Crafty Wreath Goodness

I love being crafty! I have been having so much fun lately making some of the crafts that I have pinned on pinterest or just crafts that I have the idea for all by myself. I love working with my hands and creating something. 

This post came from an idea off of pinterest- A rag wreath. Here is a blog with a great tutorial: Halloween Rag Wreath  I wanted to an FSU wreath, but not one that was specifically football, so I could hang it throughout the year. Although, I plan to continue making wreaths so I can have one for different holidays. 

First, I picked out three fabrics. I bought a yard and a half of each (I only got a yard of the FSU one) and I have a lot left over. I probably have enough to make a second wreath if I want to as a gift or something :). My friend that I made this with also bought a polka dot fabric for an accent that we both used in our wreaths. That just sent it over the top to awesome in my book! (For those that dont know, I am obsessed with polka dots!) I also bought a wreath form from Hobby Lobby that you can see in a picture below. They have four different sizes so I bought the 12 inch one for only $2.47. I also bought wooden letters for the F-S-U. 

After you have your fabric, you need to cut them into strips. I cut mine into 7" long and 1" wide strips. Remember that they are supposed to look rag like so if they aren't cut perfectly it is okay. Some people just cut slits at the intervals they want and then rip the fabric, but I am too much of a perfectionist to go that far. (You can see the polka dot fabric on the left!)

This is when I was done tying strips

Then you just start tying. The wreath form has four tiers, but I only tied my strips on three of them. It made it really full, but not overly so. It works best if you keep the print side facing up when you thread it on the wire. I also double-knotted my fabric because I did not want it to come undo at some point. As far as pattern, I basically just alternated between the garnet and gold and threw in the FSU and polka dot fabrics throughout. 
When I finished tying the strips, I added a length of ribbon by tying to the back and making a loop.


After I finished tying all of the strips and adding the ribbon, it was time to do the letters. I had gotten packs of letter from Hobby Lobby that came with two of each letter in a pack for $1.47 each. To decorate the letters I simply used a high quality glue stick and sprinkle the glitter on, tapping the excess back into the jar. You could also use spray adhesive. Another option would be to simply paint the letters, but I like the pizzazz of a little glitter!


Once the letters were dry, I simply hot glued them to the wreath. And voila! An FSU rag wreath. 


I had a lot of fun making this with my friend while we listened to country music and then watched Mama Mia. It is a great craft to do with a friend, or a good movie, or in my case both!


Now I simply can't wait for football season! 


Oh and we just got some awesome stadium chairs for this season so now we are fully prepped for some FSU football!


Happy tying!

A Cute Way to Save Cards

My family has always made fun of me for saving the cards I get for my birthday or other events. I always said that I would figure out someway to preserve those cards. I found an idea via Pinterest (my addiction)! I found it at Something Turquoise. 

First, gather your supplies. You will need two pieces of cardboard, and the paper you have chosen for both the front and the back of your album. You will need paper for the outside and the inside. You will also need ribbon to tie your album together. You will also need brads to attach the ribbon, glue, a ring, and any additional decorations for your album. 

I gathered all our wedding cards together. I sorted them out by size and found the largest card. I used that as my sizing guide to cut the cardboard and paper. I added 1/4 inch to the measurements of the lengths and widths in order to ensure that the card doesn't stick out from underneath. Cut two pieces of cardboard to size (one for the front, one for the back). Pick out the paper, or combination of paper, and cut to size. Attach the paper you picked for the front to the cardboard (for the outside and inside of your front cover). Attach the paper that you picked for the back cover- only the outside, do not attach the inside yet as you will need it to cover the brads so they don't show.

                                                                               

Measure out how much ribbon you will need to tie around your album. If it is one that you want to add cards to as the years go by then add a couple extra inches. find the middle of the ribbon and the middle of the back piece of cardboard. Use an exacto knife or some other knife to create a hole through the ribbon and cardboard. I put three brads in my album but others choose to only do two. Attach the ribbon. Now you can attach the paper to the inside back cover to hide the brads. 

The final step for creating the cover for your album is to decorate the front if you so choose. I simply chose to use gold stickers for "Austin and Kelsey" and the date of our wedding and a black calligraphy pen to write "Our Wedding Cards".

Punch holes through all of your cards and arrange them on the ring in whichever order you choose. Add the front and back covers and close the ring. Tie the ribbon and step back to admire your beautiful album of cards!