DIY Wreath – A Diamond in the Stuff

Cotton Boll Wreath {Tutorial}

Courtney Carmean — Wed, 17 Sep 2014 10:00:33 +0000

I am a big big fan of seasonal and holiday wreaths. The truth is I had pretty much fallen out of love with my current Fall wreaths and I needed something new. While browsing Michael’s (aka: getting sucked in to the crafting black hole) I spotted some very authentic looking faux cotton stems. I was inspired. And so my Cotton Boll Wreath was born!

I picked up several stems or I may have cleaned them out entirely. Hey they were on sale! I happened to have a grapevine wreath on hand already and some burlap ribbon.

To begin, I started by cutting the excess of the stem off with wire cutters. Then I grabbed some floral wire to attach the stems to the wreath.

I cut little pieces of the wire and bent them in the middle to form a “bobby pin” shape. I know, I’m a girl!

I used the “bobby pin” wire to attach the stem to the wreath by threading the wire through to the back of the wreath. Then I turned the wreath over and twisted the wires together and secured them to the wreath. I continued to do this to each stem, using two wire pieces per stem, all the way around the wreath.

I used some burlap ribbon to tie a pretty bow on it and called it done. I wanted to keep the wreath fairly simple and focus on it’s beauty. Simple beauty.

The wreath doesn’t exactly scream Fall but it feels very Fall to me. Much like my mantel decor, I stuck with varying shades of browns, whites, and creams.

This wreath is very nostalgic to me. My Grandma’s family had a cotton farm and from what we’ve been told she was the BEST cotton picker around. I know that’s not something most people would be proud of, but my Grandma was an amazing amazing person. I love having little things around that remind me of her.

Do you keep any objects around your home that remind you of a loved one?

Linking up to these great link parties!!!

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Looking for some more Fall inspiration? Here’s a new way to use a Fall wreath {tutorial included}….

Starfish Yarn Wreath

Courtney Carmean — Thu, 05 Jun 2014 10:00:31 +0000

Awhile ago I created this Starfish Yarn Wreath for Crafts Unleashed. I realized that I never posted it here and with summer here I thought it was the perfect time.

I grew up about 5 miles from the beach in Southern California. I never realized how much the beach lifestyle is in my blood until I moved away when I married my Air Force husband. Now that I have experienced living in different states I realize just how much “California” I am. I have an affinity for anything that reminds me of the beautiful beaches. So I have several starfish and other items around my home to always keep the beach with me. My love for all things beachy inspired this beautiful Starfish Yarn Wreath.

How to:

Step 1: Collect your items (wreath form, yarn, starfish, hot glue, and ribbon)

Step 2: Glue the end of your yarn down to the wreath form to begin wrapping.

Step 3: Wrap your wreath form in yard, moving around the form as you go. If you want, you can glue down the yarn in places as you go. Cut the yard and glue down the end once you have made your way around the entire form.

Step 4: Use hot glue to attach the starfish.

Step 5: Add ribbon to the wreath for easy hanging.

This wreath was fairly simple to make and didn’t take long to make….but it sure looks beautiful. I love when that happens….a simple quick project and beautiful too. Fabulous.

It screams beach don’t you think? I think it should be hanging in a lovely beach cottage somewhere.

If you happen to be taking a beach trip this summer….keep your eyes open for starfish along the shore. You could make your own Starfish Yard Wreath to showcase your souvenirs.

Linking up to these great link parties!!!

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Wondering what else I’ve been up to? Check out my DIY Washer & Dryer Pedestal……

Hanging Fall Centerpiece

Courtney Carmean — Tue, 12 Nov 2013 08:00:29 +0000

The holidays are upon us and it’s that time of year for everything festive. The theme for this months JoAnn Fabrics Celebrate the Season Campaign is #turkeytablescapes. Which was a great excuse to get our table Fall ready! I decided to create a beautiful Hanging Fall Centerpiece for my Thanksgiving table.

Hanging Fall Centerpiece:

-Grapevine wreath

-Fall leaves & berries

-Satin Ribbon

-Pumpkins, acorns, etc

-Battery operated candles

-Hot glue gun, glue sticks, and scissors

First I grabbed some Fall foliage and the glue gun. I started gluing down the strands of leaves and berries around the grapevine wreath. You can make the wreath as full as you want, I choose to only add or strand of leaves and one strand of berries.

