Quick Tip Tuesday #8 - Simple Summer Wreath

Until last week, I had a Spring Wreath hanging on my front door.  I knew I needed something more suitable for Summer, and I wanted something fun, easy, and inexpensive.  Here's what I came up with:

I love how bright and cheerful it turned out, don't you?  

I already had the monogram {which I made last fall}, so I just needed to make the wreath.  {I think the wreath would be great without the monogram too.}

To make the simple summer wreath... I bought a cheap grapevine wreath and two bunches of flowers from the dollar store.  Then, I cut the tops off the flowers, and used a hot glue gun to attach them to the wreath.  That's it!

What's on your front door for summer?  If you need something new, this is a great "quick" option, don't you think?

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

{Easy} Spring Wreath

Although the weather is still a bit chilly in my neck of the woods, my thoughts are already turning to Spring.  I just took down my Easter decorations yesterday, and I wanted something bright and cheerful for my front door, so I made this adorable felt wreath.

What do you think?

Here is how simple and inexpensive it was to make:

1)  Gather your supplies.  You'll need a wreath form, some felt (in various Spring colors), a piece of yarn, some scrapbook paper, alphabet stickers, and a hot glue gun.

2)  Make some rolled felt flowers using the tutorial found here.  {I used 12 flowers for my wreath.}

3)  Cut small triangles out of scrapbook paper, and apply alphabet stickers to form the word "Spring".  Then, use hot glue to attach the triangles to the white yarn.

4)  Using hot glue, secure the flowers and the "Spring" banner to the wreath form.

That's it!  I am so pleased with how it turned out.  It is super-cheerful, and it makes me smile every time I look at it.  

What do you have hanging on your front door?

♥ 

Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

You might also like the simple DIY Spring Wreaths here.

Felt Snowflake Wreath

I have wreaths for Christmas, Valentine's Day and Easter, but I am always looking for something I can hang on my front door when  holiday wreaths aren't appropriate.  So... I decided to make something for the winter months... a felt snowflake wreath.

Isn't it pretty?  I cut a snowflake shape out of foam core from the dollar store {using an x-acto knife}.  Then, I made a ton of felt roses and used a glue gun to attach the flowers to the snowflake.  I finished it off by attaching a silver ribbon for a little sparkle.

If you want to make one, here is a tutorial on how to make the flowers:

1)  Using a CD as a template, cut out a bunch of felt circles.  {The number you need will depend on the size of your snowflake.}

2)  Using sharp scissors, cut each circle into a "swirl".  {See the picture below.}

3)  Start on the outside of the "swirl" and wrap the felt until you form a flower.

4)  Apply some glue to the bottom of the flower, and secure the end of the felt "swirl".  {You can give the flower a little "trim" if you like, or you can leave it as it is.}

What do you put on your front door in between "holidays"?  Now that I have a winter wreath I like, I better get to work on one for Spring.  :-)

♥ 
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

* You can find me on facebook here.

Note:  Because the base is made of foam core... make sure the wreath is sheltered from the elements.  Foam core does not hold up well if it gets really wet.

Valentines Day Felt Rosette Wreath

If you have ever made a wreath, you know that wreath forms can be very expensive, so I was super excited when I saw Thrive to Blog use cardboard from an old box as a wreath form.  Genius!  Her version uses burlap {and is lovely}, but I enjoy working with felt, so I came up with this:

Want to make one?  It is time consuming, but not difficult or expensive to make.  Here's what you do:

Step 1:  Cut a heart shape (about 2 inches thick) from an old box.  Then wrap it in 2 inch felt strips (securing with hot glue at the beginning and at the end of each strip).

Step 2:  Make a bunch of felt rosettes.  I made 54.  {This is the part that takes some time.}  You can find a step-by-step tutorial here.

Step 3:  Using a hot glue gun, glue the rosettes onto the felt-covered wreath form.

It is pretty just like this... but you can add a ribbon and/or bow before you hang it up.  I used tulle for a romantic Valentines Day "feel", but you can use anything you like.  (You can also find another version of the wreath here.)

I totally "heart" this wreath, and I hope you do to.  :-)

♥ 

Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

FALL WREATH with DIY felt flowers

I have been on a mission to find an inexpensive, nice fall wreath ever since my husband painted our front door a few weeks ago.  (It was more difficult than I thought it would be to find what I wanted.)  Then... I found a plain 18" grapevine wreath for $4.97 at Walmart, I saw a beautiful wreath online, and I was able to make one I LOVE!  Here is my version:

So, are you excited to make one? I guarantee it is easy, and even a beginner crafter can do it.   

Here is how I made mine:

1)  Cut circles out of felt.  I used a CD as a template.  (My version uses 18 yellow flowers and 12 off white flowers -- so you will need 18 yellow circles and 12 white circles.) 

2)  Cut a "spiral" shape out of each felt circle.  

3)  Starting on the outside, wrap the felt until you form a flower.

4)  Secure the end with some hot glue. 

5)  Arrange the flowers on the wreath until you are happy with the how it looks.  Then, secure all the flowers using a hot glue gun.

Didn't it turn out great???  The beautiful fall colours even make me a little less sad that summer is over.

♥ 

Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)