accessories, autumn fall decor, Chalkboard paint, decor, Decorating, Fall Leaves, Holiday decorating, Home Decor, pumpkin, Thanskgiving, vignettes, wreath

Cotton Fall Wreath and Décor for the Entryway

Cotton Fall Wreath

Every morning for the past few weeks I woke up and looked out the window. A few leaves have turned color, but as soon as I look at the weather report — the heat and humidity has yet to leave North Carolina. Will fall ever arrive? I want to wear flannel shirts and boots. I want cooler temperatures so I can stop sweating the minute I step outside. To usher fall into our area, I decided to make a super simple Cotton Fall Wreath. You won’t believe how easy this wreath was to make!

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Real Cotton W reath Base
Dried Preserved Fall Leaves (sometimes you can find these at your local florist or grocery store)
Burlap Ribbon

Instructions:

This wreath was so simple to create, I didn’t take step-by-step photos. Gasp!

Really, it’s so simple, all you have to do is tuck preserved leaves into the cotton wreath. Yup, just tucked, no glue or anything!

Then loop a strip of burlap (or ribbon of your choice) through the top and pin it to the top of your door using a flat thumbtack.

See, wasn’t that super simple?

A red ribbon would also look beautiful with this wreath.

To give my entry a little extra decor, I added a few colorful items.

A little step ladder with a pumpkin and some silk flowers.

The chalkboard painted pail from my fall mantle a few years ago.

A faked blue gourd sits on the bottom step, tempting people to touch it to see if it’s real.

My favorite décor item is this light up grapevine sphere. It adds a beautiful warm glow after dark.

Have you decorated for fall yet? Have cooler temperatures arrived where you are? If so, please mail me some of your fall weather!

Want more Fall Wreath inspiration? Enjoy these 24 more Fall wreath ideas:

October 8, 2018/14 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

accessories, arts and craft, Crafts, decor, garden flag, Home Decor, Landscaping

Fall Leaves Garden Flag using a Dollar Store Placemat

Make an inexpensive (but beautiful) Fall Leaves Garden Flag using a Dollar Store Placemat! Pull out your sewing machine (or skip the stitching and use your iron and some hem tape instead.) You can have a gorgeous fall garden flag in an hour or less. Plus, this is the perfect activity to do with the kids before school starts.

Sure, we’re in the thick of a heat wave here in Raleigh, NC. But luckily fall is around the corner and it’s time to start thinking about fall decorating! I like to create a beautiful garden flag for each season using a few simple supplies from the Dollar Store. Ready to make one? Great, let’s get to it.

Materials:

*Optional: hand sew or use hem tape if you don’t have a sewing machine

Instructions:

1. Fold over the top of your placemat 2 inches. Stitch across the edge. (I used a decorative stitch, but a straight stitch is fine too.)

2. Create a stencil using a Silhouette, other craft cutter, or use pre-cut letter stencils. Adhere the stencil to the placemat. (Place centers of letters if needed.)

3. Squeeze out a small amount of fabric paint onto a paper plate.

4. Pounce or use a stencil brush to dab paint over the stencil. For more colorful letters, use yellow on one side and orange on the other. Let the colors overlap in the middle.

5. Remove stencil. Allow the fabric paint to dry.

6. Arrange and pin silk leaves onto garden flag.

7. Stitch leaves onto the flag along the “veins”.

8. Trim the excess threads off the flag.

9. Lay flag out on a flat surface.

10. Paint on glittery curly trails to simulate the path of a falling leaf.

When the flag is dry, thread it onto a garden flag stand and place it by your entryway. At the end of the season, store the flag flat to keep it looking fresh for many years to come.

If you liked this tutorial you may like my other garden flag tutorials:

Summer

Winter

Valentine’s Day

I hope you enjoy this fall season and experience beautiful fall weather soon!

August 10, 2018/9 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

decor, Decorating, Home Decor, inspiration, July 4th, Uncategorized

26 Creative Ways to Decorate with Red, White, and Blue

social media image 26 ways to decorate with red white and blue

Creative Ways to Decorate with Red, White, and Blue

July 4th is right around the corner. If you like to decorate for the 4th, try using red, white, and blue primary colors to give a patriotic vibe to your home. Red, white, and blue are also perfect for a classic and bright style. This trio of colors enable you to use different prints and textures together. Here are 26 creative ways to decorate with red, white and blue!

