Day 1: 31 Days of Being Present

When I saw that The Nester was hosting a 31 Day event on her blog, I felt compelled to join. I went back and forth on what I wanted to talk about for 31 days. Wow – 31 days? Gasp. That is a lot of days of talking about the same topic. Well of course I could babble on and on about how cute my kids are {cause they are} or about all the things I love about Fall {which is everything} but I wanted to go somewhere different. I wanted to challenge myself. A certain phrase that I have been repeating since school started this year, “Be present” kept calling to me.

This was something I have been saying to myself and to my hubby. Why? My boys are growing up. Too fast really. They are 7 and 9. My baby is in 2nd grade this year and my oldest is in 4th. With a new school year comes new challenges and I heard that 4th grade was one of the hardest. I knew I would have to be present. To be completely focused on helping my oldest really thrive this year. This seems so basic but is it? Nope, it’s not. It’s very easy to get pulled in many directions, especially as a mama, wife, friend and well just the Type A girl that I am!! ;)

For the next 31 days I will make an effort to be present in my life. By this I mean, everyday I will give 100% in something. I will not multitask every moment, I will be absolutely present and focused. Even if this means reading 50 pages of Pippi Longstocking out loud to my child {oh yes I did} or giving my all in a 75 minute yoga class. Please follow me as I journal my next 31 days of being present. Oh, and wish me luck ;)

Rock n Roll Halloween Wreath

OK — so I am on this tulle wreath kick. First the Autumn one and then I made this one, well the base of it and a friend messaged me and said, “I need a Halloween wreath NOW“. {she was quite bossy so I felt like I had to oblige ;) } I explained what I was creating and she popped over to take a peak. Well I had picked up some accessories and we decided that some creepy skull heads and black roses would give it it just the right added touch. I wrapped it up today and can we say creepy love? It came out so fun and looks very rock n roll to me.

Supplies needed:

  • Wreath form {I used straw} I picked mine up at WalMart but you can also get them at JoAnn or Michaels.
  • Tulle and lots of it. I think I used about 4-5 yards on one wreath? The basic tulle is $1.49-1.99/yard and the fancy glittery stuff can run you $5.99/yard. I only added a bit of that for extra oomph and it saved me some cashola. I shop at JoAnn’s where they always seem to have a coupon. They also have an app for the iPhone that allows you to download the coupons right then and there. They use them right off of your phone. Easy enough, right?
  • Accessories or embellishments {whatever you wanna call them!} I shopped around but really didn’t have luck anywhere besides Michael’s. The skulls and roses come on long stems and run $1.99/each.

Basically it’s an easy, sit in front of the TV kinda craft {the best kind!}. The length of your fabric will depend on your wreath form. Cut lots and lots and lots or strips. Then tie them, twice and continue on. Kinda like Keep Calm and Tie On ;) Just keep on going. At the very end I give it a little trim by pulling the pieces up straight and trimming. I feel like a stylist during this part. For a minute I feel like I should have gone been a hairdresser. Then I know that is not a great idea and I keep on crafting! There is also excessive amounts of tulle scraps and glitter all over my couch. And me. And the house. It’s OK. Make a mess, have fun and clean up later.

Once you have completed phase one, move on to phase two. Cut down the embellishments just enough so that you can stick them in the straw and kinda play with where you want them. You might have to add some hot glue to make it good and permanent.

Voila — you now have an awesome Rock n Roll Halloween Wreath.

I am linking up to some awesome linky parties this week: