for everyone – Nana got a cowgirl boot 🙂

As an added bonus, the tissue paper suncatchers are a cute little gift – not that I don’t love his usual scribbles on paper – I really, really do. I just don’t think others appreciate them like I do 😉

How to Make Tissue Paper Suncatchers

My quick cheat for this kids craft was using cookie cutters for the shapes. This saved a ton of time, which would have otherwise been spent drawing lopsided stars, and it added another element of fun to the project. It makes for an organized workspace.

Materials for Tissue Paper Suncatchers

Tissue Paper – I went to Dollar Tree – one of my favorite stores for crafts, holidays, and other $1 treasures and stocked up on some cool tissue paper. I got some basic colors as well as a few patterns and speckled ones.
Clear Contact Paper – You can probably get this a few dollars cheaper at the craft store with a coupon, but in a pinch, Amazon is amazing.
Cookie Cutters – optional – but they certainly made the project simple. Plus, you can use them for lots of other crafty projects. I got these cookie cutters as a Christmas gift from Ash when we were first dating, and I use them ALL the time for my crafts. There are so many shapes and choices, including holiday and every day items.
Scissors
Pen

I usually keep a stack of small dollar store bins or buckets in my office/craft room. I use these to organize our kids crafts as they are happening. For example, I’ll have scissors/pens in one bin, tissue paper in another bin, etc.

Instructions for Tissue Paper Suncatchers

The tissue paper suncatcher kids craft was very simple. Depending upon the age of your kids, you may be more of less involved. A toddler would need an adult to be hands on, whereas a grade schooler could work mainly independently.

Preparation

First, I cut tissue paper into strips. You don’t have to cut too much. I did one or two strips of each color. To include my toddler, I gave him his scissors and some strips of tissue paper.

I love these scissors because they have a little lever, which makes it easier for him to open and close the scissors. I cut his tissue strips extra narrow, so he could practice cutting.

He loves to use scissors because he doesn’t get to use them all the time. So, cutting just a few pieces made him super excited. 🙂

Next, you will need two pieces of contact paper of roughly the same size for each suncatcher. You can prepare these ahead of time or cut as you go.

Making the Suncatchers

I peeled the back off of just one sheet of contact paper, and taped all four sides down to the table. The reason I did this was because my son is young, and I didn’t want the contact paper constantly sticking to him and moving. I try to keep our crafts fun and frustration-free, so it was easier to tape it down.

After, we picked our shape. Using cookie cutters made this step so simple and fun 🙂 My son loved picking a special shape for each suncatcher. In addition to the cowgirl for Nana, he picked a butterfly for his Aunty, a heart for Grandma, and a doggie for Zeus our pup.

Then, it was time to apply the tissue paper.

You can turn this into a fun sorting activity – and have your child sort the colors into piles.

For kids a little older, you can work on patterns, lining up a pattern, asking what comes next, and then sticking them on.

My son and I picked a few colors to use on each suncatcher. For the car, we used two shades of blue. For the heart, we picked three colors. And, for quite a few of the shapes, we used all of the colors.

Oddly enough, my son’s favorite colors are brown and black. Every time he goes to make a card for someone, he colors in brown or black marker. His Easter cards featured a cute pastel bunny with black and brown scribbles across it. 😉

Lucky for him, I had one sheet of black tissue paper. So we mixed white in and made a black and white star. Of course, it was his favorite.

After we covered enough of the surface of the contact paper with tissue, it was time to put the second sheet of contact paper down.

I recommend the grown-up doing this part. Contact paper can be tricky to work with and if it ends up all blotchy, it doesn’t look nice. I made a bubbly blotchy one myself, tried to fix it, and ended up ripping the tissue paper.

So rather than cause frustration for the kids, I would just do this myself. Lay one side down first and then keep pressing until you get to the other side. So I had my son watch me lay it down and then help me pat it.

After you’ve covered it with contact paper, take the intended cookie cutter and trace it onto the contact paper.

I used a regular pen and drew lightly, in case any lines were still there after I cut.

As an alternative to this, you can draw your shape or picture right onto the contact paper. I freehanded a train for his train-loving Pop.

And, it just happened to be Ash’s birthday – so I also freehanded a hammer for him.

Once we were finished drawing the shape, I cut it out. While I cut, my son picked the next cookie cutter shape. Then, we taped each one to the window.

He had a great time taping them to the window, adding each one as we finished it, and then admiring our work. When we were all done, he loved going outside and seeing the suncatchers we had made.

Even though I did a bunch of the cutting and drawing, my son couldn’t be prouder of the tissue paper suncatchers. He had so much involvement in the project and loved all of his important jobs.

Depending upon how old your children are, they might be able to do most of this themselves, and you can just supervise. My son is still little, but I very much made him a part of every step.

You can also make these as a holiday activity, using Christmas or Halloween shapes. The tissue paper suncatchers can be Valentine gifts from kids or St. Patrick’s Day decorations.

They really do look pretty, and they make for a nice gift for kids to make and give.

We are giving them to family members to go with the thank you notes for my son’s Easter goodies; yet, the tissue paper suncatchers would also serve as a perfect mother’s day gift for mom or grandma or a father’s day gift, too.

If you are looking to keep a craft simple, follow these steps on how to make tissue paper suncatchers. Your kids will love making such an easy yet awesome creation, and you’ll be frustration-free 🙂

How to Throw a DIY Party (Without Going Crazy)

April 10, 2017 by Eileen 42 Comments

Washing the dishes at the end of a long day, you think about how you can barely keep up with the day-to-day routine.

