Whether we like it or not, the colder months are officially upon us and the holidays are just around the corner.  Using items you already have around, transforming your home into a warm and welcoming place is easier than you ever imagined. These quick and simple tips for do-it-yourself decorations will have you sitting back and relaxing with a hot cup of cocoa in no time at all!

Snow Globe:

Not only is it super easy to create your own snow globe, it’s a really fun child-friendly activity. Grab an empty mason jar and fill it with water, some sparkles (white or silver if you’re going for a snowy effect) and a couple drops of glycerin. Glue a toy or mini-scene of your choice to the underside of the lid and screw right on, adding a little hot glue to keep things secure. If you’re feeling extra creative, check out this tutorial from TipJunkie on tinting mason jars. Your very own DIY snow globe is complete!  [ed-Pictured: from a great tutorial at Corner House]

Table runners:

I don’t know about you, but I tend to get at least a couple fancy placemat sets each year. We don’t really make use of these at home, but one of the ways I’ve upcycled them is by sewing them together to create a fun and festive table runner. No need to put too much time into this one either – simple attaching the patterns together will give you the look you’re going for. You can even place those festive filled vases on top to finish off the look!

Festive filled jars:

Candy canes, red bows and sparkly ornaments are a holiday staple. Another really quick way to spice up a room is to fill clear glass vases or bowls with items you’re not currently using.

These ones by Jen from Creative Design are wonderful!

Fancy candles:

Candles are one of the simplest ways to update a room and make things feel warm and cozy. Whether you’re stuck with a bunch of leftover stick candles from a party a long time ago, or are in the mood to go out and purchase a few news ones, there is no need to spend money on any particular design. Adding some stylish ribbon around the base or the body of your candy is a really quick way to create a whole new look. I suggest clumping three candles of different heights together to create and using big, embellished ribbon to really make a statement. If you need a little inspiration, Amanda over at Imperfectly Beautiful has a great tutorial. You can also add a little twinkle by covering your candles in mod podge and rolling them in chunky sparkles!

Recycled Card Art:

After years of collecting Christmas cards and never knowing what to do with them, I finally found a way to put them to good use. I frame collages of cards in cheap dollar store frames and place them on my mantles, bathroom vanities and kitchen counter tops. Again, I stick to the rule of three, usually combining a few for a more prominent look.

Holiday themed wreath:

A wreath, either for outside or in, is a really nice way to embrace the season. Using a collection of twigs or tree trimmings, bundle them around to form a circle tying every few inches with twine or wire. Next, take advantage of nature by adorning the circle with pinecones, leaves, and greenery. Add some festive spirit by using the the glue gun to attach bows, ornaments or other holiday themed items to your increasingly beautiful wreath to complete the look.

Brush Mat:

As the cooler air approaches, I usually head out to my nearest home hardware store to pick up a new brush mat after retiring last year’s when summer came along. In my opinion, nothing gets dirty boots cleaner but they’re also nearly impossible to clean. Instead of paying extra for the ones with design, just grab a plain one and head home for a little fun with spray paint. Using home-made or store-bought stencils and fall colored spray-paint, get crafty with your new mat and create a brand new personalized boot cleaner.

Hi my name is Jessica, I’m a passionate do-it-yourselfer and recently started expressing my creativity and sharing my many ideas through blogging. I have the pleasure of working for online DIY resource for homeowners and retailer of Maytag appliance parts, PartSelect.com.  If you’re looking for repair help or simply wondering what we do, pop by for a visit!

This is part 3, we’ve already covered how to make a death eater mask, and how to make a hogwarts robe out of a t-shirt!

For the boy’s Death Eater costume, he really didn’t want any Slytherin gear, as he said (and rightly) that Draco Malfoy skulking around as a Death Eater would not be wearing his Slytherin scarf.  But since a death eater doesn’t really look like anything other than a creepy guy in a mask without something to indicate Harry Potter-ness, I talked him into the scarf, so Draco could go incognito.

So here’s the quick tutorial on making the Slytherin scarf.  As with any of my sewing projects, I’m not a seamstress, and I don’t measure.

Supplies:  1 green sweatshirt and 1 grey sweatshirt.  We’re basically just using the sweatshirts as a comfy and cheap source of material here.

Step 1:Assess your fabric potential: If your sweatshirts have design on them, that will limit the amount of fabric you can get off of them, so take that into account.  Minimally you should have a large piece from the back, a large piece from the front, plus you can split your sleeves along the bottom seam for 2 more large pieces.

(see more steps under the photos)

Step 2:  Cut your rectangles.  Figure out the width you want your scarf to be.  You’ll need to cut out rectangles of fabric for your stripes at double that width, and at least 5 or 6 inches tall (the taller, the less you need – use the size of your workable fabric to determine how tall).   If you have more fabric available from one of your shirts, plan on that one being the one on the ends of the scarf, so you’ll need 1 more square of that color.

The rectangles of each color should be approximately the same size (i.e. all the greens 7 in and all the greys 5 in) .

Step 3: Layout.  Starting with your end color (Green in my case), lay out your rectangles in order to get an idea of length.  Remember, you’ll be sewing these together, so you’ll lose some length to seams.  Remember to start and end with the same color (in my case, I also made the green end pieces a little bit taller)

Step 4: Sew together the rectangles. Start with one end piece.  Place “good” sides together with the good side of the opposing color, and machine stitch.  Continue until you have one long piece of stripes.  Remember to place the sides you want to show together each time you add a new color.

Step 5: You now have a long piece of striped fabric.   But both of your ends are still unfinished, so run a quick hem on either end (see photo)

Step 6:  Fold your long piece of striped fabric.  in half lengthwise, so that the bad side is showing.  Pin all the way down, making sure each stripe matches up.

Step 7.  Sew the seam you just pinned to make a really long tube.  Turn tube right side out to see your finished scarf!

Janelle Says:
“I made pop-tarts today.” That wasn’t a sentence I thought I would say. I made pop-tarts from scratch!

The crust was super easy to make, the longest stretch of ‘work’ was the rolling, measuring and cutting into proper rectangles. But then, the filling was super easy: I just used nutella, jam and a quick cinnamon blend. SO worth the time.

And then, the ultimate test: the freezer. I froze a number of the pop-tarts between sheets of parchment (then inside a Ziploc). Then a few days later, popped them straight from freezer to oven, and you know? They turned out beautifully. I am on a newish mission to fill my freezer with everything from ragu to entrees and chicken stock, tomato sauce and pesto. I want to figure out what ‘works’ in the freezer and what doesn’t. Having my freezer be my kitchen friend means I have meals ready-ahead-of-time, homemade chicken stock when I need it or breadcrumbs at the ready. It is nice to be able to pull together a meal—or slide pop-tarts from freezer to oven—with all the ‘work’ already finished.

Go read the whole thing… she gives several different filling recipes. I’m so going to try this!