Deco Mesh Fall Wreath – Video Tutorial Included

On July 26, 2016July 26, 2016 By ArlynnIn Wreaths1 Comment

Yes, can you believe that I’m already making something to add to my Fall decorations? The Fall accents have been out in all of my local craft stores for weeks now, and Hobby Lobby even has Christmas stuff out! Goodness gracious! At this point they might just want to leave the stuff out all year along huh? 😉 JUST kidding of course, but, it does seem to appear earlier and earlier each year. For crafters like me though, I will admit that it comes in handy. 🙂

I decided to go ahead and make myself a new Fall Deco Mesh wreath to hang out on our front light post. I will start decorating for Fall in September this year so that I can share my little cozy corners and different centerpieces with y’all. 🙂 Anyway, I hosted a little craft day here at my house yesterday with my dear friends Karen and Trina, and as they were sitting at my kitchen island doing their needlepoint projects (gorgeous works of art!!), I made my wreath. They were so patient and sweet with me when it was time for me to talk for the camera…haha–Trust me, when we three Southern ladies get together we do tend to chat right on along for the entire time…I am blessed to have them in my life!! ❤

Here are the supplies I used to create this wreath:

16″ Metal Wreath Form
1 Large (long) Roll of Deco Mesh
1 Small (short) Roll of coordinating Deco Mesh
1 Roll of Fall ribbon (for a bow)
1 Largish sized Fall accent piece
Other Fall accent pieces
Hot Glue Gun
Pipe Cleaners

All righty, here is the finished wreath, and you’ll find the video tutorial below the picture:

If you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to leave them in the comments below–I will do my very best to try and answer them. 🙂

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

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

~Arlynn ❤

Deco Mesh Red & White Valentine’s Day Wreath

On February 1, 2016February 1, 2016 By ArlynnIn Seasonal Decor, Wreaths2 Comments

Happy February Y’all! I took a little time this past weekend to create another Valentine’s Day wreath. I know, I know, I had already made one wreath out of pink and white deco mesh, here it is and here is a link to show you how I brought that one to fruition…

But, I had already purchased all of the materials to make another Valentine’s wreath only in red and white deco mesh and accents. This one went together just as quickly and easily as the pink and white one did…Here are the supplies that I used:

16″ Work Wreath Form
1 Roll of Red 21″ x 10 yard Deco Mesh
Some leftover 21″ x 10 yard (red and white) Deco Mesh
1 Bolt of Wired Ribbon
Sparkly Hearts
Metal Plaque

Notice the “Christmas” labeling on this roll of deco mesh. I purchased this for 90% off!! Okay, so I’ve used it for a Valentine’s Day decoration…just as red as Christmas is in my book. 😉

I started this wreath by looping the solid red deco mesh into the work wreath’s pipe cleaners; I worked my way around the outer ring, then the inner ring…Then I added a row of the red and white deco mesh starting at the inner ring and working my way around the form alternating between the pipe cleaners on the inner and outer rings…

As I was starting to add the sparkly hearts, bow, and plaque I must have been mumbling under my breath that I couldn’t see what I was doing and I kept picking the wreath up and looking at it in an upright position–I always do that to try and figure out if everything will look okay when the wreath is hanging. The next thing I know, here comes the hubby with our camera’s tripod…lol…I then had a little wreath stand…I swear, he is a genius. NOT that I couldn’t have thought to do that…BUT, I have NEVER thought to do that! LOL 😉

Oh my goodness, I cannot tell you how much easier it is to put a wreath together with it standing upright like that. 🙂

Here is the finished wreath…

And here is where it is hanging…

Blog post coming up soon to show y’all where I ended up putting the pink and white Valentine’s wreath and to show you a few other things that I did to the front porch to transition that decor to a more generic country themed feel. 🙂 In other words, Valentine’s Day is not represented EVERYwhere in my decor…only outside with these two wreaths and just a couple of little things on my mailbox. 🙂

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

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

~Arlynn ❤

Quaint Deco Mesh Wreath In Teal And White

On November 7, 2015 By ArlynnIn Wreaths3 Comments

I was so touched that my oldest daughter asked me to make her another wreath this weekend, this one would be for her front door. It was my complete pleasure and honor to create something just for her. 🙂 Teal is her very favorite color, so I went searching for accents that would pair with it nicely. I found a roll of deco mesh in a beautiful teal color and I decided white would be the accent color and I was determined to not throw any other colors into the mix so I chose a white deco mesh, a wooden white “C”, a teal and white chevron ribbon to be used to make a bow, a few teal flowers, teal ‘scrolly’ things, and a couple of teal lacy looking butterflies. I’m really happy with how it turned out. Christin is tad (meaning *a lot*) more minimalistic than I am, so I tried really hard not to over do when purchasing stuff for this wreath; it goes to show you that you don’t have to use 5 thousand accent pieces to make a full and pretty wreath. 🙂

Here are pictures of the supplies that I used:

I used a 16″ metal work wreath that I found in the Christmas section at Hobby Lobby for 50% off…

Next, I made the bow, I just learned how to make a bow like this. I watched this YouTube video. It wasn’t hard to do at all…YaY!!