There are crumbs all over the floor you just cleaned. You didn’t get to the overflowing laundry pile today. Lunches to pack, homework to check, kids to get to bed.

It’s endless.

On top of that, your child’s birthday is coming up, and you really want to throw a nice party.

But how can you handle party prep in addition to all the draining housework and all of the other things going on?

With these tips and tricks, you will be able to throw an awesome DIY party without going crazy.

1. Choose 3-5 DIY party ideas and that’s it.

With Pinterest being an easily accessible party-planning archive, it’s typical to feel overwhelmed with all of the ideas out there.

Instead of trying to do everything, which can end in half-hearted efforts or stress overload, just pick a few manageable party DIYs.

This will put a creative spin on the party, without all the pressure.

For my friend’s son’s truck party, we chose 3 party DIYs – a cardboard truck photo booth cut-out, truck goody bags, and a pin the wheel on the truck game.

It was a manageable amount of work, and it creatively tied in the theme of the DIY truck party.

Definitely browse Pinterest or Google images to see what’s been done before. This will help you to brainstorm or even emulate ideas.

And, there are lots of easy DIY party ideas out there.

2. Cut corners with your time, where you can.

Designing, ordering, stamping, and mailing an invitation too much? Save yourself time with an Evite.

Cooking not your forte? Do a few crockpot dishes or order a few dishes from a local restaurant. Baking a cake too time-consuming for you? Order it from the bakery.

Spend your time where YOU feel it is most valuable.

Remember, you can delegate tasks out to reliable family or friends.

For every family party, my sister’s job is to work with the photos – whether making a photobook, collage, or slideshow. She never lets us down, and it’s a task I don’t have to worry about.

Also, prioritize your list, so that if you don’t get to everything, you aren’t disappointed.

For my son’s Sesame party, we barely got to set up the last game “Grover’s Obstacle Course.” We literally threw some pool noodles on the ground along with some balls.

Of course, the toddlers didn’t mind, and I didn’t either because this was low on the priority list.

3. Keep entertainment simple but creative.

Whether it’s music that goes with the party’s theme or party games for kids, entertainment can bring a lot to a party.

Since it can be overwhelming to know where to start, look for what’s already been done. Lots of websites have free templates and printables that can make your planning a piece of cake.

For baby or bridal showers, pick a game or two where most of the work has already been done for you, a game with easy prep or free templates.

We played such a fun game at my friend Meg’s shower – Mustaches and Tiaras, where all of the prep work was done.

For kids’ DIY parties, think easy. Kids love coloring or craft stations, playing with trucks in the sand, or having an egg race.

These activities can easily be adjusted to go with the party’s theme. For example, if having a vehicle party, instead of an egg on a spoon, use a race car on a spoon.

Station games are also great – and they can be made from foam boards from the dollar store.

You can literally make a Pin the “Blank” on anything – characters, animals, trucks, etc. I personally love using felt for these – since felt sticks to felt.

If planning a DIY anniversary party, put together a soundtrack with popular songs from the year the couple married.

Entertainment doesn’t need to be elaborate, or even time-consuming. Think easy – and don’t forget you can also delegate.

4. Do as much as you can early.

Creating, making, and shopping without of stress of a deadline is much more fun.

So, choose a few things that you easily get done ahead of time – like shopping for decorations or working on some DIY party projects. Then, get these done as early as you can.

This will free up your time closer to the party for things like cooking, food shopping, and cleaning.

For my dad’s Beatles party, I started working on the decorations a month or two ahead of time. I would cut letters for banners while I was watching television or had a few minutes of downtime here and there.

I had all of the decorations and games finished early, so the week of the party, I could focus on cooking and cleaning.

Planning and creating are so much more fun when you aren’t working against the clock.

5. Shop smart.

Prior to the DIY party, as you are doing your regular shopping at the grocery stores or craft stores, keep your eyes peeled for party things you can stock up on.

For example, take advantage of sales on paper products – plates, plastic wear, napkins, etc – or even decorations. I bought an abundant supply of ribbon at Michaels at 70% off before the winter holidays.

Months later, I used the ribbon to make banners – and was so happy I didn’t have to make a special trip out to the store.

For kids’ goody bags, it might be smart to steer away from food with all of the allergies out there.

If you are wondering what to give, the Dollar Tree and A.C.Moore have great deals for just $1. You can find cute kids books, stickers, coloring books, and learning games.

Choose a few that go with the theme of your DIY party, and you’re all set.

Speaking of the Dollar Tree, it wouldn’t be a section on shopping smart without mentioning that this chain has the best selection of all the dollar stores. Dollar Tree has all kinds of books and games. Their party section doesn’t disappoint: table cloths, paper products in various colors, pom-poms, and all kinds of other party goodies.

A few trips to Dollar Tree will definitely shorten your to do list – and not be a big hit to your wallet.

Remember, shopping early helps too. When shopping without the stress of a deadline, you tend to easily find the things you are looking for.

And the Housework…

Birthday parties are days that your child anxiously awaits. Even though a DIY party will make your to do list a little longer, following these 5 simple tricks will make the party planning more than manageable.

And, about the housework, no one will notice how clean the kitchen is or see the overflowing laundry baskets hidden away.

Of course, the floors will be dirty again in five minutes, whether or not you had guests over.

200 Ideas for Gift Baskets that Aren’t Junk Food

March 23, 2017 by Eileen 52 Comments

Every holiday has become alarmingly food-centric. Quite frankly, it stresses me out.

Bags filled with candy for Halloween, baskets and plastic eggs brimming with junk for Easter, stockings filled with sugar for Christmas.

