A Little Thanksgiving Decoration

Ok, I know my last post talked about finishing projects that I already started, and therefore implied that I had plenty on my plate without starting anything new, but here I am, about to tell you that I started a new project...my bad! (Does it help to know that I finished it?) How could I resist when it was only going to cost me $3 and take about 15 minutes to make?

So, as many of you know by now, Halloween is my favorite holiday. That means lots of decorations go up in our apartment in October (but never enough!). I also really like Christmas (who doesn't?) so our apartment gets even more decked out in December. November, though, sees little in the way of decorating. Up til now, all I've had for Thanksgiving decorations is a small basket filled with cranberries and cinnamon sticks in the middle of our dining table. Sad...I know. I wanted to change that this year, but I don't really have the resources or the time to go all out.

I saw this project on Pinterest (I'd post the link, but it's no longer working...), which I think is actually for Christmas, but with a little tweaking, I made it work for Thanksgiving.

First, go on a pinecone hunt! You can buy them at the store, but where's the fun in that? I took Levi for a walk around our neighborhood and picked up 5 handsome cones along the way. Be sure to shake them out pretty good when you pick them up. They tend to house bugs and dirt, neither of which you want coming into your house. Also, I recommend you stick to an odd number. Just like when you're decorating inside the home, clustering things in odd numbers just looks better - it creates asymmetrical balance.

Next, gather your supplies...

 

I used different ribbons that I already had in my ribbon stash (yes, I have a stash) that matched my idea of Thanksgiving colors. They should all be at least 2.5ft long to give it a good amount of hang while still leaving ribbon for the bow. The only thing I had to buy was a basic wreath hanger from Hobby Lobby for $3.

 

Next, wrap the end of each ribbon around the base of a pinecone. I folded the ribbon in half for this part to make it stay better (see picture below). Leave about and inch or two of ribbon exposed on one end.

 

 

Tie the loose end of ribbon in a knot to the long leftover ribbon (see below). Once you're happy with the knot and everything, trim the excess ribbon from the short end to hide the knot a little better.

 

Once you have all the pinecones attached to a ribbon, hold them up together and arrange the pinecone heights the way you want. After you have them hanging at the right height, tie them all together with a simple knot. Now slip the knot over the hook end of the wreath hanger. (I took pictures of this too, but they were blurry...bah! That's what I get for trying to take a one-handed picture with an iPhone 4. O well.)

Once the knot is secure on the hook, pick two of the longer ribbons and tie them in a bow on top of/above the knot on the wreath hanger. Let the tails hang long, but trim any that look overly so.

Now, all you have to do is hang it on the door!

 

Seriously, it only takes about 15 minutes. And it's so easy, instead of trying to find a way to store the pinecones without damaging them, you could just dismantle it and discard the pinecones when you're ready to replace it with something else.

 

And yes, in case you're wondering, that is our peephole, positioned way too low on the door. I don't know why it's like that, but its definitely at an awkward level for both the person looking out the peephole and for the person being looked at...

Anyway, happy crafting! If you want more ideas for Thanksgiving decorations and crafts that I've found, follow my Thankgiving Stuff board on Pinterest!

Saving Money with (semi) Homemade Carpet Cleaner

So, as many people have probably experienced, babies can be messy. Levi has a tendency to overeat (haha!) so when he does that, he just vomits everything back up that he doesn't need, which makes for a dirty carpet. On top of that, our cat spite-pukes when she feels like she's not getting enough attention, which has been a lot lately. Needless to say, we've been going through our Resolve a lot quicker than we normally do. Yesterday, Lu puked twice (of course) and what do you know, but we were out of Resolve (crap!). I hate going through the hassle of getting Levi out to go to the store for one thing, so Justin volunteered to pick some up after work today, but then I started thinking...you know, I bet I could make something out of stuff we already have. We could save some money and Justin wouldn't have to run to the store after working all day. Win win!

After a quick google search and some pinning on Pinterest, I came across a carpet cleaning solution that was super easy to make and that we already had all the ingredients for. YAY! And what do you know, it's courtesy of the great Martha Stewart (thanks Martha!). Click here for the article that has this recipe, and many more, depending on your carpet type and cleaner preference.

All you  need is some free and clear laundry detergent, some water, and a container for your solution. I used All detergent, which I already had for the two sensitive-skin men that I live with. Mix 1/4tsp detergent (that's all!!) with 1 cup of water and you're done! I poured the detergent and water into a mason jar, closed the lid, and shook it to mix everything together. Worked like a charm.

Martha stressed that you do not want to pour the solution directly onto the carpet, so I dipped part of a rag towel into my jar and started scrubbing. Not only did it clean up the stain, but it took less scrubbing than Resolve, I used less solution, I didn't have to wait for it to lift the stain before scrubbing, and it didn't smell like chemicals. I mean, you can't beat that!

I was concerned that after the carpet dried it would be a little crusty from the soap, but it wasn't at all! It's like it never happened! This recipe is definitely a winner folks!

For more homemade carpet cleaning recipes, and other ideas for saving money with homemade items, follow my Pinterest board, Homemade Living.

A Halloween Tree

Growing up, my family had a Christmas tradition where we would turn on a Christmas movie and decorate the tree together. We each had our own stash of ornaments, making the whole tradition extra special and personal. The tree itself is consequently one of my favorite parts of the holiday. I guess this tradition made me long for a similar feel during my favorite holiday - Halloween - and this year I decided to make that happen in a small way. Our Halloween tree sits on our dining table.

To make the tree, I found some spooky stems in the floral section of Hobby Lobby, placed them in a tall vase, and wrapped it with some mummy wrap, also from HL.

For the ornaments, I drew designs for 6 different Halloween shapes on tracing paper and then cut them out and used them as patterns on felt. I actually made them a couple years ago with the intention of making a Halloween garland for our fireplace, but that didn't pan out. Consequently however, I don't have pictures of the process...sorry! Each little guy is made solely of felt, with the details embroidered on and stuffed with a little cotton stuffing.

Decorating for the holidays is always fun, but it takes on new meaning and significance when you have a kid. There's something extra special about creating a unique and fun atmosphere that they can faithfully look forward to each year. I hope this tree helps create some of that special holiday tradition and anticipation for my kiddo.