Several years I posted a blog about thrifting for Christmas. I still feel really strongly about sustainability and I also feel that there is so much waste, especially when it comes to packaging and gift wrap, many of which cannot be recycled. Going to your local thrift store is a great way to find inexpensive and beautiful items to gift or repurpose.
One thing I’ve noticed a lot lately especially in some of the nicer thrift stores as there’s a lot of new with tag items and items that are still in their original packaging. I don’t see any reason why you can’t regift these items as they’re virtually new and to wrap your store-bought gifts or possibly re-purpose those items into another thoughtful gift. This is an environmentally friendly and creative way to give gifts.

Going to your local thrift store is a great way to find inexpensive and beautiful items to gift and to wrap your store-bought gifts or possibly re-pupose those items into another thoughtful gift. Here are some suggestions that I had from past years and I’ve also added a few extras but I thought of that I think are still great ideas.

I know not everybody is that into secondhand items. I’m not suggesting that you gift used items like Aunt Ethel’s old slippers and nightgown . However, I do have some tips on what kinds of things that I look for in the thrift shop when I’m holiday shopping!

Here are my suggestions for you to consider;

1. Baskets:                             
     You can get some beautiful and inexpensive baskets in all shapes and sizes!  They’re perfect for awkward shaped gifts, they are eco friendly and pretty too! Add a bit of ribbon and cellophane and you’re good to go. I love making food or themed baskets. When you’re only spending a few dollars on the basket that leaves more $ for what goes inside.
2. Jars/vintage tins
   The same  concept here, fill it with your favourite cookie mix, bath items or even candy and gift cards. Pretty jars can be expensive so why not pick up some pretty vintage ones at a fraction of the cost. They can easily be sanitized in the dishwasher or hot soapy water and bleach if you’re concerned about cleanliness.
   
3. Sweaters/blankets                              Sweaters and blankets  are my favourite thing to craft with and give as gifts.  You can make adorable pillows, patchwork quilts, coffee cozies or even a homemade pair of mittens. One tip I have is to go into the baby section and you will find a beautiful array gently used blankets in the softest fabrics. Alternatively you can choose a nice chunky knit or opt for a luxurious cashmere or wool. If you check out the men’s section you can find some extra large sweaters which will have more fabric to work with.The colours and styles are endless and the size doesn’t matter as you’re cutting them up anyway.
4. Vintage Jewelry:          
      You  can find amazing vintage and high quality pieces and better yet they have a history!  They might need a little polishing but what a lovely thing to gift something one of a kind for someone you love!! Damaged vintage jewellery is very inexpensive and you can buy bags of it at the thrift store for very little cost. Can you imagine how beautiful it would be if you hot glued vintage jewellery onto plain Christmas balls and gifted a whole set of balls to your friend or loved one? That would be a lovely gift and so unique and original. Lately I’ve been finding whole sets of Christmas balls still in the package. People often change the Christmas decor and so as a result I think they donate what they don’t use and like I said I found ones still have the tags on them but are virtually brand new..
5. Vintage dishes and glassware.  
     So you’re tasked with bringing dessert to a holiday party. Why not put it on a lovely vintage crystal plate or dish that the hostess can keep!  A lot prettier than an ugly plastic container or paper plate. Some of the vintage casserole dishes,crystal punch bowls and even glasses are stunning and you could use them to package up a thoughtful gift. I have even found handmade pottery pieces which are absolutely beautiful. It would be great to gift give a mug with a package of hot chocolate or coffee inside. I think these cups are much nicer than the ones you find at the dollar store.

6. Craft Supplies

If you are a crafter the thrift store will be an oasis to you. I always find bags and bags of unused yarn, ribbon, fabric, wreath forms and more . Before you head to the craft store and pay full price for these items, you may want to consider looking in your local thrift store to see if you can find some thing for less. I’ve made some beautiful wreaths in the past using all materials from thrift store including the greenery the wreath form and ribbon.

