Dollar Store Finds and DIYs for FATHER’S DAY 🎁

Father's Day is coming up, and I have some FANTASTIC gift ideas to share today. These gifts are thoughtful, budget-friendly, and perfect for the special man your life. Check out the instructions and step-by-step video below.

1) Chocolate bar bouquet - I love the variety of mugs at the dollar store, and I thought this "Top Gun" / "Top Dad" mug was perfect for Father's Day. I inserted a bit of floral foam in the mug, added some dowels to chocolate bars with hot glue, and inserted the chocolate bar "flowers" into the flower foam. Then, fill in blank spaces with scrunched up red tissue paper. Cute, right?!?

2) Campfire treats - A family campfire is a great way to spend time with the special dad in your life, so a personalized s'more bucket makes a great Father's Day gift. I purchased a tin at the dollar store, added the words "making s'more memories" with a decal I made on my Cricut, and filled the bucket with cookies, chocolate, and marshmallows.

3) Father's Day picture frame - I purchased a cheap 5x7 frame at the dollar store, I used dollar store contact paper to cover the glass, and finished by adding a black clothespin with hot glue. I love that you can add a 4x6 photo, and switch it out easily.

4) Handmade Father's Day card - Handmade cards are the best, and I love this simple dress shirt card made from dollar store supplies. Follow the photo (or watch the video) below for full instructions.

And don't forget to check out this video for all the info you are going to need to make all these wonderful Father's Day gifts.

Happy Father's Day! I hope you make these simple DIYs for the special man in your life. I'm sure he'll love them!

♥ 
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

You may also like the Father's Day ideas here.

*NEW* DIY Mother’s Day Gift Ideas (made using DOLLAR STORE supplies)

Mother's Day is coming up, and it's time to start thinking about getting a gift for the special lady / ladies in your life. Today, I have FIVE fantastic Mother's Day gift ideas that are super-cute, thoughtful, and budget friendly. They use almost all dollar store supplies. I even made a video to let you see how simple they are to make.

1) Chocolate bar bouquet - I absolutely love this idea. I started with a dollar store pot, chocolate bars, dowels, and floral foam. 

Then, I used hot glue to attach dowels to the backs of chocolate bars.

I used my Cricut to add words to my pot, but this step is optional.

To finish my bouquet, I placed a piece of floral foam in the pot, inserted the chocolate bar "flowers", and filled in the blank spaces with tissue paper.

2) Personalized candle - This is an adorable personalized gift, and a great way to upgrade a dollar store pillar candle.

To make it, I printed a photo on my picture, cut it out, and positioned it on the candle. Then, I covered the picture with wax paper, and applied heat with my heat gun. I let it cool for 5 minutes and then peeled off the wax paper. That's it!

Note: The picture is paper, so if you aren't just going to use it for decorative purposes, make sure you only burn it until you reach the top of the picture.

3) Gorgeous Faux Flower Arrangement - Fake florals can look cheap, but with a little effort they can look high end. I started with these dollar store roses and dollar store milk jug.

I added some twine and beads to the milk jug, separated the flowers, and arranged them until the bouquet looked full and beautiful.

4) Custom Cutting Boards - These dollar store cutting boards are inexpensive and great for DIYing.

On one of the cutting boards, I used a wood burning tool to trace out one of my son's drawing. On the other one, I added a vinyl monogram and ribbon bow. I think they both make great gifts!

5) Unique dollar store find - You can always find unique items at the dollar store, and it's fun to "gift" them in a creative way. Recently I found this "wine buddy" cooler, and I absolutely love it!

I put a bottle of wine in my portable cooler, and poped it in dollar store basket. Then, I added a bag of chips (for the dollar store), and it's ready to go!

For a closer look, check out the YouTube video I made here.

Aren't these Mother's Day gift ideas fanstastic?

Let me know which one you like the best. I think the candle might be my favourite, but they are all fantastic.

Happy Mother's Day!

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

You might also be interested in the Mother's Day gift ideas here.

5 Easy Ways to "Gift" Local Products this Year

Disclosure: I received compensation from Perennia for including the Antigonish Farmer's Market products in this post; however, be assured that the opinions expressed in this blog are 100% my own.

Is there anything better than supporting locally made products? I love to browse my community farmer's market each week, and I'm never disappointed with the products I purchase. This year, why not consider the wonderful products available in your communtity as gifts for your family and friends? Below, I'm sharing a few EASY ways to "gift" local products this Christmas.

1) Give the gift of a meal - I love the idea of spending time with family and friends while enjoying a meal together, and farmer's markets make it easy to get all the fresh ingredients you need. My local market, the Antigonish Farmer's Market, even has complete meal kits you can purchase. Check out the fantastic dinner kit they are selling here.

Each Holiday Meal Box contains:

– Pork or Beef roast from Forever Green Farm & Gardens or Westerwind Farm

– Bee Sting Honey Mustard or Bee Sting BBQ Sauce from Cornect Family Farm 

– Bag of carrots from Lochaber Growers

– Bag of potatoes from Forever Green Farm & Gardens

– Large onion from Casey’s Vegetables 

– 6-pack of biscuits from Nanny’s Country Kitchen

– Pecan tarts from Swick’s Bakery

2) Give the gift of time together - People are very busy this time of year, so a quick "meet up" for appetizers and drinks is a wonderful idea. Treat your friends and family to great conversation and locally sourced drinks and appetizers. Check out the fantastic appetizer box available to order from the Antigonish Farmer's Market here.

