Pinning for Life: Stocking Stuffers for kids

After many months of blogging weekly, it has all started to come to an end.  Using Pinterest as not only a tool for DIY projects from Health and Fitness to Christmas Decorating to using it for blogging, and helping others with great ideas.  It was a great experience to create so many new things, and to also learn a few old tricks.  My last blog will be a few great ideas for stocking stuffers for kids.  Sometimes it’s hard to come up with some of the littlest things, so I went back to my handy dandy tool called Pinterest and looked up a few great gifts. 

1. Gum
2. Books
3. Mini Lego Sets
4. Crayons
5. Slinky
6. Silly Putty
7. Yo-Yo
8. Nail Polish
9. Toy Race Car
10. Fruit Snacks

Any of these would be great for young kids, and they’re all so inexpensive.  Which will help you be able to expand your budget for the bigger things, or more stocking stuffers.  You’ll have a happy wallet, and a happy kid! Merry Christmas everybody and Happy New Year! 

Pinning for Life: Christmas Shadow Box

Shadow boxes are easy and creative DIY projects you can do any season. Here’s quick and cute ideas for you this Christmas season:

1. Get a white shadow box, glue decorative paper in the back and fill with jingle bells.
2. Fill a shadow box with snow flake paper, and add fake snow it the box. You can add the words “Let it snow” on the outside of the box.
3. Take a white rustic shadow box, fill with ornaments of different colors.  You can also add words like Merry Christmas on the outside.
4. You can also get mini shadow boxes, and decorate those with jingle bells.  Then on each box add a letter to spell out Noel, or another Christmas word.

There many ideas you can do, and they are great for decorating any room! 

Pinning for Life: Gifts for Guys

Men are probably some of the hardest people to shop for, but what do you put in their stockings? I found a great pin on 50 great stocking stuffers for men.  They’ll fit men of any type! Here’s 10 of some of the gifts listed on the website:

1. Movie Tickets
2. 5 dollar gift card to favorite fast food
3. Cologne samples
4. Tweezers
5. Socks
6. Personalizes watch ox
7. Ear Buds
8. iTunes gift card
9. USB Stick
10. Golf tee/balls

These are all great ideas and there  are plenty more on the pin I found that can help you. There’s funny gifts, serious ones, and even great ideas you can do to stuff any guys stocking. 

Pinning for Life: Christmas Giving for Less

Still having a hard time trying to figure out what to get your friends or family for christmas?  I found a great pin that has 10 great gifts for under 10 dollars! You can get your family members a gift while saving a buck or two! For the readers in your family with a Kindle you can do a Kindle cover and it has a tutorial how to make one. There also other gifts like reversible hair bow, Mini Fabric Bag, Pencil Roll for kids, holiday coffee sleeves, photo tile coasters, DIY holiday magnets, monogrammed hand soap container, DIY s’more kit, or a sourdough starter kit. There plenty of gifts on here for people of all ages.  Just take a look at it, and if you don’t know how to do your own monogram check out my previous blog on monograming! 

Pinning for Life: Homemade Holiday Mixes for Gift Giving

Some people are really hard to shop for, and sometimes your budget just doesn’t allow you to get someone what you really want to get them.  One great idea to do for that special someone is a holiday mix! You can do the classic hot chocolate mix for any of your chocolate lovers!  All you need is, 1 3/4 cup of dry nonfat milk powder, 3/4 cup of unsweetened coco powder, 3/4 powdered sugar, mini chocolate chips, crushed candy canes, and mini marshmallows.  Layer it from the first ingredients listed on the bottom to the last ingredients listed on the top. You can place this in a mason jar, and add a tag of the ingredients with some directions. 

