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Totally Cool DIY Holiday Creations – with DIY Dish!

Absolutely LOVE both of these ideas – the second one is one of the most unique and creative ideas that I’ve seen in forever – plus, it’s so simple and inexpensive to put together! This is from an episode on The DIY Dish – one of my favorite crafty sites. {Can’t see the video? Click here to watch it on YouTube.}

Are you a crafty DIY’er too?

If so, check out a few more things I’m in love with right now… From gifts, to freebies, to fun tips and idea, these are a few of my favorites from around the web….

Share your favorites too!

If you have any great posts on your own blog, or a favorite that you’ve found, please share it in the comments here! I love to find great new DIY ideas. And I’d love to connect with you on Pinterest… You’ll find my link up at the top of the page!

Happy Holidays….
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Posted by on November 21, 2011 Filed Under: Holidays | 2 Comments

Guerrilla Guide to the Holidays: 8 DIY Gifts that they Actually Want!

Guerrilla Gift Guide from LearnVestFrugal Holiday Gifts from LearnVest

LearnVest, as you know if you read my posts often, is one of my favorite sites. I love that they make financial news relevant to my life, and easy to understand. I love that they share some of the most helpful, totally do-able, frugal tips and tricks each week. And my favorite is the “fun” posts – with great information like how to save when building a wardrobe, which beauty products are worth a splurge, and today’s article – how to make DIY Christmas Gifts this year that as they say, “Don’t Suck.” Lol. This is part of their on-going series, Guerrilla Guide to the Holidays – which has been packed full of fun & frugal tips. Love it.

Get Daily Tips for Frugal Living! Packed with money-saving tips and financial how-tos to enrich your life. Click Here to join me in getting super cool weekly updates!

8 DIY Gifts:

I’ll give you an idea of what you’ll find over there – and you can head on over to get the instructions for each gift if you’re interested. Sign up for their email updates – I promise you’ll love ’em!

  • Biscotti: These delicious twice-baked cookies (biscotto is derived from the Latin for twice baked) keep for long periods of time, making them a sweet gift that will last past the season. Pack them in an airtight container, and wrap it with a bow. {Get recipes on LearnVest!}
  • Photobooks: If you’ve got a smartphone with the Instagram app and have taken some downright pretty photos, you can create a beautiful and very personalized gift. Using Printstagr.am—a site that prints and binds your Instagram photos—you can make a minibook of trip photos for a vacation buddy, or a “Tinybook” of oldie but goodie family photos for relatives. This teeny booklet even has a magnet, so it will stick to the fridge.
  • Infused Vodka: It’s colorful, festive and utterly customizable, so you can choose the perfect flavor for friends. Besides, infused vodka is one of the simplest flavored liquors you can DIY: It literally takes ten minutes to make, but you’ll have to start early since the flavors need a week or two to infuse. {Get the recipes on LearnVest!}
  • Handmade Bath Salts: Homemade bath salts are a simple luxury that anyone who likes at-home spa treatments will enjoy. And you can handpick an aroma you know your recipient will love. Also, the recipe can easily be doubled or tripled if you want to make a large batch. {Find instructions on how to make homemade Bath Salts on their site!}
  • Granola: This simple, not-too-sweet granola is delicious and keeps for months. People especially appreciate it because as long as it lasts, they always have a healthy breakfast on hand for those mornings that are too harried for cooking. Just be warned: It will also inspire them to request refills when their supply runs out! {Find the homemade Granola recipe on the site!}

There are more too!

Check out the LearnVest article, Guerrilla Guide to the Holidays: 8 DIY Holiday Gifts that Don’t Suck to read the rest of the ideas. Plus, if you sign up at their site, you get access to all of the forums, tools {like financial bootcamp!}, and more – so you can log-in to the Holiday Tips section, read the ideas other readers have submitted, and add your own too! If you’re not a member yet, join up. I get SO many great tips from them!

BelleChic

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Posted by on November 10, 2011 Filed Under: Holidays | No Comments

Free Inspiration Guide…

Get a FREE Inspiration Guide from KraftMaid!

Some of you may have gotten this already – but in case you missed it, I wanted to let you know it was still available! I got mine, and totally loved it – {My total dream kitchen was in this book – with the rustic wood cabinets, brick walls, and chrome accessories…. So in love.}

It’s an easy peasy request form, and is just packed full of so much cool stuff – don’t miss it!

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Posted by on October 19, 2011 Filed Under: Freebies | No Comments

{Rafflecopter Giveaway} Win a Virtual Room Review from Designer at Stylish Solutions!

Who else is TOTALLY addicted to those home make-over shows?

I am. Totally and completely. I don’t have time for much TV, but towards the end of my pregnancy, when I was having some complications, I spent a lot of hours in the recliner watching these programs….

I am a really crafty, DIY, creative person. I love design, and worked in Fashion Merchandising for years. And I love rearranging and redecorating the house. But it’s always so cool to see how someone ELSE see’s your home, with fresh eye’s. Sometimes, you get so used to the clutter– or the odd arrangement of things that you set that way “for now”, but never got around to changing– that you just don’t even see it anymore.

On the TV programs, a fancy-schmancy designer comes in, and suggests major changes, an with a {usually} unlimited budget and resources, they transform the room into a new beautiful oasis of perfection.

In real life? Not so much.

Most of us can’t afford to hire an interior designer to come into our home. And even if we COULD afford them, we probably couldn’t afford all of their suggestions! Plus, the majority of us live in homes with babies, and kids, and pets, and messes. We may dream about those perfect magazine living rooms, but even the best kiddo’s would have peanut-butter smears over it all within minutes.

What we’re REALLY looking for…

What most of us really need is just a little help. The way you take your most stylish friend shopping with you, to pick out new looks you wouldn’t have discovered on your own– That’s the way Virtual Room Review works!

