My Little Red Wagon Decor

On September 19, 2015December 7, 2015 By ArlynnIn Country Decor Ideas6 Comments

Hi Y’all!

As is quite often the case, I tend to stumble upon the best country craft decor items when I’m not really searching for them. This red wagon was one such item and I found it at our local Plow and Hearth Outlet. Trust me, it took me about 10 seconds to decide to shell out the $$ for this. And yes, to let you know, it was a little pricey, <sigh>, it cost a bit over $100, but it was well worth the cost as I will utilize it greatly as each Season passes for many years to come.

To say that the creative juices started to flow when I laid my eyes on this beauty is an understatement. I knew that this awesome find would take permanent residence on our front porch and it would become one of my “staple” (my word for an item that remains in place as an anchor piece within or on which I build Seasonal decor) pieces moving forward in time.

It didn’t take me long to get this sweet little wagon out onto my front porch and decorated up for the winter months. Notice the gerber daisies, I swear I use those puppies all through the year because I love them so much. 😉 Regardless, I did utilize my grandmother’s milk can by placing a wooden crate on top of it to help me add a bit of height and structure to my grouping. (You can see a milk can on the left side of the front door in the picture below–the one behind the wagon looks exactly like that one) I also placed another wooden crate on the back corner edge of the wagon, again to help with height and to add interest and depth to the final decor. Those crates and that milk jug have become staples for each and every wagon grouping that I’ve created so far. Knowing me though, I will eventually use different staple items to change up future groupings within the wagon, but for now, I’m quite happy with the diversity that the milk jug and crates provide while bringing all of the finalized creations to fruition.

As far as the grouping inside and around the wagon goes, I truly just gathered a bunch of stuff out of bins that hold all of my extra generic country decorating items, hauled them all out to the wagon and started placing them in the wagon and on and in the crates. I placed the red and white plaid throw blanket first, then the wreath and bear which is sitting on a little red stool, and then I added the other items. A couple of lanterns (one of which is solar and I have a battery operated candle in the other one) rounded out this grouping. Oh, one more thing, there is a battery operated candle sitting on the large burgundy candle stick that is sitting on the crate and in front of the big star.

**A little note**– I did make that burlap wreath that I placed in the wagon. I had some ribbon left over from making the front door wreath so I decided to make one to match to use in the wagon. Here is a close-up of that wreath:

Patriotic decorations are some of my very favorite items with which to utilize. And there are times of the year that I will pull out the patriotic decor just to have something different to gaze upon.

I decorated the front of our home with a patriotic theme starting on Memorial Day and I left it up until after the 4 of July. The first thing I did was to make a new burlap wreath.

After the wreath was completed, I used some of the left-over chevron and burlap ribbon and added it along with flags, stars, hearts, and red, white, and blue flowers to create the wagon decor. **And yes, I did indeed mix checks and stripes…;) 😉 **

I think I should let y’all know that I am forever taking pictures of my pups and this day was no exception. I brought all three of them out front and clicked off a few pictures of them in front of the decorated porch. They were so good, and they actually obeyed me when I told them to “stay”! Yippee skippee!! 😉 Here is just one of the photos I clicked off of Sophie, Samson, & Gracie. ❤ ~~~>

To finish the off the front porch, we added a patriotic bunting to the porch overhang. Notice I said “we” ^^^, I should have said “my hubby” as I do not climb up very tall ladders no matter how badly I want something placed somewhere..haha. Thank goodness, my hubby is willing to take care of such precarious tasks. 😉

Here is a shot of the house decked out in its patriotic garb right at dusk:

Between Seasons Decor:

What did I do when I found myself between Seasons (after Labor Day but before Fall decorations go up) and I was itching for a change of decor for out on the front porch? Well, to start with, I decided to make yet another wreath, there it is on the door behind Samson and me.

I then decorated the wagon with some more generic feeling items using the left-over wreath ribbon as an accent. This decor held me over until it was time to decorate for Fall…

Fall!

The first thing I did was to start digging through my old Fall accent pieces. I found that throw, and I had made that wreath last year, so those were two of the first things that I placed in the wagon, and then I added scarecrows, a fall leaf garland, some pumpkins, a couple of scarecrows, and a picture/plaque with a Fall theme depicted. Then I added that “Welcome” pumpkin plaque on the ground in front of the wagon and it was done, done, and done. 🙂

I found that large “Count Your Blessings” fence plaque (sitting on the left of the front door) in Hobby Lobby for 40% off. I made a new burlap wreath to finish everything off and it all came together quite nicely.

