Craft Beer-Inspired Spring Wreath Tutorial

Like any self-respecting Coloradoan, I am a full-fledged beer enthusiast. My husband & I love going to breweries, especially during the Spring & Summer months after a long day of hiking or fishing. We even brew our own beer...well, Grant does. I mostly just sit there & enjoy those amazing mash-boil aromas ;) So the inspiration behind today's tutorial was an inevitable one. Within the past 2 years as the craft brewery industry has exploded, I began to notice that craft stores were starting to carry variations of hop plants - a key ingredient in most if not all beers. The second I saw one I knew I had to incorporate it into some type of decor for my home. I mean, what could encompass my personality/interests more than combining my love for crafting with beer?? Needless to say this tutorial has been years in the making & I'm excited to show you what I've come up with. In fact, so excited that I actually filmed a tutorial on this & put it on my new YouTube Channel!!! I will insert the video here >> https://youtu.be/YFkrSZOUmAs

You have the option of either watching the tutorial in a video format, or reading through it here on my blog. Lets get started! You will need the following materials:

Flowers purchased at Michael's. All were 40%-60% off IN ADDITION TO a 20% off everything including sale item coupon. WINNING!!!

 You know the drill - simply take each flower & start trimming. Leave 1/2 an inch to 1 inch of stem so that you can insert each piece within the grapevine securely.

Next is placement. I tend to go in a pattern when placing the flowers, which you can tell in the image below. It makes it more fluid & put together.

Once you have filled your wreath, go back & fill in addition spares areas. This will make your wreath look more full & lush. It will also give the illusion of a bigger wreath.

With spares areas

Spares areas filled in

From here, glue each piece at the top-base of each stem & you are done! Here are some close-ups for more detail:

 

 I hope you guys enjoyed this tutorial! It's the perfect amount of soft, subtle color to add inside or outside your home! Please subscribe & check out my Youtube video on this tutorial -  https://youtu.be/YFkrSZOUmAs - Your support is greatly appreciated! 

How-To: Framed Antique Skeleton Keys

Antiques breathe life into me. Looking at anything antique just makes my soul happy. From place to place, it has felt & experienced many things - seasons of being well-loved, then abandoned, but then loved again...where ever it has gone, it's been that fly on the wall forever learning secrets & gaining wisdom. It has lived a full life and there seems to be no end in sight - if only we can be so lucky.

You will need the following materials:

Shadow Box - Set of 3 $4.99 (Full Price $9.99) - Michael's here.

Antique Keys (came with 6 keys) - $6.99 - Marshall's; similar here.

Scrapbook Paper - $0.69 - Michael's

Cardboard paper or cardstock

Tape, scissors, low temperature glue gun

Take the backing from the shadow box and outline your scrapbook paper to fit this.

Do the same with the cardboard paper.

Tape the scrapbook paper to the cardboard paper. Doing this will keep the backing of the shadowbox from being damaged by tape & glue.

Take your key & place the glue as shown:

Secure to the scrapbook paper, place into the frame, and you are done! 

You can also do this with a regular frame. Just remove the glass & done! I got this one from the Dollar Tree :)

If you feel like some areas of your home are lacking that little something, this project is perfect! I love this project because it is so customizable, inexpensive, and not time-consuming at all. There are so many frames & keys to choose from, and you can place it in a variety of different ways.

5 Easy & Inexpensive Ways to Liven Up Your Kitchen: Spring Edition

This week I was really inspired to liven up my kitchen with all things Spring. I wanted to bring soft, earthy colors into the room without taking away from the clean, natural light it already has. I also didn't want to break the bank either. Here are 5 super easy & inexpensive ways to achieve this that encompass every area of your kitchen. 

#1: Stovetop Decor

I've always found this area to be particularly difficult to "style". I didn't want to go to typical route with chickens, salt & pepper shakers, pigs, chef caricatures...or anything else cheesy. And leaving it bare just makes the kitchen look unloved. I wanted something classic & clean...I know - big shocker coming from me! ;) You will need the following materials:

Wood Crate - Michaels: $1.00; Glass Vase - Hobby Lobby: $1.00; Paint - Michaels: $0.69; Baby's Breath - Michaels: $0.75

Decorative Cup - Home Goods: $2.99; Flowers - Misc. Leftover Flowers

Paint the basket with white paint. I ran out of paint sponges so I actually those eyeshadow sponges every self-respected makeup lover detests - Free & works just as well :)

While that's drying, "prune" some of the Baby's breath stems & place in the glass vase. Discard the cork and place in the crate.

Next, place the flowers in the decorative cup. Use flowers that match/complement the color theme of your kitchen. These were some leftover flowers I had from previous craft projects. You could also buy a plain, inexpensive glass jar for $1-2 and paint it white to achieve this.

Done!

#2 Shelf Decor

This piece perfectly adds to the natural light in the room. The rustic bird & birdcage accentuate the worn shelf.

Birdcage - Michaels: $4.00; Bird - Hobby Lobby: $2.00; Vase - Michaels: $2.00; Flowers - Misc. Leftovers

#3 Kitchen Counter

There is this hideous phone jack in our kitchen that I absolutely hate. If you have an area like this in your kitchen simply hang a Spring succulent piece in its place, add some necessary Bath & Body Works Spring lotions, and done.

Succulent - Michaels: $0.75 on clearance

#4 Kitchen Bar

This arrangement was featured in a previous blog post of mine, so for all the DIY details I will link that here. The only thing I changed was swapping out Winter branches for Spring flowers :)

Flowers - Michaels: $2.50

#5 Kitchen Island

I've always wanted an orchid, but have you seen how ridiculously overpriced they are?! I mean $20-$40 for something that is eventually going to die is just crazy. So I made one that looks just as good for only $10.00! But just to keep you coming back for more, I'm going to feature this in my next DIY blogpost so stay tuned! Consider this a sneak peak ;)

Orchids - Hobby Lobby: $2.00 each; Vase - Michaels: $4.00; Succulent - Michaels: $2.00

 xx,

Jessica

The Perfect Springtime Wreath

I love Spring. It's new life, birds singing, & trees flowering. It's soft, yet subtly bright coloring in everything that you see. It's peaceful and lush. This was the inspiration for today's DIY. The following are suggested materials. You can be as creative as you want to be when choosing your foliage. If you find that you are overwhelmed, try choosing a general color scheme, then pick flowers & fillers that match accordingly. I went with yellows, soft pinks, whites, & bright greens. Remember that Summer is for bright, colorful flowers. Spring is more for soft colors in combination with bright green foliage....well, in my opinion at least :)

All flower bouquets purchased at Michael's

Next is cutting & placement. For each stem cut 2 inches down using wire cutters. Doing this will allow the stem to fit snuggly within the grapevine wreath. I arranged the flowers in a particular pattern so that no two of the same flowers are next to each other. Doing this allows the colors, textures, & types to contrast and accentuate each other so that each color pops more. I place the flowers around the entire wreath FIRST, then I glued each piece SECOND, then I filled in spars areas with foliage LAST.

A fourth of the way placed

Fully placed, not yet glued

Place glue at the base

 And finished!

Close up:

 How gorgeous & easy is that?! This piece is so versatile. It's perfect for any room/space that desperately needs some life & light - an instant room face lift :)

xx,
Jessica