St. Patrick's Day Deco Mesh Door Wreath

I have fallen in LOVE with dove tail ribbons on my wreaths! 

While browsing YouTube for inspiration on wreath making, I happened upon several FREE tutorials from Southern Charm Wreaths. After watching her tutorials I came up with my St. Patrick's Day Wreath.

• I used 2 types of green foil deco mesh, which I bought at Hobby Lobby's after Christmas sale. $4.99 each! 

• I bought 5 different types of ribbon, a 3" wide sheer with polka dots, 2 different 2" shamrock prints and 2 different 2"sheer greens. 

• 1 wire wreath form

• Dark green pipe cleaners 

• Hot glue gun

• 5 floral spays ( I have not idea what the technical name is, but you can see at the bottom of the first photo) I bought these for .10 cent each last year at Ole Time Pottery's after Christmas sale.
•  Gold foam balls. I picked them up again, at the after Christmas sale from Hobby Lobby for .80 cents a bag!

 


Cut your deco mesh into 9" pieces. I used 40 pieces of deco mesh, 20 of each color.

Rabbit trail: I bought an all purpose self healing mat for easier measuring and cutting. Hobby Lobby and Micheal's have 50% off coupon fairly often, I picked this mat up for $32.00, worth the investment!!!

Learn from my mistakes! For quicker cutting I laid one deco mesh over the other. DON'T pull tightly on the bottom deco mesh, doing this will cause it to cut at an angle. Make sure it is laid flat without tension.

Once you have them all cut out separate them.

Attach the pipe cleaners to the wreath form. First, fold your pipe cleaners in half. Then, starting from the outside use a dab of hot and twist at the to of the support. Work your way around the form. Now, skip a row on the form (this will be the 3rd row from the outside.) In the center of the 3rd row attach a pipe cleaner. I will look like the 2nd photo when completed.

Attaching the deco mesh.

I used a method that adds more texture to the wreath.

• Take a piece of your mesh and roll (not to tight)
• Attach to the wreath about 5-6" in on both sides.

You will end up with a bubble in the middle.

• When you start your next piece attach it to the end of the previous piece. They will overlap each other. Alternating your colors work your way around the exterior of the wreath.

 This is one layer on the exterior.

• Add a 2nd layer to the exterior, again alternating your colors.

After you have added your 2 exterior layers move to the inside pipe cleaners and work your way around.

I used 3 layers on the interior pipe cleaners.

 (This photo shows 2 outside layers and 1 interior layer.) You can see how full it is getting.

You will have plenty of pipe cleaner length.

After the deco mesh was attached I added the ribbon.  I cut the polka dot, and 2 shamrock prints into 14" lengths, and the 2 sheer green into 12" pieces. I did this for 2 reason. 1st the sheer greens were only 9 feet in length and I needed enough to make it around the wreath. 2nd, I thought it might add a little more texture.

For the exterior row of ribbon. (I wish I would have taken photos) I used 2 ribbons per pipe cleaner. 1 sheer green and 1 shamrock print, I alternated the shamrock print and sheer green per pipe cleaner. Again, working my way around the wreath.

The interior row. I used 3 ribbons. The polka dot for each pipe cleaner and alternating the shamrock print and sheer green.

After this was completed I added the gold balls. 

There are 2 different styles and textures. the "sequined" balls are about 1/4" round I attached one to the end of each exterior row of pipe cleaners. The pipe cleaner simply pushed right into the ball. For the interior row I took the 1" ball and pushed it onto one of the pipe cleaner. The other end of the pipe cleaner I simply wrapped around the back of the wreath.

I found the 5 floral sprays and decided to add them at the last minute.  They are a little difficult to see in the photo. I need a new camera!!!

And this is the finished product!

 

You really should check out Southern Charm Wreaths and see her beautiful wreaths! (FYI, she does not know me nor I her, I just like what I see!)

CoFfEe FiLtEr WrEaTh

A little obsessed with door wreaths, Yes I am....  They are relativity easy to make and I can make them cheaply enough.

Supply List:

Supply List

200 coffee filters

Foam pipe insulator
Wire hanger
Pliers
Duck tape
Tea bags
Food coloring
Old pillow case




This project is a little messy wear an apron :)


First thing I did was separate the coffee filters (I made this up as I went along.) Since they roughly come in stacks of 50 I used 100 for the salmon color and 100 for the brown-gold color.   

I got a large pot and filled it about 1/3 the way up with water and added red food coloring.



looks like jello (wiggle wiggle)



Shoved in about 100 of the coffee filters

I pushed them down into the red die and turned up the heat a little. I have no idea if this does nor does not make a difference, but since i was standing in the kitchen at the stove I thought why not.

As I was looking at it and GENTLY pushing them around I thought they were to pink. I got a little inspired and thought tea bags. Yep, you read correctly, tea bags. They really toned down the pink and gave me the salmon color... This was all an accident, a happy one :)

see the difference :)

after about 10 minutes I took them outside and put them on the concrete driveway to dry out.... Now, I'm a little impatient and thought of a better way!

The DRYER! 

I got an old pillow case and put them in it and got a rubber band (cloth one) and tied the pillow case, threw it in the dry and about 20-30 minutes later they were dry!!! I didn't take a picture of this step....

While the salmon dried....

I filled the pot with about 4 inches of water threw in 3 large tea bags and let it come to a boil.  Took the pot off the burner and shoved the other 100 coffee filters and let it sit for about 10 minutes or so.

 

When the salmon dried I threw in the gold coffee filter. While the gold were drying I put the foam circle together.  Take your wire hanger straighten it out and instert it into the insulator. Twist ends of the hanger together and then duck tape the seam.

Back to the filters they will come out of the dryer like this.

Unfold and lay them out, plug in the hot glue gun, and get out the stick pins.

Take 1 gold and 1 salmon putting them together fold it up and twist the bottom... it makes a "flower"

flip it over

this photo is a little blurry (sorry 'bout that), now add a drop of hot glue and then stick a stick pin threw the glue.  then fold up the bottom a little to secure the pin. I alternated the colors so some were salmon on the outside some gold. 

Starting on the outside and working my way around stick the stick pin into the nose of the the hot glue gun and then push it into the foam circle



I worked from the outside in and around, then filled in as needed.

This is what I ended up with

My next project won't be a wreath!!! I've got to come up with something for St. Patrick's Day!


Oh... I almost forgot

wire hanger on hand
tea bags on hand
food coloring on hand
hot glue gun/sticks on hand
stick pins on hand
foam insulator $1.79
coffee filters $1.99

total cost $3.78