$5 Halloween Decor

I know not many people read this blog. I don't update it, so it's pretty easy to pass by. But I thought I'd share with you all today some Halloween decor I made for our "front door area" (we live in an apartment, so technically it's not porch).

It all started with a sign I saw on Pinterest: {Halloween Sign}. I'm not a huge fan of Halloween, but I like the cute,  non-spooky things that are floating around. The sign in the picture is obviously store-bought, but since I'm trying to be frugal and thrifty I decided to make my own! I went to my local Roberts Arts & Crafts store and picked up a piece of ply wood and ribbon. Lucky for me it was 2 for Tuesday, so that meant I could use 2 coupons instead of the usual "40% off your entire purchase!" Score! So, the total was $5 + tax. Not too shabby. I had most of the other supplies I needed, such as paint. For the broom stick I literally just gathered a bunch of sticks, so it was free! I love that word. :)

First things first, I had to weather my wood a little bit. Since it wasn't a solid piece I couldn't do too much with it except hit it with a hammer. I also "stained" my wood using extremely watered down black tempera paint.

The next step: Finding the right shade. This took a little patience. I first tried a brighter color, much like the weird green color that Carter's baby clothes are sporting this year (it's a cute color for girls, but hard to match things to...). Here it is:

Not my best paint job, and definitely not the best color mixture! It literally looked like I painted it with a hi-lighter. Ugh. Try #2 was much more successful. I just added a little more green to my previous paint mixture, and voila!

Next came the words. I wanted the sign to look kind of witchy but still nice. Lucky for me and my Pinterest skills, I found {this tutorial} for transferring printed words onto wood-no Cricut or Silhouette needed! Perfect!

I learned the hard way to not let your paper get too wet. I had to get my board wet and rub off the excess paper, sometimes rubbing off part of the letters. I ended up painting over my printed words, but still totally worth it.

For the edge I used the same painting technique as stenciling- just dipped the tip of my brush in the paint, "dabbed" it on the side of my plastic, and then "dabbed" it on my board. The flash doesn't do my sign justice in this picture--there is a much more gradual look to the edges in real life.

Before I hung the picture on the wall, I gave it a little sanding, so everything looked a little more muted/old.

Hung with 3M hooks

Like I said before, for the broom I just went "stick hunting" with my little girl. I found this awesome road in our apartment complex that doesn't look like it's used much anymore. It's not paved and it's completely lined with trees. The main stick was forked, but my handy and strong husband snapped one side off for me (we don't have a saw). Thanks, babe!

The shorter sticks are put on my broom in layers. I used floral wire from the Dollar Tree to keep them in place and just stopped adding sticks when I ran out of wire. It's not the fullest broom, but it works for our "front door area!" Happy Halloween, everyone!

What frugal decorations have you made this year?

Plastic Bag Wreath

{Click here for a tutorial on how to make this fun wreath!}

Ever wonder what to do with all of those darn plastic bags you bring home from the grocery store? Well, wonder no more! Here is a great idea from Under the Table and Dreaming. Go buy a Styrofoam wreath frame from the dollar store and put those plastic bags to good use! This project took me quite a long time since I kept forgetting about it, but I absolutely LOVE the finished product. It proudly hangs on our front door.

A few tips and tricks:

• Walmart bags are a dirty white color. Target bags are a more "pure" white.
• Cutting a bunch of bags up before you start gluing makes the project go by much faster.
• Use bags from the same stores throughout your whole wreath. Otherwise you get different colors of white. Unless you want that look.
• Try changing the ribbon color with the seasons/holidays. It's a pretty versatile wreath!

Yes, I am aware that the peep hole is being covered by the wreath. Our wreath hanger was already nailed into the door (uncentered, might I add) when we moved in. Oh the joys of renting.

A To-Do List

Life has been pretty lazy around here since I'm not working anymore. I worked at an elementary school, and since school ended I'm stuck without a job. Bummer. So I decided that I need a to-do list so I can keep myself busy. And why not make it a CUTE to-do list? So, I found a tutorial on Make It and Love It. I made it, and I love it. It's SO cute and it didn't cost me a dime. I just used an old picture frame, an old framing mat, an old t-shirt, and some scraps of fabric that I had lying around. It was super easy, and now I have a dry erase board that I can put anywhere and still have it look cute.