As of Nov. 1, I have 240 days left of the single life. That means in 8 months, I’ll be having the world’s most amazing party and getting a husband.

People have been asking me if I’m freaked out about getting married, and the simple answer is: duh. Of course I’m freaked out — there are so many flowers to be folded, cakes to be tasted, and the perfect dress to be picked out for rehearsal dinner.

One of the scariest things about wedding planning is trying to make sure that you include everything you want and nothing that you don’t. Since you’ll never have another opportunity to throw such a significant party all about you and your significant other, the temptation to try and cram everything that you’ve ever included in your self-identity is very present.

For me, I wrestled with how to create a beach-vintage-California-Japanese-Spanish rancho-rustic barn gala affair and finally decided that it couldn’t be done. Sadly, I didn’t even necessarily go with the most meaningful of the options. I just picked the one that made the most sense logistically and tried to insert value into that. But there’s the secret: finding value in what you have, even if you didn’t originally think you wanted it.

I didn’t originally think I wanted to make a wedding banner out of burlap. I mean, that’s just a little too hipster-ish for me, right? Sort-of-mainstream-kind-of-on-the-fence girls like me have their banners professionally printed and then hung up in an inconspicuous spot because they’re not that great of a decoration anyway.

I was firmly against any kind of burlap at my wedding until I realized just how nicely it would contrast with the sugary-sweet lace on my gown. And I could have any color I wanted.

Trust me, a burlap banner will look adorable in your apartment too. All you need are scissors, letter stencils, acrylic paint, a sponge brush, twine and a hot glue gun. Just cut the burlap into individual shapes and then stencil a letter onto each piece of burlap.

Hot glue each flag onto a long piece of twine so your banner spells out what you want it to say (make sure you don’t put them backwards — there’s nothing worse than having a cute burlap banner welcome people to your ytrap or gniddew). Wait for it to dry and then hang it up in a very visible spot so everyone knows just how crafty and inspired you are.

Another too-cool-for-school project that I may or may not use (it’s a little out there for me) is a burlap utensil pocket for your dining table. So fancy and yet so relaxed. All you need is burlap, paint, a stencil brush, twine or ribbon and an optional tag — hey, aren’t those the same supplies you had for your last craft? Sweet!

Cut a 15-inch-by-5-inch piece of burlap and stencil a design onto it. When it’s dry, fold the bottom edge about five inches and hot glue the sides together. Use a dot of glue to secure some twine on the back and tie it around the front. If you want to use the optional tag, you can put it on the piece of twine before you tie it.

For entertaining guests at a party or letting your roommates know whose spoons those are, use letter stamps or jelly pens to put a name on the tag. Or you could use a cute phrase like “What’s for dinner?” or “Merry Christmas” if you’re making it for a holiday party. When everything’s dry, just add your utensils. Instant fanciness!

When it comes to decorating a wedding or an apartment, having an open mind is key. If you’re having trouble making your vision a reality, you may just need to take it in an unexpected direction.