My Take on the Ornament Wreath

Way back in October, Rick & the boys went on a little camping/hunting expedition.

That left me to my own devices.

Emily came over for the weekend and we decided to try our hand at making Ornament Wreaths.

I know you've seen these all over the Internet the last few years. There are lots of handy tutorials (Cherie's Tutorial) & some very lovely wreaths that have been crafted.

These are a little different though. I hope you enjoy!

First of all, you start out with a wire hanger.

You untwist the top where the hook is...blah,blah,blah (I'm getting to the good part)

Then you shape the wire into a roundish shape & begin stringing the ornaments on.

This is after, of course, you have hot glued all the tops to the ornaments so they don't pop off.

Part way through, you notice your daughter's wreath is looking pretty good.

Your wreath, however, is looking pretty...ummm...interesting.

Just forge on! It will be fine. It will look so pretty when it's done.

There's nothing glitter and a bow can't fix.

(These are the things you repeat to yourself in your head)

If the ornaments need to be repositioned a bit, very carefully move them around.

No matter how carefully you do this, you will still hear this lovely sound:

"Snap! Plop! Wobble-Wobble-Wobble!"

(That's the sound of the ornaments popping off, and then rolling across the floor)

The little cap thingies stayed firmly attached to the ornaments...hot glue kinda does that, but the hole where the hook/wire goes kept snapping open.

Once you have the ornaments all on the wire, and you have it looking like you want it (whatever),

twist the two ends of the wire together. This will be somewhat difficult. More ornaments will pop off.

Do not curse!

Just laugh. Laughing is good.

There will be glitter and broken ornaments strung everywhere.

Your daughter's wreath will look much better than yours.

The more you try to fix yours, the more you curse laugh.

Daughter will laugh too.

See...good mother/daughter bonding moment.

I'm all about creating memories.

Add a pretty red and gold ribbon, then hang it on the door so you can admire your beautiful handiwork:

What the??? 

I know, right?

I have found a couple of things that make it look better.

1.Perspective:

 See? Pretty.

2. Lighting:

Perfect!!!

Witch's Hat

My mom and I made these cute Witch's Hats last year & I never got around to posting them.

I know Halloween is still weeks away, but I wanted to post the instructions so you have plenty of time to make some cute hats of your own!

I don't have step-by-step photos, but these are pretty easy.

You can also see a photo tutorial here:

Witch's Hat Instructions

You'll need the following:

A witch's hat (I found mine at Target, in the dollar bins, I used the child size)

Plastic Grocery Bags or paper for stuffing

Mod-Podge

Brush

Ribbon or Tulle

Clothespins

Other embellishments if desired

Start by stuffing your hat with bags or paper, so you have a stable, workable form.

Then size the ribbon/tulle that you want to use for the band and the bow.

Mod-podge the area where the band and ribbon will sit, and then put the band & the bow on the mod-podge.

Now, the fun part! Apply mod-podge over the entire surface of the hat, including the band & bow.

As it dries, you can fluff and reshape the bow.

This is a good time to sprinkle with glitter if you would like to make it sparkly!

Now~ scrunch the hat down, and use clothespins to hold the scunches in place while everything dries.

When the hat is almost dry, remove the clothespins and the bags/paper stuffing.

When completely dry, add other embellishments, if desired.

I love how these turned out! I might make some more this year.

Happy Crafting!





Now, back to your regularly scheduled September~

Halloween Banner

I've been a little challenged with the Halloween/Fall decor this year.  I got my wreath up...and a few pumpkins scattered around...but that's all I got!!!  Obviously, I've been focused on other things (like a wedding:).  Now it's time to step up my game, since there are only a couple of weeks left until Halloween.

I found this super cute Happy Halloween Banner that Julie @ Leelou Blogs made.  Print, Cut, Create~ what could be easier?  AND...It's FREE!!! Even. Better.

Thanks Julie.

Happy Decorating