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Thursday, October 6, 2016

Autumn Wreath Tutorial

For many years, in autumn, I have hung a black basket on the front door filled with a small arrangement of earthy colored mums and a orange and black checked bow. I decided I wanted something a little different this year. I am a firm believer that before you go buy something new, "shop your stuff". Translation: look around at what you already own. I am a crafter and that means that sometimes I grab stuff on super cheap sale even though I have no immediate plans for it or I hang onto stuff for years just in case I need it down the road. Such was the case with this sad little twig wreath. Notice the bald spot? Hmmm....


I pulled piece of styrofoam from my stash and covered it with Spanish moss.


To attach the moss to the foam I used these little pins. You can find them in the craft store in the flower arranging section.



A 50% Michael's coupon helped me purchase two stems of fake flowers; one hydrangea and one a daisy looking thing-a-ma-jig. The hydrangea had six blooms on it so I used my wire cutters to selectively cut them apart leaving some stem on each. I also cut separate stems for the leaves. I did the same thing to the daisy flowers.



Arrangements work better when you use uneven numbers. I don't know the theory behind it but I learned it a long time ago when I worked in a florist's shop in Denver and it works. So, with that in mind, I placed three hydrangea blooms in a isosceles triangle (an imperfect triangle).


Next I put in the daisy things and then the leaves.

I made a bow of sorts from a piece of burlap "ribbon" I had used from another project a looonnnggg time ago. It was so long ago that I am surprised it isn't thread rot.



To make a bow pull about 4inches of ribbon in your left hand (assuming you're right handed) and scrunch the fabric in the middle, pinching with your thumb and pointer. My ribbon is chunky so it took all the rest of my fingers to hold it all in place.


Twist the bottom piece 180 degrees and with your right hand grab the next 4 inches, making a loop and pinch the fabric together holding now with the first bunch- directly under it, and give it a twist.


Pull another section, this time about 5 inches and make a loop, pinching and joining to the others, and give it another twist.


I did a total of 5 loops. Remember to work in odd numbers. You can do as many loops as you would like. I stopped at 5 because of the size of my material. Once the last loop is made pull another 4-5 inches and cut the ribbon from the spool. The first 4 inches and last 4 inches are the tails to your bow. Normally, I would use florist wire to tie off my bow but I couldn't find it so I used a pipe cleaner. Wrap the wire around the pinched section by threading it between your fingers (making sure to keep the bow pinched) leaving the ends hang in the back.


Pull the wire tight and twist it.


Now, fluff your bow. Ta-da!


I placed my bow into the styrofoam. If I had used floral wire I would have had to attach a wooden floral pick to have something to push into the foam but since I used the pipe cleaner I was all set.

Next I pulled some wool acorn ornaments that I snagged at Lowes after Christmas last year. I got a great deal on them and picked up two boxes for 50% off the sale price! I used 3, attaching them to wood picks and placed them in the arrangement.


The door this hangs on has glass storm door so I used a piece of jute to hang it from as my 3M hanger was white and stood out like a sore thumb!





The finished product. It cost was $8 for the flowers and I had three bunches left over. I will show where they ended up later. Everything else I owned. Now, go shop your stuff and make something fabulous!

Linking Up to these parties!
Lambert's Lately, Imparting Grace, Katherine's Corner, The Vintage Nest, Joyful Homemaking, Have A Cup Of Mrs. Olson, A Delightsome Life, Up To Date Interiors, Craftberry Bush, From My Front Porch To Yours, The Pin Junkie, Shabby Art Boutique, French Country Cottage , Chic On A Shoestring, The Cottage Market, The DIY Village, DIY Vintage Chic, McCall Manor, Charm Bracelet Diva, Remodelaholic, Olives n Okra, Pieced Pastimes, One More Time Events, Blooming Homestead, The Boondocks Blog, Re Do It Yourself, Nifty Thrifty Things, Finding Silver Pennies, DIY Showoff, Create With Joy, I Should Be Mopping The Floor, Dwellings-The Heart of Your Home, Inside The Fox Den, Skip To My Lou, Creatively Living, Plucky's Second Thought, Mad In Crafts, Strangers and Pilgrims On Earth, Cedar Hill Farmhouse, Coastal Charm, Domestically Speaking, A Stroll Thru Life, Our Home Away From Home, The Stonybrook House, Celebrate and Decorate, The Dedicated House, Cupcakes and Crinoline, The Crafty Blog Stalker, The Lou Lou Girls, Flamingo Toes, Family Joys, DIY Dreamer, Savvy Southern Stylem Ducks In A Row, Blissful Bee, Handy Man Crafty Woman, My Repurposed Life, The Newlywed Pilgrimage, DIY By Design,
Charm Bracelet Diva, Ginger Snap Crafts, VMG206, Home Stories A to Z, Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

27 comments:

  1. Very natural and pretty! I do that often, too - shop my stuff. I have several drawers in an old dresser in the garage dedicated to faux plants and flowers, potpourri, you name it!

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    1. Thank you! Is it wrong to hoard our craft treasures like that? I have things in there that went out of style 20 years ago but I know they will come back!

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  2. Love the natural elements and textures. Lovely wreath

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    1. Thank you, Carol and thanks for visiting with me today.

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  3. The little woolen acorns are too cute. Visiting you via the Interior Design Forum.

    Have a great weekend.

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    1. I'm so glad you dropped by and spent some time with me. I hope you have a great weekend, too!

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  5. Beautiful wreath! Pinned to my Autumn Crafts & Recipe board. Thanks for sharing at Funtastic Friday.

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    1. Yay! Thanks for pinning, Sherry and thanks for the visit!

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  6. Oh What a beautiful autumn wreath, those acorns are so darn cute, and burlap is so great for these kind of projects, hey??

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    1. Yes, Katrin, burlap does work so well for outdoor decorating. I knew when I saw those little acorns that they would come in handy! Thanks for the kind words and thanks for stopping by today.

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  7. Very pretty yet simple!
    Thanks for sharing with us this week at the Merry Monday link party!
    We hope to see you again next week!
    Kate | TheOrganizedDream.com

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    1. Hi Kate! Thank you for stopping by and for the kind words. I love seeing what you have collected for each link party-thank you for hosting!

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  8. You breathed new life into the twig wreath and it is beautiful! Thank you for sharing with us this week at Celebrate Your Story, have a great week.

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    1. Thank you for visiting with me, Sandra. Thank you for the kind words.

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  9. I love it's simplistic beauty! burlap and acorns, two of my favorite fall accessories. Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

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  10. What a fun wreath! It's amazing what a few things put together can come out like!
    I'm so glad you shared this with us at Dishing It & Digging It! Hoping to see more of your creativity each week! :)

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    1. Thank you, Lori and thank you for hosting the party!

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  11. Your wreath came out so pretty. Thanks for sharing the tutorial to make it at C&C with J&J.

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    1. Thank you, Julie and thanks for visiting with me.

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  12. OH this is so cute!

    I would love for you to share this with my Facebook Group for recipes, crafts, tips, and tricks: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pluckyrecipescraftstips/

    Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!

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  13. Your wreath is so pretty! And I love those sparkly acorn ornaments! Thanks for linking up with Merry Monday last week.

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