The pups and I took advantage of another photo opportunity…haha…They are such sweet, loving puppy doggies! ❤

Here are a couple of pictures of the Fall adorned house at dusk.

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As y’all can see, I have already utilized the little red wagon in 4 different ways for 4 different Seasons so to speak. I can’t wait to decorate it for Christmas! The creative wheels are already turning as I contemplate what might end up in there to celebrate that glorious Season! 🙂 The possibilities are endless…

Fast forward 3 months…

AND I finally got to decorate my little red wagon up for Christmas! YaY!! Here are some pictures, and here is a link to show you how I arranged it and the other Outdoor Christmas Decor:

Until next time, y’all take good care! ❤

**In crafting there are no mistakes just unique creations**

Deco Mesh Wreath Ideas

On September 14, 2015October 15, 2015 By ArlynnIn Wreaths3 Comments

I love a challenge and I love to try my hand at new creations. Deco mesh has been around for quite some time, but, I had never tried to create anything with it until just recently. Goodness knows, I had made plenty of burlap wreaths and I felt as if I’d mastered how to make one of those, so I thought, how hard can it be to use deco mesh in the place of the burlap? So, I tried it and it turns out that I am able to use the same burlap wreath making techniques as I described in this blog post. The meshy material is very easily manipulated and it provides a beautifully full background for any other crafty components that might be added, i.e. a wooden or metal sign, an initial, flowers, birds, etc…

I have not made many of these wreaths and of those I’ve made, I have only hung one on the inside of the house; the deco mesh colors are rather bright and vibrant, not that that is a bad thing at all, but the words, “bright and vibrant” don’t necessarily describe the rest of my interior home decor. The one pictured below hangs in one of our guest bedrooms that we’ve dubbed “The Happy Room”, so dubbed because the decor I’ve chosen for that particular room is very bright and vibrant and hence very suited for a wreath made out of deco mesh…;).There is the finished wreath in the picture below hanging above the little vanity:One day when I was in what my hubby calls my happy place (Hobby Lobby), I found that “Happy” sign, so I knew I just had to make something for the Happy Room with it, so, I attempted to make my first deco mesh wreath; it turned out to be so cute and whimsical. I surprised myself! Admittedly, I stepped *way* outside of my proverbial country box, but I really like the end result and how it fits into the Happy Room’s decor:

I used a 16″ metal form for this wreath and I hung it outside on our light post; I paired it with my late winter/Easter decorations. These wreaths are great to use outdoors, they hold up to the weather quite nicely, and they are so very colorful and can easily be seen from the road.

So, now I’ve gotten into the habit of making a deco mesh wreath to hang on the front light post for each Season or for whenever I change out and to match my decorative flags that I display in the front flower bed. For this wreath, I wanted to make something that would pair nicely with all of our family reunion red and white gingham decor. You can imagine my delight when I found the red and white gingham option in deco mesh. Yippee!! 🙂 (The link will lead you to my blog post describing all of that fun decor and craft projects that were created for our reunion). 🙂

Next, it was time to make a Patriotic version to pair with my decorative flags. 🙂

And last but not least, I made this deco mesh wreath to hang on the outdoor light post, it pairs nicely with the Fall decorative flags that are seen while walking down our front sidewalk.

I am thrilled that I trusted myself enough to go ahead and step out of my box and attempt to utilize deco mesh for my wreaths. I am especially happy with how they look on that light post and I know that I will be making more and more of these wreaths as we go forward in time. They are so easy to make and they make a big, bold statement. I love them!

Until next time, y’all take good care! ❤

**In crafting there are no mistakes just unique creations**

Grapevine Wreath Ideas

On September 8, 2015November 11, 2015 By ArlynnIn WreathsLeave a comment

Hi Everyone!

