How to Make a Mesh Wreath Without a Wire Form

So wreaths are one of my "thangs"  It's up there with  cool cups, ornaments, and shoes.  I can never have too many!

I think right now I even have somewhere over 20 wreaths posted on my blog already.....it's a situation here in our house.

I've seen so many adorable wreaths all over Pinterest....but holy crap they can be expensive to make! Just because they're homemade doesn't mean they're cheap.  And at over 20 wreaths under my belt it would add up to a small fortune.  That's why I like to keep my wreaths $10 and under....sometimes they only even cost me a few bucks.

I keep the costs down by not ever using the typical forms that people buy like the foam or wood ones. I always cut mine out of cardboard boxes....which are free....which is perfect for a cheap ass like myself.

I love the look of deco mesh wreaths but had never made one before because

 1. the mesh itself is expensive 

 2. they are made with wire forms = $$

My sister Bree found a bunch of mesh on clearance that perfectly coordinated with the color scheme we had for a party coming up.  So problem #1 was solved but there was still the issue of the wire form

After researching alternate ways I realized there wasn't one.  I'm sure there is somewhere out there.....but it definitely isn't well known enough that I could find anything.  Every single tutorial I found required the wire form. So that meant coming up with a solution myself

Here's what I did.......

Cut your mesh into strips.  I had the long rolls of mesh so I kept the length the same as it came and cut it maybe 6-8inches wide.  (Just a guess, I didn't measure)

 

Fold it down

Do the same to a different color and pair them together. Fold up some of the loose bottom parts and rubber band them in the middle to create what I was calling "bouquets"

Keep making these bouquets in different color combinations

The reason I folded the bottoms up was so create a sort of flatter bottom so they would be easier to glue down and also to make a messier less perfect look.  I like the raw edge poking out randomly around the rounded bouquets

Take your bouquets and glue them onto your cardboard circle.  It took me about 15 of these to fill mine the way I wanted

Before I started I debated wrapping the cardboard in some of the mesh or painting it a coordinating color.....but I got lazy and just went for it.  It turned out ok....you could only see the cardboard through if you got super close.  But next time I'll try not to be lazy and see if it makes a big difference or not

And that's it! Decorate it as you normally would and your done!  

Not too shabby for on the cheap

DIY Arizona Cardinals Trashcan

Remember when I made the Sun Devils trash can for my broskie inlaws birthday?

Well, I made another version for my inlaws for Christmas.  They're HUGE Cardinals fans and have been season ticket holders forever and ever.  They're garage at their main house is already pretty decked out in Cardinals gear but they finished a garage up at their cabin not too long ago and I figured it needed some football lovin too.  So I made them this

I made it just how I did before.  Made my own template of the logo and cut piece by piece from craft foam and hot glued it all together.  It's that easy....and cheap!
 
I intended it to be for the garage but it would also be perfect for a man cave or themed bathroom. 

DIY Jane Austen Shirt

Slowly but surely I've been going through some of the pictures on my computer....which is like a crap ton.  I keep finding all sorts of stuff I intended to blog and never got around to...like these pictures.  This project was a Christmas gift for my mom.  No....not this past Christmas.....like 2012 Christmas.  So yea.....I'm behind

It was just a few days before Christmas and I wanted to give my mom one more gift.  It couldn't be expensive....I had already spent the majority of my budget.  Like it needed to cost me $10 or less kind of thing.  A light bulb went off and I knew I had to make her something Jane Austen.  

She watches the movies based on her books over and over and OVER.  You'll be like...."Mom....you just watched this twice yesterday"......and she's all "Yea but this time I have the subtitles on so I catch every word."  Yep.....that's her

Thinking I was all cool and super creative I thought up the idea of a "Jane Austen Is My Homegirl" shirt.   Stemming from the fad a few years back with all the "Jesus Is My Homeboy" shirts.  Which looking back I realize was more than just a few years ago.....a few would have been 2011 and it's definitely been longer than that.  But I stand by the fact that once you are out of school or don't have kids with school years to break the time up.....the years just run together and feel the same....am I right?  Or is it just me?

Anyways I think I'm hilarious and creative over here and then I decided to google the phrase and whadaya know...it's already a thing.  Yea....so I'm not as original as I thought I was.  This sort of thing happens to me all the time but I'm just starting to think that with the trillions of people in this world there's just no such thing as original anyway anymore.  I'm going to go with that logic.

Good news was there were no shirts... just bags and such (at least at the time) So I perked up and went about making her a shirt.

