Planner Decor on a Budget: DIY Page Flags

Hi Everyone! 

So I'm back with a cool and easy DIY project for those who have become obsessed like I have with decorating your planners! Sometimes, planner supplies can be pricey but if you have some spare ribbon and some paper clips you can make your very own page flags! Even if you don't have these two things, you can find these things fairly cheaply at places like Dollar Tree and Walmart. Let's get started! 

Things You Need:

-paper clips

-ribbon

-scissors

-lighter

Step 1:

Take your ribbon and cut no more than 10 cm of ribbon.

Step 2:

Fold the ribbon in half. The loop you created on the one end goes through the loop the paper clip has. 

Step 3:

Pull the ribbon loop out far enough that you can pull the two loose ribbon ends through the ribbon loop. Pull tightly. Your piece of ribbon should now be attached to the end of the paper clip. 

Step 4:

Cut the ribbon to the length you desire. Then take the lighter and carefully hold it near the loose ends so that they ends melt a tad. This will stop the ribbon from unravelling over time. 

That is it! You are done! Wasn't that so simple? I plan on doing a variety of these little DIY planner decor posts so be sure to come back and see if there is anything new. I hope you enjoyed this post! If you attempt this yourself, be sure to send me a pic of your creation or the link to the post you did on it! I really enjoy hearing from you all! Well, that's it for now! Until next time, Happy DIY-ing! xoxox

Travel with Brittany: Passport Cover DIY

Hi Everyone! 

How are you? I hope you all are doing well! I am back with the first of a DIY Travel segment I would like to do. Today, I'm going to show you how to make your very own Passport cover. 

After a month of searching for one, I still hadn't found one I liked besides one that had to be ordered and wouldn't arrive to my apartment on time. Then, while I was in Walmart with a friend one evening, I found Duct Tape that was Paris themed and that I actually really liked. So I bought the duct tape. A couple days later, the idea to make a Passport Cover hit me. I had made a wallet out of duct tape, so why couldn't I make a passport cover as well? I needed one as I was going to Cancun, so I figured, let's try to! 

What You Need:
-duct tape
-scissors
-black duct tape or electrical tape

Step 1:
Cut three pieces of duct tape and lie them sticky side up on a flat surface. Take one of the pieces and lie it sticky side up overlapping the first piece. Do this with the third piece as well. 

Step 2:
Cut three more pieces and place them on top of the three overlapped pieces, sticky side facing down. Be sure to overlap the second piece to the first piece and the third to the second piece. You should have a double sided sheet laying on the flat surface. 

Step 3:
Next, take a piece of duct tape and fold it in half, putting the sticky sides together.Cut it so that it fits to the edges of each side of the sheet that you made. 

Step 4: 
Take the pieces you just made for either end of the sheet and use the electrical (or duct tape) tape to seal off the edges. Only do this to the edges that will face the middle of the passport holder. Once those have been taped, place them so that they cover the two sides of the inside of the passport holder. Then tape the outside edges. Do the width sides first (shorter length) and then tape the length sides.  Be sure that your passport will be able to be placed inside the two little pockets you have made. [NOTE: you may want to not tape one edge to the sheet of duct tape. If you leave it untaped, you will have an easier time slipping the passport in and out of the holder]. 

When finished, your passport holder will look like this (see picture to the right). It may take a couple tries to get it right but it can be done. It's fairly easy compared to making a wallet. Now all you need to do is slip your passport in it. I found it incredibly easy to spot my passport in my purse while in the airport. 

I hope that you guys enjoyed this first travel DIY. I'm hoping to be posting a few more as I continue travelling. Be sure to post pictures in the comments if you do attempt this project... or leave me the links to your own posts of this project. Until next time, Happy Travelling! xoxo

Valentine's Day with Brittany: DIY Gift Ideas for Him!

Hi Everyone!

I hope you all are doing well on this wonderful Friday evening. Currently, I am sitting in my mom's living room waiting for my sister to get off work..... Impromtu visit home for the weekend. So while I am waiting, I thought I would get some writing done. So here I am with my final DIY Valentine's Day post. Today, I'm writing about a couple of DIYs that you can make your special guy for Valentine's Day or for another special occasion. Let's get started with the first one!

