Fall Decoration 101

Ok, maybe not fall decoration as a quick easy sweater pumpkin.

I like quick and easy, as much as I like cheap and this has all three!

Boooyah!!!

Ok, Dollartree carvable pumpkin.  No big thrill just kind of there and orange.

Now the easy and fun part, hit Goodwill or thrift store for very cheap sweater.  I got mine for 1.29 and I kinda like that it has stripes.  I was greatly inspired by this blogger.   Her's are very awesome and classy.

You're only going to use the sleeves for your naked pumpkin.

So you cut out the stump nubbin and keep it or throw it. 

Shove your pumpkin in the sleeve of your cheap sweater. 

Since I made three there wasn't a lot of excess to shove in the pumpkin which is why I inverted the stump nubbin and shoved it in the hole to make a tight seal. 

See?

Ok, so then ya grab some rubber bands to make the new stumps all official. 

Wrap them around nice and tight and then fold over or leave them long. 

Now you just wind it with twine and glue to hold it. 

While I was at the Dollartree I grabbed some of this golden wire.

It makes nice tendrils and all you need is a pencil and wire cutters. 

Stick the tendrils in any where. 

Then I dug out some leaves left over from last year.

Yeah they are not pumpkin leaves but I still like them. 

So give it a try, have some fun and make it your own. 

I was considering a pink sweater or multi pattern.

What can I say, I like different :) 

Cheap Tray-fabulous!!

On the way to Seattle the other day we stopped off at Ikea, because well it's Ikea and if  you are nearby it is mandatory you stop in.  Period, check the rule book.

It was a quick trip and I did skip all of the fun mini rooms and went straight for the kill.

But not before I checked out the kitchen stuff.

I stumbled upon this 1.99 tray called Smula, not sure what smula mean but it was singing my song.

If you want one for yourself click HERE

It is a simple good sized tray.

Just a little too plain for my liking.

Easy fix, since you can see through it.

Dig out a fun design, I used a piece of scrap fabric that I looo-uve 

Flip the tray over so you are painting on the bottom side and start outlining or coloring.

Use any color you like, it's yours after all. 

I chose yellow to go with my outdoor stuff.

After I had gone over the design in the colors I wanted, I sprayed over all of that pretty stuff with a grey primer and then sealed it up with silver. 

Ikea Hack taaa-daaaa!

Now it is ready to use :)

they say it's summer

Everyone in the red zone and even orange, I am truly sorry for this post.

The ones in pink zone I'm just sorry you are living in an oven.

My heart goes out to you, I use to live in one of those deep red zones.

But I moved, about 14 years ago and now my summers are no longer on fire.

Trust me I am NOT complaining. 

I have grown to love the rain and grey days.

Mostly when I remember what it's like living in an oven.

I do miss swimming though and bright colors and just the feel of summery things.

Soooo it was off to the Dollartree and tada summer on my door. 

That is about all the summer I need right thar!

You know what is another colorful and amazing thing up here?

Chihuly

Here's a quick shot of some of his work and new museum.

Yessss, I did not go in but shot through the fence.  Next time I have some fundage I will do better pictures, if they let me.

What does color and rain have in common?

This chair! 

For free..... left in the rain...... with bright blue color.

Ok, it didn't really go but I had to slip it in there as a before and hopefully a cliff hanger.

Will I complete it?  Will it be colorful?  Will it be tacky?

See, got you on your seat now :D  lol

Crafting has indeed Occurred

It has occurred!!
I messed up my knee a week ago, not even sure how.  But I have a tendency to yell when it bends.
So here I sit, web surfing and being board.  Watching stupid movies.
That is until I convince two lovely young ladies to gather some crafting supplies for me.
They did and I was able to do something useful!
Being useful again TAAA-DAAAAA!

I found these little canvases for 15 cents a piece and the glittered fairies at Wal-Mart for under 5 dollars for a dozen of them.  The leaves and flowers I had hanging around in my stuff. 

The knobs are from Ikea, 50 cents for six of them. 

The pink duck tape is just because I love duck tape. :)

I also believe the duck tape brings a certain reinforcement to the structure that surpasses most.

I made these for my niece and her soon to be born daughter. 

She is going for fairies as a decorating style.

I'm also hoping to make and finish a mobile as well.

Ok, so hopefully I have found a solution for my fabric problem. 

I figured out why this didn't work,......to country.

This one has the wrong colors. 

This one has possibilities but is too close to the wall color. 

This one I still love, but refuse to pay more for the fabric than I paid for the chair.

Over 30 dollars a yard is too rich for my blood. 

This is my solution!!

At 14 dollars a yard and free shipping, how could I pass this up?

I even like how it's butterflies instead of birds.

I don't like birds, they are really mean.

I sat and watched hummingbirds trying to take each other out in a way that modern warfare hasn't even caught up to yet.  Then they saw me watching them and launched a full on attack.

Yeah, I like butterflies better, even if they do taste things with their feet.

Could you imaging that?

Bleh, I think I would learn to fly.