Then I started to attach the teal colored deco mesh by unrolling a good bit of the mesh and gathering the end of it into a tuft and catching it into a pipe cleaner, then moving around the wreath form, I gathered the mesh into 10-12″ loops and caught one in each of the outer pipe cleaners.

I then transitioned to the inner ring and continued in the same looping action catching a tuft in each inner pipe cleaner…

After that I unrolled a good bit of the white deco mesh and started to attach it using the same technique as I described above. I only attached the white to each outer ring and I simply added on top of the teal — I didn’t even untwist the twist ties, I just added it right on top of the teal and gave the twist tie another twist.

After the deco mesh was attached, I started to place the accent pieces. I started by hot gluing pipe cleaners to the back of the “C” so that I could tie it onto the wreath form…

Then I tied the bow onto the wreath, and added the flowers, scrolly things, and the butterflies. After that, I took some of the teal and white chevron ribbon and cut it into 10″ strips. I made 3 piles of three strips and cut pretty edges on the ribbon, then I attached them onto the wreath and spread them out to look a little bit like a snowflake…

Christin was sitting at the kitchen island (where I was putting the wreath together) doing her lesson plans for this coming week so I was able to consult with her to make sure I was placing things where she might like them. I think that she is quite happy with the end result and when she is happy, well that makes me happy. 🙂 She will take it back to her home this evening and hang it onto her front door and it will be there to happily welcome her home each and every day from now on. 🙂

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

OH by the way, here is the link to the Whimsical Burlap Wreath that I made for Christin last weekend. 🙂

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

Deco Mesh Christmas Wreath (Red & White Striped & Snowman)

On October 20, 2015October 25, 2015 By ArlynnIn Seasonal Decor1 Comment

Deco mesh has become one of my favorite things with which to make my outdoor wreaths. It holds its shape and handles rainy or snowy days beautifully. 🙂 I have been making wreaths for my front light post as the seasons pass since last winter, so I decided to go ahead and get my Christmas wreath made today. Honest to goodness, I wish I could find my “off switch” sometimes, I truly am like the energizer bunny and I am rarely idle. I shouldn’t complain huh? I should be very grateful that I can still put my feet on the floor in the morning and go through my day with an exorbitant amount of energy. 😉 🙂

So, here we go…I used a 16″ “work wreath” which only means that it is a metal form with chenille twist ties already attached. I actually was able to find one with red twist ties on sale at Hobby Lobby in the Christmas department.

I was able to do this entire wreath with one roll of deco mesh:

I started this wreath by unrolling a good bit of the deco mesh and start attaching it to the outer ring of the work wreath. I then started to make loops using about 10″ of mesh for each loop. I followed that pattern all the way around the outer ring and then transferred to the inner ring and did the same thing until I had filled all of the twist ties…

Now to add a few extra adornments to the wreath, I took some 5″ deco mesh ribbon in the same pattern that I used for the wreath and I cut 4- 12″ strips, and I did the same thing with some red and white striped wired ribbon.

Then I made a little pile consisting of one piece of the cut deco mesh, one piece of the red and white ribbon, and I added a white “snowflake” pick and bundled them all together and placed them into one of the twist ties on the wreath. I did that 3 more times strategically placing the 4 tufts around the wreath.

A bow was next, I made it out of the same 5″ deco mesh and red and white ribbon that I had used for the little tufts. Here is a link to my “How to make a bow tutorial” (video)…

I found a “Merry Christmas” worded sign with glittery white lettering, I was able to tie that into the twist ties; I did glue it in a couple of places as well…

Next, it was time to place a few snowmen and candy Christmas ornaments; I hot glued them into place and called it done.

When it is time to decorate for Christmas, this wreath will replace my Fall wreath on the light post…

Or possibly, it will replace the spray on the wagon wheels…

I’m extremely happy with how this wreath turned out and *bonus* it only took me 45 minutes to make from start to finish; I hope that this will inspire someone out there to try one for themselves. You can do it!

