Showing posts with label DIY. Show all posts

Monday, May 19, 2025

The Art of DIY Savings

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The Art of DIY Savings: Creative Projects That Cut Costs

In today's economy, everyone is looking for ways to stretch their dollar. One efficient method of doing so is by tackling do-it-yourself (DIY) projects that not just add personal flair to your space but also significantly cut down costs. Whether it's whipping up your own eco-friendly cleaning solutions or giving a fresh lease of life to an old chest of drawers, the potential savings are substantial.

Creating Your Own Cleaning Supplies

One of the easiest places to start saving is with homemade cleaning supplies. With simple ingredients like vinegar, baking soda, and essential oils, you can create a range of cleaners at a fraction of the cost of store-bought products.

Tutorial:

All-Purpose Cleaner: Combine 1 part water, 1 part vinegar, and lemon rind with rosemary sprigs for natural fragrance.
Cost Breakdown: A gallon of vinegar is around $3.49, and lemons can be bought for about 50 cents each. This solution costs less than a dollar per spray bottle.
Potential Savings: Save up to $5 per bottle compared to leading brands.

Repurposing Old Furniture

Instead of tossing out that worn-out chair or scuffed table, giving them a makeover can breathe new life into them and save you from splurging on new pieces.

Tutorial:

Chair Reupholstery: Choose a fabric, remove the old one, add some padding, and staple the new fabric over the frame.
Cost Breakdown: Fabric may cost around $10, and a staple gun is about $20, but it can be used for numerous projects.
Potential Savings: New chairs range from $50 to hundreds, making reupholstery a handy saving trick.

Creative Upcycling Ideas

Upcycling is taking something old and turning it into something new and useful, which saves money and reduces waste.

Tutorial:

Wine Bottle Planters: Cut the bottle carefully, sand the edges, and fill it with soil for a chic planter.
Cost Breakdown: Virtually free if using leftover wine bottles.
Potential Savings: Comparable planters can cost upwards of $25.

Thank you for stopping by and checking out The Art of DIY Savings. Have you ever embarked on your own DIY project? Any other DIY savings you would suggest? Be sure to let us know in the comments below! If you enjoyed this post, we’d be very grateful if you’d help it spread by emailing it to a friend or sharing it on Twitter and/or Facebook. Don't want to lose this? Pin it on Pinterest so you can get back to it later!

Have a great day!

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Legal Disclaimer:

This content is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial or legal advice. Readers should conduct their own research and consult with a professional advisor before initiating any business venture.

Wednesday, October 18, 2023

DIY Halloween Spell Books

These DIY Spell Books are absolutely Creeptastic!

Be sure to watch the full Video Tutorial below!

This post may contain paid affiliate links, please read our Advertising Disclosure Statement.

You'll need:

Books

Cardboard

School glue (Dollar Tree) $1

Hot glue gun (Wal-Mart)

Hot glue sticks (Wal-Mart)

Assorted mini Halloween creepy crawlies (Dollar Tree) $1

Mod Podge (Dollar Tree) $1

Paper towel or tissue paper (Dollar Tree) $1

Paint brushes

Black paint

Brown craft paint

Gold metallic craft paint

Tea bag

Hot water

To start this project you'll need some books. Although it doesn't matter what the book is really about, I chose to be a little authentic and used some actual "witchy" books. You can use whatever old books you have lying around or you can get some old books at the thrift store.

Two of the books I chose to use are soft covers, but I want them to be hard covers. So, I'm going to start with turning my soft cover books into hardcover books by using some cardboard and school glue.

I'm going to take my cardboard and tuck it inside the front cover of the book, then with a pencil or marker trace around the edge of the book cover marking where to cut your cardboard. With your scissors or rotary cutter cut the cardboard to size. I used a craft roller to flatten out one side of the cardboard that would be tucked inside along the spine, this step is optional. I then covered one side of the cardboard with school glue and glued it inside the front cover of my book; I then repeated this step with the back cover of the book. Set aside to dry.

Next we're going to take our hot glue gun and we're going to embellish the covers of our books by using the glue gun for writing and drawing designs, also to glue on our creepy crawlies. This is where you can get really creative. After our hot glue has dried we can start working on covering our books. You can cover them with paper towel, single ply is best. However after trying the paper towel method, I can definitely say I prefer using the tissue paper.

So to cover our books we're going to take a paintbrush and our Mod Podge and paint over the cover and everything that we glued on.

We're then going to take our single ply paper towel (if using paper towel you'll need to dampen it first) or tissue paper, crumple it up (I personally didn't like the effect of the paper towel so, I ended up only using the tissue paper), then open it back up and gently lay it down over your Mod Podge cover and pat it down. When using the paper towel you'll need to use a paintbrush or foam brush to really get into all the nooks and crannies of your design. With the tissue paper, just pressing firmly with the palm of your hand seems to be all it took for me. Now we're going to set our book aside to dry for a couple of hours.

After the Mod Podge on our newly covered book is fully dried, we're going to trim the excess paper towel/tissue paper, however leaving enough to wrap just inside our covers.

Now we can take our black craft paint and paint the entire book Black, again set aside to dry.