They have a pill for that now....

They really do, whether it works or not or causes even more problems they still do.  Some are even worse than the original problem.  Actually my family has a long running bet on how fast the same pill they hock on tv will be the newest thing the lawyers are advertising on tv for a major action suit.

But these pills are guaranteed not to do all that not fun stuff.

They are just overflowing with cuteness.

Isn't it just awesome?!?!?

This is her link grinch pills and she's nice enough to let you use her template. 

So what is stopping me?  I am doing a Grinch found Christmas theme.  Well I bought the tic-tacs (green apple because that sounds sweet and sour) and got to playing with it.  I did not use the template and when I got around to printing out the top poem.  Not only did one my printers not work but the working printer made the grinch brown.

But it was too big for what I already did.

I wish I would learn to read instructions before I do something.

So anyway this is my spin on it. 

I used some different color craft paper.

Had to cut the poem in half and put it on both sides.

Added a fun ribbon and mod podged it on there. 

Put a funky kinda star thing on front to bring back the reason for Christmas. 

Some big hearts on the top 

Oh yeah, the reason the Grinch's are green?  I hand painted each printed Grinch and went back over his face with a very thin marker.  Yeah, not a quick craft my way, at all and I don't recommend it.

They still work and I WILL hand them out.  I will not hoard them.

I will not think about it or how long it took to make.  I will refrain from their cuteness.

I will give them out to encourage people and not hand them to people who are grouchy

I will :)

What's a "T" reef?

Ok, so I was on Pinterest and saw this amazing idea.  When I clicked on it for details I ended up on a rabbit trail.  Click after click and still no directions and then finally I had success!!

Yet they were far more organized than I want to be or am capable of.

After cleaning out my craft room I had realized I have been keeping the pizza cardboard.  Why?  I have no earthly idea.   Then it clicked!  Round, wreaths are round and a friend of mine loves tea.

Eureka!!!!  Craft inspiration coming into view.

So I glued two of the boards together to strengthen.  I used wood glue because wood glue is awesome on cardboard. 

While that is drying I found some paper that went well together.

Also in colors I know she would like. 

Plus it's got a "fally" feel to it.

The third pizza round is cut out like a wreath.

Oh you will need some clothes pins but they are sooo cheap. 

I used wood glue on the clothes pins as well.

Wood glue dries pretty quick and really makes a tight bond. 

So this is the wreath after I covered it in paper.

Make small cuts all the way around to fold them onto the back.  For the middle cut an X then continue to make smaller cuts so they look like pie wedges and fold them to the back and glue. 

Don't forget to cut a round piece of paper to glue on the back.

I also glued a braided ribbon around the edge to hide all my sloppy work. 

Also glue on strips of paper to the clothes pins...I guess you could paint then but I opted out.

Arrange your clothes pins where you want them and then glue down. 

Yeah, I coordinated the color of the tea.  I like tea but I love coffee.

My friend likes it.  The reason for having one is so when people come over they know what kind of tea is available.

I asked my daughter to run to the craft room to get the tea wreath.  She ran off and time ticked on.  I thought to myself, " hmmmmm I wonder if she knows what I meant"  I hear her come back up.  "Mom, what's a T reef?"  I went back down and showed her what I had made.  She said it was cool, and what was it.  I explained the concept and what I was trying to do.  That is when it hit, this was the "tea wreath"!!!

She burst into laughter as she explained what imagery was in her head.  Now I want to make a T that looks like a reef.

the cheap, the colorful and the mundane

Well summer is over and I am left with two abandoned pool noodles.

No we don't swim with them up here.  Swimming is an indoor sport in the Pacific Northwest.

These were left over from doing the roof span in my grey and yellow patio.

Naturally I have been on Pinterest for days on end and have found this genius idea. 

Add tape, a little struggle and viola', instant wreath.

Ok the beginning of a wreath.  Or a really big circle.

I went with wreath.

I made two, both of them for two friends of mine. 

One likes simple and earth tones with green.

And the other loves bright colors. 

I hope they like them.

But ssssshhhh, sometimes they read this blog so don't tell 'em.

I have a functioning desk in my  craft room now.  It is perfect timing!!!

As it is football season and I no longer have to sit and watch instant replay.

I can create pretty things for my friends.....YAY!

Now on to a dilemma.

Or just a mundane wall.

I've recently changed the art on my wall and it has left the wall color kinda,...well BLAH. 

The empty space is for my daughter's pic when they come in.

The painting I did a few years ago.

Was inspired by a trip to Portland and some amazing artists there. 

The guitar had a broken neck and my husband was going to throw it out.  So I rescued it and made it a real "guitar hero". 

What drives me nuts is the wall color is so blah my furniture is blending in.

The chair is a wassily chair and it's grey.  The couch is actually a sagey green but looks grey int he pic. 

My carpet is blah but can't do much with that.

I have dark brown roman shades and gauzy brown curtains.

Also dark brown wood accents.

Now can anyone give me some ideas about what color to paint my walls so they aren't so mundane?

Pretty please?