Posts tagged with "DIY"

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Money Saving Tips On Your Backyard Deck

(All posts may contain affiliate links or sponsored content. Please see my disclosure policy)

photo credit: Brazilian Wood Depot

Whether you are thinking of adding a new deck to your backyard because of so many of staying home or needing help to take care of your existing deck, there are several things that you’ll want to do to make sure you are properly doing the job well ( and even save money in the process ). Below are a few ideas to help you maintain your deck not only for its longevity but also to help keep its beauty as well as ideas on how to save money in the process of building a deck.

  1. Cleaning Your Deck Once A Year – Depending on what type of hardwood you have, the longevity and the color will vary. There are so many incredible hardwood options to choose from and all are rooted in the same basic principles as far as how to clean them properly. Tight grained natural woods are usually boasted being a watertight wood or water-resistant, however, they do have a surface that will need to be looked at it for any mold or mildew growth. Without cleaning them properly or having proper maintenance, they will rot away. The naturally occurring tannins and oils present in the wood do need to be protected and preserved if you want it to look new year after year. Check to see what type of deck you have and what you need to use to properly clean it. Some use a pressure washer to help get rid of old dirt and grime from over the winter months and also help spruce up your deck in minutes rather then days. 
  2. Deck Design: There are some deck materials are milled in lengths of 16, 12, or 8 feet. In the case of pressure treated wood, every cut not only wastes the wood but also can provide an opening for water to get in. This is essential when you are buying the wood in the milled length does save you money on wood but it can also shorten the time to build the deck as well. 
  3. Find A Quality Deck Company To Assist: Contrary to your design, you want to make sure that you find a quality deck company to assist you to build it if this is not an area of expertise. If you live in the Atlanta area, there is a company you must look into called Brazilian Wood Depot. They offer a variety of hardwoods for you to choose from including their popular ones like Ipe, Cumaru, or Garapa decking.  Garapa wood in particular or Brazilian Oak is a decking lumber with a lemon yellow color that becomes light brown or honey with age. This hardwood has a light ribbon-like natural design, appears water or wavelike similar to silk. Garapa is considered the highest quality, best natural wood decking material on the market right now. It’s also extremely popular with many benefits for those looking for issues including fire resistance, water-resistance, and bug resistant.
  4. Decorate With Existing Furniture: Once you have your deck the way you want it, another money-saving tip could be bringing out old furniture that you already have out to your deck. If you don’t have any furniture that you can use, try looking for any estate sales or check Facebook Marketplace to help find something that can also help your bank account too. See if neighbors are having garage sales or looking into getting rid of old furniture they don’t want anymore. There are plenty of DIY ideas to help you restore or make the furniture your own as well.
  5. Build During Off-Season: One way to help you save money building your deck is to build it during the offseason. With warmer weather during the spring and summer months, those are the busiest times for deck contractors. Everyone has been contemplating their deck over the winter and want to start building with the warm rays of the sun, which then results in a higher demand to hire. The price also goes up for both labor and materials. If you live in an area like the southern states, you can still build during late fall or winter which then leaves you no problem hiring a qualified contractor and perhaps give you a better deal with everything as well. 

There are so many other great tips to help you save on building your dream backyard deck. Have a budget and make sure that you try and stick with it every step of the way. Do your best to hire a qualified, highly requested, and sought out professionals to help you when you need it, ask questions and help you build the proper deck. 

DIY: Kid’s Homemade Slime Recipe

(All posts may contain affiliate links and/or sponsored content. Please see my disclosure policy)

Are the kiddos driving you crazy? One thing that you can do to occupy their time is to make homemade slime! I recently did this with Brady and we had a blast! This recipe is super easy and literally takes less than 5 minutes to prepare.

Slime Ingredients:

8oz. of Glue. (I used 8oz. of  Elmer’s Glue-All – I would suggest buying a big container like this one to have it on hand)

1 TBSP of Baking soda

Your choice of food coloring

2 TBSP of Contact solution

Optional: You can add beads, glitter and any other fun items that you wish! Look HERE for some fun ideas.

 

Slime Directions: 

Place the 8oz. of glue into a bowl.

Add the baking soda and mix together.

Add food coloring until it is the desired color you prefer.

Add in the contact solution.

Mix together until a ball forms and the mixture becomes harder. The trick here is to keep adding contact solution if the slime is still too sticky to the touch. This cannot be any easier to prepare and it is very budget-friendly too!

Enjoy! Brady and I had so much fun making this!

 

DIY Fire-Breathing Dragon Craft Inspired by My Knight and Me on Cartoon Network

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by the Cartoon Network Series, My Knight and Me. All opinions are 100% my own. Please see my disclosure policy)

Have your kiddos seen the adventure-packed new animated series for kids on Cartoon Network called My Knight and Me? The epic show airs weekdays at 12pm (ET/PT) on Cartoon Network and my son Brady is enamored with it!

