NEW Valentine's Day DIYs... made from recycled cardboard and dollar store supplies

What's more fun than Valentine's DIYs? What about DIYs made with FREE (or super cheap materials? I have some fantastic options for kids and adults... and they are all easy and inexpensive! (I even made a video with all the step by step instructions.)

First up is a Valentine's Day garland made from an old cardboard box. Cut hearts from cardboard, tape a piece of a paper straw to the back, and string the hearts and beads on a piece of twine.

You can also use the cardboard hearts to make framed Valentine's Day artwork with kids. Glue popsicle sticks together to make a frame, glue a string to the top, add buttons to the ends of the piece of string, and glue a piece of cardstock onto the middle of the frame.

Then, decorate hearts to put inside of the frames.

Scrunch up 1 inch squares of tissue paper and glue to a cardboard heart until it is entirely covered.

You can also wrap a heart in yarn (securing periodically with glue).

Or you can just use a paint marker or Sharpies to decorate the cardboard heart. 

Which one is your favourite? I suggest trying them all! :-)

Another simple DIY is this adorable floral canvas. I picked my favourite faux flowers at the dollar store, removed the stems, and used hot glue to attach them to the inside of a dollar store wooden canvas.

For a look at all these projects, check out the video here...

Thanks for checking out my latest easy and inexpensive Valentine's Day DIYs! Let me know which one is your favourite. Happy Valentine's Day!!!

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

If you are looking for more Valentine's Day inspiration, check out more than 30 Valentine's Day ideas here.

The BEST Dollar Store Cricut Blanks... and DIY gifts friends and family will LOVE

Did you get a Cricut for Christmas? Or have you had a Cricut for awhile, but need some inspiration? Today, I'm sharing some FANTASTIC Cricut craft ideas you are going to love. All the blanks come from the dollar store... and the DIYs create gifts friends and family will love. They are fun for your own home too!

1) These dollar store night lights are perfect for personalizing. The flat service is perfect for applying vinyl with your Cricut.

2) These dollar store LED lights come with a remote. You can change the colour and make it flash. I love the idea of adding some vinyl to make them custom. Cute, right?!?

3) The dollar store has many styles of water bottles, wine glasses, and mugs. They all make perfect Cricut blanks. 

4) Cookie jars make great gifts, and the dollar store has a couple of fun options. I love these ones I made with my Cricut. They say, "Mom's Cookies... hugs accepted as payment".

5) Dollar store jars can be used for other things too. I love this style. I made one into a memories jar and one into a cat treat jar. Which one is your fav?

6) The dollar store has many giftwrapping supplies, but I these plain brown bags are my favourite. They are easy to customize with a Cricut. Here are some I made for my son's hockey team.

You can take a closer look at all my finds in this video I made.

Seriously... aren't these fun ideas?!?!?

Which one of these is your favourite? I hope I've inspired you to head to the dollar store, grab some inexpensive supplies, and make something great!

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Winter / Valentine's Day Porch Transformation... using Dollar Store Supplies

I have a really fun DIY for you today! I decorated my porch for winter and Valentine's Day with a few inexpensive dollar store items. Check out the dramatic transformation below!

Here's what I picked up at the dollar store: three heart picks, two strings of hearts, and two packages of glittery clothespins.

Here's a video I made showing how my porch looked BEFORE, what I did to transform it, and how it looked AFTER.

I think the garland around my door looks fantastic with my DIY Winter Wreath. What do you think?

And my Christmas greenery arrangement looks totally transformed.

Cute, right? I'm currently obsessed with how cozy my porch looks. 

Can you believe this wonderful transformation was done with dollar store supplies? I love a budget friendly DIY, don't you?

Winter can be gloomy, but with a few inexpensive supplies, you can really make your home cozy and bright. How do you decorate the outside of YOUR home this time of year?

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

If you are looking for more Valentine's Day inspiration, check out more than 30 Valentine's Day ideas here.

Don't miss out on any of the fun... follow me on social media here.

     

Valentine's Day FREEBIES & Dollar Store DIYs

I have some fantastic Valentine's Day FREE downloads & dollar store DIYs for you today. Watch the video I made showing you all the fun ways to use my designs, and then download your own prints and tags for FREE (below).

To check out all the fun freebies and Valentine's Day DIYs, check out this video... and then grab all the free prints and tags below.