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

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

A Fall “Spray” For The Wagon Wheels

On October 14, 2015October 24, 2015 By ArlynnIn Seasonal Decor3 Comments

Hi All,

I woke up this morning thinking about making a mailbox spray, that said, I’ve never made a mailbox spray, so I thought I would go to the craft store and buy some materials and try my hand at making one for myself. So, off to my happy place I ventured (Hobby Lobby), and I started to search for something that might work; I was definitely winging it and really didn’t have a clue what I might come up with.

Okay, I’m driving home, and as I’m pulling into my driveway, I looked at my mailbox and decided that I was quite happy with how I had decorated it already and I decided that it didn’t need a Spray…

So I decided that instead of a Mailbox Spray, I’d make a spray and hang it on our wagon wheels (that hide our well pipe/head). Of course, again, I really had no idea what I’d come up with, but here are the materials that I purchased (all on sale for 40% off) and that I would be working with:

This ‘wreath’/’mailbox’ form:

One roll of deco mesh and one roll of Fall ribbon:

Leaf, Berry and Leaf, and Pumpkin picks:

I also went and collected some pipe cleaners from my craft supplies and I dove right into this project. The first thing I did was twist pipe cleaners around each crossbar of the ‘mailbox’ form..Like this:

Once all of the pipe cleaners were in place, I started to attach the deco mesh in each pipe cleaner…making pretty large loops as I worked my way down one row…

Then working my way to the next row until I completed all three rows…If you try this, don’t be afraid to make your loops large, the bigger the better in my opinion…it gives you more to work with and manipulate.

Okay, so that worked out well, I was ready to start adding a bit of the coordinating ribbon. The first thing that I did was cut 12-12″ strips:

Then I cut points into the ends of each side of the ribbon strips…

I then put them in 4 piles of 3 and tied a pile into each corner’s pipe cleaner–spreading them out once they were attached.

I then made a bow (see my Bow Tutorial Video) and attached it to the center of the spray by using the pipe cleaner that I used to close the bow…

Now it was time to add in the Fall picks, I quickly realized that I was going to need to hot glue them into place, it was way too poofy for me to add them into the existing pipe cleaners (which is what I sometimes do on my Deco Mesh Wreaths).

There was no rhyme or reason to how I arranged the picks, I just stuck them where I thought they looked nice and then I put glue on the stems and that held them in place very nicely.

And this is what I came up with, I was pretty happy with myself… 😉

I used tie wraps to attach the Spray to the wagon wheels:

And here it is on the wagon wheels:

Considering that I had never made what I’m dubbing a “Spray”, I was pretty pleased with my accomplishment. It just goes to show you, if you just give it a try, you might surprise yourself as to what you come up with in the end. 🙂 Please don’t hesitate to leave me any questions that you might have in the comments below. 🙂

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

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

Cousins Craft Weekend – Part 3 – Deco Mesh Garland with Guest Blogger (my) Cousin Stacey

On September 28, 2015October 15, 2015 By ArlynnIn Seasonal Decor2 Comments

Hi Everyone!

It’s time for Part 3 of our Cousins Craft Weekend series; I’m excited to let Stacey take the proverbial wheel and explain how she brought this beauty to fruition!

Click this link to Part 1 Deco Mesh Halloween Wreath to see how Stacey describes how she made that wonderful Halloween wreath that matches this garland. 🙂

Take it away Stacey!

“Yes!! You have now made a pretty sweet wreath! You NEED a garland to match!

You will first need to measure your doorframe and decide how long you want your garland. Once that’s decided, you will also need two large rolls of deco mesh (21” x 30’) and one roll of the small. (5.5” x 45’) You will need pipe cleaners to attach everything and all the decorations and ribbons to finish it off and jazz it up. (Again, I cannot stress enough. Stick with your theme!!)

I didn’t want to go back out to buy a pre made form or wire to create my own. So, down to my honey pot (the basement storage) to see what I could re-purpose.

AH HA!! I found some old pre lit Christmas garland that would do nicely!! I used two 9’ lengths of garland. If you don’t have any old garland lying around, it can be found in any mega store. This is just the plain old indoor/outdoor kind. I think the garland with the long twisty branches would be awesome as well. Then you could use the branches themselves as the twist ties and save needing pipe cleaners!

First thing I did was lay my garland out and plug it in. Man, how mad would I have been to finish this thing and the lights not work! Grrrr!! Thankfully, everything was in working order and I could get down to business!

I got out my trusty tape measure again, and laid it down beside the garland.

