DIY Umbrella Drink Wreath

OK, so I should have posted this at the beginning of summer, but hey: better late than never!

I love this fun and super easy little wreath AND I got all the supplies at the dollar store!  It's bright, unique and did I mention easy?!  I think it only took me 10 minutes to put together which included stopping eleventy-billion times to get something for my kiddos. By the way: is it time for school yet?!

Ready? Let's go. You will need:

-1 Pool noodle or foam wreath form

- Tape

- Ribbon

- 3 boxes of umbrella toothpicks

1. If you're using a pool noodle follow this step, other wise skip to step 2. Trim about a foot off your pool noodle and securely tape the ends together, pictured below.  Don't be afraid to use a ton of tape!

2. Tie some ribbon on to the end.  This will mark the top and will be used to hang from your door.

3. Insert umbrellas! You will most likely not use all 3 boxes of umbrellas, however you will need them to make sure you have a good variety of color. Layer your umbrellas as you go around, making sure not to show any of the foam ring, but leave the back flat.

Viola!  See? Cheep and easy doesn't always mean skeezy! Ha! I'm too funny.

HAPPY CRAFTING!

DIY 4th of July Flag Wreath

Happy 4th of July my fellow Americans!

A time for grand displays of patriotism more than any other day of the year.  This means flags, fireworks and food: 3 things Americans do BIG...except for this wreath!  Instead of giant flags this beauty is covered in dozens of little flags.  Hey, when you can't go big, go for a lot right?!

Let's Go!

You will need:

-Wreath form (or pool noodle with ends connected)

- 2 packages of toothpick flags

- 1 package toothpick stars (optional)

-Star Garland

- Tulle (red or blue)

-2 small American Flags

**I got the toothpick flags and stars in the party section of Hobby Lobby!**

1. Wrap the entire wreath form in the tulle. 

Keep wrapping until most of the white is gone.

3. Wrap the star garland in the same manner as the tulle.

4. Insert flags! Start from the outside and work your way in, creating an outer ring and then 3 more inner rings for a total of 4 overlapping rings of flags.

5. Insert stars! I put a set of red/white/blue stars at the top, bottom and both sides but you can put them all the way around if you have enough!

6. Place Small flags on the wreath.  I put mine off-center to the left, but you may place them where ever you find to be aesthetically pleasing.  To attach them I simply wedged them under the garland wire!

Ta-Da!  A patriotic masterpiece to display proudly on your front door!

Happy Crafting and...

Valentines Day: Candy Heart Wreath!

Happy Valentines Everyone!  So I had some requests for a Valentines Day craft, well, ask and ye shall receive!  I have seen lots of these floating around on Pinterest so I decided to take all my favorite parts and make my own version.  I made a Halloween version of this several years ago and, um, lets just say THIS candy heart wreath is the culmination of some hard lessons I learned from candy corn... but that's another disaster story!

Let's get started!  You will need:

-3 bags of candy hearts (this leaves some for snacking!)

- hot glue sticks, like a ton

- hot glue gun

- duct tape

- pool noodle

- ribbon

- Mod Podge & brush

- twine, burlap, markers (not pictured) for "xoxo" banner

1. Cut pool noodle to desired wreath size using a serrated bread knife (see below). Now you absolutely can buy a foam wreath but they can be expensive.  Pool noddles are $1-$2 depending on the store...I like that price!

2. Wrap the ENTIRE wreath form in duct tape. Foam and hot glue do not like each other, the glue will melt the foam! So wrapping it in duct tape prevents melting.  I used standard duct tape because that's what I had laying around, however they make a plethora of colors so feel free to use any color you want since the tape will show through slightly.

3. Get gluing! I started by gluing down an entire ring around the very top of the wreath (see below) as my guide.  Work in circles, match each bottom of one heart to the top of the next. 

This is by no means a quick craft, however, the results are quite fun! Also, don't go around the back of the wreath: leave the back exposed so it can safely rub up against the door.

4. Mod Podge that thing! A thin coat of Mod Podge not only reinforces the structure, but it also protects the candy hearts from the elements, things like rain and bugs...I found this out the hard way!

5. Ribbon!  Cut about 2 yards of large ribbon from the spool, cut and melt the edges (this prevents fraying), and tie into a pretty bow. The length of the ribbon from wreath to bow is totally up to you!

 The "xoxo" banner! Collect burlap or linen fabric, twine, markers (I used red and pink), glue and scissors.

6. Fold your fabric in half and cut little triangles: unfolded they'll look like diamonds (see below).

7. Glue the triangles to the twine. Sandwich the twine inside the triangles and close with glue.  Space triangles about a quarter-inch apart.

8. Draw on the "xoxo" with your markers.  I used pink and red and styled my text in a Times New Roman style font.  Then glue the ends of the banner to the backside of your wreath...voila! 

I hope you enjoyed this project as much as I did!  It's pretty inexpensive to make, less than $10 if you already have things like glue, duct tape and scrap fabric.  

Tell me what you think about this craft in the comment section below:  I'd love to hear your thoughts and suggestions!

Happy Crafting!