Do It Yourself Shower Caddy

August 3, 2015 27 Comments

This post is sponsored by Project Sunlight Re-Think Recycling at Albertsons-Safeway via Lunchbox.

Most of you know that I have really fallen for the Suave Sea Mineral Infusion line. The entire line is great and it is so convenient that I can go grocery shopping at my local Safeway AND pick up my hair care products! My family has gone through a few bottles recently and I was inspired to recycle the extra bottles because of the Project Sunlight Re-Think Recycling at Albertsons-Safeway. Unilever Personal Care Products are made from commonly recyclable plastics so you are definitely saving more thank you think when you choose to use them! I was shaving my legs in the shower a few days ago and after the razor fell off of of the shelf for the 100th time I decided that my project would be this do it yourself shower caddy!

If you are unfamiliar with the Project Sunlight Re-Think Recycling at Albertsons-Safeway it is a project that is encouraging people to “Rinse. Recycle. Reimagine.” One extra step each day can mean a lot. Whether it’s a shampoo bottle, soap carton or a makeup container, taking the time to recycle in the bathroom means you are doing your part to bring some added sunshine to the planet we all share. That’s why Unilever is educating shoppers about bathroom recycling and driving them into Albertsons-Safeway stores to save on the products you need – and save a little more when you do the right thing.

So the way that I made it happen is actually very simple. I took off the cap to my Suave bottle and stripped the sticker labels off the side.

I then used a marker to map out my cut lines and did a rough cut off the top with a pair of scissors.

After having the top cut off I went in with my X-Acto knife and smoothed out my cut lines so that it looked more like the shape I had in mind. I also used the knife to cut a hole out of the back so it could hang from the hook in my shower.

I chose this specific design because I always jump in the shower with hair clips in my hair because I forget about them and then have nowhere good to store them. The small strip at the tip is the perfect size to clip them onto, while the little flap at the bottom holds my konjac sponge and shower puff. Of course, don’t forget how perfect it is to stick your razors into. If you are in college this would be perfect to transport from your dorm room to the showers.

I hope this DIY Shower Caddy and the Project Sunlight Re-Think Recycling program inspires you and makes you think about how you could be reusing your bathroom products. Save More Than You Think with Unilever Personal Care Products at your local Albertsons-Safeway stores today! Use the store locator to find one near you and save $5 when you spend $15 on participating Unilever Personal Care products!

Rinse. Recycle. Reimagine.

My Newest Addiction at times reviews products provided by PR companies. This is disclosed at the top of those posts. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page.

DIY Coffee Mug Rack

May 7, 2015 53 Comments

Thank you Hamilton Beach for providing the FlexBrew 2-Way Coffee Maker for myself and a giveaway for my readers!

Helloooo! Today I have an exciting tutorial for you! You may already know from the title (or the fact you saw the pictures on Pinterest) but it is a DIY COFFEE MUG RACK! YES! I have seen them for sale on etsy (this one in particular) and at a few different expensive retailers and I always thought they were cute, but never really wanted to shell out the cash for one. When we moved from FL to WA we found ourselves with a lot more wall space and needed to fill up a particular area above our counter in our kitchen. Making a DIY coffee mug rack just made sense.

Like I mentioned before, I didn’t want to spend a ton of money so we scrounged around for old pallets at Home Depot, Lowe’s, Office Max etc… but NO ONE was willing to give us one NOR where they willing to even sell us one. Really disappointing. My husband recalled that there was some scrap wood in our garage so he told me he would nail some boards together in a pallet-like shape and I was good with that. So let me list out all the things you will need to recreate this specific DIY Coffee Mug Rack project.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

{one} A pallet or scrap wood
{two} Letters to spell out Coffee (or whatever word you want). Whatever letters you decide to purchase, make sure they fit the pallet you have.
{three} Wood glue.
{four} Two different color paint. I used a copper foil spray paint and a cream colored spray paint.
{five} Sand paper
{six} Hooks. The amount of hooks will vary depending on your preference, width and length of your rack.
{seven} Screw driver or power drill.
{eight} A way to attach it to the wall. I used Command strips but you could use nails.

So you can see here that my DIY coffee mug rack has metallic letters and the first layer of paint is in the same paint. I LOVED the look of the metallic spray paint I purchased and I was ITCHING to use it on something so I thought having the metallic paint peeking out from under a neutral shade would be so modern-shabby-chic!