You send in a few pictures of the room that’s giving you trouble, and the amazing designer from Stylish Solutions will review them, and give you some really easy solutions to upgrade your space! And it is SO affordable– You can get a full room review of your home, office, or even your business, for only $10!!

This is my Master Bedroom… Very much in need of some TLC!

We moved into the new house last November, and the baby and I share the big Master Bedroom and Bath. I absolutely LOVE so many things about this room… The high ceilings, all of the space, and the jacuzzi tub in the bathroom!! But I’ve struggled quite a bit with how to combine our bedroom furniture, the baby’s stuff, and my office, into one space.

Designer Suggestions…

Here are a few of the suggestions that I got from Stylish Solutions during my Virtual Room Review, and what I thought about them…

  • Longer curtain panels (to the floor or just above) would make the window look better – I would also add another panel to each side so they’re fuller. I’d raise the curtain rod a few inches, which makes a window look bigger as well – generally you want to hang your panels as high and wide as you can/ {Totally agree! In my old bedroom, I had two very small windows, so here on this big window I have 2 short and 2 long panels… I’d been trying to decide which length to buy more of. But I agree that longer ones will look better!}
  • I would re-frame the pictures above the bed so that the frames are dark (keeping the white mats) – right now they blend into the wall. You can also use black spray paint instead of buying new frames. {Again, something I’d been planning! The old bedroom had darker grey walls, so the silver popped against them. But they do really blend into the white walls here.}
  • A few other suggestions were to add more of an accent color, and add a throw in that color at the end of the bed. Also, to add some bedside lamps, and a headboard, along with a few easy ideas I could use for both.

I love that ALL of the suggestions are things that are simple changes, affordable on a tight budget, and make a big impact!

Win a Virtual Room Review of Your Own!

One lucky fan will win their own Virtual Room Review for FREE! Super cool, right? {And to see some examples of how dramatic her room remodeling skills are, check out her Before & After pictures– Amazing!}

{Disclaimer: The designer at Stylish Solutions gave me a complimentary Virtual Room Review so that I could share my experience with you guys… But of course, the opinions I share are my own.}

Rafflecopter Giveaway:

[Read more…]

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Posted by on August 30, 2011 Filed Under: Contests | 3 Comments

DIY Free Samples and Coupons + HUGE Giveaway!

Who doesn’t love some great DIY, right?

I found a few great freebies to help you out, if you’re planning some new home remodeling type projects… Or, if your like me, and just kind of “dreaming” of those projects until the budget cooperates….

{For some uh-MAY-zing inspiration, check out the before and afters on ThisOld House. Love ’em.}

Freebies:

Briwax: Get a free sample package of Briwax products. Free Sample Request.

Magazine: Get a free issue of Lighting Magazine, from Better Homes and Gardens. Tons of great ideas! Free Magazine Request.

Home Depot Garden Club

Home Depot Garden Club: Sign up for this great mailing list. We get tons of really great coupons in the mail, as well as email updates when there are new promotions or classes at the store.

Water Testing: Get a free package from Morton Salt with test strips to test your water quality in your home.

 

Inspiration Book: I just finally got my KraftMaid package in the mail a couple days ago…. OhmyHECK I found my absolute favorite kitchen, ever, of all time, in this book! The cabinets are pricey, but I’ll be planning for this. Comes with a couple books, pricing guide, and more.

Digital Home Organizer: This is an amazing new program that I’ve been using, and it has a TON of features. {Love that it can print family newsletters automatically.} It’s also great if you’re doing home projects– I add all of the info we need with our projects on here- The contractor info, scan receipts, before and after pics, scan any doc’s we sign, etc. Awesome. Free Subscription.

Coupons:

Check out a few great coupons to help you with any DIY projects you’re out shopping for too–

$5.00 off 1 gallon of Benjamin Moore paint

$1.00 off BISSELL Stomp & Go

$3.00 off 2 Glidden Paint Testers

$3.00 off 1 gallon of Glidden Paint

HUGE Giveaway!!!

There are only a couple more days left to enter, and it takes a few minutes to enter for ALL of the prizes, but this giveaway ROCKS!!

Enter to win $178,000 in Home Design Products from This Old House!!

Enter here: The Great TOH Giveaway!!

Are you planning any projects?

I love DIY ideas… Do you have any projects in progress, or that you’re planning? We’re finishing up building a closet in the Master Bedroom {can you believe that it didn’t have one?} and soon some work in both of the bathrooms. If you have any fun ideas or tips, link up in a comment, so I can check ’em out :)

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Posted by on August 28, 2011 Filed Under: Freebies | No Comments

20% off ENTIRE Purchase at Michaels Craft Store

New Coupons and Savings at Michaels!

Click here to get the NEW Michaels Printable Coupons! 20% off of your entire purchase, even including sale items. Plus, there are several more coupons you can print too.

{Coupons are valid July 31, 2011 US Ad Valid through August 6, 2011}

Love crafts? Subscribe to FaveCrafts Free Quick & Crafty e-mail newsletter and enjoy new craft projects, tips and videos. Click Here to get it too!

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Posted by on July 29, 2011 Filed Under: Freebies | No Comments

Did you get your FREE Inspiration Guide yet?

Get this super fun new issue of the Inspiration Guide from KraftMaid!

I got this last year, and I loved it. It was filled with great, fresh ideas, tips, tricks…. And even a few coupons. If you’re a DIY lover or a home improvement junkie, you’ll love reading through this book.

I thought that the promotion was over, but I saw today that they are still giving these out…. So get one while they’re still available!

Choose which books and materials you’d like them to mail you, and you can even download some copies right now!

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Posted by on July 21, 2011 Filed Under: Freebies | No Comments
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