My Knight and Me, for kids ages 6-10, follows the quests of a colorful and charismatic trio of knights in shining armor: loyal, street-smart Jimmy the Squire; daring and determined Cat the Princess; and bold and courageous Henri of Orange, Jimmy’s dad and a charmingly inept, yet passionately chivalrous knight who might not be the most efficient protector of the realm – but sure is the funniest! Together, the knightly group sets out from the Kingdom of Epic to save the day and brighten the Dark Ages! 

The series models close family ties (Jimmy thinks his dad is the best!), emphasizes the importance of teamwork (together, Jimmy, Cat and Henri can overcome any challenge  that comes their way!) and underscores the importance of using strategy over might to solve problems (Jimmy is the man with a plan!). My Knight and Me also features clever anachronisms (like Smart-Mirrors that resemble today’s iPhones, set in the Middle Ages), which add to the uniqueness of the show.

I was super excited to have the opportunity to create a DIY craft inspired by the show! My son Brady, who loves to help me with crafts, immediately knew that he wanted to make a Fire-Breathing Dragon. One of the characters on My Knight and Me is a dragon named Bad Jack. He is Epic’s most fearsome dragon and a frequent antagonist of Jimmy, Cat, and Henri. He spends more time seeking treasure and tormenting the people of Epic. Brady loves dragons so we thought that a dragon-inspired craft would be so much fun! 

Materials Needed:

Red and yellow streamers

Medium sized green pom poms

Mini sized poms poms in color of your choice

Green and red glitter glue

Googly eyes

Empty paper towel roll

Glue (a glue gun would work great as well)

Tape

Scissors

Green pipe cleaner stems

Small cups

Green construction paper

Crayons (optional)

Instructions:

1. Cut green construction paper to fit around the empty paper towel holder and glue it on.

2. Take one of the small cups and cut a hole in the center. Make the hole big enough for the empty paper towel holder to go through. You will use this later on.

3. Take the glitter glue and cover the outside of the cup. You can use whatever colors that you prefer, but we used green and red.

4. While the glue is still wet, place the green pom poms and googly eyes on the front.

5. Place two mini pom poms on the cup for the dragon nose.

6. Let the glue dry.

7. While the glue on the cup “face” is drying, cut the red and yellow streamers into strips of “flames”.

8. Cut out 3 strips of “wings” for the dragon with a grass like criss-cross pattern. Glue the wings down the center of the covered paper towel holder.

9. Take the green pipe cleaner and glue a strip down the center of the wings.

10. Place the covered paper towel holder in the hole of the cup. It should fit snug and not loosely.

11. Attach the “flames” on the front of the cup with glue or tape.

12. Finally, make a “tail” for the dragon with several pieces of the pipe cleaners. Twist them together and make your “tail”. Place the pipe-cleaners through the end of the covered paper towel holder. I taped these down on the inside so that they would stick.

13. Voila! You have a fire-breathing dragon! Brady loved blowing through the “tail” of the dragon to make the flames move!

DIY Creative Galaxy Popsicle Stick Picture Frames

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Amazon’s Original Kids Series, Creative Galaxy. All opinions are 100% my own.Please see my disclosure policy)

Can you believe that Valentine’s Day is almost here? This is such a special day in our house and I try to make it extra special for the boys and my hubby. I love to decorate the house for all of the holidays, and Valentine’s Day is no exception!

Since this special day of love is filled with all things heart, my son Brady was so excited to preview the new “Heart Day” episode of Amazon’s Original Kids Series, Creative Galaxy. This Valentine’s Day special for kids and families all across the country, premieres on Tuesday, February 7 on Prime Video!

We made DIY Creative Galaxy Popsicle Stick Picture Frames inspired by the “Heart Day” episode. These picture frames are so fun to make and you can personalize them in so many different ways. Brady and I had so much fun making these!

Materials:

Popsicle Sticks

Glue

Scissors

Glitter

Candy Hearts

Valentine’s Ribbon

Foam Hearts

Watch the Video Tutorial:

Instructions:

Place glue on popsicle sticks to form a frame.

Decorate your picture frame with foam hearts, glitter, ribbon, candy hearts or any other Valentine’s Day items.

Add a picture, Valentine or other work of art to your finished picture frame. You could even glue a magnet on the back of the picture frame so that it can go on the refrigerator!

Amazon’s award-winning Creative Galaxy is a create-along art adventure series for preschool children. Animated by 9 Story Entertainment, the series follows Arty, an adorable alien artist, and Epiphany, his inspirational side-kick, on their adventures through the Creative Galaxy as they solve problems through art. To give kids and parents the real-life tools they need to recreate Arty’s experience, a live-action piece at the end of each animated episode takes families through the craft project Arty showcased in the galaxy. In 2015, Creative Galaxy received the Parents’ Choice Gold Award for Television (ages 3-5)

In “Heart Day,” Epiphany (Kira Gelineau, Dear Viola) is ready to show her love with a special performance on Groovopolis, but she accidently ruins her costume before the show! She and Arty (Meesha Contreras) fly into the Creative Galaxy for a solution and together they help all his friends along the way learn that everyone has their own special way of saying “I heart you!” Samantha Bee (Full Frontal with Samantha Bee) and Jason Jones (The Daily Show) guest star as Arty’s parents, and Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Lisa Loeb lends her voice as Melody.

