It’s high time…

that I share a fun craft around here.

I haven’t done many crafts around J and A since we moved into our rental house last summer. It seems kind of silly to create something for a specific space that really isn’t mine.  Besides the fact that we will only reside here for 5 or 6 more months.

Yes! We are in the process of making some big life decisions here in the J and A household.

I would love to tell them to you. If I new exactly what they were.

Decision. Decisions.

…and so while I wait out these winter blues and think about our future; I will create:

My Winter Wreath.

I wanted something that reminded me of winter; so off I went to the thrift store looking for the perfect sweater that I could cut up and put on my wreath. A winter wreath should certainly be made out of a winter sweater.

I knew this was it.  My original plan in my head was a really pretty cream sweater.  Then I saw it… this beautiful grey and cream chevron like sweater; and I just knew.

I used a straw wreath as my form.  I started by cutting off both sleeves.

Then I cut open the sleeves until I had a nice rectangle shape.

I laid my wreath on top and started by pulling one side of the sweater fabric around.  I used hot glue to attach it.

Then I brought the other side around ( making sure that the front of the wreath was nice and smooth before I did any gluing)

See the front is smooth.

The back not so much.

I did this with both sleeves.

 

However; I tucked the raw end of the sleeve in to the finished edge so that I had two nice finished edges on the wreath.

Next, I used this fun grey yarn, and wrapped it in five places.  I just wanted it to give some texture to the wreath.  I made sure to wrap it over the part where the two sleeves met as to cover that part up some.

Then I added this small pom trim near the grey string.I found this trim in the $2.00 section at Michaels.  It was on a card with several other trims on it which I will use later on.

 

Now I started the process of making the flowers.  I bought grey and cream felt. I started by cutting three skinny strips of felt for each flower.

 

Then I started rolling it up.

 

I would hot glue the end when I came to it, and added another strip and rolled that until I had used three strips. Secure the final end with glue.

 

This is what it looks like when you have rolled all three strips.  Then it is fun to push some parts out to give it a little texture.

I made these in grey and cream.

Once I was done with the flowers, I started laying them out on my wreath.  I put them over the other part of the sleeve that was joined together to cover that up as well. 

Once I liked how they looked; I started gluing them down.

Then I cut small pieces of the trim that I had bought and folded them in half.

I put glue on the end and stuck them down inside the flowers as a leaf of sorts.  I just did this in random places.

My favorite addition is the red cardinals.  Also found at Michaels. 

I sat my wreath up before attaching those; so they were actually sitting up and not doing a nose dive.

Next I grabbed my $2.00 glitter “S” also found in the cheap section at Michaels and hung it in the center with some red pom pom trim.

I used the same red pom trim as my hanger to hang it on the door.

I am absolutely in love with how it turned out.

I love that it screams winter.

It just feels cozy.

I am grateful for the reminder of how much I enjoy creating. 

It has helped me remember to find ways to create; even in this space that isn’t mine.