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Inexpensive DIY Planter Ideas | Spray Paint Planters White

Summer is here and I have so many easy DIY projects planned before baby boy arrives in July! In the Spring, I planned to have a few cute white planters on our deck but quickly learned how expensive items are when you want them in a certain colour. So after toying around with some creative and inexpensive DIY planter ideas I found the solution in the aisles of Canadian Tire!

I found these brown planters on super clearance – but like I said, I really wanted bright white planters for my plants. I was not going to be able to create the ideal planter with traditional paint but knew how handy spray paint was.

When I think back, I wish I grabbed more of those cheap planters (similar ones here) because the planters turned out to be exactly what I wanted once I spray painted them white!

2 Easy Steps To Spray Painting Plastic Planters:

First, I washed them with water, since they went from the store to my house. If you are transforming old planters I would be more diligent in washing any dirt off.

Second, I used Rusto-leum’s Painter’s Touch in White I gave each planter two coats of the spray paint, and they were ready to go! I’ve used the Painter’s Touch spray paint for a few projects last year and liked that it dries fast and can adhere to lots of different surface materials.

Spray painting tip: remember to spray paint the inside of the planter – it doesn’t have to be covered entirely but enough that wherever the dirt stops it gives the effect that your planter’s inside is white too.

The shrubs I planted in the DIY white planters are from Costco – two different types of juniper and one cedar – they were around $15 each in the garden department. I love the bright contrast of the green and the white!

What DIY planter ideas do you have planned this year? Have you ever spray painted a planter before?

If you like this post, check out my How To Use Milk Paint On A Coffee Table or my DIY Shoe Organizer post before you go!

Make sure you pin this post on Pinterest so you can come back to it later!

Hannah, from the popular Canadian lifestyle blog Honey & Betts, shares how to DIY cheap, modern planters for outdoors. It's two easy steps using ugly dark brown old planters and a little spray paint! Check out her DIY planter ideas!

Hannah from the Canadian blog Honey & Betts shares her life.

Easy DIY Unicorn Party Backdrop

What a cool unicorn birthday we had for Annaliese and Abigail this weekend! It was filled with pizza, cake, juice boxes, balloons, streamers, glow sticks, a pinata, a borrowed bouncy castle, and a whole lot of unicorn decor. Like I said on my Instagram post – it was a 90’s birthday party on steriods. But I was most proud of my DIY unicorn party backdrop!

I went to the Great Canadian Dollar Store (I’m sure all dollar stores have streamers in the party section) and picked the colours of the rainbow for the unicorn party backdrop. And then in a couple steps completed the rainbow part:

Unroll tape to be 5 feet long (or as long as you want your unicorn party backdrop to be), and lay it down adhesive-side up.
Place the end of the red streamers (for the pattern of colours of the rainbow, red – orange – yellow – green – blue – purple) on the adhesive-side of the tape and unroll the length you want for the height of the backdrop to be and cut.
Then repeat step 3 for a total of 6 strands of red streamers.
Continue steps 3 and 4 for the rest of the rainbow’s colours.
Unroll a second piece of tape that matches the first, and place it on top of the streamers where the first piece of tape is. It helps strengthen it when you hang it on the wall.
Use additional tape or tacks to hang the unicorn party backdrop on the wall.
Trim the streamers ends to be the same length. And you’re done!

The balloon arch is another story! I’ll share tomorrow here.

If you like this post, check out my DIY Naked Cake post before you go!

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Best Beginner DIY Project: How To Use Rustoleum Milk Paint On A Coffee Table

I am a DIY nut these days, dreaming up new designs and projects to start in our new home – this month’s project? Repainting an old partisan table with classic white Rustoleum milk paint! It turned out to be a perfect addition to the sun room.

If this is your first time to my blog, Honey & Betts, welcome! I’m Hannah, you can find me at @honeyandbetts on Instagram + Facebook + Pinterest + Twitter. What you don’t know about me is that my husband and I raised 3 little girls in a 2 bedroom + 2 bathroom apartment in downtown Edmonton while he was finishing university. Once we was finished school we moved out to the suburbs of Edmonton and now live in St. Albert in a beautiful house we call home now (you can see our whole house in the post)! And now that I have a house to nest in I have gone to town in the DIY project department.

