yarn wreaths :)

   I loved making these! They turned out really cute and once I got the hang of it, it took no time at all.  I made these for some co-workers and thought I'd share :) 

   Materials Needed:

• yarn, any color you choose (I recommend thicker yarn, the thicker the yarn - the easier it is to cover the wreath!)
• straw wreath (this is what I used, found them at Michael's for $2.99.  FYI, leave the wrapping on that covers the straw, that would just get too messy)
• scissors 
• hot glue 
• felt (choose various colors to match the yarn to make your flowers with)
• anything else you want to add to your wreath (on the brown wreath, I added a wooden oval so that the person I was giving it to could add "grammy's house" as she was giving it to her mom for mother's day:))

   This project really doesn't cost a lot, but might take some time on your first one!
First, you need to wrap your straw wreath in the yarn.  A few tips: I cut long individual pieces of yarn and used those to wrap instead of the whole bundle.  Also, just know that the yarn is not going to turn out perfectly straight but I think that's better.  Don't be afraid to overlap yarn or double wrap some sections- the circle shape gets tricky.  Once your wreath is completely wrapped up in yarn it's time to make your felt flowers.  I'll show you some pictures as I describe how to create them for all those visual learners out there :)

   Flowers:

1. cut a circle of felt
2. cut a "swirley"in the circle, don't worry about it being perfect!
3. begin from the outside and start to roll the felt in your fingers as shown below.  Continue rolling until the end of the flower (the center) is left and hot glue the center to the bottom of your flower.  It should turn out like the last picture shown here.

This is just one type of flower you can make, I personally like the look of different flowers on the wreath but this is your wreath- make it your own! Here's another flower idea to spark your creativity:

 I really love these! I think what I love most about them is how easily manipulated they can be.  After cutting and gluing, I topped off the flower with a button as a center surrounded by yarn.  I think adding something fun in the center can spruce up the flower, and feel free to make this as big or as small as you'd like.  Here's how to get started:

1. cut the felt in the shapes of the picture illustrating 'petal like' pieces.
2. on the flat part of the petal, pinch together and secure with hot glue, as shown.
3.  *optional* stack the petals to make a flower like the one I uploaded above, or stick to a single petal pattern
4. once all of your petals and cut and glued at the ends, cut another circle of the same color for the base of the flower and glue the petals to the circle
 5. add your own flair!  choose a creative center, use a fabric pen to decorate, add fake or felt leaves, anything your wreath desires.

The assembly of the wreath is my personal favorite part! More pictures for you to enjoy

Remember, everyone loves a yarn wreath :)

Henry, my pup showing off for the blog

Erica :)

fun with cork!

   Working with corks is super fun!  This week I made letters out of cork, and I've already got some other ideas that I'm making tomorrow ;)  For the "E" I made, I already had a plain block letter that I was just able to super glue to, so that took no time.  However, I don't have a lot of block letters laying around so I had to get creative..

   With kabob skewers, I made a frame for the letter "A" before ever even working with corks. The frame doesn't have to be anything special, just a base to secure the corks to.  Once that was finished, I started arranging the corks.  It's super simple, you just have to make them fit.  Feel free to cut down corks and even cut them in half to secure them better.  After the front was finished, I glued two corks to the back of the letter to allow it to free stand.  

Here's a look at the finished project...

Happy corking :)

E

minute ideas

1). I don't always have a whole day to sit and do crafts (although I wish I did!!!). I've come up with some ideas that took me under 30 minutes that you can use and alter to fit your space.  

  Using wine bottles as vases!  I got a lovely bouquet of lilies from a special someone and once they started dying :( I decided I wanted to savor the ones I could!  In the picture below, I used one in my coffee table box and it just popped!  Also, if you haven't read 'Snog' I HIGHLY recommend it. 

2). I had an old cork board that was falling apart and instead of ditching it, I re-vamped it! I spray painted the edges first, with a shiny metallic gold.  Once that dried, I simply stapled fabric to the cork.  It was easy, and took me about 10 minutes (in pieces) and now makes a cute little background to my (also re-vamped) coat hanger :)

3). BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS! I can't get enough of books, to read and to decorate with! Using books anywhere and everywhere is a super easy decorating tool.  Stack them, cover them, use them as book-ends. You can get books at antique shops for pretty cheap or acquire a few at a garage sale.
Get creative with them :)

4). Coverin canvases... oh how I love this idea!

   At HobLob I got 5/8 of a fabric that I liked and stapled the fabric around the back of the canvas, on the wooden frame.  The fabrics I chose were just random ones that I thought would fit together on my wall above my bed.  Stapling the fabric was super easy, just folding around the corners:)  

Good luck!

coffee table box

   Need to spice up your coffee table?  Go from this...

to this...

   

   Yet another easy project to give your place a little flair.  That [not so cute] leather remote holder I got from Bed, Bath & Beyond a loooong time ago and decided it just needed a little update!  The fabric is from HobLob (on sale, even!) and was left over from another project.  My staple gun I also got from HobLob (and I would highly recommend getting one, I've used it a TON!).  I started stapling the bottom first before the sides and that worked really well for me.  Once I got the bottom secured, it was easy to fold and staple to finish the project.  Here's a look at some steps I took to get to the final project. 

 

Make sure to pull the fabric tight before stapling, you want it to look smooth.

more to come :)

E

framing material

   I just moved in to a new apartment and in the midst of paying for rent, utilities, filling up my fridge and buying dog food - my budget is super tight!  However, I won't let that stop me in my pursuit to decorate! I've been working on a few projects but it'll take me some time to put them on here, but here is one that is so easy it took me about 10 minutes and $7 (only because I had to spray paint my old frame)!

   What I used: an old frame that I found, material (found at Hobby Lobby- way on sale!), and scissors.

 And it's as simple as this: use the cardboard, paper, mirror or whatever is in the frame to cut a piece of material to fit inside the frame and place it in the frame.  

   I hung this framed material above my cabinet in my bathroom and I think it adds a fun touch.  My apartment is still in the works so stay tuned for pictures of my new place.  

   Thanks to my wonderful boyfriend and parents, all my stuff is here and looks great! :)  

I'm off to do more decorating,

E

jewelry twig

   This is such a fun idea that is in almost every store right now!  At bed bath & beyond you can get a really nice "jewelry tree" for around $35 but this project cost me $6!  I took my dog, Henry on a walk the other day and literally picked up a twig on my way home :)  It was a little wild but after I trimmed it up, here is what it looked like.  This is the best part, because it's free!  Now, I will say that the tree I picked my twig from had unusual bark (and I'm not tree expert so hang in there with me).  The bark was very smooth and was easily bent, not crispy and hard like you would expect.  I would recommend getting a harder twig because my twig may not last very long :(

   After you find the perfect branch, you have to let it dry for a few days. And feel free to trim your twig down to be as big or as little as you would like.  When my twig was as dry as it was going to get, I coated the entire thing in 'Kilz' which is a sealant (found at walmart) that you can use on wood!  'Kilz original' shows up white on wood so it was perfect for my project.  The Kilz dries pretty quickly, so just make sure that your entire branch is covered.

  

   The last step is to find a base and drill a hole to hold the twig upright.  I got lucky in the fact that my mom has a random wood stash in her garage so I found the perfect base for my project.  If you don't have a mom who stores wood in her garage you can go to home depot and get the perfect piece of wood.  I used Krazee glue to secure the twig to the base and then coated the base in the same Kilz that I sprayed the twig with.

   Once everything is dry, you have a new jewelry twig that is completely original!

All in an afternoon's work :)

E