DIY - Moroccan Lanterns on the Cheap

You can create these gorgeous lanterns for your patio this year on the cheap.

I absolutely love the idea of these colored glass lanterns with the Moroccan or Henna pattern and if you check out this video by Jay Munee, you will see it is pretty easy to do.

Mason Jar Hangers

But what if you have a lot of old mason jars kicking around?  You can use them too by adding these hangers to them.  So this way you don't have to purchase specific jars.

What you Will Need: 

•  clean jars or mason jars or the dollar Tree Lanterns
• 
  
•  Gloss Modge Podge
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•  Food Coloring
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•  Glass Paint in gold or your color of choice
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•  Oven to bake dyed glass Now check out the video:

These are super cool.  What a way to dress up your outdoors.  They look good during the day but at night they definitely come to life.

If you are a frugal crafter and want some ambiance on your patio or garden then create a lot of these as a family project and hang them from branches, or garden hooks or anywhere to really give your garden and patio a glow.

Use the faux battery candles so there  are no worries about fire.  You can get them in bulk online.

You can get all the supplies online and delivered to your door so you are ready for your crafting! You could make just one for your table or loads for the garden.

Moroccan Styling

Use whatever stencil you want.  As you can see in the video it just needs to sit inside the jar so you can copy over it with the metallic paint.

Find Any Wide Mouth Jar

 If you want to recycle glass jars, you could search out any wide mouth pickle jar or preserve jars at thrift stores, garage sales and more.

Run them through the dishwasher and add the wire hangers yourself or purchase the jar hangers online that make them ready to hang.  You could DIY this right from the start.

Super Cool Way To Recycle something old and dusty into something beautiful :)

How to Make a Fairy Garden from Broken Terra Cotta Pots - Fun DIY

As I tried to bring my garden back to life this year, I was thinking how cool it would be to add all kinds of new pots to the garden.  But if you check out the garden centers, they are super expensive.

I decided this year, I was going to put on my creative cap and find cheap ways to get a super cool flower pot garden on the cheap the DIY way.

I came across this idea for a fairy garden using broken flower pots.  Check it out.

So, don't throw out those broken terra cotta pots or any decorative ceramic pot, as you can reuse, and recycle especially when it comes to gardening.  Also check with the garden centers if they will give you any broken pots.  Worth asking!

If container gardening is your thing and you want to stand out a little bit and just enjoy your yard, then instead of spending a lot on the containers, keep your budget for the flowers, potting soil and accessories.

Fairy Gardens Are a Whimsical Way to Garden This Year

I thought this broken flower pot fairy garden would look awesome on a table.  Remember you can do this miniature sized too!  I just love the idea!

I also came across kits you can get to add to your Fairy Garden.  Check them out below.


I tried to find these fairy garden accessories in the garden center stores, but couldn't. I sourced these ones online with Amazon. I though what a super cool project this would be especially for smaller gardens, balcony, patio or deck.

Create a living magical fairy garden even with broken flower pots or terra cotta pots on the cheap.

Add these to your yard, and then if you are still feeling creative, why not make fairy mason jar candles.  I have a blog post on just how to make these on the cheap.
How to Make a Fairy Mason Jar Candle

I hope I have sparked some creative juices today!  Take a look around your house.  Anything and I mean anything can be used for container gardening outside.  As long as you can create drainage holes in the bottom, its all fair game!

Rental Friendly Wall Coverings - How to Cover a Bad Wall in a Rental on the Cheap

If you are renting an apartment, house or trailer and you have a wall that has seen better days, then check out these renter friendly wall covering ideas to personalize your space without damage.

1.  Downloadable Word Art

Check out Etsy for this idea.  Simply purchase some 8x10 word art.  Download and print.  Pick words that represent your personality, or even just think of inspirational words.

Purchase frames at the thrift store, or even the dollar store, and using 3M hooks (they don't leave any marks on the wall).  You can now cover your wall with fun word art.

Call it your wall of inspiration!  You could try different sized mats and frames so the display itself is a work of art.  You can get one word simple minimalist words or more.  Its a fun and quick way to decorate a bad wall.

2.  Temporary Wallpaper, Fabric Panels or Wrapping Paper

Using simple cheap sheets of "foamcore"  which you can get at the Dollar store or online.  You can create panels of color.  If you can't have any hooks in the wall you can still use the 3M style hooks that come in many different styles to fit whatever you want to hang on the walls.

Check out this video to see just how nice this can look and totally cover a bad wall in a rental without any damage.

This is a super cool idea.  You could use retro wall papers, wrapping papers, fabrics, basically anything!

You can transform a wall instantly!  Your landlord will love it and might want you to leave it behind.

3.  Collage Panels

Using the same foamcore panels (you can get at the dollar store)  you can get a bit more creative and personal.

