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      November 27, 2018

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      November 19, 2018

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      December 19, 2018

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      October 1, 2018

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      Finally! Jeans For My Jean-Averse Kids!

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wreath

Snowman Wreath Tutorial
Crafty!Home Decor & DIY

Snowman Wreath Tutorial

by Jill December 7, 2015
written by Jill

Someone asked me the other day how many seasonal wreaths I have. 12. I have 12. I’ve actually given away quite a few (and a couple have broken- sad face).

But, believe it or not, I really didn’t have any that worked well on our new front door for the holidays. Last year I purchased an evergreen wreath on sale at the last minute. I gave away Santa and Rudolph the year before! The felt pomp wreath goes over our fireplace.

Well, we all know what this means. I made a new wreath- a jumbo snowman wreath! I know he might not look “jumbo” here, but our door is huge.

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You know I love me an EASY DIY, and this one is certainly that, but I will say he’s not inexpensive, especially if going the jumbo route. Hopefully I’ll get a few year’s use out of him to make up for it. (Total cost was about $55-$60 for this jumbo size.)

Here’s whatcha need, which isn’t much:

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First, RUN to Target’s Dollar Spot and get you that top hat for $3. If you miss out, you can get a top hat on Amazon, though I think it’s a touch bigger.

You’ll need either a small scarf, or fabric to make a scarf. I picked up some clearance flannel and used about 3/4 yard to make mine.

A corn cob pipe

For this jumbo wreath, I used 7 white feather marabou boas. Honestly, 8 would have been best. If you make a smaller wreath, obviously you’ll need fewer. The great part about using white ones is it won’t matter much if the white from the wreaths show through.

That leads me to the wreaths. Here’s a picture with all the info of the exact ones I purchased.

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That’s a 13.8″ and an 18″ extruded foam wreath, and if you’re doing the jumbo, yes, you need both.

They should fit perfectly and snugly, one inside the other.

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*The reason I did two wreaths was to decrease the inner space and make the wreath seem fluffier. Another option, which would be less expensive, but more work, would be to create a white tulle wreath. The tulle pieces are longer and fluffier, and you won’t need that inner wreath form. Plus tulle is much cheaper than feather boas. 

My wreaths fit so snugly that I didn’t feel like I needed to glue them together, but you certainly could for extra security.

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I wrapped my feather boas around the wreath, hot glueing the ends to secure them. I left a little spot for the scarf to tie.

IMG_6326There’s no right or wrong way to do this, but I did it with 2 separate pieces.

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IMG_6331I cut the top hat in half (so technically you could get 2 wreaths out of one), so it would lay flat against the door. I secured it to the wreath with long pins. Eventually I’ll get around to coloring those yellow heads with a black Sharpie.

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I also used the pins to add a ribbon for hanging to the back.

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All that was left was to insert his corn cob pipe. I pressed it between the boa, into the styrofoam wreath sideways. You could secure it with hot glue if it doesn’t feel snug enough.

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And that’s all you have to do to make a jolly happy soul with a corn cob pipe to adorn your doorway.

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SnowmanWreathTutorial

 

 

December 7, 2015 10 comments
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Hello Kitty Inspired Wreath Tutorial
Crafty!

Hello Kitty Inspired Wreath Tutorial

by Jill March 24, 2015
written by Jill

We have a serious obsession with all things “cat cat” around here, and have since long before Leyna turned 2. Actually, this goes WAY back to my childhood, back in Hawaii, back when I used to collect Sanrio erasers and hoard them in my kick-ass ninja pencil box.

“Cat cat” means Hello Kitty. It’s one of those things that’s just stuck since Leyna’s toddler days when everything was 2 of the same word.

You may recall Scott painted a Hello Kitty on Leyna’s cast last year?

You might have a great dad if…

A photo posted by Jill Krause (@babyrabies) on Jan 5, 2014 at 3:13pm PST

Well since he’s just so darn good at it (he’s seriously very talented at this stuff), I enlisted his help with this project, too. Leyna’s very own cat cat wreath!

How to make a Hello Kitty inspired wreath! Post includes printable templates for ears and bow, making this a super easy project! | BabyRabies.com

So the first thing you’re going to want to do is download and print the 3 pages of templates (that Scott freehanded) that will help you cut out the ears and the bow:

hellokitty wreath templates

As for the rest of the supplies, you’ll need:

1 regular wire hanger
1 foam pipe insulator (get this at the home improvement store, shouldn’t be more than a few dollars)
white Duck tape
4 white marabou feather boas
4 floral wire stems (check the floral section of the craft store, also very cheap)
1 yellow bead (we painted ours yellow)
3 black pipe cleaners
white craft foam
black craft foam
2 popsicle sticks
craft foam in whatever color you want the bow to be
hot glue gun, glue sticks, scissors

*If you’re tempted to try to use a pool noodle, I’d urge you not to. I think it will be way too thick. The pipe insulation already has a slit that makes it easy to slip the hanger through, too.

