Category: Frugal Living Tips

I got the idea of these Easy DIY Yarn or Twine Decorative Balls from a friend of mine that has creatively placed her own DIY project all over her house.  You would never know they are a DIY, they are so cute!! I have posted some pictures to give you ideas on how to decorate with the yarn or twine balls. The directions are pretty straight forward, scroll down past the pictures to get to them in the post. If you do this DIY, send me a picture I’d love to see your creation!

Materials

• Balloons
• Plastic bags or a dropcloth to cover the floor
• Cooking spray
• School glue
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 cup hot water
• Scissors
• Yarn or twine
• A mixing bowl

Instructions

1. Blow up balloons to different sizes (filling balloons only halfway will help you achieve a more spherical shape) and knot each balloon
2. Create a drying area (If you’re working outdoors or in the garage, hang up a clothesline. If you’re working indoors, suspend a string between two chairs. Be sure to put a dropcloth or plastic bags under the drying area to catch any drips.)
3. Hang balloons from strings above the drying area
4. Spray balloons with cooking spray (to make removing the yarn/twine easier later)
5. In the bowl, mix hot water with cornstarch
6. Add a bottle of white school glue and mix thoroughly
7. Dip yarn/twine into the glue mixture and gently squeeze out the excess with your fingers — you may want to wear rubber gloves.
8. Beginning at the knot-end of your balloon, wrap your balloon with the wet yarn. The more you wrap, the denser the ball will be
9. Wrap in all directions, top to bottom and side to side
10. When you’re satisfied with the wrapping, cut the string.
11. Repeat the process with the remaining balloons
12. Allow the balloons to dry completely. This may take about 24 hours. The yarn should be stiff and dry
13. Pop the balloon. Try very gently kneading the balloon before popping it to separate it from the yarn. Remove the popped balloon

Tip: If the ball collapses a little, inflate a new balloon inside the ball to gently push the collapsed spot back into place, and then remove the balloon.

https://www.pgeveryday.com/home-garden/crafts/article/diy-yarn-balls

Thanks, pgeveryday!

Recipe — DONUT MILKSHAKE!

So so easy!

In a blender, combine 4 scoops ice cream, 1 donut, and 1 cup milk. Blend and enjoy!

And you can always garnish with another donut!

Thanks to A Beautiful Mess for this sweet treat!

Make Your Own Puffy Paint! Easy & Inexpensive!

One of my daughter’s favorite Saturday activities is painting! I have to watch her carefully, because paint may end up on the walls. Buying paint can be expensive, even when shopping at Walmart or Target. So, why not make your own Puffy paint at home? What you’ll need:

• Shaving Cream
• White School Glue
• Food Colouring

I have not yet tried this DIY, but I will this weekend. I’ll let you know how it goes. Be sure to let us know how your kids liked this DIY project and what you thought. We always love to hear from our readers.

For additional directions on how to make this paint, visit the One Little Project Webpage.

I have stumbled upon a few DIY projects that all have the same theme – gold spray paint!  It’s amazing how a little gold paint really goes a long way in decorating.  Remember- you don’t have to do just gold, you can switch it up to your color of choice.  Let me know if you do any of these super cute DIY’s! I’d love to see how they turn out!

For the kitchen…

Supplies:

• cardboard or paper
• plastic primer spray paint
• gold spray paint

Instructions:

1. In a well-ventilated area, on a piece of paper or cardboard, start by spraying the back of your letters with the primer. (you can sprayed right over the magnets. They hold just as well with the paint.
2. Cover both sides of the letters with two coats of the primer
3. Then follow with two coats of the gold or until the letters are completely painted. Allow time for drying in between each coat.

For a kids/teens/play room, or holiday decor…

Supplies:

• Christmas lights
• paper towels

Instructions

1. Take your Christmas lights out of the box.
2. Unscrewed all of the light bulbs and set them aside.
3. Tear paper towels into 2×2 inch squares and stuff one in each socket to protect from the spray paint.
4. Then take the wire outside to a well ventilated area and hang from a nail
5. The paint dries quickly,  in about 10 minutes.
6. Screw all of the lights back in and you are done

For anywhere… 

Supplies:

• Terracotta pots
• White acrylic paint
• Paint brushes
• Gold metallic spray paint
• Cardboard

Instructions:

1. Flip the pots upside down with the opening sitting on the cardboard
2. Paint the pots with a base coat of white acrylic paint
3. when bottom drys flip over pots and give the tops a good paint along with 2 inches into the inside of the pot
4. when acrylic paint dries take outside to a well ventilated area and paint gold
5. Paint 2 coats. Let sit until dry.

Lucky Charms Cupcakes Recipe!

Need some recipe inspiration for Saint Patrick’s Day on March 17th? If so, check out this Betty Crocker Lucky Charms Cupcakes Recipe! My family loves Saint Patrick’s Day and we always celebrate with fun recipes all week long. We made this exact recipe last year and loved it!  Ingredients:

• 1 box Betty Crocker SuperMoist yellow or devil’s food cake mix
• Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box
• 1 container Betty Crocker Rich & Creamy vanilla frosting
• 3 cups Lucky Charms cereal
• Green edible glitter

Let us know how your recipe turned out, we love to hear from our readers. For additional details on how to make this festive treat, click here!