7. Books

Books are a great thing to find in the thrift store. I’ve found brand new books that are on the bestseller list that I’ve literally been read once and then donated. There’s nothing wrong with regifting a book or even a stack of books tied with a nice ribbon which is a thoughtful and inexpensive gift. I especially like picking up vintage cook books. They always have the nicest photography and can also be used to display in your kitchen which I also love to do. Some books look especially pretty when you remove the paper cover revealing the spine of the book. I like to use these for home decor especially coffee table books and they would also make great gifts

I hope these ideas gave you inspiration in your gift giving this season. Trust me when I say that your friends and family will truly appreciate the creativity and time you spent to give them a thoughtful and heartfelt gift 

Merry Christmas and an amazing holiday season to you and your loved ones ❤️

Hello everyone. It’s been quite some time since I’ve posted a home or fashion post on my blog. Given the tough times we’ve all been facing this year, I find I’m in the holiday spirit much earlier. It also helps that I live in a winter wonderland in western Canada. We have already experienced cold, snowy days and dark nights. I think now more than ever creating a pleasant cozy home is even more important to me. I live and work here all day, why not pretty it up!✨❄️✨❄️

here’s a short video of what I’ve created!

My project today is to style a pretty table on a budget, here is what you’ll need:

1. Any cotton runner or tablecloth or linen and napkins of your choice.
   I purposely chose neutral coloured ones with a white and grey deer pattern that I picked up at my local drugstore. Choosing neutral colours which are not too Christmasy allows me to use them all winter long. If I want to, I could always add pops of red berries and greenery for Christmas dinner and after Christmas add some additional sparkle with twinkle lights.
2. Any type of plain white dishes.
   I’m using my white dishware from Walmart that are my everyday dishes. If you have Christmas dishes great but they aren’t necessary.

3. Plate chargers.

I got my plastic ones at the thrift store but I’ve seen them sold everywhere like the dollar store or other discount stores. They just add a nice layered look if you were using dishes that are plain like mine. If you don’t have chargers, placemats work too.

4. Natural greenery from your yard or the local grocery store.

I picked up some of the greenery from my grocery store and the pinecones I’ve had for years. You can also buy them that craft stores or the dollar store. When you add the natural greenery to a vase, the Christmas tree scent is wonderful. Just remember to keep adding water so they stay fresh just like you would a real Christmas tree.

5. Vintage pieces

I was lucky enough to pick up this deer vase at a thrift store very inexpensively. I think it’s adorable and I use it all year long. It really adds a nostalgic touch. You could choose also use vintage coloured glass vase or even a mason jar decorated with a ribbon.

6. Assorted ribbon and bells or ornaments.

All of these ornaments and bells were purchased either at the dollar store or a thrift store. I like mixing natural elements with more glitzy metallic tones as it gives a nice festive warm feeling. Twinkle lights could also be added for extra glow.

My napkin rings are simply wired ribbon that I got at the dollar store tied with some twine and a little bell laced through. You could also add some faux or real greenery or even pinecones.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post and it gave you some winter and holiday inspiration ❤️
Stay tuned for my next blog post where I will be sharing my best friend’s festive Christmas table that I have styled using thrifted and dollar store items ❄️✨❤️🌲 stay tuned!!☺️

As many of you know, I recently celebrated my 50th birthday on July 19th. I thought this blog post was timely not only because of my “milestone” birthday but also because the last few years have challenged me in ways I never imagined, good and bad.

While I certainly don’t profess to know it all, I do think I’ve learned a thing or two in the last half century 😉 Here are a few of my thoughts and ideas I’d like to share ❤️

You are tougher than you think:

I always thought I was a weak and emotional person but I’ve learned that I’m not a shrinking violet after all.  I withstood the storm and I’m a better person from it. The personal challenges like my marriage ending , the loss of my Dad and many other challenges  have helped me grow.  Being an emotional person over the years has made me realize that it’s ok to grieve and to go through periods of sadness but that it won’t last forever and life has so much to  offer and look forward to!

