Chatterbox: In This Month's Issue

DIY Fall Decor Projects 

It's fall again, Folks! So, I thought to spruce up This Month a little bit, I'd share some DIY fall project ideas with y'all! Feel free to share your own fall decor ideas, and tell me how your versions of mine turn out!

1: Basket of pumpkins and gourds

Instructions:

Step 1: tape three strips of paper to a hard surface.

Step 2: cut strips of paper that go all the way across the first three strips, with a little extra hanging off of each side.

Step 3: weave the small strips between the large strips in this pattern: First, weave a small strip UNDER the middle strip and OVER the side strips. Next, weave a small strip OVER the middle strip, and UNDER the side strips.

Step 4: repeat step 3 until you reach the end of the three long strips. Leave a bit of each long strip hanging off.

Step 5: starting at the bottom of the woven piece, fold the ends of the first SMALL strip over onto the woven piece. Use glue or a small piece of tape to hold the ends down. Do this for every other small strip, meaning skip the next strip, but do the strip after that, and so on.

Step 6: carefully rip the tape off of your hard surface. Flip the woven piece over, and tape the end that had been attached to the hard surface, to the woven piece.

Step 7: repeat step 5 with the remaining small strips.

Step 8: repeat step 6 with the other end of the woven piece.

Step 9: turn the woven piece LONGWAYS so that the long edges are on the top and bottom, and the short edges are on the left and right. Then fold the TOP long strip down. This shouldn't require taping or glueing, but in the event that it won't hold by itself, use the tape or glue.

Step 10: fold the woven piece so it looks like a cylinder, open on both ends. Tape or glue the sides.

Step 11: cut a small strip of paper for the handle. Tape the ends to the inside of the basket.

Step 12: trace the basket onto a piece of paper. Cut the circle out. Tape or glue on the bottom of the basket.

Step 13: arrange fallen leaves, mini pumpkins, mini gourds, Indian corn, pine cones, acorns, and anything you want in the basket.

Note: for a larger basket, repeat steps 1-8 to make more woven strips, and tape or glue those together. From there, carry on, skipping step 9.  

2: Paper leaf garland

Instructions:

Step 1: stack up a sheet of red, orange, and yellow paper. Fold the papers in half, then fold the half in half.

Step 2: draw of trace a leaf onto the paper. Cut it out. Several leaves of different colors will be layered from the other sheets of paper.

Step 3: arrange the leaves in this order, Yellow, Orange red, or any order you want.

Step 4: cut a long piece of string that covers all the leaves, plus a little extra hanging off on each end. Tape each leaf to the string. Hang anywhere.

3: Stained glass window hanger

Instructions:

Step 1: cut out a leaf, acorn, pumpkin, or anything you like. A picture or photo will also work.

Step 2: cut two identical shapes from wax paper. They must be bigger than your picture or cut-out.

Step 3: lay one piece of wax paper down on an ironing board or iron-able surface. Next, lay your picture or cut-out. Then sprinkle on some crayon shavings. Any color/colors you want. Lay the other piece of wax paper on top.

Step 4: lay of newspaper under and on top of the wax paper. Iron carefully on a low setting until crayon shavings are melted.

Step 5: hang in window.

Note: you can make crayon shavings with a grater, knife or scissors. Maybe even a pencil sharpener would work. The grater worked just fine for me.

4: Squirrel art hanging.

Instructions:

Step 1: Draw and cut out a squirrel. You can color it in, although this step is optional.

Step 2: fold a piece of paper seven-eight times. Draw and cut out a very small leaf. Many leaves will come from it, since you layered the paper. Coloring the leaves is also optional.

Step 3: cut out two pieces of paper, one slightly larger than the other. Lay the smaller one on top of the larger one so that the larger one looks like a frame. Glue.

Step 4: glue on the leaves.

Step 5: glue the squirrel on last. Add string and hang.

Note: I used ALEX brand creamy crayons to color the squirrel, leaves, and background.

5: Welcome fall sign

Instructions:

Step 1: Cut half a piece if construction paper, and a piece of white paper half that size.

Step 2: write 'Welcome Fall' on the white paper, and draw some fall-related things underneath. I did a bale of hay with a pumpkin and gourd sitting on top. I also did a tree with a pile of leaves underneath.

Ill post pics of all the finished projects soon! 

Please don't comment until I top this. ;-)