Tag Archives: spring

10 Minute Burlap Wreath

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10minwreat

Wow, it sure has been a while! I had high hopes for some more consistent blog updates over the past few months but apparently moving can really take a toll on one’s free time, lol. Good news is, we have arrived safely (and mostly sanely, ha) at our new home in Quantico and are so happy to be here! We just love our house and new community and I can’t wait to share all of the fun times and crafts that are sure to come at this new station :).

As usual, even though life has been completely crazy I have somehow still found time for lots of projects, one of which was this 10 minute burlap wreath! In trying to meet new people, one of my new neighbors was sweet enough to host a wreath making party and this is the simple design I chose to create for my August wreath. It’s a good thing this wreath only takes ten minutes because of the several hours we spent chatting and sipping wine, there was only a tiny portion of time actually spent making wreaths, haha. This particular design requires very few supplies and even less time, so it’s easy to throw together in a pinch and most importantly for my fellow mamas – you can create it during naptime and still have time for a nap yourself ;)!

10 MINUTE BURLAP WREATH

SUPPLIES

  • 12 inch wire frame wreath – available at your local craft store, I purchased mine at Michaels using a 40% off coupon.
  • 2 10-yard rolls of burlap – these usually run about $5-ish per roll at Michaels but if you hold out for a sale or coupon you can usually get them for 40% off. I purchased mine when they were on a 50% off sale so they only ran about $2 a piece!
  • Floral accents – the options for floral accents and greenery are endless so my suggestion would be to choose the ones that are on clearance, as mine were.
  • Plain wooden letter (optional) – while the letter is optional I think it adds a cute flair to the wreath. Mine was the only “S” left so it was on clearance for only $0.79!!! I hit it with a coat of white spray paint I had on hand and voila, done!

INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1: Begin by unrolling your burlap garlands and secure the end of your burlap to the frame (sometimes this is done using wire but I simply cut a small slit length-wise to create two small tails on the end an then simply tie it to the frame). For weaving your burlap in and out there are a few different methods, one of them is detailed here in this YouTube tutorial, but another would be to cut it into long strips and weave it in and out in an “under-over-under” manner, making sure to “poof” and bunch your loops along the way. As I mentioned in similar tutorial for my 4th of July Wreath it’s a little hard to describe this method and much easier to learn it visually, that being said YouTube is an excellent resource to actually see this method in action.

Step 2: Once you have created the burlap portion of your wreath simply cut the stems of your floral and greenery accents to a manageable length (about 5-10 inches is good, just long enough to be able to wedge them into the frame) and stick them into the frame at your desired location. You should not need any wire to secure them, mine were able to fit tightly into the frame atop the burlap without issue.

Step 3: If you are using an initial or monogram accent, secure it to the opposing side of the wreath by using a decorative ribbon, twine or clear fishing line to secure it to the wire frame. Once this is done you may go back and manipulate any of the burlap loops and floral accents to your liking!

There you have it! Not much to it at all, huh?! It really does take about ten minutes and if you mind your sales and coupons this can be created for less than $10! Mine cost about $12 total 🙂

DIY No-Sew Pennant Banner

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So if you’ve seen my post on DIY holiday photos with my squishy baby, you better believe I was going to do a Mother’s Day pic with P as well :). Let me entice you into doing this craft by saying, it cost me about $3.00 (and depending on how often you craft and the supplies you have available, it very well could be free).  Since there aren’t any real Mother’s Day props, this sparked my idea for a DIY pennant banner – simple and spring-y and able to double as both prop and springtime home decor! This project is super quick and easy (no sewing, yay!) and only cost a few dollars to make. The finished product was super cute and made the perfect backdrop for my Mother’s Day photo, I liked it so much in fact, I will definitely be revisiting this project next time I need some quick party decor and especially when I have to decorate the next nursery! Speaking of party decor, if you’re into pennant banners, check out my friend Courtney’s DIY chalkboard pennant banner that she made for her son’s first birthday party, it’s adorable as is her blog! Here is how I made and used my pennant banner:

YOU WILL NEED:

  • Fabric of your choice (the amount depends on how long you would like your banner to be)
  • Fabric stiffener (available anywhere fabric is sold, if you are using a stiff or heavy fabric you may not need this)
  • Glue Gun
  • Ribbon of your choice
  • Scissors
  • Wax Paper (optional, it is just so you have a surface to work on)
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TIP: I hit up the remnants bucket at my local fabric store and purchased these random 12X12 squares for less than $1.00 each. If you don’t have a print/fabric preference you can use an old clothing item or one that you purchase from a thrift store.

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. First, create a pattern for your pennant in whatever shape you would like. I chose a traditional triangular shape and using a ruler and a blank piece of scrap paper, drew a triangle 6″ wide and 7″ long and cut it out using scissors.
  2. Next, lay your fabric print side down and using a pen or other writing instrument, trace as many triangles as necessary onto to fabric, then cut each one out. pen1
  3. Arrange your fabric on the wax paper (or other surface) and spray each one with an even coat of fabric stiffener. Mine was the “quick dry” kind so it only took about an hour to dry, mine also gave me the option to put it in the microwave for 30 secs to speed up the drying process but I didn’t feel like doing the extra work, but if you are in a rush the microwave is apparently a drying option. Also, as I mentioned above, fabric stiffener is not vital to the project, but because I was using a lightweight material I wanted to be sure it laid flat and stiff when hung.

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    Don’t mind the markers, I was just weighing down the edges for the pic.

  4. Once your pennants have all dried, lay them face up, tip to tip on a piece of wax paper. Heat your glue gun then, working one by one, apply a thin line of hot glue to the top of each triangle and then apply your ribbon pressing down firmly (be sure to leave enough ribbon length before the start of the first pennant for hanging). Once you have finished display however you would like! See my example below of how I used it for a photo prop and be sure to read my post on baby P’s Mother’s Day pic and his other holiday pics! pen4

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    Here is my most adorable squishy baby hangin out under my banners! Check out my post on baby P’s Mother’s Day Pic to see how I added the lettering using only my smart phone!