Creative Galaxy fans will be so excited to know that Arty’s Tool Belt is now available for purchase! For the first time, young fans of the series can create their own masterpieces, just like Arty, with this colorful new activity set that includes an adjustable tool belt, pads for coloring, doodling and painting with water, sticker book, crayons and paintbrushes. Arty’s Tool Belt activity set is now available on Amazon.com and includes free shipping for Prime members! 

Don’t forget to tune in on February 7 for the all new Valentine’s Day “Heart Day” episode! 

Celebrate Valentine’s Day With Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood and Birthday Express!

Disclosure: I was provided with all of the products to facilitate this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Please see my disclosure policy)

Ugga Mugga! Won’t you be my neighbor? Do your kiddos love Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood? My family and I were given the opportunity to review the new Daniel Tiger Valentine DVD “Would You Be Mine?” as well as to host our own Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood Valentine’s themed party. Thanks to Birthday Express, we were well-supplied with all of the essentials that we needed for our party!

Birthday Express supplied us with all of the necessities that we needed for our party. From the tablecloth to the plates, streamers, napkins, balloons and everything in-between, we were well-supplied for our fun-filled Family night! Did you know that Birthday Express not only offers party supplies, but they even offer A Complete Party In a Box? This is such an awesome idea especially for those of us who are busy and don’t have the time to plan a themed party. This will be such a huge time-saver! You can see the Daniel Tiger Party Themed Products HERE.

My boys were so excited yesterday as I planned out our special night filled with fun food and lots of laughs with Daniel Tiger and his friends! We viewed the new Daniel Tiger DVD “Would You Be Mine?” before dinner to get us in the Daniel Tiger spirit!

I loved the Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood Invitations that Birthday Express sent. I actually used them as a place card holders for each person at the table and they turned out so cute! I had a glass vase that I lined with Daniel Tiger Napkins and then placed Balloons in the middle for our centerpiece. I added some candy hearts on top of the table and gave each person a big Colorful heart filled with Chocolate. Everything turned out so cute and I loved seeing the smiles on the boys faces!

For dinner, we had yummy Cheeseburger Cups and Broccoli. Later on I made a Red Velvet Heart Shaped Cake that I topped with Chocolate Hearts. Birthday Express even sent along candles in our package of goodies, so the boys were excited to blow them out! 

If you are looking to host a fun party this Valentine’s Day or for any occasion, be sure to check out Birthday Express. They offer all of your party needs in one convenient location. And, Daniel Tiger fans, be sure to get your own copy of the new release “Would You Be Mine?“. Your kiddos will love it! Ugga Mugga! 

LARGE Hormel Party Trays only $5.99 at Target w/Coupon Stack + DIY Make your Own Lunchables!

 

Do your kiddos love Lunchables as much as my son Drew does? Every time that he is with me at the Grocery Store he begs me for them. I honestly cannot justify spending $2+ on them so whenever I can get the large Hormel Party Trays on sale I always buy them and make my own! Drew loves it and this will definitely get you the “Mom of the Year” award! :D

If you are not familiar with these Party Trays, they contain cubed cheese, Pepperoni, Salami and Crackers. The packaging on the front of the tray states that it feeds 8, so I am thinking that I can easily get 8-10 lunches out of this for Drew.

Here is the deal:

Large 28oz. Hormel Party Trays are on sale thru 5/31 for $9.99 at Target 

Use the $2/1 Hormel Party Tray Manuf. coupon HERE

Stacked with the $2/1 Target Hormel Party Tray coupon HERE

Final: $5.99

Assuming that you get at least 8-10 lunches out of the tray that is a great deal!  Throw in a piece of fruit and a juice box and you are all set! 

-thanks for the Target deal, Totally Target!

(All posts may contain affiliate links or sponsored content. Please see my disclosure policy)

DIY Holiday Gift Baskets on a Budget

I know that many of us are on a tight budget this Holiday season. Being on a budget doesn’t meant that you can’t give nice gifts to family, friends and co-workers. You can make your own gift baskets with items found at Dollar Tree, the Target Dollar Spot, samples/freebies that you receive and more! 

I put together a few examples of gift baskets that you can put together for just a few dollars. Think outside of the box with these and have fun!

MOVIE LOVER’S GIFT BASKET

I found these adorable Popcorn Bowls at the Dollar Tree and filled them with popcorn from my stockpile. You could also add a movie gift card and candy!

 

FREEBIE/SAMPLE GIFT BASKET

I filled this gift basket with freebies and samples that I have received the past several months. I also added a small Bath & Body Works Lotion and Yankee Candle for a nice touch. The basket came from Dollar Tree!

 

COFFEE LOVER’S GIFT BASKET

This is one of my favorites! I filled this basket with a Cute Coffee mug from Dollar Tree as well as Coffee Samples that I have received the past several months. I also found flavored coffee syrups right at the Dollar Tree! Lastly, I added in a box of flavored creamer singles for a nice touch!

The possibilties with these gift baskets are endless! I was thinking another cute one would be a Spa Gift Basket filled with fun Spa items from Dollar Tree or the Target Dollar Spot!