CRAFT :: Nautical Rag Wreath

Hello there! 

It's the middle of summer and what better time to get your 'craft on' and make something fun! Am I right? Today I am sharing how simple it is to make a nautical wreath for your home or front door using the fabric rag method and trust me, it's super easy to do!

Since my daughter is home for summer break, I love being able to craft with her and see what ideas she comes up with too. She enjoys to craft right along side of me so of course ANY chance I get to craft with her is always a good time. ;) After her thirteenth birthday this year, we decided to start on her bathroom re-do since we had already tackled her bedroom makeover and this was the other thing on our list for her, so she suggested making a wreath for her bathroom to match some nautical items we picked up the other day when we were shopping at Michaels. She found an anchor art print to go in her new bathroom so she thought making a wreath with an anchor would be fun to match as well. Great mind that kid of mine has! ;)

 
 
So we picked up a few supplies we needed, while there and we would like to share how we made it with you . . . 

Let's see just how easy it is to make this fun Nautical Rag Wreath:

1. Gather all of your supplies! We used a flat wreath form, your fabric color of choice, jute twine, scissors, a wooden anchor or other wood item to paint, paint and paintbrushes.

2. The first she did was paint the wooden anchor – white paint on the front and the sides a darker teal blue. She then did some shading on top too (for dimension).

3. Next, you will take your fabric and cut them into 1 inch wide strips by 7 inches long. To do this, I used two fabric quarters to complete the wreath, folded each in half and then made small cuts about every inch and then pulled the fabric to “rip” it to get the rag look. Hope that makes sense but if not feel free to email me. You can choose to pull off all of the loose threads from tearing the fabric or leave them – the ‘look’ is totally up to you! 

4. To create this look, simply tie each piece of fabric you tore around the wreath form, into a knot, until you have it about three quarters of the way filled. (like photo below). This will take a little bit of time to complete but it’s not hard. We tied these in the front but play around with different looks . . . perhaps the knot on the side. 

5. Next take a piece of jute, tie in a knot and simply keep wrapping it around the remainder of the wreath and then tie off. 

6. Cut off a piece of jute (ours was probably 80 inches long) and tie together so you have one big circle. Fold over into fours and then place under the wreath form and loop through to create this look below that will allow you to hang it on a wall or perhaps a front door, even. 

7. The last step to your fabric rag wreath, is to tie your painted anchor on. We placed ours off to the top left.

That is it! What a cute wreath right? She was so excited to have something new to match that anchor art we bought for her new bathroom decor and I promise to have a full reveal on my blog when we finish it. But for now I can always hang this on our front door to enjoy this summer! I will mention that this project is NOT hard to do but it does take a little time, so make sure to allow for that. It would be a perfect craft to do while you are perhaps watching a movie . . .tie all of those fabric pieces on and before you know it, it's complete!

Super cute right? Have you ever made a wreath using the fabric rag method? Do you think you will make your own now that you know?

I would love to know . . . ;)

 

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This post was originally published at Design Dazzle on June 6, 2016. 

FREE Father's Day Cake Topper + Dessert Table Idea

Father's Day.

Can you believe that Father's Day is almost here? Yeah me neither, but I am here today to help you get ready. Ya know, because being prepared on Father's Day wins you major points with the hubs and/or your pops. I mean really, guys just want to know that we care, that they matter, so what better way to acknowledge them then by providing a nice dessert spread in their honor. Major points will be scored. Trust.

The men in your life that you celebrate on this day will be so appreciative as this day gives us a chance to let them know just how much we appreciate them and express how we feel. I know we should let them know this ALL of the time, but hey . . . having a whole day devoted to them works too right? ;)

As you know I LOVE a good reason to celebrate just about anything and I really love helping you all out with the ideas I share here PLUS the FREEBIES to help give you a little special 'eye candy' that you can weave into your celebrations. So today I want to share with you a couple simple ideas that you can do to create a special dessert table for Father's Day plus provide a FREEBIE that you can use for the table as well that will give it that extra special touch!

