The first day of Autumn was Sept. 22, and was I the only one that felt a cool shift in the warm air and twice as many pumpkin spice lattes being ordered? As a fall lover, this season change makes me desire a soothing environment wherever I go, now I can’t deliver that in a cold college classroom that you paid obscene amounts of money to sit in and hate life for an hour, but the relaxing feeling could be possible whenever you enter your home.
Usually the same items are sprawled across a living room table: a remote for the TV, junk mail, and, if you are like me, a bag of gluten-free pretzels. Trust me, there are better than regular ones. However, sometimes when we are binge watching “How to Get Away with Murder” or “Game of Thrones,” it would be nice to have something pretty and relaxing to look at, and that could also smell amazing.
Coffee-filled Glass Candle Holder (with a leafy twist)
Candles. They provide an automatic sense of ease when lit and also provide the sweetest scents for multiple cravings, whether it’s to immerse yourself in a field of sunflowers or surrounded yourself in freshly baked apple cinnamon pie. This DIY puts a new spin on candles, it dives into the realm of fall fever that much more.
Materials Needed:
- Glass cup or jar ( Let’s bring the mason jar back)
- White paint or Whiteout (It might be jank, but it works)
- Coffee beans or dry kernels of corn (optional)
- Small solo candle, no glass holder
- Outline of a leaf
- Twine (optional)
- Scissors
Let’s begin:
- Step 1: Draw and outline of a leaf, whatever size you prefer, and cut the outline out
- Step 2: Either tape the cutout onto the glass, making sure the tape is under it and not over the sides, or hold the outline onto the glass while doing the next step.
- Step 3: Grab the white paint or whiteout, and if deciding to hold the outline, hold the leaf onto one side of the outer glass surface. Then, begin covering the entire outer glass surface with the white paint. Paint around the leaf outline and make sure to hold all side down thoroughly, to not have the paint seep in.
- Step 4: Wait a few minutes and then remove the leaf outline. Then let the paint dry completely.
- Step 5: Next, grab the coffee beans or the corn, if desired, and pour into the glass cup/jar to about half.
- Step 6: Grab the small candle and place inside of the cup/jar and wiggle the bottom in to secure the candle.
- Step 7: If desired, cut a piece of twine to wrap around the bottom section of the rim, if using a mason jar.
Finally, you can sit back and enjoy this unique twist on an everyday candle. The outline of the leaf will be illuminated by the candle to create a piece of art for your living room table.
Mason Jar Lid Pumpkin
We are about to see pumpkins everywhere. Yes, it won’t look like the cute town in “Hocus Pocus”, which is what I dream my town (or, at least, my neighborhood) to look like every year, but never does. This is probably because, nowadays, people choose to turn their porch lights off on Halloween and pretend not to be home over diving into the fall spirit.
If you are not one of those people and enjoy looking at pumpkins, and seeing them piled up by the entrance of Kroger isn’t enough, then this DIY is up your alley. The bonus of this project is that this pumpkin has no chance of rotting and stinking up your home.
Materials Needed:
- Mason Jar lids (14-16)
- Twine
- Cinnamon Stick or twig from the outdoors
- Hot Glue or school glue
- Scissors
- Jute twine or tan yarn
- Piece of burlap
Let’s Begin:
- Step 1: Make sure that the mason jar lids have the center popped out and pull all the lids through a string of twine, making sure they are all faced the same way.
- Step 2: Tie the string in a knot around the lids, still allowing the lids to move loosely.
- Step 3: Then adjust the mason jar lids to form a circle.
- Step 4: Take the cinnamon stick and tie the jute twine around it.
- Step 5: Cut a leaf shape from the piece of burlap.
- Step 6: Glue the leaf shape to the cinnamon stick and then place the stick in the center of the mason jar lids.
These cute pumpkins can be places at the center of your table in the living room or kitchen, and the worry of fruit flies gathering around them will not be an issue. The bonus is that a sweet smell of cinnamon will be radiating off them, adding to the essence of autumn.
