I'm starting to gear up for some pretty intense holiday crafting. Well, intense for me, at least. I've decided that starting the first week of November and moving forward until Christmas, I'm going to complete at least one project a week. I love decorating for Christmas and giving gifts, but it can all get pricey really quickly, especially when there's extra cooking and party dress shopping, and donation-giving to be done as well. Also, I feel like if I buy all my decorations then my house won't feel original, and we can't have that.
So this year I'm going to get my craft on. I'm going to give some homemade gifts (especially where dirty santa events are concerned), deck the Yopp halls, crank some Christmas carols, and document it all for you.
I've got a few ideas in mind already (we're talking wreaths, ornaments and a lot of fun with terra cotta pots)but I need more. Are there any crafts you've been itching to try, but you're not sure if they are doable in real life? Do you really want a new snowman or santa decoration but you just don't know where to get it or how to make it? Let me know and I'll do my best to help you out!
Friday, October 19, 2012
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Friday, October 12, 2012
DIY: Burlap Bubble Wreath
Like just about every other blogger out there, I've been looking forward to fall since about the first day of winter last year. I love everything about fall. I love the colors and the smells and the clothes and the flavors and the weather. While some people put out their pumpkins and scarecrows on September 1, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. It's October now and it's still summer-hot. But since it's October now, I decided that I should probably get moving on my fall wreath. And nothing says fall quite like a big, fluffy wreath made of burlap!
Burlap Bubble Wreath
What You'll Need
Burlap. I had some leftover burlap at home, but I figured there wouldn't be enough, so I picked up more. But I didn't learn until I was 1/4 of my way around the wreath that the two burlaps didn't match. So learn from my mistake.
12 inch foam wreath form
Good, sharp scissors
Corsage pins
Felt or flowers
Buttons
Hot glue gun
What You'll Do
1. Wrap your wreath form in burlap and hold the ends in place with corsage pins. It doesn't have to be perfect because it's going to be covered up, but it's nice that you won't have to worry about green peeking out the sides. The front will look like this:
And the back will look like this:
Like I said, not perfect.
2. Cut your burlap into 4x4 inch squares. But you know what? No one is going to come along and inspect it, so if you cut a little crooked or your square is 5 inches instead of 4, it's totally okay. Really. I'd recommend making a few at a time so that you don't waste any of your burlap.
3. Now it's time to make some puffs! Fold the square in half to form a triangle.
Then pull the other two corners down with the ones that are already pinched together.
In that picture the 4th corner is still loose, so make sure you pull that one in too.
4. Using your corsage pins, attach the bubble to your wreath.
5. Now keep going until you've covered that sucker! Don't worry about which directions your puffs are going. I used the multiple choice test formula. You know when you took a multiple choice test and stumbled across that one question whose answer completely stumped you? And you picked the letter that you hadn't chosen in a while? Do that. Pin down your puffs in whatever direction you haven't pinned them in a while. Keep on keeping on, making the front of your wreath as burlap-bubbly as you see fit.
You can cut off any runaway threads as you see fit, but I decided to keep them.
6. Now it's time for some flowers! I made mine using this tutorial. And frankly, she explains it better than I can. I made a fringed flower, a looped flower, and two rosettes.
Instead of securing the felt flowers with an embroidery needle, I used hot glue. Not because I decided that was the smarter way to do it (I burned my fingers...several times), but because I didn't have an embroidery needle. I put a button in the middle of my fringed flower. Well, two buttons, actually.
If you don't want to make flowers, feel free to use artificial flowers. Or heck, leave it blank if you're a minimalist!
7. Lay the flowers on the wreath until you figure out how you like them best, then glue them down. You can also attach a ribbon or twine or something along those lines so you can hang your wreath. I just hooked mine on my wreath hook, but Paul suggested adding an orange ribbon, so I'll probably end up doing an orange grosgrain ribbon for hanging.
Looking back, I probably should have used a brighter color for the fringe flower, since it's so big, but overall I really love the way my wreath turned out.
Do you have any crafting projects planned for this fall?