Our first project were these brilliant white wall mounted shoe organizers, it’s one of my most popular posts right now!

Once that project was finished I wanted to furnish and style our sun room – I inheritted two arm chairs from my great grandparents and knew we needed a similarly styled table but in white. Unfortunately, an antique coffee table in white is hard to come by… so I set myself up on Kijiji (it’s a Canadian Craigslist, but better in my opinion) and watched for unique wood tables that I could repaint.

It didn’t take long to find a table that I loved for a reasonable price! You can see in the first image of this post the dark stained appearance of the table when I picked it up.

I got to work right away sanding the dark finish away, and I mistakenly used too high of a sandpaper grit and it took me forever to do the whole thing! What a rookie mistake! I did not ask my husband for help, and once he realized the grit I was using he set me straight.

I had researched how to strip the stain from a DIY blogger I had never seen used, I used the exact grit she recommended and it bit me in the behind! Next time I will certainly cross reference my findings and ask my husband before I spend an entire day striping a dark wood table.

It was an embarrassing mistake that left many blisters on my hands!

So, that leaves us with what happened after the table was sanded, I wiped it with a tack cloth and mixed my white Rustoleum milk paint.

Here are a few things I learned from using the Rustoleum milk paint:

Preferably, use a paint brush. I used a paint roller and it applied it way thicker than it should have been. I’m happy with the results but it doesn’t look like true milk paint. Milk paint applies thin and requires many layers by brush to build an intricate colour. By using the roller it evenly applied it and comes off looking like chalk paint. Like I said, I’m happy but I read online (seriously, cross reference what you read online peopel!) you can successfully apply it with a roller. I am saying, don’t do that.

Let it sit for as long as possible. I believe the Rustoleum milk paint jar’s instructions read you need to let it sit for 15 minutes, if you can wait 30 minutes then wait the 30 minutes. I separately mixed the first and second paint coats, and saw better paint texture when I waited longer the first time (30 minutes) than the second time (15 minutes).

Protect it. I read over and over and over the differences between milk paint vs. chalk paint because I wanted to make the right decision for this DIY coffee table project. One of the biggest struggles was how to protect the surface once it was painted. Milk paint is fairly new on the main market, and mostly everyone (online) says use wax but I didn’t want the mess of wax. So I ended up using the Rustoleum Clear Ultra Matte Protective Topcoat For Chalked Paint. It mattifies and adds that extra level of protection to the high traffic surface of the coffee table.

Over all I am going to have to use Rustoleum’s milk paint again on our next DIY project, as I have some left over. It is packaged in a powder that you add water to, so it stores very nicely and applied odorless.

Hopefully on my next repainting project I can apply the lessons I learned from this coffee table!

Are you using Rustoleum’s milk paint on your next project?

If you like this post, check out my DIY Project section before you go!

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DIY Project | Front Entrance White Wall Mounted Shoe Organizer

How To Make A White Wall Mounted Shoe Organzier! The Best Solution For A Messy Front Entrance.

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In our new home we have a small entry way with no closet – cue the piles of shoes from the 5 of us. It was not a pretty sight! So I planned for our second wood DIY project to be a white wall mounted shoe organizer.

I had this large mirror waiting in storage and I knew I wanted it in our home’s entry way but did not know what we were going to do to organize the mess of shoes.

The front entrance gets beautiful, natural light all day long so I wanted to keep the look light and bright – I wanted something white and off the ground for storage. I may ask Matt to build a mini version of the wall mounted storage bins because it would be awesome for storing mittens, hats, scarves, etc for the girls to grab on the way outside.

We like to wing it when it comes to DIY projects, but I found exactly the design I wanted to use from the DIY blog Remodelholic and was so thankful that they had figured out all the supplies for us to follow along. Then I sent Matt on his way to buy wood, cut the wood, screw it together, and then I helped him paint it.

Our home is old, it’s from the 1960’s and the dry wall is fragile. Naturally we had to screw and anchor the DIY shoe organizer into the studs – this was a really interesting experience for us since our stud finder was on the fritz and was telling us the entire wall was a stud… so we had to go out and buy a new one that actually works.