Even Irish potatoes have taken over Saint Patrick’s Day. I’m talking the sugary cream cheese kind, not the ones the Irish actually eat.

My family and I have opted out of this candy culture for wholesome, healing foods. In doing so, we have overcome a myriad of health problems – but I’ll save that for another post.

I came up with 200+ awesome ideas for Easter basket ideas that are not only candy-free but also free of sugar and junk.

Also, the Easter basket ideas are organized by theme – because who doesn’t love a candy-free themed basket?!

A Summery Easter Basket

In this candy-free Easter basket, you can include all the things one would need for a summery beach trip. Then, line this summery basket with a beach towel, or instead of an Easter basket, use a beach pail.

Beach toys
Flip flops
Frisbee
Visor
Sunglasses
Pool toys
Beach towel – hooded towels for little ones
Kite
Beach books – board books for the little ones, beach reading for the older ones
Sunscreen
Sun hats

For Kids Who Love Crafts

Crafty is the theme of this candy-free Easter basket. There are so many craft ideas out there that you can be as creative as you want. As a nice addition, line this crafty candy-free Easter basket with a plastic tablecloth, for easy cleanup after art activities, and an alternative to Easter basket grass.

Markers
Colored pencils
Paints
Paintbrushes
Coloring books
Craft kits from AC Moore – foam kits, suncatcher kits
Stickers
Sticker books
Sidewalk chalk
Play dough
Mini canvases
Crayons
Dry Erase board
Cute erasers
Pencil Box
Festive pencils
Plastic Tablecloth – for easy cleanup

For Kids Who Love the Outdoors

Outdoor activities, games, and accessories make for a great candy-free Easter basket. Use a blanket, for picnics or relaxing outside, to line this Easter basket idea.

Bubbles, bubble maker, bubble toys
Sidewalk chalk
Sand toys
Jump rope
Bat and ball set
Mini football
Soccer ball
Baseballs or softballs
Hopscotch Game
Ball cap or spring hat
Frisbee
Sunglasses
Kite
Golf balls
Golf tees
Tennis Balls
Badminton Set
Garden tools
Garden gloves
Blanket for picnics or relaxing outside

Rainy Day Basket for Kids

With kids accumulating so many toys these days, why not make a rainy day basket as a candy-free Easter idea? Kids could pick a few toys to play with and the rest get saved for a rainy afternoon. Line these Easter baskets with a picnic blanket or cuddly reading rug.

Match box cars
Stuffed animals
Card games – decks of cards, learning cards, matching games
Coloring books and crayons
Craft Kits
DVDs
Army men
Blocks
Plastic jewelry
Books – board boards, chapter books, high interest books, etc
Tea party toys
Small or travel board games
Mad Libs
Bingo cards
Picnic blanket

Bath and Body Care Easter Basket

These candy-free Easter baskets is one that’s always loved and appreciated. Who doesn’t love a basket filled with these to decompress with – like cozy slippers, a favorite bath soap, and a good book? This basket is also great for teenagers. As an Easter basket grass alternative, use a cozy blanket or bathrobe to line this basket.

Lotion
Bath toys
Books – for toddlers bath books, for adults a good read
Bath scrub
Chapstick
Lip gloss
Slippers
Cozy blanket
Bath soaps
Socks
Nail polish
Nail file
Hair accessories
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Make-up brushes
Loofah
Favorite fragrance
Cute hand sanitizer

An Entirely Homemade Easter Basket that’s Candy-Free

Whether you are trying to save money or your crafty side is running strong, make an entire Easter basket filled with homemade items. There are so many cool things you can make that guarantee hours of fun. Line these homemade Easter baskets with your knitting, hopscotch mat, or t-shirts, as a fun basket liner.

Homemade finger puppets (check out my tutorial on how to make felt finger puppets)
Handcrafted matching game
Photo puzzle
Hopscotch mat (check out my DIY hopscotch mat made from felt)
Dry erase board from a picture frame
Scavenger hunt clues
Felt busy boards
Sticker Scenes – drawing/printing a landscape for kids to put stickers on
Homemade knit scarf, hat, or blanket
Iron-on or puffy painted t-shirts
Homemade games – Bingo, Mad Libs, etc
Popsicle stick bookmarks
Painted Mugs

Easter Baskets For College Students

For a candy-free Easter basket for college kids, the possibilities are endless. You can put together office supplies, tech items, healthy snacks, or favorite things from home. A cute spring scarf or a college t-shirt would make a great basket liner, rather than using Easter basket grass.

Post-Its
Highlighters
Handy wipes
Travel tissues
Teas
Notebooks
Pens/pencils
USB cord
USB drives
Hard drive
Screen protector
Cell phone case
Headphones
Totes
Spring scarf
iTunes gift card

Healthy Living Easter Basket (With No Candy, Junk, or Sugar)

For those that have an organic lifestyle or love healthy, healing foods, this Easter idea is perfect! It’s a healthy living basket that is filled with healthy foods – like fruit, nuts, and rice snacks, you could fill it with natural bath and body products, or a mix of the two. A reusable bag would make a great liner for your green friend or family member. I would love to get one of these Easter baskets – it would save me a trip to the grocery store 🙂 It’s amazing to know that in the candy-loving, sugar-centric world we live in that you can fill a huge basket with all healthy foods!

