No, It's Not A Slinky! DIY Wire Wreath

 Don't know what the weather is like where you are, but it's a very gray, gloomy day here in Nashville. We are two day's away from Thanksgiving and I have my menu planned and shopping done.  Whew!  That is a big relief.  It gets downright crazy at the grocery during the holidays and I am all about relieving any and all stress if and when possible.  How about you?

Since it is gloomy, I thought I would share something bright and cheery with you today.  Yes, we know that Christmas is coming.  I have not begun to decorate, but I have begun making things for this year.

I saw this wreath on a site called patinawhite.com.  She was showing her studio (which is amazing and gorgeous if you want to go sneak a peek) and all the things she had for sale for Christmas.  One of the pictures was a wreath made of wire and my heart jumped for joy when I saw it.  Do you ever see things and just immediately know you want one?  Must have one?  Will do most anything for one?  Sadly, there were no instructions for how to make it because it was for sale.  I looked at the picture and in my usual fashion thought "I can make that."  Yeah, right.

Oddly, I had bought a package with 50 feet of anodized wire one day at the Habitat Re Store for $3.00.  I just liked the way it looked and thought I could make use of it some day.  Well, someday arrived and I knew it was the perfect thing to use for making this wreath.  The wire was coiled in it's package so I knew it would uncoil like a big slinky - hopefully.  The wire did not let me down.

I needed some kind of heavy wire to make the wreath form so I went on my proverbial hunt to Home Depot.  In the electrical section I found this 16 gauge dark annealed wire.  It was the right color and weight that I needed.  It cost $10.00 which was not too bad because I can use it for a lot of projects.  I didn't use much at all for this wreath.   This is how it looks.

There have been many, many wreaths in my past since I worked as a floral designer for many years.  I had never made one like this, but I jumped in with both feet (and hands) to see if I could conquer this one.  There were moments of sheer frustration while I "figured" it out, but I know how to do it now and will be making more.  Here is what you do if you would like to make one.

First, make a round wreath shape the size you want.  My base shape is 18 inches which may be a bit big because it is heavy when you put all the stuff inside the wire and it caused the wreath to droop a little.  But, I have a solution for that!  Fourteen or 16 inches may be a bit more workable.

Twist the wire together where it meets to form a ring.  I made a fancy little hanger, but ended up not using it, so that is your choice.  *When the wreath was finished, it was too heavy for one ring of wire, so I went back and added another ring.  For safety, just make two rounds of wire to start with and attached them together with thin wire.*  (see instructions below)

Next, pull the wire coil out and start attaching it to the wreath form.  It took almost the whole 50 feet for the 18 inch wreath because of the coil.  I attached the coils to the base by using 30 gauge floral wire and twisting it around the coiled wire and the wreath form like this.  Use the same process for attached two rings of wire together to make the wreath form.

Do this every 4-5 inches to make sure the coil does not come loose from the wreath form.  It takes a little time, but is a must!  Go all the way around the wreath form and attach the coiled wire where it meets.

Now, it's time to fill in the coiled wire.  I made balls of yard by starting with a styrofoam ball and wrapping it with yarn.  It does not take as much yarn as if you were making a solid yarn ball and is not as heavy as a whole ball of yarn would be.  Just hot glue one end of the yarn to the styrofoam ball and then wrap in different directions until the ball is covered.  I used white, cream, tan, and dark red yarn.  You could use all one color or any colors you like.

Now for the fun part.  Using some different sized ornaments and the yarn balls, place them inside the coiled wire by separating the coils and pushing the yarn and ornaments inside.  I worked with mine until I got a look I liked.  Now for the "be careful" part.  I hot glued the ornaments and yarn balls together because the small ones will slip through the coils.  After they were all glued together, I used the 30 gauge wire and put it through the backs of the yarn in the yarn balls and wired them to the wreath form.  Just another "safety precaution" to keep them from falling through the wire.

