CRAFT :: Green Burlap Wreath with Bunting

   

So as you know I have been doing some home DIY around my place & I recently shared with you how I gave my entry a makeover & changed it into a mudroom. We love it but I also wanted to give our front door a makeover as well, since it IS part of the entry. ;)

So since our living room & entry have the same color scheme going on . . .the black 'n white vibe with lime green accents, I decided that a wreath in the same color scheme could be kinda sweet. Plus when I came across this green jute ribbon . . . well I was a lil smitten & had to have it! ;)

The thing I love about doing this color scheme for this wreath, is it currently matches our green we have in the living room so when the door is open, well . . . it all matches! My color coordinating heart loves that! Also it is the perfect color to have on your front door during the fall season AND also again for St. Patty's Day! I love when you can get more mileage out of your wreaths than just a one time use!  

So who wants to make a simple & easy wreath for their front door? (hopefully you are raising your hand) Well okay then, let's do this . . .

step 1: Gather your supplies for this wreath. You can obviously choose any color ribbon to cover the wreath form along with the fabric colors you want. I picked up this green jute ribbon, a wreath form and then grabbed some black n white fabric from my stash. If you need to purchase fabric, I'd say maybe 1/8th yard of each one. You will also need glue & glue gun, scissors & ribbon to hang.

 

step 2: Start wrapping the ribbon around your wreath form AFTER you have hot glued it in place. (at the beginning). Once you make it all the way around, you will want to hot glue the end in place to hold it together & keep from slipping. Set aside for now.

step 3: Next grab your fabric & "tear" 10 x 1 in. strips. The easiest way to do this is fold fabric in half, cut a little (about an inch) on the edge (as in 1st photo below) and then tear them apart. Please don't worry about an exact measurement either as I ended up trimming shorter in the end but these are measurements I started with so you have a 'starting point'. =) 

step 4: Stack strips into piles until you have gotten them all done & cut. I probably had about 20 in each pile. You will also need a piece of twine or string - whatever you have on hand. I used some black 'n white bakers twines I had for this & I just cut a piece that was about as wide as my wreath + enough to glue to the back. 

step 5: I also marked, with a couple pieces of washi tape, the width for my bunting - in two spots, kind of the area I didn't want to 'go past' (see last pic below here) - good for a guide to help you.

step 6: Tie each piece of bunting onto the twine that you have marked, alternating the TWO different fabrics you picked. How you tie it on is different for everyone but I did the method of making a 'loop' & then sliding the 2 cut ends into the loop (all while the twine is in there to catch it). If you have no idea what I am talking about, just do this, take all your strips & cut them in HALF at this point & just tie then on. The length will work out the same either way. You should have something that resembles this pic on the right below when you have them on the twine. At this point I actually trimmed the bunting down to the size I wanted . . .any length is fine, personal preference - YOU decide! ;) Then glue that puppy down, making sure the ends of the bunting are in the back of your wreath.

step 7: Next we need to make the pom flowers. Hopefully you have a few strips of fabric bunting left for this but if not, just cut/ tear some more. These I cut to about 4 in. each. I laid out about 15 of them (pic 1 below), then used one of them as my tie around them (pic 2 below) and finally tied in a knot & fluffed & trimmed to desired "look". (pic 3 below)

step 8: For the two white pom flowers I used the same technique (as in step 7) with the exception of using white ribbon for the poms to give it some depth. I actually used the same ribbon as I used to 'hang' the wreath but it looks different as I cut it in half before making the pom flowers so it wasn't so wide.

step 9: attach all three pom flowers to the wreath using your glue gun.

step 10: cut a piece of ribbon to desired length & tie on wreath. 

Guess what? You.Are.Done. Hang that bad boy up & say ahhhhh . . .nice! ;)

 

I would LOVE to know what you thought of this wreath. Are you going to try it? Let me know if you are by commenting below . . .

Thanks for joining me! =)

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HOME :: Creating a MUDROOM

Thanks to all of you for the feedback of this new series here on my blog. I LOVE receiving feedback from you guys and knowing I have inspired some of you, well . . .it just makes my day! This is WHY I decided to share this part of my life with you all right now, hoping it would make you see how easy it can be to do some simple things around your place, to make it just a little bit nicer, a little more organized or a little more "live-able". ;) AND you all know, I have never claimed to be an expert by any means, BUT lots of "trial & error" & research can make a person willing to give things a go! ;)

HOME | MADE is a bi-monthly series on room renovations MADE into nicer living spaces and the things used to get it there, the supplies used and all the DIY details. ALL to make my house feel like a HOME. ;)

If you missed the FIRST one in the series, you can catch it here:
 "Creating a CHALKBOARD DOOR".

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Okay in case you all don't remember, I am living in a condo (for now) and am looking to make better use of the space I have all while making our lives more organized in the process. (I know aren't we all . . .) so I have this space right when you come in the front door, an entry way of sorts, that has a HUGE closet and comes right into the living room. We hardly ever used this door as everyone comes in through the garage & comes up the steps from the basement. So it's kinda been getting the 'cold shoulder' all of these years & was an unused space. BUT a few months ago I decided to do something with it.

