DIY Broomstick from the backyard

Very easy,

I mean SUPER easy, 

so easy that I created this within minutes

BUT it took much longer since I composed a video...

Anyways, go out and forage your backyard for:

Materials:

• Long stick (about 44-46" long)
• Mine was a little crooked but was the perfect height for me to hold it above my waist and the bottom would be touching the ground (this is best for a photoshoot!)
• A bunch of smaller sticks for the brush (about 20-22" long)
• Grab even the sticks with dried leaves, they easily come off or you can keep those leaves on
• 1-2 thick or strong rubber bands 
• Blade (knife) to smooth down notches
• String/twine
• Glue (craft glue, no-sew glue, hot glue, etc.)
• Scissors

Accents:

• Charms, I chose a pentagram
• Dried flowers
• Decorative ribbon
• Feathers
• Crystals 
• Herbs
• You know what you want to make it your own!

This DIY craft was basically free, I had all the supplies already but I would guesstimate it would cost someone about $2-3 for the glue and twine and then however much you would like to invest in your accents. 

The video is pretty self-explanatory but here's a run down:

1. Safely shave off any imperfections or if the stick is too perfect shave off layers to give it a rugged look. I shaved off a couple of notches that would stick out by the handle.
2. Double twist one rubber band around the stick end you want to use for the brush.
3. Insert layers of sticks, a couple at a time. The rubber band will expand and tighten around the sticks, they really won't fall out (as I expected).
4. Add another rubber band to ensure the first one won't snap, add more sticks for a fuller look.
5. Tie twine or rope around the rubber band to hide it which also secures the sticks further. I wrapped the twine more than 20 times. 
6. Glue to knot the twine/rope. I used no-sew glue and it's still holding up!
7. Add you accents. For charms you can added this to the end of your twine before tying/glueing it down. Further, added accents to the shaft and handle of the broom. If I had more time I would have added so much more but I had a photoshoot the next day! 
8. Optional: cut the ends of the brush if any sticks are too long, this helps with stability. 

Remember to appreciate and thank nature for the supplies they give us. 

All sticks were found on the ground, no cutting down trees! 

Plus we had Hurricane Zeta hit New Orleans earlier this month which brought down enough sticks. 

My PEOPLE: 

The photographer: @crescent_aperture & my boyfriend

The pretty blond: @craftsandcosplay & my best friend

@craftsandcosplay

thats my boyfriend, Josh, and that's me checking his photo : )

@crescent_aperture

DIY: A Question & Answer Journal for 3 years

 I recently discovered a book where you fill out a question a day for 5 years or shorter/longer depending on the type of book.

I liked the idea, was about to purchase it for $10.99 and then said NOPE, I can make that. 

I found cheap journals at Walmart in September 2019 (after back to school season).

The original price was $6.99 and I bought 2 for $1.50 each.

Each journal has 192 pages. 

At first I though they meant 192 pages of paper and I figured that meant 384 total pages of paper (front & back).

I was wrong.

So initially I was going to make this a five year journal but with the pages being shortened I fit 2 questions per page and made this a 3 year journal. 

Lesson: map out (sticky note) your pages before you start your project!

Materials:

• Journal
• Scissors or paper cutter guillotine 
• Glue stick or adhesive spray
• Markers
• Handy-dandy print out pages of questions or make your own!

Here are my questions. I will also attach a Google document so it will be easier to change up the questions to your personality.

Legend: because my questions are tailored to my personality you might want to change it

• Yellow highlight: personal questions tailored to me
• Green highlight: these questions are for holidays/events & you might want to keep them in place so they line up correctly. 
• Purple highlight: my birthday question, you might want to move this to your b-day. 
• Blue highlight: also questions that should stay at that number since it is referenced in the first cover page.
• Extra question ideas at the bottom to replace my personal ones.