With the falling leaves and chilly air, it’s hard to shake that creative itch. It seems that once September is on its way out, October beckons with promises of pumpkin spice EVERYTHING and fancy little decorations that make our hearts happy. Unfortunately for those of us that are autumn enthusiasts in college, our budget laughs at the thought of elaborate décor.
Fortunately for us, craftiness is in our blood.
One of the best ways to get those creative juices flowing (aside from gallons on gallons of coffee) is to simply throw yourself into it. Find your local department, or craft store and just peruse the isles until something speaks to you. It isn’t hard to get creative when you’re surrounded by the materials and tools to create magic. The whole budget thing may still be a problem here. However, you can absolutely find yourself in a place like Walmart or Dollar Tree spending just a few bucks on some great materials, rather than breaking twenties or fifties on name brands. Besides, who doesn’t love a challenge?
Maybe you’re someone who loves crafts and all their therapeutic benefits… but perhaps you weren’t so artistically gifted. There are many people in this world who just simply weren’t born to paint the Cysteine Chapel, and you know what? That’s okay! Crafting is for everyone, and there are some simple ones that you can do and still feel like you’re a natural artist.
1. Pumpkin or Canvas?
If you feel like tapping into your inner child, this is a great craft for you. Not only is paint very inexpensive, but it’s a heck of a lot less messy than carving, and its even easier to personalize your pumpkin! If you take a trip to your local Walmart, you can find your supplies for a very fair price. Brushes are approximately three dollars, paints are only about a dollar. If you find yourself blanking on what to paint you can always go to the internet for some neat ideas, and you can never go wrong with the classic look of the simple jack –o-lantern. For this low price you can make your apartment, home, dorm, or yard into an autumn wonderland.
2. Darling Doors
Whether you live with others, or alone everyone loves a personalized room. Of course the first step is personalizing your very own door. The opportunities are endless with how creative you can get, or how simple you would like to stay. Some easy ideas to make your room stand out are to cover it in wrapping paper. This is very inexpensive and easy to find, especially if you go shopping at a dollar store near you. Wrapping paper is always in stock, so even if you’re not in the mood for the season, you can always get a little colorful and fun with a cute floral print, or a bold color to stand out from those white walls.
Another lovely door ornament is the traditional wreath. In recent years wreaths have become less common, but don’t you worry they’re coming right back around. You can find these just about anywhere, and they are actually very easy to make on your own. All it takes is a base, which are as little as three dollars at Michael’s, some flowers and ribbon, both of which are inexpensive just about anywhere you go, and maybe some glitter to really make it shine. If you buy foam all you have to do is shove and maybe do a little gluing, or if you have a hot glue gun you can just get right to your fall masterpiece!
(https://www.pinterest.com/pin/269230883954050784/)
3. Sign Me Up!
Every girl loves to wake up to her favorite quote, beautifully written in calligraphy and hanging on her wall to remind her every day. Unfortunately, this trend has been noticed by well… everyone, and has now gotten itself a pretty unattractive price for anything worth buying. Many people just bite the bullet and spend the extra cash to get their cute signs and canvases without ever realizing how simple it is to make them at home. Whether you’re looking for something that is encouraging, obvious, or humorous, it is all at your very own finger tips. Canvases are relatively pricey, but you will save in the long run if you buy a package rather than a single. The paint to use can be the same paint you buy at Walmart for less than a dollar, or you can invest in some calligraphy pens that can be found online for as little as about six dollars.
If canvas isn’t your thing, maybe your looking for something a little more simplistic. This can be easily found with a hanging chalk board. These can also be found at Walmart for a mere four to ten dollars. These are a great buy because if one day you wake up groaning at the same old quote, all you have to do is erase it and find a more current one that speaks to you now.
(https://www.pinterest.com/pin/477451997977606689/)
4. “Turkeys, and foxes, and owls…oh my!”
If you’re looking for something that reminds you of home, and makes you smile a little bigger, you can always go for the more “wild” approach. There are tons of animals that you can make with very simple craft items. Aside from painting, stitching, or molding them yourself you can use things like clothes pins, felt, googly eyes (who doesn’t love those?), and feathers which can all be found in virtually any craft isle. To make any fall animal maybe you can take the whimsical method of the painted hand onto paper, the felt animal made by cutting a few pieces of felt into the different body parts, or you can use mason jars. You’re probably asking yourself “What in the world would a jar be doing on a turkey?” Well its quite simple. If you paint any mason jar in the color of whatever animal you’re going for, you can use sharpies to draw in subtle details like arms and paws, you can then use the felt to make the face with different layers and glue it to the top of the jar. If you do decide to make the turkey, you can use painted clothes pins around the rim to make a big beautiful tail. By only painting the one side of the jar you can leave the rest untouched so your fall friend glows and smells of your favorite scented candle of choice.
5. Cozy at the Stadium
If wearing your jersey just isn’t enough for you, then you will love this craft. Making a blanket is super simple, and it’s a great way to stay warm and toasty while watching our Mountaineers win the game. All you need here is a pair of scissors and two pieces of fuzzy cloth with whatever color or pattern you like. Make the two pieces of cloth the same size, lay them on top of one another, and cut consistently sized fringes on every side. Once you’re done you can leave the cloth together and then go through and tie the matching fringes (top and bottom) together in a simple knot. Voila! You now have yourself a blanket.
(https://snapguide.com/guides/make-a-no-sew-fleece-blanket-wout-bulky-knots/)
If you’re in the mood to craft, your possibilities are absolutely endless. Who knows, if you find out some secret hidden gift for making gorgeous crafts you can always start an Etsy account to fund all your artsy endeavors. However, if you’re still not motivated by any of the crafts listed here you can always go to google, Pinterest, or YouTube to find something that you can really FALL in love with. Happy crafting!