DIY: Cactus Christmas Tree

You know we are always looking for new ideas and cool things for our home. We follow someone on Instagram (@leahhoff) who posted her Christmas Tree that is a CACTUS. It was so cool, we loved it so much and knew we needed one ASAP. Upon further research we found out that her exact tree isn't sold anymore. Search the internet and you will find that these babies cost hundreds of dollars and are all sold out. So of course as we do with everything, we decided to figure out how to make it. Today, I'm going to show you how to make one for yourself!

You will need:

- Corrugated Drain Pipe (4"x10')
- 2x4 cut into 5', 14", 12", 2-10", and 5.5"
- Wood screws and drill
- 12" Terra Cotta Pot
- Duct Tape
- Newspaper or scrap fabric
- Scissors
- A bag of rocks, we used White Marble Chips
- 4 50ft. pieces of garland

You could adjust the wood measurements to the height and width you'd want, but this is the general shape you are going for.

Start by screwing together the 4.5" piece to the bottom of the 5' piece of wood.

Place the 4.5" side of the wood down in the pot.

I ended up cutting two small pieces of wood to go on either side of the standing piece of wood and prop it up in the pot. Just measure from one edge to the wood and adjust accordingly. I think my piece ended up being around 3.5".

Fill the pot with rocks up to the braces.

And then add a couple more braces going in the other direction.

Next, cut the pipe to about 5 feet. You can just use a good pair of scissors for this. A box cutter or xacto would work as well, just be careful!

Slide the pipe onto the wood and trim down if needed.

Measure where you want your cactus arms to be on the pipe and then trace the circle end of the extra pipe onto the 5' pipe. I took the pipe off to do this.

Cut the circle out.

It should look something like this.

The next step requires you cutting a small rectangle on the opposite side of each hole. This is so you can screw into the wood and attach the arms right in the center of the hole.

Attach the 10" arm.

And attach the upright arm piece. These are the 14" and 12" pieces. I used the 14"inch piece for the arm that is higher up.

You can also assemble both arm pieces before you attach them to the base. Make sure that the upright piece is on top of the piece that is attached to the base. This way it can support the weight better.

Attach the other arm. (Don't worry about the arm I've already covered. I'm about to get into the instructions on that.

I used a screw diagonally from the top to secure the arms even further.

Okay now this part is a little tricky and requires a lot of finagling. Cut the remaining pipe straight up the side on both sides. Only cut about 18" for the long arm.

Slide the pipe on the arm.

Twist the pipe so the cuts are placed like the picture above.

On the inside, cut along the ridges closest to the corner. This is how you will be able to bend the pipe at a right angle.

Bend up on side into the hole that is cut on the base and tape it to the wood. Wrap the piece of tape completely around so it sticks to itself also.

Repeat on the other side.

Cover all openings completely with tape.

Fill the rest of the pot with rocks.

I had to get a little creative to make the arms rounded on the top. I used scrap fabric (you can use newspaper) to shove down in the holes and then put 2 pieces of duct tape over the hole to make it rounded.

Wrap the entire cactus shape with garland. My method was to wrap a piece in each crevice. You could probably use less than that if you wanted, but I wanted it to be full.

I used some E-3000 glue to adhere the garland to the pipe. I just put a dot in each crevice. The middle section gets kind of weird, but you just have to wrap it a lot to cover everything.

Then it's time to decorate! We wrapped it with lights first, just as you do a regular Christmas tree. We used a bunch of ornaments that we already had and some things we got while we were in Mexico this summer.

We are so excited about our new tree! We hope you get the chance to make one for yourself too. If you like this post, please share the pic below on your Pinterest!

xo, Savannah

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DIY: The 5 Minute Pillow

The other day we were in Target perusing all of their Christmas stuff and chatting about how there aren't many Christmas pillows out there that we like. We talked about making our own because a lot of the time that is our answer to everything. But you can't always make everything and that's where this half-DIY comes in. Actually, it's just a full DIY. It's just so simple it doesn't seem like a whole DIY.

So I bet you are wondering how on earth someone could make a pillow in 5 minutes... Well I'm here to tell you. Placemats. That's right. Casey and I were literally looking at placemats in Target and having the pillow conversation and I said something about making a pillow out of these cute placemats. And then when I examined the placemats further I realized that placemats are actually two layers of fabric sewn together. Which is what a pillowcase is. The placemat just doesn't have stuffing inside of it and you know how long it takes to fix that problem? 5 minutes. Let's get started.

You will need:
- A placemat (This is a really cute one. The ones we have are no longer available)
- Poly-fil Stuffing
- Seam ripper
- Sewing machine or needle and thread

This is the stitching on the very edge that we are going to be dealing with.

Step 1. Start on the shorter side of the placemat and start ripping the seam. If you don't have a seam ripper, you could use a pointy pair of scissors. Be very careful not to cut the fabric! Only rip the thread in the middle third of the side.

Step 2. Stuff the pillow. Make sure you pack the corners really well.

Step 3. Pin the hole back up and sew a straight stitch exactly where you ripped it before.

And that is it! If you'd like to see a video tutorial, check it out below!

