5+ DOLLAR TREE DIY GIFT IDEAS

 It's that time for holiday gift-giving! Here are some holiday gift ideas that you can make on your own using inexpensive mostly items from Dollar Tree. Below are photos of each project. Scroll at the very bottom for the YouTube video.

DIY1: Wooden Box Sign 

Photo copyright: LifeAt50&Beyond

DIY2: Decorganizer

Using 2 Dollar Tree wooden cubes with drawers attached together and painted in Apple barrel Limeade green acrylic paint. 

Photo copyright: LifeAt50&Beyond

Use as a pen or pencil holder or...

Photo copyright: LifeAt50&Beyond

Use as a silk flower arrangement vase. The drawer can contain small items like paper clips, washis, erasers, or any small items.

DIY3: Recycled Jars with Candies

Here, I used two small empty jars used for jams. I cleaned them up to contain mini candy canes from Dollar Tree. 

Photo copyright: LifeAt50&Beyond

I used labels and chalk marker from Arteza.

DIY4: Edible Gifts

I used small lidded jars that I bought years ago from Michaels. Originally, they were $1.50 each but I got them on sale for 25 cents. I added assorted candies in holiday colors for a festive look. 

Photo copyright: LifeAt50&Beyond

I also used Dollar Tree labels and embellishments to decorate them.

DIY5: Wooden Coasters

Here, I used four pine wood slices from Arteza. I decorated each using Dollar Tree butterfly stickers. 

Photo copyright: LifeAt50&Beyond

They are perfect as gifts all year-round!

Watch my video to learn how to make each project! See you there!

Hugs ~ Josie 😘

Happy Spring!

Spring has sprung a week ago and, at least where I live, it's really in the air! To those of you who have been following me on my YouTube channel know that of all the four seasons, my favorite is Fall and my least favorite is Summer. My second and third favorites are Winter and Spring respectively. I love the sign of new life when the flowers are blooming and birds and insects busily hovering around to help with pollination during Spring, but I don't enjoy having to deal with my seasonal allergies when pollens are floating in the air.

Although Spring isn't my top favorite season of all, I love it for a couple of reasons-- my YouTube channel's anniversary and it's the time I refresh/revamp! I started my YouTube channel Spring of 2016, April 8 to be exact; I posted my very first video, which was an organization video, a month later, May 13 to be exact. Each year since then, I've analyzed how my channel had performed and then I use the time to brainstorm and plan what I need to do to keep my channel successful not only in terms of numbers of subscribers or total views but in terms of what my channel offer. I do a lot of DIYs, the majority are Dollar Tree organization and home decor hacks. Majority of the feedback I received is very positive.

As I am inching towards my 3rd year anniversary as a YouTuber, I thought I'd share some plans for my channel. I plan to upload videos weekly-- a minimum of one, an average of two, and a maximum of three. I might stretch to four or five, but that would be very very rare. Besides, I need to post more blogs, at least once a week. A month shouldn't go by without me blogging. I will stay active on my YouTube community posts and use the other social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest) to promote my channel and connect with you all. I am happy to say that so far I have been fulfilling these since the beginning of March this year as part of my New Year's resolutions.

I will keep on uploading Dollar Tree DIYs for home decor and organization but I will also upload trash-to-treasure themed videos. I will continue doing upcycle/recycle/repurpose videos. I have read a lot of positive comments whenever I did those. My channel has been gaining international subscribers so I would like to feature DIYs that anyone can do wherever they may be. That's why I plan to include upcycling and trash-to-treasure videos consistently on my channel. I'd like for my channel to stay relevant and be of inspiration to anyone, anywhere and not just cater to a select few.

Lastly, I plan to do home improvement videos to show our home renovation projects as we refresh and revamp our current home. In a year or so, we might move to a different city or town, not sure yet if we will stay in California or move to another State. We are not sure yet if we will sell our home or not. We plan to do simple home renovations, mostly cosmetic types so that, whether we put the home for sale or rent, we are ready!

As far as scheduling the uploads, I cannot promise a set schedule. The main reason is that my time revolves around my family, church, and full-time job. I just need to balance things out. As I have already mentioned, I will post videos on my YouTube channel one to three times a week!

