Have you decided on a small habit to work on this month. I told you that one of mine was walking everyday but I think I am going to add a few more small habits to work on this month. A couple are holdovers from my summer camp experience which, by the way, was a success. The holdovers from summer camp are journaling and meditation. I felt that they were beneficial this past summer and so I want to continue.
The journaling was short and undirected. Basically, I wrote a few sentences about whatever was on my mind. In some cases those short sentences wound up being a bit longer but for the most part it was a brief way to put my thoughts to paper.
I am still using Medito for my meditation and at present am meditating for fifteen minutes which feels about right. It's a way to center myself for the day. If you're looking for a free app for meditating you might give Medito a try.
One of the things I talked about for the fall was inexpensive fall crafts. I think I will share at least one craft a week, probably on Wednesdays. Since today is Wednesday, here's the first craft.
This is a shabby sunflower. I first saw this on the blog 'DIY Beautify' if you want to check out her version of a Primitive Farmhouse DIY Sunflower.
Supplies for one flower called for are a mason jar lid and ring, two types of fabric, scissors, glue, dowel & a bit of stuffing. Well, when I did a lot of canning, I always had lids and rings available but no more. So, what I did was cut out two rings of cardboard about the same size as the mason jar rings and glued them together for strength...
I also cut out a round piece of cardboard for the lid. Here's the supplies...
The large amount of fabric which can be a light tan to beige to light yellow is used to make the outer portion. You need about 30 torn strips of fabric 8-9 inches long and about one inch wide. Use what you have, old bedsheets that can be dyed with tea, or fabric from a thrift store (think bedding, table clothes, light curtains, etc.). A very small piece of colorful fabric is used to cover the 'lid' or cardboard circle with a bit of stuffing. And the stuffing can be actual stuffing or a piece of fabric scrunched up or even some cotton balls.
Attach each strip to the circle by folding the fabric strips in half and then slipping the ends through the folded portion around the piece of cardboard or ring...
Make sure to add the strips to the ring the same way. You can see how each side differs depending on how you add the strips...
For the center, cut a piece of fabric an inch or two larger than than the cardboard circle, sew a running stitch by hand around the outer edge of the fabric. Then pull the stitch slightly to begin gathering the fabric, add the stuffing first and then the cardboard circle on top of the stuffing and then gather the stitches tightly, securing with a couple knots...
Above is the back side of the center. Apply glue to around the edge of the cardboard with strips and place the center right side up on the glue and let dry...
How can you use this sunflower? Well, you can make several and add to a circle (either cardboard or a wire hanger) to make a wreath. Or you can add a stem (dowel or cardboard) and arrange in a vase. I didn't have a dowel, so I took a piece of cardboard as long as I wanted for a stem, cut several strips down it lengthwise but not all the way through...
