Super Sleepy Sunday

I fail. I know I know. I seriously haven't posted in what.. two? Three weeks?
Two jobs and school lead to a very drowsy Bobbie.
Anywhos... Its Sleepy Sunday. A day of rest, worship, family. Whatever floats your boat.

Today's Sleepy Sunday topic will beeeeee.....

How to "Fall-ify" Your Home

I love my apartment. It may not be huge, but its my.. Well my and  my boyfriend's (:D) apartment. As seasons change so do my decor and the smell of my rooms. Here are a few simple steps you can take to make your space more season friendly.

1. Scents
Scents are the strongest connection we have in tracing memories. Have you ever walked into an old home and suddenly remembered something from your childhood at your grandparents? Or perhaps you got a whiff of someones cologne/perfume and remembered what you did last summer (sorry for the pun.. :P)

I change the smell of my little space here using three key elements- Wallflowers, candles, and room spray.
Wallflowers are sold at Bath and Body works. They have cute little "starters" which plug into the wall. For sale are also bulbs full of liquid fragrance, which your screw int the holders, plug in, and the holders heat just a little and fill your rooms with yummy scented what have you. My living room smells like Marshmallow Fireside, my bedroom Cloves... A different scent for every room.

Wallflowers are also great for college dorm rooms as candles aren't allowed.

Candles
I cannot express enough my love for candles. Candle arrangements, singles, three-wick... Just.. Mmm... Candles. Depending on their size candles can really fill a room with a potent fragrance. Last week I burned Autumn from B&BW, today is Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin (Also BBW). I have several Yankee Candles and Potter Barn candles as well, but I've just become partial to BBW. The size of the candle also matters. Bigger surface area means more fragrance to be diffused. Candles also are great decoration. I love my Pottery Barn pillar candle arrangement, though they are unscented, and I also have several in lanterns and holders.

Room Spray

Okay.. Room spray gets a bad reputation. It's usually kept in the bathroom for.. well you know, or used to make the garbage can smell better.
Yes, room sprays are technically used to make things smell better, as are any scented anythings, but they are also very handy. Yet again, B&BW sells rooms sprays. One spray lasts upwards to four hours. They also have sprays that match the candles and wallflowers as well. I personally just use Febreeze. Their Autumn scent works great for my small area and isn't too overpowering for me. The only problem is their fabric refreshers never matches the sprays, so I first mist lavender and vanilla, and then use Autumn .. leaves? I think  and the smells can become intermingled and it just isn't super pleasant.

Don't be afraid to mix scents. Burn two different scented candles at once to create a signature scent. Burn a scented tea candle with a different scented tart in a warmer. Experiment with your scents! You're nose will be surprised at what you've created.

2. Flowers

Simple arrangements, fresh flowers, make your own, pre-arranged. Anything goes. I have mums by my door, fake sunflowers in my wreath, and a mixture in my centerpieces. Flowers are a great way to bring outdoor seasonal pieces indoors.

3. Fabrics
Better Homes and Gardens has fleece throws from $7 at WalMart. $0.97 oven mitts, hand towels, and pot holders.
Blankets, whether printed or just seasonal colors, can transform a room in seconds.  Throw pillows also in seasonal colors (or pillow covers), add comfort and a  dash of color on an other wise blank surface.  Small prints here and there with anything from leaves to pumpkins invite fall inside for a  comforting, cozy feeling.


There you have it. Three simple ways to bring the season into your home. I hope you enjoyed!

A Day Late... Already---- Worn Out Wednesday

The first day back at school will do that to you. You walk all over campus and avoiding getting hit by cars. Basically, I didn't blog because I was tired and honestly forgot to. So I'm being ridiculously boring and leaving this post at a few things-

I'm horrible at math. I'm mathematically dyslexic. Seriously. Its really, really bad.
Second- I made an awesome grilled chicken salad today. I'll put the recipe here soon.
Finally, I finally got my welcome letter to Pottermore, the online Harry Potter Experience. I'm a huge nerd and I've been waiting for ages.

I promise I'll have something interesting tomorrow. :)
Cheers

Monday Munchies- Chocolate Chip Dip

Unexpected company? Snack time? Sweet tooth? In college and have a random assortment of stuff in you little baby mini fridge? I ran across this recipe the other day while searching for fall arrangements.. How? I have no idea. It's the internet. Stuff happens. It's from tasteofhome.com, and this particular recipe was brought to you by the letter H.. I mean... Philadelphia Cream Cheese.