Don’t get too comfortable in your marriage or relationship:

This may seem like common sense but I think it’s way too easy just to start taking your partner for granted. People change, what you both want might change both of which are ok. Staying too long in a relationship where you’re not growing together is harder than just ending it, at least in my case.  Almost 30 years in the same relationship and then everything changed.  It’s not the end of the world.. life goes on! No regrets!

Confidence isn’t just about looks, it’s an attitude:

Over the years the yo-yo weight loss, the constant struggle worrying about aging and weight gain gets old. There is no way I could of convinced my 20 year old self that having some junk in the trunk was ok. I am happy that society finally accepts people of all shapes and sizes. I’m so done worrying about it all the time. 

Value your parents:

For the lack of a better word I kind of had a shitty family life.  My broken family suffered with alcoholism and mental health issues but that didn’t make us bad people. When I was younger I of course blamed my short comings on my parents. I don’t think that’s terribly uncommon. I know  and understand so much more about family life being a mother myself and going through a marital breakdown.  Your parents are human and they deserve some understanding and forgiveness. My relationship with my parents hasn’t always been stellar but after recently losing my Dad and seeing my mom age and face health issues I’ve decided it’s time to just let it go. Love them for who they are and be grateful.

Don’t be afraid of change:

Change used to scare the crap out of me. I think about how my job has changed in my 20 year career. The internet didn’t even exist, the job is so different than it was but not in a good or bad way, it’s just totally changed. I’ve learned to embrace technology and try not to hold on too tight to the way it used to be because I know that it it wasn’t necessarily better.  Change is scary but taking it slow and taking it in small bites makes it easier to digest. 

Spend time with your kids:

Obviously this is a given but I don’t just mean when they are little and need you but even when they grow up.  Hang out with them, talk to them.  Get to know their friends, their desires, their hopes and dreams.  I feel like a lot of parents think their kids don’t need them when they grow up and that’s just not true. I need them and they need me more than ever!!

Love yourself:

I mean really love yourself, stop torturing yourself for your mistakes. Own up to them, don’t hide them but don’t let them drag you down and cause you to hate yourself.  For a long time I was scared to tell my kids about the mistakes I made.  It was actually quite the opposite.  It’s made us closer than ever. No one is perfect and talking about regrets and coming clean with my family , my friends and myself has been the most freeing experience of my life to be honest. 

Stay young at heart:

I feel like this is so important.  Having energy and enthusiasm about life is important. I love learning about new trends, music and life in general. I find it interesting to see how the world has evolved and look forward to the future. Being stuck in the past will always hold you back and keep you from growing. True story, I joined Instagram to keep track of my kids, now I’m an “accidental influencer”😂

 Have faith:

This could mean religion or simply spirituality.  Being at peace, trying to be a good person, treating others and yourself well. Self care is something I ignored for many years. This was especially true when I was a young mom, never taking time to care for myself, always putting myself last.  This caused me to be unhappy, anxious and depressed.  One thing I’ve come to learn is that self care isn’t selfish. It’s a gift to yourself that will allow you to give more and live your life to the fullest and also to give yourself a renewed outlook on life

Just be yourself:

I think over the years I worried too much about whether people liked me or not.  I know everyone to a certain extent worries about this but it can really hold you back if you let it. I am still a sensitive person with a thin skin at times but just being myself, being civil to others is my goal. My judgement of others has been tested during Covid. I’ve made some mistakes for sure. Trying to understand why people are the way they are is exhausting and sometimes you just have to take a step back and sometimes you have to take a stand.

I’m sure I could probably go on and on but these are the things that come to mind. I feel I’ve grown as a person and hope to keep growing.