Mini cutting board
Seeds – pumpkin, sunflower, etc
Dried berries
Apple
Oranges
Nuts
Avocado
Herbal Tea
Honey
Almond butter
Rice cakes or rice crackers
Lara bars
Coconut water
Reusable glass water bottle
Organic lotion
Natural soap
Organic shampoo (love this one!)
Organic conditioner
Gift card to a local juice bar
Books on juicing or healthy recipes
Reusable bags
Plants – aloe plants, spider plants
Seeds for the garden (non-gmo seeds)
Garden gloves

Easter Baskets For Adults that Are Crafty

This is another Easter basket I would love to receive (…hint hint Ash). It’s filled with so many fun crafty things – you can be as creative as you would like, and your craft-loving family member or friend will not even miss the candy. Instead of using Easter grass, use felt for a creative liner.

Ribbon
Squiggly scissors (I love these so much)
Card stock
Markers
Colored pencils
Acrylic paints
Nice set of paintbrushes
Coloring books for adults
Stickers or embellishments
Washi tape
Journal or notebook
Stamps
Inkpads
Fabric markers
Sharpies
Window markers
Patches
Embroidery floss
Hoops
Yarn
Needles
Felt or cute fabric

Easter Ideas For Your Significant Other

Before we had kids, Ash used to make me an Easter basket every year. It was such a sweet thing to do, especially because Easter baskets are usually geared toward children. Whether you have five kids or none, I’m sure your significant other would love a thoughtful basket filled with creative, candy-free items. Use a spring scarf or cozy blanket to line this basket.

Stuffed animals
Framed photo
Books – think about hobbies –trains, crosswords, crafting, eating health, etc. Some
People love biographies
Fresh flowers
Photo presents – photo puzzle or photo book of recent trip
Coloring book for adults with colored pencils
Tickets to the movies or a restaurant
Spring scarf or cap
Socks
Mugs
Magnets
Cozy blanket

Easter Ideas for Dads

Having your kids make a basket for their father – or you making an Easter basket for your father is such a thoughtful gesture. You can fill these candy-free Easter baskets with all kinds of dad things – like socks and batteries – and I’m sure they would mind a few fun things too like an iTunes gift card. Use a dad t-shirt to line the basket, as a green alternative to Easter grass.

Hearty mug
Batteries
Honey
Duct tape
WD-40
Lint roller
Tie
Watch
Totes
Socks
iTunes gift card
Wine key
Flashlight
Crafts from the kids
Small tools
T-shirts – homemade are great!

Easter Baskets for Mamas

When putting together Easter baskets, don’t forget about your mom. There are lots of fun things you can fill the candy-free basket with that she will love. I’m sure she’ll love that you thought of her. A cozy blanket makes for a perfect basket liner.

Candles
Teas
Cute mug
Crafts made by the kids
Photos of the kids
Lara bars
Almonds
Sunglasses
Cute post-it notes
Fresh flowers
Sharpies
Jewelry
Totes
To-go wipes
Favorite magazine or book
Gift card for a night out
Cozy blanket

Practical Easter Basket Ideas

If you are stuck on ideas for a candy-free basket for a friend or family member (who probably has everything), why not make them a basket with one of these practical Easter basket ideas. Fill it with practical things that you always need – like scissors, batteries, and sharpies. My sister filled our stockings one year with practical items, and they were a big hit! Line the basket with bubble wrap or packing paper, something practical that will be reused.

Sharpies
AA batteries
Rubber band ball
Pencil sharpener
Thumb tacks
USB wall plug-in
Scotch tape
Magic eraser
Scissors
Lint roller
Handy wipes
Ziplock bags
Travel sewing kit
Extension cord

Easter Gifts For Dogs or Cats

With all these Easter baskets, don’t forget about your beloved pets. Pets are easy to shop for, and they don’t eat candy – so anything goes! Use a basket that you can reuse as your dog or cat’s toy bin.

Chew toys
Biscuits or treats
New collar
Bandana
Brush or comb
Frisbee
Tennis balls
Pick-up bags
Dog or cat bed
New dish
Collapsable dog dish (pictured above)
Treats or pieces of pet food in Easter eggs
Homemade biscuits
Homemade toys for cats – bell on a ribbon

Easter Basket Ideas for Eating and Kids

Healthy eating is so important for kids, and many kids these days have food aversions, allergies, or only eat macaroni and cheese and chocolate. The below fun eating dishes and other ideas can be used to encourage and promote healthy eating. Use the easy wipe cloth as a basket liner, as a cute Easter grass alternative.

New plates or cups with a favorite character
Utensil set with favorite character
Silly straws
Healthy snacks – puffs for toddlers, honey sticks, fruit pouches (read the ingredients)
Travel Tupperware
Game Plate – these are so cool. They help toddlers finish food on their plate by making it a game. My son loves this one 🙂
To-go cups
Waterproof splat mat
Fun place mats

Easter Ideas for Filling Eggs

Just as I was stressing out about filling candy-free Easter baskets, I was also wondering what I was going to fill Easter eggs with. I came up with two lists – a small toy list and a toy-free list. I LOVE the toy-free list – it has so many creative, fun ideas.

Match box cars (fits in the big eggs)
Stickers
Finger puppets
Small figures
Rings or bracelets
Keychains
Legos
Bouncy balls

Creative Easter Egg Ideas for Hunts

Legos – Fill all the eggs with legos. After the eggs are found, have kids each build something with the legos from their eggs.
Alphabet magnetic letters – After collecting all of the eggs, see if you can spell any words from your collected letters. Use cookie trays for a magnetic surface for word building.
Jokes – Everyone loves a good laugh 🙂
Silly actions – Fill each egg with a little piece of paper that has silly actions or tasks – i.e. hop around the yard like a bunny, give your little sister a kiss, do 5 jumping jacks,etc
Scavenger hunt clues – Start by giving every participant an egg. Participants will open the given egg for the clue to the next egg.