Take all those pictures you have on your phone and print them out in black and white either on your home printer or at a copy store.

Cut them into different shapes and sizes and using decoupage glue, glue them to the sheets and then spray with a mat finish and hang on the wall.  There are so many options for these panels.

Foamcore is so lightweight too.  It is the perfect panel for creating this panels and can take up an entire wall instantly.

Check online for retro wall papers and fabrics!   Or cover the panels with word art!


4.  DIY Wall Art with Thrift Store Frames

If you prefer a more finished edge such as with a frame, the thrift store is your new best friend.  With a little bit of DIY and paint for the frames (or not depending on your style).  You can make large wall art instantly to cover a bad wall in a rental and make it your own.

Online has some awesome fabrics, wallpapers and more.  Pick something that suits your tastes and before you know it, those bad walls are a thing of the past without any damage or paint!.

Check out this full page of Retro Wallpaper

I hope the above have inspired you to get creative with those bad walls in your rental space.  You should be able to make any space your own, but when renting, you just need to get a bit creative as there are lots of DIY ways to get around the "no painting, no hooks, no damage" rule in your lease.

All of the above can simply be taken down and that bad wall will remain but not any worse than it was.

DIY Leather Shoe Paint - Extend the Life of Your Shoes and Running Shoes

Leather shoes are expensive.  Whether for work or sports, they are too expensive to simply throw away when they get scuffed up and lose their "new" look.

If your shoes are beyond leather polishing but still in good shape, or you simply want to personalize plain running shoes, then check out this video:

You can go crazy and make your running or sports shoes stand out from the crowd, or you can simply extend their life.

I came across this product and thought it was an awesome way to help get rid of scuffs and wear marks at the toes.  You can get this Angelus leather paint in bright, neon and traditional colors.

It is water clean up and would be a fun project.  This particular product has over 500 awesome reviews!

After watching the video, I saw just how easy a project this would be. If you are trying to save a pair of shoes, what can it hurt to experiment?  It is water cleanup, no toxic cleaners needed.

You can mix the colors together to try and match what you have, or simply redo the entire surface.  As long as you use the acrylic protector coat afterwards they will withstand wear and tear.

Above are the prep solution and then the sealing solution. The preparation solution gets rid of any wax and dirt on the surface so you can get super creative. The sealer, seals in your hard work to extend the life of your shoes.

Can Be Used On Any Leather such as Purses and Jackets too

This product could take a purse and personalize it.  You could use stencils, or tape off areas for stripes.  There are all kinds of ways you could get creative with leather paint.

Get Those Shoes Out of the Back of the Closet And Bring Them Back to Life!

You could do quite a few pairs of leather shoes with a kit of Angelus Leather Paint.  So get those old shoes out of the closet and bring them back to life.

Not only will you save money on replacing them, you can make them look brand new and do your part to keep them out of the landfill. 

How to Get Rid of Weeds Between Patio Pavers - 4 Easy Ways

I love my patio, but the weeds that grow between the patio paver stones are driving me nuts.

I came across these 4 ways to remove those stubborn weeds without having to try and pull them by hand which then drags up dirt and sometimes the patio stones.  Plus I didn't want harsh chemicals as I wander in bare feet all the time.

1.  White Vinegar

Pick a dry day, and fill a clean spray bottle with the white vinegar.  Depending on how large an area you have it will be worthwhile to invest in a large bottle.

Spray the weeds.  Try to keep the spray specifically to these weeds and/or grass as vinegar will kill any plant, so keep it away from your flower beds etc.

If you have a large patio area, invest in a larger pump sprayer.

This works well, but you are still left with a few brown dead bodies, but eventually you can sweep them away.  You may need to repeat this process once a month, but it does work.

2.  Boiling Water

If you have a small area to deal with, then boil the kettle and carefully pour the boiling water onto the grass and weeds between the pavers, (also gets rid of ant hills between pavers too!).

This works well too, but better in a smaller area, or you will be constantly boiling the kettle.

3.  Paver Weeding Tool

This is basically a very sharp knife that is specifically designed to run between even the tightest of patio paver stones.


What I found to work the best, is to use the vinegar solution and then run a sharp blade between the stones to remove the roots and remainder of the grass and weeds.

I used an old kitchen knife, but I am going to invest in one of these tools as it has a bend to it, which will hook the weeds and grass roots and yank them out.

4.  Plant Walk on Me Thyme Seeds


If there is a large enough gap for grass and weeds to grow through, instead of fighting it all the time, you can plant the seeds of "walk on me Thyme"  which are designed for patios and walkways.

If you are done with fighting the weeds, then plant these seeds once you have removed them.  These plants can really add to a patio and are aggressive enough to keep away the weeds and look nice at the same time.

