DIY - Photo Wreath for Mother's Day

I find it hard to celebrate Mother's Day without my mom.   I can remember the first Mother's Day after I had Helana, she was just a couple months old and I was so excited.  Not because it was my first Mother's Day but because I could celebrate my mom both as a mother and as a grandmother.  She was so excited to finally be a grandma, and I finally over that last year, learned to appreciate what it takes to be a mom.  So this year, my fifth mother's day without her, I decided to do a little project that included a little bit of my mom. 

She loved linen and burlap.  I thought about burlap for this but I had all this linen and frankly I figured strips of burlap were going to make a big mess I just didn't feel like cleaning up.  I had a wreath left over from my valentine love note wreath so I thought I would do a version of that for Mother's Day.  Like the love notes - you could customize this wreath each year by adding and replacing photographs.  I just grabbed a bunch of photos from my photoshop folders - but the trick was to easily resize them to make a banner.

I used picmonkey to play around with 10 photos and added artistic frames to some and sepia tones to others.  Then I loaded those pictures into Picassa and made a grid collage with a 5:3 widescreen photo frame.  Each picture measures 2 inches wide and 1 1/4 inches deep.

I started out with an 12 inch diameter styrofoam wreath.

I wrapped the wreath in linen strips that I made from a recycled linen slipcover.

I added a little bit of twine to approximately 1/8 of the wreath or about 5 inches.

A separate piece of paper twine is the basis of the photo banner (27 inches long including ties at each end)

Once I decided on the length, I was able to lay out the photo arrangement.

Details : twine/glue gun/flower corsage

A little dovetail in each photo seemed to fit the banner and once arranged, I glue gunned the pictures in place.

The flowers are made from strips of linen (cream one made from thick, cotton ribbon)

You can find many diy's of rolled fabric flower making on-line including here. (my sparkle)

 I think my mom would have loved this wreath.  She would be so proud of her granddaughters and just amazed how much they have grown up over the past 5 years.

Making a Faux Knit Vase

I have kept a scrap piece of paper with the works of Annette Bugansky for many years.  Porcelain and ceramic made to look like knit fabric, in the shape of mugs and vases.  So, when I saw the February Issue of Country Living, I was completely inspired.  I must admit I am a sucker for any image of chunky knits.  I love balls of yarn piled high and cables, knit stitches, needles, textures and colours.  The faux knit decor items shown here are from reshape studio and the homeport.  

It made me think.  Is there something I can do now until I can get my hand on one of these lovely pieces? And so ...  The faux knit ... or should I say faux, faux knit vase was born.

I had a vase that really wasn't my favourite.  A left over from an ancient flower shop delivery.  I also had another (yes another - I know I have quite a few) knit project that I started but still didn't have a home for.  It was a cotton knit wash cloth that I though I might package up with some homemade soap that I still have yet to make.  The amazing thing was the washcloth fit around my vase perfectly ... so why not play around and see if I could make a fake knit vase with a real knit ... does that make any sense?

Starting top left and going clockwise 

(1)  I started off with my cotton washcloth, my ugly vase, some extra yarn for sewing the sides of the cloth, modpodge to apply the cloth (and cover as well), flat white spray paint and some clips to hold the cloth in place when it dries.

(2) and (3) My washcloth needed to be stitched at the short sides to create a tube

(4)  Before I pulled on the knit tube I modpodged the outside of the vase.

Starting top left and going clockwise

(1)  Once I had a layer of modpodge, I slid on my knit cover.  (2)  I then started to add modpodge on top and stretched out my cover as I went along  (3) I used large clips to hold the cover at the top of the vase and when I realized the shape of my tube wasn't a perfect fit for my vase, I used plastic wrap to hold in around the bottom until it dried  (4)  I  added layers and layers of paint, each only a very light coat until I thought there was enough coverage.  You wouldn't want to use wool yarn because the fibres would make a mess sticking out through the paint finish.  Even with the cotton yarn, I still needed to do one coat of modpodge on top of a couple layers of paint, just to make a smoother finish.  It was those paint layers on top of the modpodge that recreated the smoother finish you would find on the real porcelain or ceramic.  I would like to try it with a tighter knit and see if it is even more effective.

When it finally dried and I had added about all the paint I could without ruining it - I was done.  I won't say it is perfect.  It was fun to try and other than half a jar of modpodge and a can of spray paint I'm really not out any expensive supplies.  When I added these beautiful equadorian roses, the project kind of came to life.  I just love that hit of colour with the texture of the vase, sitting on the pale blue.

I'm still keeping a knitted mug and vase on my wish list but for now I am going to enjoy this burst of happiness on this (almost) Valentine's day.

Wrap it up Thursday - Coffee Filter Flowers

 

You might have seen the bracelet I made for my friend Tiffany the other day.  Well it needs to be wrapped and Tiffany wraps a mean gift... so mine better be good!

I was inspired by all the amazing paper flowers and poms that are being used for displays at buffets and dessert tables.  These ones I found on Ruffled.

I wanted to recreate a mini display similar to this and thought about the natural coffee filters I have kicking around looking for a project.  I happened to have a long kraft box just waiting for a gift to be gifted.

 These filters are great because if I flatten them out I can use them to make all sorts of shapes, flowers and tags.  A few filters can go a long way.  If I cut out rectangles and layer them, accordion fold and trim the edges, I can make poufs like the tissue ball poms.  Here is an example. (Martha Stewart)  The centre circle can be cut into a spiral to make a rose. As an example look here. (Little Birdie Secrets)  The edges of the filter can be cut and folded accordion style, to make mini medallions like the ones you find here. (How About Orange)  Simple flower shapes can be cut out and layered on top of each other. And the edges left over after cutting looked just like a feather so I used those to make a tag.

The elements came together like this.  I used two coffee filters to hold the bracelet in the box.

I added a pom pom that I made with ribbons and yarn (Tiffany loves pom poms!) for a shot of pink and to hold the lid to the box.

With my feather tag, it's ready for Tiff!  Shhh .... I still have to drop it off!