Christmas Wreath Goodness

All kinds of Fun!!!

The Pieces of My Wreath

I try and avoid Pinterest because I tend to get overwhelmed with all the possibilities ..and there is a positive correlation between the amount of time I spend on Pinterest and the length of my hair.  That being said, I did peruse the site a few moments last week and saw a couple of Christmas ideas which I'm working on now.  I suppose it may be the Southern in me, but I love a good wreath.  Don't judge me.  Just go with the goodness that is a door hanging.  I have fond memories of my mom making wreathes over the years and now I find myself doing the same...cause I'm just like my mom.

Well, over at Pinterest I found a couple of ideas and have decided to combine them.

Here's the first wreath that caught my fancy:

You can find it here:  This Flourishing Life

I really like the non-traditionalness of this but it still satiates my desire for all things wreath related.  It is just this side of tacky but still super fun.  I'm down with that.  Plus, who doesn't have an old frame stashed somewhere around the house.  You don't have to use one this big either.  You can use a 5x7 just as well.  Who cares? It's your door!

                        Here's the next thing I found:

Find it here:  My Pinterest Board

I think this is a superb idea.  Again, perhaps it is the Southern girl in me, but I love a little monogramming.  I cannot believe I'm admitting this fact.  And mom, don't go on a monogramming binge because I said this.

So here's my idea:  Combine the two.  I'm going to use the painted frame idea and hang a M in the middle.  Now, I couldn't decide on what colors to use so I decided to go with a metallic brown for the frame and use the gold idea from the one above.  I chose this color combo because the wreath can be used for multiple holidays this way.  I can use it to celebrate Fall, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.  Woot Woot.  I'm all for crafting consolidation.   I had an old frame living in the garage that I bought at Goodwill several months back.  It held a creep picture of these two kids.  Seriously creepy, like paranormal demonic creepy (that's why it lived in the garage).  I took out the picture and removed the glass and my frame was ready to be transformed.

Here's what you will need:  A frame, a wooden or cardboard letter, glue gun, magic glitter balls
-I used an old frame and bought a letter from Joann craft store.  You can use whatever you'd like to decorate your  letter but I chose some fun sparkly balls that I bought at Michaels.

STEP 1:  Sand the frame
-I stuck out my tongue and gave the frame a light sanding just to remove any gunk.  As I've stated previously, I abhor sand paper but it is necessary.  Don't spend too much time here just rough up the surface so your primer will stick.

STEP 2:  Prime your frame
-I didn't bother with stripping the stain on the frame because I knew I was going to be priming and painting too.

2 coats of primer

STEP 3:  Paint the frame

-I chose a nice metallic chocolate color.  You can find it here

STEP 4:  Spray paint your letter

-Be Creative!!! This is your wreath and if the holidays mean neon yellow and black then go for it!

Before

After

Step 5:  Glue-gun madness!

-The next thing I did was glue my glitter bombs all over my freshly painted letter.  I did this over a few days when I had the time.  In all honesty, I didn't have a plan or pattern in mind.  I just did what suited my fancy.  If you are one for structure you can plan this step out.  I had fun trying to fit the pieces together.

Good times!

Finished Letter

**I've still got a few steps to go but here's where I'm at up to now.  I'll continue to update this post until I'm done.

  

It is Finished

I finally finished my one-drawer contraption this weekend and here's the final product:

I roughed up the edges using sand paper.  I tried not to over think the process and just sanded the edges until I liked the look.

Just as a reminder, here is the before:

Before...

And here's the after.  I'm pleased.

After...

My New to Me Garden Center

So it is officially FALL here in on the hot peninsula.  All this really means is that the temperature isn't above 90 degrees but I'll take it.  Anything that even hints of a seasonal change is worth celebrating down here.  I decided a few days ago that FALL is my favorite.  Something about the slightly cooler temps combined with the arrival of dragonflies and butterflies all in the same month gets my motor running.  FALL also happens to be primetime gardening season so I have been peeping the garden for new arrivals.  You can read all about the goings on of my garden at Lauren in the Garden

A few weeks ago I found a gem at the Women's Center Resale Shop and decided it was going to be my new garden center extravaganza.  It took me a little while to figure out what to do with my new-to-me mini kitchen island but I finally decided it should live in my garden.  It is now happily residing on my patio and loving the cooler weather.  Here's how it all went down.

For whatever reason I didn't get a true before shot of this piece.  It wasn't anything spectacular.  Just your standard floating 2 tiered island.  It was stained a light maple color which I didn't think I needed to strip first...I really should have and it is only because of my lack of foresight that I ended up with the subtle woodgrain look I ended up with.  I wish I could claim credit for the outcome.  I can't.  But I really like it.

So, Step 1:  Find a fun color of exterior paint and go to town.  I used a paint from RustOleum.  I bought a small sized can, because I'm cheap, and it was exactly enough.
-I put two coats of fire engine red on this little diddy.

