As the holiday season approaches, our apartments and dorm rooms might seem a little bare compared to how our homes were decorated back in high school. Although you might not have the time or the funds to deck your living space out completely, here are a few quick and easy crafts that will give your digs some holiday spirit:
The Glitter Pumpkin
Obviously pumpkins are an autumn staple regardless of where you are living. However, carved pumpkins rot and jack-o’-lanterns a la Sharpie are not the ideal long-term decoration.
A more chic version of the standard pumpkin is the glitter chevron striped pumpkin. All you need is painters’ tape, paint, glitter, glue and a pumpkin! Simply paint the pumpkin a solid color and wait for it to dry. Then affix the painters’ tape in a chevron (zig-zag) pattern. Make sure to set down some newspapers before the final steps. Next, spread the glue thinly across the exposed areas and sprinkle glitter on the glue. Wait for the glue to dry and remove the painters’ tape. Voila!
Once you get the hang of it, you can make more and vary the sizes of the pumpkins you use. You can switch up the colors and even come up with your own designs!
Felt Leaves
Although the leaves don’t change dramatically in Gainesville, they are still a fall season essential.
All you need to make these decorations are felt in various seasonal colors, yarn, a hot glue gun and a pair of sharp scissors. Just cut the felt in leaf shapes and then arrange the yarn in the shape of the veins of the leaves. Then get out your hot glue gun and glue the yarn in place! You can use the leaves to decorate a desk or even to give to your parents as a thoughtful gift when you arrive home for Thanksgiving.
Día de los Muertos Pots
One of my favorite holidays to learn about has always been Día de los Muertos because of all the bright colors and crafting possibilities. Recently I saw the most adorable Day of the Dead-themed flowerpots and decided to make some of my own. All you need is a pot (or even a small plastic trashcan), white paint, black paint and other paint in bright colors.
Paint the pot or the trashcan white and then draw big eyes and teeth that look like those of a skull. Then add in the bright colors as accents and add more doodles. Eventually you will have a really cool and unique addition to your room or porch!
Paper Pumpkins
For these cute and easy pumpkins, you only need scissors, paper and a stapler. Cut colorful paper into 1.5-inch wide strips. Then make one of the strips into a circle (kind of like a bracelet) and staple it in the middle so it retains its shape. Now do the same thing with a second strip. Now put the second circle strip through the original strip so it looks like a plus sign. Staple through both in the middle so they do not come unattached. Continue adding new rings of strips until it takes a pumpkin form. Add a tiny green strip of paper at the top and you’re all done!
These are only a few ideas. Now that exam weeks are over, you can finally focus on what is really important — seasonally relevant crafting! Get started now so you can enjoy your decorations all the way through October and November. Happy crafting!
Photo credits: Kappa Prep Blog, 2modern Blog.