Mardi Gras Wreath with Deco Mesh Spirals

I'm not into the crazy and wild celebrations that are normally associated with Mardi Gras, but I learned something after my in-laws lived in Lousiana for two years, and that is that most people in Louisiana love Mardi Gras (which I always assumed) and actually treat it like any other holiday--by decorating their homes and more noticeably, their doors, for the occasion.

You guys. These decorations are BIG. They are grand, layered, beaded, glittered, and colorful. Also, I'm pretty sure deco mesh originated in Louisiana because those people use it with some serious skill.

(If you are from Louisiana and are thinking, "Um, no", I apologize. :) BUT this is what I've gotten from my few Louisiana visits.)

SO. I took all of my (limited) Louisiana knowledge as inspiration and put together a fun deco mesh wreath in honor of Mardi Gras to share right here on the blog.

I've never used deco mesh before but I can see why it's so popular in craft and decor world. Super fun and very forgiving. You can use the steps to make this wreath and change it to fit any holiday by adding different embellishments.

Speaking of embellishments--in true Mardi Gras fashion, there are A LOT. I learned from my LA trips and Pinterest that you pretty much just keep piling it on until it basically falls off the door. ;) I'm only kind of kidding.

Here is your supplies list (and you guys.....it's all from JoAnn):

-18" wire wreath form
-3 rolls 10" deco mesh (greens and purples)
-4 rolls 1.5" wired ribbon (various patterns and colors--make sure to get some gold)
-Big pack of black pipe cleaners (they are apparently called chenille stems now)
-25 gold pipe cleaners chenille stems
-12-14 decorative balls (I used gold Christmas ornaments on clearance)
-Pack of Mardi Gras beads
-Mask
-Feathers
-Large ribbon for bow
-Scissors
-Ruler
-Hot glue gun and sticks
-2 movies because this is the perfect craft to do while watching a movie (and it takes about 3 hours)

Take your wreath form and the black chenille stems. Zig zag the stems all the way around the wreath, one zig zag line on the outer circle, and one zig zag ring on the inner circle. You will use about one chenille stem per section of the wreath. This prevents the mesh from sliding later on.

Now get your mesh. Cut the mesh every 10" (this should make it a square, since it is 10" wide) You can use a ruler for this, but I really just eyed it since you want to make it a square. Easy. You will need about 30 of each color.

Next is your ribbon. Take all 4 rolls and cut 12" strips. You'll want to cut a "v" into each end as well. Set aside.

(It wouldn't be a good craft post without some awkward monster hand photos. There isn't a good way to do this.)

Take a mesh square and roll into a little burrito, but not too tight. You want it to be about 2 inches in diameter. It's best to do this part on the floor because you are going to want to place the rolled mesh under your knee to hold in place. I suppose you could pinch it with a clothespin if you wanted as well. Do this same thing for the other 2 colors and kind of overlap them under your knee.

Take one piece of ribbon and layer it over your 3 pieces of mesh. Pinch tightly in the middle and wrap with a black chenille stem.

You'll want to fold your spiral bunch in half around the chenille stem, pull tight, and wrap the stem to secure, like a bread tie. Hope that makes sense.

You are going to need to make 30 spiral bunches. Have fun. :)


(Excuse my lighting in the next few photos, Bryan was out of town so I was kind of doing this all day while baby wrangling and I ran out of daylight. SO fun.)

Now for the fun part. Take a spiral bunch and wrap the chenille (tightly) around the outer ring of the wreath. Repeat all the way around the outer ring, spacing about every 3 inches.

Here is a photo of the back. Not pretty, but you can see how I spaced the stems and where I tied them.

Once you are finished with the outer ring, do the same on the inner ring of the wreath. Try and fill holes here, too. You will need about 20 spiral bunches on the outer ring and 10 bunches on the inner ring. Fluffing is key here, ladies.

Now you can be happy! The rest is easy.

