Crafts and DIY Ideas Archives - My Frugal Adventures

Princess Party Favors

05/29/2017 By Charlene 1 Comment

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My daughter recently had a little birthday party and we came up with some really simple and cute party favors for her guests. I thought I would share this idea for princess or ballerina party favors because it was pretty inexpensive and very cute. The little party guests couldn’t wait to get a little jar of their own and my birthday girl was absolutely thrilled when there was one left over, just for her.

These little jars can hold slime, candy, playdoh, small trinkets like earrings or jacks or stickers or you might make your own bubble solution. (I have a recipe for homemade bubbles as party favors here.) You could put beads for homemade bracelets… the possibilities are endless.

Here is how to make these little jars yourself.

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Easy DIY Rustic Frame

05/05/2017 By Charlene 3 Comments

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This is a crazy easy little DIY rustic frame project. It is a super simple way to frame a poster or an art print or a photograph quickly and for less than $5. Even better you can swap your print/photo out anytime you like.

This entire project took about 15 minutes so let’s get started!

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Terra Cotta Garden Markers

04/17/2017 By Charlene Leave a Comment

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I have a fun, simple and cheap idea for terra cotta pot garden markers. I think these are really cute and they only cost $.75 each to make!

These took probably 10 minutes total to make and I think they are so fun for veggie gardens, cut flower gardens or we made them for a little herb garden.

Maybe this could be an idea for Mother’s Day along with some gardening or cooking supplies in a gift basket.

Here is how I made these:

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Easy Unicorn Slime Recipe

04/10/2017 By Charlene 18 Comments

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I have a super simple and fun children’s craft idea for you to make unicorn slime (without using Borax). Slime is just always a win with my girls- it is quick and easy to make and there are so many fun and creative variations to give yours a unique twist.

I wanted something bright and cheerful and playful for Spring and decided to make a glittery, rainbowy, unicorn slime and it was a huge hit with my kids.

There has been some negative press about slime with Borax and I have posted a slime with borax recipe, a slime with no borax and now I wanted to try a different recipe and see how that worked out. We used contact lens solution for this recipe and it turned out pretty well! Fairly comparable to the other slime recipes but a little easier to mix together.

So here is what you need to make this version of slime:

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10 Ideas to Increase Curb Appeal

04/06/2017 By Charlene 2 Comments

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Roundup® For Lawns.

In California, the sun is out and we are all over our Spring projects! This year we are planning a lot of outdoor projects including a new fence, updated landscaping, touching up our grass (now that CA is finally out of the drought) and addressing this ugly side yard section that has rocks and weeds and doesn’t look great. I am so excited to work on the curb appeal of our home and I have partnered with Roundup® For Lawns to feature 10 easy ideas to increase the curb appeal for your home.

I hope these ideas inspire and motivate you to tackle your own Spring curb appeal projects.

Consider updating the light fixtures on the porch and around the house. Quality light fixtures make a world of difference- a pendant light can be a gorgeous addition to your porch or add interest with lanterns.

Add a pop of color to the front of your home via a freshly painted front door, new flowers or brightly colored outdoor furniture and pillows. The American flag is a great touch as well.

Try upgrading the look of your garage door by adding inexpensive hardware. Click here for details.

Window boxes are such a simple addition to the exterior of a home and create huge impact. Another option is large planters or planter boxes filled with flowers around windows or the front door.

Hide an unsightly AC unit or garbage cans behind a screen- DIY instructions here.

Consider painting cement stairs or staining a porch for a clean, fresh look.

Remove weeds, overgrown bushes or plants and address any issues with the lawn. A well cared for lawn can make any home appear instantly more welcoming. Roundup has has been the #1 weed killing brand for over 40 years. Roundup For Lawns have several specially formulated products that can be used on a lawn to kill weeds. Find the formula best suited to the grass in your area at local retailers.