One of my very favorite things to make wreaths out of is a grapevine wreath form. They provide you with a nice sturdy and attractive base for any kind of decor. I’ve made grapevine wreaths for the inside and the outside of my house and for all Seasons. They are not difficult to make and they usually go together quite quickly. I typically will choose a pip berry, leaf, or other kind of garland to use on the wreath to help make it look fuller; I will glue that on first, then I will usually use a picture, plaque, initial, or wooden words and build the rest of the wreath around those choices. I’ll usually pick a coordinating ribbon and some silk or dry flowers to finish off whatever look I’m trying to achieve. I have found that creating the look I want is easier to do when I take the time to place the accented pieces onto the wreath, stand back and look at it and only when I’m happy with how it looks will I *then* use the hot glue to attach all to the wreath for safe keeping. There are a myriad of options out there and the sky is the limit, again, let your imagination be your guide and don’t be afraid to try something new. I will add some pictures of some of the grapevine wreaths that I’ve made in the last couple of years; I hope one of them will inspire you to try to make a grapevine wreath for yourself. 🙂

I’ve made several of these wreaths for gifts and some for my own use. I made the wreath below to hang on my family room door to use with my every day decor. A couple of cousins fell in love with it, so I decided to go ahead and make them each one for a little “just because” gift. As I’ve mentioned before, I love to give homemade gifts, the recipients know that your creation was made with them specifically in mind. ❤

This one hangs in our Powder Room:

Our daughter asked me to make these two wreaths for two of her co-workers. I tried really hard to make them in colors and design specific to each of the recipients. Apparently, they both loved the final products, so I think I was successful. YaY!! 🙂

This was was created for the front door and when I get an itch for a change, I’ll hang this up out there.

I made this one for Fall a couple of years ago…

And I made this one last Fall specifically for the family room door:

The accent color in my living and dining rooms is that pretty green that is seen everywhere I look now-a-days. I made this wreath to hang in my dining room, I really love the oval shape:

This is another wreath that I hang on my front door at times…

As you can see I’ve utilized the basic grapevine wreath form to make some new and different creations. I love country decor and these wreaths lend themselves so very nicely to bringing the country look into a room or onto a door. I really hope that you will give one a try! 🙂

Until next time, y’all take good care! ❤

**In crafting there are no mistakes just unique creations**

Family Reunion Decor and Craft Projects

On September 5, 2015October 15, 2015 By ArlynnIn Special Occasions6 Comments

Hi Everyone!

I should tell you that I am a very family orientated lady and I am extremely blessed to have the extended family that I have. I am an only child, but I am very close to my aunts, uncles, and cousins, it is almost like the cousins are siblings more than we are cousins. We’ve been brought up with good morals and values and a very strong faith. So, last Christmas (2014) when my dad and I were sitting and chatting and he suggested that I host a family reunion I jumped at the chance. My extended family is scattered throughout 4 neighboring States and we are not able to get together very often; we hadn’t had a family reunion in many years. It was an understatement to say that I was excited that I was going to have my entire family in our new home. So, as I normally do, I went into planning mode. The first thing I did was do a search for some kind of “Save the Date” announcement, I settled on this magnet, and I was able to find it online here. Everyone loved them and I’d venture to guess they are still attached to some of the family members refrigerators as it is on mine here.

Next, it was time to pick a theme, meaning something for me to build my decor around. So I chose, red and white gingham, mason jars, and red and white gerber daisies. While I was preparing for the reunion, I worked very hard to incorporate my “themed” pieces into the decorations, crafts, and basic home decor. I pretty much redecorated my home for this reunion–yes, that might seem a bit over the top, but, I really was excited to have everyone here and I wanted things to be extra nice. 🙂

The next thing I did was get in touch with two of my cousins and asked for their assistance. My cousin Stacey volunteered to make up some games and provide prizes for the winners of said games. She also created “Certificates of Awesomeness”, t-shirts, and plaques specially designed for our family (by her) and gave them to the older generation and our generation (1st cousins). She gave a special trinket to Cori who had made and decorated a gorgeously beautiful and very tasty cake. She also graciously gave a couple of niceties to my two daughters and a very special something to me. Stacey put on a fantastic ‘show’, telling stories and and poking fun as she presented all of her creative homemade gifts. It was a blast, definitely one of the highlights of the day! Here are some of the things that Stacey created for her prizes and gifts–she is so very talented!!

And here is the gorgeous plaque that she gave to me…SO sweet!