From crafty baskets to summery baskets to outdoorsy baskets, kids will love these creative items and not even notice that they don’t include candy or junk. And, adults will love the time and thought you put into creating these candy-free Easter baskets.

Additionally, the creative Easter egg hunt ideas are perfect for friendly competition or a good laugh.

With hundreds of ideas for Easter baskets and egg hunts, you can totally pull off a candy-free, junk-food free Easter without any stress.

12 Easter Crafts You Can Make with One Template

March 16, 2017 by Eileen 87 Comments

For the upcoming holiday, I had plans to make one Easter craft – bunny bags. Yet, when finishing up the bags, the wheels in my head started moving.

I started to think of more craft ideas that would use the exact same Easter bunny template.

One thing led to another – and I’ve compiled 12 Easter crafts that you can make with this one printable.

From Easter decor to kids crafts, they are all here – so is this simple Easter bunny template.

Listed below are 12 easy Easter crafts that all use the same free printable bunny template.

1. Easter Bunny Bags

When we used to have Easter egg hunts at my Grandma’s house, we always needed a place to store the goodies that we found inside the eggs. Our grandma would give us a gallon ziplock bag with our name on it to carry our goodies home.

Rather than ziplock bags, how cute would it be to use these cute Easter bunny bags?

You could also use them for Easter gifts, hostess gifts, or other festive goodies 🙂

It’s one of the Easter crafts we are sharing today that take minutes to make and are such a cute touch.

Bunny Bag Materials:

Easter Bunny template (see link above)
Craft bags
Card stock or even construction paper
Pom-poms or cotton balls for the tails
Scissors
Glue

Using card stock or even construction paper, simply trace and cut out the bunnies. Then, glue each bunny to a craft bag. Add a pom-pom or a cotton ball for the tail.

As far as the bags and the card stock, you can be as creative as you’d like with this Easter craft. There are lots of patterned papers, sparkly papers, and patterned bags. I kept mine simple with plain bags and card stock with a subtle texture.

2. Burlap Easter Banner Craft

How cute is this burlap banner? I recently posted an article on how to make these burlap banners for St. Patrick’s Day.

I loved them so much that I thought a bunny banner would be a nice replacement for the shamrocks that had taken stock on our mantel.

Additionally, the Easter banner garland craft takes under an hour to make – and could not have been easier. I love a craft that I have long finished before my son wakes up from his nap.

Burlap Banner Materials:

Easter Bunny template
Foam brush
Acrylic paint
Burlap – I loved using cardboard backed burlap sheets.
Ribbon for stringing the letters together
Cotton balls or pom-poms for the tails
Scissors
Hot Glue

Since I already posted detailed steps on how to make this banner, I’m going to link over to my burlap banner article.

If you are hosting the holiday dinner or looking for an Easter bunny craft, this is a cute one that turns out beautifully, doesn’t break the bank, and won’t use up all your time.

3. Adorable Easter Craft Cards

I love having my son make cards for others. I think it instills such a great message to spend time making something special for someone else.

Not to mention, it makes the recipients so happy to get a cute piece of mail from him.

These cards are really easy – they take five minutes and use the same bunny template. You can also make it one of your kids Easter crafts by having your child decorate or color the bunny.

Or, you can send as is – with a cute piece of scrapbook paper and a pom-pom.

Easter Craft Card Materials:

Bunny template (and Easter Bunny Sayings – in Resource Library)
Card stock for bunny and card
Cotton ball or pom-pom for tail
Scissors
Glue
If kids are decorating: paint, markers, googly eyes, etc

You can’t go wrong sending a cute card to someone – and when the Easter craft only takes a few minutes, even better!

4. Easter Egg Hunt Markers

Easter egg hunts can be a little hard for little kids – especially since they are trying to keep up with the older ones.

A simple way to help them find eggs is to put little egg markers, where eggs are hidden for them. Then, explain to the older ones to not find eggs near the egg markers. It also makes for a fun Easter craft. Kids especially can help with this Easter activity because it is so simple.

Egg Hunt Marker Materials:

Bunny template
Card stock or construction paper
Popsicle stick
Scissors
Glue or tape

Simply glue or tape a bunny template to a popsicle stick and place it in the ground.

Have the little ones look for the bunnies 🙂

You could also use the popsicle stick markers to create little signs for the hunt – such as follow the path to the backyard signs or “Bunny Crossing” signs. They are another easy Easter craft that you could do with your kids.

5. Popsicle Stick Bunny Easter Crafts

While you have your popsicle sticks out, have your child decorate a few bunny templates as Easter crafts. They could color them, paint them, adorn them with googly eyes or feathers – or whatever you have around your house.

Popsicle Stick Bunny Materials:

Easter Bunny template
Popsicle sticks
Tape
Decorating materials: Markers, cotton balls, paint, googly eyes, or anything you have

After your child has finished decorating their bunnies, simply tape or glue the bunnies to popsicle sticks for kids to play with for a fun Easter craft.

My son is obsessed with this song “The Finger Family,” and he loved creating a bunny family with these.

He also loved that we were both working on bunnies together. As I was working on the bunny banner garland, he was decorating his bunnies… kind of like parallel play 🙂

6. Card Stock Banner

Another type of banner you could make is a cardstock one. The materials are a little easier to gather for this Easter banner craft, rather than the burlap one (although the burlap one is more fun :).

Card Stock Banner Materials:

Easter Bunny template
Card stock of your choice – textured, patterned, plain you can be creative here 🙂
Ribbon for threading the bunnies
Hole punch
Cotton balls or pom-poms for the tail
Scissors
Glue or tape

Just trace your bunnies onto card stock, punch holes in their ears, thread onto the ribbon, and glue on the tail.

