Reader Favorite Archives - Average But Inspired

January 9, 2017 by Bre

My Winter Mantel {Post-Christmas Decor Ideas}

Decorating my mantel for winter is not something that I typically do. Usually the Christmas decor gets boxed up and the “regular” decor comes right back out. Seeing as I am sick to death of my “regular” decor, however, I decided to extend the seasonal mantel theme and create a winter mantel with items I already had and a few wintry floral stems and branches that were 70% off at Michaels.

I was amazed at how quickly it all came together, and how easy it was to create a pretty new look with things I already had!

I started with the weird window/mirror that you saw in my 2015 Christmas mantel. (It’s now COMPLETELY mirror, thanks to a super makeover that I’ll be sharing in a few weeks!) Then, I added some large snowflake ornaments and mercury glass votive holders from my Christmas Dining Room.

I originally had the DIY Reversible Christmas to Winter sign displayed as I showed you in that post, but I decided that the blue was all wrong for, well, just about everything. Plus, I was a little bit tired of the distressed look. So I removed the snowflakes, painted the entire thing black, and then cut out this cute “Let’s Snuggle” on white vinyl with my Silhouette machine. That makeover took a total of 30 minutes and I LOVE the new sign!

But here’s the funny thing . . . when my husband came home from work and saw this new sign, he burst out laughing and said, “give me a break.” Not gonna lie – I am not a fan of snuggling. I like to grab my kids and snuggle them up for a minute or two here and there, but otherwise, snuggling is not my thing. I get too hot, feel too restricted . . . aaaaah! Give me my space, people!

Anyway . . . to top it all off, I popped my craft store sled that I decorated with removable snowflake decals right up there, and I called it a day.

I think it’s a pretty way to bridge the gap between Christmas and plain-old-boring-regular-life-mantel-decor, and it makes me happy to look at it. The “let’s snuggle” sign also makes me feel like less of a frigid bi**ch, as they say, since I’m at least pretending to enjoy extreme hugging.

If you’re feeling like your house needs a little pick me up now that the Christmas decor is packed away, see if you can come up with an easy and inexpensive winter mantel of your own! Look for some wintry-themed decor you already have, or scoop up some clearance finds in the stores before they’re gone. You might surprise yourself with what you can come up with!

-Bre

November 30, 2016 by Bre

DIY Memorial Ornaments to Remember Loved Ones at Christmas

Usually posts are easy for me to write. The words flow out of my mind and into the computer with no problem. But this is not one of those posts. This is a hard post. A sad post. A missing my dad post.

Last year my dad passed away after a long battle with brain cancer. I miss him every single day. And when I had to help my mom and sister clean out his closet earlier this year, I couldn’t bear to give away all of his things. So I packed up some of his favorite shirts and brought them home with me. I didn’t know exactly what I was going to do with them, but I knew I’d think of something. And a few months later, in the middle of the night, I did. I decided to use some of my dad’s old shirts and his handwriting to make Christmas ornaments for myself and my family.

I didn’t think that I’d share this project on my blog, but when I saw how much these ornaments meant to my family members, I decided to post the project. I know there are others of you out there, just like me, who are missing loved ones every day and especially at the holidays. So I wanted to share my idea of how you can honor them and remember them with special DIY Memorial Ornaments that you will cherish for the rest of your life.

Supplies Needed to Make DIY Memorial Ornaments

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

Clear glass ornaments or clear plastic ornaments
Fabric scissors (regular fabric shears or pinking shears)
Card stock
Scanner or copier
Hole punch
Metallic tinsel cord

How to Make DIY Memorial Ornaments

First, gather your loved one’s shirts. You’ll have a good cry at this point. I guarantee it. Once you’ve calmed down and wiped away your tears, cut the shirts into strips. I cut my dad’s shirts into strips about 1″ wide and about 4 or 5″ long.

Next, put the strips of fabric into a clear glass or plastic ornament. Alternate the patterns or colors as you place them inside so that you get a good variety once the ornament is complete.

Now, if you have a card or note from your loved one, this step will help make the ornament even more special. I had a note from my dad that he wrote right before he went into surgery. (I cherish this note!) Scan the note into your computer as a photo. Then, crop the photo in photo editing software (like the photo software pre-installed on your computer or the online service PicMonkey), to be the person’s signature, and then save that signature as a new photo. Once you have that new photo, print it onto card stock.

Cut out your loved one’s note, punch a hole in it, and tie it onto the ornament with pretty ribbon or string.