It isn’t hard to make at all. If you follow these simple steps you will be just fine.

HOW TO MAKE YOUR DIY COFFEE MUG RACK:

{one} Get together your scrap wood and place to pieces parallel to each other. I placed 5 pieces of wood spread out evenly from each other on top of those pieces and nailed them down. Notice that the top piece of wood is wider than the others. It doesn’t have to be, but we had one random piece of thicker wood so I decided I wanted that to be the title. Whether or not you are making the pallet yourself or you buy one, you will need to go ahead and use the sandpaper to make the surface smooth and ready for paint.

{two} Spray paint your rack the color that you want for the base. I used a copper foil spray paint I found at the craft store.

{three} Spray paint your letters and let them dry. I chose to use the same color as I painted the base because I wanted them to coordinate.

{four} After your base color dries, go ahead and spray paint your second color over top. You may want to do two layers, but don’t worry about the second layer being PERFECT, I will explain in the next step.

{five} After the second color of paint dries down, take another piece of sand paper and start roughing up the edges.

{six} Go ahead and start sanding down random places all over your rack. It will help that other shade pop out and give it a pretty, worn look. Don’t overdo it. Keep taking a step back and assess if you want more removed or not.

{seven} In this step you need to go ahead and space out your hooks and your letters. Before you start attaching them get a feel for how you want everything spaced out. I actually used the width of my iPhone6 to make sure the hooks were all spaced out evenly. You don’t have to use an phone but if you have an object that is the perfect width (like a piece of scrap wood) then use it.

{eight} Attach everything. I used wood glue to attach my COFFEE letters. I used a power drill (on low) to secure the hooks with the screws they came with.

Now all you have to do is wait for your letters to dry and you are ready to attach this baby to the wall. I mentioned before I used Command Strips, but feel free to do it the old fashioned way… Nails. We are renting at my current home and are trying to avoid putting holes in the walls.

I am a huge fan of coffee, you probably already know this though. I talk about it just about every day! haha My husband and I both start our mornings by having coffee, but we have different preferences. Most of the time I want a full pot brewing since I work from home. I like to make a couple cups for myself throughout the morning while I am getting stuff taken care of. My husband likes the single brew option because he makes-and-takes. For the last year or so we had THREE machines sitting on our counter top taking up prime real estate and we decided that it was too much. Luckily the Hamilton Beach FlexBrew 2-Way Coffee Maker came along right at the same time so we literally gifted all of the other machines away and replaced them with this one machine. I love that it can brew a full pot and a single serving. Genius really.

You may think that a machine like this would be hard to control but it is so simple. Literally all you do is twist a button from full pot to single serving when you are getting it ready to start and then hit “BREW NOW”! It is so simple my son could do it.

I want to give one of these fabulous machines away to one of you, my readers. All you have to do is comment below and you will be entered.

I hope you enjoyed this super simple tutorial and if you make this for yourself post it to Instagram or Twitter and tag me! @LauraJean396!

My Newest Addiction at times reviews products provided by PR companies. This is disclosed at the top of those posts. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page.

DIY Hand Scrub With Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day®

November 19, 2014 22 Comments

Your home is what you make it, right? I have partnered with Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day® because that is exactly what the brand stands for. My home absolutely represents who I am as a person, and it should because I made it that way. You can tell that I like the finer things in life but being worn and well loved is okay, too! I live in a home that is clean enough to be comfortable and messy enough to know that we are happy. If you can relate to that then you should absolutely be my friend. My children are my world and I am on a constant mission to keep things as clean as possible for them and their health. Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day® is made for all the beautiful things you grow in your home, and in my case that is my precious family.

When I first got this Dish Soap and Hand Soap home I couldn’t wait to take a whiff. The Dish soap is scented with Basil and the Hand Soap is scented with Lavender. I immediately expected to smell certain fragrances, but was pleasantly surprised. The Basil scented Dish Soap actually smells quite manly, yet fresh, to me. The Lavender Hand Soap honestly smells really light and airy more than something as strong as Lavender. Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day ® multi-sensory experiences are inspired by a Midwest backyard garden, so it makes sense that she pulls scents into her line like these.

