Super Sweet Autumn Leaf Garland

I am yarn and felt crazy right now. What I love about these craft supplies is that they are SO stinkin' cheap, so easy to work with, and always produce a beautiful homespun product. To complement my yarn-wrapped Autumn wreath, I decided to make some simple (albeit somewhat time consuming) leaf garland that I had found on- where else?- Pinterest. 

This is a great little craft to do while watching your new (awful, I hate it, it's stupid, I can't stop watching it) guilty pleasure, Pretty Little Liars.

// Supplies //
- 4-5 Sheets of Felt in colors of your choice (I bought 5 sheets for a $1 at Michael's)

- Yarn

- Scissors

- Sharpie

// Instructions //

- Create a "prototype" leaf and trace it repeatedly until you have filled every sheet of felt.

- Cut out your stenciled leaves.

- Using scissors or a whole punch, cut three-four holes in each felt leaf.

- Weave your yarn through. Repeat until you have your desired length of garland! :)

Happy Autumn Crafting!

Easy Autumn Yarn Wreath

I've been wanting to make one of these wreaths since the invention of yarn.

This may or may not be an exaggeration.

And, by that I mean, I love a good hyperbole.

Pinterest is blanketed in wreath ideas. Especially, at this time of year. So, in honor of the FALL equinox (that's TODAY, folks!), I present you with my simple Autumn wreath. Perfect for any crafty, quirky, frugal front door like ours. :)

What You'll Need
- Yarn of your choosing (I bought the cheapest I could find at Wal-Mart- $2.22 per spool)
- One foam wreath ($3.00 at Wal-Mart)
- Felt (whatever colors you prefer- 5/$1 at Michael's or $0.29 per sheet)
- Tacky Glue

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. This is nice to do while watching a movie and sipping some cider. ;)
4. I cut my felt freehand into leaf shapes. Feel free to use a stencil if you'd like more precise shapes.
5. Apply leaves with tacky glue and allow to dry. Voila!

Linking Up With:

The DIY Party || DIY Sunday Showcase

Pinned It. Tried It: Milk Glass Rope Light Display

When I saw this pin a few months ago, I KNEW I had to give it a go. I had let the tops of our kitchen counters become a catch-all for leftover wedding decor. This was one of the easiest ways to classy up our little apartment kitchen. 

I watched this quick tutorial on creating your own "milk glass." Easy peasy! Grabbed our rope light and whaddya know?

   

Framed Fabric

In an effort to keep our apartment as Pinterest worthy as possible, I had to give a shot at one of my favorite finds: framed art. I'd been storing this huge picture of a snow lion that I found propped aside a dumpster upwards of a year ago.

Now, as much as I enjoy a good feline, ain't no way a snow lion is going to find itself on the walls of the Candace-Timothy abode. But, the frame was too good to pass up. The frame sat in our closet pointlessly until my lightbulb moment of framing an old shower curtain of ours in it.

Who knew that fancy frames were such a tizzy to disassemble? That mess took me forever. I have to say I love the homespun, loosely imperfect look of the final product. I think I'll look into scrapbook paper next. Voila!

Keeping America Cute!

Well, glory be! It's birthday week! Amurrica always be crampin' my style this time of year. I'm all, "Oh hey everybody! My birthday is July 6th!" And Amurrica be all, "Oh yeah? Well, it's my birthday TODAY and I have WAY more friends and years on you. Do you get fireworks on your birthday? Nooooo. Do you get cookouts across the nation in celebration of your glory? Nope. Do people throw parades on your behalf and sing festive songs in your name? Nada. I win."

That's okay, America. How can I stay mad at you when there's THIS GUY?

Note: This is not my cat. I only terrorize our cats with costume torture during Halloween and Christmas. Also, yesterday. 

In other news, my ongoing quest for the perfect, tiny apartment continues. This week? A simple knob improvement. The unsightly old school doors to our laundry room sported an even more unsightly knob. Clearly untouched since 1985, these grungy old things were tarnished and splotched with careless paint stains. So, we grabbed these modern, sleek square knobs at Lowes.

The Damage: $2.97 per knob

Total Time To Replace Knobs: About five minutes. Boom.

Trashy Closet

Pinterest has ignited a fiery passion within me for organization. It's sick, really. I'm a 26-year old newlywed with the mentality of 38-year old woman in mom jeans. When I found myself looking up secrets to better smelling laundry the other day, I had to close the laptop and take a moment to breathe in and readjust my grasp on these last twenty-something years. 

I've never been a dumpster diver, per se. I don't like the idea of being on a quest to dig through smelly bags and wrestle used syringes just for a totally awesome sock or a nonfunctional box TV. But, living in an apartment complex means a daily drive past the dumpster, a virtual treasure box of toss-outs by people recklessly emptying their apartments by the time their lease is up. I've found lamps, couches, dressers. It's a very profitable exploit if you can get past the idea that what you're grabbing hasn't even been through the selection and elimination process of thrift store employees. 

So, naturally, when I stumbled upon three pieces of particle board leaning ever so temptingly next to the dumpster, I had to grab them. 4 fifty-cent Ikea brackets later, I had a $2 closet makeover. :)

*CATNIP TIDBIT* (for cat owners): Our tiny apartment allows us NO where but the closet to keep the litter box. We don't want our clothes to get all stinky! Most closets don't come equipped with outlets so I hung a power strip on the wall (with the chord under the door) and put an air freshener there. Smells great! Also, we use the Roll 'n' Clean Litter Box. It's affordable and functional! No scooping! Get it for just $21 at 1-800-PETSUPPLIES.

Mini Bathroom Makeover

When my husband and I moved into our new apartment in January of this year, we were thrilled to be in an affordable home but knew that the small one bedroom apartment would require some downsizing. Ever since, I have made it my personal goal to organize our belongings through creative shelving and bins without breaking the bank or cramping our style.

I stopped by Good Will today and stumbled upon a cute little shelf for three bucks that I immediately knew would help out with bathroom counter space. I grabbed a 99-cent ceramic bowl to keep our soap and toothbrushes lookin' classy and- voila! A baby makeover for our tiny bathroom. Never underestimate the power of a thrift store outing. :)