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Bees are buzzing, flowers are blooming, and the temperature is high. It’s summer, and gardening season is in full swing. Why not add a special touch to a flowerpot for use in your home or yard? This craft would make a great gift with a pair of garden gloves, clippers, seeds and sunscreen tucked inside the pot. Supplies Flowerpot and saucer Paint and brush Paper towels Printable graphic Tissue paper Tape Scissors Mod Podge Clear spray sealer Procedure 1.  Put a small amount of paint on the paintbrush, and dab the brush on paper towels to remove most of the paint. Brush paint on the pot and saucer to create an aged, weathered effect. 2.  Tape a piece of tissue paper to a sheet of printer paper, and print a graphic from your computer on the tissue paper. 3.  Peel tissue from printer paper, and cut closely around the graphic. 4.  Brush a small amount of Mod Podge on the pot where the graphic will be applied. Apply image using your finger to smooth out any wrinkles. Brush Mod Podge over the graphic. 5.  After the Mod Podge dries, spray clear sealer on both the inside and outside of the pot to protect the image and paint. Get Creative with Other Ideas Decorated pots filled with pretty flowers would make a great centerpiece for a bridal or baby shower. This craft is perfect for kids! Let them pick out their graphic, print it out, and have fun making their own pot to keep in their room. Decorate pots with a school logo, and use them for decorating a tailgate table at games. Paint pots in a seasonal color, apply a seasonal graphic and fill with treats for a perfect hostess or neighbor gift. Click here to see another post you may enjoy!

Today we are all about recycling and utilizing tossable items in new and exciting ways, and here is one great example for the holiday season! These toilet paper tube ornaments are shaped into cute stars and painted… no one (except the crafters themselves, maybe!) would know that they are simply made from discarded paper tubes. This idea is simple and makes for a beautiful ornament for any Christmas tree. Enjoy! Materials empty toilet paper rolls (one per star) ruler scissors liquid school glue clothes pins gold craft paint small brushes craft glitter Instructions Slightly flatten the toilet paper rolls and cut into 3/4 inch rings. You should be able to get six to eight rings from each tube. Dab some glue on the tip of the ring and adhere to another ring. Use a clothes pin to help them stay together while drying. Adhere rings together all the way around until you have the desired shaped. Allow to dry completely. Paint the stars. Either use craft paint and small brushes or place them in a paper bag in a well ventilated area and use spray paint to get the job done quickly. While the paint is still wet, sprinkle the surface with glitter. Dry completely before adding these adorable DIY stars to your holiday decor. Click below to see another post you may enjoy!

Tis the season for fun, easy DIY projects, and we have a great one for you by our “DI-Why Not” writer, Paula Skulina of Virginia Sweet Pea. There is a lot of time to save up corks (or buy them from a local craft store!) to make this lovely cork snowflake on your own. Use them as place card tags, favors, decorations or ornaments… you can even get the kids involved.  Here are the instructions as per Paula. Enjoy!! A snowflake made from wine corks is a decoration that can be enjoyed for Christmas and throughout the winter season. This simple craft is inexpensive and can be made in an afternoon. Supplies: nine wine corks cut in half drill glue gun liquid glue glitter ribbon thin cord needle How to: Drill a hole in one cork half. Use a glue gun to glue corks together to make a snowflake pattern (see steps 1-6 in the photographs below). Apply liquid glue to the top of the snowflake. Generously cover the glue with glitter. Glue ribbon to the edge of the snowflake using a glue gun. Thread cord through hole with a needle and tie a secure knot. Here are a few ways to personalize your cork snowflakes: Add variety with different ribbon and glitter colors. Paint the snowflake a festive color before applying glitter. Make a set of wine cork snowflakes to hang in a window. If you don’t drink, ask a friend to save corks for you. We used these snowflakes in our lovely gold & silver winter shoot as you will see below. The photos above were by Paula, and the photos below are by Adam Barnes Fine Art Photography… we will be featuring more of this shoot throughout the holiday season. We can’t wait to share more!  Click below to see another post you may enjoy!

As an update to our 30 Days of Thank You, I am humbled and overwhelmed by the response! We have over 300 ladies participating, which I would have never imagined. If you would like to join our Facebook group page for our 30 Days event just click here. Happy writing!! November is almost upon us, and of course our thoughts turn to one of my favorite holidays … Thanksgiving! It’s a fabulous time with family and friends centered around food, reminiscing and of course, thankfulness. Recently I have seen ideas on Instagram and other places about taking photos of what you are thankful for, which I think is a wonderful idea, but when I really thought about it, all that does is encourage your Instagram followers … I am all for that, but for me this year, I want to really express gratitude. Lately I feel that I have been selfish in so many ways. I LOVE what I do with my businesses, but frankly, starting up a new venture is daunting … it’s on my mind almost constantly with the pressure of deadlines, coming up with new stories, connecting with advertisers, making sure we have a great distribution … etc. All of that is great, but in a way I feel like I am investing a lot of time and energy into something that has caused me to be a lot more “me” focused than I want to be or am even used to being. During the month of November, I want to be more others-focused, and yet in the busy scheme of life (yes, with deadlines and holidays and life in general), I wanted to keep it simple yet relevant. So, what I have decided to do is have 30 days of Thank You, and I want to know if you will join me. 30 Days of Thank You is simple … grab a pen, some stationary (archaic, I know!) and some stamps (I believe they are 45 cents each now?), and get ready to write and express yourself to those you are thankful for. I know we do live in a day where we send emails and texts, but I know that I get VERY excited when I go to the mailbox and find a letter or a card … it can truly brighten my day in an instant that someone thought about me enough to thank me for a…