Each Holiday Appetizer Box contains:

– $20 Liquor Gift Certificate from Steinhart Distillery or Candid Brewing or Coldstream clear Distillery

– 2 Pepperoni Sticks from Forever Green Farm & Gardens

– Dunmaglass cheese from Knoydart Farm

– Peppercorn cheese from  Knoydart Farm

– Bread Chips from Martins Fine Bakery

– Hummus from Martins Fine Bakery

3) Give the gift of self care - I love thoughtful gifts, and there are many wonderful "self care" options available locally. The Antigonish Farmer's Market has a wonderful holiday box here.

The Holiday Gift Box contains:

– Bath bombs from TresBien Naturals Bath & Body

– Picture from Melinda by the Sea

– Earrings from Simply Lovely

– 2-pack of cleansing cloths & cloth bookmarks from Liss & Landi

I also love the idea of pairing quality handmade items with inexpensive trinkets. I packaged the content of my holiday gift box with a dollar store throw and "mindfulness" notepad, and I think it looks great!

4) Use fun gift tags - Small gifts can be made extra special by adding a punny gift tag. I found these adorable honey-based sauces at my farmer's market, and I made a cute tag for them. It says, "Merry Christmas to my SWEET & SAUCY friend". Cute, right?

I also made tags that say, "Spreading Christmas Cheer one jar at a time." These tags would work with any jar of goodies made locally.

To download the tags I designed: click on the tags below, right-click, save them to your computer, and print them like regular 4x6 photos.

5) Share your talents - I love the idea of sharing special talents with family and friends during the holidays. It's a wonderful way to make a gift extra special. 

For example, if you are crafty, you could make a special beer mug and pair it with a few cans of local ale. And if you are good in the kitchen, you could also add your favourite homemade granola or trail mix.

You could also update a dollar store cutting board with a ribbon (and maybe a monogram) to pair with local ingredients for a charcuterie board.

*** BONUS ***

If you don't know exactly what to give, gift certificates are always great... especially if you give them in a creative way. Check out the fun idea below!

Cut a paper towel roll to fit inside a jar, place it in the jar, fill the outside with Christmas candy, and stick a gift certificate in the centre. The Antigonish farmers market has several great options here.

Then, add some twine and cute dollar store ornament, and you are good to go!

I think these are all fantastic ways to "gift" local products this Christmas. Which of my ideas is your favourite?

I hope I've inspired you to shop locally this year. I know I'm loving all the wonderful Nova Scotia products the Antigonish Farmer's Market has to offer.

♥ 
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

DIY Boho Christmas Ornament

Recently, I've seen a lot of macrame and boho home decor, and I am loving the simplicity of the style. I made cute boho wreaths for Spring and Fall, and I thought it would be fun to incorporate the style into a Christmas tree ornament. This diy boho Christmas ornament would be a great craft for adults, but it would be fun for kids too.

To make this ornament, you'll need: wooden rings (from the dollar store), red yarn, white yarn, and scissors. 

1) Start by cutting a bunch of strips of yarn -- approx 30cm / 12 inches long. (I did 15 strands of red and 11 strands of white... but it will depend on the thickness of your yarn.)

2) Fold a yarn strand in half, and place the loop part inside the wooden circle.

3) Pull the ends of the yarn through the loop (and around the wood ring).

4) Pull the ends tight, and repeat until the entire ring is covered.

5) Tie the red strings together to form a hat. (Use the string you are tying with to make a hanger.)

6) Trim the pom pom and beard. 

Isn't it cute?

In the past, I have made yarn hat ornaments with my kids' classes and friends, and they were a big hit. I think next time, I might make these ones.

What do you think? Are you a fan of this style or not?

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

PS (You can find MORE ideas for easy and inexpensive Christmas family fun here.)

5 Easy and Inexpensive Gifts to Make Using a Cricut

Homemade gifts are fantastic because they are unique, customizable, and budget-friendly. And, if you have a Cricut, you can easily make wonderful gifts that the recipient will love. Today, I'm sharing FIVE easy and inexpensive gifts you can make using a Cricut.

1) Christmas Ornaments - Personalized tree ornaments make great Christmas gifts. For my boys, I purchased hockey SVGs from Etsy, printed them out on permanent black vinyl, and added them to wood slices. I also added their hockey numbers with white vinyl.

Inserting a baby hat into a plastic bulb, and adding personal details with vinyl, is fantastic idea too!

2) Personalized Drinkware - Bottles and glasses are practical and useful, and they are really fun if they are personalized. I made water bottles for my son to give with his friends, and their names and the logo for his YouTube channel. It's also easy to customize wine glasses, beer mugs and coffee cups.

3) Home Decor - A Cricut allows you to create simple and inexpensive signs, wreaths, and other home decor items. Search Pinterest for ideas, gather some supplies from the dollar store, and get to work!

4) Gift Baskets - Personalized reusable containers filled with goodies make THE BEST gifts. I like to personalize popcorn bowls and s'more buckets. Cute, right?!?

5) Personalized Jars - Upgrading dollar store jars with a Cricut is a wonderful way to create a personalized and thoughtful gift. It's a lot of fun to make personalized cookie jars for the baker in your life. Memory jars are fantastic too!

Aren't homemade gifts the best? I love a unique gift, and the Cricut machine makes it extra easy. Which of these Cricut gifts are your favourite? I love them all!

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)