How to make a Hello Kitty inspired wreath! Post includes printable templates for ears and bow, making this a super easy project! | BabyRabies.com

The above supply shot is slightly different from what I wound up using on the final wreath. I substituted glitter pink foam for the pink felt, and used black pipe cleaners in place of coloring the floral stems black with Sharpie. This is mostly to show you what the pipe insulator looks like.

To start, bend your hanger into an oval shape. Hello Kitty doesn’t have a round head, but more of a square-ish oval. That’s why a regular round foam wreath wouldn’t give the same effect.

Plus, this method is super easy, cheap, and makes hanging the wreath simple when you’re done!

After it’s a shape you’re satisfied with, wrap your foam around the hanger. You’ll likely have extra. Cut that off. Also, the foam will wrap around itself around the hanger. Don’t worry. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Use tape to secure the ends.

EASY and cheap way to make your own wreath forms that have a built in hook to hang it! | BabyRabies.com

Then use your tape to wrap all the way around the entire wreath, leaving you with a nice white base to work with.

EASY and cheap way to make your own wreath forms that have a built in hook to hang it! | BabyRabies.com

Cut your ears (template in the link above for download) out of the white craft foam, then glue popsicle sticks to the back. Glue the ears to the front of the wreath, leaving just enough space between the bottom of the ears and the wreath to wrap the feather boa under.

How to make a Hello Kitty inspired wreath! Post includes printable templates for ears and bow, making this a super easy project! | BabyRabies.com

Wrap your 4 feather boas around the entire oval. Just remember to divide the oval into 4s, and use one boa to cover each quadrant.

How to make a Hello Kitty inspired wreath! Post includes printable templates for ears and bow, making this a super easy project! | BabyRabies.com

That should make it nice and fluffy!

Thread your floral wires through the yellow bead, them spread them out like whiskers. They are not going to stretch beyond the “cheeks” of the kitty. That’s okay! Their job is to hold the nose in place. They aren’t the actual whiskers. Glue them down, all the way to the tape, not on top of the feathers.

Then cut your black pipe cleaners in half, leaving you with 6 little whiskers. Glue 3 on each side, right over the top of the floral wires.

How to make a Hello Kitty inspired wreath! Post includes printable templates for ears and bow, making this a super easy project! | BabyRabies.com

Cut out the pieces for the bow, using the black craft foam for the base of the bow, and whatever color you want the bow to be for the small pieces. (Remember, you can download these templates in the link at the top of the post.)

How to make a Hello Kitty inspired wreath! Post includes printable templates for ears and bow, making this a super easy project! | BabyRabies.com

I was working with craft foam that had an adhesive backing, so I just stuck the pieces on the bow base. You can also glue them.

Then just glue your bow on top of the kitty’s head, right below her left ear (your right).

How to make a Hello Kitty inspired wreath! Post includes printable templates for ears and bow, making this a super easy project! | BabyRabies.com

We had to bend the hanger hook back just a bit to attach it to the wall, but that actually made the hook disappear into the fur, and hanging the wreath was a breeze.

How to make a Hello Kitty inspired wreath! Post includes printable templates for ears and bow, making this a super easy project! | BabyRabies.com

This wreath has been living in my brain for months! I’m so glad I finally got it into the real world. I was inspired to make it after I re-made my black cat wreath last Halloween. So if you love all things cats, you probably want to check that out, too.

 

March 24, 2015 9 comments
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Crafty!

Pins Of The Week- Halloween Style

by Jill September 14, 2011
written by Jill

I haven’t done a Pin Of The Week post in a while, so I figured I’d throw a few great pins in this one. These are all Halloween inspired (since I’m still trying to forget it’s so damn hot here and dreaming of fall).

We might have to make up some of these (originally from The Idea Room) for Kendall’s class this year… or, you know,  just for me.

Pinterest

I want to hang a wreath above the fireplace this year, and I can’t decide if I’ll put the TuTu wreath there, or something like this. I don’t know if it will creep me out too much to have in the house… or if it would be better suited for the front door. Originally from Martha Stewart.

