Photo Holder Wood Block

I am so excited to share this next project with you!  I created this one for Valentine's Day, but the beauty of this project is you can create it for any special occasion.  I personally think it would be so so cute for as a wedding gift or even a baptism.  The possibilities are endless!  Here is what you'll need.

• Square Wood Block
• White Paint
• Sand Paper
• Scrapbook Paper
• Modge Podge
• Silhouette Vinyl Cut Out
• Drill
• Steel Wire
• Pen
• Decorative Ribbon

To start, give your wood block a couple coats of white paint. 

 

Once it's dry, quickly distress it with your sand paper.  While you wait for the paint to dry, start cutting out your scrapbook paper to fit within the 6 sides of the block.

Since my paint was still wet and I have no patience, I decided to add my vinyl design to the piece of scrapbook paper prior to securing it to the wood block.  :)  And since Silhouette vinyl is so easy to use, it was easy peesy.

Once my paint was dry, I used Modge Podge to adhere each piece of paper.

Add a thin layer to the block first, then add the paper.  Remember to smooth the bubbles and wrinkles out!  Then add another thin layer to the top of the paper.

Ta-da!  So cute, right?  Just wait - it gets cuter!  Take your drill and drill a small hole on the top of the block.  Then cut two long pieces of wire and fold them in half.  Add a glob of hot glue into the drilled hole and then stick in your wire and hold in place until the glue sets.

Now here is the fun part.  Take your pen and start wrapping your wire around the pen, keeping the coil tight.  Repeat for each of the four wires. 

Lastly, tie your ribbon on, add your pictures and enjoy!

See that four leaf clover paper?  That's a sneak peak of the paper I'll be using to create a St. Patty's Day version. :)  Like I said, the possibilities are endless!

-Ashley

DIY Fall Wreath

I have been wanting to try my hand at wreath making for quite some time and during my recent trip to Hobby Lobby, I loaded up on all the materials I would need.  After making just one, I realized what an addicting project this is!  It is the perfect creative outlet where the options are endless and each one turns out a bit different.  I enjoyed it so much that I want to head right back to the store to pick up more materials and do it all over again!  But before I jump back in the car, I'll share with you how my first wreath turned out.

Isn't she cute!?  It all started with this.

A 14" straw wreath, some garden wire, two types of burlap and a bunch of florals.  I started by wrapping the straw wreath with burlap.  When it was fully covered, I glued the end piece in place.  I suggest trying to put the final piece in a place that will eventually be covered.  This helps to give your wreath a seamless look.  Mine is underneath the bow!  :)

Next was the bow.  I started with a short piece of the orange burlap that I folded over half way, glued in place and did the same with the other side.

Then I pinched right down the middle and secured the shape first with glue, then with garden wire.

For the tail of the bow, I folded a longer piece of the orange burlap in half.  I then folded one side over the other.

I actually gave it one more fold in order to get the tails to open in opposite directions.  I then secured it to the wreath.

And finally, I wrapped a small strip of burlap around the garden wire.  I love how it turned out!

Then came the most creative part for me - placing and securing all the floral pieces into one bunch.  I only snapped one pic because once I got in the groove, I totally lost track of the camera. :)

And there you have it! My new Fall wreath!  I decided to keep this one for indoors since during staging it found a pretty good home and I can't stand moving it. :)

Gotta love Fall!
-Ashley

When You Can't Find It, Make It

I hate it when you have something in mind for your home and you cannot find it anywhere!  Every now and then, some of those things are fairly easy to make and in all reality, probably costs much less too - win, win!

There were two things that I really wanted to add to my Valentine's Day decor, a door sign and flower balls.  After searching high and low, I came up empty handed.  So I packed up my little one and headed to Hobby Lobby.

For my door sign, I found the following materials.

And created this cutie. :)

What I'm even more excited about, however and what I want to share with you today are my flower balls! :)  These are SOOOOO easy to do, just takes a bit of patience.  Here is what you'll need:

• Hot Glue Gun
• Foam Ball
• Bunch of Flowers

Even though roses are THE flower for Valentine's Day, I LOVE hydrangeas and felt these would better compliment my decor.  And Hobby Lobby had them in exactly the colors I wanted!

To start, pluck off all the flowers from your bunch while your hot glue gun warms up.

Once you have your pile of flowers, take one, place a small amount of glue on the bottom and stick it into the foam ball. That's it - easy peasy!

 

Fluff out your flowers as you continue placing them.  This will take up more surface space and save on flowers. However, if you do end up with a small bald spot on the bottom, like I did, don't worry - just place it on top of a candle holder and no one will know the difference. :)

As we get closer to Valentine's Day, I'll be sure to give a small home tour of my decor!


-Ashley