I know this DIY is really easy, but it seemed like a moment of genius to us, so we wanted to share it with you! I personally am obsessed with the placemat that has pom poms hanging from the corner. The red round pillow was also a placemat but only had one layer. I loved it so much I just had to make a (non-5-minute) pillow out of it anyway. If you liked this post and want to see more like it, please pin the image below! Thanks for reading Hey Wanderer!

xo, Savannah

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5 Tips For Your Weekend in Gatlinburg, TN

A few hours east of Nashville is a town called Gatlinburg. If you've lived in Nashville long enough, you've probably been there. We recently spent a weekend there celebrating Casey's birthday with her mom. We made fudge, watched movies, explored the mountains and ate a LOT of food. We did a lot of research before our trip and really didn't know what we wanted to do, except relax. We couldn't find any guides that fit our interests, so we wanted to create one to give you some tips for your next trip to the mountains! Let's get started...

1. Make sure your timing is right. What time of year will be best for your trip? You will really want to keep the weather in mind. Fall would be a beautiful time to go and see all the leaves changing colors, but keep in mind that everyone will also have that thought and it will be crowded. Maybe crowds don't bother you- I definitely would like to go back at this time. If it's going to snow, you'll want to make sure you are staying in a place where you can easily get to it. We stayed in a place with a wicked climb. I mean you can't expect much different- it's the mountains! But some drive ups are better than others. Do you have snow tires? We don't. Just use common sense and do a little research and you will be fine!

2. Stay outside of town. Part of the reason we stayed in this Airbnb was for this view right here. This is the exact Airbnb we stayed in. If you use this link you can get $40 off your first stay! At first we were a little bummed that we were 25-30 minutes away from Gatlinburg, but it turns out that it was a blessing in disguise. We were in Townsend which is right by a park entrance and away from all the crowds of Gatlinburg. There were plenty of restaurants and even shops just 5 minutes from our Airbnb and we didn't have to wait to get in. The pace was slow which was exactly what we were going for the trip.

3. Know before you go. This is a little nugget my mom told us growing up and it's a brilliant thing to live by. It was usually in reference to my brothers heading out to a dirt bike track, but it can be applied to any place you are going. We wanted to go to Clingman's Dome, but when we got to it it was closed! It closes every year on December 1. It was December 2! Missed it by a day. There's a really cool lookout right there so we went there instead. We had a few hikes and places in mind, but we kind of just played it by ear. This was totally okay as our group of 3 was pretty easy-going. But if you don't have a lot of time or want to see very specific things, make sure those places are open. Also, make sure weather hasn't changed anything. And make sure you have enough time to get there and back in the daytime. Really, just make a plan. It's always good to see what everyone's expectations are.. and then lower them. Sounds a little depressing, but it's true!

4. Give yourself enough time. We were lucky enough to be able to head out Friday morning and get to Townsend in the early afternoon. We left Sunday so this gave us just enough time to see what we wanted. I still found myself wishing we had one more day just to hang out in our cozy cabin. Since you are in the mountains, it takes twice as long to get everywhere. So many things we did were 30 and 40 minutes away from each other. That really starts to add up when you are only there for a couple days. Also, make sure you give yourself enough time to get home before dark. These are the mountains. The roads wind for days. Safety first!

5. Relax. This was our main reason for heading out to Gatlinburg. I had never been and was excited to see what all the hoopla was about. Turns out, it just really isn't my flavor. Or Casey's. Or her moms. I could forego the whole strip and stay by the park just for scenery and time away. Make sure you take time to relax and enjoy the beauty of your surroundings. If you don't think you like Gatlinburg, maybe give it a try by staying in Townsend and not even going to fight the crowds. The Great Smoky Mountains are the real reason to go anyway!

Places we ate: Log Cabin Pancake House, Greenbrier Restaurant, and Elvira's Cafe. We would definitely recommend Greenbrier and Elvira's! Greenbrier is tucked away on a hill and it overlooks the mountain. Elvira's was fast and easy for breakfast and right by our Airbnb! We had to wait in line at Log Cabin and the food was good enough, but it was just breakfast and they were not accommodating at all with Casey and her celiac. I have zero tolerance for people who refuse to take celiac seriously, so we wouldn't go here again. Places we wished we had eaten at: Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant. Due to time, we didn't make it here, but it was on our list! Casey and her mom have eaten there before and loved it, but this was pre-celiac Casey. Maybe next time we will make it there!

Oh we also rode the Gatlinburg Mountain Coaster! I really just wanted to see what this was about, and it was fun, but not worth the $16/person it costs. It was just over so fast. Casey made a good point that you could almost buy a ticket to Dollywood for the price and ride many more coasters. Not that we wanted to go to Dollywood. I'm glad I experienced the mountain coaster, but I would not necessarily urge you to ride it. 

All in all, the things I thought I was going to like about Gatlinburg were underwhelming at best. BUT the good news is that the things I didn't even really think about- being in a small town in the mountains with a great view and a hot tub and gas fireplace- were the best parts! So if you are headed to see The Great Smoky Mountains, our suggestion is to try out Townsend. Definitely try to go when Clingman's Dome is open- I WILL be going back to that one day when it is open. Bring some food with you because the grocery stores are few and far between and they have very limited selections. Casey's mom made us a taco soup for dinner one night and I made a white chocolate fudge (recipe coming soon.) Jump in the hot tub, watch some movies and sit by the fire. Stare at the mountains because they are magnificent. Most importantly, go to slow down for a few moments. It'll be worth it!

xo, Savannah

P.S. If you like this post and want more like it, please Pin the image below!

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