Every foot or so, I would lay a pipe cleaner under the garland. These are the points at which I will attach my deco mesh.

I then went back and gave each one a little twist so that they would stay attached to the garland and not lose their spacing.

I found the easiest way to attach the deco mesh was to unroll it and leave a bit at the end to make a little tail. This helped me to see just how much mesh I had to play with. I used the entire roll. My mind is a strange place, so I started in the middle and worked out from there. Once I had one color attached, I moved onto the next color.

My sweet lab Piper is a crafter as well. She was checking to see if I had enough volume in my “Poofs” and that they were secured properly.

Piper seemed satisfied that I was doing a good job. She suggested I use a back and forth pattern with the two colors. I agreed!! Good idea pup!

Here it is with both colors attached with the back and forth pattern and then below, you see it all stretched out!

Lastly, I took the small roll of orange deco mesh and went straight down the middle. Making poofs and attaching where I felt it looked best. I had just a smidge of the orange left, so I made a little bow and found the center of my garland and attached it there.

Here is the garland with all three colors and ready for ribbons and eye balls!!

And here is the garland all lit up, wow!

I decided on Monster Eye Balls as a theme. I had found some sweet little eyeball ornaments for the wreath I made. Unfortunately, they were not going to be large enough for the garland. I purchased some plain white Styrofoam balls and painted them like giant eyes! I used my red Sharpie marker to make the creepy veining.

Now it was time to take the finished garland out to the front porch and figure out how to hang it up, I decided to use command strip hooks, very large ones. But, first I laid it down in the yard to find the center point. As I mentioned above, that is how my brain works, I find the center and work out in either direction from there. As you can see, Piper arrived to assist me in my endeavors…she is quite the helper! 😉
Once the center was found, it was time to get it hung up and ready to receive those monster eyes and other ribbon accents.

Okay, once that garland was sturdily in place, the first accent pieces that I added were those spooky eyeballs. To attach the eyes I just folded over and twisted the pipe cleaner (at every other swag point where I caught the deco mesh) to make it sturdier and then just poked the eye ball onto to them.

After all of the eyeballs were attached Arlynn filled in the rest of the swag points with a ribbon cluster. She just took whatever ribbon I had leftover from making the wreath and cut pretty edges on them, piled them up, cinched them together with her fingers and then attached them to the garland using the pipe cleaners. Then she wrapped the ends of the pipe cleaner around a pencil to finish off the look. 🙂

Once all was said and done and I had it hung in place, we all stood back and admired our work! What a fun project this turned out to be! And my front porch looks so festive and we’re all ready to receive the little Trick or Treaters!! I can’t wait!”

Arlynn here again, I cannot express to you what a wonderful time I had with these two ladies! (Left to right, Donita, Stacey, and me).

Spending time with family is something that we never take for granted; working on these crafty creations just added to the excitement of our visit. We are happy to share our final products with all of you and if any of you have any questions please don’t hesitate to leave them in the comments section below and I (or Stacey) will try and answer any and all queries. 🙂

As I was leaving Stacey’s house, I was sure to take a picture of her awesome wreath and garland. Her porch looks amazing and will be so very welcoming as the weather cools and the leaves start to fall. Here is the last thing I saw as I was driving away (in tears because I missed my sweet cousins so very much already). ❤

Let me take a moment to thank Stacey for adding her amazing talents to my Blog, I’m sure she’ll be my guest many more times in the future as she has a plethora of creations to share. **Love you Stacey!!**

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

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

Cousins Craft Weekend – Part 1 – Deco Mesh Ruffle Halloween Wreath with Guest Blogger (my) Cousin Stacey

On September 26, 2015October 15, 2015 By ArlynnIn Seasonal Decor4 Comments

Hi Everyone!

I just returned home from my cousin Stacey’s house, she lives 1-1/2 hours away from me and during our visit we had a wonderful time laughing, crying through laughter, hugging, chatting, and crafting with another one of our cousins Donita. Here is a picture of the three of us, left to right: Donita, me (Arlynn), and Stacey (I adore these two ladies!!):

We’ve dubbed our fun time together as “Cousins Craft Weekend” and I will be posting three separate Blog entries to showcase what we created during our time together. Stacey will be contributing to two of the entries, this one (Part One) where she will describe a ruffle deco mesh Halloween wreath, and another one showcasing a matching deco mesh garland. Both things turned out fabulously well, and have now adorned her front porch with a splash of Halloween fun! Stacey is an amazing mother/wife/daughter/cousin/friend AND crafter! I love her dearly and I know that you will enjoy her sense of humor as you read through her entry as she describes the process that she used to create her finished product. 🙂

Here goes:

“Hello!! My name is Stacey and my fabulous crafty cousin has graciously allowed me to hijack her blog for an entry! (I hope she doesn’t regret that!) I, like Arlynn, love my family more than my own life and enjoy making my house a home using crafts. I love to paint, build, design, create and repurpose just about anything to accomplish that task! Maybe, in the future, I’ll share some of my other creations here as well.

