Autumn Is In The Air

Autumn equinox 2016 has arrived, today, September 22. The weather here in the CCC (Triple C- Crescent  City, California) today started out cool but turned out breezy and warm in the afternoon. Gazing around while I sat and chatted with my husband today, I noticed a hint of autumn. The leaves on the trees have started changing with autumn colors. The reds, oranges, yellows and golds are some of my favorite colors. They're so bright and warm. I can't wait until the autumn season peaks and all the trees are alive with their awe inspiring beauty. 

Although we have trees all around us,, we have no trees in the yard with leaves. I love to rake leaves. Some of my fondest memories as a child is of raking leaves for my grandmother. Some saw it as a chore but I looked upon it as having fun. Raked them up, jumped in them, scattered them all about and then just kept doing it over and over. So much fun!

I also enjoy going to the pumpkin patch, hayrides and decorating for Halloween. 

Since I'm reminiscing about days gone by, here's some of my favorite pics.

Diy Washi Tape...

My diy crafty project for today is washi tape. You see it everywhere. It can be expensive and sometimes they even carry it at your local Dollar Store.

I wanted to make my own, so I went on YouTube. They have tons of diy washi tape videos of various methods. There's no specific video to reference back my method. I just watched multiple videos and decided to incorporate different ones in mine.

I chose autumn and Halloween as the theme. I made 10 different designs using watercolors, inks, and stamps. I use glitter glue to accent some of the designs. Each one measures approximately 24 inches in length.

You can make your own to use in scrapbooking, card making, decorating, and anything ranging from phone cases to furniture. Washi tape is so versatile and fun to make. You can use tissue paper, scrapbook paper, junk mail, magazines, newspapers,  inks, stamps, and just about anything you have on hand to make and decorate your diy washi tape with.

Below is a list of supplies I used to make mine.

Supplies list:

1. Masking Tape 1 inch
2. Wax Paper
3. Inks ie. Stamping Inks
4. Stamps
5. Watercolor Pen
6. Glitter Glue
7. Heat Gun (aids with faster drying but not necessary)
8. 10 Toilet Paper Rolls (cut to 1 inch in width)

I leave you today with another easy peasy diy project you can make in less than 30 minutes. So I hope you have just as much fun making your washi tape as I did. Throw a diy washi tape party and invite your family and friends.

"At the end of the day all that matters is love and memories so make sure you give it and make sure you make them." Trent Shelton

Tin Can Toothbrush Holders...His and Hers For Autumn!

Today I'm sharing with you a small project I made for the bathroom. Being on a shoestring budget gets the creative juices flowing. I incorporated ordinary household items along with what's in my craft stash in this project.

So, today I'll show you how I made the his and hers toothbrush holders. What makes my different from the others is I use a plastic water bottle inside the tin can. It can be washed or switched out with another one once the bottom gets dirty. 

Supply List: 

1. Tin Cans Any Size

2. Tape or Glue

3. Decorative Paper

4. Embellishments

5. 20 oz Plastic Water or Soda Bottle

6. Scissors or Paper Cutter

7. Ruler or Measuring Tape

8. Markers, Pen, or Something To Write With

Total Time To Make:

Less than 15 minutes.

I know you can go buy a toothbrush holder fairly cheap. Sometimes it's not convenient or in my case just don't have the extra money. On the bright side, I'm recycling and helping the environment. Also, I get to decorate for the season and personalize both at the same time.

Thanks for reading and remember "to squeeze out that creative juice." Whether it's a new idea or a twist on an old idea, just make something! 

XOXOXO. Dawn

365 Blogging Challenge...

Happy September! I'm a happy camper, what with autumn just around the corner and all three of my favorite holidays coming up.

But remember, I live in California so we're in a drought and our grass is dead. It's been unseasonably hot this year but here in the Triple C (CCC), it's still not as hot as it is elsewhere in California.

Here's some pics of what September looks like at my house.

Even still, I just love everything about fall. The changing colors of the leaves, the crispness in the air, apple picking, back to school, and that all my favorite holidays are celebrated in the fall.

I'm itching to get my Halloween decorations made and put up. For some reason I'm having a hard time getting started. I'm motivated but maybe just not enough. Hopefully, after listening to some Halloween music on Pandora and watching Halloween videos on YouTube I'll be motivated enough to get started.

So in the coming days I'll blog about each of my projects and post pics so you can see what I'm making this year on a shoestring budget.

Also, as of today, I'm going to start the 365 Blogging Challenge. I'm very motivated and dedicated to complete the challenge. So please check back daily as I will have fresh, interesting and entertaining content for you to read.

So I say, "Goodbye August and Hello September!"

It's my birthday! Another year has come and gone...

Thinking back and reflecting on the birthdays I can remember, I must say this birthday is one that seems to bother me just as much as my 31^st and 40^th birthday. As I stare into the mirror, I see many changes have taken place in the years gone by. More gray hairs, more wrinkles and fine lines, and more 'just stuff' have appeared. LOL! Do not get me wrong. I am not complaining. I am grateful to have made it this far without any real serious illnesses. I am still alive! Once I am gone, I am gone, except in spirit. But I can fix my flaws, such as color the grays away, fill in the fine lines or make them appear invisible using products or if I go extreme, plastic surgery, and well the other 'just stuff', that too can be fixed! I went through similar changes on the 31^st and 40^th birthdays too but I managed to overcome them. Therefore, overall, I have to say today is going to be a GREAT day. I look forward to spending quality time with my husband, family, and seeing a HAPPY SUNSET. Therefore, I will like to say Happy Birthday to me and everyone else that is celebrating birthdays and hope you too experience a HAPPY SUNSET today too! Some of my favorites over the years.

Christmas Tree Twice...

So, I didn't decorate my tree as plan. I could not find the plaid ribbon so I went with red ribbon trimmed in white lace. It has white snowflakes, some with and without glitter and red jingle bells. The top is a big bow of the same ribbon I use on the tree. I use the boxes in the pics from my last blog post. It stood the test of time. Here's some pics. Hope you like and Happy Holidays again! Ho! Ho! Ho!

Oh, No! A Christmas Tree Mishap...

Well I stayed up until 3am decorating my tree and putting up decorations. I didn't go as elaborate this time as I had planned.

 I used what I had to decorate and then I planned on getting some mesh or something to fill in the gaps. I still needed a topper. I thought about a pinecone swag on top. Never made one but seeing them on the internet they looked prettier enough to top my tree off. Here's the link to Google images to get an idea of what mine will look like.

But I didn't get to do anything else to my tree. My grandson and I had made some cookie ornaments.

He couldn't resist eating them so when he went to grab one off the tree, this is what happened.

LOL! The expression on his face. He was so scared. I couldn't do anything but laugh and tell him that's a "no no" and "to not do it again". His Sissy, Avie, she didn't know what to think as you'll see in this picture.

So, I'm back to square one. I think I'm going to go red plaid and pinecones and call it quits. Put some faux packages wrapped in red plaid, green, and white tissue paper and decorate them.

 I'm going big so I don't have do so many. I'll post pics once the tree is done.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. Hope all is well on your end and Happy Holidays ♥♥♥!