I also seriosuly love that there are these Household Hints on the side of her bottles. The 30 second hand cleansing method is actually quite helpful. I have heard something similar elsewhere, but it really makes sense! The dishwashing tip is really funny. It sounds like me telling Tristan to scrape off his food before putting the dishes in the sink for me to wash. Definitely a mother!

And I am so happy that Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day® stays away from bad ingredients and focuses on keeping things simple. The last thing I want to do is wash my hands in a soap that contains formaldehyde, much less wash my dishes in it! This is a brand that gets that!

Whether it’s our homegrown inspiration from your backyard or a DIY project, Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day® wants to know about the home you’re making. In honor of that I am going to actually use the Dish Soap (because I am obsessed with the scent) and create a Quick and Easy DIY Hand Scrub!

Quick and Easy DIY Hand Scrub

All you need is some sugar (white or brown, doesn’t matter), Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day® Dish Soap, and a container to keep it in. For this scrub I used 1 1/2 cups of sugar and 1/2 cup of dish soap.

It is enough to make the mixture wet, but not fully dissolve it. This is something that I always have concocted and sitting on the edge of my sink. There really is nothing like smooth hands and using something as simple, good and homegrown as Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day® Dish Soap is really the icing on the cake.

Tell me in the comments: How do you keep things simple around hour home? What is your best cleaning tip?

*This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of the Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day®.

My Newest Addiction at times reviews products provided by PR companies. This is disclosed at the top of those posts. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page.

DIY Candy Wrapper Coin Purse

October 20, 2014 57 Comments

This #SweetorTreat shop has been compensated by #CollectiveBias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

Are you a crafty person? Halloween is around the corner and there will be an excess of empty candy wrappers. Don’t let them go to waste. This is a step-by-step tutorial for a Do It Yourself Candy Wrapper Coin Purse out of empty wrappers that would normally just go in the trash. It is actually something that I really wound up liking. I may ship this off to my niece because I know she would love it, too.

I wish I would have thought about making something like this when I was younger. This is totally something that I would have made and given to friends. Sorta like friendship bracelets, just more useful. The beauty is that the cost in making these is extremely low. I think all I had to actually go and buy was a zipper and that ran me a couple dollars.

What I used to create this craft:

2 empty Skittles wrappers. You can use one but if you want both sides to be pretty you will need the two fronts. Note that this could be any empty candy wrapper, I am just naming what I used.

1 empty Starburst wrapper.

Duct tape.

Needle and Thread.

1 zipper.

So first, I carefully separated the front of my wrappers from the backs. These things are very easy to rip and tear, so do it slowly or you have nothing.

To thicken up the plastic and to keep it from splitting later I backed the wrapper with some duct tape. Pick any color or pattern you would like. I like pink, because pink.

I then sewed my wrappers onto the zipper. This can be a little confusing. You want to sew it so that the extra cloth part doesn’t show when complete, so make sure you are thinking that out.

Once you have both sides sewn onto the zipper it will look something like this.

Now you have to sew the rest of it closed. You don’t want seams to show from the outside so you are essentially going to sew it inside-out. Please don’t make fun of my stitching. It is incredibly sloppy and terrible. Which means that your sewing should be better than mine, which also means that your coin purse should be even prettier!

TIP: Make sure you have UNZIPPED the zipper before you start sewing because if you didn’t then you will have to remove the stitches and start over.

When you are done sewing it together, just flip it rightside out and VOILA! You have yourself a fancy little coin purse! To add a little bit more take an empty Starburst wrapper and slide it through the zipper to create a zipper pull! So cute!

If you are giving this as a gift you should put some of the candies inside! Even though it is a candy wrapper coin purse, they probably wont expect actually candy inside. BONUS!

Another cute idea is to actually make a bunch of these and fill them up with the Starbursts and hand them out for Halloween. Or make enough for the children in your child’s class!

I bought this Skittles & Starburst 30 Pack from Sam’s Club. For the cost, you get a ton of candy so it is a great value. I am probably gonna go grab a few more of their bulk packs to get ready for Halloween!

So, what are you planning to do for Halloween? Are you going to give out crafts or candies? Or both by doing something similar to the Candy Wrapper Coin Purse I created here? Tell me in the comments below!

My Newest Addiction at times reviews products provided by PR companies. This is disclosed at the top of those posts. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page.