Pinterest

We may try something like this this … perhaps on shirts again. Originally from Miner Moments.

None via Jill on Pinterest

 

Do you have a Halloween board on Pinterest? I need to add to mine. If you’re not on Pinterest and would like an invite, leave your email in the comments below and I’ll try to get one to you as soon as I can.

September 14, 2011 20 comments
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Crafty!

Felt Pomp Wreath Tutorial

by Jill November 28, 2010
written by Jill

You know I love me a festive wreath, especially one that looks nothing like those grapevine atrocities they sell at the local craft store. Last year I showed you all how to make a TuTu Cute Wreath for Halloween, and now I present to you the Felt Pomp Wreath.

Do you remember in Kindergarten when you would wrap tiny squares of tissue paper around the eraser end of a pencil, dunk them in Elmer’s glue and stick them to a paper flower to make a fluffy gift for your mom for Mother’s Day? This is made the very same way, except with felt… and hot glue. I named it the Pomp Wreath because I learned later in life that grown children who go off to college are subjected to this same monotonous crafting again, but on much larger, tortuous levels in the form of “pomping” floats for homecoming parades and such. My husband was, apparently, the Pomp Master (I think that’s just a title I made up, I’m fairly certain he doesn’t have it engraved on a paddle or anything) for his fraternity, and I think he still has nightmares of tiny tissue squares.

What you’ll need:

1. A styrofoam wreath form (I like the squared off one instead of the rounded one because it was easier to line up the felt squares and it lays flat against the door, but I’m sure a rounded one would work fine, too. I want to say this was a 10″.) – $7.99 at Hobby Lobby- used 40% off coupon to make it a little less than $5 (you can look the weekly coupon up online and print it or you can show it to them on your phone).

2. A yard of felt- I used a lovely red with sparkles for a festive touch- $5.99/yard, on sale for 25% off, making it, what?? 5ish, I guess.

3. A 30 foot/10 yard roll of satin floral ribbon – $4.99, on sale for 50% off

4. A hot glue gun and glue sticks- if you don’t have one already, you can pick up a mini high temp gun and some sticks for super cheap, like probably less than $8

This wreath wound up costing me less than $15!

First up, wrap the ribbon around the wreath. Secure with hot glue in a couple places as you go.

Then cut your squares. I must admit, that bitch-ass rotary cutter that nearly took my finger off last month really came in handy. Cut the entire yard into 4×4″ squares. Quite easy to do if you have a 4″ wide ruler.

This task is also made a lot easier if you have a sister helping you out. The poor girl never escapes my sweatshop of crafty “fun” when she comes to visit.

We cut long 4″ strips first, then cut the other direction to create the squares.

Now you’re ready to pomp your felt. Get your glue gun ready and grab a pencil. Place your pencil on top of the center of a square of felt.

Wrap the felt around the pencil and apply hot glue to the end.

Begin glueing the felt squares around the outer edge of the wreath, attaching them fairly close together so they are nice and bunched up.

Keep that up all the way around the edge. Note- This edge will actually be the FRONT of the wreath. You will fill in behind this row next. You don’t want to make this top edge too full at the back because it won’t lay flat against the door. So just fill in one row behind the first row.

Then work on the front edge of the wreath. Starting on the inside, pomp all the way around the top edge of the front, again keeping them close together. Then fill in below that with one more row. That’s all it took, 4 rows (2 on top and 2 in the front) for me to get the fullness that I liked. It also took all but 4 of my felt squares. But if you want to do more and have more felt, go for it. Whatever fluffs your wreath.

To hang it, I just attached a scrap of felt to the back of the wreath with hot glue on either end.

We have a Command Adhesive hook on our front door that I hung it on. I contemplated adding a bow to it, but I just love the clean, simple look of the red felt. I also started out doing the sparkles on the outside of the felt squares, but realized that it would be easier to see if it was on the inside, so I switched it up shortly after I started.

I think you could do this with any color. I originally wanted a bright green, but all the store had was a very dark one, so I opted for red. If you have the patience and the tools, I bet it would look awesome if the squares were cut with pinking shears or one of the decorative edges for the Olfa rotary cutter. Or you could just keep it simple like I did. I’m quite fond of it.

I would venture to guess it took about 2.5 hours from start to finish.

There you have it! In just enough time to get to the craft store today (although Hobby Lobby is closed on Sundays, sorry). Happy wreath making! Please come back and share pictures, and let me know if you have any questions.

November 28, 2010 38 comments
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