Average But Inspired

Inspiring creativity with crafts, DIY, and home decor projects.

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Dollar Tree House Valentine’s Day DIY

If you follow any Dollar Tree crafters on Instagram or YouTube, you know that the Dollar Tree house is one of the most popular crafting items around!

Only available in-store and online once in awhile, these cute wooden houses are the perfect craft blanks to update for any style of decor or season!  I gave my Dollar Tree house an adorable new look for Valentine’s Day and turned it into a Love Shack!

I’ve had the Love Shack song stuck in my head for weeks now – ha!

Dollar Tree House “Love Shack” Supplies

This post contains affiliate links.  To read my full disclosure policy, please click here.

These are the supplies I used to create this project.  Feel free to modify anything you like to create a custom look of your own!

How to Make a Dollar Tree Wood House Into a Valentine’s Day Love Shack

This process is so easy, and I’ve also put together a video to show you the basic process!

Step One: Line the House 

First things first, upgrade the Dollar Tree house’s printed backing!  While it is cute, adding scrapbook paper in a pattern of your choice makes it even cuter and more personal!

Simply trace the outline of the house onto scrapbook paper, and then cut and trim to fit inside the wooden house.  This will likely take you several times of trimming to get it just right – don’t get discouraged!

Once cut, press it into the house.  You can secure it with double-sided tape if necessary.

Line a Dollar Tree house with scrapbook paper.

Step Two: Wrap the House with Bakers Twine

Next, place a small dot of hot glue on the back of the house, and press the end of a long piece of baker’s twine onto that hot glue.

Wrap the twine around the base of the house multiple times – criss-crossing the twine as you go.

Wrap baker's twine around the Dollar Tree house.

Glue the end of the baker’s twine down with another dot of hot glue.  Careful not to burn your fingers!

Step Three: Cut out Paper Hearts

Now, transport yourself back to preschool when you learned to cut symmetrical paper hearts by folding a piece of paper in half and cutting one side of the heart so that the fold is in the center.

Cut paper hearts from scrapbook paper in different shapes, sizes, and colors.

Cut many hearts in varying shapes, sizes, colors, and patterns.  This will give you a more interesting Love Shack when finished!

Step Four: Glue the Hearts to the Twine

Lay out the paper hearts in an interesting arrangement, and then hot glue them to the baker’s twine on the wooden house.

Hot glue paper hearts to the baker's twine to create the Love Shack Valentine's Day decoration.

Step Five:  Make a Placard with Stickers and Scrapbook Paper

Now, cut and layer scrapbook paper rectangles, and write a word or phrase with letter stickers.  

Fasten letter stickers to scrapbook paper to create a little sign for the Valentine's Day decor.

If you have a Cricut machine, you could cut vinyl letters instead!  (I LOVE my Cricut Joy, which is the smallest electronic cutting machine.)

Then, hot glue that placard to the Dollar Tree house.

Hot glue scrapbook paper with letter stickers onto the Dollar Tree house.

The Finished Dollar Tree House Valentine’s Day Love Shack

In just about fifteen minutes you have created the cutest little DIY Valentine’s Day decor!

Transform a Dollar Tree wooden house into a cute Valentine's Day decoration.

This little Love Shack makes me happy every time I look at it.  What does not make me happy is that I cannot stop hearing the B-52’s in my head all day!

If you like this project, too, I’d be grateful if you would “pin” this post to help others find it!

This is so cute! Turn a Dollar Tree house into the cutest little Love Shack for Valentine's Day! This Dollar Tree DIY for Valentine's Day is great for tiered trays, shelf styling, and more!

-Bre

 

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How to Make Fake Snowballs for Decor

With Christmas decorations packed away the house can feel stark!  Because of that, it’s fun to add some winter-themed decor to the mix.  One great way to do that is to make fake snowballs for decor.  They’re easy to make, inexpensive, and look great in vases, jars, bowls – anywhere really!  They’re a beautiful winter vase filler.

This is so cute for winter decor! Learn to make fake snowballs - they look great as winter vase fillers, popped in a bowl, or displayed with some greenery for a seasonal touch.

