Crafting & DIY

We love when our friend Katie F. gets creative and shares a fun craft with us!  Today she is showing us How To Dye Bottle Brush Christmas Trees!  These are so much fun and a great inexpensive way to decorate for he holidays!  You may see colorful bottle brush trees in gift shops and decorating magazines, but buying some for yourself can come at a price. Instead, why not try dying your own? Below you will find everything you need to know on how to dye bottle brush trees. In just a few steps, you can turn plain, dollar store trees into colorful ones. Here’s how!

HOW TO DIY BOTTLE BRUSH CHRISTMAS TREES

Supplies needed:
Bottle brush trees (Hobby Lobby sells them for around $2 for a pack of 3, also check your local craft and dollar store)
Bleach
Large, glass mixing bowl or old bucket
Food coloring
Tongs
Fresh water

Directions:
1. Begin by filling a bucket or bowl with bleach. You want to fill it about ½ full. Be sure you have proper ventilation when taking this step.
2. Drop your bottle brush trees into the bleach. Press them down with the tongs so they get saturated.
3. Allow the trees to sit in the bleach. In just minutes you will see all of the green coming off. Poke the trees with the tongs so they get evenly dipped.
4. Once the coloring is gone (about 30 minutes later) remove the trees with the tongs and run them under cold, fresh water. Rinse thoroughly to remove all of the bleach.

5. In a separate bowl, add 4-5 drops of food coloring to ¼ cup of water. Mix well. You can add more/less coloring to make the hue to your liking.
6. Take the tree and slowly dip and turn it in the dye. Make sure you get all sides covered.
7. Remove the tree and place upward on a towel to drain and dry.

Once your dye is dry, your hand dyed bottle brush trees are ready to be displayed!

This is such a great fun craft to make for your home.  Knowing how to dye a bottle brush Christmas tree can lead to creating fun festive displays on your mantle.  This can be a fun and easy way for you to create a truly unique decor for your home this year!

Check out our other great DIY Decorations & Gifts for the holidays!

DIY Olaf Wreath

Snickerdoodle Body Scrub

Pumpkin Spice Sugar Scrub

Whipped Gingerbread Body Butter

25 DIY Christmas Decorations & Treats

This Reindeer K-Cup Christmas Decor Idea is one of those amazing things only a real crafter like my friend Jill would come up with. Ask my family. They will tell you right away that crafts or artistic endeavors are just not my thing. I love them. I love attempting to make them. I never succeed. So, when I see one of my good friends sharing her idea like this – I beg to use it on my site. She happily agreed, and the rest is history!

Reindeer K-Cup Christmas Decor Idea

If you drink a lot of coffee and happen to use a single-serve coffee pot like a Keurig, you likely have thrown away a lot of empty K-Cups. This Reindeer K-Cup Christmas Decor Idea is a simple and easy way to upcycle some of those cups for a cute decoration for your mantle or table centerpiece this holiday season.

Supplies:

Brown Acrylic Paint or Brown Spray Paint

Googly Eyes

Small Red Pom Poms

Glue Stick

Sponge Brush

Brown or Black Pipe Cleaners

Directions:

Paint your reindeer (K-Cups) brown and let air dry for several hours. If you are using a spray paint, you will want to do this in a well-ventilated area (preferably outside) with a mask to protect your lungs.

Using a glue stick, give each reindeer a red nose and 2 eyes. See photo below for an idea of placement.  Use scissors to cut the pipe cleaners to length for antlers. These are cut to 1 1/2″ -2″ in length and work great. You can then cut a 1/2″ section and wrap it around 2 of the longer pipe cleaners to make antlers.

To place the antlers into the K-Cup, you can use hot glue, or a knife/pair of scissors to cut a small hole in the side of the K-cup to stick the antlers into.

As you can see, this Reindeer K-Cup Christmas decor idea is super fun, cute and easy to create.  I love sharing inexpensive and easy crafts because I feel like they are something you can realistically make at home without a bunch of supplies.  Let’s face it, during the rush of the holidays – nobody wants to spend extra money on supplies.

If you like this idea, check out some more of our favorite holiday decor ideas!  

We love using inexpensive items and sharing easy instructions.  These will give you some great places to begin creating this holiday season!

Upcycled Tin Can Reindeer

Santa Clause DIY Christmas Wreaths

Dry Vent Christmas Tree Decor 

How To Dye A Bottle Brush Christmas Trees

25 DIY Christmas Decorations & Treats

>>> Finally, after the holidays and new years is just around the corner. You know what that means, new year resolutions! Thinking of shedding a few pounds? Then read more about how to succeed in the weight watcher program!

