Easy DIY inspirational sign

"She believed she could so she did"

I came up with this idea while walking through Dollar Tree one day.  I found these, oh so cute wall stickers, grabbed a couple and got to thinking.  It would be super easy to make one of those adorable inspirational signs you see everywhere. You know, the ones that are going for $10-$20.  Well, I'm going to show you how you can make one for less than $5, no artistic skills required.  Both the stickers and the sponge brushes can be found at Dollar Tree, Mod Podge at any craft store and the scrap piece of wood, any man's garage ;)

So, let's get started!

I love going to Home Depot or Lowes and screening the "oops" paint section.  There are always sample size containers of a mix of colors.  They best part, they're usually only $1.  See pretty blue color above, Lowes special.  I have a bunch of these little guys lying around and they last me quite a while.  The scrap piece of wood was a remnant from one of my grandfathers endless projects.  And the package of different size sponge brushes can be found at the Dollar Tree, along with the sticker of your choice.  

Use the sponge brush to paint a thin layer of paint on all sides of the sign.  Remember, you are going for a distressed look, so don't be too perfect.  This is also one of the reasons I love using a sponge brush.  It leaves a nice amount of paint and naturally goes on un even.  Bonus, the brushes are easier to get paint in the little nooks and crannies of any project your working on.  You want to make sure you are leaving clean strokes.  Starting at one side, and ending at the other, following the grain of wood.  This will leave a nice smooth surface.    

Once the paint has dried (I usually leave it for 24 hours) use your sandpaper to distress the wood.  I choose to go heavier on the corners and the edges of the wood (see above) Make sure to round off the corners and smoothing out any potential splinters.  Then lightly sand the top of the sign, leaving a smooth surface for the sticker to adhere to.  

Apply sticker and use the Mod Podge to seal it.  I use a sponge brush for this too.  I usually cover the whole top surface of the sign with the Mod Podge to make sure it stays.  Make sure not to apply it too heavy and apply evenly, or you won't be able to see what's underneath it.  Once that has dried, I used a stain and lightly apply it to the exposed areas of the wood around the sign.  Then I wiped it off leaving behind a nice distressed look.  Once all of that has dried (another 24 hours) I spray on a clear acrylic sealer.  You can use a gloss or matte finish sealer, depending on the look you are going for.  I personally like the matte finish.  I used twine and upholstery tacks to hang the sign. (sorry, forgot to take a picture)

And, that's it, easy peasy!

It's ok to step back and admire your work, go ahead, no one's judging. ;)

Caring is sharing!  Pin it, share it, subscribe!

Happy Creating!!! ~Amanda  

Christmas on a budget!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

I don't know about you, but I LOVE giving gifts!  Whatever the occasion.  Giving to people and making them smile puts a smile on my face too.  After all, that's what the season is all about, right?!  I also love being creative and saving money (don't we all!)  This time of the year can be tough on our wallets and our minds.  I am going to show you a couple of ways to keep your wallets full and your stress level down.


Any one who knows me, knows I love gift baskets!  It's a great way to put a bunch of little things together as one big gift.  Its a way to spread your money out instead of spending it on one gift.  For instance, you can create a basket with $5 movies from the discount bin at Walmart, bags of popcorn and some little boxes of candy from the dollar store, a cozy fleece blanket and you have a nice "movie night"  basket for under $20.  

I went to the Goodwill store the other day (my secret frequent stop) and found some great scores!  They have nice big baskets for $1-$3 each.  You would pay a lot more at any department store.  Tons of dishes, cups, glasses, blankets, rugs, pictures (and frames) and little nic-nacs that are in good shape and easy on the wallet.  You have to take your time and browse with patience but you just might find something pretty awesome.  When I was checking out, I couldn't believe the items that the woman in front of me found.  Cute Christmas decorations, beautiful sweaters and soft, cozy blankets.  They also offer 50% off of certain "colored" items every week.   When you walk in the store, they will have a sign that usually states "all pink sticker and barbed items are 50% off".  So it pays to pay attention to the "color" of the week.  Let me show you a couple of the items I found during my visit.

3 baskets for $1-$2 each, Candy dish for $1, 2 Santa dishes for $.50 each, 2 green "distressed" mugs for $.50 each, Silver and pink centerpiece dish for $4, and really nice wine glass for $.50.  The pink basket was originally $4 but the handle was falling apart so I got it for $2.  (it never hurts to ask to pay less than sticker price if you feel an item is priced too high for the condition it's in) When I got home, I wrapped the handle in pink ribbon and it was like brand new!  I paid $12.50 for all of these items that would have cost me A LOT more if I had bought them at department stores.  All of these items were like brand new (minus the pink basket)  No chips or scratches.  I was thrilled.  

My second favorite place to shop during the holidays (who am I kidding, any other day really) is Dollar Tree.  Some of their items really are worth the dollar, but you can also find some really good items too.  I usually purchase the fake flowers, candies, some food items (like the cookies) and craft supplies.  Not every store is set up the same, and sometimes you need to walk around and around until you can find what your looking for.  But I have frequent them so often, I can usually figure out where to go.  I also have different store locations that I frequent more than others.  Some are bigger or some are just nicer inside.  Anyways, here are a couple of items that I grabbed while I was there.

I also wanted to show you a quick candle using Dollar Tree items.  This candle cost $3.00 to make and I have left over items to use to decorate the baskets.  This took me 10 minutes to make and I think it looks adorable.  This is something that can be used year round, not just during the holidays.  So, let's get started.

Hope you enjoyed and will walk away with a couple of ideas.  If you liked it, Pin it or share on Facebook.  Caring is sharing :)  Or subscribe to receive awesomeness right to your inbox!  

Happy Saving! ~Amanda

Easy hanging laundry bag

Wash.  Dry.  Fold.  Repeat.

Ahhh, laundry.  Don't you just love the never ending pile of dirty clothes that are scattered across your floor?  Me neither.  Thats why laundry baskets were created.  But, with said laundry basket, there has to be a place to put it.  Not all of us are blessed with large spaces.  Or, maybe you are a college student living in a dorm, or living in a studio apartment.  Us small dwellers need to find any way possible to utilize all the space we can.  Wouldn't it be great to get the laundry basket off the floor?  Hang it behind a door, on the bed post, in the closet.  Great, lets take a laundry bag and hang it up.  Oh, wait, what happens when clothes go in the laundry bag?  It closes!  Ugh, not helpful, thank you drawstring!   Solution!  Embroidery hoop.  By placing the hoop around the opening of the laundry bag, it holds it open in an oh so convenient way.  Thanks to Pinterest, we can now throw our laundry away with ease.  So, lets get started.

Gather your materials.  You'll need, a laundry bag (or you can use a pillow case) string or ribbon and an embroidery hoop.  I recommend using a 14" plastic or bamboo hoop.  I used a nylon laundry bag that I found at Walmart.

Place the inner (or smaller hoop) inside the laundry bag.  Pull the drawstring around the inner hoop as shown above.  Then place the outer (or larger) hoop around the outside of the bag and line up with the inner hoop.  Tighten the hoop as tight as you can.  Remember, this is whats going to hold the bag open and you don't want the weight of the bag to pull it all apart. Flip the edges of the bag around the hoop so as to make the opening bigger.  You can use the string of the bag, or tie a string around the screw of the hoop to hang it.  

There you have it.  Easy, peasy, hanging laundry bag.  Like it?  Pin it.  Sharing is caring y'all.  

Head over to our Facebook page, or subscribe to receive coolness right to your inbox.

Happy cleaning!!!  ~Amanda