How To Cover Your Book

August 19, 2014 41 Comments

This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Sharpie, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #StaplesBTS http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

Going back to school is a big deal. It is a new year, a new teacher, a new room, new books… Do you remember when you were in school? Covering your books with brown paper bags and decorating them was the best. Honestly, I think that using Sharpies to write on my brown-paper-bag-book-covers is probably what ignited my love for artistry.

My entire early-childhood was spent doodling away on my book covers with Sharpies. That lead to bigger things in my pre-teen and teen years when we would decorate banners for football games when I was a cheerleader. And then I started playing in makeup… The rest is history! So I am going to help you get your child having fun and being inspired with my quick and easy tutorial on How To Cover Your Books! You child with love it and their teachers will thank you!

Things you will need:

One brown paper bag for each book you want to cover.

The book(s) you want covered

Scissors

Sharpies

{one} Because the first part requires scissors you may want to do this for your child, but cut the bag along the sides down the middle seam. It will allow you to be working with an even among of surface on each side.

{two} The edges will sometimes be jagged (I know mine usually are) so I lay it out flat and clean up some of the cuts. Also during this step measure out how much of the bag you will need for the book. Allow for 3-5 inches of bag to hang off the ends of each because these will be folded down and side onto your book.

{three} Line up the side of the book with the sides of the bag. Fold the sides down to match the size of your book.

{four} Do the same thing to the other size.

{five} Fold the bag over to get a nice seam/edge to the fold and then slide the book into the pocket that creates.

{six} The first thing to wear out on my book covers was always the spine, but there are so many fun options of tape now-a-days, there is no need to worry with that! Reinforce the spine with tape.

AND NOW you can get to the most important part! The art! Doodling is such a fun, NEEDED outlet for kids. They cram so much information into their brain in their long school day so why not let them blow off some steam with a Sharpie and their imagination?

While we were school supply shopping at Staples my son picked out a few packs of Sharpies to go along with all of his other Back To School necessities. Neons are SO on trend right now that it was no surprise they were the first things he gravitated to. He also picked out some Ultra Fine Point Sharpies for the finer details. Both the Fine Point and Ultra Fine Point packs are on sale at Staples from now until August 24th, at least while supplies last!

It took him a couple hours but he was so proud of his design. He also left the back and inside flaps completely undone so he would have something to do later. You know what is even cooler than having a completely art-covered book cover? Putting on another one so your kid can get creative again!

Teaching my son how to create these book covers was fun for both of us. It was fun for me to teach him something (and he actually listen) that allowed for so many fun memories for myself and he was truly excited to learn. Do you remember doing these book covers when you were in school? How do you encourage creativity on a daily basis? Tell me in the comments below!

My Newest Addiction at times reviews products provided by PR companies. This is disclosed at the top of those posts. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page.

DIY Hand Scrub

August 6, 2014 16 Comments

I am a huge fan of DIY beauty for many reasons. Being able to create beauty products yourself is a big deal. I love knowing what is in the things I make and the affordability factor is amazing. I mean, I could definitely go out and buy a hand scrub for $20+ or I could create a DIY Hand Scrub with the stuff that is already hanging out in my kitchen for pennies on the dollar. I think that everyone has dish soap and sugar, so you could basically consider this a freebie.

So, the things you need for this DIY are:

Sugar – I used Tate + Lyle Organic Pure Cane Sugar. This is the white sugar and its chunkier than most other sugars out in stores, so it makes for a better exfoliation.

Dish soap – I am using the one with Vitamin E. It is a very moisturizing formula and I love anything that includes Vitamin E.

Container – If I am going to have something sitting on my kitchen sink I want it to be pretty so I am using a blue tinted Ball Mason jar!

You can make however much you want with this. For the picture here I used 1 1/2 cups of sugar.

To that sugar I added 1/2 a cup of dish soap. You may need to add more, so start with less always. Consistency is something you need to play with. It could turn out too runny so add more sugar. The grittiness is actually all up to you and your preference.

And there you have it ladies and gents. An easy, SUPER EASY, DIY Hand Scrub. You more than likely didn’t have to spend a dime to make this because you already had these ingredients sitting in your cupboards. IF you had to purchase these things you would spend about $5 but using not even a 1/10 of it. Also, because of the specific ingredients I used you will get exfoliation, cleansing AND moisturization.