Additionally, if you have older kids, they could make this banner craft for Easter to decorate the dining room or their bedroom. I would have loved to do this Easter craft growing up 🙂

Kids that are older than toddlers, but not old enough to make the banner on their own, could practice their fine motor skills by threading the bunnies onto the ribbon.

Last, you could write a message across the bunnies – such as “Happy Easter” or “Jesus Has Risen.”

7. Easter Bunny Wreath Craft

Another fun decoration and Easter craft for kids to help with is a bunny wreath. It’s one of those Easter crafts that can occupy kids for hours. I cut bunnies out of foam, and then arranged them into a wreath. My son then painted the bunnies – and we hung it up on the wall.

Bunny Wreath Materials:

Easter Bunny template
Foam or even cardstock
Ribbon for hanging up
Glue
Scissors

The tricky part of this Easter craft was arranging those bunnies in a perfect circle. So, I used a paper plate. I folded it in half, and then cut a circle from the inside – leaving just a thin outer ring.

I then used this ring to line the bunnies up in a perfect circle, carefully gluing the bunnies to each other.

Afterward, I had my son go to town decorating the bunnies with paint 🙂 He loved it and painting all of the bunnies, and it kept his attention for a long time. It was definitely a kids’ craft success.

8. Bunny Basket

Similar to the bunny bags listed above, glue an Easter bunny from the template to any kind of basket or container, and make a little Easter bunny basket. It’s a simple Easter craft that you can make from anything you have laying around your house.

I made this one with a empty plastic cashew container. I was about to toss it in recycling when the idea popped into my head.

Bunny Basket Materials:

Easter Bunny template
Some kind of box or basket – look at your recycling for boxes 🙂
Card stock or construction paper
Ribbon
Scissors
Glue

After washing out the cashew container, I cut and glued my card stock bunny template to the sides of the container. The top edge looked like it needed a little something extra – so I put ribbon about the perimeter. I then glued a bunny to the front, and voila – a recycled Easter basket craft!

This is a great project to do with kids who love holiday crafts. You can be as creative as you would like finding things to turn into Easter baskets. You could even use a pipe cleaner as the handle 🙂

9. Easter Felt-Scape Craft

My number one crafting material is and will always be felt. So, my Easter crafts wouldn’t be complete without incorporating it.

My son also loves felt, and I’ve made him a few felt busy boxes. He plays with them during quiet time or even at church when he was younger.

The felt scenes occupy him for so long – and allow him to be creative.

So, why not make a 10-minute felt-scape with a bunny scene?

Easter Felt-Scape Materials:

Easter Bunny template
Felt
Piece of cardboard, foam, or something similar to glue the background to
Scissors
Glue

For this Easter bunny craft, first hot glue the background piece of felt to the cardboard or foam. Then, simply cut a few bunnies along with a few other shapes out of felt using the bunny template.

Don’t glue anything down but the background, as your child will have fun arranging and re-arranging these into a scene for a fun Easter craft.

10. Easter Basket Tags

This one is a simple yet elegant Easter craft. Use the bunny template as tags to label Easter baskets, hostess gifts, or even the bottles of wine you’re bringing to Easter dinner.

All you need is the bunny template, a hole punch, ribbon, and a marker.

It certainly puts a cute touch on your gifts, turning them into Easter crafts.

11. Easter Food Labels

With all of the food allergies and food preferences out there, I LOVE going to a party and seeing that the food is labeled. You know exactly what’s in something and whether it is for you – or not.

If you have a few extra bunnies laying around, simply write the names of your dishes on the cards (this is especially helpful for buffet-style meals), so your guests will be eating at ease.

If Easter dinner isn’t a buffet, use the bunny template as place cards – or even have your child decorate them as such.

12. Easter Bunny Garland

Last but not least, use the bunny template to create bunny garland. This is another quick craft that brings a lot of festivity.

Bunny Garland Materials:

Easter Bunny template
Fishing line (or ribbon)
Glue
Scissors
Tape

Simply cut out about 6 bunnies for each string of garland using the bunny template. Then use a drop of hot glue or scotch tape to attach the bunny to the fishing line.

It’s super a simple Easter craft and it turns out cute.

With this easy bunny template, you can create 12 simple Easter crafts. I’ve personally made all of them – and they are simple, easy ideas that are fun and festive.

You can work along side your kids, crafting Easter banners while they decorate bunnies. Kids love doing things with their parents, so these ideas are perfect for just that 🙂

With these simple do-it-yourself Easter crafts and free printable bunny template, you can most certainly bring simple festivity to your Easter holiday.

6 Backyard DIY Projects that Make Life Easier

March 15, 2017 by Eileen 45 Comments

Last year, Ash and I did a lot of outdoor projects in our yard, and many of these projects have saved us time and money.

Here are our 6 favorite DIY backyard projects that undoubtedly make our lives easier.

1. Raised Planter Box with a Rain Barrel

Hoping to have a garden this year? Think about using a raised planter box.Not only will you have awesome homegrown food (which saves money, shortens your shopping list, and is all around healthier), but you can easily keep critters and pets away from your vegetables with this planter box.

Planter boxes also offer better weed and pest control. You don’t have to worry if your yard doesn’t have good soil. Additionally, planter boxes are also great for those who are elderly or disabled.

This easy build can be completed in a weekend – and you can reap the benefits all summer. It also holds up great from to year-to-year too!

