My Little Secrets

A DIY and Lifestyle Blog

Lifestyle :: Spring & Summer Gardening Plans

The month of May is the perfect time to get the gardening gloves out. I’ve never been much of a gardening expert and actually have struggled to keep my plants alive! With limited gardening knowledge and a small outdoor area, it’s always been a challenge incorporating gardening projects into our busy schedules.

Last Summer, I did manage to attempt a small gardening project and grew our own planter box herb garden on the third floor terrace of our townhouse and surprisingly, it did survive a couple of months! I loved having fresh herbs on hand, where I was able to combine them in our favourite food and drink recipes.

This year, I’ve got some lofty growing plans to not only improve the herb garden, but also beautify our terrace, entrance way, and indoor space with fresh potted and planted flowers. Though I’m slightly intimidated by these projects, I’m super thrilled that I’ve been asked to join the 2016 Scotts Gro Crew, where I’ll have direct access to gardening experts, advice and premium Scotts® Miracle-Gro products, such as Miracle-Gro Flower Magic and Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Potting Mix to assist me through my #IGrewIt Journey! I hope you’ll follow along as I’ll be sharing what I learn with you over the next few months!

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DIY Inspiration :: 5 DIY Crafts to Try in 2016

Whoa! So sorry I’ve been MIA for a week from the blog, it’s been a crazy start of the year – but crazy good! I’ve missed you all and so glad to be back up and running with streams of ideas flowing through my head. Every start of the year, I like to compile a list of DIY projects I hope to tackle and pick up a few more crafting skills along the way. More importantly, I want to be able to share my DIY journey with you and in 2016, I’d love to focus on a few more complex projects. As much as I enjoy a simple yet genius DIY (who doesn’t), I’ve been thirsting to develop some legit crafting expertise.

So today, I’m sharing 5 DIY Crafts to Try in 2016. A couple of these I’ve started to embark on and the others I have slated in for later months.

What DIY/crafting projects would you like to see me share this year?!

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DIY Inspiration :: Things to Do with your FUJIfilm Instax Photos {and a special invite}

With just over a month until Christmas, I’ve started to fill my Pinterest board with Christmas DIY ideas.  I especially love crafting during the holidays, especially with family and friends! My friends at Fujifilm Canada invited me to host a private DIY crafting party on Tuesday, November 24 in Toronto to see just about how creative we can get with our Instax photos. Naturally, I browsed through Pinterest for some inspiration and found a few favourites!

I’d love to invite one read and a friend to come join me, Fujifilm Canada, and Chapters Indigo at our private DIY Instax party tomorrow from 7 – 9 p.m. Simply leave me a comment below and I’ll pick a winner!

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DIY Inspiration :: Paint Projects with BEHR

I must admit, leading up to our wedding, planning occupied most of my time and I put several DIY projects on hold. Now that the wedding has been perfectly squared away, I’m totally ready to get back on track with the list of home decor projects on my list! I’m thrilled to share with you that I’ve been invited by BEHR to join an elite team of 18 other BEHR DIY Experts! What does this mean? Means I’ll be sharing monthly DIY paint projects, inspirations, and latest paint trends sure to get you geared up for your own paint and home renovation plans. Feel free to suggest some future paint projects for me, I’d love to work on a few that you’d like to see!

In the mean time, here is a glimpse of some BEHR paint projects I hope to work on! Read the full article →

DIY :: 10+ [FREE] Tools for DIY Graphic Design

Hello! I wanted to share some amazing [FREE] tools for creating your own DIY graphic designs today! Being able to create your own graphics isn’t only a skill needed as a blogger or a marketing expert anymore. From time to time, I’m sure you’ve wanted to create your own graphics whether it was for a party you’re planning or a presentation you’re conducting. Having some user friendly, high quality, and FREE tools handy, can only be benefit, right?

Photoshop is great when working with photos, but creating complex graphics do require some dedicated learning. I’m so pleased to share 10+ tools for creating your own graphic design. Read the full article →

DIY Inspiration :: Emotion Calendars

Hello! A super quick post today, but a good one! I came across these creative, adorable, and in MY mind, practical life and love calendars by Brigada Creativa. Funny how we keep track of all the important parties, meetings, and numerous to-dos but rarely pay attention to our emotional meters.

I love these life and love calendars. The “Love Life, Day by Day” calendar has 365 hearts for each day, each divided into 4 quadrants, representing: time together, conversation, caress-kisses and sex. Keep track of your heart wellness by filling in the portion daily – hopefully you’ll end up with more full hearts than none! The “How was your day?” calendar, equally as important, tracks your daily emotions by allowing you to fill in the blank happy faces: very good, good, ordinary, bad, or very bad.

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Home Decor :: Celebrate Outdoors {with IKEA}

IKEA released the most gorgeous “Celebrate” press kit this week and I absolutely have to share this. Summer is all about have a great time outdoors and IKEA has put together a gorgeous outdoor setting to inspire you. Whether you’re throwing a graduation party, a bridal shower, baby shower, or just a reason to get together with family and friends, this beautiful garden inspiration will give you a few ideas to DIY.

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DIY Inspiration :: Chalkboard/Blackboard Art

Happy Wednesday folks! A short and sweet post today, sharing a few Chalkboard/Blackboard art I’ve recently came across on Pinterest. I have been meaning to fill up the wall behind my entrance door with a piece of art. After looking at several options, I decided to go with a DIY built-in Chalkboard/Blackboard. I will be sharing my tutorial on how to create a magnificently easy version of your own at home. Literally less than 5 items to purchase. For now though, here are a few chalk drawings I’ll be using as inspiration for my wall art and also some different ways you can incorporate a chalkboard/blackboard into your home!

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DIY Inspiration :: Decorative Easter Eggs

It’s too bad I don’t have enough time this week to work on my own set of DIY Easter Eggs this year! I had about a gagillion ideas I wanted to put to use, but I guess I’ll have to set them aside again for next! I wanted to share some DIY decorative Easter egg inspiration with you from the party makers of Evite.

Decorating Easter eggs don’t have to only be a treat for the kiddies. Inviting a set of your girlfriend or fellow mommies over for a day of decorating before the Easter feast can be a great way to spend the holiday weekend.

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DIY inspiration :: Large Canvas Art

I’ve been looking for large canvas art to display on my empty walls. Truth be told, canvas art can be very expensive. Especially when you’re eyeing for original and unique pieces. I’m interested in something that is one-of-a-kind, hand painted and large enough to fill majority of a wall where my dining table is. I’m also to find a colour scheme that works in our space – but nothing too masculine or feminine. More importantly, something that conveys our personality and style.

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