Thank you for reading ☺️

 I recently decided that this is something I wanted to post about.  I’m not an expert but I wanted to share some of my memories I’ve had over the years about how I feel my white privilege and my experience as I grew up sheltered and seemingly unaware of  a lot of the racial atrocities around me.  I grew up in a small town in western Canada, basically your white, Anglo Saxon community. I don’t remember any black kids in my school growing up at all. The town I lived in was near an Indian reservation and so there were a number of indigenous kids who attended my small school. For the most part it seemed they were part of the school community from what a could gather. I think this was largely in part because of a lovely teacher  who very much brought a sense of community and harmony to our small school. While she was not indigenous herself, she had built a special bond while teaching the children and working with the people of the Siksika Nation. She developed a strong understanding of their culture and language and learned how to speak the Blackfoot language. I believe this truly helped the indigenous students in our school from being alienated. However, all students benefited from this gifted teacher. She was eventually inducted into the Siksika Nation as an honorary member in June 2008 with the name of “Nitssiitapiakii” (Indian Woman) She was a brunette petite women of American heritage who wore her hair in braids and she was always adorned with traditional native beaded jewellery and hair adornments. She was a kind and musical lady who was very loved by students and the community at large. She always had premium plus crackers in her desk that she would share with everyone. She always had lots of fruit or an extra sandwich for anyone who didn’t have a lunch.  This generosity made it so no one had to feel ashamed of not having a lunch.   I also had an indigenous friend named Diana, she lived in town down the street so we played together often. She had a big brother named Ralph who everybody was afraid of. To this day I’m not even sure why. I can’t recall him ever being mean to me, but I suspect it was because he towered over everyone and looked much older than his age. I was too young to understand what was going on. I just blindly followed what I was told.   The kids that were in my class from the reservation definitely had sporadic attendance at school. Again, it didn’t really occur to me why that might be.   I remember as kid hearing rumours of the “Indians” as we called them stealing vanilla and Lysol spray from the local grocery store. Apparently they paired their vanilla and sprayed their potato chips with Lysol. It wasn’t unusual to see an intoxicated indigenous man stumbling down the Main Street.  I am not really sure why or how this started but it instantly made me afraid of them even though I truly never had a negative encounter with anyone.  I also remember one Saturday  morning my family awoke to a big native man sitting at out kitchen table. Our door was unlocked as we lived in a small town. He had made himself a coffee. I remember my mom freaking out and screaming at him to get out of our house. He was very calm, he stood up and said he was sorry, he thought he was in a friend’s house. He said he had mistaken our house for one nearby. Honestly at the time, we had no house numbers or street names in our small town so I believe it could have been an honest mistake.   As I grew older we eventually moved to a slightly larger town. Again, very few visible minorities.   In the early 80’s a large group of Vietnamese refugees came to our town.  I found them very intriguing. It was obvious to me at about age 10 that these kids definitely had superior education. Everything from their beautiful penmanship to their math skills was very obvious. They were also so humble and gracious. Despite the fact that they were refugees fleeing their country. It was never explained to us why they were here or what they had been through. It wasn’t something that was discussed.   It wasn’t until I was in junior high when I moved to a larger city that there were actually any black kids in my school. I became very good friends with a black girl. We met as we both shared a love of track and field. She was confident and athletic and popular. From what I remember I don’t recall any discrimination or racism. The only thing I do remember was that she had two brothers and a sister. She,  her mom and one of her brothers had very dark skin, yet her dad and her sister were very fair. I remember innocently asking her if they were white?  She wasn’t offended by my question she simply said, yes everyone just assumes they are white. Perhaps  she never let on any struggles with racism. I did notice that she would sometimes purposely play down her athletic ability . I suspect this was to avoid anyone from being jealous of her athletic ability.  As I grew up as a young adult in university and started my career, race had never really occurred to me.  I felt I was always surrounded with a multicultural mix of different people every day from many countries, speaking many languages, many skin tones. I’ve never witnessed a racial act of violence. Of course,  I  am not naive enough to think that racism doesn’t exist in Canada.  I understand that I’ve led a sheltered privileged white life never seeing or hearing about racial violence.  It’s almost as though I lived in this bubble. In junior high and high school we learned about atrocities such as the Holocaust, Japanese interment. I remember watching black and white documentaries in social studies and feeling physically sick at what I was watching. Interestingly enough in my schooling we never studied anything about the Black civil rights movement, the struggles with apartheid in South Africa.  I only learned of these things through  the news media only. The most shocking thing  that I’ve learned in the last few years is about Canadian indigenous residential schools.  Indian residential schools operated in Canada between the 1870s and the 1990s. The last Indian residential school closed in 1996. Children between the ages of 4-16 attended Indian residential school. It is estimated that over 150,000 Indian, Inuit, and Métis children attended Indian residential school. The school system was created for the purpose of removing Indigenous children from the influence of their own culture and assimilating them into the dominant Canadian culture, “to kill the Indian in the child.” Over the course of the system’s more than hundred-year existence, about 30 percent of Indigenous children (around 150,000) were placed in residential schools nationally. The number of school-related deaths remains unknown due to an incomplete historical record, though estimates range from 3,200 to upwards of 6,000.  Based on the time when this was occurring I myself was still in school and into my adulthood and I knew nothing about it.  I am required for my job to take courses about the Canadian indigenous in the last few years.  Watching and listening to documentaries has made me realize what has been going on for many years. All those years not understanding the struggle, that oppression, the blinders that were part of my white privilege. There is something fundamentally wrong that there is such a lack of knowledge, education, awareness about these issues.  I am almost 50 years old and I feel truly uninformed and uneducated in racial issues. However, I feel like it’s not too late to educate myself, to really try to at least know what has happened and what continues to happen but obviously not truly being able to understand what it’s been to experience racism. I quite frankly feel ashamed but I vow now and going forward to be aware, take action and spread the word and knowledge about systemic racism. It’s never too late to educate yourself. 