I bought a plain black long sleeved shirt and dug through my stash and found some basic iron on letters.  A freezer paper stencil or one using a cutting machine if you have one would be great too but this made it super easy on me for just a few days before Christmas

Iron those babies on and you are set to go

And she loves it and rocks it like the champ that she is

DIY Blinged Out Flask

About a month ago my husbands grandma turned 80.  Which of course meant a huge party with the whole family.  No wait....my bad....it's a big Mexican family so I guess it qualified as a "fiesta."  After all there was a mariachi band and brightly colored cake that dyed my tongue green for the rest of the night   (anyone ever notice how all the cakes in Mexican bakeries are BRIGHT AS HELL!?!? They certainly don't shy away from color)

When we got the official memo that it was BYOB I was already 2 steps ahead.  I figured this was the perfect excuse for me to bling out a flask for myself.  I already had a bunch of plain flasks on hand that I had ordered off ebay about 2 years ago.   They were meant for a wedding project that never came to be.....so I was happy to finally put one to use!

It's as simple as you would think it is...just glue and your bling of choice.  I did a mix of clear gems, pink, and pearls.  I would use something like an E6000 glue for a more permanent hold

Glue your little heart out

Here's a picture I snapped at the party.  As you can see I came prepared with my own mini bar....baggy of lime wedges and all

These would make a great birthday gift...or of course the good ole bachelorette gift.  Or even just to give your boozy friend on a Tuesday.  I'm not here to judge.  ;)

Gem Flamingo

I have a secret love for flamingos

I think I've always kinda liked them....but a new found love for them is starting to brew inside me

Not only are they my favorite color....but they're just so...sooo.....nerdy?!   There's something awkward about them that I love.  Does that make any sense?

Almost like they're kinda of the underdog and I'm rooting for them.  And they can twist and bend in ways I can only hope I will get to someday with my yoga practice.  I basically strive to be a flamingo.....Ok not really.  But I want to bend like one for sure!

Anywho....I can totally see myself being that crazy old lady with a bunch of flamingos in her yard....I freakin love them!

When I broke the news to The Boy that I wanted to put a flamingo in our yard his response was "Only if it's wearing sunglasses"

So I ran out the next day and bought a cheap one from the dollar store.  I was far too excited and impatient to figure out the whole sunglasses thing....so I decided to go with gems

I just hot glued them all over and.....voila!

A gem covered flamingo

Cheesy as hell?  Yep.

Awesome nonetheless?  Absolutely.

And just so I fulfill The Boy's wishes....I think I might have to go buy another one just to give it some sunglasses.  I wouldn't want my poor hubby to be disappointed now would I?

I think it would have been alot cuter if I had used a faceted type gem instead of these plain ones....but I was overly excited and eager to make one that I didn't care at them time and used what I had on hand

Does that mean I have to make yet another one?  I think so!

Before you know it I will have a whole flock of flamingos in my yard.  Stay tuned for the flamingo fun 

Back To School Classroom Wreath

Wreath making is an addiction for me

I'm always looking for my next fix

I'll pretty much make a one for any reason at all

So of course the beginning of the school year seemed like a great excuse

My mom plans to put it on her classroom door for the first week and then they'll just bring it in for the rest of the year 

If you've ever seen any of my wreaths like this Patriotic Wreath or my Easter Wreath they all start out pretty much the same.

Gluing down shreddy paper stuff onto a cardboard wreath form I make

I don't like the foam ones you buy because they're expensive as all hell and I prefer for them to be flat up against the door.

After I covered the whole form I glued on some crayons and small pencil sharpeners

I had another sheet of school themed scrapbook stickers leftover from my School Keepsake Box project

Just like in that project I stuck them onto poster board and glued a small piece of cardboard onto the back to help them pop out better

All that was left was a major focal point

I had bought some word strips for the Keepsake Box that I ended up not using

It hit me  that I could make them into a cute bow!

See...every once and a while I can be a friggin genius!

Don't forget to glue on a pop tab in the back for am easy and cheap way to hang it

Patriotic Wreath

Following Uncle Sam's orders in my last craft post HERE <---

I have made yet another patriotic outdoor decoration to bring out the innner flag waver in you!  It'll make you bleed the red, white, and blue!

Impressive rhyming skills huh?

I DID win the district wide poetry contest in both the 1st AND 2nd grades.

Maybe someday I'll share those pieces of poetic genius with you all.....but until then I must leave you in suspense.  

This wreath is made in pretty much the exact same fashion as my Easter Wreath. 

^ Click on that to see the full tutorial

The general gist of it is cutting out a cardboard circle, hot gluing on colored gift shreddy...paper...things.  This time I used the foily kind. Give it a trim, glue on your stuff, then glue on a pop tab for hanging and yer done!  


The decorations I used were these cute star picks from 99c only that I just ripped the wires out of.  I also got the big bow from there too.  It's all glittery....shocking right?  Me? And glitter?

