November 19, 2014

DIY Dollar Store Christmas Advent Calendar

I started doing an advent calendar a few years ago, instead of doing stockings ( I wish I could do both, but frankly it's a lot of work, and money! ) and I had this pretty mirrored advent box from Target that was just lovely. However, I now have two daughters and the box holes are tiny. So if I wanted to just put 2 hershey kisses in each box, I'd be set. But no, I like to make it complicated and do a bit more than that.



I had the plan in my head, and off to Dollar Tree I went. 
I gathered:

1 Bag of Brown Paper Bags(40)- $1
1 Bag of Clothespins- $1
1 Tube of Silver Glitter - $1
( I had twine, mod podge and paint at home..but you could gather up: 
Red/White Striped Plastic Clothesline $1
Black Sharpie $1
Glue $1 )

I cut the paper bags to make them squatty, and painted the numbers on ( I didnt have a sharpie at the time, so I did it the long way ) I then acquired the help of my 6 year old to modge podge the clothespins and glitter them to death.


I then tied the string on the back of my chalkboard with small nails in place, filled the bags with Dollar Tree goodies, Target Dollar Spot stuff, activities and candy for both girls. Voila!






Some quick ideas for what to put in the bags:

Christmas Candy ( Chocolate/Pez Dispensers etc )
GlowSticks
Jewelry
Matchbox Cars
Cookie Cutter with a note that you'll make cookies with them
Stickers ( for my girls I bought tiny ones for their nails )
Little Legos
Activity Cards ( look at christmas lights, give neighbors gifts, watch christmas movie etc )
Fake Money that they get to use on a selection of things
Fridge Magnets
Nail Polish
Ornament



More cheap Christmas decor to come!

November 6, 2014

Steph's Gift Picks for the Bachelor Pad

Gift giving season is upon us ( insert me squealing ) so I will be adding a few gift picks over the next few weeks. This post is a shout out to all the dudes out there that have a bachelor pad. We cant forget about these guys! They need chic house stuff too, ya know.

Most of these products I have seen in person or used myself, so they're legit. The ice balls are so fun, I recently gave them as a gift paired with the wall mounted bottle opener. That candle? Smells like man. Mmmmm. The bathroom guest book is for a lil potty humor, along with more potty humor, Cards Against Humanity.

The small concrete and wood planters. Dont get me stawted ( said with a Jersey accent ) Nystrom Goods is actually based out of Boise, and I'm crazy about these planters. I plan on buying some for mah-self.

( and obviously, these gifts are great for anyone, but I was in a masculine mood tonight. Dont judge )

Untitled #2


Nautica cotton sheet set
nordstrom.com


H M bath towel
$11 - hm.com




3-Wick Candle Home Fragrance
bathandbodyworks.com


Tech accessory
etsy.com




Clock
distilunion.com


Nystrom Goods - Concrete Planter
www.NystromGoods.com


Nystrom Goods Wood Planter
www.NystromGoods.com

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