Supplies Needed to Make Fake Snowballs

This post contains affiliate links.  To read my full disclosure policy, please click here.

To make DIY fake snowballs, you really only need three main supplies!  Many of the items can be purchased at the dollar store, or you can get them through the links I’m sharing here.

White floral foam balls form the base of DIY snowballs.

How to Make Fake Snowballs for Decor

Before you get started crafting up some beautiful snowballs, I highly recommend that you put on a pair of gloves!  This project is really messy, and I think you will not be happy if you’re not wearing gloves.  I keep a large package of latex gloves on hand all the time (get it – ha!), because they’re invaluable when it comes to crafts & DIY!

Now that my warning is complete, let me show you how to do this!

Begin by mixing epsom salt and Mod Podge in some type of mixing container.  You can eyeball the amount – I probably did a little less epsom salt than Mod Podge.

Learn how to make fake snowballs for decor and crafts! With simple supplies you can make many of them very quickly!

Once those ingredients are mixed together, you need to work quickly because the epsom salt will start to absorb the Mod Podge!

Start rolling a foam ball into the epsom salt and Mod Podge mixture, coating the ball with the mixture.

As the mixture thickens, you will start pressing it onto the foam ball more so than rolling the ball in the mixture.  This will create lumps and texture, and that’s perfect!  

It's easy and fun to make fake snowballs. These snow balls can be used for winter decorations and more!

A snowball is not perfectly round, so you want this variation in texture and coverage.

When you have a good amount of mixture distributed around the foam ball, set it aside to dry, and repeat with the other foam balls.  

These should be dry and ready to display in a few hours, depending on the amount of Mod Podge you used and the humidity in the room.

Something important to note is that it is unlikely your entire foam ball will be covered with the epsom salt / Mod Podge mixture. There will be parts of foam ball still visible.  That is OK! 

Learn how to make fake snowballs for decor or crafts. It's very easy and makes for a wonderful winter decor accessory for any space!

Because the floral foam is white, it still gives the appearance of snow – especially when combined with the other parts that have the epsom salt / Mod Podge mixture.

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So what do you think?  Will you try making some fake snowballs for your winter decor this year?

And P.S., if you need some winter decor inspiration, check out my Simple Winter Decor Ideas post!

 

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Favorite Things in 2020 Gift Ideas

The holidays are upon us!  This year, more than ever, it’s important to plan ahead for gift giving.  Because of that, I’ve compiled my favorite things from 2020 into a handy gift guide to help inspire your shopping.

All of these gift ideas for 2020 are things that my family and I discovered and loved during this strange year!  It’s funny how they share a common theme of keeping us comfortable at home.  They’re also all available online at the links I’ve included, so there’s no need to go to a crowded store to shop!

This list of Bre from Average But Inspired's favorite gifts for 2020 will help you with your Christmas gift shopping! All of these items are things she owns and vouches for. They're all things designed to keep your family safe and happy at home this winter, and into the future.

In addition to these gift ideas, you’l find links to my blogger friends’ gift ideas for 2020, too!  Those are located at the end of this post.  Please make sure to visit their gift guides, too, for even more wonderful ideas to complete your list.

Favorite Things in 2020 Gift Ideas: Items to Keep You Comfortable at Home

 

Every one of these gift ideas is something I own or a service I use! I vouch for all of these products as excellent gift ideas. Many of the links in this post are affiliate links. To read my full disclosure policy, please click here.

This post contains affiliate links, which means that I earn a small commission at no added cost to you if you purchase product through said links. I only recommend products that I know and believe in.

PhoneSoap UV Smartphone Sanitizer 

Photo Credit: Amazon.com

If you're at all like me, you will LOVE the PhoneSoap phone sanitizer! This awesome device rids your smartphone of up to 99.99% of germs and bacteria . . . and we all know just how germy phones are!

This product has made me so happy over the past year. I love knowing that in under 10 minutes my phone is so fresh and so clean. It's the best!