After the black paint has fully dried we can then go in with a dry brush and some of our brown craft paint and stipple the brown paint onto the book to give it an aged look and /or use our gold metallic paint to dry brush the raised bits of our creepy crawlies and our hot glue gun designs to add dimension.

Now to finish our cover by folding the extra paper towel/tissue paper over and glue it to the inside of your cover. Then take a plain piece of paper and cut to size to cover the inside of our covers and glue in place. Then, set aside to fully dry.

After our painted books are dry we can move on to the final step to really give our books an authentic aged and creepy look. For this last step you need a tea bag, hot water and a paint brush. Steep your tea bag in a small amount of hot water until the water reaches your desired color. Then dip your paint brush in the tea and gently bush the edges of your book's pages. This really gives a nice aged look to your books and in my opinion really completes the overall look and feel of this project.

Thank you for stopping by and checking out our DIY Halloween Spell Books Tutorial! What did you think of this project? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!

If you enjoyed this post, we’d be very grateful if you’d help it spread by emailing it to a friend or sharing it on Twitter and/or Facebook. Don't want to lose this? Pin it on Pinterest so you can get back to it later!

Have a great day!

Do you love Halloween? Be sure to check out all of our Spooktacular Halloween posts!

Monday, September 18, 2023

DIY Halloween Apothecary Tutorial

Check out all the spooky goodness in this DIY Apothecary Tutorial
and be sure to watch the full Video Tutorial below!
This post contains paid affiliate links, please read our Advertising Disclosure Statement.

Halloween 2016 was our first Halloween in our new house. The thrill of decorating this new house was almost overwhelming. Figuring out where I was going to put things, what theme was I going to do, should I even do a theme at all, do I have enough decorations (this house is twice the size of our last house...), what am I going to make?...etc. So many questions and so little time to make up my mind and get it all done...!

Apothecary Jars

One of the projects I wanted to make last year was an apothecary cabinet unfortunately I ran out of time and was unable to get it done... Fast forward to 2017 and here we are, my first project of the Season! While perusing Pinterest looking for inspiration I found there are several methods to making Apothecary jars. I found it hard to choose just one, so I've decided to try them all! As the old saying goes "variety is the spice of life."

So to get started, right off the bat you need a variety of jars and Bottles. I collected a variety of bottles and jars periodically throughout the year after deciding I wanted to do this project. You could ask friends and neighbors if they would save theirs for you as well. You could also check out your local thrift stores and even get some from the Dollar Tree like I did. You can also collect a few candle holders to add interest to some of your jars.

Next is figuring out what creepy crawlies you're going to put in your jars and bottles that you will be able to actually see the contents of. Eyeballs, spiders, snakes, worms, mice and assortments of creepy-crawlies are best (all fake of course...lol) you can find these items at Dollar stores like the Dollar Tree, party supply stores, Amazon and the party or fishing sections of most department stores like Wal-Mart.

Apothecary Labels

Now what about those labels? Well if you're handy with Photoshop or any desktop publishing software and you're creative, you could make your own. You could also jump onto the Google machine and type “free printable Apothecary labels” into the search bar and see if any of those results tickle your fancy.

Next you'll need to gather your crafting supplies:

sandpaper
E6000 or other really strong adhesive
Feathers
Scissors
Tea bag
School glue
Glue gun with glue sticks
Mod Podge
Paint
Paint brushes
Container of water for brushes
Paint palette
Twine
Moss
Burlap
Fabric scraps
Paper towel
Food coloring
Printer paper
Water
Container to mix water and food coloring
Assortment of toppers for jars and bottles
Corks

Now that we have everything we need let's get started! Did you decide to get candle holder bases? Grab your E6000 glue and glue those on and set aside to dry, also dye fabric with tea bag if needed. (Don’t forget to dry them after you get them dyed.) Now we need to age your containers.

Here are a couple ways we can do this for your clear containers that you will see the contents of:

Sand them with sandpaper

Paint them with school glue

Add a little green and or brown paint to some school glue and paint them to give a dirty, muddy effect (my favorite option)

For your containers you can't see the contents of you'll want to add some embellishments first:

You can use your hot glue gun to write on the containers or even glue on some creepy-crawlies before you paint.

Spray paint with flat black paint or hand paint (I prefer hand painting. )

Dry brush with a lighter color like gray or brown, allowing some of the black paint to show through. When you add dimensional embellishments it gives them more character and interest.

You could also Mod Podge paper towel or fabric scraps to your jars and Bottles before using the painting techniques mentioned above.

After you've aged your jars and bottles and allowed them to dry, it's time to fill them, seal them, and add their top Embellishments. For your “clear” bottles and jars you're going to add your creepy-crawlies, then mix up some colored water with your food coloring, pour it into your jars and put the lids/caps on them. If you don't want them opened ever again you can glue your Lids on at this point.

Then add any extra toppers and paint the lids if you so desire. After your lids are done and dry “(if painted), you can now add your final embellishments and labels.

