DIY Autumn Wreath

Hey there, friends!

I hope you're all having a lovely Friday so far! It's a gorgeous day here in Franklin, TN and I'm excited that it's starting to feeling like fall outside! Autumn is always the beginning of my favorite time of year. It's so cozy and comforting and is the perfect introduction to the Christmas season (which is the most wonderful time of year!)

There's something about this season that makes me both want to make something crafty and to work to create an inviting environment at home. So, last weekend I thought I would combine both of those desires and make an Autumn Wreath for our front door!

I searched the aisles of Target and browsed online for Autumn wreaths to purchase, but I just couldn't find one that I liked. After looking at lots of Autumn craft ideas on Pinterest, I was inspired by these two wreaths to make one of my own!

Here's the finished product...

I didn't take step-by-step photos of the process, but it's pretty easy to do!

This is what you'll need:

• Wreath form - I used a large straw wreath form, and left the plastic wrapping on it
• Yarn - I used 1.5 skeins of yellow yarn (but my yarn was a little thinner than some, so you might be able to get away with less)
• Felt - I used two large sheets of the stiff felt that was next to the not-so-stiff craft felt. (haha, I'm not sure what the technical terms are...maybe you veteran crafters can correct me?)
• Hot glue gun
• Hot glue sticks
• Scissors

1. Take your yarn, and hot glue the end to the back of your wreath form. 
2. Wrap the yarn around and around and around. (This step can be very time consuming...approx. 2 hours...so I found it helpful to watch something delightful, like Newsies, while I was wrapping away.) Don't worry about being too perfect with this. My perfectionist self was way too precise to start off with, but as I went along I got more lazy and it still looked about the same.
3. Continue to wrap until your entire wreath form is covered! You may have to cut the yarn and re-glue a new piece, and that's okay! Just make sure to always glue on the back of your wreath form.
4. Take your stiff sheets of felt and sketch out a leaf. Cut out that leaf, and then use it as a guide to sketch out a bunch more!
5. Cut out your leaves.
6. Hot glue your leaves onto your wreath.
7. Voila! You have yourself a neato Autumn Wreath.
8. Pat yourself on your back and go hang up your wreath smiling with satisfaction at a job well done!

Here's a glimpse out our doorstep. It looks much more welcoming than when we first moved in, which makes me happy. 

Husband bought me those yellow mums yesterday. I love them! 

Now all we need are some pumpkins...and a welcome mat! One like this, perhaps? Welcome mats are yet another thing that I have a hard time finding ones that I like. They're either blah, not our style, or too pricey. I may just have to make my own!

If you have any questions at all about making your own wreath, please don't hesitate to ask! And if you make your own, I'd love to see! Feel free to post a link in the comment section.

Have you made any Autumn crafts lately? Please do share.

Happy Autumn Day to you!

-Tiffany

How to Turn Impossible into Possible

As I was sitting on the couch sipping my coffee this morning, my mind was bombarded with cares and situations that I (foolishly) felt I needed to figure out on my own. Phone calls I needed to make, details to work out, planning to be done...God, I don't know how this is going to work out!

And then God quieted me...and led me to read Hebrews 11.

I grabbed my Bible and quickly flipped the pages. In the moment forgetting what Hebrews 11 was all about, I read the first verse:

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." - Hebrews 11:1 NIV

Continuing to read the chapter, tears started streaming down my face as I was reminded of all the seemingly impossible things that God has done, simply because his people had faith that he would do it.

"Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." - Hebrews 11:6 NIV

God wants to do the impossible in our lives, but too often our doubt, worry, and lack of faith get in the way.

"'You don't have enough faith,' Jesus told them. 'I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.'" - Matthew 17:20 NLT

"God can do anything, you know--far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!" - Ephesians 3:20 MSG

I know I'm not the only one facing an "impossible" situation. So, what's yours? Remember that God is the ultimate expert of making the impossible, possible. All we need to do is surrender, trust, and have a little faith. :)

With Love,
Tiffany

More thoughts on faith here...