I had some burlap ribbon that I used to make a bow and thought I was done.  I hung the wreath up to admire it and it sagged slightly causing it to pull out of round.  OH NO!  My OCD kicked in.  That was not acceptable, so I needed a quick solution.  It was really quite simple.  All that anxiety for nothing.  I used the 30 gauge wire and wrapped it around the center bottom of the wreath form and pulled it taught leaving a few inches more than needed and wrapped that around the center top of the wreath form.  The wire is behind the bow and not visible in any way. The wire is super thin.  The wire goes from top to bottom and holds the wreath in shape.  Ta Da!  Whew!  I was getting anxious there for a minute and that is why I think a slightly smaller wreath would not be as heavy.  Feel free to do whatever you want since there is a remedy to the saggy wire dilemma.

I plan to hang this wreath in the center of my tobacco basket during the Christmas season.  It is going to look awesome there.  I would not recommend this wreath for outdoor use because of the yarn and styrofoam balls and hot glue.  Hot glue will contract on the ornaments when they get cold and they will fall out of the wreath.  It's probably better as an indoor kind of wreath.  Just sayin'.  Do whatever you like.

This is a lovely wreath with a slightly industrial look or country vibe and appealed to my "down home" side.  It has many possibilities for year round use by using all yarn balls instead of some Christmas ornaments, or wrapping the styrofoam balls in different colored twine. Hmmm.  Another idea!

 I am making one of these wreaths for my friend Joyce for Christmas as a gift.  Try making one for yourself or as a gift.  Let me know how it turns out.  I'm ready to make some more!

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

You can't use up creativity.  The more you use, the more you have.  Maya Angelou

The Christmas Dining Room At The LIttle Yellow Cottage, 2012

We are counting down the days until Christmas - only 15 to go.  Whew.  Putting that in print kind of gives me an edgy, anxious feeling because I still have so many projects to finish before the 25th.  On top of that, two of our children have birthday's on the 17th (3 years apart - how did we do that?) and one of our grandson's has his birthday on Christmas Eve.  As you can see, December is a very busy month for us.

Today, I thought I would continue with our house tour by showing you our dining area and kitchen. We don't have an official "dining room", it is an area next to the kitchen that is separate, but quite cozy and can be very crowded when the whole family is here for dinner.  But that's quite okay, crowded is fine,  because it's all about being together.

Last year I made a lovely table runner that was ecru in color and it did not survive the season without getting some kind of spot that won't come out.  Surprise!  So, this year I found this beautiful black table runner at TJMaxx for $12.00.  Yay!  It has beautiful holly leaves and berries embroidered on it in red and green and is just perfect for the holiday season.  I put a piece of red deco mesh under it to give it a little oomph and hopefully it won't show stains like last year's.  We will see how it goes.

Texture plays an important part in any centerpiece, so I started by cutting some fresh cedar off a tree in our yard and laying it on the table runner.  In the center, I added a large glass vase that I  already had.  I put a candle in the vase that I glittered by putting Mod Podge on it and rolling it in crystal glitter.  The sparkles don't show very well in the picture, but it is so pretty and easy to do.  They would made beautiful gifts!  I surrounded the candle with fresh cranberries for some holiday color and texture.

There are sequined trees I made on either side of the candle in the vase.  They are very simple but add so much sparkle and glam to the setting.  Simply start with a green styrofoam cone.

I used silver schlung sequins to cover the cone.  Schlung sequins are the flat ones that are attached by thick thread and can be bought by the yard instead of individual sequins.  This makes covering the cone much faster and easier.  I simply used sequin pins every so often to hold the rows in place.

Start at the bottom and place pins every few sequins to make sure they don't slide off the bottom of the cone.  Wrap tightly as you go around the cone and place a pin every few sequins continuing to the top.  Spiral the sequins and pin until you have the entire top covered.  That's it.  Pretty simple isn't it?

These are 6 inch cones and I wanted the trees to have some height so I sat them on some silver flower pots I found at Michael's.  Simply turn the pots upside down and sit your trees on them.  These could be made in any color sequins you wanted.  Another great gift idea!  If you give these as a gift, glue the cone to the pot.

