DIY DRESSER FACE-LIFT

Hey guys, today I thought I would share a DIY!
My fiances aunt and uncle were getting rid of this dresser & since we just moved into our new place we decided to take it off their hands.
It was really simple to give this dresser a face-life, it only needed a new coat of paint and some new hard wear.
Step One: First I sanded the entire dresser, this will help the paint stick and last a lot longer!
Step Two: Paint the dresser! I did 2 coats!
Step Three: Once dry, apply a top coat.
Step Four: Find handles that you like and fit your space. Since this dresser was a little older it was extremely hard to find handles that fit. Since I couldn't find any that I really liked I decided to go with knobs. I found all of these knobs at Home Depot. The silver knobs were $1.50 each and the pretty glass knobs were $3.40 each!
* Side Note - Since our dresser is older and the drawers were a different thickness, our knob screws were too long. Home Depot exchanged all the screws free of charge! Awesome service!

Below is a few extra pictures!
Happy DIY-ing!

 

Share your dresser face-lifts below! Or tag me on social media!

xoxo alicia 

DIY FALL AROMA

Welcome back to my blog! 
Today I wanted to share a recipes to make your home smell like fall!  
Lets get right into it. 

Here is what you'll need: 
- One cut up apple 
- The peel of one orange 
-2 large cinnamon sticks 
- 1 tablespoon of cloves 
-1 tablespoon of almond extract 
-1 tablespoon of vanilla extract 
-2 cups of water + more for refill  

  Here is what you'll do: 

Place all ingredients in a cooking pot and simmer throughout the day while adding a bit of water from time to time. 

Note: You can also reuse this mix - just cover and place in fridge overnight.

Hope you enjoy!
xox alicia 

EASY DIY GIFTS FOR THE HOLIDAYS ♥

Hello everyone and welcome back to my blog. Today's post is going to be a few simple and unique gift ideas. These ideas are perfect for people who are on a budget because you don't have to buy all high end products, you can get all of these items at the dollar store too. The great thing is how quick you can put this gift together. You can start collecting things now and come Christmas you can throw a few of these ideas together. Below are 5 of my easy and affordable gift ideas for the holidays.

Spa-In-A-Jar
1. Find a square jar (Dollarama) & add things that are spa like! Below I have shown a few products I would add to mine. 2 - Hand & Body Cream. Aveeno is a great brand because there products work great for all skin types. You cant go wrong if you pick up a travel size aveeno to add to your jar. 3. Burt's Bees Foot Cream. I love Burt's Bees! There products are amazing and great for sensitive skin! Any of there products would be great to add into your spa-jar. 4. What spa-jar would be complete without beauty tools! You can pick a set of nail clippers and all the extras up at any dollar store. 5. Nail polish is a great gift! Every girl loves nail polish. Add in a few of your favorite nail polishes. 6. You'll need nail polish remover to get rid of that polish! So why not add in a travel side nail polish remover with some cotton balls. I would use the cotton balls to fill any extra space in your jar. This will make it look extra full! 7. Bath bombs! These little things are awesome and fit perfect into a spa-jar! & Your complete! You can switch out any of my products and replace your own. Also, add some ribbon and a bow on top to make it look pretty!

Hot Chocolate Jar
This is such a simple and great gift for the holidays! So many people like hot chocolate and especially if it comes with baileys! All you need to do for this simple gift is....1. Take a mason jar (Dollarama) 2. Add hot chocolate powder to the mason jar filling it almost full but saving room for some...3. Marshmallows! Add mini marshmallows to the top of your jar and seal it shut! 4. Take a mini bottle of baileys and tie ribbon around it and attach it to the top of your mason jar. Add a bow to make it pretty!

Movie Basket
This gift is great for all those TV lovers! This one can get a little more expensive depending on the movie or TV series you would like to place inside. I chose to show you The Vampire Diaries because that show is amazing!! So, 1. Take a large square pop corn bowl (Dollarama) 2. Add your movie or series 3. Fill up your bowl with pop corn, candy & some Jones soda because that stuff is delicious! (4 & 5) & 6. Add some tissues!