As an added feature, we built a rain barrel reservoir that collects rain water to water that we then water the garden with. (Make sure to check out your local laws to see if conserving water is allowed.)

If you are looking to grow your own veggies this summer, this planter box definitely will make for easy gardening.

Check out our planter box tutorial.

2. Storage Shed

If your garage looks anything like ours did, it was a haphazard mess. It housed Ash’s tools, workbenches, riding mower, snow blower, gardening tools, holiday decorations, outdoor furniture, and pretty much anything else we could jam in there.

Ash isn’t the most organized person but he wholeheartedly does recognize when enough is enough. That’s when he started his dream project of building a shed from the ground up. It took him a couple of months, but he single-handedly built this beautiful backyard structure.

With the gardening tools, outdoor toys and furniture, and riding mower moved to the shed, our garage is much more organized.

If you are in need of more storage, think about building a shed. It will hold so much, making it easier for you to find and store your things.

Check out the step-by-step plans on how my computer programming husband built a gorgeous shed from the ground up.

3. Shade Sail

Too much sun in your backyard? Thinking about a porch or an awning? You can save money and get some shade by installing a shade sail.

These are simply fabric canopies suspended in the air, providing relief from the sun in a cost-effective way.

We weren’t ready to drop the money for an awning, and we weren’t sure we wanted to turn our sunny patio into a porch, so the shade sail was an easy, good choice for us.

Check out our shade sail post – one of our most cost-effective backyard projects.

4. Wagon

If you have large yard, do a lot of landscaping, or are tired of hauling heavy yard bags around the yard, think about building a wagon for your riding mower.

This wagon, which can be hitched to the riding mower or used as a stand-alone cart, has certainly been earning its keep around here.

This wagon has reduced the time and energy we spend carrying things around our yard. We constantly use it to move yard bags to the curb and transport items between the shed and the garage.

It’s more sturdy and stable than a wheel barrow, and it holds a lot more.

Here is a picture of the wagon in action:

In addition to the time and effort saved, it was a fun, easy build.

Check out how Ash made this wagon.

5. Pathways

Although less fun than building a wagon or a shed, walkways and pathways are aesthetically pleasing and make getting around your yard easier.

Over the years, Ash and I have put in two pathways – a stone pathway from our house to our floating deck and a boardwalk connecting our patio to our yard.

Both of these were quick projects that yielded a lot of benefits.

Below is the stone pathway from our first home, where the patio and the deck are separated by the yard.

We put this stone pathway in and were surprised at how much use it got. It gave a direct path to the deck and the grill, and our dog used it all the time to avoid the mud and snow 🙂

In our second home, we had no direct path from our patio into the yard. It was more like a downhill, rocky nature walk.

Knowing that wouldn’t work for our toddler or our dog, Ash removed some shrubs and built a wooden pathway, making for a beautiful entrance from our patio and deck into the yard.

Both backyard projects took a weekend or less and definitely had impacting results.

Check out our stone pathway and wooden pathway tutorials.

6. Picnic Table

After putting all that hard work into your yard, why not top it off with a quick picnic table build?

A picnic table is an easy place for your family to eat from the grill, without having to carry the food back in the house. Eating outside keeps your kitchen table and floors cleaner, as the birds can eat the crumbs 🙂

The picnic table is different from other outdoor furniture because it can stay outside year round. This build also holds up really nicely from year-to-year.

Check out our tutorial on building a nice-looking picnic table in just one day.

If you are looking to make your life a little easier throughout the warmer months, think about undertaking one of these DIY backyard projects.

We have personally completed all of them, and we truly benefit from them all season long.

The raised planter box provides us with healthy, easy veggies without worrying about critters getting in, the shade sail makes relaxing on the patio pleasant during the hot summer months, and I don’t know what we would do without the storage that the shed provides.

The wagon helps with the yardwork (and has provided a few fall wagon rides), the pathways were a necessity to make our yard more functional for our family, and the picnic table is a perfect summer spot to enjoy stress-free summer meals.

Most of the backyard projects (aside from the shed) take only a weekend of time – and you can enjoy them all season long.

How to Make a DIY Burlap Banner for Any Occasion

March 8, 2017 by Eileen 70 Comments

Scanning the shelves in Michaels with a 55% coupon in hand, I looked around for something I could make an easy, do-it-yourself banner with.

My eyes landed on a pad of burlap card stock.

There were 24 individual sheets of burlap, backed with cardboard.

Being the worst at cutting straight lines, I figured that individual sheets would save a lot of frustration.

And, I had been looking for an opportunity to work with burlap.

People love burlap – and it’s everywhere. I’ve seen mason jars wrapped in burlap, curtains made from burlap, flowers wrapped in burlap, and entire weddings crafted from burlap.

I even worked with a teacher who covered all of her bulletin boards in burlap.

I had never crafted with this material before – but I do agree that burlap brings a natural warmth and texture – so I was excited to check it out.

So, I got started on my project – which was to teach myself how to make a burlap banner for St. Patrick’s Day from homemade stencils and burlap.

Materials for the Burlap Banner:

Foam brush
Acrylic paint – I used the two pictured below, mixed together.
Burlap – I loved using the cardboard backed sheets from Michaels. Here’s a similar one.
Scissors – A good pair makes a big difference!
Stencil of your choice – You can make these. I made a shamrock. You can use letters or hearts – or anything you’d like! (See below for shamrock template)
Tape – scotch or painter tape (more about this below)
Ribbon – for stringing the letters together
Hot Glue Gun

How to Make a Burlap Banner

The instructions for making this banner are quite simple: preparing the burlap material, making the stencil, painting the burlap, and connecting the burlap pieces.

