Initial Yarn Wreath

Here's an up-close shot my latest wreath...

The Craft Room is Finished!!

So, I've spent a couple weeks now redecorating my craft room, and I am proud to announce that it is finished, and I am thrilled with the results.  It just makes me happy to be in the room...which is so much nicer than the "pit" that it used to be!

My new love, Janome!

My so-sweet towel made by my mom out of material used to make some baby dresses (shown in pictures).

Note the yarn wreaths--my new obsession.

Yes, I teach elementary school.  See the markers organized by color?!

Cute sewing decor...and another yarn wreath.

Too bad my middle name doesn't start with an "E"...

Ribbon storage

Bookshelf with Justin's grandma's old sewing machine displayed...sorry it's fuzzy

Fabric storage

Love this room!  And, note all the wreaths on the top of the bookshelf to turn into yarn-wrapped-goodness!

Happy Crafting!

Yet another wreath

I just finished another wreath....YES! Another Wreath!

 

I know this isn't the greatest picture ever...But I wanted to share anyway.  Seriously, these yarn wreaths are addicting!

My New Love and a Sneak Peek at my Craft Room

Isn't she beautiful?!

Janome QDC 3160

So, I finally broke down and used my Christmas money from Mom and Dad and got got myself a wonderful, beautiful, amazing sewing machine!!  

With all the snowed-in days lately, I've been working on organizing my craft room.  I'm not finished...but here's a sneak peek...

 

I got up early this morning and scoped out a few quilt shops in Oklahoma City.  I discovered two really great shops with beautiful fabric and helpful ladies to guide me in the right direction. So, I bought some amazing fabric and can't wait to start some fun projects.  

I might as well face it, I'm addicted to wreaths...

Today was a beautiful snowy day. I absolutely love snow days.  No school, no kids....just me and the dogs.  If I have a day to myself, I'm either reading or crafting.  Last "Snowpocalypse" I read 3 novels.  This time, I've made wreaths!  Yesterday's post shows the first one...the burlap wreath.  Today, I tried something a little more simple and a little less time consuming.  But definitely, equally as cute!

Check out this yarn wreath with felt flowers...

So, are you ready to make yours?

Start out with a straw wreath.  Leave it in the plastic.  It makes it so much easier to work with. 

All you have to do is pick your yarn tie a knot and start wrapping.  All in all, I used about a half of a roll of "I love this yarn" from Hobby Lobby.

Keep wrapping until you've wrapped the entire wreath.  You don't want it to be perfect.  So, it's okay if it overlaps here and there.  In fact, it looks better when it does.  When you're finished it will look like this...

That's all...well, almost. Now, all that's left is adding the felt flowers.  There are about a million different patterns and ways of making felt flowers.  I have two absolute favorites...the "rose" and the "pom pom".

First, the rose...

First cut a wavy edged circle out of felt.  The bigger the circle, obviously, the bigger the flower will be.Then pick a spot on the circle and start spiral cutting the entire circle.

Now, when you get to the end you'll have a little circle thing.  Leave that...you'll need it for the base of the flower.

Pick up the end where you started cutting (without the circle) and start rolling.

When you get to the end, hot glue the circle to the base of the flower.

Now flip, and admire your creation...

Now for the pom pom...

Cut a 2 inch strip of felt.  Again, the longer the strip, the larger the flower.

Now, fold your strip in half hot dog style (yes, I teach elementary school!) and glue JUST THE EDGE!

On the other side, make slits (not all the way down to the glue) about every 1/4 inch.

Start with one end and begin rolling (similar to the way you rolled the rose), except you'll want to dot some hot glue in every now and again to hold it together.  Make sure to use plenty of hot glue when you get to the end of the flower or it won't stay together. 

Check out my new CORDLESS hot glue gun!!  What??  I know, right!?  So exciting!  It was a gift from my hubby today.  Some girls get surprised with flowers...I get a hot glue gun!  I couldn't be happier.  

Anyway, when you get to the end, with all the hot glue holding the flower together, you're done!  No base needed on this one.  

No, my felt didn't change colors.  I just forgot to take a picture of the finished tan one. 

Now, just glue in whatever pattern you like on your wreath. Add ribbons or other embellishments for a little more pizazz! 

Interchangable Wreath

I cannot believe I have not blogged a craft in almost a year!  What's wrong with me?!  I recently got bit by the craft bug again, and have a million ideas....so, I'm back!  My good friend, Jennifer, and I decided we would start crafting together!  I'm so excited to have someone to craft with!  We got together this week and tackled our first project...and interchangeable wreath! 

Here's a quick look at the finished project:

Darling, right?  You're probably wondering, "What's interchangeable?" You'd never guess this, but the whole flower part is glued to a strip of burlap, which is just stuck to the wreath using velcro. So, literally, the possibilities are endless. You could make them for various holidays, color schemes, etc...

Ok, you're going to have to bear with me as I go through the steps.  I got out of the habit of craft-blogging and didn't take pictures of every single step.

You will need the following supplies (for one wreath--obviously more if you're planning on making more than one at a time):

• 1 grapevine wreath (about 3.99 from Hobby Lobby)
• about a 1/4 yard of tan burlap 
• a little bit of green burlap (not much at all per wreath)
• fabric (You will be making 9 petals...so you can use all the same, 9 different, or whatever you feel like making. Each petal is about the size of your hand, so the amount of fabric depends on how many petals you make of each type of fabric.  Now that I've thoroughly confused you....just buy way too much fabric like I did and let's move on.)
• Floral wire (the thicker the better)
• burlapy twine (that's a term I made up)
• ribbon to match your fabric
• hot glue
• velcro
• an old file folder or cardstock to make a pattern out of
• Aloe Vera--if you're anything like Jennifer and I with a hot glue gun!!  

Make a pattern for your petals. The largest one (for the burlap) is about the size of your hand. The smaller one is about 1/2 inch smaller all around (this is for your fabric). The smallest pattern is for your leaves.

Trace these onto your fabric and cut out.  Again, you'll need 9 petals and about 7 leaves.  The leaves didn't make it into the picture below, but they're cut out of the green burlap.

Notice the edges are not perfect. The imperfections will give it more of a handmade/rustic look...in other words, it will make it "super-cute" in the end.


Lay your wreath out and cut a strip of burlap that will be the base of your flower petals.  Don't glue it on....just lay it on the wreath to get a good idea.

Also, glue the bottoms of each petal together. (See picture below)

 Then, start placing them on the wreath in whatever pattern you like.  Make sure some point up and some point down. Hot glue every petal onto your burlap strip.

Now, add ribbon (loops, not bows work best).  Again, hot glue everything to the burlap and to the other petals, but nothing to the wreath!

Now, cut and glue the bottoms of all of your leaves and stick them in too with your hot glue. (Sorry, here's where I slacked on my picture taking!)

Also, cut strips of floral wire about 2 1/2-3 inches long. (No pictures of this process either. Sorry!) Wrap the burlapy twine around it all the way down.  Make a few layers at the top, so that it's a bit thicker.  Hard to explain in words...look at the picture below...

Products to use:

Glue one twig thing inside each petal:

Cute, huh?

Now, just glue the velcro to the back of your burlap strip and to the wreath....and voila....

This craft is addicting!  I already bought material for my second set of petals...