Travel Cup & Goodies

This idea is great for honestly any girl! Just grab a travel mug and fill it with goodies!
1. Starbucks travel mug that's clear, 2. Sparkle nail file 3. Urban Decay eye shadow primer - this stuff is awesome! Its a little expensive but it lasts forever!! 4. Nail polish! I love the Nicole by OPI! 5. Add in a makeup brush! You can find great e.l.f brushes at the dollar store now for $1.00 & they are amazing! Totally worth throwing in your travel cup. 6. I love the e.o.s lip balms and they are a perfect size to throw in your mug! & 7 add some candy to fill the extra room! Starbusts look pretty but feel free to add Christmas candy!

 

Christmas Mittens

This idea is perfect for those friends who love cooking and baking and being in the kitchen. It is pretty affordable and you can find most of these supplies from the dollar store. Dollarama sells Betty Croker and it lasts a pretty long time & the red looks great for the holidays! All you need to do is find some Christmas oven mitts and fill them with kitchen goodies! As shown below you can add wooden spoons, cooking timers, whisks, peelers etc! Tie a bow and call it a day!

& That's all for my easy diy gifts for the holidays! Hopefully you can use these ideas during work parties, family gatherings etc. Hopefully they inspire you.

xoxo alicia

DIY CHRISTMAS DECOR ♥

Hello everyone! Thanks for stopping by!

Today I wanted to share a few of my Christmas decor ideas. Since it is now November, its totally acceptable to start decorating.
All of these idea's are $10.00 and under! I got almost all my supplies from the dollar store or Micheal's craft store. I would also check Walmart & Target for craft supplies because they have some great options for reasonable prices.
So lets get into it!

Christmas Ornament Vases
What you'll need:
- Vases
- Christmas balls
- You can also add Christmas lights inside to add a little extra!

I'm sure everyone has seen this idea going around everywhere but its so easy and affordable!
All you need to do is take your vase and add your Christmas ball ornament's inside.
You can put these anywhere and you can also change the size of the vases & ornaments to make it your own! Also, I kept mine simple to go with my house but you can make it your own and add any colour ornament you want.  


Sweater Pillows
This project is also no sow!
What you'll need:
- Old sweater or pick one up at a thrift store
- Pillow
- Hot glue & gun
- Add ribbon or extra decor if you prefer!


This project is so simple and you can transform any throw pillow for the holidays. This idea is great if you don't want to spend money on new pillows, transform your old ones instead and at the end of the Christmas season, take the cover off!
All you need to do is flip your sweater inside out. Slide your pillow inside and cut off access fabric. Now, hot glue around all the edges that need it. Flip your sweater right side out. Put your pillow back in and glue it all shut! Now, this is where you can add a little extra and add ribbon around your pillow or bows if you prefer. Anything to spice it up & make it festive!

Ornament & Snowflake Window Trim
This project takes less then 10 minutes to put together. Super simple!
What you'll need:
- Ornaments
- Snow flakes (Foam or plastic)
- String or Fishing ling
- Garland for extra bling!

I love this DIY! Its so simple and adds such a cute touch! All you need to do is tie ornaments onto string at different lengths and tie the string to the top of your window covering. Be careful if you have a cat, they love these!

Christmas Wreath
For this one, I have 2 different ways I wanted to show you how to make. One is with ornaments and one is with pine cones.
What you'll need:
- Coat hanger
- Glue gun
- Pine cones
- Christmas ball ornament
- Ribbon
- Beads

I will explain the ornament wreath first. All you need to do is take your coat hanger and make it into a circle and un do the top of the hanger to that you can slip ornaments into it. Slide your ornaments into the hanger and once you have them all the way you like, give them a quick glue to make sure they stay. Add the ribbon to the top of the hanger in a nice bow or whatever design you like! This hides the hanger & adds a little extra.
Now for the pine cone wreath, its pretty much the exact same! All you ll need to do it hot glue a bead to the bottom of the pine cone. The bead is what you ll slip onto the hanger. Like above, once you have all the pine cones in place, give them a quick glue to stay. Add your ribbon in a bow on top and your ready to hang!

Snowman Door!
This one is pretty self explanatory. Its great for dorm rooms and great for kids!
What you ll need: 

- Construction Paper Black & Orange 
- Wrapping paper (any design)
- Tinsel or garland for extra effects around door frame

All you need to do is cut out 11 black circles. You ll need 2 circles for his eyes, 5 for his smile and 4 for his buttons. Use the orange to cut out his nose. Use the wrapping paper to cut out his scarf.
Now, tape these to the back of your door in a snow man! Add garland around the door frame to make it extra Christmas like!

