DIY glitter & studs candle votives! (And how to get the glitter to stay in place!)

I'm getting ready to head back to college soon and I wanted some pretty things to put on my window sill-I saw a couple of ideas for candle holders on Pinterest and I thought they would be perfect!

I bought little battery operated tea lights from Walmart for $2.50 for a pack of 6, and they fit perfectly in the votives I found in the candle section for $0.74 each!

HINTS & TIPS
-Wash each votive out before you do anything with it. You want to get the Walmart germs out.
-I used tacky glue, but mod podge is probably the better choice.
-Wait overnight for the glue to dry. Trust me.
-If you don't plan to light anything on fire with these, spray them with a bit of hairspray to keep the glitter in place.

"Moroccan-inspired" votive and full glitter votive


"Moroccan Inspired"
This is my favorite of the bunch! I wanted to do something different so I whipped out a nail art kit I had from Forever21 that was all studs to put on it. Here's how to make it:

-You'll need lots of small round studs and four accent ones.
-Paint a small strip of clear nail polish where you want to place the small studs and quickly place them down. It's time consuming, but doing it this way ensures the studs will actually stick.
-Mark out four areas on the glass to put the accent studs. You can do more, but four is a good number.
-Continue working in small increments around the glass. I was able to use a regular dotting tool, and I first dipped it slightly into the clear polish to make it sticky, and then I picked up the stud and placed it on the glass.

"Full glitter"
Be warned-this makes a mess!

-Work in sections-paint a stripe of glue with a foam brush and then quickly coat it in the glitter. Try to get an even application with the glitter so there's no spots.
-When you're finished and the glue has dried overnight, go outside and spray the whole votive with hairspray. DO NOT DO THIS IF YOU PLAN TO PUT A REAL FIRE TEALIGHT IN IT. Hairspray is flammable and could catch on fire if you actually light a tea light inside. Spraying it with hairspray ensures the glitter will stay in place and not drop all over your carpet, but only do it if you plan to use battery candles inside.


"Striped" votive & candle

To make the striped votive you can do one of two methods:

Use double sided tape to create crisp lines and then pour the glitter on

...or if you're lazy/cheap like me, use the same tacky glue to create a semi-straight line, call it good, and pour the glitter one one row at a time. Click here to see the other version of this project & how it's done.

The candle is also really easy. I don't plan to light it so I grabbed a cheap $1 column candle from Walmart. All you have to do is put masking tape wherever you want the stripe to start on the candle, cover it with tacky glue from there on down, and cover with glitter.

When you remove the tape when it dries, do it slowly because the glitter might want to remove with it!

I'd love to know what you think of today's DIY! Don't forget to pin if you like or share on Twitter or Facebook!

How to shop for a dorm room on a budget!

Dorm room shopping can get out of hand-and out of your wallet-quickly if you don't keep a tight handle on what you need & how much it is. For the coming school year, I've set myself a strict budget of $200 & I'll show you how I do it & where I shop to get maximum savings!

First step-make a budget
I use Excel to map out a budget-I write a list of everything I need, and what the approximate price is going to be. Then I add it up at the bottom using AutoSum so when I actually buy things, I can enter their price and the sum will change to accommodate it.

Second step-do some price comparisons
Yes, that comforter from Target may be really cute, but you may be able to find something similar for a cheaper price at another store. For example, the trashcan with a lid that I was going to buy for my bathroom would have been $11.97 at Walmart, but I waited to go to Five Below where I found a smaller one for $5.

Third step-shop clearance aisles
You never know what kind of a good deal you'll find in the clearance pile! I've picked up many a notebook or pack of pens on clearance for less than a dollar.

Fourth step-use coupons
No, I don't mean clip them out (unless you need food & cleaning supplies) because you won't find coupons in the Sunday paper for the general merchandise you need in a dorm room. Instead, here's my number one saving tip-sign up for store emails/coupon programs. These are my most used:

-Bed Bath & Beyond-if you sign up for emails, they'll give you a 20% off one item coupon! Total score if you need to buy a fan, ottoman, chair, etc.
-Meijer-if you sign up for mPerks, they occasionally have coupons for 15% off a general merchandise product. A little goes a long way if you have to buy a microwave!
-Ulta-they'll often have coupons for "$3.50 off a $10 purchase" or $20% off an item" on their homepage, which you can use to stock up on shampoo, makeup remover, cotton balls, etc.
-Target-once the dorm room stock hits the shelves, Target has online coupons that they'll often use to post savings on lamps, comforter sets, etc.

Fifth step-stick to your budget
It's really easy to justify an extra $5 poster, but when you do that three or four times, your balance adds up. Print out your budget & take it with you to remind you to only buy things you've allotted for!

Here's a list of the stores that I mainly shop at for good deals:
Five Below
Dollar General
Walmart (online there's fantastic deals on appliances)
Amazon (do bulk orders of $25 or over so you can get free shipping!)

So what do you think? What are your tips for budget shopping? Share them in the comments!

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