diy: halloween mesh wreath

If you have been on Pinterest or visited any craft or home decor store, I am certain you have seen a mesh wreath.  For whatever reason, this style is insanely popular right now.  Perhaps it is because the material is inexpensive, or because they are pretty easy to make.  Whatever the case, I felt like I needed to jump on board and give you a tutorial so you can make one of your own!

When you type in "diy mesh wreath tutorial" on Google, you get 688,000 results.  Whoa.  The one I used to get started is here.  She does a really nice job of explaining each step and has tons of photos so you can follow along.  I will go through the basics here, but if you need more details definitely check out the other tutorial.

Basic Mesh Wreath Supplies:
Wire wreath frame (whichever size you choose)
Mesh material (found in the floral dept.)
20+ pipe cleaners (to match the mesh color)

As it turns out, these are really simple to make.  It also turns out, there are several ways to make them.  My stepmom and I were each making a wreath (you will see a little corner of her orange wreath in some of the photos).  She found one tutorial that she liked while I found a different one.  We each made our wreaths according to the tutorials, and each one used a different method.  At the end of the day, I don't think you can tell the difference.  Whichever way makes most sense to you will work!

There are essentially two methods (or maybe more that we haven't discovered!): the "one ring at a time" method and the "inside-outside" method.  You can either go all the way around the inside of the frame, then all the way around the outside of the frame.  Or, you can alternate, one poof inside, one poof outside.  I stuck with the "one ring at a time" method.

First, you wrap one pipe cleaner for the inside wire and one for the outside wire in each section.

Then, you start making your "poofs", as I call them.  Sort of bundle the end of the mesh and wrap a pipe cleaner around it to secure it.  Then you let out some of the mesh, pinch it together and wrap the next pipe cleaner around.  The bigger the poof, the more mesh you let out.  You will have pipe cleaners sticking out everywhere for the first part of this project.

Here is what my wreath looked like after just the inside was completed:

Try to make all of the poofs approximately the same size.  If you secure the poof with the pipe cleaner, then realize it is too small or too big, you can gently pull on the fabric to adjust the size before moving onto the next poof.

Once you have completed the entire inner ring, you can move onto the outer ring.  Your first poof will be sort of stretched diagonally across the frame like this:

Then, you continue the same way around the wreath until the entire frame is covered.

Now, after going around both the inner and the outer rings, I still had a lot of leftover mesh and was worried you would be able to see the wire frame through the mesh, so I decided to add a third layer to the middle ring.  I was very happy with the way it turned out, so if you have extra mesh fabric you may want to do the same.  My wire frame was one of the smaller sizes (14" maybe?), so if you choose a larger size frame you will probably have just enough mesh for two layers, not three.

This is what the wreath looked like with all three layers secured:

This next step is optional...

If you want to add a second color of mesh, or a ribbon throughout the entire wreath, this is the time to do that.  You can keep using the pipe cleaners that you have already attached for the mesh fabric.  I decided to add some bright green mesh ribbon.

Once you have the mesh and ribbon secured, you need to hide your pipe cleaners.  Flip the wreath over and just twist the pipe cleaners to a small bundle, while attaching them to the wire frame.

Now you are ready to add embellishments to the wreath!

Great places to find embellishments are the craft store, the floral store and the dollar store.  Sometimes even the One Spot at Target has some nice embellishments.  The trick is to get them on sale, or get very inexpensive items.  It is easy to purchase 10+ items, and if you are spending $3-5 for each one, that can add up quickly!

Here are the embellishments* I purchased:

Make sure to look in the everyday sections as well as other seasonal sections.  I found some of these items in the Christmas floral section, although you wouldn't be able to tell!  Some tips when looking for your embellishments:

1. Color theme.  Choose 2-3 accent colors to work with.  If you have too many colors it will be hard to see the overall theme.
2. Variety.  You want pieces with different sizes, shapes and textures.  If you choose something small, like mini ornaments, offset them with something larger (I chose the black roses).  One of my favorite embellishments I used was the black feathers.  Although from far away they blend in with the black mesh, up close it is a nice detail and varied texture from the mesh fabric.
3. Focal Point.  Not everything needs to grabbing for attention.  Some details are smaller, more subtle, but still add to the overall look of the wreath.  Choose one item as the main focal point (I chose the "trick or treat" witches legs sign).  Then choose a few other spots to add smaller, less noticeable accents.  If everything is trying to be the focal point, it will be visually overwhelming.