I hope you love my DIY Hand Scrub recipe. DIY Beauty is fun. It is easy. It is affordable. Exfoliation and moisturization all wrapped into one 2-ingredient scrub. Also, check out some of my other DIY beauty projects! Tell me in the comments, what sort of DIY beauty product would you want me to make next?

My Newest Addiction at times reviews products provided by PR companies. This is disclosed at the top of those posts. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page.

DIY Glamglow Inspired Mask

July 1, 2014 59 Comments

I am a seriously huge fan of face masks. I am actually such a big fan that I do a few a week. When you are using them that often, your wallet can definitely take a hit. The best way to battle the thinning cash flow is finding a less expensive way to create the same thing at home. I did a little research and I am bring ing you a DIY Glamglow Inspired Mask! It targets acne, clogged pores, scarring, discoloration and the list goes on.

There are two types of Glamglow masks: Youthmud and Supermud. This is most like the Supermud version that clears up the skin instead of delivering a gentle exfoliation.

The ingredients you will need are as follows.

{one} 1/4 cup Aztec Secret Bentonite Clay

{two} 1-2 drops of Eucalyptus Essential Oil (depending on your sensitivity)

{three} 1-2 drops of Peppermint Essential Oil (depending on your sensitivity)

{four} 6-9 Charcoal capsules

{five} 1 tablespoon Virgin Coconut Oil

{six} 1 tablespoon Aloe Vera Gel

{seven} 1-2 fl oz Chamomile Herbal Tea

The instructions are even easier than the list of ingredients.

First off, prep by steeping the chamomile tea and melting the coconut oil. Then combine.

{one} Combine 6-9 capsules of charcoal and the bentonite clay and mix together.

{two} Add in the essential oils and the aloe vera gel. Stir to combine the best you can. It turned into little pebble-sized balls for me.

{three} Slowly mix in the tea and stir/whisk until well blended and has a creamy consistency.

Yep… that is it. That is how you make this DIY Glamglow Inspired Mask.

To use it, make sure your skin is freshly washed and dried. Smear all over the face and avoid contact with your eyes. Let it sit until the mask starts drying up and getting tight. Wash off with a wet wash cloth or muslin cloth. At this step, depending on what you use, you can also get some exfoliation which will add to the radiant afterglow. The recipe listed above makes enough for 5-6 applications so store the rest in a cool, dark area like the fridge.

My experiences with this mask were extremely good. My face felt polished, clear, radiant, and supple upon removing it. I made this on a Saturday morning and by the time Sunday evening rolled around I started seeing the yucky stuff come to the surface. They didn’t form breakouts or hard gross pimples or anything, just easy to remove white heads. After removing them (which took all of 3 minutes with my extraction tool) my face was clear. Like really clear. A few hours after I removed the whiteheads and my skin calmed down the texture had improved a great deal. I am so excited that I have discovered this wonderfully inexpensive DIY Glamglow Inspired Mask.

This mask is pretty intensive so don’t forget to moisturize your skin after the mask. I like to use a serum and then a regular moisturizer after this mask. Feel free to choose whatever you normally love.

The thing that makes DIY skincare fun is that it is totally customizable. If you experience any sensitivities to the essential oils I mentioned, do remember that I put 1-2 tiny drops into a large batch. If you have major sensitivities just omit them. Do you have another ingredient that you enjoy using in your DIY skincare? Add it in… Tell me in the comments below what you like in your skincare and maybe some ingredients I could add to this mask that would give it added benefits. Also let me know of another DIY beauty adventure you would like to see me take on!

My Newest Addiction at times reviews products provided by PR companies. This is disclosed at the top of those posts. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page.

DIY Lip Scrub

June 24, 2014 39 Comments

Lip scrubs are something that I enjoy very much. I have owned several fairly expensive ones and even though I love the thrill of the luxury buy, I would much rather make it myself to save some pennies. Technically it would be dollars I am saving, about $20+ to give you an estimation. For this lip scrub I didnt even have to go and buy anything. I already had the two ingredients I needed. Coconut oil and brown sugar. Yep, that is it. All I needed for this DIY Lip Scrub was 2 ingredients and a jar to put them in.