I wanted something pretty simple but useful. After looking for ideas at one of my fave stores (IKEA) I decided on a simple black shelf & also a bar with hooks so I could add some decor up on the shelf but yet hang some items on the hooks if needed. PLUS I figured when we do have visitors, it could be a nice area for them to hang up their jackets, purses, etc. since that HUGE closet I was telling you about . . . right there . . . on the right side (in the pic below) . . .is "off limits". WHY you ask? Let's just say that is where ALL of my daughter's toys are stashed . . . it has worked out that way for years & not ready to change (just yet). Another project . . .another time maybe. ;)

How about some pics? ;) 

This would be my token "before" pic . . . lovely huh? ;)

and here is my list to accomplish JUST with this space:
- paint the entire area (but has to wait as it's shared with the living room)
- paint the ceiling
- paint all of the trim WHITE
- repaint the front door a FUN color
- paint the toy closet door WHITE
- hanging shelf, hooks on wall to create feasible "mudroom area"
- replace rug
- replace door stops
- re-paint all door hardware/ knobs
- replace FLOOR

Step 1: determining the correct height of the shelf as I will be putting a bar & hooks underneath. I also did not want to put it too high as I want to be able to change things out on the shelf if I so desire. ;)

 

Step 2: LOVE the bar & hooks I purchased from IKEA for this. I went with the bars that you can add additional hooks to or hang tiny bins on, if you want as well. For this location, I bought the small hooks & a few larger ones to accommodate things like a 5th grader's bookbag! Those weigh a TON!! Am I wrong parents?

Step 3: DECORATING!!!! The best part . . . My 'word' for last year is/was "HOPE" after everything I went through heath-wise so when I found this at Target well . . .and it was black & white . . . well . . .  it magically jumped into my cart & came home with me!!!! I added some black n white pics of our kids from our wedding along with some green items to tie in the colors from the adjoining living room . . .

 . . . and looking pretty good huh? ;)

Let's take a step back & take it in. SO.MUCH.BETTER. =)

Step 4: Add your 'junk' . . . a.k.a. the kiddo's backpack & her purse! (because suddenly this has become "her" area . . . lol . . .kids! Love them.

But just like clockwork, I couldn't leave well enough alone as the space still needed something else. SO off to hunt around the house I went and came back with . . . .
 

this little black table to use for organizing random things. It so happened to be the perfect width for behind the door & it should come in handy! We'll see! ;)
 

So what do YOU think? It's a start. YES, I could be done & call it a day as it is waaaaaaay better already, BUT I have THE list . . . remember this?  . . .

Entry Way "to-do" LIST:
- paint the entire area (but has to wait as it's shared with the living room)
- paint the ceiling
- paint all of the trim WHITE
- repaint the front door a FUN color
- paint the toy closet door WHITE
- hanging shelf, hooks on wall to create feasible "mudroom area"
- replace rug
- replace door stops
- re-paint all door hardware/ knobs
- replace FLOOR


Well at least I got to cross off ONE thing! lol

Good news though: as I write this, I have already crossed off more on this list, so look for an update sometime soon. ;)


I really hope you are enjoying this series on home DIY.
I would LOVE to hear if you have ever designed a mudroom for a tiny area? What has been the biggest advantage for YOU?

Please comment below with your thoughts as I would love to hear from you! 

Are you loving the "eye candy" here? Then join me over on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter & Instagram so you never miss out on an exclusive deal or any behind the scenes photos! 

Check out my designs, artwork & decor in my Etsy shop!

RECIPE :: Easy Chocolate Halloween Lollipops

Easy Chocolate Halloween Lollipops

by Kimberley 

 

I love bringing my kids in the kitchen and am always looking for something fun and easy to make with them. I decided to let them make some candy with me and this recipe is so easy that even my three year old made it herself. All I did was assemble the supplies and ingredients, melt the chocolate, and demonstrate one lollipop for them and they were on they're way!

You can adapt this depending on the season: I made Halloween lollies, but you could easily change this for Christmas, Valentine's Day and Easter. It's so easy and as we all know, kids love treats on a stick.

Recipe

- popsicle sticks - I find the flat traditional popsicle stick works best as it is more sturdy in the chocolate

- good quality melting chocolate - as much as you want!

- festive sprinkles or candies - we also made these with gummy worms and smarties

How-To:

-line a cookie sheet with wax paper or parchment paper

-lay out popsicle sticks in two rows and allow for space for chocolate; have candies or sprinkles ready to use

-melt chocolate - place in glass bowl and microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring each time, until melted

-slowly pour a circle of chocolate on end of each popsicle stick and immediately sprinkle with candies

-complete all lollipops and allow to set in a cool place, or in the fridge.

-once set, peel lollies off paper and place in cello bags or just eat them!

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Guest Contributor: Kimberley Mulla

My Mom gave me my first cookbook when I was six years old. I have been baking & cooking ever since.

I specialize in artisan marshmallows & confections. I want to sell a product that I would feed my children. The ingredients are simple, often local, organic & fair trade as well. 

I love making marshmallows. Every single one. It brings me so much joy to create something unique, tasty, and delightful.

You can follow Kimberley

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