Here is Stacey standing beside her prize table and being her animated self while giving out her very special gifts–THANK you Stacey, you did an awesome job! ❤

Here are some pictures of Cori and her cake and the dessert table…YES, we love our sweets! lol 😉 THANK you Cori! ❤

Here are the three of us together…Me in the pink pants, Cori in the middle, and Stacey in the green pants:

Each family that came to the reunion, (I do believe we had almost 40 people in all), brought food to share, good thing we have a pretty big kitchen because almost every inch of the island and the surrounding countertops were full of some of the most delicious food on the planet. I think everyone brought their ‘signature’ dish which made for some good eats that day!

It took me months and months to prepare and I loved every single second of every project that I took on. I thrive on the planning process and to plan something for my family…well, I was over the moon with excitement and motivation. Here are some of the things that I created and a couple of things that I had someone else create.

I made a deco mesh wreath to hang on the light post that sits beside our entrance sidewalk:

I purchased red and white gingham tablecloths and made lantern centerpieces for both the kitchen and dining room tables. I also purchased candle holders and red candles to flank the centerpieces. I also made a lantern centerpiece to be added to the fireplace hearth decor.

I redecorated pretty much the entire lower level of our house including the mantel and the fireplace hearth, a couple of cozy corners, the kitchen hutch, and some other pieces of furniture and shelves. I tried to incorporate the color red, red and white gingham, and added “family” touches (as in plaques talking about family) and our family’s own photos which I placed in red and white frames and some in sweet little clip picture holders. I tried to add special touches incorporating my “theme” here and there throughout the decor. I also had created a slide show and had it playing on the tv throughout the entire day–everyone loved that! 🙂

As the day drew closer, I decided that I would make all of the centerpieces for the outdoor tables. Each arrangement consisted of a quart size mason jar filled with fresh gerber daisies and baby’s breath. I placed the jar on a white ‘charger’ plate, added a red paper doily and surrounded the jar with a pip berry ring (that I made). In addition, I made pint size mason jar fresh flower arrangements to sit around and augment the indoor home door.

I thought and thought about what to do for party favors. I wanted it to be something that they could take with them and use for years and years and that every time they looked at it they would be reminded of the day. So while perusing around the Internet, I stumbled upon this website and they worked with me to create a “mint tin” that I filled with red and white peppermint candies. They were a huge hit at the reunion. **Score**!! 😉

One of the last things that I did was to hang this banner. It really completed the entire look. I did not make this banner, instead I ordered it from this Etsy shop here.

Finally, the day had arrived and it was time to hang balloons out front and out back, set up tables on the patio, and set out a little chalkboard sign on the front porch. We were ready to go!!

We had a marvelous time that day. The feeling that fills the air when we are all together is magical, honestly. We all sing and many play instruments, so we sang some of our favorite old hymns and our grandma’s favorite hymn that none of us can get through without sobbing “Thank You Lord for Your Blessings On Me”, ate ourselves into oblivion, laughed till we cried, and cried when we had to separate at the end of the day. It was a wonderful day, one that I hope will be held closely and lovingly in everyone’s memory. I’m hoping to host a family reunion every year for as long as everyone will be willing and is able to travel to us here in Virginia. ❤

**I love you family!!!**

**In crafting there are no mistakes just unique creations**

Burlap Wreaths and More Burlap Wreaths

On September 4, 2015October 15, 2015 By ArlynnIn Wreaths2 Comments

Hi to all of you lovelies out there!

I am like the energizer bunny, I hardly ever sit still and I am always planning my next project, event, trip, decor change, etc… One of my hubby’s nicknames for me is “The Planner”; I know I must drive the poor man crazy at times! 😉 So, when I was gathering pictures for this blog post, I surprised myself with the sheer number of wreaths that I’ve made this past year . I’ve created some of these for my own use here in our home, and I’ve created a few to give as gifts. My plan for this blog entry is to just *show* you the different wreaths, if you would like to know how to make one you can reference one of my earlier blog posts here. 🙂

So here goes:

This one hangs in our “mud room”, I hung it on the door leading to the garage–I added that wreath hanger that you see in the picture on the left, it is awesome. You can find it online here:

I made this one for one of our guest bedrooms…

I threw this one together because I wanted a little something more for on that corner shelf:

I made this one for a dear friend who loves owls:

I made this one for a friend…She asked me to make her something to hang on her Mom’s nursing home room’s door:

I made this one for another one of our guest bedrooms, I actually utilized an old Boyd’s Bear Bunny that had been stuck in a box in my basement for years:

I hung this one in the laundry room…:)

I made this one to go with the family reunion decor (red and white gingham, gerber daisies, and mason jars):