And with that, you’ll have a beautiful and personalized remembrance ornament to honor your loved one at Christmas and always.

If you don’t have a note from your loved one to include their handwriting on the tag, you could make a tag of your own with their name or something else that is meaningful to them and you.

I would give anything to have my dad back with me for another Christmas, but at least I have a little something of his with me this holiday. Christmas was always so special with my dad, because every year he was the one who turned on the Christmas music for present opening, handed out the gifts, and maintained the all-important gift wrap trash bag. He was the best. (Here he is with my family on Christmas 1994 or so.)

So for those reasons, and countless others, I can tell you that this ornament hangs in a place of honor on my Christmas tree. It is front and center, and that’s where it always will be.

I hope that you’re not missing anyone special this Christmas, but if you are, I hope you know that you’re not alone. You will get through it. Peace and love to you at Christmas and always.

Bre

November 16, 2016 by Bre

15 DIY Holiday Gift Ideas for Under $10!

Even though it might be too early to start decorating for Christmas (according to some, at least), it’s not too early to start thinking about holiday gift giving! Especially when you’re planning to include some DIY holiday gifts in Santa’s sleigh!

There’s always a bit more lead time involved with handmade gifts, but with a little preparation you can make some awesome presents and save a lot of cash! And to help get your DIY gift giving wheels turning, I rounded up some of my favorite DIY Holiday Gift Ideas that I’ve shared over the years, and all of these gifts can be made for $10 or less!

You can click through to any of the posts for complete tutorials and supply lists!

10 Minute DIY Slate Coasters

Wrap these DIY Slate Coasters with pretty ribbon and you have a fantastic hostess gift!

Marbled Nail Polish Ornaments

Ornaments are always a great standalone gift, or a pretty wrapping paper accent. Use dollar store nail polish and plain ceramic ornaments to make these!

Upcycled Shirt Tote Bag

No sewing skills needed to make a cute fabric tote bag! Customize with any shape or design to create a personalized gift any lady would be happy to have.

Charming and Rustic “Hello” Sign

A sweet little sign is a perfect gift for a homebody or new homeowner. Learn how to make a sign like this right in this post!

Fabric Tape Bangle Bracelets

Make a cute set of bracelets for any fashion obsessed lady on your list.

Air Dry Clay Keychains

Air dry clay is so much fun and can be used to make these adorable keychains!

No-Sew Coffee Sleeves

You don’t have to use any sewing skills to make these cute coffee sleeves!

Wood Plaque Picture Frames

Pretty paint, scrapbook paper, and wood plaques are turned into adorable picture frames in this project!

DIY Felt Earbud Holders

This is the easiest project in this entire roundup! Make earbud holders for anyone on your list and help them keep their earbuds untagled!

Newspaper Flower Pots

Decoupage a flower pot with newspaper, pop in a succulent, and you have an adorable little gift!

Etched Glass Votive Holders

Etched glass gifts are SO easy to make! Follow this tutorial to learn how to etch just about any glass surface!

Peg Doll Family Art

Paint wooden peg dolls to resemble the recipient’s family, and you’ll have an adorable and meaningful gift!

Painted Leather Bracelets

Personalize plain leather bracelets with words or patterns and create a pretty and unique gift!

Sugar Cookie Foot Scrub

Make up a batch of this delicious-smelling sugar cookie foot scrub, and print out the free labels to go with!

Boutique-Style Picture Frame

Frames are always a good gift – especially when they’re pretty! Upcycle thrift store frames with this fun gift idea!

Happy holiday gift crafting!
-Bre

February 16, 2016 by Bre

7 Tips for Hosting a Big Party on a Little Budget

If you’ve ever hosted a party then you know that a lot of work goes into it, and it can be stressful! Part of the stress can be paying for the party – it is NOT cheap to host a party! Last month my sister and I hosted my mom’s Kate Spade Inspired Birthday Party, and we did it on a major budget. Despite the fact that we weren’t working with a lot of cash, we still managed to put together a beautiful evening. And because of that, I thought I would share my seven best tips for hosting a big party on a little budget! (And P.S. if you happen to be planning a milestone birthday party, make sure to also check out my post on 5 Tips for Hosting a Memorable Milestone Birthday Party!)

After you’ve read these tips, be sure to let me know if you have any others to add!

Tips for Hosting a Big Party on a Little Budget

Some of the links included in this post are affiliate links. To read my full disclosure policy, please click here.

