A Not-so-“egg”-cellent Wreath

A friend of mine discovered a really cute Easter wreath on a do-it-yourself craft blog, and since we have a reputation for making wreaths together, she thought it would be a fun project for us to whip together for our front doors.  Making the wreath involves wrapping many plastic Easter eggs with different pastel colored yarns, and with much help from the glue gun, you attach the yarns to the eggs, and ultimately, the eggs to the wreath.  The finished picture on the blog made it look to cute…

Until you start wrapping the eggs.  And wrapping…

And wrapping…

So in conclusion, it took a lot of time to wrap yarn on plastic eggs.  We certainly didn’t have enough eggs to cover one wreath, more or less one for each of us to hang on our doors.  This year, we have a bowl of yarn wrapped plastic Easter eggs.   Let’s just say, don’t try this at home if you want an Easter wreath for this year.

Winter Doesn’t Inspire Me

It’s been a while, and I can’t promise I’m back.  I suppose I’ve been busy with work during the days.  (Half of my department went out on maternity leave over the holidays, leaving my other coworker and me swamped!)  And at nights, I snuggle under layers of quilts, too nervous to get up even for some hot chocolate for fear of my toes getting cold. 

But with a bit of spring finally warming up the air, I found some motivation this morning to sneak out from under my quilt and revisit an old project.  Remember my DIY fabric wreath?  I’ve been thinking about making another for some time, so I found the perfect excuse.  We’re hosting a Dinner & Auction at church, and I thought this would the perfect item to donate to the auction!

I bought a straw wreath from the craft store for not more than $3.  (I didn’t even use a coupon.  Tisk. Tisk.)  Then, while searching through my fabric stash, I found some perfect pastel batiks, unused for quite some time.   As long as someone purchases it for more than $3, I think this will have been a profitable endeavor. 

The colors make me feel closer to Spring!  I hope it fetches a pretty penny at the auction!  Speaking of Spring, my neighbor just knocked on my door trying to sell me lemonade.  Spring is in the air!

Most Fun DIY Wreath Ever

 

This has to be the most fun fabric wreath to make!  Super easy, inexpensive, quick, stress relieving, and turns out handsomely…what more could you want in a craft project?!

A friend of mine found this project on the blog, The DIY Show Off, and after trying it herself, insisted that I make one.  What a great friend!  I love admiring how beautifully this wreath came out and dreaming of what fabrics to make the next out of.   I finished this first wreath in about an hour.  It’s as simple as pinking some fabric squares then jabbing them into a straw wreath form with a screw driver.  (That’s the stress relieving part of it!) 

The vine pattern batik I picked out at Joann Fabric (and purchased with a 50% off coupon!) was perfect for this project.  With the pinked edges, the wreath has a very organic texture.  I didn’t use any glue, and the fabric used totals a yard and a third.   My wreath didn’t have any bare spots, but there were plenty of places I could have added more fabric if I had it.

I tied it with some grosgrain ribbon, and hung it from my old porch door.  Love it!  I can’t wait to make the next!

More than a Hill of Beans: No Sew Fabric Wreath

 

I'm very excited about happening upon Vanessa Christenson's blog yesterday!  She's got a great sense of style and some awesome tutorials on her blog, including this No Sew Fabric Wreath that I've just added to my to-do list. 

Now, I'm stepping away from my computer so I'm not tempted to purchase one of the many tutorials for sale on her etsy site. 

What a reWreath!

 

Over the weekend, I finally updated the bare wreaths sitting on top of my bookshelves.  I bought two grapevine wreaths from Michaels back in January, and added the white berries, which I purchased for this purpose at AC Moore back in September!  I used thin floral wire to tie the berry vine to the grapevine, and I was impressed at how quickly I finished.  I'm not sure if they're complete yet, but they certainly look better than before. 

Have any ideas of what to add?  Post a comment!

Who needs God when you've got Etsy Karma!

A couple months ago, I attended my first wreath making class.  My friend, a talented and veteran wreath maker, taught the "class" to me and another friend in her basement.  I'd never made a wreath before, but there was only a small learning curve.  We scoured Michaels and AC Moore for grape vine wreaths and fall decor.   When we got to the basement, we attached our finds to the wreath with floral wire.  Simple!   I've been dying to try another one, or two, ever since.  With all my other unfinished projects brushed aside, I was actually hoping to purchase supplies, take some pictures, and post the process to my blog!

Well, last night while "wasting time" on the Etsy Forums, I happened on a post where someone was complaining about their low Etsy sales.  I commiserated.  I've been there...and I've even authored similar posts.  In the forum thread, there were fellow Etsy sellers with great shops and no sales for months!  So I struck! For a mere $9 with shipping, I bought a sweet little knit pumpkin, and I smiled as I thought of that seller frantically circling around their room trying to comprehend their first sale.

I was so proud of my "good deed," I told my husband when he got home.  He wasn't so proud.  All he could see were dollar signs flying faster then the speed of light out the door, and am I actually making money on my Etsy sales??  (Well, not exactly...)

So today, I won't be going out and purchasing supplies for my wreaths.  (I don't want my sweet husband to put me on a budget.)  While trying to decide what to do instead today, I checked my email this morning and couldn't believe my own eyes.  Last night, while I lay snuggled in bed, an item was purchased from my Etsy shop!  Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.  And yes, I do believe in Etsy Karma!

So here's my thought:  I would still like to make two wreaths to go on top of my bookshelves, but the back of my living room could sure use more help than that.  What if I did a blog competition?   Anyone interested in contributing their interior design two cents if I set this up?