DIY Fall Festival and Easy DIY Fabric Wreath

Posted on September 10, 2010 by Roeshel

Do you make your own wreath? Looking for an easy tutorial? This one is perfect. Inexpensive, easy and DIY. Easily customize it for any occasion but by using fall colors…I’m reminded of a pile of raked leaves. Perfect for fall!

I made this from a straw wreath and fabric.

It’s a wreath…

or a centerpiece…

or a candle/lantern ring…

I love how it turned out. It reminds me of a pile of raked leaves! I love that there are so many different options. This one is perfect for Fall but use different fabric to make one for Halloween or holiday fabric for winter or Christmas or Spring or to match decor. You could even match your clothes if you were so inclined. I can’t wait to make another one! In fact, I’m working on another with different fabric and I’ll post pictures when it’s done (using my rotary cutter so it’ll be quicker and even easier).

Here are the instructions for making a larger wreath. You choose the theme or design!

Materials: 1 yard of fabric, one 14 inch straw wreath (leave the plastic wrapper on)

Tools: Scissors (or pinking shears), screwdriver

Optional: Embellishments, hot glue, wire cutter, Gorilla Glue

Instructions:

1. Fold fabric and cut into squares. Mine are 3×3 inch but you can go bigger and they don’t have to be perfect. No one will know! (I chose a fabric looked pretty on the back too but it’s not necessary.) This is the hardest part because cutting up a yard of folded fabric hurts! But a rotary cutter would make it a lot easier.

2. Holding a fabric square in one hand and a screw driver in the other, place the screw driver into the center of the fabric square. (It’s hard to get a picture because it takes both hands but hopefully this helps.) ***Note: Burlap is a little trickier. It helps to use the screwdriver to make a pilot hole, then fold the burlap into a square. Dab Gorilla Glue into the hole and then using the screwdriver, push the end of the square that is all fabric (hold the fabric like a diamond, it’s the bottom part that is all fold) into the hole and twist.

3. Poke into the straw wreath (with plastic wrap still on) and give it a little twist. That’s it!

To keep things very secure, you can use a dab of Gorilla Glue before pushing fabric into place. It will expand inside the hole and adhere to the fabric and straw. This will keep the fabric from falling out, especially if the wreath hangs in a high traffic area such as a door.

4. Repeat until the wreath is covered. Place about an inch apart, filling in randomly or from outside in, whatever works best for you. When done, go back over and fill in any ‘holes’.

5. Embellish with leaves, pinecones, a bird, etc. (or other decorative items depending on the season/holiday or look you’re going for). I use wire cutters to cut the wire stems shorter or to cut off smaller silk flowers/etc. to embellish. Creating a pilot hole using the screwdriver helps or attach using hot glue. I also slid a twist-tie in the back/top underneath the fishing line looking string that keeps the straw wreath its shape to hang it.

That’s it! Super easy. Inexpensive.

So easy, I made a second decorative one from burlap and a smaller straw wreath. Tutorial using burlap here.

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thediyshowoff.blogspot.com

~*~

http://diyclubinc.com/

***Sharing my fall wreath tutorial at Centsational Girl. 🙂

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Show it off!

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Little Stool Steps Up

Posted on September 6, 2010 by Roeshel

We have this little step stool that we use to reach higher cupboards in the kitchen or quickly sit to put shoes on. It’s sort of boring…

Always looking for a way to spruce things up and a fun DIY project, I decided to give it a little makeover. I love the MiniCards at Moo.com. You can personalize a template or upload a complete design for both sides – so many cool uses. I think creating personalized gift tags would be cool too but I couldn’t resist this cute ready made design:

Aspa Gika

First, using my Dremel Multi-Max, I sanded the entire stool. This tool is awesome. If your projects involve a lot of sanding – this thing reaches where a palm sander can’t. See how it gets in the cut out on the top and in the corners? Love it!

Next, using X-O Rust spray paint in flat black (available at True Value), I gave the entire stool 2 coats. This is a Paint + Primer and the coverage was awesome! I’m sold. No clog. Even spray. I sprayed the bottom and sides first and once that was dried, flipped and sprayed the topside and where needed on the sides.

Now the fun Moo part! I first laid my Moo MiniCards in a pattern on the top. I had to trim some of them, shorten others to make it work. Then I moved the template (exactly as laid out on the stool top) onto the table.

Working in sections on the top, I applied a decoupage medium using a Rockler foam brush:

Beginning in a corner, I began applying the Moo MiniCards, pressing down with my finger/nail until secure in the decoupage glue. Continue. The MiniCards easily slide around into place, allowing for adjusting as you go.

Once all of the cards were in place and the top was covered, I let it dry for about an hour.

Then I covered the entire top and all of the MiniCards with a coat of decoupage glue, let dry for 1-2 hours and repeated with another coat and let that one dry over night.

< img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Ydn4kd0aaEY/TIUEIvNRfXI/AAAAAAAAD6Y/px0a-uC2i28/s400/039.JPG" width="267" />

I wanted it to be a little distressed, so using my Norton Sanding Bug, I sanded the edges of the legs and around the top:

Wipe down. Using Deft Clear Wood Finish in High Gloss, I gave it thorough spray on the bottom first, let dry, then the top and sides to help protect and seal everything:

All done and we love it – Boring No More! A little character now. See the Deft High Gloss sheen? It’s really not so glossy, but just perfect.

