Autumn Lights (DIY)

  Let's bring some autumn hue inside.  It's easier than you think with a few items from your local dollar store you can whip these up and place several throughout the house by the end of the week.

  For this project you need:

   - a glass jar I picked one with a hinge
   - a bottle of Modge Podge
   - a package of leaves
   - a package of battery powered lights.

  For about $4 you get all this but, actually 2 lights and that whole package of leaves is a bonus to complete other projects or use as scatter decorations!

    Take your jar and paint the Modge Podge glue onto the leaves in whatever pattern you desire.  All for a day or two to dry and add another layer of glue and/or leaves.

  I used the variety of colors in my leaf bag to include red, orange and green.

Place your light inside.  Turn it on!

  I like these types of lights as they are best for small children and there will not be any fires.  An easy little switch on the bottom to shut it on and off.

I present you an autumn hue!  I glued a few leaves on the lid too but, you could skip that part if you like.

Go ahead and grab a couple bucks and make yourself a light.  

#Nablopomo

 

Crayon Candles (diy)

  I have posted my box of crayons before.  I can't recall when it started obviously it didn't happen overnight but let me stand back and admire this box of crayons with endless possibilities.

  Thanks to Google and Pinterest we have the ability to type in a project and be provided with images and directions on how and what go make with anything.  Enter my idea to make crayon candles.

  This is an easy craft for you to make.  As you can see from my box of crayons there are a variety of brands in there.  I can not comment on which brand worked better or which didn't.  In my box are name brand crayons as well as generic crayons and those crayons you get from restaurants (I may be a hoarder).  So with that last statement I just said if you want to make one of these you can collect from the restaurants or just buy a few boxes.

  For this project you need crayons, a twine and glass jar.  Choose your crayon color combinations.  I planned on doing a wave of colors so I choose a few colors versus a solid color.

Of course you need to peel them and choose your pattern if your using more then one color.

This is a good easy step for little fingers if they want to help you!

I used a empty clean soup can to melt the crayons.  Reuse at its finest.   Fill a pot with water and bring it to a boil.  Add your crayons to the can.  I  melted my lighter colors first.  You see I'm using tongs to grab the HOT can and then I poured it into the glass jar after it was thoroughly melted.

I used twine that after much research was comfortable with this choice versus buying anything in particular.  You need to prepare the twine wick prior to use.  To prepare the wick you need to coat it several times with wax.  Dip it in wax, let it dry and redip.   

You will need to secure the wick to the bottom of the jar.  I added the wax slowly and held the wick in place until the wax dried.  There are different ways to use this including attaching the top to a chopstick and dangling the wick to the bottom.

After your wick is set continue adding your other wax colors.  You can see my jar was small and I only used 4 crayons per color.

It looks like a candle, works like a candle and in all senses it is a candle.  This is a super easy project to make.  A great personal gift to make for the holidays.  Pick up some glass jars at the thrift store, dollar store or reuse old baby food jars or items you may have on hand.  Make them one color or mix them up.  

I had fun making this project and look forward to making a couple more in different ways and shapes.

#nablopomo 

A Boo Craft

  Time on my hands and a desire to craft and make decorations for Halloween had me whip up a ghost.

  First up is another dollar store craft.  It started with a small plastic gourd.

  Paint the gourd white

 and apply your face.

I used a sharpie but any marker should work as long as you wait for the paint to dry.

  I thought he needed some flair so I tore up some toilet paper and glued it around the bottom of him.  I tried a coffee filter first which didn't look that bad uncut it gave the appearance of a ballet dancer.  Tissue paper or hek if you paint your ghost grey, newspapers would look neat.

  I have thought of many possibilities for him.  He could have holes drilled in him and make a neat banner, float them off your overhead lights over your table or you could even hang him outside cautiously.

  This is a neat and fast way to make a unique ghost.  Another dollar store craft to save some money and decorate for Halloween.

Boo.

Wipe Your Feet Here (DIY doormat)

Today I was feeling extra motivated and completed a few crafts and this DIY mat.  I love looking at DIY projects but they are not all created equal. I promise you this one is pretty easy and cheap!

I picked up everything from dollartree. This doormat cost me $4.  I do not sew hek maybe I can't sew so this mat is glued together.  So technically if you did sew it would be even less.

Gather your supplies.

     

Choose your mat.  I picked one without ridges so the leaf would adhere to it easier.

        

  In my store there were only two patterns to choose from.  Leaf it is which is fine for the whole fall season.

                    

  Next like I said I do not sew so I needed some strong adhesive.  I already knew how I was going to use the mat so consider that when you decided what you need.  I used glue dots and a sticky all purpose sticky glue.  The glue is sold in a 3 pack along with the glue dots in the craft section.

  I applied glue dots sporadically along the perimeter of the leaf.

  I then used the glue along the whole outline of the leaf.

I thought of placement prior to the glue application.  Did in want it off center, diagonal or in the center.  Since I was not adding anything else to it including words I just placed it in the middle.

  This is a very thin door mat.  It could be used outside or inside but this is not weather resistant.  I'm not sure it would even be vacuum resistant.   It would be great in the kitchen as long as you don't need the extra support.  Place it in front of a fireplace or bookshelf. I have actually put mine in front of my child's door.

  I am very pleased with the appearance.  That I didn't have to sew it and it looks nice.  At this point I am wondering how many rugs do I need.  These will be easy to put in storage on the off seasons so why not a few more.