This one was to add to an Easter grouping that I had put together out on the front porch:

I made this one to be hung on the front door from Memorial Day through July 4th. You’ll also see our pups in one of the pictures below. The Newfoundland dogs names are Sophie and Samson (brown), and the Golden’s name is Gracie. I love them like crazy! ❤

And last but not least, I just made this one the other day. This is for a very dear friend of mine who lives in another State. My hubby is constructing a box for me to pack it up in for shipping…it is 30″ in diameter (as wide as some front doors, in other words, it is huge). 🙂

Well, that does it for the burlap wreaths that I’ve made in the past year. I’ve also made some grapevine and deco mesh wreaths as well–subjects for another blog. 🙂 I hope that one of these wreaths will inspire one of you to try to make one for yourself. You can do it! And I’m right here if you have any questions at all, feel free to leave me any questions in the comments. Happy Crafting!! ❤

**In crafting there are no mistakes just unique creations**

Above the Kitchen Cabinets Decor

On September 3, 2015October 15, 2015 By ArlynnIn Country Decor Ideas6 Comments

Hi All!!

One of the main reasons that my hubby and I chose this model of home to build for our retirement home was because of this kitchen. It is definitely my dream kitchen and I feel humbled and blessed to be able to cook in it daily. While our house was being built, I was doing a bit of building of my own, I was building the decor that I would be arranging on top of the kitchen cabinets. First, I have been collecting Longaberger baskets for decades so I knew that some baskets would definitely be part of the design. I have also been collecting Dickens Houses for decades, and I’ve always added them into my decor no matter the time of year, so I knew a few of those would also be incorporated into the design. I love wooden plates and had collected quite a few of those too. To round out what I needed to complete my vision of the cabinet decor, I spent many a day collecting lanterns and battery operated candles to go in them as well as a *very* large plate and a couple of metal stars (for above and on either side of the hood).

The day finally came for me to arrange the cabinet decor. I truly had no idea where to start, so I gathered everything that I had earmarked for this project and laid it all out on the island.

My hubby went and retrieved a ladder; I sweetly (honest) directed and he placed things where I asked (bless his heart, he had to readjust a few items several times until I was satisfied with the placement). It didn’t take us long to get in a rhythm and we had everything placed in no time. 🙂

I am really happy with how it all turned out! To add, my hubby attached little chargers to the candles and plugged them in up there–during the building process we had arranged to have wall electrical sockets installed above the cabinets and they all run to a switch down on the wall. Because he did that, I never have to replace the batteries in the candles and they stay on all of the time. 🙂

As you will see in future blogs, I love soft lighting and what it adds to the overall feeling of a room. My goal is always for a room to feel warm, welcoming, and cozy, I feel as if I accomplished that goal with the overall decor selections and my hubby’s help with placement and the magic he performed with those battery operated candles. I love it when a plan that has been formulating in my brain comes to fruition! 🙂

**In crafting there are no mistakes just unique creations**

picstitch — Here is a before and after comparison from one direction and then below from another direction:

The Lantern Centerpiece Gift

On September 2, 2015October 15, 2015 By ArlynnIn Lanterns6 Comments

Hi Everyone!

I always enjoy giving homemade gifts to people that I know will appreciate the planning, preparation, and plethora of work it takes to create an entirely new concept just for them. My dear friend Karen is one such person. Karen and I have been friends for over a decade now, our daughters were in the high school marching band together and Karen and I were very involved in the Band Parents Association. She and I had much more in common than just our girls though, she is also a crafter and she can create beautiful things that I admire greatly. So, when she and her hubby built a beautiful new home my wheels started turning and I tried to come up with a new and different Housewarming gift. What does a crafter give another crafter? It can be tricky…luckily, our ‘talents’ lie in different realms of the crafting world. Karen herself actually gave me the idea of what I ended up making for her. She texted me one day to ask me if she could borrow my red gingham tablecloth to use for an upcoming get-together. Well, when she asked me that the light went on in my head and the bells started ding, ding, dinging, I knew exactly what I wanted to make for her; a lantern centerpiece 🙂 First, I purchased her a red gingham tablecloth of her own. Then I made a lantern centerpiece with a red gingham bow, pip berries garland, red and white gerber daisies, black metal stars, a red battery operated candle, and a “Family” wooden sign, all arranged in and around a cream colored wooden tray and cream colored wooden lantern. I also put a red gingham placemat in the tray to serve as a nice decorative base for the design.