For more candlelight, I added two small mercury glass fish bowl-type candle holders I found at Michael's for $3.99 each.  I had seen the identical holders at West Elm for $12.00 each.  Yes for a major bargain!!

Next I use 2 silver snowflake garlands that I got at "you know where" for $1.00 each (Dollar Tree).  They add some more glitz to the setting.  Simply swirl them around everything in the centerpiece.

For the final texture and contrast, I added a bunch of small pinecones randomly placed.  Ta da!  Done.  It looks very beautiful in the center of the table, especially when the candles are lit and the lights are down low.

By the way, did you see the beautiful mercury glass ornaments hanging from our light over the table?  These were another major find at Big Lots.  They were 6 in a package for $6.99  I simply put some red velvet ribbon through the hanger and tied them over the arms of the light fixture.  I LOVE mercury glass and these were just the added touch I wanted to finish the centerpiece.  Hanging them at varying heights adds more interest.

The corner cupboard holds a collection of glass pieces that are from my grandmother and aunt.  To jazz it up a bit, I added some of the fresh green cedar, some of the mercury glass ornaments and red velvet ribbon which I randomly threaded through the glassware.

It looks so festive and ties everything in with the decor in the dining area.

The finishing touch is the red velvet bows tied on the backs of the chairs with silver glittered snowflakes .  Just that one final touch.  It's all in the details as they say.

When the table is set for dinner, there will be red chargers and gold napkins to finish the setting.  Because we use our table every day, I have not put them out yet.  Just use a little imagination if you will.

This is off the track, but I am telling you this for a purpose.  There is a little restaurant here in Nashville called Taco Mamacita.  It is one of our favorite places to go and the decor is divine.  I would LOVE a house interior that was decorated in such a way.  They have a huge assortment of colored mercury glass balls than hang from the ceiling in one area.  There is another area with lots of tin stars hanging from the ceiling at various heights and then there are all the huge copper bells hanging from the ceiling in another area.  There are old doors with light fixtures hanging from them which makes the dark interior have so much ambiance.  I wish you could see it.  All this to say, the mercury glass balls inspired me to do this.

Our kitchen has a vaulted ceiling with a ledge that runs across it.  That is the perfect place to hang some of those large mercury glass balls.  I was so excited to find these last year at TJMaxx Homegoods.  I tied them with velvet ribbon and teetered on a ladder to nail the ribbon into the top of the ledge.  They are hanging at different heights and I LOVE THEM!  The biggest one is about the size of a bowling ball to give you a little perspective on their size.  They make a nice separation between the dining area and the kitchen.

I do have white lights on top of the cabinets which add a lot of effective "glow" when they are on in the evening.  (These lights are there all year round).  They are just plain old white Christmas lights that lay on top of the cabinets, wound through the decorative baskets.  And, there is just a little decoration over the sink.  I could decorate the tops of the cabinets, but Grandma just plain old gave out.  Maybe next year.

To hang over the sink, I made some of the snowflakes that I wrote about in my post of November 8, 2012.  My daughter gave me some beautiful Martha Stewart  Christmas paper she had left over from a project, so I made some of these snowflakes and a paper chain to hang them from.

 These were easy and didn't cost anything other than time.   These are so much fun to make, check out my post with instructions if you want to make some.

Thanks for touring with us once again.  Things are busy here at the little yellow cottage this time of year.  I hope there are things here to inspire you for the coming holiday season and Christmas' to come.  Remember, it's about making memories.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Maybe Christmas, the Grinch thought, doesn't come from a store.
Dr. Seuss 

Beautiful DIY Ornament Wreath

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas here at the little yellow cottage!  Now that we have Thanksgiving behind us, I can begin the transformation to our Christmas wonderland.  The weather was nice on Monday, so we got our outside decorations put up and then it was time to begin on the inside.  I have spent the last two and a half days working on decorating.  I still have projects to complete before I can finish up, but we will get there.

