Snow Globe DIY

             

If you’re a twenty-something like me you probably don’t have many Christmas decorations of your own (yet!). If you read A New Christmas Tradition you’ll know that here at WTD we’re re-vamping the holidays and are trying to make our own traditions this year. As always, we try to do things in the thriftiest way possible but that never means skimping on style, class or quality! Today's holiday DIY is a festive Anthropologie inspired snow globe!

My snow globes are hanging out on my kitchen table this year!

I was inspired to do this DIY after I found some delightful snow globes on Pinterest. They are inspired by these Anthropologie originals which are no longer available on their website. I made my snow globes at the end of the season last year so this is the first Christmas I’m actually getting to enjoy them and I have to say I just love them. They’re cute, quirky, super easy and amazingly cheap to make! The image from the original blog is a pretty self-explanatory and I basically did my own thing when making them. The blog Make Life Lovely has another awesome DIY tutorial for the same snow globes. She compares the original price of $40 Anthropologie version to the $2 it cost her to make them herself! Don't forget they're also eco-friendly if you use recycled jars and ribbon. Plus, I think the homemade ones look better anyway!

I love the charming bows!

What you’ll need:

• 3 mason jars (I chose two smaller jars and one large one you can decide what works for you)
• 3 miniature Christmas trees (I found mine at Dollarama and they are there again this year!)
• Fake Snow (I also bought at Dollarama) 
• 1 glue gun
• Ribbon (I used two pieces of red and one red and white checkered print. Use whatever you have)
• Something to raise your tree up I think I put a piece of foam under mine

  

The Instagram I posted after making them in 2012!

I didn’t take pictures of step-by-step directions as I made mine last year but they are so easy you won’t need them. Luckily, this is a popular craft so I’m going to source some photos online to help you along.

 

Step One

Take the lid off the mason jar and pull the ring away from the round disc.

Step Two

Use your hot glue gun to glue your base to the middle of the disc. Giving your tree a little height allows you to add more snow. Otherwise the snow covers the tree. Let dry.

Step Three

Glue the tree to the base. Let dry.

Step Four

Put snow into the jar. The amount will vary depending on the size of your tree and what looks best to you.

Step Five

Put it all together! Try not to spill the snow :)

Step Six

Tie ribbon around the ring.

Voila! How easy was that? Now all you have to do is find a cute spot in your home to  showcase these awesome snow globes.

If you want to get even thriftier try some variations. I like the Anthropologie salt shakers and the antique blue mason jars I found on google images!

Variations:

Salt Shaker Globes

Antique Jars

A Simple Kind of Life

You can add water like A Simple Kind of Life did. Personally, I prefer how they look without water but I realize they're not true snow globes without. If you do use water make sure to use distilled water!

A Simple Kind of Life also tried one globe with gold glitter. I like it! You could also mix glitter in with your snow for a more glamourous look! The only warning she had was that a layer of glitter does float to the top.

Kayla Danielle

Blogger Kayla Danielle used a big jar she had sitting around at home to make a super sized snow globe! If you like this look Apothecary jars can be found at many home decor stores for a reasonable price. Try Winners or Homesense.

Gorgeous display of globes!

Display your globes with a few tree trimmings for extra visual appeal!

Bring Starbucks Home with this Simple DIY

Hi folks,
So it's late on a Sunday, but I promised this post ages ago and I'm just getting to it now.
Whether you're on a tight budget this holiday or have a bunch of "ancillary" people to shop for, we've found the perfect DIY for you. It's cheap, easy, doesn't take a lot of time, but it is a knockout.
It's the Bring Starbucks Home Shower Scrub, inspired by the blog A Cup of Mo. I seriously cannot rave about this enough. It's all natural, not tested on animals, simple ingredients, made right here in Canada... I LOVE IT.  My friend gave it to me for m belated birthday and it makes the mornings MUCH more bearable!

What you'll need:
A big bowl
A plastic spoon
Pretty jars (dollar store or recycled)
Gift tag (optional)

Instructions:
I more than tripled this batch in order to make five mid-size jars for all the girlies in my life.  The important thing is to have equal amounts of coffee and sugar, and about half that amount of olive oil, and just a dash of the extras.