Things You Need:
-piece of wood
-3/4" Finishing nails
-embroidery floss (the colours are you choice)
-hammer
-stickers or markers (optional)

Step 1:
Remove the sticker from the piece of wood if need be. I bought my piece of wood at Walmart and there was a massive sticker on the front. After you have removed it, sand it with a light grit sand paper (if you feel this is necessary).

Step 2:
Print out a template of the shape you are using. For example, I printed a map  of my husband and mine's hometown area. Other versions I have seen have used States or provinces. Be sure to make the area that means something to the both of you... or to him. Once you have printed it out, cut it out. Then tape it down to the piece of wood.

Step 3:
Once the map is securely taped down,  start taking the finishing nails and hammer them about half way into the wood (You want enough to stick out so that you will be able to wrap the string around it). Make sure to space them about 1cm apart. Do this until you have outlined the entire outside of the shape you have used. If you are doing something similar to what I did, take some nails and make the shape of a heart around the spot that means something to you.

Step 4:
Next, carefully peel the map or shape template off the piece of wood. The nails should not move. Once your template has been removed, take the one end of your embroidery string and tie it to a nail. Then bring it down to the heart and loop it around one of those nails. Bring it back up to the next nail and repeat until every nail has been covered. [NOTE: Depending on how big your heart is, you may need to put multiple loops on the heart nails so that each border nail has an anchor to the heart]. Once you get to the last nail, you can tie off the string and cut any tails off.

Step 5 (Optional):
If you want, you can put a saying using marker or stickers some place on the board. For me, I put "Where We Began..." because the template I used was the area where my husband and I met. It is also both of our hometowns. I had some kraft paper alphabet stickers that were the perfect size, that I bought at Dollar Tree.

And that's it! You have completed your first little DIY present. This one can be time consuming, so be sure to put aside some time to do it. If you work at this and don't stop until it is done, it shouldn't take more than 2 hours. It was a budget friendly project and it turned out great!

The next project is another time consuming project, but doesn't require you to hammer nails into a piece of wood. This is also a gift that the both of you can enjoy and you can have fun planning a bunch of date ideas for the next 12 months.

Things You Need:
- 12 envelopes
- 12 rectangular pieces of cardstock
- markers
- stickers
- Washi Tape
- Baker's Twine
- 8.5x11" piece of cardstock
- ruler
- scissors

Step 1:
Get or make 12 rectangular pieces of cardstock. They need to be able to fit inside the 12 envelopes you have chosen to use. Outline each of the 12 pieces of cardstock with a red sharpie marker.

Step 2:
About a half inch to an inch down from the top outline, draw a line with the red sharpie 3/4 of the way across the cardstock. Next to this line put a sticker or other decoration. Write the month above the red line you just drew, in black Sharpie. Repeat this for all the 12 pieces of cardstock until you have completed one for every month.

Step 3:
Next, using the black Sharpie, write out the plan for each date. If you plan on giving a lot of information, try to use a fine tip Sharpie ( or write it smaller than I did). Stick them into envelopes.

Step 4:
Use the washi tape to decorate the front of the envelopes. I kept it simple by just using one type of washi tape for each envelope and using the same one to seal the back part of the envelope. Repeat this for each envelope. Once the envelopes are decorated and sealed, tie them together using the Baker's Twine. Make sure to keep them in order so your special someone doesn't open the wrong envelope and the date for that month is spoiled.

Step 5:
Next, take the full sheet of cardstock and outline it in red Sharpie. Then take some washi tape and put it in the top two corners to make it look like the washi tape is what is holding the paper there. In black sharpie, write your own message or use the one I used: To Show That I Love You, Throughout All The Year, I've Made Up Some Date Nights, To Send You Good Cheer! Some May Be Big, And Some May Be Small, But The Time Spent Together, Is The Point Of It All! Lots of Love, Your name here. Then underneath where you signed your name, but a piece of washi tape almost all the way across (from red line to red line) and then put a sticker on top of the red line.


And that's it! That's all there is to it! This one is definitely easier than the other one. I had all these supplies on hand already so it was definitely cheaper than the first DIY. With these two DIY gift ideas, you can definitely tweak them to make them unique. I hope that you all enjoyed reading about these two gift ideas. If you make either of them, be sure to leave me a link to see your blog post about it or leave me pictures in the comments section. I really do enjoy hearing from you all! Until next time, Happy Crafting! xoxo

Valentine's Day with Brittany: DIY Valentine's Day Cards

Hi Everyone!

