But. Something in my centerpiece was missing. I needed something shiny to throw in the mix! I love anything DIY so I started surfing the web for some inspiration and found a photograph of what appeared to be thumb tacks that made this adorable, glowing ball of gold. THAT was what I needed! Challenge accepted.

I knew it couldn’t be too difficult to figure this thing out. What would thumb tacks stick into nicely? Uhh… styrofoam! And that is literally all that you need.

• styrofoam balls
• gold thumb tacks (check your local dollar store!)

To begin, I just started sticking thumb tacks into the ball making sure that they overlapped each other to help hold them in place.

There is no method to the madness, I just stuck and stuck and stuck until the ball was covered! I guess you could be fancy and make little flower shaped clusters, continuing the pattern from the photo above, but I just laid them all in there making sure to cover every bit of white. And there you have it!!

Where are my Game of Throne fans!?? This could also be a… dragon egg!! Right!? Halloween prop for my Khaleesi costume next year… maybe.

Anyway- then display!! It was just the touch of shimmer that I needed.

Now I’m off to make a few more! These reflect the glow of Christmas lights really well, if you have lights hanging around your fireplace or a shelf or something. Set a few of these guys nearby and watch them shine!!

What sorts of handmade holiday decorations are you using this year? I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas!

For more fun family crafts and DIY projects, follow me at MyMilitarySavings.com!

Ya’ll know how it is – big plans, but then you get home and sit down. Motivation GONE! I sat staring at the items I had laid out in my office, but I was so tired I didn’t have the want to get up and put it all together. My son came in to see what I was doing, and when I told him I was thinking, he got to work! It took him less than five minutes to put this together, and it looks fabulous! Really ya’ll – kids can do these for your table! They love to help get ready for company, and this was his way to contribute to the festivities.

What you will need:

• Decorative Bowl
• Fake Leaves
• Fake Veggies (or really anything that you want to use)

Directions:

1. Lay the leaves in the bottom of the bowl, and fluff just a little to give it a full look
2. Add in your veggies or decorative items
3. DONE!

See how simple that was? Two steps and finished. Now, I found this stuff at the thrift store, so this entire centerpiece cost me less than 5.00! Now that is thrifty, and these things looked brand new! I was really pleased with the finished product and my son is excited about his “artwork.” Definitely a win win! Get your crafty side on this holiday season and share your creations with us here!

So it’s out with the old and in with the new now! My flip-flop wreath has come down and I’m putting out my orange and red mums. I’m not quite ready to go all out with Halloween decorations yet, although it’s a battle every trip to Wal-Mart because my kiddos see it all on display front and center and they don’t understand why we can’t start planting spider webs in our living room TODAY. Sigh. Soon enough I tell them, soon enough!

I AM, however, pulling out my cozy apple pie scented candles, our candy-corn colored fabric banners, and dried corn stalks. As I was sorting through everything I realized that I needed new autumn themed centerpieces for my dining room table and living room so I began brainstorming ways to decorate that I haven’t tried yet and it instantly hit me – a craft that I have been wanting to try for soooooo long but never had a need for it. Well folks, it’s the perfect time now!!! BLEACHED PINECONES!!!

I love the woody, au natural, repurposed adornments around the house so this DIY was right up my alley and it really makes a fantastic embellishment for console tables, mantelpieces, countertops, you name it. Once you read how easy it is to do, you’ll have jars of these things all over the place, too! 🙂

This is all you need:

• Pinecones (open or closed, it doesn’t matter)
• Bleach
• Water
• A large bucket
• Another large bucket to fit inside of the other one OR heavy items such as bricks or large rocks

Step 1) Place pine cones into a large bucket. Fill the bucket with water so it covers the pine cones and then add 1 part bleach to 2 parts water. I eyeballed this – it does not have to be exact. You just want to make sure the bleach is diluted about 2:1 so the pine cones won’t disintegrate and fall apart.

*I, of course, recommend doing all of this outside in a well ventilated area, and using gloves to protect your skin!

Step 2) Depending on what you decided to use, cover the pine cone and water/bleach mixture to force the pine cones down so they’re completely covered. They will want to float so you need bricks, large rocks, or another bucket full of water to submerge them. I chose to use a bucket 1/2 full with water. You don’t want to crush the pine cones, but force them down. You get the point.

Step 3) Let the pine cones soak for 24 hours and then remove from the bleach water. You will notice that they all closed up because they were wet… no problem. Set them in the sun for a few hours to dry and you will find that they all reopen. This will also remove any unpleasant smell.

Step 4) Decorate with them as you wish!

I am all about simple, and I am all about CHEAP! This project cost me absolutely nothing because I already had bleach on hand. And it’s a fabulous look for the upcoming fall season!

Let me know what you think!! Give it a try, and tell me how it turns out! I’d love to see photos in the comments below!

For more frugal DIY ideas, subscribe to MyMilitarySavings.com!