Here it is. This would be a fun project for ‘saving’ ruined tabletops/etc. too. Or for decorating furniture for a nursery or playroom. What do you think? Moo + stool = milking cows? We have a farmhouse but the barn is empty!

Have an idea for a project (you’d qualify to enter the DIY Club Inc. contest too!) Use your own images/designs (just upload) or choose from the huge selection of ready made.

Need more incentive? Moo is offering a 10% discount!

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I was one of the bloggers selected by True Value to work on the DIY Squad. I have been compensated for my time commitment to the program as well as my writing about my experience. I have also been compensated for the materials needed for my DIY project. However, my opinions are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive comments.

Decorative Spheres

Posted on August 29, 2010 by Roeshel

One of my favorite inspiration sources has zinc orbs and spheres. My version isn’t an exact replica but for a few dollars, they’re the same idea and I love how they look on our coffee table…

Here is the real version…

Sale price $135-175

and these:

Sale price ranges $71 – 119

The prices are a little steep for me. I’d love to see the day where that is do-able on my budget but we’re not there yet. So, what’s a DIY-thinkin’ girl to do? Yep. Get creative and DIY!

I used a different technique to construct each. One orb is made with drywall mud and the other with decoupage and newspaper. Below are the instructions for making each. (The drywall mud technique was easier.)

Materials for drywall compound orb:
Gorilla Glue
Spray primer (leftover from another project) in “Rust”
Candlestick (thrift shop)
Styrofoam ball (craft store)
Finial (Rockler)
Sanding Bug (Rockler)
Assorted acrylic/metallic paints (Deco Art) I used Slate Gray,
Drywall compound (basement)

Materials for paper mache type orb:

Same as above but I used a larger Styrofoam ball (craft store), decoupage medium, newspaper and a wooden wheel and different finial (both found at Rockler). I also used pins as mentioned below to help with construction.

Tutorial for drywall compound orb:

1. Using my Norton Sanding Bug, I sanded a candlestick to scuff up the smooth surface. Clean.

2. Using the candlestick as a pedestal, I applied drywall mud by “frosting” it with a butter knife. Smooth as much as possible, which is nearly impossible! Let dry (but see step 3 first).

3. Before the plaster dries, poke the finial through the wet drywall mud into the Styrofoam on the top to poke a hole. Remove and clean the finial. I used the Birch Turned Finial on the left. (Rockler). You can also attempt to lightly sand the drywall – just be careful, it might crack!

4. Apply Gorilla Glue to the candlestick and stick on the Styrofoam ball. Let dry. My glue expanded a little but I just cut off the extra with an xacto knife.

5. Squeeze a small amount of Gorilla Glue into the hole in the top and insert the finial and allow to dry.

6. Outside, I sprayed the entire thing with the rust colored primer.

7. Next, I used a mixture
of Deco Art Americana acrylic paints and antiquing medium to come up with a few gray shades and Dazzling Metallics for silver shades. I applied the darkest paint first, allowing some of the rust to show through.

8. Then I took turns applying the lighter shades (and darker if needed) with a brush. I applied the last coats which had more white and silver paints last using a rag to apply and wipe off and let it dry.

It’s finished! (I do plan to apply a matte clear coat though.)

Tutorial for paper-mache type orb:

Using my Norton Sanding Bug, I sanded a candlestick to scuff up the smooth surface. Clean. (Same as step 1 shown above).

I cut out newspaper leaf shapes (a lot of them, more than needed but better to have too many than not enough when fingers are covered in decoupage medium).

Pour the decoupage medium onto a piece of cardboard. Now it gets messy. Using my fingers, I applied the decoupage glue to both side of the newspaper, making a crease in the middle. I don’t have pictures of this step however…both hands were sticky! I applied the sticky newspaper to the Styrofoam ball and kept repeating this until I had the entire ball covered. I used pins along the way to help keep the newspaper in place. When the entire ball was covered in newspaper leaves, I smoothed on more of the decoupage medium. Let dry. (Move pins around as it dries, as needed.)

With regular Gorilla Glue, glue the newspaper covered orb to the candlestick and let dry.

Using Gorilla Glue Wood Glue, stick the wooden finial to a the wooden wheel (Rockler toy wood wheel). Let dry. (Shown on right.)

Using regular Gorilla Glue on the bottom of the wooden wheel, stick to the top of the newspaper-covered Styrofoam ball. Let dry.

Spray the entire orb, pedestal and finial with rust col
ored primer.

Follow the steps 7 and 8 as listed above.

All done!

So, what do you think? Not a perfect copy obviously but it gives a similar unique look for much less!

—–

thediyshowoff.blogspot.com

~*~

http://diyclubinc.com/

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Category Archives: DIY Club

DIY Fall Festival and Easy DIY Fabric Wreath

Little Stool Steps Up

Aspa Gika

First, using my Dremel Multi-Max, I sanded the entire stool. This tool is awesome. If your projects involve a lot of sanding – this thing reaches where a palm sander can’t. See how it gets in the cut out on the top and in the corners? Love it!

Decorative Spheres