I am so in love with this Santa Claus DIY Christmas Wreaths idea from my friend Allison. She is just getting started on her craft blog, and was kind enough to share this wreath tutorial with my readers. I seriously love that she said she only spent under $10 on supplies!  We can all afford a $10 wreath!  Plus it’s easy enough you can let your kids help you make it.  What’s not to love about that?

Santa Claus DIY Christmas Wreaths Tutorial

She said she gathered these supplies from her local Wal-Mart, but you could also look at hobby stores, craft stores or even our personal favorite for cheap crafts, the Dollar Tree.

Supplies Needed: 

3 White Bath/Shower Poofs

Silver Glitter Glue

Santa Hat

Cardstock (basic white)

Embroidery Hoop (used 12″ for this)

1″-2″ Wide Black Ribbon

White Paint

Hot Glue Gun, Scissors, Safety Pins

Directions: 

Take apart the embroidery loop and apply a thin coat of white paint to the outside and inside of the innor loop.  Set aside and allow to dry.

Cut the main rope on the 3 bath poofs. Take the screw out of the embroidery hoop, and grab the end to open it up.  Gently pull up the shower poof, and spread out onto embroidery hoope.  Repeat with other 2 shower poofs. Spread out until entire embroider hoop is covered, then replace the screw and close the hoop.  Fluff the shower poofs a bit to make them look fuller.

Using the card stock, draw a simple free hand belt buckle shape.  Cover it with silver glitter glue and allow it to dry. 

Cut belt buckle out of card stock and set aside.

Lay the black ribbon across the wreath about 1/4 way from the bottom.  You can secure this with safety pins.  Hot glue the silver buckle to the center of the ribbon, then hot glue the ribbon to the back of the wreath to secure.  Attach the Santa Hat to the wreath with safety pins or hot glue (glue keeps it from moving or falling off if outside).

Hang on your door with a wreath hanger, or create your own using floral wire to create a simple hook on the back.

I love how simple this is to create, but most of all how inexpensive it is.  If you are on a budget like I almost always am, inexpensive dollar store crafts for the holidays are always a plus.  This Santa Hat DIY Christmas Wreaths idea is a great choice.  You could even grab red or green shower poofs to make it even more seasonal and festive!

Check out some of our other favorite Christmas decorations and gift ideas!

Boy Themed Christmas Gifts You Can Make

How To Dye Bottle Brush Christmas Trees

25 DIY Christmas Decorations & Treats

Free Christmas Meal Planner & Grocery List Printables

Free Printable Christmas Word Search

Free Printable Christmas Gift Checklist

Taking The Commercialism Out Of Christmas

As we approach the holiday season, it is very easy to see how society has made the reason for the season appear to be all about gifts, trees and spending money. We have, for many years followed a method of in all honesty – being so broke we couldn’t truly get into the gift giving craziness that occurs.  As a result, we really have learned to appreciate the holiday season for what it is all about.  We tend to not give gifts, or at least not very many.  So, as we decided to write about saving money for Christmas, I decided instead to talk about how you can begin Taking The Commercialism Out Of Christmas in your life.  Not only will you feel better about what your family is doing during the holiday season, but you will find yourself less stressed. Enjoy the season for what it is intended to be, all about love of God and giving to those around us.

TAKING THE COMMERCIALISM OUT OF CHRISTMAS

Make the 3 Gift Rule: Instead of everyone getting a lot of gifts under the tree, focus your gift giving to only 3 per person.

• 1 Gift They Want

• 1 Gift They Need (clothing, furniture, etc.)

• 1 Gift The Whole Family Can Enjoy (games, movies, etc.)

Instead of focusing on how many gifts are under the tree, or how much is being spent – you are focusing on what is really needed and important. This also helps with jealousy issues among siblings too.  A good example of what we would do for our son in this case would be to get a new Blu-Ray movie or card game that the whole family would enjoy (How To Train Your Dragon 2 is on my list for this year), a new set of sheets or comforter for his new bunk beds and the big Star Wars Lego set he has been asking for.  All 3 are things he will enjoy, but they are all different purposes.  One he can share with us and enjoy as a family (the movie), one is needed and useful for his bedroom (sheets/comforter) and one is simply a desire/want of his that he will play with.

Give Gifts To Those In Need Instead Of Family/Friends: While there are tons of parties, events and request during this season that would require you to exchange gifts, skip those in favor of spending the $5-$10 per gift on an item someone in need could use. This could be given to a local shelter, directly to the homeless or to a less fortunate family.