I used hot glue or wire to attach all of my embellishments.  Depending on the size and weight of your add-ons, you may need to find a more sturdy way to attach them.

And here is the finished result!

I was really happy with how this wreath turned out!  I was not that excited about some of the mesh wreaths I had seen in retail stores.  When my stepmom asked if I wanted to make one with her, I was a little reluctant to agree.  I think I like this so much because the feathers break up the mesh, and there are several other elements that allow the mesh to really just fade into the background.

*I ended up having too many embellishments... it is hard to gauge how everything will look together and how full the wreath will look.  As you work, keep assessing the wreath from about 6-8 feet away before adding more extras.  Save your receipts so that you can return any unused items.

Have any other tips or tricks for making a mesh wreath?  Comment below!

diy: fall wreath

Fall is nearly upon us.  I went for a run on Saturday morning and it was uh-mazing.  The temperature was about 50 degrees, the sun was shining, the air was cool and crisp.  I could have stayed outside forever. 

I was so inspired by the glorious weather that I went out that very afternoon and bought the makings for a fall wreath.

I had seen several on Pinterest I liked (see my fall + halloween board here), so I had a pretty good idea of the supplies I would need*.  I was also purchasing supplies for a mesh halloween wreath, see how it turned out here.

There are two parts to the wreath: the actual wreath portion and the banner portion.  I have this tutorial broken out accordingly.

Let's start with the banner.

Banner Supplies:

Scissors

White glue

Rope/twine

Cardstock

Alphabet stickers

First, we will cut out the flags for the banner.  Any color cardstock will work, you can even choose patterned cardstock if you'd like.  Fold the paper in half so that the length from the fold to the edge is the desired length of one flag.  Holding the folded edge, make diagonal cuts all the way to the opposite edge (you will have small triangle scraps as a result).

If you are confident, you can just cut the triangles by eye.  You can also measure the triangles to be more precise.  Let's say, for example, you wanted the triangles to be 2" wide at the top.  You would put a tick mark every 2" inches along the folded edge and one mark 1" (half of the width at the top) in from the edge, then every 2" along the open edge. 

You will need one triangle for each letter of your word(s).  I am doing two banners, one that says "happy" and one that says "fall", so I needed nine flags total.

Once you have all of the flags cut, you will glue them around the twine. Place the twine inside the flag at the top where the fold is.  

Use white glue to adhere the two sides of the flag together.  Be careful not to glue the twine, otherwise you will not be able to adjust the flags later.  You can always touch up the edges of the flags with glue once the banner is attached to the wreath.

Once all of the flags are glued around the twine, you can attach your letters.  Leave the ends of the twine loose, we will tie them onto the wreath later.

Now, onto the wreath.

Wreath Supplies:
Wooden wreath (I chose oval, but round is fine too)
Floral sprigs/branches/feathers (whatever you want here is fine, I have six total pieces)
Medium to large flower
2" wide ribbon
Paper banners
Floral wire
Floral snips
Wire cutters

First, arrange the branches on top of the wreath.  Once you have decided on the layout, you can start to attach them.  I find it easiest to first take the wire, fold it in half and wrap it around the stem a few times.

Then you can lay the branch on the wreath, push the wire through the wreath so it comes out the back and twist the wire.  This will attach the stem to the branch.  I recommend you wire each branch in at least two places to make sure it stays put.  Stand your wreath up between branches and see if anything is falling out of place.  It is easiest to add additional wire while that branch is accessible, since you may cover it later with another branch.

Don't worry about the wires being too long on the back of the wreath, we will tidy them up at the end. 

Once all of your branches are attached, use the floral snips to trim any long stems.

Next we will make the bows.  Now, I am by no means a bow-making expert.  I usually end up watching a youtube video or two to refresh my memory.  I encourage you to do the same if you need to.  There are tons of ways to make bows, and different sizes too.  If you are attaching a flower to your bow, the middle is not as important as the outsides.  I decided to just make two regular bows, stacking the smaller one slightly over the larger, and only leaving one set of long tails.  You can attach your bows and flower with floral wire the same way you attached the branches.

Once everything is secured to the wreath (stand it up one more time to check), gently flip your wreath over to clean up the wires on the back.  I always check for any loose ends that may have come untwisted during the process.  Then, I bundle several wires that are near each other together, twist them a couple of times, then make a loop and flatten the whole thing down.  This way you don't have to trim all of the long wires and it makes them even more secure.  