My Valentine's Day card I made from a Pin I found

So I'm back today with another Valentine's Day with Brittany DIY! This one is a little more time - consuming but is simple enough to make. Just make sure you set aside some time to do this little project. I'm really happy with how these turned out, especially considering I haven't had much luck making my own cards in the past! Let's get started!

Thing You Need:
-card stock
-supplies to decorate the cards with (ie. scrapbook paper, string, buttons, stamps, glitter etc)
-glue
-double-sided tape
-foam tape squares
-markers

Step 1:
Come up with a design for the front of your card. Great places to look are Pinterest and Google. I found a few cute yet simple designs I liked on Pinterest. You can also come up with your own if you are creative and have the time to design it.

Step 2:
Gather all supplies for your card. Once you have everything you need, you can begin to start making it.

Step 3:
This step will depend on what your design is like. For example, the card in the picture above required me to first find a picture of a puzzle piece. Then I had to trace and cut it out of my paper.

Step 4:
After that I chose my card stock and/or scrapbook paper and traced and cut out three different puzzle pieces. Once cut out, I lined them in black marker to make them pop.

Step 5:
Next, I laid them out on the card and figured out how I wanted them arranged. I then took double sided foam squares and attached them to the back of the puzzle pieces. I, then, attached the other side to the card in the layout I wanted.

Step 6:
Finally, I took my marker and wrote a little saying on the front. Because I did puzzle pieces, I wrote 'Love you to pieces' on the front. I left the inside blank so I can write a more personal message.

So that's it for this specific card. I did make a few others but I don't have pictures of them. If you are finding one on Pinterest, there is usually a link to tell you how to make it and what you will need for it! If you are doing one on your own, you can do whatever you like. Make it your own, even with the ones you find on Pinterest. Get creative with it! I hope you enjoyed this post. I thought it would be a great thing to post about seeing as there seems to be greeting cards for everything nowadays and greeting cards are so expensive. Be sure to leave me comments and pictures! I would love to see them and hear from you all! Until next time, Happy Crafting! xo

Valentine's Day with Brittany: Glitter Heart Canvas

Hi Everyone!

So I'm back and I'm kicking off my Valentine's day segment with this really easy and really affordable DIY for your home. It's a simple way to add a touch of Valentine's Day to your home that is subtle and looks great! All you need is a few things. This is stuff that you can find around your home or that you can get at the dollar store. Let's get started!

Things You Need:
-canvas (size doesn't matter - it's up to you!)
-paintbrush
-white paint
-pencil
-glitter in the colour of your choice (I went with red)
-white glue
-newspaper (or some sort of paper to help keep the glitter in check)
-a heart shape to trace (or you can draw one freehand if you are good at drawing hearts)
-sealer spray

Step 1:
The first thing you need to do is to prep your canvas. To do this, take your white paint and paint brush and just coat the canvas in a layer of the white paint. Put the canvas aside to dry.

Step 2:
While you are waiting, you can make your heart stencil. Just take a regular piece of paper. Fold it in half and then make half a heart shape. The two points need to meet the folded edge. Cut along the line you drew and unfold your heart. You can cut it more if you need to fix it.

Step 3:
Once your canvas is dry, take your heart stencil and place it on the canvas. If you need to, lightly put some tape on the back side of the stencil so it won't move around on you. Then lightly, trace around the heart shape. Once complete, take the stencil off the canvas carefully.

Step 4:
Now, take your clean paintbrush and your glue. Put about a quarter sized amount in the middle of your heart (the amount will depend on the size of your heart). Spread it around evenly, making sure to put glue on top of your pencil lines so they won't show. Be a little generous with the glue. If you put too little on, the glitter will not stick properly.

Step 5:
Once you have all the glue spread out evenly, take your glitter and shake a generous amount in the middle of the glue. (Do not worry - you won't be wasting it. You can dump it on a paper and put the excess back in the container afterwards). Carefully, spread the glitter around making sure that all the parts with glue are covered. (The easiest way I found to do this was to beat the bottom of the canvas gently, making the glitter jump around).

Step 6:
Once all the glue area is covered, dump the rest of the glitter onto a piece of paper and tap the backside of the canvas to get any loose glitter off. Then set the canvas aside to dry (This is where you can take the piece of paper and pour the excess back into the container).