Ingredients for DIY Lip Scrub

2 tablespoons of brown Sugar
1 teaspoon of raw or extra virgin coconut oil (I used EVCO)
1 small mason jar
1 spoon for stirring

Now all you have to do is put both ingredients into the jar and stir them together! The consistency can vary depending on whatever brands you used. You can customize this for your liking as well. I personally like a grittier scrub so I use a lot more brown sugar and a little less coconut oil.

These two ingredients actually pack a huge punch. The coconut oil moisturizes, is saturated with antioxidants and is a natural cleanser. Brown sugar is a wonderful exfoliant, is a natural humectant and contains glycolic acid — which speeds up cell turnover. Not only are these ingredients good for you, this scrub reminds me of how Girl Scout Samoa cookies taste. I am not kidding. You can wash this off with water and a rag or you just lick it off. There are no harmful chemicals in this so it is perfectly safe to eat! You should already know this! YOU MADE IT!

DIY Lip Scrubs make wonderful gifts for friends and family. It only takes a minute to make and you can easily dress up the jar with whatever embellishments you like. I had some wood letters with my last name’s initial laying around and some ribbon so I decided to show you what I came up with!

Instead of going out and buying an expensive lip scrub I hope that you try this DIY Lip Scrub for yourself! It is extremely inexpensive and is very easy to make. 2 ingredients, a jar and a spoon! Tell me in the comments below a DIY mask or scrub you want to see me recreate! I want to do more posts like this and I would love to see what you want!

My Newest Addiction at times reviews products provided by PR companies. This is disclosed at the top of those posts. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page.

Vanity Makeover with GE Lighting

May 5, 2014 66 Comments

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser. #LEDSavings#CollectiveBias

This vanity makeover needs to be enhanced with a little LED Power! I am a firm believer in “the better I see myself, the better I will look.” This little saying can stand firm in many aspects of your life (like spiritually seeing yourself and becoming the person you want to see) but ESPECIALLY with your vanity lighting. The bulbs that were above my vanity were regular non-energy-saving bulbs and to be honest, they were sort of dull and a little yellow. I decided to go out and purchase some GE LED Energy Smart Light Bulbs from Walmart. These super bright LEDs are the new way to light! They give off a “soft white like” performance, which is much better than the previous yellow-tinted ones I had. I specifically shopped at Walmart because they have dependably low prices.

You can tell from the first two pictures that the lighting is just sort of dull and you aren’t really getting the truest colors because of that. After installing these bulbs in the area I get myself ready for ~~battle~~ the day, the entire space is whiter and brighter. And I feel better about spending so much time in front of the mirror because they are actually saving $ because they aren’t using as much energy to light my space.

So, now that you have a glance and where I get ready everyday you PROBABLY want to know some more details. Like… what is in the drawers, what those brushes are, and what is all that skincare in the corner!I am not going to go into too much detail but I will show you a little bit. Even my friends in real life go snooping when they get into my makeup area.

The bottom drawer of my eDiva Organizer is my favorite, the eyeshadow palettes. I have a huge eyeshadow palette collection and my favorites are towards the front for easy access. The one that is sitting off to the side is my Marc Jacobs palette. It is normally in the drawer but I have it sitting on top of my Naked palettes and I wanted you to catch the full view of all its gloriousness! <3 In the drawer of my vanity is all my odds and ends, including my lip products. I don’t really have a designated spot for them all to go on display so they get their own special drawer!

The brushes that are next to my eDiva are my favorite, most used brushes… They are also dirty so please excuse that. They need to have a bath! This is also where my most-used foundations are stored for easy access. Other odds and ends get stashed there too, like eyeliners, mascara, and a gloss or two.

My skincare corner is also where some of my favorites live. Most of my favorite facial cleansers are in my shower but some of my creams, toners, brush cleanser, and a facial cleanser or two stay beside my sink. My BIG shampoo recently found itself in a favorites post I am working on so it isn’t in my shower temporarily and is now beside my sink too.

I am not sure how much you know about the GE LED Energy Smart Bulbs but 1 LED Bulb lasts as long as 15 traditional incandescent bulbs and uses 80% less energy! WOAH, right? To learn even more about these amazing super bright LED bulbs visit the site I linked in this sentence. You can also use the energy consumption calculator, which is a big eye opener.

Here is a great video that has info on #LEDSavings!