Last, we attach the banners. They can really go anywhere you want.  I just tied one knot around the nearest branch, then pushed the twine through to the back and tied a couple of additional knots for security. 

Here is the finished product:

*Craft supply shopping tip: when purchasing supplies for items like wreaths, I always try to find things that are on sale.  Wreaths can be purchased at prices anywhere from $50 and up.  When making something yourself, you always want it to be less than the typical purchase price.  Otherwise, you could have just bought it and saved yourself a lot of time.  So when you go to the store on impulse (like I did), have an idea in mind, but keep your eyes out for things that may be similar but less expensive.  Example: the Autumn floral items are not on sale, but the regular floral items are.  Look for similarly colored stems in the regular selection.  Also - always check clearance!  Especially for ribbon, that seems to be a common item in there.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial!  Leave any questions or comments below.  HAPPY FALL!!

diy: halloween "eek" frame

I just can't wait any longer.

I have to post about Halloween.

My excitement is too great to contain!

I am sharing a little decor item that is pretty simple to make at home, however, I feel it is my civic duty to warn you, it is quite... time consuming.  Frankly, I had a friend of mine over to make this and other crafty items; we were happily sipping sangria and chatting while crafting.  About half-way through the google eyes I gave up, and she had to finish the frame for me.  There are so many google eyes.  Also, this could be a great project to start and stop, as it is easy to see where you left off (see what I did there?! corny, I know!)

First, I must tell you that this was not an original idea of mine.  I found this image on Pinterest:

I loved it, so I decided to make something similar. (I tried to follow the pin back to the original source to credit them, but it led me to a blog with a gazillion posts about fashion... perhaps it is buried in that blog somewhere...)

Now, onto the good stuff.

Here are the basic supplies you will need:

Links to similar supplies:

1. photo frame

2. paint and paint

3. wooden letters

4. google/wiggle eyes

5. ribbon

Let me mention, you don't have to choose the word (sound?) "eek" for this frame.  I would recommend a short (three to four-letter) word - "boo" would be an obvious second choice.

When shopping for the wooden frame, make sure you choose one that has a lot of surface area (like the one I have shown) so that you have a place to attach your letters without completely covering the photo.

First, paint your frame.  You can choose whatever color you like.  I really loved the bright pop the green would add against all of the other orange/black/gray that is my Halloween decor.  You will probably need at least two coats of paint to completely cover the unfinished frame.  The great thing about acrylic paint is it is inexpensive and it dries quickly - a great go-to for craft projects!  If you want to, you can do an additional coat with the glitter paint.

Next, paint your letters.  This is a good step to alternate with painting the frame so you can keep busy during drying time.  Put several layers of the glitter paint after the regular color has dried, this is where the glitter will be most visible.

After all of your paint is completely dry, you are ready to start gluing the google eyes onto the frame.  I would start in a corner and just work your way around.  I liked having a couple of different sizes to make it look interesting, but which size(s) you use is completely up to you.  You can use regular white glue, wood glue, or even hot glue for this step.

Once you have the entire frame covered in eyes, you are ready to attach the ribbon and letters (you are almost done!).  I used hot glue for this step.  To attach the ribbon, glue down one end onto the back of the frame.  Flip the frame over, put a dot of glue in the middle of the backside of the ribbon and attach it to the middle of the frame (making sure the ribbon is going the direction you want it to).  Then, secure the other end of the ribbon on the backside of the frame.  You want to glue the middle of the ribbon onto the front of the frame so that the ribbon doesn't droop or sag.

After your ribbon is secure, you can attach the letters.  I would glue them to both the ribbon and the frame/eyes.  Make sure each letter is secure in more than one place.  We store our decorations in the attic, and I did have a letter fall of during the storage process.  I don't know if it was the heat or that it wasn't secured in enough places.  If you do have a letter pop off, it is easy enough to just glue it right back on.

I added a little bow with some leftover ribbon I had.  You could also embellish the frame with fake spiders, spider webs, black roses, etc.  Get creative!

Good luck! If you have any questions or other tips, feel free to post in the comments below!

decor: dressing room collage

Here it is folks, my first real blog post about my own house!  This is the "moment of truth" I guess...

