fall wreath [diy]

this week's inspiration workshop is all about DIY. i made fall wreaths last week to give to my family and friends when i visited home and thought it would be the perfect time to share. i've read many great tutorials on wreaths and felt flowers so i'm not really doing anything new. just how i've done it myself (:

the craft stores were having really great sales last week as we rounded the corner to fall and, thanks to heather's blog, i was also armed with coupons. [i love a good deal!] i bought several 12" grapevine wreaths to use with this project. i also bought felt in a mustard yellow color. i think it's very fall-ish and i liked the way it looked against the color of the wreaths.

the first step to making the felt flowers is to cut circles. i used a bowl and mug to trace circles...

after tracing, i cut. and i cut. then i cut some more.

as you can see i wasn't too worried about having perfect circles...

because after all the circles were cut out, i went back with my scissors and created a wavy type border around them.


from here i cut a spiral into the felt starting from an outer point. when i got to the inside i clipped an end to form a point.

i made five wreaths so after all the cutting was done, i was left with this:

i plugged in my hot glue gun, and started rolling the felt to create the flowers. unfortunately, my hands were full between the rolling and gluing and i did not get a picture of this step. but, i started rolling from the inside of the circle to the outside, but you can also start from the outside and roll in. when it was all wrapped up, i put a little line of glue on the end and pressed it into the side of the flower.

after they were all glued, i trimmed up the edges on some a bit. this was just my personal preference in the way they looked.

beautiful! for my own ocd and organized behavior, i laid out the flowers once they were all done. (: because i'd used a mug and a bowl to make my circles, i ended up with [roughly] two different sized flowers.

from here i picked and chose the flowers to put on each wreath. i initially laid them out in a very evenly-spaced big one, little one, big one, etc. pattern, but john helped me move them around a bit to achieve a not so orderly and more organic look.

once they were all laid out, i put a circle of hot glue on the bottom of each flower and pressed it into the wreath for a few seconds. because the surface of the wreaths are so uneven, i wanted to make sure it had time to form a good hold to the flower. and voila! here are my wreaths!

i am so happy with the final product[s]! i love that john has an eye for these things and am so much happier with them being not quite so perfect and exact and being a little more unplanned and wild. (: i was so excited to have handmade gifts to give to my family and my friends, too. and they are such a pretty way to add some fall to your home!

what fun fall crafts are you making this year?

my fav'rite fall things

there are so many things to love about autumn. the gorgeous colors on the trees as they start to turn, the way it feels to slip your feet into boots, the crisp sounds of leaves and the crisp feel of the air... let's embrace the season with a little song, shall we?

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*cue strings!*

pumpkin spice lattes, corn mazes with cider,

hoodies, apple pickin' and cuddling by fires,

jumping in crunchy leaves fall'n from the trees,

these are a few of my fav'rite fall things...

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when the temps drop, 

when the trees turn, 

when my nose starts to run,

i simply remember my fav'rite fall things,

and the season so full of fun!

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deep shades of yellow and orange and purple,

cooler crisp air, cardigans, sweaters of wool,

scarves wrapped 'round necks, skinny jeans, leather boots,

these are a few of my fav'rite fall things...

when the temps drop, 

when the trees turn, 

when my nose starts to run,

i simply remember my fav'rite fall things, 

and the season so full of fun!

what are your fav'rite things about fall?

 

fall fun

it is officially fall! woot woot!

i went home to new jersey this weekend to visit with my family and some of my best friends. i was there for less than 48 hours but packed lots of fall fun in! my family and i went apple picking on saturday. my niece had been asking my sister to take her for weeks, but i'm so glad they waited for me to come with them. i love spending time with her as she is growing up and becoming her own little person. we went out to a local farm and rode on a hayride to get to the apple orchards.

my sister and niece

there were rows and rows of apples, so delicious!

heather, working on her balancing skills...

after we picked all that we wanted, we headed back, where kaylee declared that someday, when she grew up, she would be back to work here. our little farmer (:

we pet the cutest little calf and took some more fun pictures.

like mother, like daughter!

i am loving all of the activities and fun that come with fall! and i'm so glad i got to celebrate the season with my family (:

tori [mae]

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today is tori mae's second birthday. two years since my sister went early and unexpectedly into labor. two years since we sat in the hospital waiting room anticipating the arrival of this baby girl. two years since her big sister named her new little sister ice cream. two years since i helped my sister pick her middle name. two years since our family was shaken in a way we never expected.

some days i can remember those nine days and the weeks after as though they were yesterday, and other days it seems so very far away.

happy birthday, tori mae.

little ice cream, i know you are celebrating with our Father each and every day. some days it's hard not to wonder what if and why. and who you would be now, at two. i love you, baby girl, and i so look forward to being with you again.

this i call to mind and therefore i have hope:

because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed,

for his compassions never fail.

they are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

[lam 3:21-23]

His heart for you [and me]

if you're anything like me, you know what God says about you in your head, but there can be a disconnect from knowing it in your heart. i was raised in a christian home and have gone to church my entire life. i know that He says i am wonderfully made by Him, that i am chosen by Him, that He loves me unconditionally. and yet there are so many moments i don't live like i am, simply because it's not true in my heart.

i want to fully know and believe these things in my heart. for whatever reason, there seems to be this almost impenetrable wall guarding my heart from being engulfed by these truths.