• Resources 

• https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/fall-2018/what-is-white-privilege-really 

• https://www.yesmagazine.org/social-justice/2017/07/24/10-examples-that-prove-white-privilege-exists-in-every-aspect-imaginable/
• http://www.aclrc.com/white-privilege
• https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/five-charts-that-show-what-systemic-racism-looks-like-in-canada-1.4970352

I’ve been meaning to do this blog post for a little while but up to now it’s been really painful. Today marks 10 days since I lost my Dad to cancer.  My Dad taught me a lot in his almost 83 years.  Was he perfect? Of course not. In fact there were many years where for various reasons we were estranged. Part of me longs for those missing years but I also know that maybe that distance was somehow in God’s plan.   I know it’s always easy to think of all the good things about someone when they pass.  It seems somewhat disrespectful to talk about what an ass someone was after they die. However that being said, yes my Dad was a jerk sometimes, aren’t we all after all? I choose to focus on the legacy he left with me. 

The things that resonate with me that my dad taught me were at the time not always lessons I wanted to learn or accept. In fact I sometimes downright resented him for it.  However I want to remember the important things he taught me and pass them on to my kids and share them with others. 

Education is important  

My Dad wasn’t an educated man. At best I think he had a high school education. Right out of high school he was lucky to secure a job at a bank and that is where he gained most of his experience in his career.  I think it taught him to deal with people. In his career he was a mayor of a small town, a real estate agent and a loans officer.  When he was a young adult, post secondary education wasn’t possible.  As a result,  I think that’s why he always wanted better for us,  he always encouraged my sisters and I to pursue an education. At the time I resented it.  I didn’t particularly enjoy my first few years of school but he gave all of us the ultimatum to work instead of going to university without his financial support.  I’ll be honest, at the time, I  thought this was unfair.  Now as a parent of young adults I totally get and agree with it.   My Dad always instilled a good work ethic. Even years after he retired he always kept himself busy with various ventures like real estate and house flipping.

