I talked about money being tight and really needing to focus on priorities to get our finances in a place that makes us happy and comfortable. If you missed that post, you can catch it here. I’m sure a lot of you are in the same position. As luck would have it, I’m a craft supply hoarder. I definitely have my share of paints, adhesives, strings and the basic crafting items.
I’ve been itching to decorate for fall. The easiest way to do that would be to drop a couple hundred bucks at various stores and arrange a bunch of new, beautiful goodies. I walked through TJ Maxx today–trust me, it would be easy to do. But with nearly every penny needed for something, I had to get creative. Let me tell you, it felt so good to just create. Even if it was just gluing sticks. Creating is good for the soul!
To be completely honest, I had no idea how this project was going to turn out. I made it up and was entirely unsure if it would hold or I it would look good. It is currently hanging in my dining room and I love it!
Saturday morning Ross and I enjoyed our coffee on the front steps while the kids gathered sticks.
They were good little collectors. I also created with rocks they collected making these two fun activities: here and here. Just an FYI in case you have kids who love to hoard nature. I planned on using a cardboard circle for the base of this wreath. We have had no shortage of diaper boxes in this house for the last 7 years, so that is what I used.
The “official” measurements are Fiestaware lunch plate and Fiestaware fruit dish. I eye-balled them and traced with a marker for the template.
I actually used a box cutter to cut out a square from the box to make it easier to trim the circle with the scissors. Little did I know that the little hole I left in the box would lead to an entirely different project, which I will share with you later this week.
Sticks are brown so I flipped the cardboard template to the brown side to help the form blend in more. I started by just laying out some sticks.
Again, no real idea what I’m doing. Just snapping pics with my phone as I go along and hoping I have something to share. I busted out the glue gun and got to gluing the sticks down to the cardboard. Then I started filling in the empty spots with more sticks and gluing more layers on to the wreath.
All along I was picturing this gold-dipped look, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted gold ends or a gold inside. By the time I got to this part, I was a little nervous about painting anything. I was kind of thinking maybe I should just let well-enough alone. In the end, I couldn’t let go of my vision.
The dining room console is currently empty and I would hardly call my fall vignette finished, but I’m loving this natural/glam start. Eleanor is loving it and keeps telling me it is so beautiful and she loves how I used nature. She is simply the sweetest.
I know I have a few fall decor items stuffed up in the attic. I will send the husband to dig around and be back to share the finished/styled fall vignette later. Honestly, my free wreath made with my hands from my own creative vision is far more satisfying then any wreath I could have bought. Anyone else get that feeling when they craft something completely affordable?
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