Christmas Candle Holders
Now for this one I have 3 ideas I wanted to share. There all very simple! If your like me, you like lighting candles in the winter time. These ideas work great for tea lights and small candles! You can make them larger if you prefer.
What you'll need:
-Small vases - large enough to fit whatever candle you would like
- Glitter
- Glue
- Hot Glue & Gun 

- Candy Canes
- Mason Jar
- Glass Stones

Candy Cane Candle Holder - Take the vase you chose and simply just start gluing the candy canes around the vase. Make sure you point the canes away from the flame. Make sure they are also tight enough together, it looks better that way!

Glitter Vase - I love adding glitter everywhere during the holidays so this one is perfect! Put glue around the bottom half of your vase and roll it into glitter! I used silver glitter but feel free to use whatever colour you prefer! Let it dry, add your candle and watch  how pretty the glitter looks! 

Mason Jar Candle Holder - Take whatever size mason jar you like and glue glass stones around the hole vase! Let dry and add some ribbon around the top. Burlap looks great too! Add candle inside and watch how amazing it looks! I love how this one looks at night!

That's all everyone! Those are a few of my holiday decor ideas! Again, all of these projects are so affordable & easy to make! Perfect for sprucing up your house around the holidays without breaking the bank. Hope they inspire you!

xoxo alicia

HOLIDAY DRINK IDEAS ♥

Hello everyone and thank you for stopping by!
I wanted to share six of my favorite holiday drinks that were inspired by Pintrest. These drinks are great for pretty much any occasion! Even if it's just you and your special someone on the couch watching movies. These are all pretty simple recipes that will impress anyone you have over for the holiday's! I made a few recipes good for large parties and some recipes are personal sized!
Enjoy!

Apple Pie Sangria
I would recommend making this first recipe in a pitcher as its great for groups!

- 2 Bottles of white wine, I would recommend a Riesling or Moscotto
- 5 Cups of fresh apple cider
- 2 Cups of Club Soda
- 1 Cup Caramel Vodka
- 4 Apples Chopped
- 3 Pears Chopped
- 2 Cinnamon Sticks

Cranberry Mimosa!
This one is super basic but perfect for Christmas brunch!



- Equal parts Sparkling White Wine
- Cranberry Juice

The Grinch!
This one is great for sharing! Make in a pitcher.

- 3 oz Peach Schnapps
- 3 oz Bacardi 151 (I always love a recipe that uses this!!)
- 12 oz Orange Juice
- 4 oz Sprite
- 3 oz Blue Curacao

Kahlua Cocoa Martini

- 1 oz Kahlua French Vanilla
- 1 1/2 oz Creme De Cocoa
- 1 1/2 oz Chocolate Lacquer
- 2 1/2 oz Milk
Add Chocolate Syrup around glass before for extra effects! |

Winter Wonderland



- Freeze Coffee Ice Cubs
- 2oz Baileys
- 1/2 oz Vanilla Vodka
- Top with Milk

Cherry Smash
This one is a little dangerous but is great for those rough winter nights!

- 1 oz Jack Daniels
- 1 oz Cherry Juice
- 1/2 oz Amaretto
- 1/2 oz Ginger Brandy
- 2 oz Cherry Cola
- 5 Maraschino Cherry's

& that's a few of my holiday drink idea's inspired by Pintrest! Hope you enjoy!
xoxo alicia

THRIFT STORE TREASURES ♥

Hello everyone and thanks for stopping by!

Today I wanted to talk about a few  awesome things I found at my local thrift store! I'm so obsessed with thrift stores right now! I keep finding such amazing little items for such amazing prices.

Today I went to Re-Build Resources and found 5 great items & wait till you get to the bottom and see the great price I paid. 

1. I always check the lamp area because you never know what diamond in the rough your going to find. Today I found this simple little lamp with a silver bottom and brown shade with leaves on it.

Its perfect for fall and adds a nice little touch to our living room. This lamp was only $2.50!

2.My boyfriend spotted this next item because we have been looking for a little fish tank to add to our apartment. We love fishes! & our cat does too...

This little 4 gallon tank came with the stones in the bottom and the lid for $2.00!

3. I love lighting candles especially in the fall and winter time. Since we burn threw so many I love having little tea lights around the house. I saw these perfect blue glass tea light holders & picked up all 4 for .50 cents! The blue glass goes perfect with my colour scheme and adds a pop of colour.