• Toiletries & Clothing for the homeless

• Games, Books and Toys for local homeless shelters and womens shelters

• Pantry Items & Household Supplies for a low income friend, neighbor or acquaintance

• Pay a utility bill for a friend in need

Giving to others can go beyond the things listed above.  Helping a single parent out by babysitting, or even wrapping presents for them is also great.  Offering to sit and listen to a lonely friend in a nursing home, or even raking leaves for your neighbor are all great ways you can give to others and focus on the giving, instead of the getting.

Volunteer To Feed The Homeless Or Needy: Instead of hosting an elaborate holiday meal or party, join your family to help feed those in need in your community. Homeless, low income shelters or community meals at local churches are all great ways to get back to the basics.

Attend Church On Christmas: One of the quickest ways to be reminded of the reason behind the Christmas season is to attend church. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services often focus around the birth of Christ and his humble beginnings. Check your own church schedule, or look into attending another local church program to help get your family into the spirit of love and encouragement instead of entitlement that has become common.

Skip The Decorations: While some really need this to feel in the holiday spirit, sometimes we get too caught up in how things look and forget the reason behind the decoration. This year skip the tree, lights and decorations and focus instead on spending the time and money playing games with the kids, making home made hot cocoa or singing classic carols together.

By leaving behind the commercial trappings of parties, gifts and endless decorations you can focus your energy on your family and those in your community that need the love the legend of St. Nicholas presents.  For our fellow Christians, this season is all about the birth of Jesus and God’s love.  No matter what your belief’s are, celebrating love for each other and remembering how little gifts and things done for those around you can make a difference is what your focus should be.  This year taking the commercialism out of Christmas as a family is really easy to do. Choose to actively seek out ways to give back to your community, your family and your friends as an act of love instead of obligation.

Some more helpful hints:

Free Printable Christmas Menu Planner & Grocery List

25 DIY Christmas Decorations & Treats

What Dudes Really Want For Christmas!

Simple New Year’s Eve Party Hats

Are you looking for gifts for Christmas Gift Ideas for Mom? Whether you are looking for a great idea for your wife, mother, sister, daughter, or just a friend, I’ve pulled out all the stops and created a list of amazing gift ideas for women! This list has your budget in mind, so you can pick something to fit your needs.

The Ultimate List of Christmas Gift Ideas for Mom

This post contains affiliate links.  I earn a small commission or receive an item at no charge when you make a purchase through these links. 

Gift her unique jewelry or accessories

I love unique pieces, and always like getting something pretty under the tree. Sites like 7 Charming Sisters have tons of unique and quality pieces that are affordable. If you aren’t sure about what kind of jewelry she would like, you can always look at their other accessories like scarves, or simple charms to go on bracelets.

Right now – 7 Charming Sisters is offering a 15% off discount for our readers!  Use Code: YouBrew15 for 15% off your purchase!  What a great incentive to buy for yourself?!

Buy Mom the little things she won’t buy herself

This is something my sister and I used to do for each other a lot. We would make a basket of things like the nicer bubble baths, nice shaving gel, the good razors, lip balm, even things like the nicer quality tampons or pads. As women, we tend to go as cheap as possible to save for our families, so even something like the nice razor in a gift bag will be a treat.  It may seem silly, but if you notice her picking up the cheap version or generic of something, take a moment and buy the brand name for her instead.

Buy her a luxury spa package

If you have a big budget, then you can easily afford to do a full luxury spa package. This includes a massage, facial, or a hydrotherapy bed treatment. If not, a simple message or a facial can all be affordable if you check your local spa locations. Using something like a local beauty school or even Groupon deals can be helpful to make this more affordable. Remember though, not every woman enjoys this, so make sure it is something she would like.

A book series she wants

I love to read, but buying or even downloading books to my Kindle can get expensive. If you know of a series she wants to read, you can buy it for her. Another great option is to give her a gift card to Amazon or to your local bookstore. We have a Barnes and Noble as well as a local mom and pop shop. I would love a gift card to either one to purchase some books for myself.

A comfortable throw or blanket

Around our house, we have a ton of soft fuzzy throws and blankets, but none are really “mine”. I would love to have one of the Sherpa Throws that I can claim as my own for those evenings I want to snuggle up and relax with a movie or good book.

An Instant Pot or Crockpot

Women everywhere may cringe, but I can tell you right now that these are more expensive items I wouldn’t budget for but would love to have. If the woman you are buying for has mentioned wanting one, or happen to be avid cooks and enjoy things for their kitchen, then this would be a great gift.  The Instant Pot 6 Quart 7-in-1 is my own personal favorite, and I love the Programmable Crockpot.

Isatoner Gloves

For years, I have grabbed the $1 gloves at the local dollar store each fall to have for the winter. While they do serve their purpose, they don’t work great and my hands often feel numb faster than I would like. Living in Michigan, I need quality gloves. Isatoner is a brand you can trust. They come in multiple styles and really do work much better.