Take your gold chenille stems and wrap them around a pencil to make a spiral. Pull the spiral a bit to make it long and loose. Evenly stick the gold spiral stems around the wreath, being sure to wrap around the wreath form to secure.

Next, take your ornaments and hot flue evenly around the wreath.

You are probably thinking something along the lines of, "I am the crafting QUEEN!" at this point and could really call it good, but since it's Mardi Gras, you may as well go ahead and add the beads. Drape them around the wreath and tuck into mesh spirals.

Now really, by this step it is perfectly acceptable to say that the wreath is finished. If you want it be finished, go right on ahead. If you want to add more Mardi Gras bling, read on.

Spray paint your mask gold. Hot glue your feathers to the back as well as about 10 strands of beads and ribbon to either side.

Make a big layered bow with some glitzy ribbon (I chose a very french looking scroll pattern with purple velvet...oh yes.) I need to post instructions on this (sorry I forgot to take photos), BUT I do have this hair bow tutorial that I did many years ago and it's basically the exact same thing, just a bigger version. You will secure the center with a chenille stem and fluff. Bow-making 101.

Hot glue your mask to the center of the bow. Use chenille stems to secure the bow to the top of the wreath.

Step back and enjoy the wonderful gaudiness of Mardi Gras!

Whew. That was the longest tutorial I have ever written. Gold star for to you (and maybe some beads) for getting through this!

Seriously though, this wreath is really easy once you know what your are doing. And as usual, I will be showing the steps in person for Joann on KAMR today at 4:00!

Updated: The segment can be watched right HERE.

Fun Gift Wrapping and Tag Ideas

Wrapping gifts for the holidays often gets funneled into the Dreaded Tasks of Christmas for some people, but in all honestly, turning on a Christmas movie and wrapping presents is one of my all-time favorite things to do. I don't consider it stressful at all, actually; I love the repetition and the exactness of it and the creativity it involves while thinking of the person who is going to receive the gift (and really hoping they will like it).

Hopefully I am not alone in this? There are so many things at Christmastime that are "off the beam" for me (that was a Jen Hatmaker reference), and I have no problem at all letting most of them go (Elf on the Shelf was never even a thought in my mind: too much), but I do think that if you really enjoy something even at a busy time like the holidays, there is nothing wrong with pouring some time and love into it. (Gift wrap lovers, raise your hands high!)

Today I wanted to share a few fun tips on gift wrap. I'm a fan. And a bit of a hoarder. Need a pretty designer wrapping paper? Some cute scalloped tissue? A million feet of ribbon? Have no fear! Katy is here! I also have about 250 baby boy gift bags if you need them as well, but that's another story. (The story is that I had two babies and both were boys and now I have a lot of blue gift bags. ;)

My favorite thing about super-trendy things these days is that they look very homemade and thoughtful, and also--classic. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I do believe there is no better combo, style-wise.

Brown paper packages tied up with strings....

(You're welcome. May your days be filled with voice of Julie Andrews.)

Alright, so enough rambling. A few key points:

1. You only need a few patterns of paper to keep the "underneath" of your tree looking well-dressed. I would say 2-3.
2. Keep the colors and styles similar for a cohesive look, but please, for me, throw in something that contrasts, like gold or greenery (or both) for interest.
3. You know those frustrating too-small strips of wrapping paper that you've had to trim off but can't use? Yes. Well, use them as an accent band on another gift. Fold and tape. Favorite!

4. I love fresh greenery clippings as much as the next home decor lover, but let's be real: that's a pain, especially on gifts. Find a real-looking faux-greenery garland (I got mine at Jo-Ann for $7) and pick off the sprigs to tuck into the ribbon.
5. Speaking of ribbon: Use it. A lot of it. While I love good ole' curling ribbon (fun!), classic satin, linen, and grosgrain will give a much more classic and yester-year look.
6. Don't stop with ribbon! Yarn, twine, sequin/lace/pom-pom trim, and basically anything else you can string and already have works great, too.
7. Berries, pine cones, cinnamon sticks, and even feathers are you BFF's. Glue, tape, and tuck-- just use them well.