 The littler stars I found at Michaels and I HAD TO HAVE THEM! 
They just went so perfectly with the other ones I had.  Don't let the $2.99 on the bag full you....I got those babies for a dolla! 

Now you got yourself a wreath 

You'll get alot of use out of this.  Labor Day, Veterans Day, 4th of July, Memorial Day, Sept. 11th.

4th of July Decor

Someday I want my house to be the one on the block with the flag waving, the pinwheels in the ground, and these these swags hung from anything I can possibly hang them from.....ANYTHING!

I want to be like this house here....but like x1000 

 Yep...it's a dream I have.  But it may take some time for me to get there...like maybe owning a house first.....so I'm starting small


Like this little dealio here

99c only always has terra cotta pots.  So I got one and painted it white with some leftover primer I had.  Then I taped it off to create stripes

 Then I painted the top rim blue.  I tried using a stencil to paint on some white stars but that turned out to be a hot mess.  Maybe its just me though...I dunno.  
I had to cover over it with more blue and now I'm on the look out for some stickers or something to use instead.

Unless somebody out there can tell me how to paint on stars without it looking like a preschool project. No hate on the preschool art though....they make some snazzy stuff!

 Then I just filled it up with red crinkle paper from the ole Dollar Tree and star picks and flowers from Michaels. 

It would make a good centerpiece for your table, or you can put it by the front door like I do.   

I choose to believe Uncle Sam himself would be quite proud.  


So proud in fact, that he would tell me...........

Will do Uncle Sam.  Will do.

DIY Cheap & Personalized Wedding Napkins for Wedding (or any occasion!)

For our wedding I wanted cute napkins for our bar but I wasn't willing to pay to get them monogrammed.

I also didn't feel like buying an embossing kit because I wasn't sure If I would ever use it again....and I'm cheap.

Soooo...

I bought some plain pink and brown cocktail napkins from Party City and used a 50% off coupon at Michael's and got this Staz On Ink pad for around $4

My sister got me this cute stamp for Christmas, but you could also get a custom made one with your monogram or a design that you can use for multiple projects for your wedding

 And stamp away!  


It goes really quick.  I stamped while I watched Real Housewives marathons.    Go figure.....


The Staz On ink is awesome!  I did SEVERAL tests to make sure the ink wouldn't transfer onto people faces when they used them


Cause wouldn't that just be awesome.  My guests covered in brown ink smudged across their face.  That's something that would happen to me


Here's the finished thing

So simple but adds a nice personal touch to any party
 

DIY Floppy Summer Hat

Annnnddd......I'm back!

Feels like forever since I've posted.  Over 2 weeks or so. Did you miss me?  (Waves to my one reader.....my sister Bree) hahaha ;)

I went to Vegas last weekend and you know how that goes.  It took a week for me to get ready and then a week to recover....which equals no energy for posting.

I give major props to those bloggers who keep their shit up to date even when they're on the go.  I'll get there someday...I hope.

So In my preparation for my trip I of course set up crazy expectations in my head.  Luckily, my friend that I was going with is similar.  

We both had visions of ourselves laying poolside on a gorgeous chaise lounge...
 cool refreshing drink in hand....wearing our grandma swimsuits....sitting with one leg flat and and the other with the knee bent so we look like the girls in movies......all with a big floppy hat on. 

 Please tell me other people play out their life expectations like this?  Every single little detail?   Good!  Glad I'm not alone.


So I was in need of a big flippity floppity hat!


I found this hat at the good ole Dollar Tree

 Not bad.....but a little lackluster.  It needed a little sumthin sumthin.

 So at midnight I was hot gluing on some black ribbon I had and a cute black button that I bought at Walamrt.....at 11PM

 I had to leave my house at 4 AM to make my flight.   Can you tell what kind of person I am?


Yep.  I'm the kind that is up allll night on Xmas even wrapping gifts.  I procrastinate.


But at least I had a cute hat for laying by the hotel pool.








..............................................................








Ya know what the kicker is?  We didn't even end up going to the pool at all. -__-




But that's ok.  I still gained a cute hat.  And I'm sorta fighting the urge to go buy more and make a whole collection.  Different colored ribbon....maybe some flowers or gems...or maybe even paint them!  I could go wild!

Easter Egg Wreath

I set a few goals this year  (resolutions,,,if you may) One was to start blogging and here I am sooo  yay! Another was to create a wreath or some sort of door decoration for every holiday.  I didn't happen with Valentine's Day, but that's ok.  I just want to get it started and build my collection.  Then for St. Patty's Day I just hung a big shamrock I found at the dollar store.  Now comes Easter,,,,

Start buy creating your form.  I just cut out a big cardboard circle cause I'm cheap like that.  You could certainly using an actual wreath form if you aren't miss cheapo like me.

