sweet {sweet} november: yo yo lurve

sweet (sweet} november: day 3

Lately it seems I'm a bit mad for yo yos. I think it is because crafting is in my blood and even though I currently appear to be lacking in crafting space I still need to do something. Yo yo making is a super easy take-along craft, if you shell out for some yo yo makers it is even easier. I have a few makers but they're somewhere in the garage so I have been whipping these out old school. They don't take long but they do take long enough, it all depends on how much of a perfectionist you are. Here I have, just for you a fall pretty wreath you can make for yourself or as a gift. All you have to do is rethink up your colors and bits and you can make a wreath for every holiday!

Materials
*woven stick wreath from craft store
*acrylic paint
*paintbrush
*container of water
*handful of handmade yo yos
*hot glue gun & hot glue
*fall leaf sprig from craft store

Craft it up:

To make your yo yos, you can use a yo yo maker like this or you can do them by hand. If using a maker, you'll want a few different sized bits and they will come with templates so use those as your guide. Otherwise, hunt out a variety of bowls and glasses (or use a handy compass) to create your templates. When making yo yos, don't forget that the actual yo yo will be MUCH smaller than your original template so don't go too small. Check out this awesome tutorial on Heather Bailey's blog.Paint your wreath. I used a happy green acrylic paint and painted the front side of my wreath making sure to keep my brush wet so as not to dry out the paint. I did one coat but if you want a shiny, glossy wreath, do two coats and seal with something shiny like a Mod Podge, etc. Allow for drying time though. Mod Podge takes a while to dry while the acrylic took but a few minutes (about 15).

Disassemble your fall sprig by pulling the leaves and bits off of the stem or cutting them. You can get uber crafty and make your own leaves from newspaper like Alisa Burke or maybe some felted sweater leaves like these from Design Sponge but I think the simplicity of the fabric/plastic leaves enhances the handmade yo-yos.Gather up your yo-yos and fall bits. Plug in the glue gun and as it heats up, play with the whole shebang to see what tickles your fancy. Go for one side at the top and cluster all that happy for maximum effect.Once you're delighted, glob on a bit of hot glue to each piece and wait a moment for it to gel then gently adhere to the wreath. Take your time and be careful, hot glue is very HOT. Layer up and take it slow...you can always add more later but removing bits may be more difficult. Once everything is set and you have banished all those gluey threads, loop a length of ribbon, string or wire through the back, hang in a happy place and admire (wearing !

I hope you like my happy little fall wreath and I hope it inspires you to make something. If you make a wreath this week (any kind of fall wreath) send me a link and/or a pic and I'll make sure to post it here. You can also add it to the flickr group and don't fergit to pop on over to the pink couch to see if Tara has any little bit of pretty to share.

new craft project: felty fall headbands

upcyle yer old and/or thrifted sweaters into pretty headbands (and ear warmers) for fall! over at craftzine.

sweet, sweet november: day 2

Tara has a delicious diy project going on over at her blog the pink couch. If yer looking to make an awesome recipe full of fall flavor head on over. I'll be following it myself, thank goodness I got some oats. Speaking of oats, when the weather turns cooler we a-go-gos break out the oatmeal more often than not. Seriously, I'm a huge oatmeal fan. I even wrote up a whole post about it last year as a guest blogger for SEI. So, what's yer favorite fall breakfast? Oh, and if you decide to blog along leave me a link and I'll post a round-up each evening...oh and double oh! We started a flickr group for you to post yer sweet november photos and pics of fall inspiration so please join and share in the delight!

sweet, sweet november: my favorite fall songs

I'm not sure if you remember this or not but the mr. a-go-go & I packed up our tiny casa back in May and hit the road for three months. Most everything we own is now stacked to the rafters in the mama a-go-go's garage and we're bunking it at the family a-go-go's homestead. When fall hits, the first thing I do is dig up my fall playlist that has pretty much remained the same for the past five or so years. It lives happily on my itunes on the mac-a-go-go which is now hibernating in one of those durn boxes. I transferred a whole lotta my music to the laptop for the road trip but then the hardrive to a flying leap and we had to replace it with an empty vessel. I've been checking out cds right and left from our tiny local library and let's just say the tunes are vastly different. Not bad by any means, just lacking in my comfort tunes. If I had all my comfort tunes I could easily compile a fall playlist but since I don't I have to make up a new one. You might wonder how hard can it be but I promise you I have quite a musical library, maybe not quite as large as someone else I know (yes you ms. marielle) but it is pretty decent.

When the temps drop and the leaves turn and the light changes I dig out the Nick Cave, Paul Simon, Cat Stevens and such. Here's a tiny list of some of my favorite fall tunes...be warned, I can get kinda mushy and melancholy in the fall...

*all my little words: the magnetic fields
*if you want to sing out: cat stevens
*slip sliding away: paul simon
*tattoo: petra haden
*nobody's baby now: nick cave
*sweepstakes prize: mirah
*another sunny day: belle & sebastian
*stupid memory: sondre lerche
*margaret vs pauline: neko case
*the organ donor's march: vermillion lies

sweet, sweet november: hullo fall!

Fall has been with us here in the western hemisphere for awhile now but for those of us in the west and southwest the physical evidence of fall is a little laid back. The temps can get a little manic hitting crazy highs during the days and freaky lows at night, so kooky that we're not sure if it's ever going to get here yet it always does. The very first thing I notice about fall here in California is not so much the color change in the foliage (which, contrary to popular belief, California DOES have a fall) but the light. There is something so magical about the fall light. The shadows are longer in the mornings while the sunset seems more golden.

Fall for me begins with the magical light, it makes me smile and I find myself spending more time simply watching the sun rise and/or set. Once the light changes, I can be sure the temperature will too (though this year seems to be a bit confused) which signals the all important fall wardrobe inspiration. Long sleeves and sweaters come out, tights are gazed upon and a new hat appears anxiously waiting to be worn.

Once the weather cools I hit the recipe books and internet in search of new baking and soup recipes. I even revisit some old favorites. To put myself in even more of a festive mood, I change my color palette and start crafting with golden tones and whimsical greens. I also make up a new fall playlist and drink oodles of tea and other hot beverages. And that is how I welcome fall.

This week, Tara Anderson of the pink couch and I will be bringing you some fall inspiration every day. From recipes to tutorials, you can be sure to discover something pretty. So pull up a chair, grab a hot cuppa, wrap yourself up in something warm & cozy and fall into something pretty.

I'll be back later today with a little chat of fall goodness. Tell me this, what inspires you in the fall? Do you have any traditions or rituals? Leave a comment, share a link, I would love to hear from you!