fall window decorations

I've been waiting for awhile now to do something pretty with these fabric leaves that you may have seen in my fall craft supply post. I bought them a couple of years ago on clearance after the fall season was over. I didn't have any plans for them so they just sat with my craft supplies.

I thought about using the leaves to make a wreath but I really liked the idea of hanging them like they were fluttering down from a tree. Something you don't see too often downtown.

Last year I doctored them up with some glitter and strung them together with yarn. I hung some from this lamp...


... and some in the windows.

This year I hung them all in the windows. What I came up with is still simple but a little more intricate than last year.



I started by crocheting three chains of dark brown yarn in varying lengths for each window. I crocheted them on a metal ring for easy hanging.

 

Then I cut some dark brown ribbon and melted the edges to prevent fraying.

 

Pinching the melted edges together made it easier to string the leaves on. Which is what I did next.

Once I had all the leaves strung up I tied the ribbons to the crochet chains. And I was done!

 To finish I moved them up to the top part of the windows.

Now I'm constantly reminded that it's fall. Marvelous!

I bet you didn't know I was this crazy

So this is coming a bit out of left field considering that we are only five days into September but I've got something on my mind.

You know those crazy people who go all out with their outdoor Christmas/holiday decorations? When you can't even see the house past all the Xmas nonsense?

I am one of those people. Well, the urban equivalent. With far less space to work with.

And only because prize money is involved.

The management of our apartment holds an annual holiday window decorating contest for the tenants. The three best window displays are chosen and awarded a hefty (in my opinion) cash prize. I, of course, take this contest way too seriously. We've won the past four years. Every year we've lived here.

The first year we lived here we just slapped some paper snowflakes in the window without even realizing a contest was going on. We put so little thought into our decorations that we didn't even take a photo. And we won! This apparently lit a fire in me... and the next three photographs are the result.

2009

2010

2011

I went all out. Like the people in those crazy holiday decorating shows on TLC. The sad part is there is no competition. Only a few other tenants play along. So I don't really need to put all this effort into the contest to win, but I don't care... It's a lot fun.

I keep switching back and forth between "we" and "I." By "we" I'm referring to my boyfriend Nate and myself. We live together so he is involved in the contest by association but that's typically as far as his involvement goes. I guess he isn't as crazy as I am. 

Last year, for the 2011 display, I had already picked out my design by August. So I'm already behind... 

What sort of display should I make this year? I'm drawing a major blank!! 

making stuff

So, as usual, I've been busying myself with a bunch of craft projects and I wanted to share a few photos of what I've been doing. Most of these are works in progress.

This is the start of a top secret project that I will be sharing later next month. You'd think making a small pinch pot out of polymer clay would be no big deal but getting the surface even and smooth is a challenge! 

 

I made this tiny polymer clay skull for no reason in particular. After a coat or two of white paint he'll be a cute halloween accent on one of our bookshelves. 

I also made a few tiny polymer pumpkins that are about the same size as the skull above. I've got five of them made so far and I have plans for more. I love these!

I've been playing around with paper mache too. I've wanted to make a small deer head for soooooooooooooo long. I'm talking years and years. I finally started a few weeks ago. I can't wait until it's done!

This colorful piece will one day be a pillow cover. It kind of reminds me of these painted chevron candle holders I painted awhile ago.   

Oh! I finally finished one of the crochet flags I've been working on! One down, one to go.

What kind of things have you been working on??