We used 3 screws for each DIY organizer when putting it on the wall, 2 at the top and 1 through the middle of the bottom. We did it that way so we hit a stud with each screw, we did not want any accidents because our kids are not gentle or careful with things.

Then Matt was concerned that the warped wood and the screws showing would make the whole DIY project look bad, but I wasn’t because those are superficial things I could deal with. Once we painted it white I was really happy with the look and functionality!

We ended up painting the wood after we put it together with white exterior paint so that we would could wipe down the shoe organizer when it got dirty from shoes, because it’s inevitable that it will get dirty.

How do you like it? I am in love with no clutter and being super organized!

If you like this post, check out my DIY Project section before you go!

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DIY | Wallpapering A Desk | How To Make A Blogger-esque Work Space

How Wallpapering A Desk Will Transform Your Space

Woo! DIY project #1. We have had this cherry wood finish desk for 4 years in our home – and I have been wanting to refinish it since forever! The only problem? It is not solid wood making staining it impossible. So, why not wallpaper it?

This project took a total of 4 hours from start to finish. I will say it is a beginner DIY level, because let’s be honest I did completed it successfully. You will need:

Desk

Wallpaper

Clear Wallcovering Adhesive

Roller

Sandpaper

Wallpaper Smoother

Pasting Brush

Scissors

Ruler/Measuring Tape

Pencil

Clear Dry Erase Paint

Surface Sealer

Step One | Cut the wallpaper. I cut 2 pieces for the edges that were exactly the length of the desk’s front and back sides. Then I cut the two top pieces that wrap around the side’s sides (does that even make sense?).

Make sure when you are dealing with the top pieces that you keep in mind the wallpaper’s pattern. With my Brewster’s White Crocodile the pattern has to matched up perfectly when laid side by side or you would notice the clash of pattern consistency.

Step Two | Sandpaper the desk. Make sure to sand down not only the top but the sides, back, and front.

Step Three | It’s time to lay down some wallpaper! First, you will be applying the front and back pieces. Use the pasting brush to apply the wallpaper adhesive to the desk. Depending on what kind of wallpaper you are using, some require you to apply the adhesive to the wallpaper (and then booking the wallpaper) or some require it applied to the desk with no fuss.

The Brewster wallpaper I used required no fuss at all so I applied the wallpaper adhesive to the desk, applied the wallpaper where I wanted it, then took the wallpaper smoother and smoothed any air out.

The wallpaper took 1 hour to dry before I started the next step.

Step Four | I applied the surface sealer to harden, protect, and seal the wallpaper for future use of coffee cups, writing memos, and all that jazz. It took 1 hour to dry, and it dried to a matte finish.

Then I after the surface sealer I applied a layer of the Clear Dry Erase paint. It dried clear in 1 hour and now I have a perfectly usable dry erase desk top.

Things I have learned from the whole wallpaper experience:

Don’t use too much wallpaper adhesive. Less is more.

The sealer had a matte effect, something I didn’t realize but it didn’t ruin the project.

Now for the best part – creating your personalized work space! Whether it’s from your day planner to your coffee mugs to your tablet to your office supplies. The world is your oyster!

For my office space I chose the white dream desk set, white monitor riser, and white ballpoint pens from Poppin (now available at Staples), and it creates a bright base for my blogging needs. The dream desk set comes with letter trays, medium accessory tray, notebook, stapler, tape dispenser, pen cup, flexible silicone trays, mouse pad, and jumbo memos.

Combine my desk set with gold mugs, fresh bouquets, tasty doughnuts, and floral iPhone cases – and that’s my blogger work space.

Handcrafted Pikler Triangles in Edmonton | Pine Prairie Creations

This “Pikler Triangles in Edmonton” post is in partnership with Prairie Pine Creations. All opinions are 100% my own.

Pikler triangles in Edmonton winters are the newest trend for keeping toddlers and young kids active!

Prairie Pine Creations is an amazing local Edmonton & Area business – all their kid products are handcrafted by a journeyman carpenter with very high-quality hardwood.

