Operation Cardboard Christmas

Well, holy macaroni! It's only been almost TWO years. But, I'm back. With a vengeance. Ready to reunite myself and all of you fine people with the wonderful world of DIY and organization and deliciousness and frugality! :)

A mindless flick of the finger through the Pinterest abyss can land you in a pretty creative mindset. Mine? The Cardboard Fireplace. 

Afforable? The cheapest.

Tacky? Certainly.

Childish? Maybe. 

Cute? SOOO cute.

As we have just celebrated a few monumental birthdays and anniversaries and general healing over the past couple of months, not to mention our discovery of Amazon Prime Now (Dear Lord, help us all. We'll never leave the house again), we have acquired quite a mountain of cardboard boxes and scraps. Typically, this will go right to the recycling bin. But, as I began to envision the possibilities for a cozy Christmas in a Florida apartment, I thought to myself, "Maybeeeee. Just maybe...."

And voila. The improvised construction began. I bought a few "My 1st Project Boards" from Wal-Mart at ninety-nine cents a pop, because I'm apparently twelve. The rest of the building was definitely trial and error, a veritable melange of paint-mixing and hot glue frenzies. I even made a few little cardboard trees to go on the "mantle" or "Fantle," as it were. I will be adding some more inexpensive garb to the fireplace as the weeks go by, so stay tuned!

If you're interested in trying out your own fireplace masterpiece (I imagine your kids will love you for it!), there are a lot of great tutorials on Youtube. I found this one especially helpful.

Happy Fireplace-ing! 

Linking up to "A Round Tuit" and Totally Terrific Tuesday for the first time!

A Thrifty, Homespun Christmas: Easy Cinnamon Dough Ornaments

I've loved these since I was a kid. They're cheap, easy and make your home smell delicious!

What You'll Need

• 1 Cup of Cinnamon (Powder, not Cinnamon Sugar!)

• 3/4 Cup Applesauce

• 1 Tbs Ground Cloves

• 2 Tbs Elmer's Glue (I used Dollar Tree white glue)

• Cookie Cutter

• Straw

• String, Yarn, or Ribbon for Hanging

Directions

1. In a medium sized bowl, combine cinnamon and cloves.

2. Add the applesauce and glue.

3. Knead by hand in bowl for a few minutes, until you have a firm, pliable dough. If the dough is too wet, add more cinnamon if the dough is too wet, more applesauce if it's too dry.

4.  Dust your work surface with cinnamon.

5. Roll the dough to 1/4 inch thickness.

6. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters. 

7. While the dough is still moist, cut a hole in the top of each ornament with the end of a straw for hanging.

8. Place ornaments onto a cookie sheet (with no wax paper or tin foil and this could leave imprints on your dough during the drying process) and air dry for several days. Carefully flip them several times while drying so they won't bend or warp.

9. For a shorter drying process, bake ornaments at 200 degrees F for two hours, turning occasionally.

A Thrifty, Homespun Christmas: Simple Yarn-Wrapped Holiday Wreath

Yarn-wrapped wreaths are one of my favorite crafts to do, especially during the holidays. They're easy to whip up while watching a Christmas flick and sipping cider. They're brainless, cheap and turn out lookin' super fancy and quirky. On Etsy or other specialty shops, these wreaths can range anywhere from $17- $50. But, you can make them yourself for just around eight bucks. Crafters will already have most of these items on hand.

What You'll Need

Foam Wreath (Got mine at Wal-Mart for $3.97)

Yarn (Had on hand; you can purchase at Wal-Mart for $2.40 and always keep your eyes peeled for sales!)

Holiday Accessories (Got mine at Dollar Tree for a buck!)

Tacky Glue

Hot Glue Gun and Glue (optional)

Scissors

Directions

1. Place a dot of glue at the top of your foam wreath.
2. Cut a manageable length of yarn (I like to wrap the yarn continuously around my hand until I have a large amount, cut, and begin from there).
3. Simply begin wrapping! I prefer applying a line of glue to ensure that the yarn stays in place. Wrap away, let your mind go wild with patterns and color combinations. Since I was using gold, glittery add-ons, I decided to keep my yarn simple and monochromatic.
4. Place your holiday add-ons where desired. For heavier add-ons, hot glue will work best when applying. For lighter add-ons, tacky glue will work fine. Let dry. Voila! 

Linking Up With:

The DIY Party || DIY Sunday Showcase