3 cups of coffee grounds (folgers, tim horton's, starbucks... whatever is on sale at the grocery store.)
3 cups of white sugar (people have said that you can use brown, but I have not substantiated that)
1.5 cups of olive oil (don't cheap out on the oil -- it's what makes your skin smooth!)
3 tbs ground cinnamon
1 tbs vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients in a giant bowl until very well blended - about 30 seconds (LOL).

Divide into jars: seal tightly.
Wrap with a beautiful tag and bow.

Use it to exfoliate damp or wet skin in the shower or tub. Cup of Mo says it should last two months, but mine is five months old and not stale at all.  Makes me and my shower smell like a cafe!
Note: Will make your tub kind of messy; is easily rinsed out and does not stain, but if you are like me and enjoy the chaos, leave it in there for your lover to get peeved about.  Fun times!

How to create a basket for a silent auction this holiday season!

Ready for another DIY WTD-ers?

Tis the season for holiday gatherings; whether they are dinner parties, company get-togethers or charity events it feels nice to be able to create something that will make a difference this holiday season. Creating a basket for a silent auction is a fun, creative and unique way to represent your company/group/cause at an event! Alternatively, if you don't have a silent auction lined up this year you could create a basket as a gift this holiday season. Instead of buying a pre-made basket the company I work for decided to put me in charge of creating our own this year. Personally, I love doing this kind of thing; I love buying presents, wrapping and basically any and all crafty pursuits so I was thrilled. However, I will forewarn you that baskets are not inexpensive to put together. The cost of each item adds up and before you know it you've maxed out your budget! You want your basket to look as bountiful as possible to raise as much money as possible for whatever cause you’re donating the proceeds to. The last  thing you want is a sad, empty looking basket. Luckily, I've formulated some tips and tricks to help you out! Remember: combine “big” items to fill space with small extras like nice chocolates sprinkled throughout to create visual appea.

Step One: Set a Budget

Your budget and basket size can range from minimal to expansive! I recommend starting anywhere above $30 (once you factor in the price of the actual basket you realize that's pretty low). Our budget was $100. To be honest, I went a little over - I spent around $125 when it was all said and done. (Don't worry I didn't get in trouble!) Plan out your costs before you start - how much will you spend on the basket? The wrapping? Go shopping armed with your budget in mind and a list in hand to keep you focused.

Step Two: Know Your Audience

Yes, a basket filled with dollar store items is going to look full and be easier on your budget but will the attendees at the event want to bid of a basket of cheap-o junk? It depends on who your audience is. The event I'm working for is a year-end executive Christmas due, therefore I created a basket with as many high-end touches as I could to appeal to the people who will be there (think: lawyers, construction managers, engineers ect.) Adversely, if your event is geared towards people with less in their pocket they might be intimidated by an ultra-fancy basket and might not end up bidding because you scared them off. Note: there are places you can utilize the dollar store to your advantage; basket filling, cellophane and decorations can all be found there for a fraction of the cost.

Step Three: Choose a Theme

My “theme” was “Treat yourself this Holiday Season”. It’s a bit vague but I wanted to buy things people would enjoy and might not necessarily purchase for themselves. It ended up being a coffee/tea/snacking focused basket.  Other fun themes I found by searching the internet were; dogs (treats, toys, bags, and bowls), movie lover (popcorn bowl, gourmet popcorn, movies) spa/pampering (facemasks, cream, and loofa) the list goes on and on!

Step Four: Go Shopping

I bought all of my items in one shopping trip (with multiple stops of course). I had excellent luck at Home Outfitters and Home Sense. I was able to find gifty, gourmet items that are higher end than you’d find in the grocery store. The imported tea and “sipping chocolate” was a little more expensive than I’d hoped to spend but the beautiful tins they are packaged in add to the overall look I was going for. Some of my favourite finds included boxed truffles and Denby mugs for $5.99 (regular price ranges from $30-50). The baskets I bought at JYSK were labelled $16.99/ea but I ended up buying two and the total came to $19.99 for both at the counter. You have to love those kinds of surprises!

Step Five: Put it All Together

I put white packing paper in the bottom of the basket for padding. I bought glittery gold metallic shreds to put on top of the paper for finesse. I staged my items as nicely as possible before wrapping the whole thing in cellophane. (Helpful hint: you will need a lot more cellophane then you might think!) I put a Poinsettia with my bow for a little holiday spirit. 