Tip 1: Save Money on Invitations

Invitations are clearly a necessity for any party. In addition to notifying your guests of the pertinent details, they set the tone of the event right off the bat. The good thing is that you don’t have to spend a fortune to make a good first impression!

Paper Invitations

If you are old school like me and enjoy sending printed invitations, check out Etsy for gorgeous, custom invitations that you can have printed at your local print shop. I ordered the invitations for my mom’s party from this shop on Etsy and paid just $9 for a fully customized file! I printed the invitations on cardstock at Kinko’s for around $15, and bought a 50-pack of envelopes at Michaels for around $3. They were beautiful invitations and I didn’t have to spend a fortune on them!

Of course the old standby evite is an option for e-mailing invitations, but there are some really beautiful electronic invitations with added bells and whistles that you can pay a small fee to send. I personally LOVE Greenvelope for electronic invitations because their designs are gorgeous, the tracking and reminder features are SO helpful, and it is a flat fee to send out as many invitations as you want. It’s a great way to send a pretty invitation via e-mail while saving some money.

Tip 2: Get a Headcount

I don’t know what it is with people these days, but getting them to RSVP to anything is like mission impossible. (That’s a rant I’ll save for another day though.) Anyway, when you’re hosting a party and concerned about costs, it is SUPER important to know exactly how many people will be there (or darn near close to exactly how many). Having a reliable headcount will help you not overbuy (or underbuy, for that matter), and consequently, may save you a lot of cash.

So if people aren’t responding to your invitation, don’t be afraid to reach out to them (probably by phone), and ask if they plan to attend (in a friendly way, of course)!

Tip 3: Use a Food and Beverage Calculator

Once you have a close to accurate headcount of party guests, use a food and beverage calculator to figure out exactly how much food and drink you should have at your event. This will save you so much money because you won’t be overbuying expensive food and especially alcohol!

I used this great reference from Chickabug in planning my mom’s party, and it was so helpful in helping me determine how much of each thing I needed to buy.

Tip 4: Buy in Bulk

If ever there were a time to use that Sam’s Club or Costco membership, this is it. I can assure you that from the research I did for my mom’s party, the prices on frozen and fresh appetizers, drinks (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic), snacks, and meat (if you’re cooking for a dinner party), are cheaper than if you buy at your local grocery store.

Plus, buying in bulk and at once place saves you time and energy; both things that you need a lot of when planning a party.

As part of my planning process, I went to Costco one day and snapped pictures of all of the things I thought I might want to buy for my mom’s party. Then when I planned the menu I had exact prices and a good reminder of the foods and drinks that were available at Costco. It made the actual purchasing trip so much easier and efficient!

Tip 5: Stock the Bar with the Basics

If you’re serving alcohol at your party, I would recommend stocking the bar with the basics: beer, red wine and white wine. Then, plan a specialty cocktail of the night to have premixed and available for those guests who prefer a hard alcohol beverage to beer or wine. It will be a fun addition to the bar and allow you to forego purchasing many bottles of liquor that may or may not be consumed.

Photo courtesy of ProFlowers (www.proflowers.com)

Photo used with permission from ProFlowers (www.proflowers.com)

Tip 6: Borrow What You Don’t Have (or Thrift It)

Instead of buying things for a party like serving platters or bowls, table linens, extra seating, or glassware, why not see if your friends and/or family will let you borrow some of theirs? Chances are you’ll be able to round up enough of what you need without having to spend a cent.

And if you just can’t find someone to lend you something you need, check out your local thrift shop. You might be surprised what you’ll find there at a bargain price!

Tip 7: Search for Free Printables Online

There are TONS of free printable party decor packs available online. If you run a search in Pinterest for a particular party theme, you are almost guaranteed to come across pins that will lead you to free printable decorations (like banners, cake toppers, party signs, etc.), or accessories (like photo booth props, water bottle labels, etc.) I even have a good selection on my Pinterest Printables board. Printing some of these at home or at the print shop is a quick and inexpensive way to add some fun decor to any party!

{BONUS} Tip 8: Buy Party Supplies at a Discount Store

Discount stores, like dollar stores, can be a great source for party essentials like paper products and decorations. But be careful when purchasing because sometimes these products are not good quality. Check out my post on The Best Party Supplies to Buy at Dollar Tree (and Which Ones to Skip) for my go-to party supplies from Dollar Tree and what I’ve found to be a waste of money.

And there you have it – my tips for hosting a big party on a little budget! I hope these help you with your next big party. Also, let me know if you have any other suggestions for ways to save cash while throwing a fabulous party!