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it's a journey though, right? and i have seen, little by little, through circumstances and situations in my life, ways that He has broken me with these truths.

one way He has done that is through holley gerth's book God's heart for you. i felt blessed to receive it in the mail and then open it up to find holley had signed it, too! [you're loved!] each chapter in the book is only a few pages long, but every word matters. it's written as a devotional with 40 chapters devoted to 40 truths about my worth. i'm driven right to the scriptures, where His words of love wait for me...

on a day when things to be done pile higher and higher and my workload feels more and more impossible, i read... i am enough.

on a lonely day, where things are too quiet, my spirit is low, and i'm feeling disconnected, i read... i am loved.

on the day my car goes in to the shop for yet another repair, and a bill arrives in the mail, and it's time to go to the grocery store, i read... i am provided for.

on a day i feel ashamed, or angry at myself for losing my patience too quickly again or speaking harsh words, i read... i am forgiven.

reading holley's own discovery of these truths as a daughter of the King and the bible verses and prayers that accompany each truth bring assurance, reminder and a strengthening to the way i see myself. i also hope to see others around me the way He does as i internalize these truths. because for as much as i am enough, loved, and forgiven, so are my those around me.

i received holley's book and a bookmark thanks to the wonderful people at blessings unlimited. i was given it in exchange for this review. [all opinions are mine.] if you'd like a copy of the book or to look at other products by blessings unlimited, you may find a consultant here.

today

today i worked from home. yes, that is a big smile on my face. i loved having the opportunity to do so, and i enjoyed every moment of my lovely day...

i slept in, but actually started working earlier. [read: i didn't shower! *gasp*]

i got to make a pot of coffee, as opposed to a quick keurig cup.

i sipped my coffee slowly, while it was still warm. i spent time in the Word. i cooked myself breakfast.

i had a very productive morning. i made a to-do list and felt focused and motivated to tackle a few work projects. i live alone, with no pets, and essentially no distractions, but i also think i felt so focused because i really love my apartment and feel inspired in this space.

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i did some laundry.

i took a break mid-morning to shower. can't be stinky all day! (:

it was a gorgeous, sunny day with temps right around 70, so i took a little bike ride at lunchtime. while out i picked these weeds wildflowers for my dining room table.

i made myself a condensed to-do list after lunch [yay for a productive morning!] and got back to it!

i worked a bit later than my usual workday. i think i'm finding that an ideal working situation for myself is to work in the morning, have a few hours off in the early afternoon, then come back for a few more hours later on in the day. unfortunately i'm an 8-5er but it was nice to naturally fall into that rhythm today and feel more energized and productive during my work times. have i mentioned i really love working from home?!

now i'm off to watch some episodes of picker sisters online and wait for my stud to get out of class and come visit me! we'll probably watch this:

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here's to a lovely wednesday, friends!

ten on ten [september edition]

one photo [every hour] for ten hours.

[1] love lazy saturday mornings at home  [2] freshly washed sheets on the bed... can't wait to sleep in them!  [3] crafty, crafty  [4] finally ready to go out for the day  [5] my stud and i decided to take a drive. it was a beautiful afternoon. we live in a beautiful area of the country. [6] cows, rolling green hills, sun... that's enough to make me ask my stud stop the car so i can get a picture (:  [7] windblown hair courtesy of a gorgeous afternoon drive with the windows down  [8] the book we're starting to read with some friends [9] worship service at church [that's my stud playing bass in the back (: ] [10] a gorgeous sunset, delicious coffee, and i'm ready to start my evening

linking up with...

fotografías

while i don't have the budget for a sweet and fancy smartphone, i do at least have a phone with a camera in it! so i thought it would be fun to participate in an instafriday! here are some pictures from my life over the last couple weeks...

[1] starting the weekend off right with a cup of coffee and the new ikea catalogue  [2] not just regular old brownies... turtle brownies  [3] my latest borders bargains  [4] we like to call them beer rings. you know, like tree rings, they let you know how long your beer's been sitting there  [5] i had a craving for chicken wings this week. fortunately we live in western new york (:  [6] sending off lanterns [just like tangled!] at my friends' wedding  [7] no words necessary