Gift card to Ulta or Sephora

Makeup is expensive. While you may want to buy for her, a gift card to one of these stores may be better. That way she can pick out exactly what she wants, and not feel guilty about spending money on herself.  Pick up an Ulta Gift Card or Sephora Gift Card and watch her face light up when she opens them!

Movie Gift Cards

Women need to take time for themselves. By giving her a movie theater gift card, you can encourage her to take herself for a date or to treat herself and a friend to a movie. This is especially nice if you are the husband buying and don’t want to go see the romantic comedy. She can take herself without guilt!

Sugar scrubs, lotions, or bubble bath

Whether you buy them at a popular store or make your own, beauty products and such are always a hit. Just remember to think about her fragrance preferences and find out if she has any allergies or skin sensitivities first. Bath and Body Works, The Body Shop, Lush, and more are great brands to check out.  If your budget is small, we even have a list of 20 Homemade Sugar Scrub Recipes you can make at home!

Subscription boxes

This is my jam. I love subscription boxes! They are so fun to receive. Whether you want a food, jewelry, makeup, or book related box doesn’t matter. There are tons to choose from in all price ranges. Some of my favorites are listed below.

• Ipsy Glam Bag – Fully sized makeup samples for only $10 a month!
• Graze Snack Box – Great sample snacks for a low monthly or weekly fee.
• Art of Tea – Tea of the Month Club is amazing!
• InstaCandy – Perfect for sweet treats each month.
• UrthBox – This is great for those who are vegan or are wanting healthy snacks each month.
• TasteTrunk – For a more upscale set of snacks and foods, this is a great choice.
• Julep – This monthly nail polish subscription box is a great treat for the women who loves getting her nails done.

Subscription to a magazine

Magazines aren’t as popular now as they used to be, but I still love getting them in the mail. Find out her favorites, and pay for a year subscription! I love Cooking Light, Taste of Home, Weight Watchers, and Eating Well.  Amazon has great Magazine Subscription Deals that are super easy to manage inside your Amazon account.

Her car serviced or detailed

You may not think about it, but women like a well running and a clean car just as much as men. Get a gift card to a local shop for her to take it in, or surprise her by doing it for her. There are often great deals for local car washes and detail shops around the holidays.  It may seem like an odd idea for a Christmas gift for Mom, but I am pretty sure she would love it if you did this.

Salon visit for a cut or color

Even if she doesn’t color her hair, a visit to a salon for a cut or just a shampoo can be a luxury she would never buy for herself. This is a great special treat.  Check out Groupon for local salon deals if you are on a budget.

Restaurant gift card to go out with friends

Much like the movie gift card mentioned above, this is a great idea as well. She can take herself out to lunch, or arrange a girls night out without the financial guilt.  I love our local Pho shop, and of course, there are tons of chain restaurants to choose from.  You may easily be able to find a few places to grab a smaller gift card for so she can enjoy lunch on you a few times over the next few months.

A gift card to a clothing store for women

Specifically, a gift card to a place that does not sell men’s or children’s clothing. This forces her to actually use it for herself. Why? Because women get stuck in the trap of using gift cards or any money that is extra for someone else and not themselves.  Victoria Secret, Lane Bryant, Cato’s Fashion, and similar are ideal!

Phone or Tablet accessories

Cases, chargers, and similar items may seem a bit lame, but they come in handy. Even a secondary charger for the car, her purse, or luggage might be a nice addition she would welcome.  I love the Portable Power Charger my Beau got me a few years ago.  It means I never run out of charge while out and about at blogging events or when we travel.

Umbrella or rain boots

If you live in an area with a lot of rain or snow, then this is a must. A cute mini travel umbrella is always fun to have, and if they are mini and collapsible it is so nice to have an extra in your purse, car glove box, or gym bag.

Pay for her gym membership

This should be done with caution. If you know they are wanting to get a membership but worried about the cost, then it could be a great gift. However, an unsolicited gym membership could lead to that anger and upset because they feel like you are telling them to lose weight. Use proper judgment here before making this purchase.

Buying Christmas gifts for Mom doesn’t have to be hard. Thinking outside the box is great, but these classic gifts are always a hit. The best part of them is they can be individualized to her personality and needs.

More Gift Ideas for the Holidays: 

• Holiday Gift Guide: Gift Ideas for Tweens
• Best Christmas Gift Ideas for LEGO Sets Fans
• Boy Themed Christmas Gifts You Can Make
• 12 Great Minecraft Gifts
• 15 Unique Star Wars Gift Ideas
• 12 Best Disney’s Frozen Gift Ideas