DIY December

One of our first and favorite DIYs: Cabinet makeover to cat litter furniture.

One of our first DIY projects when Matt and I started dating. Cabinet turned cat litter box furniture. Lol, thanks babe! and Construction Junction!!

Well I’m a hot mess, how about you?

December came out of nowhere, so that’s cool. I saw a post on Instagram the other day… “Why does Christmas always come around when you are in a financial fight for your life?”…and that hit hard.

To be clear, although we are feeling the strain financially these days, our situation is not dire. It’s not ideal, but we have a roof over our heads, food on the table and will be able to get the kids something for Christmas. These days, that is a real blessing.

My theme for December was originally DIY, and it still is. I’ve been going hard with DIY crafts and presents. However I wanted to add a few other words that start with D to the theme:

Credit: Instagram…someone who is SO RIGHT.

DIY: I’ve always been a big crafter, but my crafting really kicks into gear around the holidays. I love going on Pinterest and Instagram and find more affordable ways to celebrate. This December I want to focus on DIY items that can be fun activities and double as presents:

*The first full quilt I made was for my sister Monica. I sewed it with the guidance of my grandma, who taught me <3*

Sewing: cat toys, heating pads, blankets, upcycled custom clothing…really the only obstacle is finding the free time (and hands) with the babes.
Candle making: I found a bunch of cute thrifted jars, glassware and containers. A box of soy wax, wicks and essential oils from Amazon (from last year). And I got cute jars from the Dollar Tree to put matches in with a striker sticker on the bottom.
Ornaments: this year we are doing salt dough, but I see TONS of ideas for all kinds of DIY ornaments.
Scented pinecones: Jackson started collecting pine cones on our walks. Now we have an activity to do with them. You can also make little potpourri sachets as gifts.
Photos: Order free 4x6 prints from Shutterfly (just pay shipping) and create photo collages, get frames from the dollar store or thrift store.
Kits: Most things you can get again at the dollar store or thrift store
- Spa kit: masks, nail tools, lotion, candle, fuzzy socks, snacks
- Cooking/baking: ingredients, tools, cookbook, oven mitts
- Cozy: soup, tea, essential oils, puzzle book, snacks, blanket
- Survival: (College/first apt or home): snacks, toiletries, cleaning products, candle, cookbook

*Second quilt was Melanie’s. Hello Nacho!!*

*Third quilt was Kevin’s, and a magical rainbow of a quilt.*

Declutter: I know I need to. It really is the perfect activity to counter my shopping addiction. But I have such a hard time just DOING IT. So for this month, when I feel the urge to buy something I’m going to TRY to:

Pick one small area that needs decluttered (a drawer for example)
Put on a holiday jam (or if you are not feeling Christmas music, a song of your choice)
Try and declutter/put the space back together by the end of the song. Festive and productive!

*Jackson’s quilt was a bit easier because it was a smaller size. It also included plaid from my grandma’s fabric collection and some shirts.*

Donate: Getting the items out of the piles in my house and to the place to donate is a surprisingly difficult task. I have tried a few methods:

Putting items directly into designated bags or boxes - I’ve even put the boxes IN the car.
Giving them to my mom to drop (she is no nonsense)
Writing down a specific day to go so I remember.

Out of sight, out of mind…except if they are still on the premises. Since this also impacts the clutter part, I’m hoping I’ll be more diligent in getting it done and DONATED.

So I will attempt to remind myself: If I’m not using it, someone else could. Right now, it’s taking up space and energy that I don’t have.

*The last quilt I made was for my paren’ts. I still owe Mila one, but she never lets me put her down….*

Dress Up: I love dressing up. I also love sweatpants. One of my favorite things is dressing up and rounding out the year in a sparkly dress. My best friend Alyse and I used to come home on breaks from school, go shopping for our holiday dresses and then take ourselves out if we didn’t have a party to actually go to.

I still have so many sparkly things that I never get to wear, and of course my work clothes.

So I thought, why not dress up anyways?

Home with the kids doing laundry? Dress up!
Park to play while it’s not freezing? Dress up!
Grocery store, playing with the kids, grabbing a bite with friends…DRESS UP!

*Head to toe blue just made it easier for Jackson to spot me at the park.*

It will remind me that I already have what I need and more. It will force me to wear things I already have and if I don’t wear them, reconsider why I’m keeping them.

If I don’t want to wear this power suit to Aldi then do I really want to keep it?! Lol.