Feather and Eucalyptus Wreath

My front door has been naked since The Boy was born, and the several months before were filled with store bought wreaths. This is not normal for me and today I decided to get on that. Granted, I spent all day yesterday fighting off hoards of ants. Since their entry point is right by the hinged corner of our door I spent an abnormal amount of time staring at the door yesterday. I've been itching for a project lately. Like, itching to the point that I've almost bought a bunch of stuff we don't need off Craigslist just so I can refinish something. This was a much better "indulgence."

The Boy fell asleep on the floor and saved me from the trip I had planned for Goodwill so I had a few minutes to kill.

One thing I've learned about myself is that I like simple, clean lines. All the grand ideas on Pinterest are lovely, but most of them are too cluttered for my taste. That's not to say I don't admire them endlessly, I just wouldn't be content with them in my own home. I gathered a few supplies:

• An oval yarn-wrapped wreath I made from a pool noodle and have used several times already
• Two natural toned peacock feathers
• Three strands of gold painted eucalyptus - purchased at the dollar store to decorate for Thanksgiving a year and a half ago (and making a home in my bathroom since then)
• A length of plum ribbon

In case you can't tell, I like to use and reuse what I already have on hand.

It was simply a matter of deciding how to layer things. Peacock feathers in the back, eucalyptus in the front.

Wrap it with the ribbon, and BALL GAME! It's done.

My favorite thing about using pool noodle wreaths is that you can attach things with straight pins. This makes the decor secure and easily changeable, meaning you can reuse the wreath numerous times. I'm actually amazed I've been able to keep this white one reasonably clean with three kids and a husband, not to mention months and months of rain.

I used a few pins under the folds of the ribbon also, just to hold things in place. You can only see a couple if you look from the back but it is very secure.

Then The Boy started to tease me with wakefulness, but after a good stretch or two he was out again.

And.... I decided to change it. I didn't have ribbon to hang it with that I felt worked with the plum so I grabbed this old skirt (it was already chopped up and was in my scrap fabric box) and snipped the hem off the bottom. To save time and having to lug out my mom's old 43,579 lb. metal sewing machine, I just ironed a fold on the edges so it appeared hemmed. Once wrapped and pinned like the ribbon was you can't even tell.

I was more worried about the fold holding on the piece to suspend the wreath so I went the highly technical route of using a few pieces of packing tape to hold it in place. Fancy, I know.

Then I hung it using Martha's old trick: two push pins in the top of the door.

And Voila! It's done! No more naked front door, a small creative indulgence, and taking only 15 minutes start to finish - including changing it up - I didn't even use all of naptime.

Win/win/win.

Fourth of July Door

So, my front door has been naked since Valentine's Day. It's been really weird, actually, and almost every time I come in or out I say something along the lines of "Self, it's about time you get on that." So today I got on that.

Spring decor is not usually my favorite so now that it's close enough to Summer that I can just jump straight into Fourth of July that's what I did. I liked the simplicity of last years door, so I took that idea and tweaked it a little. I decided to use a yarn wrapped oval wreath that I made last summer (and can't find any photos of the process). It was the foundation of my favorite (and easiest) wreath to date:

It's simply a pool noodle, taped like mad so it wouldn't come apart, and stuffed into a rectangular rubbermaid tub for a week or so while we went on vacation. I just did that to keep it from coming untaped, the squared oval shape just happened to be a major bonus! I really didn't think it would stay, but here it is a year later and it's still oval.

I grabbed the flags from last year, the yarn wrapped wreath, and went to town.

I know it's popular to use the pool noodles for wreaths, and rightly so since it's so affordable, but my favorite thing about them has nothing to do with cost. I have learned that I can decorate a foam noodle wreath by sticking things together with straight pins! They stay really well and are perfectly removable - which means I can stretch that $1 pool noodle a million ways and redo the wreath anytime I want without having to peel a bunch of hot glue off stuff.

Now, necessity is the mother of invention as they say and my ribbon stash is incredibly low. Since I'm refusing to buy anything else (I am already a hoarder after all) I decided to use my last scrap of burlap to hang the wreath with. It wasn't long enough so I stitched two pieces together with buttons using a gold metallic thread to add a little som'n and make it long enough to hang.

Only I didn't love it hanging that way because it put the buttons in the middle where they just looked ridiculous. I wrapped the end of the burlap around the top of the wreath, then using my favorite sneaky straight pin trick tucked some cream tulle under the overlap and pinned it tight. Now it hangs from a strip of burlap off the front of the wreath and a strip of tulle off the back.

And... finished. I think. I can't say how I feel about it. It's ok, but I may have preferred the square frame of last year. No biggie - when it comes down I can just unpin everything and make it into something I love more.

What do you think? Do you prefer the rectangle frame from last year or the oval wreath from this year? At least my dark, miserable apartment door is properly dressed now and can welcome guests with a bit more flair. 

Simple Rosemary Wreaths to Dress Up the Kitchen

We have actually finished our Holiday shopping! Granted, we get it easy this year since both kids are with their other parents and we decided to plan a trip rather than do gifts for each other. Still, it's nice to check it off the list! Now I sit back and watch White Christmas while spilling glitter all over. I heart Danny Kaye.

Today's project is seriously the easiest thing but I LOVE IT SOOOO MUCH. Forgive me for yelling. I just can't contain my enthusiasm.

Gargantuan rosemary bush + ribbon + sparkly snowflakes = Happy Me!

Now, I recognize that not everyone has a massive rosemary bush to hack away at when the mood strikes. We happen to be really lucky that there is one right in front of the door to our apartment. In the beginning I felt guilty chopping it up, but I figure it's better being put to use in my house or cooking than being mercilessly trimmed and left for yard scraps by Groundskeeper Willie.

See? Isn't that AweSome! I've had this little tiny sucker for about 4 years and look how tiny it is still:

When we graduate and get jobs the first thing I'm doing is planting rosemary somewhere in my yard. Ok, probably not. The first thing will be a happy dance and THEN I'll plant the rosemary.

These couldn't be easier. Cut a length of rosemary about 12-15 inches and form a loop. I've found that the younger thinner stems are more flexible, the older ones are too woody and they just snap in half. I used green embroidery floss to tie the ends and then trimmed the stray edges. Hang it from the top of your cabinets with a loop of ribbon (just tape it inside the door) and then adhere a sparkly snowflake.

The broken or otherwise random pieces of rosemary got tucked into my garland. I was hoping to smell it but I really don't.

That branch the center snowflakes are sitting on is actually rosemary.

They are so simple but I really, really adore them. Like, a ridiculous amount. They make me smile everytime I see them. This is what I was talking about when I said I'd show you how I used the snowflakes. I tried using them in more complicated arrangements but in the end, the sparkle was just right with a little bit of nature.

I'm in love.