Preparing the Burlap

First, I simply made a triangular cut on the bottom of each sheet.

The burlap was easy to cut into with the cardboard backing.

Making the Stencil

Then, I traced a shamrock onto card stock – and carefully cut out just the middle. This made the shamrock into a stencil.

I then taped it onto the burlap, making the cardstock as flat as possible.

Painting the Burlap Banner

Next, I used the foam brush (probably should have used a 1/2 inch foam brush – but I like to use what I have) to dab on the green paint.

Be careful to keep your brush straight, so it doesn’t slip under the stencil.

As a side note, I tried this using a regular paint brush also. While it worked, it took a lot longer and didn’t give a consistent coat. You can definitely use a regular paint brush, but the foam brush did a nicer job.

For the stripes, I used strips of scotch tape to create the lines. Then, I just dabbed on the green paint onto the burlap.

Immediately after, I removed the tape and moved on to the next sheet.

I also recommend doing a test with the colors/stencils you will be using. I tried a few different shades of green to see what would work best – and a few different shapes to see how they would look.

Pictured below is the edge of my desk, with my stencil and scotch tape strips. Rather than use a ridiculous amount of tape, I used the same four strips over and over, and I hung them here while not in use.

I also went back and forth with painting a shamrock, then stripes – this gave the stencils/tape a little dry time before more use.

Here are two of the burlap pennants, in the process of drying.

Both the card stock stencil and the tape worked really well. The paint looked very neat, and I had a nice, clean outline on every pennant.

Connecting the Pennants

After the individual pennants were dry (only took a few minutes), I used burlap ribbon and hot glue to connect them into a banner.

I found the burlap ribbon at Michaels during a 70% off sale prior to the holidays. I bought loads of ribbon then, without a use for any of it.

Ecstatic to find the burlap ribbon during this project, I knew I had the perfect use for it. And, I love that I got it when it was a great price. That’s why I love stocking up on craft supplies 🙂

So, I lined up my stripes and shamrocks in the order I liked and flipped them over for gluing.

Then, I used my handy glue gun to do two drops of glue on either side of every pennant.

Before you glue, make sure you have your banner in the right order. I once glued an entire banner in backward order – and let me tell you, I wasn’t happy when my “Happy 40th” banner said “40th-Y-P-P-A-H.”

Also, remember to leave extra ribbon on both sides for hanging.

I LOVED the way the sign turned out – it was so festive and added much more to our mantel than some of the store-bought St. Patrick’s Day decorations.

I don’t know which shocked me more – the fact that I made the banner for less than $5 or that I made it in less than an hour.

It was a total naptime creation, with time to spare 🙂

I shouldn’t have waited so long to start working with burlap. It was easier than I expected, took a small amount of time and effort, and yielded great results!

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Eileen

2017 Summer Blog Hop Co-Hosts:

2017 Summer Blog Hop Co-Hosts:

1. Add Porch Railings

2. Paint the Front Door

3. Install a Walkway

4. Fix Up Your Mailbox

60 Photos, 60 Catchphrases

4 Countries, 40 Years of Marriage

Seinfeld Quotes Paired with Pictures

Special Occasion Books

How to Make a DIY Photo Book

Digital Photo Books or Scrapbook Photo Books

DIY Photo Album Ideas

Why You Should Make Photo Books

How to Make Tissue Paper Suncatchers

Materials for Tissue Paper Suncatchers

Instructions for Tissue Paper Suncatchers

Preparation

Making the Suncatchers

1. Choose 3-5 DIY party ideas and that’s it.

2. Cut corners with your time, where you can.

3. Keep entertainment simple but creative.

4. Do as much as you can early.

5. Shop smart.

And the Housework…

A Summery Easter Basket

For Kids Who Love Crafts

For Kids Who Love the Outdoors

Rainy Day Basket for Kids

Bath and Body Care Easter Basket

An Entirely Homemade Easter Basket that’s Candy-Free

Easter Baskets For College Students

Healthy Living Easter Basket (With No Candy, Junk, or Sugar)

Easter Baskets For Adults that Are Crafty

​Easter Ideas For Your Significant Other

​Easter Ideas for Dads

Easter Baskets for Mamas

Practical Easter Basket Ideas

Easter Gifts For Dogs or Cats

Easter Basket Ideas for Eating and Kids

Easter Ideas for Filling Eggs

Creative Easter Egg Ideas for Hunts

1. Easter Bunny Bags

Bunny Bag Materials:

2. Burlap Easter Banner Craft

Burlap Banner Materials:

3. Adorable Easter Craft Cards

Easter Craft Card Materials:

4. Easter Egg Hunt Markers

Egg Hunt Marker Materials:

5. Popsicle Stick Bunny Easter Crafts

Popsicle Stick Bunny Materials:

6. Card Stock Banner

Card Stock Banner Materials:

7. Easter Bunny Wreath Craft

Bunny Wreath Materials:

8. Bunny Basket

Bunny Basket Materials:

9. Easter Felt-Scape Craft

Easter Felt-Scape Materials:

10. Easter Basket Tags

11. Easter Food Labels

12. Easter Bunny Garland

Bunny Garland Materials:

1. Raised Planter Box with a Rain Barrel

2. Storage Shed

3. Shade Sail

4. Wagon

5. Pathways

6. Picnic Table

Materials for the Burlap Banner:

How to Make a Burlap Banner

Preparing the Burlap

Making the Stencil

Painting the Burlap Banner

Connecting the Pennants

Easter Ideas For Your Significant Other

Easter Ideas for Dads