I have also started following GE Lighting on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram because I enjoy seeing ways to save. I recently became a stay at home mom so I have lessened our monthly income greatly. I need to learn to pinch pennies any way I can, who doesn’t really? If you do a vanity makeover with these great LED Energy Saving Bulbs snap a picture and load it to Instagram! Tag me and @GELighting!!!

My Newest Addiction at times reviews products provided by PR companies. This is disclosed at the top of those posts. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page.

Easy DIY Wreath For All Seasons

May 1, 2014 40 Comments

I would consider myself an artistic/crafty person but I haven’t had many opportunities to express myself that way in years. I was big into drawing and sketching when I was younger as well as a poetry writer. Even though I think I was pretty good at both I left those things behind about 10 years ago.

I finally tapped into my creative side again a few days ago when i decided that my door was boring and I missed the holiday wreaths and wanted one that would be appropriate all year long. I feel like all of the “ready to buy” wreaths on the market are either ugly or super-duper expensive. I found my inspiration piece online (etsy) for like… $60 and that doesn’t even include the shipping and got disgusted. It wasn’t even that cute in my opinion but it was simple and good for every season. I headed to Michael’s and picked up some basics. Mind you, I have never done this before in my life. So… today I am going to teach you how to create an Easy DIY wreath!

So… I bought 4 things: 10 yards of burlap, a wooden letter G that was painted white, a grapevine wreath, and a bouquet of pretty flowers. The burlap and the bouquet of flowers just happened to be on sale that day so I was happy for that. Love to save money where I can. I spent around $22 for the materials to create my Easy DIY Wreath! Such a big difference to going out and buying one I wouldn’t have been completely happy with!

Speaking of saving money, I didnt buy any glue or anything to attach the flowers so when I got home I was thinking, “Oh no, what do I do?” Well, I chose and detached the flowers from the bunch that were the prettiest and left the stems long so that I could pull them through the grapevine wreath. I picked 5 and I placed the larger of the 5 in the center and made the rest symmetrical based on shape and color of the center. You can do whatever you like at this stage though!

After I pulled the stems through the grapevine wreath I weaved/wrapped the stems into the grapevine to secure them into place. Once I was done with that and I realized the flowers are going NOWHERE I moved on to the next step. I was impressed with the no-glue method I might add!

Now came time for the bow. I browsed Pinterest and Google for “how to”s on making a burlap bow. I found one and tried to recreate it as closely as possible. If I can find the link I will put it in here. But basically you fold the burlap on top of itself, making the bottom layer the widest and tapering it in from there.

Cut it and take another generously long piece and tie it in the middle of the “bow” and leave the tails long enough that they match. I then took the tails and cut them to make a pretty upside-down V. Very traditional and pretty. TO make sure they were symmetrical I folded it in half and cut it on a diagonal.

Now it was time to attach my initial. I chose G to represent my last name. Again with the adhesive, err.. lack thereof. The letter was attached to a little-hangy-up-thingy (you know, the technical term) so it already had a staple in the back. The burlap I bought had a string that held it closed so I took that string and fished it through the staple. Like so…

I then tied it to the grapevine (and double-knotted it) and VOILA! I was thinking of hanging it from the center but my door is white so that wasn’t really going to work for me.

I went to hang it from my door and the bow’s knot was getting in the way so I had to finagle it a bit to make it just right. The bow ended up becoming a little lop-sided so that I could make it hang correctly, but overall I think it made the entire look a tad bit more shabby-chic.

The inspiration piece for my easy DIY wreath had sunflowers. These big, beautiful, fluffy flowers are just so much more “me”. But like I said before, do your thing. You don’t need to follow my design to the T. I actually went with these PARTICULAR flowers because the bouquet was 60% off! I was really looking for Magnolias because I am originally from Mississippi and I am completely obsessed with the state flower. They are hanging all over my house as well as pictured on my coasters!

So, I think I covered everything there is on my Easy DIY Wreath. If you have any questions (or anything like that) feel free to let me know. I would love to answer them! This is also my first DIY piece so PLEASE leave me feedback in the comments too! If you happened to make a wreath based on my tutorial tell me. Better yet SHOW ME! Follow me on my social media channels and tag me so that I can see! That would make my day!

*Nothing to disclose. All materials were purchased by me. No affiliation with any of the companies mentioned or used in this post.

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