Step Six: Make a Tag

It’s really helpful for the people at the auction to get a tally of what exactly is inside the basket. I made a small card on good paper listing my items. If it’s a charity event I wouldn’t include company information but if it’s a business-y, executive event you can throw in a business card and some company garb. 

My final list is as follows:

Treat Yourself This Holiday Season 

• 2 Denby Mugs
• Bodum French Press
• Bond Street Imported English Afternoon Tea
• Tea Timer
• Bellagio Sipping Chocolate Drink Mix
• Ethical Bean Lush Medium Dark Fair Trade Organic Coffee
• Boxed Monty Bojangles Truffles
• Ghirardelli Milk and White Chocolate Squares
• Lindt Lindor Chocolates
• Pop Corn Bowl
• Organic Microwave Popping Corn
• Swiss Chocolate Bar
• Company Ball Cap
  
  

Close-Up

 

The Finished Product!


Gotta book it! xxoxo JEM

How to be thrifty this holiday season

So, I’m using the politically correct terminology here and calling it the “holiday season”. I want this information to be applicable to anyone, anywhere because being thrifty can be applied to any aspect of your life! I’m going to be frank with you readers, I celebrate Christmas. To be even more frank with you, I am not religious. My enjoyment of the holiday season has little to do with any theological belief. I enjoy the spirit of December; the decorating, the baking, and the celebrating so take what you will from this post and add it to your already expert knowledge of thrifting!

Shop Your Local Craft Sales

 

This past weekend I went to a huge craft sale in my area. Thanks to Etsy, a lot of what used to remind of us our grandmothers is right back in (think: knitting & crocheting).  There were chunky, knitted infinity scarves that you would pay $70 for online for $25. There were mountains of beautiful homemade afghans, rugs, mittens and socks. Knitted dishcloths were 3 for $1! I wanted it all and I didn’t have to factor shipping into the overall cost! My haul included two beautiful, handmade pottery dishes (perfect size for rings and jewelry on the bedside table) for $1/each. A sizeable beeswax candle in a mason jar for $5 (a total steal if you are familiar with beeswax candle pricing! Plus, beeswax candles cleanse the air while burning instead of emitting toxins like regular candles! Thrifty and eco-chic!).  An adorable stained glass Christmas tree for $2. My “splurge” items that went over the $5 mark were an amazing glass dish in the shape of a heart for $20 and two decorative oversized pinecones on spikes for $4/each. 

Shop the “End of Season” Deals

 

I know, I know, the last thing you want to do after the holiday season is over is re-invest more money into the holiday season. You’ve spent enough money on gifts and outfits for holiday parties and all you want to do now is curl up in front of the TV with Friends re-runs and eggnog.  If you can get yourself off the couch and in to a store you’ll find you can get some major deals! You’ll save an arm and a leg on holiday decorations whether its lights, wrapping paper, décor items or ornaments the big box stores want that merch gone and they’re marking it down to move.

 

Make Your Own Decorations

 

Pinterest has a plethora of holiday season inspired DIYs. What’s even better is that a lot of the DIYs are made of crafty items that can be purchased at the dollar store! Not only will they look better than the junk sold at the big box stores but they’ll cost you a fraction of the price.

 

Take Inspiration from Nature

If you have a front porch (sorry - apartment living doesn’t exactly lend to this kind of decorating) make up a cute decorative planter. The nice thing is that you can have some green on your porch without worrying about it dying in the cold winter weather! Combine greenery (last year I stole the bottom branches off my Christmas tree), dogwood (those trendy red sticks you see everywhere at this time of year) and either buy or make some pinecones or stars on sticks to add a little character to the display. I usually finish mine off with a big red bow from the dollar store. Last year I purchased some cute faux snowflakes and blue ribbon to tie around the pot. If you can’t get out of the city to scavange some greenery and sticks you’ll probably have to buy it at the farmers market. 

This year I took the dogs out back at my boyfriend’s parents place to get the greenery and sticks I needed. I ended up finding some really cool dried flowers I’m going to add! Of course, the dogs decided it was a great day for a November swim. Brrr!