DIY crafts have seen a spike in popularity since the economy tanked and has yet to rebound completely. According to a new survey, an increasing number of homeowners are putting the brakes on buying new seasonal decorations, and instead are channeling their inner Martha Stewart, and making crafts on their own.
Now that autumn has officially arrived, now is the time to see how creative you can get on a shoestring budget. If you are new to DIY crafts, you may be surprised by how much fun it can be to create your own decorations. And if the process doesn’t make you smile, seeing the end product and knowing you only spent a couple of dollars on it, will surely put a grin on your face.
Here are some fun and frugal fall projects that even the most craft-challenged can conquer:
Illuminated Apples: Instead of just making apple candleholders and placing them on the window sill, consider creating floating tea light apples that can be placed on the front porch on Halloween or as a centerpiece for a dinner party. Start by filling a large bowl or galvanized bucket halfway with water. Then, core as many apples as it will take to cover the surface of the water in your particular container. Once you remove the top one-inch of the core in each apple, take a tea light candle and insert it into the apple and place the fruit into the water. The apples will float, giving you a beautiful illuminated decoration to enjoy.
Candy and Apple Centerpiece: Instead of filling candy dishes with Halloween treats and placing them randomly around the house, consider creating a candy and fruit centerpiece featuring ripe apples and other seasonal fruits. You will need a plate, long wooden skewers or wooden chopsticks, two apples, lemon juice, two strawberries, two pears, some cranberries and gum drops or other gummy candy. Start by poking a hole through the whole apple with a sharp knife. This will allow you stick the skewer through the apple. Next, start stacking the other fruits on the stick. You can make the job easier by slicing up the apples and pears before placing them on the skewer. Just remember to squeeze some fresh lemon juice on the apples so they don’t brown. Try to keep the heavier fruits on the bottom and the candy and cranberries near the top. When you are done, fill a deep dish with hard candy. Finally, stand the kabobs in the dish like mini fruit trees and cover the bottoms with more candy or fruit.
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