Prairie Pine Creations welcomes custom orders, and have a variety of adorable paint colours to choose from! We opted for the natural wood finish, you will see in the photos below.

Looking to keep your toddler active and busy? Check out Hannah's review of the Edmonton pikler triangle, slide and scaffolding, and extra large arch for 1-6 year olds. Pine & Prairie Creations make well-made, affordable climbing structures.

Extra Large Pikler Triangle & Ramp From Prairie Pine Creations

Pikler triangles are an investment! I wanted the best pikler triangle in Edmonton because it was going to be put to the test (physically) with my kids! My youngest, an energetic 18 month old boy, is my most active child yet. He zips from one end of the house to the other, and is always curiously investigating things I’ve tried to baby proof.

Since Edmonton, Alberta is nowhere near opening local play places or indoor jungle gyms or drop-in toddler gymnastic classes – when I did research into at-home alternatives finding a locally made pikler triangle was at the top of my list.

Prairie Pine was my first choice, because I have been watching their business announcement and product releases for months before I ordered (make sure you follow them on Instagram and Facebook)!

I’m so happy with our climbing set, my 4 kids (1-7 years old) love the extra large pikler triangle, extra large climbing arch, and ladder/ramp slide we purchased!

Prairie Pine Creations wood products include:

Pikler Triangles – original, large, and extra large size options
Climbing Arches/Rockers – original, and extra large size options
Ladder/Ramp Slides – original, and extra large size options
Rock climbing ramp/slides – original, and extra large size options
Toddler Learning Tower – single, and double width size options

Considering how rough and tumble my two toddlers play, the Prairie Pine Creations pikler triangle has stood up to their antics!

If you enjoyed this Pikler Triangles in Edmonton post, I’d be very grateful if you’d help it spread by emailing it to a friend, or sharing it on Pinterest or Facebook. Thank you!

If you enjoyed reading, you might also enjoy this post about Easy DIY Rainbow Rice Sensory Activity!

Coming up next is a blog post about why big kids love pikler triangles too! Make sure you subscribe to this awesome email list to be the first to read!

Looking for a pikler triangle and scaffolding slide in Edmonton? Hannah, from the popular Edmonton motherhood blog at Honey & Betts, shares the well-made Prairie & Pine Creations climbing structures. Check out her review!

Extra Large Climbing Arch From Prairie Pine Creations

Hannah is a Canadian Mom Blogger from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada who shares her life around motherhood to 4 kids, on-the-go beauty for moms, healthy and delicious recipes, bohemian home decor, family travel, and local Edmonton businesses.

How To Make Family Videos On Your Phone!

I treasure the family videos from my childhood – but that was the 1990’s when everyone had a handheld video camera. I tried toting around my DSLR camera to capture videos of my kids but it wasn’t practical, the process of uploading the videos to my computer or phone was too much. There had to be an easier way how to make family videos on your phone!

That’s when I started capturing small video clips on my iPhone of my babies, toddlers, and big kids. It became effortless to make simple candid family videos with these simple step below.

Looking for how to make family videos of your kids on your phone? Check out Hannah, from the popular Canadian mom blog Honey & Betts, is sharing her easy steps from taking small video clips of your kids, combining them into a larger video, and burning that onto a DVD. Check it out!

The items you need to make family videos are:

Smart phone

Video editing app – I use iMovie app on iOS

Laptop

Portable DVD burner

DVD discs

DVD protective case

Sharpie marker

Here are my 8 steps to making quality family home videos on your phone:

Take 30 second to 1 minute clips throughout the year of special events and everyday moments with your kids and family on your phone while in landscape mode (holding your phone horizontal).
Save all of the videos clips for 6 month increments, then add the short video clips into your video editing app, I use iMovie.
Rearrange the video clips in chronological order in the video editing app.
Adjust the transition edits between the videos to your preference, I prefer the clean cut, no transition option between my video clips.
Save the video to your phone, then AirDrop the large combined video to your laptop (AirDrop is applicable for Apple products, utilize email between phone and computer otherwise).
Plug your external DVD burner into the USB port of your computer. The appropriate program should pop up on your computer when the DVD burner is attached to your computer.
Select the large video files you want to burn onto the blank DVD disc. If it rejects your file, it’s too long of a video, and you will need more than 1 blank DVD. You can split up your large video into 2 videos in the editing app to accommodate the space available on each DVD.
Voila! Label your DVDs and keep them in a DVD case for watching together as a family.