Step 7:
Once the canvas has dried, take your sealer spray and spray the front of the glitter. This will lock in the glitter so that none can fall off and get all over the place. You may have some fall off but it won't be nearly as much as it would be if you didn't spray it. Set it aside to dry.

Once it has dried, you are now ready to use it to decorate your home! I hope that you enjoyed this little tutorial. Like I said, it is quick and easy and can be personalized to the individual. You don't have to do hearts. It is totally up to you! Until next time, Happy Crafting! xoxo

Valentine's Day with Brittany: DIY gift idea for your friends!

Hi Everyone!

It's Brittany and I'm back with another Valentine's Day post for my Valentine's Day Segment. Today, I am bringing you a cheap, easy gift you can make for your friends for Valentine's Day. You may have some of these things in your house already and other stuff you can buy at places like Target and Dollar Tree. Let's get started!!!

Things You Need:
-little brown paper bags/white favour boxes
-glitter (colours of your choice)
-glue
-paintbrush
-heart template
-pencil
-scrap piece of paper
-ribbon or clothes pin (or whatever you want to close the bag with)
-gift tags (if you are giving gifts to friends)

Step 1:
Take your heart template (I made mine from a scrap piece of paper) and place it on your little brown paper bag (or white favour box). Lightly trace around the heart stencil.

Step 2:
Take your white glue and a paint brush and generously spread the glue all around the heart shape. Be sure to go over top of the pencil lines so that it gets covered with glitter and doesn't show.

Step 3:
Pour some glitter into the centre of the heart and lightly tap on the bottom of the bag to move the glitter around. I recommend doing this over a piece of scrap paper as glitter tends to get everywhere. Do this until you cannot see anymore glue. Then dump the excess onto the scrap piece of paper. You can put the excess back in the container once all your bags are decorated.

Step 4:
Put it aside to dry. Do this to the rest of your little bags (or favour boxes). Let them dry.

Step 5:
Once everything is dry, you can open them up and fill them with whatever you would like to give. I have those hair ties that don't leave kinks in your hair, a lip balm and a little packet of chocolates. I also plan on making little cakes to go in my white favour boxes.

Step 6:
Once you have everything in your little bags, fold the top over and close it shut with whatever you have chosen to close it with. I didn't get a picture of it, but I closed it with a clothes pin. I also attached a tag with each friend's name on it.

So there you have it. Simple and easy, but also really shows you care. If you want to make multiples, like for your child's classmates, you could just put the same thing in each bag and then close them with a clothes pin or sticker. That way, your child can just hand them out to each classmate and not have to worry about missing someone. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this DIY for Valentine's Day! If you try this DIY, be sure to leave me comments and pictures in the comments section below. Until next time, Happy Crafting! xo

Deck the Halls with Brittany: Holi-DIY #3!

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to come on and do one last post.... even if it is after Christmas... and New Years! I got so caught up in festive activities that I didn't have enough time to post this one before Christmas. This DIY is pretty easy to do and allows you to recycle those old Bath and Body Works candles you have that are cleaned out and laying around. Let's get started!

Things You Will Need
-repurposed BBW candle (de-potted and cleaned)
-glass candle stick holder (I got mine at Dollar Tree)
-crazy glue
-chalk board labels

Step 1:
Make sure the bottom of the candle jar and the top of the candle stick holder are clean. Then place the jar on top to make sure you get it centred. Think of this as measuring twice and "cutting" twice.

Step 2:
Once you have found the centre, carefully place crazy glue around the rim of the glass candle stick holder. Then place the candle jar on top, making sure you have placed it where the centre is.

Step 3:
Let dry. You may have to wait a while. You can also carefully weigh it down. I did this by placing single wick candles from Bath and Body Works inside the jar. I typically wait overnight.

Step 4:
Once the glue is dry, or the next day, take the jars and place a chalkboard label on the side where you want it to be. You can leave it blank or you can write whatever you like on it.

I hope you enjoyed this post. You can do this with a bunch of different clear vases to make your own different apothecary jars, instead of spending insane amounts of money on store-bought ones. I love doing this project. It took hardly any time at all and I made a couple of amazing gifts for a couple of my cousins. Be sure to post pictures in the comments showing me your DIY apothecary jars! Until next time, Happy Crafting!