DIY Tripod Christmas Tree

      Today I noticed it was already the 3rd of December and after dealing with the inevitability of time constantly passing I thought to myself "should I do a tree this year or not?'

      Last year I bought a sad 2 foot tall, pre-lit tinsel tree at a dollar store and it was so dumb. The year before I tacked up string lights to the wall in the shape of a tree. That was much cooler, but man.... did I leave some holes in the wall. Sorry landlord.

      So for this year, I wanted something a little more grand, but that was still doable in our teeny apartment. Oh, and also cheap. Like dirt, cheap. Nothing says the holidays like being flat out broke.

      My solution at first was going to be to go out and buy dowels. But that requires money! Instead, I went outside and found sticks on the ground. For free!

      You obviously can use dowels if you want. And the length depends on the  height you want the tree to be. I wanted something decently tall, so these are about 6 feet long. 

      It's been raining here for the past few days so the sticks I found were yucky and damp. It you find nice dry, pretty sticks, you don't have to go to the troubling of whittling them unless you like that look. This took me a long time! But I wanted to get this done today, and I like the lighter wood underneath the bark. 

      I am no perfectionist, this is what I ended up with. I did some light sanding, but I'm sure with more effort I could have smoothed them down much more.

      Now you can choose your spot, and prop the sticks up against each other. Using some string, I then wrapped it around all three sticks at the top, and tied them together. 

Make sure to pull tight!

      Then I wrapped the string around, under, and over the sticks in varying ways. This will make it nice and sturdy. It might wobble a little bit, but as long as nothing is pushing or bumping into it, it won't fall down. 

Then I added a string of lights. I tucked in the end of the cord into the top of the tripod, and then wrapped it around, keeping to the outside. I tried to keep the lights taut, but don't pull too hard or you might collapse the tripod into itself. 

      Then you can really decorate it as you see fit! I stuck with a silver and gold motif since I used only white lights. A vintage string of pearls from my childhood also added to the metallic look. 

For a tree topper, I just made an origami paper star and hung it. 

I used this tutorial, here. 

So for a grand total of FREE (sticks were found, and everything else was on hand) I have an impressive little display. What I like most about this, is there's room for presents inside the tripod formation as well as around it. So more space saving for apartment dwellers!

      I guess it's a little more bohemian than the average christmas tree, but I think it'll suit us just fine this holiday. 

Quick & Easy Halloween Decor Tips

      Halloween is my absolute favorite holiday. So why did it take me half the month to finally decorate? I think with the colder weather my hibernation habits are kicking in. Sleeping in is my vice and I cannot kick it. Anyways, I didn't buy anything new this year, other than a hanging paper bat. So I tried being creative and walked around the apartment to try and come up with something. Here's the before of my stairway mantel. 

And here is the after. 

      Though I do have a box of Halloween goodies I can dig out every year, there are a bunch of things I added that weren't strictly  'Halloween items'.

      I scanned my bookshelf's for creepy looking covers and titles, found a good selection, and then stacked them according to size. If you're not like me, and don't have the beginnings of a personal library to work with, you can easily run to a thrift store and pick up some books on the cheap. 

      The David Bowie skull is a DIY I did just for fun earlier in the year, and decided he could share in the holiday spirt. DIY from A Beautiful Mess here.  

     The 5-headed dragon is an incense holder that was living on a bookshelf. After grabbing him, I also scattered some rubber dragons I had gotten for a photo project around the area. If you have some old melted candles, they can add a spooky mood to the setting, so don't chuck them, save them in your Halloween stash. The goblin mask was from a Halloween costume a few years ago. 

      That extra large pumpkin bucket is one of my favorite finds. He was at Target last year, but I didn't see them bring him back for this season. The sneaky mouse in the corner was also a bookshelf find. 

As for the rest of the stairwell/hallway, I filled it with the extra decorations in my stash, as well as some baby pumpkins. Those are a great, cheap way to fill in space and create a great autumn vibe. 

      If you have any great photos that fit the theme in anyway, nows the time to show them off. If you can, choose a frame that compliments a certain color found in the photo. 

      And don't forget the dollar store is a great place to score things. The vase and the black rose both came from there. And another Nightmare before Christmas character joins the other side of the windows. 

      That's what I managed to throw together this year. With more time and effort, I'd really go the extra mile and make my entire space feel spooky and festive. I'm sure we all feel that way. I hope this inspires any last minute decorations for those who need a little push! Happy Hauntings!

Wearing Stuff: Simplicity

Summer is my favorite season for many reasons, but I think one might be how easy it is to throw something cute on. I live in shorts during the hot months, because they're so comfy, and so easy to make different looks with. I know this outfit is super basic, but that's not always a bad thing. I had also just gotten this new bag for my birthday so that made it a little more 'put together'. 

This was only a few weeks ago when I was on a trip to Kure Beach, NC. With the weather cooling down now, it just makes me wish I was still taking walks in the breezy beach air. I love autumn, and I'll embrace it, but not until it is official! We still have a week of summer left!

I also took advantage of the toy machines outside the local grocery store. Don't forget about those! I still get as excited about them as I did when I was little. They have some great scores sometimes, like these Adventure Time slap bracelets. It might be junk, but it feels like a treat. I'm big on bracelets, and the cheaper the better because they wear out quick since I never take them off. 

I have some more outfits from this trip to share, and then maybe I'll get back into the present and focus on more timely choices. Hopefully doing some stereotypical fall activities will inspire me. Hayride anyone?