4. The 4th thing I picked up which I love & I'm not completely sure where I am going to use it but a beautiful blue glass vase. I LOVE the way blue glass looks and like I said above goes with my colour scheme to bring a pop of colour. I'm thinking off adding some fake flowers in the top and putting them somewhere! This vase was .30 cents!

5. The 5th and most amazing thing we purchased was a new fake Christmas tree!! YAY!! We loving putting up a tree for Christmas and going all out with decorations. Since we just recently moved we had to sell our old tree. We saw this super last minute on the way out and thought why not try it! It was $5.00 but we went on half price day and picked it up for $2.50!! It's still in great condition and is just about 5" tall with the base. Such an amazing steal!! 

So that's right everyone, I spent a total of $7.80 and got great items that I hope to have for a while. I hope those items gave you some inspiration to check your local thrift store for anything! You never know what you'll come across, keep your mind open to everything. Plus, its cheap! So if you don't end up using an item you purchased your not out that much money.

Happy thrifting!!

xoxo alicia

SIMPLE & DELICIOUS HOT HOLIDAY DRINKS ♥

 Hello Bloggers!
Today I wanted to show you a few of my favorite hot drinks for those cold winter nights & morning's!
I'm going to keep this one pretty simple, so read below to find out how to make these delicious drinks!

1. My first and most favorite drink is Peppermint Hot Chocolate - Yumm
Step One - Add your fave hot chocolate powder (Mines from No Frills, it tastes great and its cheap)
Step Two - Add a peppermint tea bag (Mines from Tetley)
Step Three - If you like to add a little milk, go ahead! I'm lactose, so I keep it simple
Step Four - Add hot water!
& That's it! I suggest making this one in a tea pot, this way you can saver the peppermint tea bag for a few more cups!

2. My second drink is Apple Cider Tea
This drink is so simple I love it.
Step One - Add 1 and a half spoon fulls of Warm Apple Cider from David's Tea's into a tea diffuser.
Step Two - Add hot water and let stand for 4 minutes & your done!! 

3. My last simple beverage is Chai Tea - I love chai tea's during the winter. I have two options for this one. The first is a simple pure chai tea. If you're looking for a straight forward, traditional chai, then this spiced blend is perfect for you! Its from Davids Tea and its called Pure Chai.

The second chai tea is a little different. This one is from Tetley and its the Chai Dark Chocolate tea, this one has a hint of chocolate in it but still just as spicy. In the pic I also added Chai Vanilla for those of you who like vanilla more than chocolate.
Step One - Add tea bag to any cup you like
Step Two - Add hot water!
Step One - For Pure Chai - Add loose tea to diffuser
Step Two - For Pure Chai - Add hot water and let sit for 4-7 minutes
I like to keep my tea's simple with no sugar or milk added however, if you like adding either of those then be my guest!

Above is a quick pic of my tea accessories I picked up at Davids Tea. I use the spoon to measure my tea and then I put my measured loose tea into this diffuser that sits right inside your tea cup! You just remove it from your tea once your tea has sat at whatever time it needs.
Those are a few of my fave holiday drinks & as you can see I'm clearly obsessed with Davids Tea. If you haven't checked them out, I totally recommend it. They have so many different tea's and each one has something special to offer! Be sure to check out my future posts on a few of my fave Davids Tea's.
I hope these drinks inspired you to create your own holiday drinks!

xoxo alicia

WHY I LOVE THRIFT SHOPS

Hello Bloggers!

Today I wanted to talk about a few reasons why I love thrift shops! I also wanted to attach a few pictures so that you can see what awesome finds I got at my local thrift shop!

So since I live in North Bay, there are a few different thrift shops here. There is your classic Value Village and Salvation Army but there is also a place called Re-Build  Resources.

Re-Build Resources is great! I swear, 90% of my current apartment is all from there.

Its pretty much the same as a value village but BIGGER! Anything you think you ever needed is there. I usually go there to look at furniture or anything I want to use to decorate. Its a great place to get cheap dishes, vases, glasses, etc. 

Here is a picture of a few of the things I recently picked up. I would show you everything but that would take forever!

 One of the main reasons I shop at thrift stores is to save money! Because in all reality, we ALL love to save money. You can pick up numerous items from thrift stores that can also be found in department store. You can pick up items such as end tables or coffee tables for around $5.00 - $20.00. There is always a diamond in the rough! You just have to open your mind to all the diy options.