If you have questions on the process and always reach out in the comments or find me on Instagram to message me! I hope this helps you record candid moments with your family that you can enjoy in years to come.

Do you already capture family videos? Do you prefer family videos or family photos?

If you like this post, check out my How To Edit Your Photos Like A Blogger post before you go!

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Round Up Of 10 Exciting Back To School Cricut Projects

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Cricut. All opinions are 100% mine.

Welcome back to school, families! Whether you are distance learning, homeschooling or back in the classroom there are always opportunities to customize school items with Cricut machines and the Cricut Design Space app. Below I have linked 10 fun, exciting back to school Cricut projects!

I still love my Cricut Explore Air 2, Cricut EasyPress 2, and Cricut EasyPress Mini! They make customizing and making at-home projects so much easier. Especially for a crafting beginner like myself, I have so many ideas but do not know where to start, and the Cricut machines are very user friendly.

I can’t wait to tackle more of these adorable Cricut projects! I made my children’s teachers Britni’s teacher gift idea and it was a huge success – especially since we don’t know the future of the school year and I wanted to let our teachers know how much we appreciate them.

These Cricut back to school projects are simple to do with your Cricut machine, from Cricut Explore Air 2 to Cricut Maker to Cricut Joy! Be sure to check each tutorials supplies list to make sure the design is compatible with your Cricut machine.

10 personalized exciting back to school cricut projects:

1. Personalized Masks and Headphones With Kathy

Cricut Made Personalized Masks and Headphones

Make it fun for kids to wear their face masks with this cute design from Kathy!

Check out this recipe

2. DIY Personalized Pencil And School Supply Bags With Angela

DIY Personalized Pencil and School Supply Bags

Organization is key! Keep your writing utensils and school supplies neat with this easy design with Angela.

Check out this recipe

3. Metallic Backpack Dots and Retro Graduation T-Shirts With Hannah

Easy Personalized Back To School Cricut Ideas For Kids

Create cool retro future graduation t-shirts for your kids to make throwback photos of when they graduate! And add modern metallic dots to any backpack to personalize it.

Check out this recipe

Looking for cute back to school Cricut ideas for students? Hannah, from the popular Canadian lifestyle blog Honey & Bett, shares her two easy personalized back to school projects using Cricut! From retro graduating kindergarten shirts to customized modern backpack decals to upcycle any plain backpack. Using the Cricut Explore Air 2 and Cricut EasyPress Mini! Check it out!

4. Bright, Fun School Folders With Erin

Personalized Back to School Folders with the Cricut Joy

Make these modern and fun Personalized Back to School Folders with the Cricut Joy to keep your school supplies organized.

Check out this recipe

5. Personalized Face Mask and Hand Sanitizer Label With Sonja

Personalize Back-to-School Essentials with Cricut!

Get ready for this year’s unusual Back To School with the help of Cricut. See how we made masks, pouches and personalized everything using the Cricut Maker.

Check out this recipe

6. Back To School Teacher’s Gift With Britni

Easy Back to School Teacher Gifts

Make a teacher’s first day back to school great with these easy back to school teacher gifts! Make in minutes with items you have at home!

Check out this recipe

7. Personalized Kid’s Face Mask and Essentials Bag With Mariah

DIY Face Masks and Essentials Bag with Cricut Joy

Make sure you never forget your mask and hand sanitizer again keep them handy in this cute essentials bag. Learn how to personalize your own DIY Face Masks and Essentials Bag with Cricut Joy.

Check out this recipe

8. Personalized Back To School Teacher’s Gifts With Sarah and Jessica

Personalized Teacher Gifts

Spoil your teachers with personalized teacher gifts they will LOVE. Add their name and some cute details to their classroom supplies with Cricut vinyl.

Check out this recipe