Wish me luck as I bring you more worthwhile content on my YouTube channel. I am forever grateful for your love and support. Blessings and hugs~ Josie :)

I am Getting Back On Track with Blogging in 2019

Hi everyone. It seems blogging never really took off as I had planned back in 2017; and in 2018, I totally skipped it. Thankfully, whenever possible, I had added some links of my DIYs for your perusal (check the DIY Tutorials tab). Then, life happened! Funny, how it often interrupts plans. Yes, LIFE interrupts LIFE!  I was doing too many things on my own. I am often full of plans and, sometimes, not everything materializes, not because of lack of motivation, but due to lack of time and capacity! Last year, I decided to concentrate on making my YouTube channel stronger. In that process, I learned a lot! I really dug deeper into what my channel should be and what it should represent.

When I first started my YouTube channel back in April 2016, I was not planning on becoming a YouTuber, at least not as a content creator. I created my channel so that I can subscribe and create a playlist, and leave comments on the channels that I followed. Back then, it was my daughter who wanted to become a YouTuber. She created a gaming channel. But then, her own life happens. Studying pre-med and being a YouTuber was not an easy feat due to her numerous activities and volunteer work. She has managed to upload a few gaming videos and some vlogs until she couldn't do it no more. Then, I got curious. Since I paid for the rig she was using for her YouTube channel, I might as well not let it go to waste. I started creating contents with things that are near and dear to my heart.

I created the monicker LifeAt50&Beyond since I am already past my 50 but I did not want my age to define what I can or cannot do! It is somewhat of a testament that at 50, I can still do anything as long as I put my mind, heart, and soul into. I knew nothing about being a YouTuber. My daughter helped me get set up my channel and also taught me how to use the video editing software that she used for her channel. Soon, I was rocking and rolling.

For my first upload in May 2016, I decided to give a tour of my pantry that I had organized. Home organization is not only a passion but also a necessity. All the more since we have downsized when we moved to a town near my daughter's university. Then, I started doing haul videos, from things purchased at Target and Dollar Tree. I did not know how many YouTubers were into Dollar Tree and Target Dollar Spot (Bullseye's Playground) and then a big community of self-proclaimed Dollar Tree addicts. I created an Instagram account and learned to post there too. I expounded to doing journals and planners and DIYs. Until I made my first DIY organizers, I was just doing whatever came to mind. No planning, just having fun and meeting new people. But, then, my channel became my passion and it helps too that I can make money on the side. I thought this can be a good income generator and can prepare me for my retirement. I have something to do even after I retire from my full-time job!

I am really enjoying this newfound hobby/passion/livelihood. I am forever grateful to my daughter for thinking of becoming a YouTuber and taking a break from it. Without her, I wouldn't have been inspired to do so.

Now, I need to improve some more and get back on track with Blogging. I intend to blog at least once a week. I hope to inspire and help people with their organization and decorating dilemmas. People who love to create things on a budget. I'd like to have you all be part of this journey with me.

My Long Awaited First Blog!

For more than a couple of months now, I have been on Spring mode. I think that is a common thing for me around mid-January every year. It's perfect timing I guess since New Year's is when most people make their list of resolutions that often include cleaning, organizing, saving, etc. So, to ensure that I make good with my list, I act. I may not accomplish everything since I am by no means perfect, but at least I come close.

One of the things on my to-do list is getting my blog active. I need to BLOG! I am not going to lie, I created this blog to promote my YouTube channel - LifeAt50&Beyond. I figured, for every YouTube upload, I will have an accompanying blog. Easier said than done! Starting a YouTube channel with a full-time job, not to mention, a homebased baking business to co-run with my daughter, can be overwhelming. On top of those, I also created an Instagram account and Facebook page for my YouTube channel. And...just recently, I also created a Pinterest account for it! So, I had a lot of things going on that I had to prioritize.

I love to plan. If you visit my channel, some of my video uploads are about planning. So, I am putting my planning skills into action. Although I am several months behind on my first blog, I am determined to do it! First, I have a separate blog planner. I have been wanting one, and even assigned a couple of planners to do the trick, but my latest planner YouTube video-- converting my Recollections zippered binder planner into a travelers notebook- has gotten me into blog planning mode. Actually, I credit it for this first blog! After all, if I plan it, I have to stick to it right??? RIGHT!

Therefore, with zeal and unfazed determination...I finally wrote my first blog on this page. I hope who reads this will come back for more blog entries. I am going to take this one day at a time. Since I already have 186 videos uploaded on YouTube, I don't think I can blog about each one that I have already uploaded. So, what I will do is to blog something timely and correlate each video to it. Sounds fair? OK, wish me luck! Onto my next blog for my latest video coming right up!