Finally it's time to set up your apothecary display. When setting up your display don't forget those little extra touches that really make your display pop. You can add some Halloween figures, little skeletons, lights...etc. For mine I added some spells scrolls tied with twine and put them in a crystal bowl that already resides in the cabinet I set my display in. Instead of finding the bowl a new home, I found a way to incorporate it.

Get creative and let your imagination run wild. The spookier the better!

Thank you for stopping by and checking out our DIY Halloween Apothecary Tutorial! Which DIY Apothecary technique did you like the best? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!

Have a great day and Happy Haunting!!

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Thursday, December 2, 2021

What You Need to Think About Before Starting a DIY Project

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As someone who is money-savvy, you have learned that the cheapest way to get something done is to do it yourself. With videos online to show you how to do everything from laying a driveway to reupholstering a couch, you can complete more projects yourself than ever before. One major factor that can cause your DIY to fail, however, is to rush into it without careful research and planning. Here are some things to think about before you start your next project.

Take Some Time to Learn

While everyone likes to just get in there and start, patience is certainly a virtue when it comes to DIY projects. Every DIY project takes knowledge and skill, and if you don’t know how to do something, it isn’t likely to come naturally. You need to know the ins and outs of whatever it is you are trying to accomplish. Learn about the materials, watch demonstrations from experts, read step-by-step guides, and practice if possible. While you may believe that you can figure it out as you go and be tempted to skip this step, don’t! That is a great way to waste time and money, having to redo whatever you did wrong. First, take the time to learn!

Estimate Your Costs

There is nothing worse than starting on a project only to realize that it is going to cost more than you can afford. This is why it is critical to estimate costs before starting a project. The HFTB (Hope For The Best) method is not a very practical one and can lead to lost money as you start a project but are unable to finish it. Optimism is great, but when you are estimating how much a project is going to cost, you should be a realist. Think of every single item you will need to buy and price it. That is the only way you can really know if you can actually afford it.

Get the Right Equipment

It can be frustrating to have to delay the start of a project while you acquire the right equipment, but it will save you time in the long run. Having the proper tools makes a world of difference when it comes to how long it takes to finish a project. You can buy the tools you need, but for large items, it is a good idea to investigate renting them. It will be worth having the right equipment when you realize how much more efficiently you are able to perform the work.

Staying Safe

Whether you are working with power tools or climbing on the roof, safety is what matters most. Novices are the most likely people to be injured on a job, simply because they lack the correct safety equipment or knowledge they need to do a job correctly. As you do your research, be sure to watch out for potential hazards and learn how to protect yourself. Wearing protective eyewear, gloves, and shoes is paramount. Knowing how to operate power tools correctly is critical. And using extreme caution when climbing ladders and scaling rooftops is a matter of life or death. You should also properly dispose of any debris you produce. Worksite debris poses a variety of hazards. Self-dumping hoppers increase safety by removing debris from your worksite.

Enlist Helpers

Many projects will be very difficult or even unsafe to perform on your own. Think ahead to the help you will need and ask for help. Enlist neighbors, friends, or family, but be sure to ask them well in advance. They need time to plan, and it is inconsiderate to pop in on a neighbor to ask for their help right then and there. Think of any heavy lifting or two-person jobs you will need to do, and plan accordingly.

Take an Inventory of Your Needs

Before the day of your project, you will be far more efficient if you make a list of everything you will need. This includes all materials, as well as each tool. Strive to anticipate everything. It can be very frustrating to be forced to stop your work to make a store run. Once you have assessed your needs, you can take inventory of what you already have and what you will need to purchase. Do this well in advance, as some items may need to be special ordered.

Gather Your Materials

Before you begin working, grab everything you need and keep it in a convenient, centralized location. This will save you the hassle of making multiple trips around the house in search of the things you need as you work. Organizing it in a systematic way will also save time and energy. As you finish using a tool or material, put it back in its designated spot. An ordered workspace facilitates an ordered mind, and you will find that your project goes more smoothly.

Roll With the Punches

Once you have learned, planned, shopped, and gathered, it is time to get started. Your planning is sure to help your project go as well as possible, but nearly all DIY projects will face some setbacks. If you accept this as fact, then you will be able to roll with the punches when they come. If you expect perfection, you are likely to get discouraged and maybe even give up. Have a plan for how you will react when something doesn’t go as planned. This should include a willingness to try something another way, the determination to keep trying, and a healthy dose of ingenuity and resourcefulness. And this is where your optimism should shine!

Doing a project yourself is a great way to learn new skills, save money, and improve your self-esteem. It can be a real challenge, but few things are more satisfying than sticking something out and completing a difficult task. You will feel the joy of a job well done. If you follow these eight suggestions, there is little that can stop you from success. Soon, you might be the one creating the instructional videos!

Read this next: 4 Tips for Saving Money on Your Next Home Improvement

Thank you for stopping by and checking out our tips on What You Need to Think About Before Starting a DIY Project! Which tip was your favorite? What other tips would you suggest? Be sure to let us know in the comments below! If you enjoyed this post, we’d be very grateful if you’d help it spread by emailing it to a friend or sharing it on Twitter and/or Facebook. Don't want to lose this? Pin it on Pinterest so you can get back to it later!

Have a great day!

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