It's Fall Ya'll: A Simple, Festive Seasonal Craft
Those of you who know me best know that Fall is my jam. Nothing makes me more excited than the leaves turning, the return of the pumpkin spiced latte, baking my Grandma's pumpkin bread recipe, and doing all things fall. So, unsurprisingly, I also enjoy decorating for the season.
In my world, fall spans a 3-month period (September, October, November). I got out my more muted fall decor items after Labor Day, plan to make some change-ups for more traditional Halloween decor, and then will return to the harvest vibe for Thanksgiving with the addition of some new stuff. Hopefully it ends up making for some fun follow-up blog posts.
For September, I kept the fireplace decor fairly simple, but realized I needed a focal point. Between friends and Pinterest, I knew I wanted to make "FALL" bottles for display with some faux wheat-grass. Here's the "how-to" for a project that won't take more than a couple of hours with drying time included.
Step 1: Drink-Up!
First, you need to collect four beer or glass soda bottles. You could also use wine bottles if you want them to be a little larger. I decided to use two shorter beer bottles and two taller ones to mix things up a bit. Just make sure they line up for purposes of the lettering later. One of bottles even has some leave etching on it, which made it extra festive.
Step 2: Remove the Labels
After you've selected your bottles, you'll want to clean them inside and out. Make sure all of the labels are peeled off. I used a combination of warm water, a scraping tool, and Goo Gone. Small bottles of Goo Gone are often for sale in the Dollar Spot at Target and are great to have around for craft projects or getting pesky price sticker goo off of items you buy.
Step 3: Painting Time
Once the bottles are all dry, lay down a protective tarp somewhere you feel comfortable using spray paint. I painted mine outside on our back sidewalk. If it is windy, you may want to be inside a garage or shed to avoid the bottles blowing over and getting smeared. I selected an off-white color, but you can really do any color you'd like. I got my spray paint at a local hardware store for about $3.50. I recommend going to a hardware store or Home Depot because craft stores often have spray paint marked up in price unnecessarily. I also purchased the best "tool" ever -- a spray paint grip. It was only a couple of dollars at Wal-Mart, but sells for under $5 on Amazon as well. This thing changed my life. No more sore fingers with paint on them. Plus, it allowed for a more even spray over the bottles. I highly recommend making the investment, especially if you use spray paint on other projects. I also wanted to have something behind the bottles, so I also spray painted a wood frame copper.
Step 4: Apply Stickers & Insert Flare
To do the lettering for "FALL" I purchased a set of alphabet stickers at Michael's. With a coupon (easily found online), these will be around $2.00-$2.50. You could also paint on letters with stencils or free hand it with paint or markers. I went the easy route. After lining up the bottles, I placed one letter on per bottle. Then, add in whatever fall flare you'd like. I chose wheat. I purchased one bunch that was on sale for 50% off at Michael's, making it about $4.00. I used a wire cutter to break apart the bunch into four sections. Set it all up and you've got some easy fall decor!