Pinning for Life: Easy to Make Body Scrubs

A great gift to give to a special lady in your life would be a body scrub. They’re easy to make, and any woman would love to have it! All you need is coconut oil, sugar, mason jar, and essential oils.  First melt the coconut oil, the amount you use will depend how much you want to make.  Then pour in the sugar to make a paste. If you would like you can add in a few drops of essential oils, but this is not required. Just make sure it is all mixed well before you pour it in the mason jar.  Add on the lid, and put a bow on it if you would like.  Tell them they can use it anywhere, and it’s good for part of the body that are usually dry like elbows.

Pinning for Life: Christmas Decoupage Ornaments

To add to the Christmas Tree decorating spirit I found a decoupage ornament you could do, so you can have the most creative tree on the block. It’s simple and fun to do! All you need is some cheap plastic ornaments, glue, water, a bowl, a foam brush, newspaper or printed quotes, and cute printed paper.  First start out with getting out your ornaments, then get your bowl and mix the glue with water.  Make sure it’s not too watery or that it has too much glue.  It says to do to 2 parts water to 1 part glue.  After you get the mixed, make sure you tear your strips with very little white space on it, and  just dip the paper in the mixture and place it on the ornament.  Paint over it with the foam brush. Continue this process until your ornament is completely covered.  You will have to over lap strips.  In order to do the next part you will have to wait for the ornament to be completely dry.  Then take your printed decorative paper, and make whatever you want on it whether it be a christmas tree, snowman, or snowflake on it.  The blog I found said to use Mod Podge to give the ornament a smooth shiny finish.  Also make sure with this use cover the entire ornament.  Now after that is dried you are finished, and you can hang it up on the tree, or give it to a friend! 

Pinning for Life: Cute Christmas Ornaments

Tis’ the season to decorate a random (real or fake) tree in your living room. Everyone is looking for new ways to decorate trees using the biggest and best decorations.  It’s a great time to look up pins on ornaments. There is a lot of DIY ornaments you can do.  It might take a little time, but you can save money.  It’s also a great family project you can do. My favorite one I found was on how to make styrofoam ball ornaments.  They’re super easy and cute.  Just get styrofoam balls at whatever shape or size you want.  It doesn’t matter.  Then get your favorite glitter color, and some spray glue.  Spray the styrofoam with the glue, and then roll in glitter.  For the top of the ornament you can just go to any craft store, and ask where in the store you can find the tops on the ornaments, so you can use tule or string to hang it.  You can also just do what I did, and take it off of some old ornaments I wasn’t using.  Then you can just push it into the styrofoam ball, and it will stay.  You don’t have to just use this on your tree.  You can also use it around your house.  Put them in a glass vase, and place on a table. 

Pinning for Life: DIY Mug Decoration

Since it’s getting close to December, and a lot of people are getting their Christmas bought, made, or ready, I found another great gift you could give to someone. You can go to the dollar store and by some cheap white coffee mugs, sharpies, and some letter cut outs or stickers.  I would get stickers, so you can stick it to the mug easier.  Just put someone’s initials on the mug with the letters, and then take the sharpie and make dots covering all around the the edge of the letters.  Do it as much as possible, so you get a good outline.  Then just stray out and do less dots. You can add other designs, or just simply write a message on them. When you’re done with the put in your oven on 350 degrees for about 10-20 minutes.  This will make the sharpie stay on even after it’s been washed.  Now you have a great gift to give a teacher, friend, or relative at a low cost! 

Pinning for Life: Mason Jars Pt. 2

There’s so much more you can do with mason jars than just decorate for the holidays with them.  They’re also great for weddings, and even for just sitting in your living room. You can add some burlap around it and even some lace.  Then put some water in it, and add some flowers to use as a flower vase. You can also put some marbles at the bottom with water in it, and add a candle in it that can float.  Just put some twine around the top for a little extra cuteness. You can even make your own snow globe out of one.  Just hot glue a little decorative christmas tree to the lid, upside down of course, and put water in it.  You can also add fake snow in it also.  I truly do love mason jars just because of all the cool things you can do with them besides drink out of them.  So go find you a mason jar and get to craftin’!

Obsessed…