Cricut Joy - Smart Cutting & Writing Machine

Photo Credit: Cricut

I think I was the last person on earth to get a Cricut. I was worried it would be too confusing and too much of a space hog. I WAS SO WRONG!

Cricut Joy is the new small-scale cutting and writing machine, and it is so intuitive and user-friendly! It cuts over 50 materials and connects to either your laptop or phone via a Bluetooth connection.

This little machine has opened up a whole new world of DIY possibilities for me. If you or anyone on your list is a crafter or maker, he or she would be thrilled to get a Cricut Joy!

Literati Kids Book Club

Photo Credit: Literati.com

During the time our libraries were closed, my kids and I discovered Literati, which is essentially a subscription book club. Every three months (you can set the duration you want - longer or shorter), my kids get a box filled with books and book-related goodies. They look at them and decide which they'd like to keep to read, and we send the rest back in the prepaid packaging.

The books are ALWAYS books they would never pick on their own, which I love. It is broadening their reading horizons.

Also, the prices are guaranteed to be the same or less than the current Amazon.com book prices, so you are not getting a bad deal price wise either.

While we do the kids Literati box, there is also a version for adults. This would be an awesome gift for the book lover in your life!

Stainless Steel Outdoor Patio Heater 

Photo Credit: Amazon

Instead of being cooped up indoors all fall and winter, get someone on your list an outdoor patio heater!

We invested in one early this fall and have really enjoyed being able to extend our patio season. This winter we plan to fire up our patio heater and a fire pit for extra coziness outside!

Capri Blue Volcano Iridescent Jar Candle

Photo Credit: Anthropologie

The signature scent of Anthropologie stores in a gorgeous candle was one of the best gifts I received this year! My cousin gave me this delightful surprise, and I am happy every time I light it.

Both the scent and the beautiful mercury glass jar are indulgent. This is a lovely gift that any lady would love to receive.

15 ft Round Trampoline and Enclosure Combo 

Photo Credit: Academy Sports & Outdoors

If you have kids and the space for it, a trampoline is an AMAZING gift!

We got one over the summer and sort of thought it might be a waste of money. We couldn't have been more wrong! Our kids jump ALL THE TIME!

It's such great exercise and an amazing way to get them outdoors. I can't say enough about the benefits of a trampoline!

DeLonghi Dinamica TrueBrew Iced Auto Coffee/Espresso Machine

Photo Credit: DeLonghi

For all of the coffee lovers who are working from home, or just spending more time at home....

This combination machine is a dream!

My husband got this for a big birthday earlier this year and it is incredible!

The price tag is steep at first, but without a daily trip to Starbucks, it's almost paid for itself.

It makes every type of coffee drink you could think of, including iced coffee (brews at a lower temperature). It also has a frother for when you want to play barista.

Stitch Fix

Photo Credit: Stitch Fix

Because I haven't been going shopping other than for the essentials, my wardrobe was really lacking. Granted, I'm just working from home, but I still wanted to feel somewhat put together!

I started up my Stitch Fix subscription again, and I couldn't be happier! I have mine set to every three months, and I love the clothing they've been sending me.

My 10-year-old daughter has also started getting Stitch Fix. She's very picky and since I can't take her to stores, this made complete sense! She has gotten a lot of clothing that she loves, and the price point for kids is extremely reasonable!

Stitch Fix also offers styling for men!

This is a great gift for anyone who might like a little fashion boost.

Flexispot Electric Sit to Stand Desk 

Again, we did a lot of working from home this year. This electric sit-to-stand desk made a HUGE difference for my husband!

He absolutely loves being able to adjust the height of this desk with the push of a button, and I actually find him standing at it more than sitting.

It comes in multiple color combinations and sizes, so if someone you know could benefit from a better working situation, check this out.

One Night Ultimate Werewolf Game

Photo Credit: Amazon

OK. . . I am not much of a game player, but for people who are, this game is super fun and funny!

My family LOVES this game! We have my sister and brother-in-law to thank for introducing us to it.

