Today's weather is a bit warmer...in the low 80's...but no rain in the forecast although it did rain last night!  I wonder if we will ever completely dry out.  I actually wonder if we will have real snow or more rain this winter?

Well, the first NFL game is in the books.  The Seahawks won but their quarterback was out at the beginning of the game with a hip injury.  And there's another game tonight.  Fall really has begun for me now that the NFL season has begun...

One of the things I plan to do today is turn the house into the 'Season of Orange'...in other words start putting up the fall decorations.  I don't have many compared to Christmas, but they do change the feel in the house when I put them up.  And I decorate for fall, not necessarily for Halloween although I have a few Halloween items up.

Did you like the twig pumpkin craft on yesterday's post?  I actually did enjoy both hunting for twigs and making it.  I think I would have also liked it on a white painted wooden background but as I said, I had no wood and the cardboard worked well.

As a matter of fact, you can make a lot of things out of cardboard including furniture...you just need a lot of it.  I actually fold down all the cardboard boxes that come my way and save them in a big cardboard box for future use for anything from mailing packages to making journals and other craft items.  Cardboard is really useful.  

For instance, we have a cat that likes to chew plastic so when we purchase water, I take it out of the plastic and put it in a repurposed cardboard box on a shelf in the utility room.  And you have seen all the fabric covered cardboard boxes that I have made to use for individual craft projects.

And for journaling, I save the boxes that food comes in like cereal boxes or pasta boxes.  As long as there's no food that adheres to the box, I save it and use it.  

And children love boxes...they pretend they are cars or trains or hiding places.  I've decorated many boxes for my children to play with...they especially liked the train I made using five boxes...an engine, a coal car, a caboose, a passenger car and a box car.  No, it didn't have wheels that worked but my kids imagination took care of that!

In these economic hard times, it pays to save and make use out of items that would normally be either trashed or recycled.  Tin cans, for instance, can be decorated and turned into containers for all sorts of things including pencils/pens, office supplies, craft supplies and even plants.  So before you discard something, stop and think...can it be repurposed for something else.

If you're out and about around pine cones, pick up several to use in craft projects.  We don't have many around here but I'm going to pick up the few that I can find.  

My garden has produced enough tomatoes and peppers to make several pints for future use.  I clean, cut and cook them down (and no, I do not take the skins off the tomatoes) to a thick consistency.  For some I use an immersion blender and others I leave as is.  They will make a nice addition to soups and sauces this winter.

That's it for today...have an amazing day and take care of yourself...

Talk with you tomorrow...