**Side note–I love arranging my lantern centerpieces in trays, the tray provides an anchor for the entire design and *bonus* it is easily picked up and moved from place to place**

Here is that finished centerpiece:

I then thought, well, I don’t want to pigeonhole her into having to use the red gingham accents all of the time, so I took it a step further and supplied her with the necessary materials with which to change out the red gingham accents and insert a more neutral design; utilizing the same metal stars, lantern and tray. I made a new bow out of chevron and burlap ribbon and supplied a different colored pip berries garland, a cream colored battery operated candle, different colored gerber daisies, a different “Home” sign, and a neutral placemat. Also, I made it so that she could easily change out the bows by hot gluing velcro on the ends of a piece of the same ribbon and attaching it to the bows; they were then secure when in place, pretty, and functional. 🙂

Here is that version of the centerpiece:

I packed up all of the neutral design materials along with a picture of how she might want to switch out the red and white gingham elements and replace them with the more neutral elements.

I delivered the red gingham version of the centerpiece to her with the neutral version packed in a gift bag. I immediately knew that I had chosen right in giving her a homemade gift because when I handed it to her, her sweet eyes welled up with tears and I got the very best hug ever! My day was made, completely made!

In my opinion, it is *always* better to give than to receive, and when it comes from your heart and is made with love and with the receiver in mind, it makes for a good day all around.

**LOVE you Karen** ❤

Front Door Burlap Wreaths

On September 1, 2015October 15, 2015 By ArlynnIn Uncategorized14 Comments

Good Afternoon!

As is typical of me, I woke up one morning with the idea in my head that I wanted to make something. What I chose to do on that particular day was to make my aunt a burlap wreath for her front door. The only problem with that was that I had never tried to make a burlap wreath and I had no idea where to start. So, I took to google search (one of my best friends…lol) and I started reading and watching tutorials; this gave me the basic idea of how to, at the very least, *start* to make my wreath. I will admit that I spent a bit too much time searching “how-to” blogs and videos and not enough time trusting my own abilities to accomplish my goal on my own. So, I put my computer down, got in my car, and headed to my local go-to craft store Hobby Lobby. We also have a Michaels and an AC Moore here in our town, but I am usually successful at finding exactly what I need to bring a project to fruition at Hobby Lobby. So, anyway, I started walking through the store collecting my needed supplies. When all was said and done, I was successful at making my aunt a wreath and then I made my cousin one too; I gave them to them for Christmas last year. But, I wasn’t exactly satisfied with those two wreaths even though my aunt and cousin loved them and were so sweet with their compliments regarding just how much they loved them. Here are pictures of those two wreaths:

I decided I would try again (I am nothing if not determined to try and try again until I’m satisfied with the end result) and so I set myself to the task of making a burlap wreath for our front door, I wanted it to be quite large because our home sits pretty far back from the road and I wanted to be able to see the wreath on the front door from our cul-de-sac. So off to Hobby Lobby I went yet again and I began to gather my supplies. The first thing I picked up was a 24″ metal wreath form with the twist ties already attached. I then collected all of the other things that I thought I might need to make my wreath. I will try my best to put into bulleted form how I constructed not one but 2 burlap wreaths for my front door…yes, I said 2…lol…I made one for the inside of the door too. We found a wreath hanger that we could manipulate over the door that provided a hook on either side of the door. I was very happy with what I ended up with and I have made many other burlap wreaths since, so many that my hubby has made me a wreath hanging station in our basement. In another blog, I will post a bunch of pictures of the burlap wreaths that I’ve made, some for my own use, a few for gifts, and one or two for friends who sweetly asked me to create one for them.