Thursday, October 11, 2012
A Little Organization
Everyone who has been to my house could agree on one thing, and that is that my bathroom is tiny. And there's only one of them. That means that with two adults using it, there's very little storage room to go around. I shudder to think about what it will be like one day when we expand our family and there is even less room to go around. We don't have the luxury of being able to keep things behind closed cabinet doors. I have two drawers under the sink that were overflowing with makeup, hair accessories...you understand. Something had to be done.
Then today I was wandering around the One Dollar Spot at Target when I noticed little galvanized buckets with a ribbon handle. I said to myself, "Those are cute and $1. But I'm not sure what I'd do with them. But I'd practically be losing money if I didn't buy them." So I tossed them in my cart and went on my way, eventually picking up bobby pins and hair clips for my new favorite hairdo, the sock bun.
When I got home I was putting everything away and new exactly what I would do with my little buckets. So I cleared the only shelf in my bathroom, filled one bucket with bobby pins, one with clips, and one with hair ties, and put them on the shelf.
(Yes, that's a bathroom reader, Judgey McJudgerson.)
It doesn't look so different in these pictures, but the difference feels drastic to me. I like the look of the buckets and it's going to be so much easier for me to use all these items without having to dig for them through drawers.
Have you stumbled across any treasures at the Target's Dollar Spot lately?
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Why I Love Tuesday Nights
Fall tv is back, y'all!
Are you watching "The Mindy Project?" Because you should be. It comes on Tuesday on Fox, and you won’t even have to change the channel since it comes on right after "New Girl," and clearly you’re already watching that. Or at least you should be! "The Mindy Project" was created by and stars Mindy Kaling, so obiviously it’s wonderful. Mindy plays a doctor (a gynecologist to be exact) who loves romantic comedies. The show focuses on her and her coworkers and her dating... adventures, for lack of a better word.
Mindy: “I fell asleep watching Amelie, and when I woke up I had spilled so much red wine on myself I thought I’d been stabbed."
Shawna the receptionist, hungover: “If you need anything I’ll be answering phones under a damp washcloth.”
Betsy: “Whoa, Dr. Castelano, you look handsome like a youth minister!”
Bartender: “Vodka tonic, bourbon rocks, and red wine with ice.”
Mindy: “What? They didn’t have sangria!”
Mindy: “Hey Danny, how come you’re not dancing?”
Dr. Castelano: “I don’t really like this music.”
Mindy: “Do you want me to ask them to play some Doobie Brothers?”
Also, there was a pretty solid Harry Potter reference.
"New Girl" is still my favorite (seriously Jess and Nick, just get married already!), but "The Mindy Project" is running a close second.
Seriously, do yourself a favor and check it out!
Also, I'm guest posting on Standpipe & Sprinkles today so you should head on over there and check it out. And while you're at it, become a follower! Kat regularly updates about what life is like for the family of an oil field worker. And she posts a lot of photos of her pretty stylish toddler which are sure to put a smile on your face.
Also, I'm guest posting on Standpipe & Sprinkles today so you should head on over there and check it out. And while you're at it, become a follower! Kat regularly updates about what life is like for the family of an oil field worker. And she posts a lot of photos of her pretty stylish toddler which are sure to put a smile on your face.
Monday, October 8, 2012
How to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse
Paul and I have been watching The Walking Dead on Netflix lately, and tonight he started shouting zombie survival advice at the tv. His advice certainly won't help any of the characters, but maybe it could help you! So I present to you...
Paul's Zombie Survival Tips
Paul's Zombie Survival Tips
- Keep your mouth closed. Because you don't want their zombie blood to spurt in your mouth and infect you.
- When you're hiding from the zombies and they stagger away, wait 10 minutes before you come out from your hiding spot.
- Don't shoot them. If you shoot them, more zombies will come. You have to kill them quietly.
- When someone is chasing zombies away from you, stay in your hiding spot.
- The Jeep Wagoneer is the worst car to have because it only gets 9 mpg. This is the situation where you would want a Prius. The only situation.
- Silencers. I'd elaborate, but that's all I got.
- Find a place to bathe. He didn't point this out tonight, but if you remember his proclamation from our Natural Bridge trip, you know this is important to him.
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