  I had some pink crinkle paper leftover from my wedding that we used in baskets.  Why did I keep paper do you ask?  Because it's not hoarding if you eventually use it.  Just go with it.

Disclaimer:  If you are the type of person that doesn't like distractions feel free to skip ahead to where it says  "Back to Crafting.
 

Speaking of hoarders, do you ever watch that show?  I watch it every Monday night and it's like watching a horror movie.  Scares the living bejesus out of me!  I sit there in suspense the whole hour.  Then after it's over I go on a cleaning rampage.  The scariest part is when I enter my craft room.  Because when you really think about it, craft rooms are just one giant hoard.  Usually they are cutely decorated hoards...but hoards all the same.  No!  Don't throw out that 2x2 piece of scrap felt..I have a project coming up I can use it for. :/
 But then Tuesday rolls around and I forget all about my fears of being a hoarder for 6 more days.  It's the cycle of my life.

Back to crafting.  I bought some green crinkle paper to mix in with the pink.  Here's my mixed up mess

Then it's easy.  Just take your glue gun and go around the board gluing on small handfulls of the paper at a time.  Really press it into the glue.  At first it will kid of look like a crazed Muppet

  After the glue sets, which should be soon since hot glue dries very quickly, go around it and run your fingers through the paper.    Then shake the whole wreath around a bit.  This should loosen any papers that didn't glue down.  Fill in any bald spots you find and then give your wreath a trim.  Only trim the longest and most unruly pieces. You want it to still look casual and fun.  Please fight the urge to take your scissors around the outside circle and cut off every hanging piece.  It just wouldn't be right!

I glued on a glitter  purple bow I found at 99c Only because I love glitter and I love dollar stores.  You could use ribbon if you prefer.  Then I glued on some glittery easter egg ornaments (again with the glitter) that I just cut the ribbon off of.

And done!  I probably finished this whole project in one episode of Bethenny Ever After. And that included all the time out it took for me to mumble to myself about  how I understand her feelings.  I feel ya Bethenny.  I'm just not a millionaire.

When In Doubt....Make It Into a Magnet!

I recently have a new obsession with turning everything into a magnet.  Don't stand still too long....I may just hang you on the fridge.

The cupcakes were from a a playfood set.  Just hot glued magnets to the back.

                                                     Artwork courtesy of my niece Katie

The Mickey ice cream and Minnie cupcake are souvenirs that we bought on our Disneyland honeymoon.  They are actually antenna toppers.  I bought them because they were soo cute and to be honest....I'm a major cheap ass and they were one of the cheapest items in the gift shops.  I instantly knew I wanted to make them into magnets because A) My car doesn't even have an antenna and B) I wouldn't want to risk some stupid punk stealing it anyway.  Remember back in the day  when everyone had their Jack in the Box toppers stolen?  My point exactly

I attached the magnets on these with E-600 glue because I didn't want to risk hot glue melting the foam.

And here is my Lush collection of magnets.  Pictured at the top, I made a Skinny Girl magnet for my oldest sister.  She and I are both big fans of the whole Skinny Girl line of cocktails.  Then, for my husband I did bottle caps from some of his favorite beers and from Sailor Jerry...his #1 drink of choice.  For these I just filled the bottle caps with hot glue to the top and let it dry hard to make a flat surface.  Then just glue on the magnet.

A very quick project (the best kind there is!) with endless possibilities

Valentine's Day Pillow

So I had this vision of having cute little pillows for each holiday.  At Dollar Tree I found these great felt "Wall Decorations" as they call them and thought they would be perfect!  I looked around for a cheap pink pillow, but with no luck decided to make my own pillow.

I bought 1.5 yards of this pink fabric for $2.50 at Walmart.  Fold the fabric over.  I then just laid my heart over the top and used a straight edge and my fabric chalk to mark how big I wanted to make the pillow.

Cut it out and then iron out all the wrinkles

Line the fabric up as good as you can and then pin the 3 sides of the pillow and start sewing away.  Now, if your lucky and have a sewing machine you can get this done pretty fast.  I on the other hand can't seem to justify such a big purchase at this point because 1.) I'm a cheap ass and 2.) Until I start doing more projects that  require sewing I can gravy train off my sisters OR get over it and hand sew it like I did this

Start sewing at the corners where the fabric is folded and meet in the middle of one side, leaving a small space big enough to fit your hand through open

Use that hole to turn the pillow inside out.  Then I used Aleene's fabric glue to glue on the heart.  You could sew it, but the felt was very stiff, thick, and intricate. I knew it would be too hard to hand sew.  I let it dry for 24 hours before  stuffing the pillow and then sewing up the open space.

Here it is all done

Not professional grade, but not too bad for a newbie at hand sewing.