Sparkles.. Guest POST

Hi guys, I am taking a break today while my friend Emily over at http://emjoyable.tumblr.com takes over with some sparkle for your holidays. 

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Hi!

My name is Emily, and I'm just thrilled that Steph let me pop in to Pumpkin Love to help celebrate the holidays! While Steph is crafting away at some darling gifts, I want to jump in with some ideas for creating a festive backdrop for your Christmas cheer!

One of my favorite things about Christmas is coming home to an apartment that has been Elf-ed — yes, I did turn the Will Ferrell film into a verb. Nothing beats coming home from work to a home that smells like cinnamon, literally twinkles and looks like Christmas exploded! Here's a couple DIY essentials to help turn your home into a Winter Wonderland. The best part might even be that they can all be made for about $5.

Scented Holiday Wreath

Pick up a plain wreath. I found some at the dollar store for a buck a pop. Tie a bow with your favorite red ribbon. Use applesauce, cinnamon (recipe here) and cookie cutter letters to spell out your favorite holiday word. Use hot glue to secure the letters to the wreath. Hang it from your desk to brighten up your office a bit.

A Touch of Sparkle

Before it snows, run outside and grab a couple small branches. Stay outside, and spray the branches with a healthy amount of glitter spray paint (like this kind here). Let the sparkly sticks dry, and then place them in a vase. Tie a red ribbon around them too if you're feeling really crazy! (I got this idea from the oh-so-fitting blog called Glitter Guide via Pinterest.) 

Deck the Halls with Yarn & Pipe cleaners

Go to the holiday aisle at any store from Target to Farm and Fleet and you're bound to find a sign with a string of holiday words to hang from your wall. Don't pay $20 for a cookie cutter decal that hundreds of other people have - make your own! Go to Hobby Lobby and grab some pipe cleaners and yarn. Bend the pipe cleaners into one of your favorite holiday tag lines, like "Deck the Halls," "Peace on Earth" or "Merry Christmas." Then, wrap the yarn around the letters. Hang with Command Strips and you have your very own, beautiful wall-hang! (Check out more tips for this craft here.)

How do you craft your Christmas?