Simple Fall Crafts for the Crafty Impaired

Hey there! My name is Amanda and I have been asked by my sweet friends, Leslie and Kristy, to do a guest post today.

Let me start by telling you a little about myself. I have two step kids and a hubby whom I absolutely adore. I am a lot like Leslie and Kristy in that I love to spend time with family, read, cook and garden. However, there is one SMALL thing that sets me apart from them. You see, I am an accountant. I know numbers, data analysis, and budgets and unfortunately, I completely lack the crafty gene. Yep, I can add a column of numbers faster than lightning, but I cannot sew (probably because I never could get passed tying a knot in the thread) nor can I cut a straight line. I couldn't even come up with my own craft project if my life depended on it. Goodness, I can’t even tie my own Christmas wreath bows. Sigh…

So for those of you who are like me or may have been reading these talented ladies posts lately and thought to yourself, "Wow, I really don’t have a clue when it comes to being crafty," or "Wow, these girls put me to shame," then keep on reading. This post is for you! If there is hope for me, then I know there is hope for you.

Even though I struggle with being crafty, that hasn't stopped me. Let me tell you how I went from having no confidence in my capabilities of DIY or crafts, to absolutely loving spending time in my craft room.

First, it all started with a scrapbook for my stepdaughter. Every crafty thing I owned (which was very little at the time) had been spewed all over the dining room table for months trying to finish up her scrapbook before she graduated from high school. Not that I had procrastinated or anything. *Wink, wink, nudge, nudge.* But I had a blast doing this scrapbook! It made me think, "Why don’t I do craft projects more often?!" Then I took one look at the mess I had made, and it hit me. It was exhausting to not only clean up everything but to also pull everything out. It just wasn't worth it for me.

But one day my brilliant hubby had an epiphany! He says to me, "How about we turn the unused guest bedroom into a craft room for you?" Wow! What a husband! He earned quite a few brownie points that day.

Now that I have my own craft room, I can leave everything set up and walk away when I am done. If it’s a mess, then I just shut the door. But if you don't have an extra room in your house to call your own then how about a table or corner in a room that is not used much? It doesn't take a lot of space to get you started.

Second, I started looking at all those cute projects on Pinterest I had pinned and decided to start attempting a few. Pinterest for me has always been a "wish list" and not a "to do" list. Leslie and Kristy can look at those pictures, wave their hands, and POOF! they have just recreated the picture. Grrrr…how do they do that!? So for now, I will just continue to work on the simple ones until I get the hang of things.

Third, I learned what I could from YouTube videos, crafty friends, and my precious mother. I have learned how to do several things from YouTube videos. Even if you are looking for something simple, chances are that there is a video for it. But most importantly, I am learning from my mom. You see, my mom is the most talented woman in the world. She can look at just a few things in a craft store and next thing you know, BAM, she has turned it into a work of art. How does she do it and why did she not pass down that gene to me?? My mom always told me when I was young, “You are gonna be just like me one day!” Probably told me this as a teenager while I was telling her just how uncool she was. Boy was I wrong!! Well, I’m still waiting and waiting and waiting to get the crafty gene from her. Maybe one day…

In an effort to show you just how simple DIY can be, I have three simple fall projects for you. First is a simple candle decorated for fall. I simply took a fall colored candle, cut a strip of burlap to the width I wanted, and tied a leaf around the candle with some string.

I did hot glue the burlap onto the candle so that it would not slide down.

Voila!

Kohl’s actually sells a similar candle for around $20, but I put this candle together with things I had around the house. Simple, yet classy.

Second is a place setting for Thanksgiving. All you need is scrapbook paper, fall ribbon, and cloth napkins.

I cut one of the pieces of scrapbook paper smaller than the other. I actually cut a ½ inch off all four sides using a paper trimmer (since I can’t cut a straight line). Then I glued the 2 pieces of paper together. Next, I glued down the ribbon onto the scrapbook paper. Last, I took a cloth napkin and tied the same ribbon around the middle and placed the knife and fork inside. If you want to add a name card at each setting, just grab a few pine cones and cut a small name card out of matching scrapbook paper and hot glue it to one of the layers of the pine cones.

Voila!

Third, I attempted a fall canvas. This project was a little tougher. I simply took a 9x9 blank white canvas and painted it with a tan colored acrylic paint. Then I took some fall fabric I had purchased at the craft store and cut out a pumpkin design using my Silhouette die cutter. I used burlap to make the pumpkin stem. I attached the pumpkin and stem with Mod Podge. Last, I made a stencil for the words also using the Silhouette and cut it out onto freezer paper. (The setting for the freezer paper was #2 on the blade and thickness #5.) I stenciled the words onto the canvas using orange and brown acrylic paint. After everything was dry, I sprayed Mod Podge Pearlized Glaze over the entire canvas.

You may look at these projects and think, "You know, I could just as easily buy these things already made." But I have found that making it yourself not only saves money, but for me, it is fun and relaxing.

I REEEEALLY have to concentrate when I do crafty things, and when I am concentrating that much, I don’t have time to think about all the stressful things in my life. Trust me, I make plenty of time everyday to do just that. See a picture of me below on a typical day…

Yep, that’s me. 

So just remember, keep it simple and keep it fun. Don’t compare your projects to those of others. If you had fun creating it, then that is all that matters.

How about you? Do you lack the crafty gene like me? Share a story on how you come up with DIY projects.

Amanda

Leslie here! Thank you to Amanda for sharing her ideas on today's post. These are great projects and just in time to make for Thanksgiving coming up soon! I can personally vouch that Amanda does NOT look like that image above. LOL Have a great day and thank you so much for reading. :)