Have a sense of humour and be a people person

My Dad has been described as having “larger than life” personality.  Did everyone like him? Probably not! Lol! He had pretty strong political opinions which I as a free-thinking teenager didn’t always agree with.  But,  he always spoke from his heart and what he felt was right.  He meant well and  he tried his best to be friendly and outgoing to everyone he met. This is something that I know I inherited from him and I’m grateful for it. My Dad could talk to anyone. I was truly touched by the letter that was written by a couple of nurses who cared for  him in his last few weeks before he passed away.  He was immensely proud of my sisters and I.  I was touched to see that he still had my university convocation program, newspaper  clippings from my sister’s swim meets and pictures from my eldest sister’s graduation. In the last few weeks of his life he was pretty cranky  but his true personality was still there despite the hardships he faced.  His nurses talked about his likeable personality and spirit and pride in his family.  His attitude when he was ill was downright admirable. I was in awe of his positive outlook. He knew so many people from his many business and personal relationships over the years. Everyone knows him and remembers him fondly.

Never miss an opportunity to tell someone you love them. 

My Dad was an affectionate person, he was never shy about telling someone how he felt. He was always ready to give a hug when needed. I always loved that about my Dad! ❤️

Forgiveness will set you free. 

My Dad wasn’t perfect and made mistakes like everyone. In his later years he spoke often about forgiveness. One thing that he helped me realize was that forgiveness isn’t only for the person you are forgiving but also to set yourself free.

Family is important

My Dad was raised very poor in the 1930’s and 1940’s with no running water and electricity until he was a teenager. On top of that, his father passed away when he was only 6 years old leaving behind 8 children including my Dad being the youngest son.  He loved and respected his mother and even though she passed away over 30 years ago. He spoke of my Grandma often. He shared her strong will and values. She came to Canada as an immigrant from the Ukraine as a young adult and raised her large family alone in tough economic times.  My Dad always tried to bring family together when he could. Family relationships can be complicated but it was something that he held dear to his heart. Even in the final few months of his life organized a family gathering to celebrate his life. He jokingly said he’d rather people see him alive than dead, that’s my Dad’s sense of humour for you 😉 

My Dad was a wise man whom I’ll miss very much. Thank you Dad for the things you taught me ❤️

RIP Dad! I love you now and always ❤️ XO

Spring is in the air!! 🌱🍃🌿 Well maybe not quite where I live but that doesn’t mean that I’m not ready to pull out pretty pastel colours and make some pretty Spring crafts 🌸🌿🌱🐰

I walked into the dollar tree and was drawn to the pretty pastel succulents I saw! I also am a big fan of the coloured speckled eggs and I couldn’t help but notice how beautifully everything coordinated!!

Heres what you’ll need:

-a galvanized container

-assorted faux succulents

-floral foam

-assorted coloured speckled eggs

-Spanish moss

-Metal die cut sign

-succulent stickers ( optional)

this is literally a no glue project.

1. place the floral foam in the container and spread the moss out and add the stickers to the front of the container

2. Stick the succulents into the floral foam and tuck in the eggs in around the succulents and place the die cut sign where you like and Voila! You have an adorable spring/Easter succulent display 🌿🌸🌱 Happy Spring ☀️🐰🌸

Happy New Year everyone! It’s been a few months since I posted something new on the blog. I was feeling inspired to make to make some cute valentine decor for my coffee bar. I by no means thought of this idea.  There are quite a few tutorials on YouTube.  I just had to try this myself and I am super happy with the results 💗🎂💗❤️

so far I’ve made a fake cake and a cute whipped topping for my Rae Dunn cup.
Here’s what you’ll need. Almost all the supplies are from the dollar store or Walmart

The important thing to remember is to use the lightweight Spackle as it’s the most similar consistency to frosting/icing.
the other thing is that any utensils, piping bags, knives, spoons, etc. can no longer be used for food once you’ve used them for you faux cake 🎂 