Landscape lighting can also make a dramatic difference in the curb appeal of a home. Lanterns on the porch, twinkle lights on the trees or accent lighting on a walkway are great ways to add a magical glow to your home.

Can you add a fence to the front of your home or update/paint/stain an existing fence? A white picket fence can frame the exterior of a home and make a yard look much larger.

Considering adding simple shutters in a contrasting color to your home to add charm and interest to builder grade windows. Simple DIY here.

I’d love to hear what projects you plan to tackle this Spring.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Roundup® For Lawns. As always all opinions expressed are mine alone.

DIY Dog Bed Tutorial

03/26/2017 By Charlene 1 Comment

This post may contain affiliate links, please see my disclosure policy.

Here is a simple idea to dress up a dog bed for your best friend. I have always hated dog beds because they can look so sloppy just plopped on the floor. Plus our little old man dog has always preferred sitting with us on the couch (#spoiled) anyway. But we recently adopted a puppy and he really likes having his own space for quiet time. He actually goes into his crate voluntarily and likes stretching out on his dog bed.

So I decided to try and build a bed that might look a bit nicer and still provide him plenty of space to stretch out and nap.

I will share all the dimensions of our bed but you will likely want to customize to suit the size for your dog. This is a super simple build that is very inexpensive and just takes an afternoon to make.

I am happy with this because we can easily move it around the house and it looks a bit nicer than just a standard dog pillow laying on the floor. I think Bosley likes it because it is slightly enclosed like his crate so a little more of a den feeling than just the pillow on the floor.

Ready to make your own little dog crate bed? Here goes!

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How to Make a Butterfly Feeder

03/15/2017 By Charlene Leave a Comment

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Here is a simple and fun little project to work on with the kids for Spring. The last few weeks we have been raising caterpillars and learning about life cycles and insects and bugs. My children have been having so much fun with this little science lesson and we decided to wrap up the lesson by making butterfly feeders for the yard. Our caterpillars have finally emerged as butterflies and we are ready to set them free tomorrow so this feeder project was our attempt to convince the butterflies to stay and hang out in our yard this Spring.

My hope is to have the butterfly feeder under the window of each child’s bedroom and I am hoping they can peer out the window and occasionally catch a glimpse of a butterfly. We are getting ready to let the butterflies free from our butterfly garden and hopefully they stick around and enjoy the little home we created.

I am not sure if this will actually work and help attract butterflies to the yard but it was a simple craft and the kid’s had fun making it and we just used things we already had on hand anyway. So if nothing else it certainly stimulated their little imaginations and they learned quite a bit in the process.

One note I should make is that many butterflies like to feed on rotting fruit. You often see plates hanging in yards as feeders with slices of melon or oranges. We have a squirrel issue, a neighbor’s cat issue (that likes to use our yard as a litter box) and we currently do not have an ant issue and I want to keep it that way. So I did have those things in mind when I created our feeder. I think a flat plate with fruit might create issues so I am hoping this style of feeder will be less appealing to squirrels, cats and ants.

So here is what you need to create a butterfly feeder:

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DIY Large Farmhouse Sign

03/04/2017 By Charlene Leave a Comment

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I am so happy with this DIY sign that I recently made for our bedroom and I wanted to share with you how to make one of your own. These are available from so many places but the ones I have seen are fairly expensive- upwards of $150.

Making a farmhouse style sign like this isn’t too hard when it is small in size but I can’t tell you how much I struggled making a large sign. This one measures 30 x 25 1/2 inches.

This was totally a labor of love because it took so many tries to get it right. I am happy now though and it is done and I want to share with you how to make one of your own! I have extra wood left from this project and am working on a second sign in a slightly different style with a favorite quote for my daughter’s room.

I purchased a plywood board that is about 1/4″ thick. This sign is going to sit above my reading chair in our bedroom and I wanted a really thin wood just in case it ever falls off the wall. If you plan to put this in a less precarious spot in your home, you might consider purchasing a thicker wood as it will be much easier to frame.

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