DIY Quick and Easy Fall Centerpiece

I wanted a simple centerpiece that I could use for more than just the fall season. Looking at Pinterest, there are a ton of wood boxes out there. I knew that I could make one with things that I already had at home and that it could be used for multiple seasons. 

If you don't have wood laying around, it only takes one board to build. You can buy one for under $3.50 and it took me less than an hour to build!

Here are the directions to make your own.

Needed materials:

1 - 1" x 6" at 8 foot long board

Wood Glue

Stain or Paint

1 1/4" Finishing Nails (optional)

Step 1: Cut your wood.

3 - 1" x 6" at 24" (base and sides)

2 - 1" x 6" at 7" (ends)

Step 2: Using wood glue, attach the two sides to the base.

Step 3: Clamp the sides to the base until the glue has dried. I am not very patient, so instead of waiting for it to dry, I used a few finishing nails. The nails are not necessary, as the glue will hold it. But if you don't want to wait for the glue to dry or you don't have clamps, or you just want a little extra support, you can use finishing nails.

Step 4: Glue on the ends of the boxes. Again, I used a few finishing nails, but this is not necessary.

Step 5: Stain or paint your box. I used Minwax Dark Walnut stain that I had leftover from another project. I'm not the greatest sander, so ignore the weird spots. :-)

Step 6: Add any decor that you like. I added some Mason jars and artificial Mums for the Fall season. Other options for fall could be small pumpkins and gourds, candles, autumn leaves, the list can go on and on. 

Step 7: Enjoy your customizable centerpiece wood box. This simple box can be used for any season or holiday by simply changing the contents of the box. Some ideas are: Poinsettias and jingle bells for Christmas, plastic Easter eggs, spring or summer flowers, and red, white, and blue jars with American flags. 

This also would make a great gift! You could make several boxes to have on hand and then customize them based on the reason for the gift. The size also can be easily altered if you want a shorter or longer box.

End of the School Year Student and Volunteer Gifts

I volunteer as a Big Brothers Big Sisters Mentor at the local elementary school once a week. Tomorrow is our last day of Mentoring for this school year.

I put together a small gift for each of the kids in the program, as well as a gift for each adult Mentor. I needed 24 of these, so I needed them to be inexpensive, but still look cute.

For each of the kids, I took an individual package of Goldfish Crackers, a Kool-Aid Kool Burst, and a crazy straw.

I then made a little tag for each and attached it to the straw. The tag that I made says, "It's oFISHally summer. I hope it's CRAZY and KOOL!"

I put everything in a cute little cup. I think they turned out pretty cute and they cost less than $1.00 each to make! I hope the kids like them!

I also wanted to give something small to each of the other Mentors to show my appreciation for them participating in the program.

I bought some individual-sized Chips Ahoy cookies.

I made a tag that says, "Thanks for Chippin' in this year!"

I just used a piece of double-sided tape to attach it to the package.

These were extremely easy to make and they cost me only $.40 each to make. I like how they turned out and I hope the Mentors know that I appreciate them.