I wanted to share one of the first projects I did, which is my ornament wreath.  Last year I made one of these for each of our daughters, but never got around to making one for myself.   So, I thought I would share the DIY steps with you.  These would make lovely gifts.  They are relatively easy to do and they make me smile.  They are shiny and festive and bring out the "holiday" in the season.  Mine is made from red and silver ornaments, some of which have glittered decorations on them.  I made Holly's red and pearl white which is what she wanted and Annie's was hot pink, turquoise blue, orange and lime which compliments the colors in her home.

This is what you will need.

a styrofoam wreath form  (I used a 16" form)
at least 10 yards of ribbon
a couple of greening pins
at least 4 dozen large ornaments
at least 4 dozen  medium ornaments
at least 4 dozen small ornaments
hot glue gun and lots of glue sticks

Most of my ornaments were purchased at the Dollar Tree and came in tubes with a dozen large ornaments or 2 dozen medium ornaments.  I found the small ornaments at Big lots.  It is better to have too many ornaments than to run out, so don't skimp when making your purchases.  If you use a smaller wreath form, you will need fewer ornaments.  Now, on to "how."

It is important to work with your wreath form laying flat so that the ornaments will not be "lumpy" causing the wreath not to hang flat.  Cover your workspace with brown paper so that glue doesn't drip all over your surface.

This is a picture of what greening pins look like.  You can find a small package of them in the floral department of most craft stores.  The ribbon I used is inch and a half and you will need at least 10 yards if not a little more, so buy two spools to be safe.  You want to wrap the styrofoam so that the ornaments have a surface to adhere to and so that it looks pretty and complete from the back.  Start by using a greening pin to anchor your ribbon to the styrofoam wreath form. Just push the pin through the ribbon into the styrofoam.

Next, begin wrapping the ribbon around the wreath form by overlapping it tightly like in the picture below.

Leave the ribbon on the spool because it makes it easier to handle while you are wrapping.  When  you get to the end of your wrap, secure the ribbon with another greening pin.

Now, lay your wrapped wreath form on the flat, covered surface where you plan to work, and place large ornaments at north, south, east and west securing them with lots of hot glue.  WATCH YOUR FINGERS, HOT GLUE WILL BURN!  Keep a bowl of cold water handy in case any glue drops on your skin.  Do NOT try to pull it off, the skin will come with it.  Dip the affected area quickly into the water so that the glue sets and then pull it off.  

Your beginning wreath will look like this.  Turn the silver tops toward the wreath so that they do NOT show when the wreath is complete.

Continue by filling in the wreath with the rest of your large ornaments glueing them to all surfaces - sides, top and insides of the wreath form.  The next step is to fill in empty spaces with the medium ornaments and finish with the smallest ornaments.  Vary the colors as you work.  This gives your wreath lots of depth and interest.  You will just have to use your judgement and artistic eye to make it all work.
This is how the finished wreath will look.

The final step is to turn your wreath over and make a hanger.  Your wreath will look like this on the back.  See how flat and even the edges are?  That is why you lay it flat while you work.

To make the hanger, take a loop of ribbon and secure it through the styrofoam with another greening pin.  Then, coat the base of the ribbon and the greening pin with hot glue to keep it from pulling out of the styrofoam.  Let the glue set and hang your wreath.


There will be some small gaps between the ornaments because you cannot fit everything completely together because of the round and varying shapes of the ornaments, but that is okay.  It took me about an hour to make this wreath, but give yourself plenty of time.  Because of my years of experience as a floral designer and crafter, I may work a little faster than you.  You will get faster with practice.

I hope you will give this beautiful ornament wreath a try.  It is something you will be able to enjoy for years to come!  Anyone receiving one of the beauties for a gift will be truly appreciative!!  They sell online for as much as $100.00 for a wreath this size.  See how much you can save and have fun at the same time?   Give it a try!

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas." 
~Peg Bracken