6 Inspiring Fall DIYs

DIY Craft Pumpkin Ideas
Homemade Apple Sauce Recipe
Harvest Napkin Rings
Burlap "Give Thanks" Banner
Maple Roasted Acorn Squash Recipe
Harvest Inspired Tabelscape

A Veteran's Day Tribute

Today is an amazing day. We recognize the sacrifice and risk taken by those who have fought for us, for our freedom, for our comfortable lives. I’m sure all of us have someone in our family that is either currently serving or has served. I find it incredible that so many in our nation take such pride in defending what we believe in.

And I am SO thankful for it.

My grandfather, Charlie, served in WWII in the Marines. He never spoke of it to me or my siblings.
We only knew he had seen things during that time that he didn’t want us to know about. Even after the war ended, after his service concluded, he was still fighting for us, keeping those terrible memories to himself to protect our tiny naïve minds from the horrors he witnessed while defending our country and helping to give us a good, happy, care-free life.  

One of my fondest memories of my grandfather, Pops, was how every time I'd see him I'd sing "Jesus Loves Me" to him and he'd give me a quarter. Then there was the Lava Monster game. My grandparents had this horrid mauve carpet (because it was the 80s and that was the thing, I guess)... but my brothers and cousins and I would pretend it was lava and lay a path of cushions down. The goal was to get through the living room without touching the lava... if you did, the lava monster (Pops) would grab you and tickle you until you peed yourself.

Then there were the trips to Myrtle Beach every year... Pops would put me on his shoulders and wade into the deep water, making sure the waves never crashed over my head.  And the trips to Disney when the exhaustion would get the best of me and Pops would carry me for hours through the park.

I never saw Pops as a soldier, but I always saw him as my protector. And even now, though he's not with us anymore, I know he's still my guardian angel.  

Find a vet… someone you know or don’t… and try to imagine the things they’ve experienced in order to preserve our amazing lives… then tell them “Thanks”. 

They deserve it more than you’ll ever know.

Happy Veteran's Day!

"Kiss Me I'm A Vet" Sticker + FREE DOWNLOAD

Veteran's Day, to me, is one of the most underrated, under-recognized, under celebrated holidays in the US.  We so often fail to see the sacrifices that so many have made so we can live our amazing lives.

I designed these stickers so the people that deserve to be recognized and deserve the honor they've earned by their sacrifice can be given the proper thanks on Veteran's Day.  You can either use this with your Cricut or simply print it on sticker paper and cut it out yourself.  So easy.  Just download my image here.

Autumn Pumpkin Vase Flower Arrangement

I know I'm not alone in this, but I MUST have fresh flowers in my living space on a regular basis.  I don't know what it is, but they just make me so happy.  This bouquet from Pro-Flowers is the epitome of fall gorgeousness to me.  The colors are absolutely breath taking!   You can browse all of their fall bouquets here. I thought they would like even more stunning in a spur of the moment vase made from a craft pumpkin.  Honestly, one of the easiest DIY vases ever!  All you have to do is cut a hole in the top and depending on the size of your pumpkin, add a glass or vase or jar to hold the flowers.  Easy peasy!

That's my parents' dog, Bear.  He's only a year old and is the size of a small moose.  He desperately wanted to be in the photos!

Can we talk about the absolute perfection of my mom's styling skills of this area of her kitchen?

The best part of this pumpkin vase is that it won't rot.  You can leave it out all season long and store it until the following autumn.

Michaels Makers Dream Tree Challenge 2015

It's that time of year again!  Nope, not Halloween.  Nope, not Thanksgiving.  It's time for the annual Dream Tree Challenge with Michaels!  **cue applause**

Last year, my tree was dripping with faux taxidermy and tartan plaid.  I adored it!  This year, I'm sticking with the rustic theme, but I wanted something more natural, more earthy this time.  I thought, "If I lived in the middle of the woods and had no access to a store, how would my tree look?"  

Well, this is what I came up... and let me tell you, this is the first time ever a tree I've decorated has given me goosebumps.  I decided to put this up at my brother and sis-in-law's new house.  The kiddos helped and it was such a blast.  I know they will enjoy having the tree up for a few months.

For the tree skirt we went with mother earth's natural ground cover and used moss.  I love love love the way it looks!  For the topper, I used leaves and feathers.  

Everything on this tree was bought at Michaels.  (except for the pine cones, which were bought at an estate sale.)

Most everything is found in the floral section.  Browse it HERE!

And in case you don't have a tree and need one, you can get free shipping at Michaels!  Go here...

I really hope you find some inspiration here for your own tree.  If you need some extra, check out the 49 other AMAZING Michaels Makers for some more awesome ideas.  Merry Christmas my friends!

Of course, it's Halloween weekend, so a nephew dressed as a puppy just HAD to photobomb the tree.  That's okay.  I think he makes it look even more awesome!

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