8. Don't be afraid to top your gift with something unexpected like these adorable paper roses that are so easy it's ridiculous.
9. I love a little gift on a big gift. Think cute glass ornaments or a homemade ornament from your kiddos. This can serve as the gift tag as well.
10. Speaking of gift tags, I love to cut mine to match from card stock that I already have sitting around. I'm a fan of the pennant flag and the standard price tag look. Use fun stickers or stamps to label your tags.
11. Using initials or letters as the gift tag is super cute and adds some interest.

12. I also think that using a photo for the gift tag is genius. Do you know how easy it is to print photos these days? Go through your Instagram feed, select, click order, and BOOM, they will deliver them to your door. (Also....that photo of Hayes. GOODNESS.)
13. Use wash tape as accents on your tags or to cover up obvious scotch tape on the sides of the gift.
14. None of this needs to be expensive. Buy a few things and then mix, match, and layer, layer, LAYER.

So that's what I have! I got all of my supplies at Jo-Ann and will be talking more about these babies today on KAMR at 4:00.

What are your favorite things to do when wrapping gifts? I'd love to hear!

DIY Paper Advent Hearts

Hey guys!

The last few weeks have been full for sure, but today I wanted to stop in and share another craft that I've done on behalf of Jo-Ann from their Holiday Maker's Guide.

These sweet little Paper Advent Hearts are easy and simple and very family-friendly if you have craft-happy kiddos. I feel like Advent activities are such a big deal right now (and can be very overwhelming...thank you, Pinterest), but the true reasoning behind Advent is obviously a great one so I think a simple version like this is worth the time and effort during this busy season.

You can fill these with homemade cookies, candy, small toys, or slips of paper with activities or scripture to do or read each night. I actually love the idea of doing a different Christmas activity for Advent every night, but let's be real here.....I have two small children and do not live in la-la-perfect-land where everything goes according to plan and mom has endless amounts of joy of energy, so I think that sprinkling in a few activities along with treats and verses is about the best that is going to happen in the real world. ;)

For this craft, you will need:

• Various colors of cardstock
• Wax paper
• Coordinating ribbon
• Scissors
• Hole punch
• Chipboard numbers or stickers
• Glue stick
• Twine
• Decorative punches
• Sewing machine (if you would rather do this quickly)
• Basic sewing supplies
• Cardstock heart template (download HERE)
• Wax paper heart template
• Cookies, candy, small toys, lists of scripture or activities

Alright. So first, you are going to print out this heart template that is right HERE. Cut out twice as many heart templates as you want to do advent hearts. I chose to do 12, mostly because that's all I can handle and also because everyone can relate it to "The 12 Days of Christmas". I bought an adorable scrapbook paper pack with gold foil and kraft paper designs to to all of my hearts....LOVE it and super easy.

Take your hole punch and punch about 1/2" apart around two of the hearts (wrong sides together). Take your twine and loop through the holes to sew the heart together. Your goal is for it look homemade--perfectionists, beware! 

 Leave about 1/4 of it open at the end. Stuff you candy or whatever you choose in. I used M&M's, mini candy canes, and mints. If you are doing baked goods, use the printable template to cut out the smaller heart from wax paper and slip two of those in before putting in your goodies to make sure they don't get grease all over the scrapbook paper. 

Stitch the heart closed and tie a handle with the twine. Now for the fun part: embellishments! You can either paint or glue your numbers directly on your heart, or you can do like I did and add a tag to hang separately. I used a 3" scallop punch to cut out my tag for the number. I also decided to attach the activity or scripture to the outside of mine (so we get something sweet every night), so I wrote that on a little slip of black paper with a dressmaking pencil and cut it to look like a pennant. Super cute!

Attach your tags using the hold punch and threading on the ornament hook. Take your ribbon and tie a bow on the hook as well. 

Hang on your big Christmas tree for the kids to hunt for and remove each night. Wa-lah! A cute and easy Advent.