I really don't even know how to describe it, but it involves closing your eyes, listening to some dramatic instructions via an app on your phone, and a lot of lying. It is great for a group of people and is probably best for ages 8 and up.

Visit My Friends’ Gift Guides for 2020, Too!

Green With Decor – My favorite things 2020
Charleston Crafted – My favorite things 2020
construction2style – Our favorite finds 2020
Bright Green Door – My favorite things 2020
Average But Inspired – My favorite things 2020
House by Hoff – My favorite things 2020
Lovely Etc. – Favorite things gift guide
Simple Nature Decor – Favorite 2020 holiday gift ideas for kids
White Cottage Home & Living – My favorite things 2020
Shining on Design – My favorite things 2020
Sincerely Sara Meadows – My favorite things 2020
Houseful of Handmade – My favorite things 2020
Old House to New Home – My favorite things 2020

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DIY Toilet Paper Roll Ornament

Never did I ever think that a DIY Toilet Paper Roll Ornament is something I would make . . . let alone blog about!  But alas, here we are in 2020 where everything is weird!  A toilet paper roll ornament is just what we need to decorate our trees this year, and to remember everything we’ve been through in 2020 – including the great toilet paper shortage!

This is the BEST DIY ornament for 2020! Learn how to make this toilet paper ornament, which will bring a grin to everyone's face this year! Who can forget the great TP shortage of 2020?

Seriously though, this ornament brings a smile to my face.  I remember being elated to find a package of toilet paper at Target sometime in April, and I also remember telling my kids to only use two sheets at a time! I even wrote a Facebook post lamenting how I used to take the TP for granted.  

SO BIZARRE!

I have a feeling many of you can relate: this was an experience that brought us all together!  So grab some simple supplies and whip up a bunch of these toilet paper roll ornaments for your friends and family.  You won’t believe how easy they are to make!

Supplies Needed to Make DIY Toilet Paper Roll Ornaments

This post contains affiliate links.  To read my full disclosure policy, please click here.

How to Make a DIY Toilet Paper Roll Ornament

Start by cutting off a piece of the paper straw to be about 3″ long.

Use paper straws to make toilet paper roll ornaments.

Next, color the outer edges and inner edges of the paper straw with the brown marker.

Learn how to make a DIY toilet paper roll ornament with a paper straw.

Once the marker has dried on the straw, lay the straw piece at the bottom of a piece of white felt, and mark the edge with pencil.  Do this again at the top of the felt.  Then, use the ruler to connect those two markings, and draw a faint line with the pencil onto the felt.

Learn how to make the perfect Christmas ornament for 2020 in this blog post.

Cut out that strip of felt, and then repeat this process to cut a second piece of felt the exact same width.

Use white felt to craft the perfect DIY Christmas ornament for 2020!

Next, hot glue one strip of felt to the paper straw.  Just put a thin line of hot glue onto the straw, and press the felt on top of that.

This post shows you how to make a DIY toilet paper roll ornament with felt and a straw. It's so cute and easy!

Now, carefully roll that strip of felt around the straw.  Every once in a while, dab some hot glue onto the felt to hold it in place as you’re rolling.

When you finish rolling the first strip of felt, glue it down.  Then, put a thin line of hot glue right where that piece of felt ends, and place the second strip of felt onto the hot glue.  The felt strips should be flush with one another.  (No, that’s not a bathroom joke. HA!)

Continue rolling and gluing until you’ve almost rolled that entire second strip of felt around the straw.  Leave a slight tail hanging, and hot glue the felt slightly above that tail.

Learn how to make a DIY toilet paper roll ornament in this post.

Next, use a paint marker (I used these metallic paint markers as they wrote the cleanest and boldest of others that I tested), to write the year 2020 on the tail, and also to add dashes around the “toilet paper” to show the perforation marks.  I accidentally wrote the year a little off center, so I popped a tiny heart next to the year, too. 

Learn how to make a DIY toilet paper roll ornament in this post.

Finally, thread a skinny piece of ribbon or colored twine through the paper straw to create the ornament hanger.  