Ingredients

• 1 package (8 ounces) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese (softened or cubed), softened
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup (6 ounces) miniature semisweet chocolate chips
• Graham cracker sticks

Directions

• In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugars and vanilla; beat until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips. Serve with graham cracker sticks. Yield: 2 cups.

You can also use full graham crackers cracked on the perforated lines and serve with butter knives for spreading, as graham cracker sticks aren't always easy to find. 

Now.. I'm going to save you money again, as well as calories. Great value cream cheese works just fine, and I use the fat free version. You have to be more careful though, because if you over beat the mixture it can become grainy, and no one wants grainy, lumpy dip. Ew. If you like even more sweet than the recipe offers, mix in milk chocolate chips over the semi-sweet, but I think that would just be too much, personally. 

This stuff tastes like cheesecake. So in other words, its freaking YUMMY! 

Holiday Trick- Mix in a few drops of orange (or red and yellow) food coloring. The orange cream with the dark brown chocolate chips gives it a nice fall or Halloween feel. 

Enjoy!

Weekly Updates

Here is how it's all going down

• Sleepy Sunday- Easy crafts or meals for your day off, day of rest, worship, or however you like to spend it.
• Monday Munchies- Recipes. Plain and simple. Could be breakfast, could be dinner. But they'll always be good
• Twisted Tuesday- RANDOM day! Anything could happen today!
• (Seasonal W word here) Wednesday. For example, soon Wicked Wednesday will be starting in honor of Halloween and fall festivities, revolving around autumn crafts, decor, and food. 
• Thrifty Thursday- Super cheap crafts and meals!
• Fundamental Friday- Beginning basics on many topics. Organization, coupon-ing, painting, etc etc. 
• Sweet Tooth Saturday- Desserts and sweet Treats.

I'll update every other day. Keep this place interesting, you from being bored, and me from going crazy... er.

 

My Worst Enemy...

Is also my greatest addiction!

Hobby Lobby.
The store just sucks you in with its half off "sales" all the time, which I have learned cycle normally. Glassware, then floral, the seasonal and so on. It's their way of saying "Hey! We know you want to make this, so here are some supplies on sale but OH you have to buy everything else full price."

FALSE

For example. I desperately wanted to make a wreath. Hobby Lobby wreaths average around $50-100. I'm in college. I'm not paying 65 dollars for a wreath. So I browse. Vine wreaths are full price at 6 bucks. Not bad. Leaf strands are half off at 5.50. Great. Decor picks are full price. If you have no idea what picks are.. They are little mini sprays on a stick for easy insert into wreaths. You need a LOT of picks to make a full, pretty wreath. This drastically increases the price and breaks you're spirits of making the wonderful wreath you so desperately wanted to make. But wait.. Across the store floral stems are half off!!

So...Here's the solution
Wire cutters. Yes wire cutters. Pick out your floral stems, averaging at out 3.50 for rather large amounts. All you need to do is clip them apart. It may take a little more time, but your wallet will thank you, and if you really want, you can grab a couple full priced picks to celebrate you're thrifty-ness.

Here is my proof. I compared the wreath I made to a  $75 pre-made wreath.

$29.00

I know it looks little because of the picture, but this thing is two feet in diameter, and has much more details than the picture shows. Now.. How do you make it?

Supplies:

•  Grape vine wreath- $6
• Leaf vine- $5.50
• Various floral stems- varies on choices
• I used three picks, all pumpkins- $6
• Hot glue gun
• Plenty of glue sticks
• Wire cutters
• Gloves, if you prefer
• Imagination

Clip stems to preferred length, glue ends, and place where you like! Start with your leaf vine though. It's a perfect base. Depending on your speed, it may take anywhere form 30 minutes to 1.5 hours. Mine was finished in about 20.. but thats because I'm crazy!

As fall is approaching, I thought this great to share early so you could get started!

Hope you enjoy!

My Little World

Bit of background information I suppose?

Well hello, I'm Bobbie. I like arts and crafts, design, weddings, and things that hold my attention for more than two minutes at a time. I've tried the whole blog thing before, but failed miserably as my interests change like English weather. My passion for making things has been steadfast so I hope the best for this blog as well! I make a ton of lists, and here is the first for this new baby blog:

What I'll do here:

• Share crafts I've recently created
• Have tutorials of how I did it!
• Try to save you money in the process of re-making crafts
• Share recipes
• Attempt to entertain you while you're here
• I'm currently trying to create special "day of the week" ideas. Wreath Wednesday! 
• Implement ideas.. I love ideas

So stick with me... It's a work in progress!