To download and print the 11x14 prints

 I designed: click on the photo below (that you want to print), right-click, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular 11x14 photo. 

PRO TIP: I print mine at Staples (on cardstock) for less than $2. The cardstock makes the picture easy to frame, and it looks high end and professional.

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

I hope you like these Valentine's freebies and dollar store DIYs. If you are looking for inexpensive Valentine's Day decor, you should totally download and print the free 11x14 pictures I designed. I love how they look in my home... hanging in my dollar frames. Budget-friendly and super cute!

Happy Valentine's Day!

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

If you are looking for more Valentine's Day inspiration, check out more than 30 Valentine's Day ideas here.

The Perfect SNOW DAY Treat: Chocolate Chip Pecan Snowballs

This is the perfect snow day cookie recipe. These chocolate chip pecan snowballs are crispy on the outside… and the insides melt in your mouth. I even made a video to show you how easy they are to make!

You’ll need: 1 cup salted butter (softened) 3/4 cup powered sugar (plus an additional 1 cup for coating the cookies after they are baked) 1 tsp vanilla 1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon almond extract 3/4 cup chopped pecans (toasted ... on a cookie sheet at 350 for 5 minutes) 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
3/4 cup powered sugar (plus an additional 1 cup for coating the cookies after they are cooked) 1 tsp vanilla 1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon almond extract 3/4 cup chopped pecans (toasted) 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

And here's a video showing you how to put them together...

 

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2) Mix butter and 3/4 cup icing sugar with a hand mixer (on medium for about 1 minute)... just until light and fluffy.

3) Stir in vanilla and almond extract.

4) Add 1 3/4 cups of flour and mix on low (just until incorporated).

5) Stir in pecans and chocolate chips.

6) Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refridgerate for 20-30 minutes.

7) Remove from fridge, and roll dough into 1 tbsp balls. Bake on parchment lined cookie sheet for 15 minutes.

8) As soon as cookies are cool enough to touch (but still warm), roll the cookies in powdered sugar.

9) Allow to cool completely, and sift another layer of powered sugar to the top.

These cookies are soooooo good with a warm mug of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate!!!

If you give them a try, let me know what you think!

💗 

Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

You might also be interested in these easy and inexpensive winter DIYs on my YouTube channel. Don't forget to like the video and hit the subscribe button. It really helps my channel. 😃

Budget-friendly WINTER DECOR diys... simple crafts with a high-end look

When all the Christmas decorations come down, it's nice to have a few simple pieces of winter decor to fill up the blank space. When the temperatures outside are chilly, a few budget-friendly winter DIYs can make a home feel warm and cozy.

DIY WINTER WREATH - What do you think of this gorgeous budget friendly wreath made from dollar store supplies? I used an 18" wreath form, faux fur ribbon, silver skate ornaments, and silver florals. I cut strips of fur ribbon and used hot glue to attach it to the wreath form. Then, I hung the ornaments and used hot glue to attach the florals to the top of the wreath. Check out the video at the bottom of this post to see the step by step instructions.

SIMPLE CUSTOM WINTER SERVING TRAY - With a dollar store vase, tray and trinkets, you can make a gorgeous winter-themed serving tray. Fill the vase with glittery florals (or whatever you like), and use glue to attach the tray to the top. Easy peasy! Check out the video at the bottom of this post to see the step by step instructions.

CUSTOM (and cheap) WINTER ARTWORK - Dollar store ornaments can be repurposed to make adorable winter artwork. Cover the glass of a dollar store frame with contact paper, and use hot glue to attach an ornament to the front. Check out the video at the bottom of this post to see the step by step instructions.

WINTER TERRARIUMS - I love these terrariums, and they are super-easy to make using glassware you likely already own. Add some epsom salts to the bottom of a jar, pop in some bottle brush trees, and insert one of the fun snow characters that you can download for FREE here. Check out the video at the bottom of this post to see the step by step instructions.

For all the details on these fantastic projects, check out the video I made below.

What do you think? Do you have a favorite? I think they are all totally adorable!

These are the perfect DIYs for cold winter days. Happy crafting!!!!

💗 

Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

You might also be interested in these easy and inexpensive winter DIYs on my YouTube channel. Don't forget to like the video and hit the subscribe button. It really helps my channel. :-)