Since Halloween is almost upon us, I’ve decided to show y’all how to make a ruffle deco mesh wreath and garland to spookify your front porch! The hardest part of this entire craft is deciding on a theme. This is really important. Stick with your theme. If you try to add too many different ideas into one craft, you will end up with a disjointed and confused product. We want FABULOUS not WTF? (What the Flip)

I decided to go with Monster Eye Balls! I don’t really do ghouls, witches and anything especially dark and/or scary. You may choose whatever makes your little holiday heart go pitter patter!

Once I decided on my theme, I took myself to our local craft stores and purchased all the goodies I needed! And even some I didn’t! LOL!!

For the wreath I bought a 16” pre made wreath form, three 10” rolls of Deco Mesh, Halloween ribbon, eyeball ornaments, assorted picks and black pipe cleaners. The 10” deco mesh can sometimes be tricky to find. I found mine at JoAnn’s Fabric but there are lots of great online stores that sell all colors and even patterns of this particular size.

To make the garland, I recycled some old pre lit Christmas garland I had languishing in the basement. I bought two rolls of 12” deco mesh and one roll of 5.5” deco mesh. I purchased some foam balls and painted them to look like eyeballs. (More on that in the garland post.)

I began my project with the wreath. I decided instead of the traditional deco mesh wreath, I would make a ruffle mesh wreath! Let me tell you, it was WAY easier and super fast!

I also loved using the pre-made wreath form! What a time saver! These forms already have the pipe cleaners attached and spaced.
I started by laying out a tape measure and taping it to my workspace. I then rolled out my deco mesh and cut 20” lengths of mesh. One thing you must know about me before I go on. I am incredibly lazy and impatient!! So, with that in mind, you will see that I stacked all three rolls of mesh on top of each other, cut them all at the same time and made 17 rolls. (the number of pipe cleaner attachment spots).

Once I had all my rolls cut, I scrunched them up and attached the bunch at each pipe cleaner. *Remember my laziness? Well, I didn’t even separate the colors! I just left them all stacked and bunched them all at the same time!! YEA Laziness!!

After all the spots had been filled in, I started work on my ribbon accents. I began the same way as before. Rolling the ribbon along the tape measure and cutting 12” lengths of ribbon. *Note to self. If you decide to use glitter ribbon, be prepared to look like Tinker Bell exploded all over your skin, counter, floor, dog etc!! That stuff is harder to get rid of than grey hair!!

I had all my ribbon lengths cut. To finish the ends I just cut pretty little tails on them. To do that, fold your ribbon lengthwise and cut at an angle.

OK!! At this point, you have all your deco mesh attached, and all your ribbons cut!! TIME TO FLUFF AND DECORATE!! Fluff and separate your mesh to add the fullness and ruffle effect. Then, use your creativity to add ribbons, eyeballs or whatever makes your Halloween Wreath strike fear into all Trick or Treaters!!

The last thing I added was a “Boo Y’all” sign! How cute does that look?!!

Oh now look at that!! What a beauty!! Guess what?!?! Yours will be AWESOME too!”

***Arlynn here again…Wasn’t that wonderful? Stacey is as sweet and funny in person as she sounds in this entry. 🙂 Stay tuned for Part 2! I can’t wait to share with you the wreath that I made for Donita and Stacey will be sharing the deco mesh garland that she made to match this awesome wreath!***

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**

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**

⚜️ Arlynn's Country Craft Corner ⚜️

Tag: deco mesh

Deco Mesh Fall Wreath – Video Tutorial Included

Deco Mesh Red & White Valentine’s Day Wreath

Quaint Deco Mesh Wreath In Teal And White

Deco Mesh Christmas Wreath (Red & White Striped & Snowman)

A Fall “Spray” For The Wagon Wheels

Cousins Craft Weekend – Part 3 – Deco Mesh Garland with Guest Blogger (my) Cousin Stacey

Cousins Craft Weekend – Part 1 – Deco Mesh Ruffle Halloween Wreath with Guest Blogger (my) Cousin Stacey

Deco Mesh Wreath Ideas

Family Reunion Decor and Craft Projects

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