Our house has three bedrooms.  A "master" bedroom (it is the "largest" and has a "master bathroom" attached to it.  I am using quotes because these are simply formal names rather than accurate descriptions) and two other bedrooms.  One bedroom is used as office/storage space, the other is a dressing room, or "my closet" as my husband calls it.  In this dressing room, I have an awesome old desk I use as a vanity, all of my work clothes, a jewelry armoire, all of my shoes, and a chest for miscellaneous clothing.  So, he is right, it is basically a closet for me :)

This room tends to be pretty low on the priority list.  Mainly because no one really goes in there besides me and the dogs and cats.  And, I might mention, there is usually a pile of clothes and shoes in the middle of it... I am not always the best at putting away clothes that I have changed my mind about wearing while getting dressed for work...

Anyway.  When we first bought our house, I was shopping at the art and craft store and stumbled upon an adorable print that I had to buy.  Preface: I love pigs.  Especially pink and/or tiny ones!

source

So this print I found had a picture of a pink pig wearing pearls with the famous Coco Chanel quote "a girl should be two things: classy and fabulous".  I thought it was perfect for two reasons: it included a pig and it was girly (when you are living with a male, very few things get to be "girly").  So I purchased it that day, not having any idea what I was going to do with it. 

And there it sat, for two long lonely years, on top of my dresser getting dust and hairspray on the plastic packaging.

Fast forward to July 2014... I am at the craft store (this seems to be a recurring theme...) browsing the clearance section, and I come across this awesome piece of framed art for the low price of $8!  Immediately I pick it up, not having any idea if I am committed to purchasing it, but knowing I cannot set it down until I decide because it is such a good price, surely someone else will buy it if I don't.  It has a print of a wire mannequin, and an interesting newsprint-on-geometric-print background.  My brain starts processing, and I decide that surely I can find a way to make this work in my dressing room. 

And that is where it all began. 

The colors in the mannequin print are brown, pink and blue.  The walls in my dressing room are blue.  The pig print (from two years ago) is pink.  I have somewhat of a color scheme happening here.  So over the next few weeks I go shopping for other items that would fit with the brown/pink/blue color scheme.  I found two other clearance pieces - one for $5 and one for $12 - and a frame for the pig print. I decide, this is enough to make a collage.  So I convince my husband to help me hang the artwork one evening.

Before: blank blue walls

After (Part 1): pig print, mannequin print, chandelier painting, geometric print

I liked how the pieces turned out, but they just seemed... unfinished.  If you look at the "after" photo, you can see on the right-hand side I have a towel bar with scarves hanging from it.  This is the space that looked blank to me.  It just seemed to scream "hang something here, please!".

So I continued searching... this time for smaller items (since I did not have as much height as I did in the corner).  I knew I had to continue with the brown/pink/blue theme.  I also wanted to add some white in the mix since all three items on the left had white in them and the chandelier painting did not.

After (Part 2): additional pieces hung

After (Part 2): additional pieces hung

Could you imagine if I hadn't hung anything above the scarves? It would be so... empty.

I am quite pleased with how it turned out.  It has a feminine feel without being overly girly or too pink.  I also like the sort of vintage-look some of the pieces have.  When we painted the house, I had no idea what color to paint this room because it really didn't matter that much.  So I just went with blue because it worked with the other colors we had throughout the house.  After we painted I thought to myself, for being a room solely used by me, blue may have not been the best choice.  Now, after having some artwork on the wall, I really like the blue.

Let me show you some of my favorite details about the pieces I bought:

I loved this piece for three reasons: 1) I kept finding myself drawn to pieces with birds on them, and I'm not sure why  2) If I could, I would have a chandelier in this room as a light fixture, this seemed like a good alternative  3) It has gems on it! I love anything that glitters or sparkles :)

I purchased a teal/blue frame for the pig print to coordinate it with the other pieces.

I am a sucker for quotes... inspirational ones, funny ones, uplifting ones, love ones, it doesn't really matter - I like them all.  When I found this tiny little metal sign with a quote on it (that I loved!) and with all three colors I was using, I knew it would be perfect!

So, what tips can you use for your next collage project? Here are a few:

1. Start with something.  Anything.  You don't have to know what you are going to do with it. If you like it, purchase it.  The rest will fall into place.
2. Repeat elements.  If something has white in it, make sure other pieces also have white.  If something is metal, make sure you have one or two additional metal items so the one doesn't look out of place. 
3. Keep working it at it.  Hang things on the wall, and then look at it.  It might be great or it might need something else.  You won't know until you try it though.

I hope these ideas can help on your next project!  If you have any other ideas, feel free to comment below.