One of the first things I do when planning a little celebration is to 'shop' my home for the items I can use based on my theme I have chosen. I decided this year to do a kind of beach-y, nautical theme as we have been loving this trend this year here in our home and thought it would still keep it masculine for the guys as well.

My daughter helped choose the color scheme with the white and shades of blues but then I added in the light wood accessories to keep it natural looking. I love the way it turned out. For example we used the nautical anchor art (borrowed from my daughter's new bathroom decor) to set the tone for the beach theme and added a few things that were new, along with some gathered up from around the house. I love mixing patterns as well and don't be afraid to do it as it can give you a fun look, just make sure to have some solids sprinkled in to give it some overall balance to your table setting.

• For my background this time, I used a simple solid bright blue piece of fabric hanging behind the table that gives a 'stripe' look but kept it all super simple. Use banners, fabric, wrapping paper . . . to give it that little extra touch to tie into your table. Keep it easy and simple.

• On the table I used a table runner and a couple place mats to pop some color and pattern on the table before putting out my dishes. I always make sure to have a fun tumbler or pitcher with drinks - in this case we did just some strawberry infused water as the dessert we focused on had plenty of flavor! Also use some fun glassware and mix up styles to keep it fun and fresh. I purchased a few new items to help give it a beach feel . . . a simple rope spool and sea glass we picked up at the craft store along with a couple gorgeous blue vases. I used the cake stands we already had along with the glassware, place mats and runner. You will be surprised how easy it is to use what you have and once you start throwing it all together . . . well it just falls into place and looks amazing - trust me, give it a try!

• In years past, I have had a few extra food items that compliment my main dessert and I really enjoy doing that if we are having more people over to celebrate the day, like adding candy, fruit or a few other items to compliment the table and the cake. This year it was only a few of us, so we decided to keep it simple by focusing all of our attention on the main attraction . . .the CAKE!

• Let's talk about this FABulous cake that is now a Father's Day tradition in our home, I mean just look at it!! I just want to grab a fork and go to town . . . know what I mean? ;) We always get our annual family favorite ice cream cake from Cold Stone Creamery, called “Tall, Dark & Delicious, because it IS amazing and everyone LOVES it, so it's a no brainer that we order it every year! Just imagine layers of moist Devil’s Food Cake, Sweet Cream Ice Cream with Brownies & Chocolate Ice Cream with OREO® Cookies wrapped in fluffy White Frosting and cascading Fudge Ganache. OMG!!!!! It is soooooooo delish and WHY it's a fave in our house! By far, the best part of getting these cakes every year, is how simple it is to get . . .  I just order online at ColdStoneCakes.com and pick it up! Doesn't get any easier and the fact that there is always leftovers = BONUS! Oh my YUM! You will see that I put some shredded coconut at the base of the cake too as we LOVE chocolate and coconut together plus it adds a nice touch to the beach theme.

Like I mentioned, I designed a really fun FREEBIE for you to use at your Father's Day celebration as well. I hand lettered this artwork with shades of blue and blended it with colored pencils (if you can believe it) and love the look I was able to achieve with them! You can simply print it out and you will find two different sizes to choose from so it should work on whatever size cake you decide to get plus you can also use them to decorate your dessert table with a little extra 'eye candy' like I have shown you here. 

Click on this FREE Father's Day cake topper art, print and then cut out and attach to a couple lollipop sticks or even a couple straws would work, and insert into the top of your Cold Stone cake for Father's Day! Use the other size on your table or even attach to a gift bag using it as a tag for your gifts!

So please enjoy this freebie. Print it out for your table, your cake, your gift and make sure to visit Cold Stone Creamery for that amazing cake to have for dessert so you too can enjoy this Father's Day tradition like we do!

Happy Father's Day to all of you amazing people that are dads or in a father figure position . . . we are so grateful for all you do!! xo

What are your plans this Father's Day? What dessert will YOU be having? Will you be enjoying a slice of this Cold Stone Creamery cake? Let me know below . . .


** Thanks for helping me support the companies that help make this blog possible. This post was sponsored by Cold Stone Creamery but all opinions were my own. I truly only share with you, companies and products that I use or enjoy simple because I know you will love them too.

 

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Looking forward to seeing you again! :)