I also used a combination of real candy and beads and berries to decorate my cake

so all you really do is add some acrylic paint to the Spackle to get your desired colour. I then used a flat paint scraper I got at the dollar store to “ice” the cake. While the Spackle is still wet you can pipe on trim with another colour of Spackle using your piping bag.  I then pressed on some faux berries and sprinkled on some glitter and other candies on the top. You can press these on while it’s still wet. It dries pretty quickly.
I’m not terribly talented in the piping bag decorating but I think my cake has a cute “homemade” look 😆😊❤️🎂

For the whipped topping cup topper I traced the top of my cup and cut out a piece of cardboard. I then piped on some “faux whipped cream” Spackle and then sprinkled on some candy and glitter and pressed a paper straw that I cut off on the top. It dries in no time and it looks so cute!!💗🎂❤️🥰

That’s pretty much it! You can use all kinds of containers in different shapes and sizes to make different cakes 🎂 🍰🧁 to decorate your kitchen.   I got a kitchen aid mixer for Christmas so I may actually try to make a real cake 🤔 at some point but for now these are fun!
Happy crafting ❤️🎂❤️💗

I’ve been inspired lately with the beautiful & fancy pumpkins I’ve seen all over Instagram and Pinterest and my favourite shops like Winners. One day I was at my favourite thrift store and they announced on the loud speaker that all ladies tops were 50% off!  I wasn’t looking for clothing that day but my eyes were drawn to all of the pretty sequin and sparky fabric tops! My mind immediately thought pumpkins!! I was further inspired by all the lovely vintage brooches I saw near the checkout and all the sudden I had an idea!!

Here’s what you’ll need:

-vintage fabric or stretch knit sequin vintage sweaters or blouses

-vintage brooches or jewelry

-enbroidery floss

-assorted faux leaves or flowers

-glue gun & glue sticks

-gold paint

-stuffing (I used a big ball of thick yarn)

The nice thing about making these pumpkins is they are all unique and different and completely upcycled! I loved how pretty the vintage jewelry complimented the pretty fabrics!

To make:

My method is pretty easy, no sewing needed! I simply made a ball with my stuffing to the desired size, cut out a large square piece of fabric from my top. Stretch  knit fabrics work best as they can be pulled and shaped easily.  Place the ball or stuffing in the centre, gather it up and tie it all together at the top either using an elastic or embroidery thread. I then just got glued and tucked in and gathers. I then wrapped the embroidery floss around to create sections of the 🎃 pumpkin.

Now comes the fun part, I pinned on the vintage brooches and pins creating stems and placed faux leaves and flowers around the top to cover any raw edges!

I love how pretty and unique they are!  I hope you like them and see inspired to make some too!

happy crafting 🥰💜🍂🍁

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So I jumped on the Dollar Tree DIY bandwagon this weekend and made this adorable cotton tassel rug with 8 cotton bath mats and a couple of cotton mop heads and a glue gun!! I am beyond happy with how it turned out! These types of rugs can be expensive, this is a really inexpensive DIY   🙌🏻

In Canada where I live, everything at Dollar Tree is $1.25 each. Even with that this rug only cost $12.50 to make plus a pack of glue sticks!

Here’s what you’ll need

-8 cotton bath rugs(more or less depending how big you want your rug to be), this rug is approximately 4X6, give or take . The rugs I found had a pattern on the front and I preferred the plain rustic cotton side so I flipped them over.

-2 cotton mop heads

I only needed 2 mop heads and I had left overs to make 22 tassels

-glue gun and glue sticks

Making this rug is a snap. Basically all you do is hot glue the smaller rugs together with hot glue. The key is gluing the seams and pushing them together rather than overlapping them. You could sew these pieces together with a sewing machine  as well with a simple zig zag stitch.

I made the tassels from the cotton mop by trimming off 5 strands, folding them over, tie a loop at the top and then wrap a few times around. The tassels don’t have  to be perfect, they add to the rustic look. I flipped over the edge and glued part of the top to the back of the rug and voila!! I made 22 tassels and used 1 1/2 mop heads

I am so happy with how this rug looks in my space!! It’s farmhouse and a bit boho which I love!❤️

Thanks for reading and happy crafting ❤️