This is the best DIY ornament for 2020! Learn how to make a DIY toilet paper roll ornament with simple supplies. This ornament will put a smile on people's faces when they see it.

With that, you’ve created a special ornament to help cement this awful year in your mind, to be remembered every Christmas from here on out.  Hahahaha!  

This is the perfect ornament for 2020! Make this DIY toilet paper roll ornament to bring a smile to people's faces this year. The great toilet paper shortage is something we'll never forget!

Tell me in the comments below – do you have a funny toilet paper-related memory from 2020?

-Bre

CHECK OUT OTHER CHRISTMAS CRAFTS & DECOR IN MY CHRISTMAS GALLERY!

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Floral Candy Corn Topiary: A Unique DIY Fall Decoration

Fall is my favorite season for everything!  Decorating, food, clothing – you name it!  Oh and I can’t forget crafting, too.  I LOVE coming up with fun fall crafts like this Floral Candy Corn Topiary!

This floral candy corn topiary is the cutest DIY fall decoration! It's so unique and adorable, and easy to make! Get written instructions and a video tutorial in this blog post.

Love it or hate in, candy corn is synonymous with fall, so this darling topiary is the perfect touch for any fall space.

Supplies Needed to Make a Candy Corn Topiary

This post contains affiliate links.  To read my full disclosure policy, please click here.

Note: you can get all of these supplies at Dollar Tree except the floral foam cone.  That you need to buy at a craft store or via the provided link.

How to Make a Candy Corn Topiary

I made this candy corn topiary as a video tutorial for my TikTok page, so I don’t have complete step-by-step photos for you, but I do have all the information you need in video form, and also written form for added help!  (PS I LOVE TikTok and am praying that it isn’t banished from the U.S.!)

Candy Corn Topiary Video

Watch me make this topiary and then read the instructions below!

 

Candy Corn Topiary Written Instructions

Step one: cut yellow flowers short so that only a small part of the stem remains.  Press yellow flowers into the base of the floral cone, about 1/3 of the way up the cone.

Step two: repeat this process with the orange flowers, and then with the white flowers.  (Note: if any of the flowers don’t have stems that easily push into the floral foam, simply hot glue them to the cone like I did for the white flowers.)

Step three: push a dowel into the bottom of the floral foam cone.  Then, press the other end of the dowel into another piece of floral foam, which will rest inside the pot or container.

Step four: tie a bow on the dowel, just underneath the floral foam cone.

Step five: hot glue floral moss on top of the floral foam in the pot or container.

This floral candy corn topiary is the cutest DIY fall decoration! It's so unique and adorable, and easy to make! Get written instructions and a video tutorial in this blog post.

Let me know what you think of this cute DIY fall decoration craft!  And . . . do you love candy corn or hate it?  🙂

-Bre

P.S. Check out my fall DIYs and crafts project gallery!

How to Fix Paint Bleed Through When Painting Cabinets

When painting cabinets or furniture, nothing causes a queasy feeling faster than seeing stains or discolorations bleeding through the primer or paint.  But never fear – I’m here to show you how to fix paint bleed through when painting cabinets or furniture.  Best part?  It’s easy! This post contains affiliate links.  To read my full […]

Sponge Painting Terracotta Pots

There’s something charming about aged terracotta flower pots.  Layers of color and hairline cracks evoke memories of seasons past spent digging in the dirt and watching the fruits of your labor bloom.  When you don’t have old pots lying around, sponge painting terracotta pots is a really easy way to get that authentically vintage look. […]

Dated Oak China Cabinet Makeover

Our new house came with some nice architectural features, but they were all pretty dated.  I already tackled a makeover of our 1970s stone fireplace, and most recently finished the built-in dated oak china cabinet makeover, which has made a HUGE difference in my dining room already!   Here’s the built-in oak china cabinet a little […]

Modern Vintage Dining Room Makeover

It took me almost three months, but I’ve finally finished putting together the dining room in our new house!  It is no longer being used as our virtual learning classroom (thank goodness!), but instead is a beautiful modern vintage dining room that we love! This post contains affiliate links.  To read my full disclosure policy, […]