I'll be sharing this on Studio 4 today. Can't wait!

Hope you all are enjoying the Christmas season. Oh, and did I mention that we are building a house ourselves? Um. Yes. More on that later!

DIY Birch Wreath

I'm working with Jo-Ann and KAMR again today to bring you all another fabulous craft. This time, we are making a DIY Birch Wreath with cut birch logs that come pre-packaged at Jo-Ann. Add some ribbon, raffia, and leaves, and you've got yourself a little slice of fall to hang on your door (inside or outside), place above your mantel, or to add to that perfect Thanksgiving vignette. 

Fabulous, I tell you! 

And here we go:

 Supplies:

• Wire cutters
• Florist wire: 22 or 24 gauge
• Hot glue gun & glue sticks (LOTS of glue sticks)
• Brown floral tape
• Burlap-Wrapped Wreath 12-14" (Or a green foam wreath if you can't find one pre-wrapped, that's what I did)
• Burlap garland
• Medium Birch Round Bags (5)
• Pinecone pick stems (2)
• Miscellaneous fall leaf foliage (5)
• Onion grass cattail stems, corn husk stems, or similar (2)
• Dark brown raffia

Start by wrapping your wreath form with the burlap garland. I used hot glue to attach. If you were able to snag a pre-wapped wreath, go you! Skip this step.

Hot glue alllllllll the birch logs around the wreath. You may need to layer them a bit to fill all the nooks and crannies. Messy is good. I used every bit of the five bags.

Arrange your leaves, grasses, berries, and whatever else you've picked out in little arrangements. Wrap with floral tape.

Hot glue or use florist wire to attach to the wreath. (I used hot glue because I'm good and lazy like that. Also...hot glue always works.)

At this point, you may be re-thinking your crafting skills but fear not! Take the rest of your burlap garland and make a good messy bow, big enough to cover the stems of the leaves and foliage. I like to tie the center of mine with florist wire and then fluff to make it nice and full. Do the same with the raffia (the messier it looks, the better). You can also be creative here and use another thick ribbon for the bow or whatever your crafty heart desires (or really, whatever you have on hand.)

Hot glue or use florist wire to attach the raffia and bow to the center of the wreath. 

Step back and admire your work. 

The birch wreath by itself is a really great base to decorate seasonally. If you attach the embellishments and bows with wire, you can easily remove them to re-do for Christmas and even the spring and summer months! (I'm thinking ferns, curly willow, moss, and a bird's nest and eggs....yes?)

This wreath is also featured in the Jo-Ann Maker's Guide for the holidays. They make it SUPER easy to shop the supplies directly by clicking right HERE.

---------------------------------

I will be on KAMR today at 4:00 with more details (and probably a good dose of awkwardness, too.)

Have a great day, everyone! 

DIY Faux Marble End Table

Guys, I loved doing this project! It's definitely one of my favorite DIY's that I've ever done and I'm excited to share.

I've been seeing a lot of marble and gold legs on end tables and coffee tables that look so chic and can still be mixed in with every day casual decor. Here are a few of my favorites...

source

source

source

And here is my version...

Woo-hoo!

Of course, end tables were about the last thing on my long list of things to buy for the house, but I was walking through Ross and came across this great little end table for $40 that had the wiry gold frame that everyone is getting these days. It was sturdy, but had a plain black top that was covered in scratches.

(I promise the scratches are there ;) Also ignore our crooked knobs, I've been meaning to tighten the right door.)

I didn't want something so stark so I thought that this would be the perfect opportunity to attempt a faux marble on the top. I figured that in the worse case scenario, it would look awful and I could just spray paint it black again. Plus, the table was like half the price of others I've seen even at Target and World Market so it seemed like a no-brainer to at least try.

I followed this tutorial very loosely, but it is for countertops. I decided to go for the honed marble look instead of polished, so I didn't do a glaze on top or anything like that. 

