Cartwheels In My Mind

5 Minute Project

 

I love decorating for the holidays, but hate how bare everything looks once I take the decorations down.  My mantle was decorated with lots of Halloween goodies, but now that October is over and the decorations are put away, my mantle was looking extra bare.  I decided to use some things I already had and in 5 minutes had something to fill my mantle until the stockings are hung in December!

 

I had about 10 of small, artificial pumpkins that I usually put in a bowl on my kitchen island.  I  dug through my stash of sticker letters and chose black stickers in a not-too-fancy font.  I thought about spelling out thankful or something specifically for the Thanksgiving holiday, but decided Welcome would be more versatile and could stay up throughout the fall season.  I simply adhered the sticker letters to the pumpkins and then set them on my mantle.  I think I still need a leaf garland behind the pumpkins, but I love the simple look of my mantle for November before the busy season of Christmas arrives!

 

 

NOTE:  I thought about using rub on letters, but they wouldn't have worked well with the texture of the pumpkins.  I also plan to either spray over the letter stickers with a clear coat of spray paint or apply mod-podge to the surface so the letter stickers stay on while in storage until next fall.

 

A Little Bit of This...A Little Bit of That

 

 

There's just something about fall that makes me want to do lots of crafting and decorating.  Starting with fall, my home is decorated for each season or holiday through Christmas.  I start my decorating at the front door with a seasonal wreath to welcome friends and family and just add some seasonal cheer to the outside of our home.  Lately during my internet browsing I've noticed lots of fun, handmade wreaths and thought I'd share a few ideas that have inspired me. 

 

I love the simplicity of this twine wreath.  It looks great like it is...or would look great with some added embellishments.

 
 
source:  www.domestically-speaking.com

Who wouldn't feel welcome with this on your front door??  I love the bright orange and yellow contrasted by the black ribbon.

 

source:  www.womansday.com

 

Handmade yarn wreaths with felt flowers in GORGEOUS fall colors! 
source:  www.calebdanielle.blogspot.com

 

Love the texture of this twig wreath! 
source:  www.thepaintedhive.blogspot.com

 

I love colorful fall leaves, but I really like the feeling of this painted wreath.

 
source:  www.lessthanperfectlifeofbliss.blogspot.com

 

Who says wreaths have to be round?  This frame wreath just might be my favorite!

 
source:  www.highheelsandahammer.com

 

I can't wait to try a few of these wreaths and hang them from my own front door to welcome family and friends during fall!

 

Happy Everything.

This upcoming weekend we will be decorating the house for the two different parties we are hosting for Halloween. My son is having a pumpkin carving party with his friends and then we will have our annual pizza party with our neighbors and family before we all go out trick-or-treating together (or stay back on our front porch handing out candy and drinking hot apple cider).

With that in mind this edition of Happy Everything has a little something homemade to celebrate the holiday. Of course what else could it possibly be besides another version of a banner? 

This time a bunch of new Girl's Paperie paper became a long row of houses spelling out trick-or-treat...it's hanging on the big chalkboard we have in our living room...

The design is kept pretty simple since there are so many fun patterns.

Hope this helps inspire you to get crafty as we get close to a fun night of trick-or-treating.

Happy Halloween!

Mind On Metal: Trinket Pins Leaf Necklace

 

I have lots and lots of decorative pins that I rarely use for my crafty projects. When I do though, it's a miracle. You will most likely find them sticking out on my cork board or sitting in a clear jar, looking pretty.

 

Never did I think about using them as beads for my jewelry.

 

To keep with the fall theme, I picked out the leaf pins.

 

Use snippers or flush cutters to remove sharp end of pin, leaving just over 1/4 of an inch attached to the leaf.

 

Create a simple loop using round nose pliers. The stick pins have a coating on them, you'll notice them flaking off when making the loops...use steel wool to remove excess of coating, making sure not to scrap surface of the leaf.

 

Attach each one to a loop on the chain, making sure they are evenly spaced and wear throughout the fall season.

Tip: Because the simple loop has a slight opening at the bottom, leaves will easily fall off the chain. To prevent this from happening, wrap wire around bottom of simple loop twice. Snip off excess and use flat nose pliers to squeeze more firmly. This will create a wire wrapped loop and a more finished look without your creation falling apart.

Maya Road also carries these trinket pins in turquoise and brown, which would be fun to mix up the colors creating a cluster to dangle from your ears or hang around your wrist. Think that would be pretty.

 

Cheers :)

 

Photo Of The Day, October 7, 2010.

(c) amy covey

Fall means picking apples...and eating warm apple crisp!