Fall and Halloween

Funky Pilgrim Silhouette Vases for Thanksgiving

November 7, 2014 by Bre 16 Comments

Okay, you might think this project is weird. And that’s OK, because yeah, it’s kind of weird.

See, I know that Pilgrims are such an important part of Thanksgiving, but I find them kind of stodgy and boring. That’s why I decided to make these funky Pilgrim silhouette vases for Thanksgiving! My Pilgrim friends are now fashionable with a diamond necklace and a feathered cap! They’re ready to P-A-R-T-A-Y!
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DIY Light Up Halloween Porch Sign

October 8, 2014 by Bre 39 Comments

Hi, friends! I have such a fun post for you today! Remember back in August when some of my blogger friends and I teamed up for The Great Crate Challenge, and showed you how we each transformed a plan wooden crate from Michaels in totally different ways? Well, we’re at it again, but this time it’s with foam craft pumpkins as part of the Pick Your Pumpkin Challenge!

At the bottom of this post are links to everyone’s amazing projects, so make sure you check them out and find tons of inspiration on how to transform a plain craft pumpkin into something fantastic! Here’s a sneak peek!

For weeks I racked my brain, trying to come up with a new way to decorate a craft pumpkin, but unlike the other ladies who participated in this challenge, I just couldn’t think of something original. So I decided to keep mine plain, but to use it in a different way – on a sign! A LIGHT UP Halloween wood sign, to be exact! [Read more…] about DIY Light Up Halloween Porch Sign

Cozy Sweater Gift Jars

September 23, 2014 by Bre 14 Comments

I have never used a mason jar for anything in my life. Preserving, crafting, containing . . . nothing. Because mason jars are everywhere these days, I sort of feel like I should win some type of medal for that. Agree?

Being of German heritage (translation = I am stubborn), I declared that I would not break my mason-jar-free existence at any cost. But, I am also a lawyer, so I easily found a loophole in this declaration, and am now able to present to you these cute and cozy sweater gift jars that do not use mason jars, per se, but instead, plain glass jars from Dollar Tree.

Gotta love loopholes (when they work to your advantage at least).

Anyway, these jars were really fun to make and I know they’ll be really fun to give, too. You only need a few simple supplies, which is a total bonus.

SUPPLIES NEEDED: (Some of these are affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy here.)

Glass jars (I purchased mine at Dollar Tree)
Mod Podge Sheer Colors (I obviously used orange)
Old Sweater
Twine
Artificial Leaves

INSTRUCTIONS

First, following the instructions on the Mod Podge Sheer Colors container, I poured a generous amount of product into each of my jars. Then I swirled it around and coated the inside of each jar. Next, I turned each jar upside down and let the excess product drain from the jar. This took a long time – like hours. Once the excess product had finished draining, I turned the jars over to let them begin drying out. The Mod Podge product was still thick and opaque at this point. They sat overnight but still weren’t dry, so I used a blow dryer to speed up the process the next day. Once everything was totally dry, the Mod Podge became translucent instead of opaque.

Next, I took an old sweater and cut parts of the sleeves off. Then I put those sweater sleeves around the jars. Finally, I tied some twine around the sweater portion and added some artificial fall leaves to the twine. Pop some Pumpkin Spice Latte packets or candy in there and you’ve got a cute little gift for someone special! I’m handing my first one out tomorrow to thank a friend for helping me out with my daughter. I hope she loves it!

– Bre

Twigs and Berries Fall Door Decor

September 8, 2014 by Bre 36 Comments

Like it or not, fall is in the air.

I like it. A lot.

So it’s no surprise that I am thrilled to be getting my home ready for the new season. Last year I barely plunked a pumpkin on my porch because all of my fall decor was in storage during our basement remodeling project. This year will be totally different! My home will look like a scarecrow vomited copious amounts of harvest-themed decor all over it.

One item that I already added to my backdoor was this cute little guy I made with some twigs I lifted from my neighbor’s yard.

OK, they weren’t actually twigs – it was actually more like a tree limb that I took from my neighbor’s yard. (Trust me – I waited until I was sure nobody was around to see me dragging this thing into my house. I looked like a lunatic. Even my daughter asked what was wrong with me. Look at her face – you can tell she thinks I’m crazy.)

Once I sawed my tree limb into twigs of appropriate sizes, I got to work making my door decor.

I used the following supplies (please note that some of these are affiliate links. You can read my full disclosure policy here.)

First I hot glued my twigs together to form the letter I wanted. Then I wrapped the joints with twine to give some extra hold.

Next, I drew lines on my canvas so that I could paint stripes on it with my gold acrylic paint. You could obviously paint your canvas however you like.

When I filled in those lines, I loved how it looked! The gold was subtle but added a little interest to the plain canvas. Perfect.

Next, I hot glued a small artificial berry sprig to my letter, and tied some twine around the base. Then I hot glued the entire thing to the front of my canvas.

Finally, I cut two strips of fabric and hot glued them to the back of my canvas so that I would have a way to hang my letter decor.

So simple and so fun. I made this entire thing in just about an hour.

It is a perfect touch of fall for my back door.

If you have an unfortunate last name that begins with a curvy letter, you may not be able to do this project, or you may have to get super lucky and find some bendy twigs in the yard. I’ll cross my fingers for you.

– Bre