Another reason why I love thrift shops is because you never know what you are going to find there! There is always some sort of antique piece that catches my eye. I love pieces like these for 2 reasons... the style and uniqueness. I love that items you find, other people will never have.

I also love thrift stores for the variety of books! You can find soooo many great books for half the price that they would be in Chapters. If you love reading books and find your always flying threw new book after new book but don't want to pay an arm and a leg, a thrift store is perfect for you! Just be prepared to hunt! The store employee's try and keep the books somewhat organized but of course people are messy.

Here's a few things I look for at thrift shops, hopefully this gives you some inspiration to check your local sally anne!

-frames

-hangers

-vases

-dressers

-end tables

-coffee tables

-lamps

-jars for diy

-dishes (plates, bowls)

-glasses

-jars for food eg. sugar, flower, spaghetti etc

-baskets for decor & my cat lol

Again, I hope this gives you some inspiration to check your local thrift stores. Remember to keep your mind open and think of all the possible diy options! Also remember to thoroughly clean all items you purchase.

Here's some of my purchases! All items displayed were from Re-Build Recourse's & Value Village.Enjoy!

DIY COASTAL THEMED DECOR

Hello Bloggers!

Today is going to be a DIY project that literally took me 10 minutes to put together.

This post is going to be simple and to the point! So keep reading...

Here it goes, first take 3 glass vases whichever style you prefer. For me personally I was going for a sleek, simple look so went for vases with no decor or groves etc. I got my vases from a local thrift store called Re-Build Resources. You can donate ANYTHING to them and they will take it and re sell it. I love shopping there for new furniture pieces to diy and love going there for items like these! I picked all three of these vases up for a grand total of 1.00!!

I then went to the beach behind my house and picked up some sand to add to the bottom of my vases. If you don't have a beach near by I would recommend going to your local craft store.

Again stopping by the beach behind my house picked up some sea shells to add on top of the sand. Again, head to your local craft store for sea shells. 

Now, that's were I left my decor and as you can see above that's how they look.

If you want to take it to the next step, go ahead and add any colour candle to the middle of the sand and place the sea shells around the candle. This could make for an awesome center piece. 

The way I style my beachy vases is in the middle of my large picture window. I place a small sail boat that I picked up a Winners against the large middle vase. This gives an extra coastal vibe!

You can also use this idea for any season!! You can switch it up for fall and place leaves, chestnuts, pine cones etc in the bottom and place anywhere!

xoxo alicia

DIY TV STAND ♥

Hello Everyone!
Thank you for visiting my blog. Today I will be walking you through how I made my own DIY dresser TV stand thing!

Its really easy I promise and it looks great after you add your own personal touches! You can also use this idea for night stands and coffee tables etc!

So here it goes, first take an old dresser. Mine was from my boyfriend parents basement. They were using it to store magazines so while they were on vacation in Vegas we decided to sneak it to our house and re model it! Muaaha

So after you steal or find your dresser like we did you want to make sure you clean it. Clean your dresser and wipe with paper towels.

After the dresser is clean you want to sand off any paint that was on the dresser before hand. Ours was already white so we just sanded a little to help the paint stick. After you are done sanding, make sure you wipe all surfaces clean before you start painting.

Now, pick the colour you want to paint your new TV stand or new dresser! We decided to go with white to go with our house decor.

Take all handles out of your dresser before you start painting because you don't want to get them dirty with paint.

Its now time to paint your dresser. Make sure to get in all the little cracks. If you want to do a TV stand similar to mine you will want to take off the front of the top two dresser drawers and paint the inside of the drawer because after it drys you will slide the drawer back in making it functional for storage purposes. 



After your dresser is dry, you can add a top coat if you like. For us, we were on a budget of free and didn't have any top coats lying around the house. You can also attach your handles back on. For us, this is where it became fun! We wanted to change the look of the dresser and went with a simple handle. You can find new handles for your TV dresser at home depot, home hardware, rona, etc! Our handles were .95 each! Awesome!

Now add your fave decor around your TV and you are all set! You can either fill the drawers with baskets or any decor you prefer. For us it was easiest to leave them open so my boyfriend could easily access his xbox and laptop which stays plugged into our TV. For around the sides of the TV I added some shells from the beach behind our house and 2 candles. Our house theme is beachy and coastal so I thought I would stick with simple decor. 



Hope this DIY TV Stand inspires you!
xoxo alicia