Here are the supplies I used:

-Primer (a no-sand one)

-White paint (I just used our leftover cabinet paint--satin)

-Foam roller

-About 1/8 cup of three different shades of gray paint. Again, I just mixed our leftover cabinet paint with some leftover black paint in different variations and put the different shades in disposable cups. I also added a bit of leftover green paint to one of the mixtures to add more interest.

-A lot of crinkled up plastic grocery bags

-Damp rag (key player)

-Very small short-bristled paintbrush (like cheap-o watercolor)

-Fine grit sandpaper

I had all of this on hand, so the total project was $40 just for the cost of the table.

I had to put about 5 coats of primer down and two coats of white paint to cover all of the black. Once that was dry, I put some of the lightest gray paint on my scrunched up grocery bag and began sponging it very lightly on the table top. At first, it looked awful....BUT the damp rag is key in this project--after each sponging round I would go back and sponge with the damp rag and even "wash" the table very lightly with it to smooth everything out.

After I did the lightest gray, I moved on to the medium gray using the same method. I went back over the really patchy areas by sponging and ragging with white paint. Here is what it looked like after about 5 coats of sponging/ragging:

Not too bad! I think I added more white after this photo, before I added the veins.

The veining was the hardest part. Bryan said I had "crazy eyes" while I was doing this step. Truth. I was having flashbacks of every art class I took in high school and college and the imaginary teacher was scolding me for "painting what I think I see, and not what's really there". Maddening, I tell you.

The key to the veining step is to feather with the brush instead of just painting a line (basically smoosh the bristles down in all different directions and make tiny zig zag movements). You barely need any paint for this part. I used the darkest gray for the veins and really should have taken an action picture, but I forgot amidst my crazy-eyed daze. Here is what it looked like when I was done feathering and had let everything dry:

It's not completely perfect, but I'm just so happy with how it turned out that I can't stop looking at it! Those are the  best kinds of projects. :) Of course, in true Katy fashion, I still have not sanded out the last few bumps, but maybe one of these days I will. Maybe.

I styled it really quickly and love it even more! I want to put this in our living room but unfortunately we are getting ready for a garage sale so the living room looks more like a storage unit than anything else, which all bloggers know is no good for photos, so for now it's sitting by itself in our bedroom.

The best part of this project is that it boosted my confidence enough to do faux soapstone counters in our kitchen. (Basically the same method but in black and you finish it off with paste wax.) Yep. I'm excited! 

So there you have it! Now go grab something from a thrift store and turn it into marble!

The Random Post

Alright friends, bear with me. I am days short of getting a new battery for my computer and have so many things to post about once I get it, it's unreal. I can't wait! Until then, you will have to deal with short, sporadic posts at very inconsistent times...so here we go:

First, you should read this. I know that everyone will appreciate this, especially teachers.

Secondly, we are done decorating our bedroom!! Painted, new bedding, new wall art, heck we even hung curtains around the windows for the first time ever! Big, big deal. Can't wait to share pictures!

As a reminder, here is one of our very beige "Before" pictures:

And the original inspiration board I made to change the room:

This has been a long time coming. Like a year. A very long year. But it's done! Well actually, it's almost done, there is still one more little DIY project I want to do, but we're done for now. More on that later.

(Here is the original post and "Before" pictures if you are interested.)

The next big project will be finishing the craft room. As you can see here, it has been cleaned out, but that's about it. I have SO many ideas for this room and can't wait to get it done so I can tackle some fun projects like this:

Source: juliapetit.com.br via Katy on Pinterest

What a cute bracelet!

Source: de.dawanda.com via Katy on Pinterest

That scarf looks super easy to make.

Source: soapdelinews.com via Katy on Pinterest

And I'm planning on making a "wrapping station"...yo yo yo. Sorry, had to do it.

Source: flamingotoes.com via Katy on Pinterest

I also have many ideas for cute jewelry. Oh the fun I will have.

Also, if you haven't seen the latest (and last) Harry Potter movie, you need to. Uh-maz-ing. I might have cried. Only because I am a ridiculously huge nerd. Ah, oh well.

That's it for today!