I used some smaller strands of berries and wrapped them around into a “nest”. The nests were just big enough to hold one of the battery operated candles in it. I glued each next down onto the grapevine wreath evenly around. Then I glued down some pumpkins and acorns sporadically around the wreath.

The ribbon was used to attach the wreath to my chandelier. I glued the ends of the ribbon onto and through parts of the twigs on the under part of the grapevine wreath. I added some sweet little bows to the base of each strand of ribbon.

Once all ribbon, berries, and pumpkins were in place I strung the wreath up to my chandelier. By creating the little berry “nests” I was able to place the candles into them but still be able to pull them out to turn them on and off. This adds a little bit of candle flicker without the danger or sending the whole thing up in flames.

I absolutely love how it turned out. It looks so elegant hanging there above my table.

You can see my Give Thanks Mantel off in the background, my house is looking like Autumn has hit. I love all the earthy and muted colors this time of year. The colors go hand in hand with the feel of Fall, everything slows down a bit and everyone starts to nestle in for the long winter ahead.

If you want to make a Hanging Fall Centerpiece of your own, you can find all of these items at your local JoAnn Fabric Store. Or to find lots of other awesome holiday project ideas make sure you visit the JoAnn Craft Catalog.

And to make your next purchase just that much sweeter, you can grab this awesome coupon to use when you go…..

Simply right click the image and print. It’s that simple!

Disclosure: I was given a gift card toward supplies for this post. All ideas and opinions are my own.

Summer Lemon Wreath

Courtney Carmean — Wed, 22 May 2013 07:00:36 +0000

Summer is just around the corner and I can hardly wait. There is a good chance that’s because I have a lot to be excited for this summer, but there’s a good chance that I just love Summer too. I wanted to create a new wreath to usher in the season. I love using lemons as decor in my home so I decided to create a Summer Lemon Wreath.

I used a grapevine wreath, some faux greenery, and lots of faux lemons for this project.

I started by gathering some floral wire so I could start attaching the greenery. I went back and forth trying to decide if I should use hot glue or the floral wire, in the end the wire won.

I cut short lengths of wire, wrapped it around some of the greenery, and then looped the wire to the back. Once the wire was poking out the back, I twisted it together and trimmed off the excess.

Once all the greenery was attached it was time to add the lemons. I ended up deciding to hot glue the lemon onto the wreath. The lemons were placed in kind of a random way, filling gaps in the greenery and just doing what looked right to me.

The wreath needed just a little something more so I decided to grab some yellow and white chevron fabric I had laying around. I cut a narrow strip of the fabric and made a little bow with it. The bow also got hot glued on.

I popped my beautiful new Summer Lemon Wreath on my door and fell in love. It completely brightens and refreshes my whole porch! Bring on SUMMER, I’m ready!!!

Linking up to these great link parties!!!

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The Time to Shine party is OPEN and I would LOVE if you would come link up!!!

Have a GREAT day!!!

Fall Monogram Wreath

Courtney Carmean — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 08:00:00 +0000

I am a huge fan of wreaths! I just love them! However, I only had one lonely Fall wreath. How many Fall wreaths does one house need? The world may never know! All I did know was that I was itching to make one! I started brainstorming and came up with my Fall Monogram Wreath.

It all started with this old picture frame that was hanging out in my garage. I picked up a wood letter “C” and some clearanced fall leaves.

First, I gave the frame a makeover and spray painted it Heirloom White. Then it was time to make my leaf “C”. I grabbed some of the faux Fall leaves and hot glued them to the wood letter. We’re just about done! Easy right?

I grabbed some pretty cream colored lace ribbon and glued a piece of it to the back of the letter “C”. Then I tied the ribbon in a pretty bow around the top of the painted frame. Now it’s all ready to hang!

I played with it for a bit on my front door and then it ended up inside on my wreath stand. Doesn’t it make a pretty Fall vignette on my crib bench? What do you think of my Fall Monogram Wreath???

Linking up to these great link parties!!!

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The Time to Shine Party is up and the party is hopping!!!

I’d love it if you’d stop by and check out all the awesome stuff linked up!!!

DIY Wreath – A Diamond in the Stuff

Cotton Boll Wreath {Tutorial}

Starfish Yarn Wreath

Top 10 Posts of 2013

Hanging Fall Centerpiece

Summer Lemon Wreath

Fall Monogram Wreath