Covers a Not So Nice Patio!  Why Remove it?  Add Some Color

Remove as much of the weeds between your patio stones as you can using any of the above methods, and then add some soil if needed and then these seeds. 

They will grow very quickly if you water them, and now your ugly patio is a living walking beautiful area!

Small Bedroom - Raise the Frame for Under Bed Storage

If you are trying to find storage in a small bedroom, look under the bed.

Many bed frames sit pretty low to the ground making it harder to store things except for those shoes you kick off and then try to crawl under to find!

But finding small bedroom storage is as simple as raising your bed frame.  By raising it, you can then add larger containers that can slide in and out with ease.  There is a lot of real estate under your bed that you could be using.

You simply add these to the bottom of the bed and it will raise it 5-6 inches. This can make a huge different for storage bins. or you could DIY with wood blocks yourself. The ones online are a super affordable way to find that extra room you need.

or DIY if you are Handy..

Add Dollar Store Baskets or Find Ones With Wheels

Depending on your floor covering, you can add open plastic containers or baskets from the dollar store to store your extra shoes, or out of season shoes, purses, belts and all accessories.

If you have hardwood under the bed, you may prefer to get them with casters on them so as to not be dragging them across the floor.  You can find these online, just make sure to measure the amount of room you have as the casters do take up some height.

Under Bed Storage Wooden Box with Casters

This particular one has a chalkboard front for labeling.

 Don't Forget the Dollar Store.. 

They are worth checking too depending on your budget.  It all depends what you wish to store under your bed.

If you don't like the idea of raising your bed frame, and you feel you could use a new bed, this would be the time to get a frame that is designed for under bed storage such as the one below.

This particular frame is popular as it has 18 inches of space for storage. You can feel like a princess in a high bed and have loads of storage underneath.

Downsizing Doesn't Mean You Have to Get Rid of Everything

For a long time, low platform beds were the norm for home decor, but they take up so much room.  So unless you have a bed with drawers underneath (another idea) take a look at just how you can raise yours so that you bed does double time.

Comfy to sleep in and organized storage underneath.  Many small bedrooms don't even have a closet so you have to get creative.  Containers are your best friend.

Organize seasonal Clothes and Accessories to Fit Under the bed

Twice a year have a clean out in your closet.  If you live where the seasons change, then take your winters clothes and accessories and store them under the bed and in the spring ... switch!

When organizing a small bedroom you have to also look at vertical space, such as under the bed by raising the bed or the backs of closet doors etc.  There are ways to create a calm and clutter free environment even in a small space.

Homemade Grill Cleaner - BBQ cleaning on the Cheap - 2 Ways

Its is BBQ season once again, and that grill could use a good cleaning.  Below is a quick an natural homemade grill cleaner that you can try first before you get out the big guns.

What you will Need:

• Clean spray bottle
• White Vinegar
• Aluminum foil

Method:

Step 1 - Fill the spray bottle with undiluted White Vinegar (do not add water just straight vinegar).

Step 2 - Spray the grill thoroughly

Step 3 - Let sit for about 15 minutes

Step 4 - While waiting take some aluminum foil and crumple it into manageable balls

Step 5 - After 15 minutes, begin scrubbing with the aluminium foil.

Step 6 - Discard the aluminum foil.

Repeat as necessary

With this method there are no worries about chemicals or smells as vinegar has a fresh smell.  You can use this in between cooking as well.

If They are Super Horrible and Greasy, Then Check Out This Formula... 

What you will Need

• Fill a container with approx. one liter of hot water
• 1 x tablespoon of baking soda
• 1 x tablespoon of white vinegar

Soak your BBQ grates in this solution for at least an hour.

Then fill the container with hot soapy water and clean as usual.  You may need to use a nylon scrubby for tougher areas.

Cleaning Knobs and Rest of BBQ

You can also use the baking soda/vinegar solution to wipe down knobs and areas where grease tends to form, which of course attracts dirt and bugs.

Start the BBQ season off with a nice clean grill.

If you have left your BBQ way to long and the grills or grates are super filthy, then you may need to consider a more powerful cleaner.  WEBER makes a good non-toxic BBQ cleaner spray.


Allowing time to soak is one of the best ways to get them clean.

Barbecues are expensive, so it is nice to put it away clean, but that is not always possible, so this season, take it apart, clean the grills and grates, inspect for rodents and damage, and then enjoy!

If the grates are pitted and rusted - Don't Throw Away the BBQ!
You can get universal replacement grates.


You can replace most parts on a barbecue...

Every spring I see a lot of them at the end of the driveway, that don't look that old.  A little bit of care and you can keep them running for a long time.

The spring inspection and cleaning keeps them running smoothly.  Plus if you pick a nice day, you can do all this cleaning totally outside.  Invest in a couple of washing containers from the dollar store to soak the grills if necessary.

Happy BBQ season!