The two specific wreaths featured in this blog are wreaths that hang on my front door at times of the year when we are not celebrating a Holiday or for times when I am not using a specific seasonal decor…in other words, these are my “everyday” wreaths. I switch out the outside front door wreath A LOT… 🙂 Here are pictures of the finished wreaths:

Here is how I put all online tutorials out of my head and created my own version of a burlap wreath:

*Supplies needed for a very large burlap wreath: 24″ wreath form with the twist ties or pipe cleaners already attached, or you can attach your own pipe cleaners at regular intervals around the form–not hard, 2 rolls of burlap–for these extra large wreaths, I used burlap “runner” rolls, a coordinating colored burlap or ribbon, any accents that you might like to add such as pip berries, silk or dry flowers, wooden words, wooden or metal ‘pictures’, wooden or metal initials, seasonal decor, and so on…Let your imagination run wild

*Find a large surface with which to work and lay out all of your supplies

*Plug in your hot glue gun–I try not to use too much glue on these types of wreaths, but I do glue pipe cleaners to the backs of pictures and/or other accents (wooden initials, pictures, etc…) so that I can tie them onto the wreath frame. And when necessary, I do glue certain things into place if they just won’t stay by attaching them with the pipe cleaners

*Work your way around the wreath form starting on the outside ring gathering and catching burlap into each pipe cleaner and then moving to the inside ring and doing the same thing. I’ve seen some people online who measure the length of burlap that they put between each pipe cleaner, I do not do that, I just eyeball it and go for it. So once you have your outer and inner rows of burlap attached to the form, add your coordinating colored burlap or ribbon catching it into one of the outside pipe cleaners (by untwisting the pipe cleaner and adding it to the burlap that you already caught) and working to the next inside pipe cleaner, then back to the outside and so on all the way around the wreath.

*Take a moment to glue pipe cleaners to the back of anything you might want to attach to the wreath form as you see me doing in the picture below.

Instead of gluing, I just threaded a pipe cleaner through the metal clasp on the back of the picture

*Then start attaching anything else that you’d like to put on your wreath either via the pipe cleaners that you attached, or directly into some of the pipe cleaners (you’ll see what I mean in the pictures below–SO hard to explain). I chose slightly different things for each wreath, I chose to put our last name initial on both wreaths as well as a bow (that I made…I’ll need to do another blog about how to make a bow huh?) on both. Then I chose other specific items for each wreath consisting of pip berries, gerber daisies for the outdoor wreath to match our red door and the coordinating ribbon, other silk flowers and a wooden framed picture for the indoor wreath to match my room decor.

Here is a link for the Wreath Hanger that we used

So there you go, I was finally successful at making burlap wreaths that met with my own approval…haha. Give a burlap wreath a try! Nothing is perfect in the crafting world, that’s what makes it so much fun and unique to just you! 🙂

**In crafting there are no mistakes just unique creations**

Hi Everyone!

On August 31, 2015 By ArlynnIn Uncategorized4 Comments

My name is Arlynn and I’m a housewife and crafter from Virginia. I moved here when I married my soulmate 33 years ago; for the 20 years prior to that I lived with my parents in Maryland. My hubby and I have two beautiful daughters who are now out on their own and thriving in this big world of ours. I’ve done many things in my life, but, most of them revolved around raising our girls and involving myself as a volunteer in their schools. Also, we have 2 Newfoundland dogs named Sophie and Samson and a Golden Retriever named Gracie all three of which I absolutely adore.

A bit about my background, I come from a very loving, God fearing family whose traditions run deep and love runs strong; they are all (aunts, uncles, cousins–I’m an only child) very special to me! Unfortunately, we are all scattered and live in different States, but when we are together we make the most of every moment (we just had a family reunion here at our home last May–a blog for later). Both of my parents were educators, and they raised me up to be a loving and honest woman. My family shaped and molded me into the woman I am today. Sadly, we lost my precious Mom a couple of years ago. My Dad is still going strong, he plays golf daily, travels extensively, and is as healthy as can be.

All of that said, I’ve been crafting for decades…literally…haha. I decided to start this blog because when I would post my newest crafting or diy project on my Facebook page, it seemed like folks were interested in what I was doing. A few friends and one of my daughters have encouraged me to try and start a blog because they feel that I have a lot to offer; I hope that they are right and that there is someone who might take one of my ideas and utilize it in their home. I have no formal education in interior design, but I love to create warm cozy spaces and I love to decorate my home in a welcoming manner. I make wreaths and centerpieces among other things and I utilize my very symmetrical nature to create spaces within my home that are pleasing to the eye. I love to craft and create! All of that said, I am completely new to blogging, so please be patient with me as I am learning as I go.

My hubby and I moved into our retirement home a couple of years ago and I’ve been diligently working on decorating our space. I change the decor as the Seasons change. I’ve included some pictures of just some of the things that I’ve created since we moved in.

**In crafting there are no mistakes just unique creations**