...Ater I Painted it Red

Step 2:  Polyurethane the crap out of it.

-I chose a clear polyurethane so that the vibrancy of my stand wouldn't be compromised.  The brand I chose was Helmsman Polyurethane.  I was pleased with the result.  The Hot Papa, my genius husband, put a strip of painter's tape around the outside of the can to prevent the stain from dripping and it worked wonders.  You can be all official and pour the polyurethane into something else and drip your paint brush in there but I decided to cut that corner and it worked out just fine.  One thing to be aware of is that stains tend to bubble.  Gently roll the can back and forth a few times to remove the air bubbles and you should be fine.

I knew this piece was going to live outside so I put 4 coats on it.  Just read the directions on your brand and it will tell you how long you can wait between coats.  Also, if this piece was going to live inside, I would have probably sanded between coats.  Just and FYI.  While I loathe sanding, it does create a smoother surface.  I wasn't concerned about that with this project.

Helmsman Poly (those in the know call polyurethane "poly." Now you can sound cool too!!!)

Step 3:  Enjoy your finished product!!

-The entire project took about a week for me to complete.  I took my time and painted and stained when I could.  You could probably get this done in one weekend if you wanted.  I LOVE IT!!!  As you can see, I've got a few smaller pots living on top of my new garden center.  My plan is to experiment with different methods of growing cuttings from my garden lovlies.

Finished Product, woot woot.

From This to That

So we have a small one drawer contraption thingy that has been sitting in our bathroom for years holding various odds and ends.  Basically, it is a bathroom junk drawer.  I bought it for $10 at an antique shop quite a while ago and it has always been black.  Here's the thing:  I love to think about being crafty but I don't necessarily enjoy the process.  I definitely don't think scrapping paint is fun but it is a necessity, at least for this project, and had to be done.

Said Black Drawer Thingy

I decided that I would try and strip the paint and then put my own spin on things.  There are a few things you will need before you begin making your visions reality.

1.  Paint Stripper

2.  Rubber Gloves

3.  Metal Bowl

4.  Paint Brush

5.  Drop Cloth

6.  Lots of freakin patience

Step 1:  Gather Your Supplies

Stripping agent, metal bowl, brush

Don't forget your rubber gloves you sexy beast

  **ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS wear protective gloves.  This stuff can be nasty and you don't want it infiltrating your skin.  Protective gloves aren't sexy.  That's okay.  You are still a diva.

Step 2:  Apply Stripping Agent
-Be sure to read the instructions on the back of your stripping agent.  This will tell you how long you can expect to wait before the paint can be successfully removed.  Citristrip, the brand I used, was ready to go in 30 minutes but I found that waiting about an hour was actually better for this project.

Step 3:  Using a metal or plastic scrapper, gently scrape away the paint.  I tend to try and get a workout in at every possible opportunity and this mantra certainly applied to my sanding experience.  I made my shoulders needlessly sore scrapping the paint.  Trust me, this isn't the best way to go with this.  Gentle and slow really does work best.  The harder your scrape and the more force you use the more likely you are to get sore and damage the wood.

Sand Paper Fun

Step 4:  Sand.  I hate sand paper.  I hate the way it feels.  I hate the way it sounds scraping flesh away.  I hate the sensation of holding it.  However, it is necessary if you want a smooth surface to work your magic.  Come on, you've come this far so why not finish in regal style.  If any of you are ardent sand paper haters like myself, I found that sticking out my tongue while sanding seemed to help.  Don't know why? 

Step 5:  Paint.  This is the fun part.  This is what you've been waiting for.  This is when you get to see your ideas come to life.  I suggest using a paint and primer in one.  I used Behr Paint and Primer and was impressed.  I also figured out that I probably didn't need to do all the stripping beforehand because the primer in the paint covered the interior area that I wasn't able to apply the stripping agent to.  Oh well, I learned something in the process.

2 Coats of Paint

Step 6:  To be Continued.  I'm almost done with the project.  My next step is to use the dreaded sand paper once more and distress the edges of the piece.  I'm going for a coastal-worn look.  I'll be sure and post pics when I'm done.

I finally finished the project.  I roughed up the edges using sand paper until I liked the look.  Here it is:

DONE!!

Welcome to my projects blog

...so things over at inthegardenwithlauren.blogspot.com have become a bit convoluted.  I'm not apologizing for it but I do see a need to separate the postings.  My garden blog has become way more than just that and now even I get confused.  Hence the reason for this entirely brand spanking new blog "Projects Projects Projects."  This will now be the home to all the junk I'm working on at the moment.  Come along with me as I try to create, refurbish, and have fun with all the useless crap I have stowed around my house.  I'll try really hard to keep things simple and provide photos and tutorials as much as possible.  Think of me as your crafty guinea pig.  I'll make all the mistakes so you don't have to.

Let's get busy.