Craft-Happy Goodness

Happy Wednesday! Today has been a good one out here in Oklahoma, despite those ever-present oppressive temperatures. Took Sadie to chick-fil-a for lunch, and then we headed over to the playground, where I met up with the ladies from the meetup group. It's great to have some adult conversation while the kiddos play.


After the playground, I decided to go to Hobby Lobby. I can always find something new to get into when I visit that store. Sadie cooperated beautifully and I was able to get all the supplies I needed to make the subject of today's post, which brings me to it. Drum roll please....

Yep, I made a Halloween wreath. I realize it's still August for one more day, but Mama gets bored. Also, I have Halloween fever! It was fairly easy to do, and it didn't cost much. Cost breaks down thusly:


Orange ribbon/Black gingham ribbon: $3.99, 50% off
Wreath form: $4.99
Black Tulle: $2.99, 50% off
Wooden Jack O'lantern: 99 cents for a pack of 3
Orange Paint (outdoor paint, small bottle) $1.50
Gold Glitter: $2.50 
Paint brush set: $3.99
Orange polka-dot ribbon: FREE! (Already had it at home.)

Total with tax came to $17.47. Not bad if you ask me! That's why I love Hobby Lobby, they always have great sales. Anyway, back to the task at hand.


First thing I did was paint our friend the jack o'lantern. I used outdoor acrylic paint. I believe the brand name was Patio Paint. I chose the shade of orange aptly named "pumpkin." I applied two coats, and while it was still wet I added the glitter. I set it aside to dry while I worked on the wreath.

Next, I wrapped the wide orange ribbon around the wreath form, leaving space between wraps for the next color of ribbon. I used fabric glue to secure it, but hot glue would really have been better. (I would've used my hot glue gun, if a certain two-year-old I know hadn't decided to hide the glue sticks from me!)

After wrapping the orange ribbon, I wrapped the black gingham ribbon. On top of the gingham, I wrapped the polka dot ribbon. The ribbon wrapping process was painstaking to say the least, and my shoulders are hating me right now for making me do it. Just a fair warning!

After I had all the ribbon on the wreath, I tied on the tulle. I cut the tulle into strips, folded them, then tied them in a basic knot. That was the easy part.

All that's left for me to do now is glue on the jack o'lantern. I will have to wait until I go back to the store for more hot glue sticks to finish, but I'm pretty pleased with how this turned out. I still might trim the tulle down a little bit, and add a few more strips for better spacing. All told, this project took about 2 and a half hours of uninterrupted work. (Thank goodness for Nick jr!) 

Until next time, hope you have a great afternoon! Hope I've inspired you to make something too.

A Quick Nursery Project

Baby girl version 2.0 is due November 7th, and that seems like an eternity to me right now. So, to keep myself busy while  version 1.0 is napping, I've begun making little things to decorate the nursery.

Yesterday's project was framing fabric. I know it sounds a little strange at first, (at least it did to Ben, and the lady at Hobby Lobby...), but it really is a neat idea! Here is what you'll need:

 

Picture frames of your choice. I used two plain white 8X10 frames, but you can use as many as you like in whatever size you choose. 

 

Fabric in your choice of colors and prints. I'm using a bright green print and a lavender gingham, to match the nursery colors. 

  

Tulle or ribbon for hanging. 

I bought 1 yard each of the fabric, to allow for correcting my inevitable mistakes. (I'm still a newbie crafter after all.) When I got home, I used the cardboard from the frames as a template to cut the fabric to size. I left a little extra on the edges to allow for attaching it to the back of the frame. 

I used double sided tape to secure the fabric in the back, but you could probably use fabric glue for a more permanent hold. I used the tape just in case I ever want to replace the fabric with photos. 

Then I simply reassembled the frames and attached a loop of tulle to the top of the frames using a heavy duty staple. Here is the finished product. 

  

As you can see, I flubbed a little on the lavender frame, when I didn't pull the fabric tight enough. (This would be why I bought extra fabric and used the tape!) That is an easy enough fix that I will tackle during next nap time.  Overall however I'm pretty pleased with this little project! It doesn't take long and I think it will look neat on the baby's bedroom wall. 

Hope everyone has a wonderful Saturday and a great Independence Day! Thanks for reading!