Red and Blue Star Pillows are great decorations and they look wonderful year-round.

Add blue to your kitchen with this Quick Cutting Board Makeover.

This File Cabinet Makeover using Chalk Paint is a gorgeous way to add red to your room.

These Fingerprint Star Pillows rock the muted red and blue. Plus, the piping adds some elegance.

Decorate yourself as much as your home with these Made in USA Star Shirts.

Learn to Update Furniture Like a Pro using paint in blue tones, glaze, and wax.

Who says you can’t stain a bed blue! Learn how to make this awesome loft bed.

Give your Pine Dresser a Blue Aqua makeover to breathe new life into old furniture.

Easy Added Color to a Dresser | Pretty Handy Girl Add Colors to an Old Dresser by painting just the drawer fronts. For something extra see what was done to the sides.

Make a useful Red Tub Storage Bench to brighten up any room and provide extra storage.

Make this Faux Cross Stitch Tea Towel to add red and white accents to your farmhouse kitchen.

Create a fun Reading Nook for your kids using these primary blue and white striped curtains and accent with red tones.

Make this Blue Bookcase and learn how to add some backlighting for a cool effect at night.

Use a little red ribbon to add a special touch to these Hand-Painted Monogrammed Ornaments.

This Patriotic Denim Bunting Tutorial is great for summertime when you’re going for a festive red, white, and blue theme.

Use different elements like red and white flowers, plus blue beads to make Hanging Beaded Glass Flower Vases.

Make a decorative red barn door A Red Decorative Barn Door can stay up all year-round and be decorated with a variety of seasonal decor items.

During summer use this amazing red, white and blue Decorative Patriotic Mantel for inspiration.

Make your own whimsical White Twig Star Decorations.

Use blue fabrics to update your furniture with this tutorial to make a Bench Cushion With Piping.

diy art summer blue Make your own Blue DIY Art with this fun paper and the sun!

wool roses on a stem Red Wood Roses on a Stem can add a red accent anywhere in your home.

Paint an old window in a tone of blue to create this Dream Big Butterfly Window to your wall decor.

Add small elements of red to your plants like little Red Decorative Mushrooms.

Use red when upcycling a cabinet door into a Dry Erase Message Board.

Don’t let winter stop you, create a garden flag using red, white, and blue fabric paint on a placemat. Create your own design patriotic design!

Remember to pin this image to refer to later and please share on social media!

Pressed faux flowers behind glass

Pressed Faux Flowers

Hello, Pretty Handy Girl friends! Julie from love my simple home here, with a new DIY project! Pressed faux flowers behind glass is quick and easy to make. You’ll end up with a beautiful piece of leaning art that you can display on a shelf in your home.

Materials:

Faux Silk Flowers
Glass from two picture frames in different sizes
Scissors
Hot Glue Gun
Craft Glue

Instructions:

Choose two different size picture frames (they can be any size you want.) Make sure they will fit on your shelf. I used one 5″ x 7″ and one 8″ x 10″.

Remove the back and the glass from your picture frames.

2. Select the flowers of your choice. Pull the blooms off the plastic stems.

3. Cut the plastic stems from the flowers. Use your scissors for this task.

4. Arrange the flowers any way you like on top of the larger piece of glass. When you like what you see, add a dab of craft glue to the back of each flower and gently press onto the glass.

6. Place the smaller piece of glass on top of your lovely flower arrangement. Grab your trusty hot glue gun and put a dab of glue on the four corners of the smaller glass piece.

7. Flip the glass, then lay the glass down over the flowers. The glass should be centered on the large piece of glass. Gently push down on the four corners and hold it in place for about 30 seconds or more until the glue adheres to the glass. After the top piece of glass is in place, the flowers will lay flat pressed between the two pieces of glass.

That’s it, you now have a beautiful piece of leaning art you can display on a shelf in your home.

I hope you enjoyed this quick and easy DIY art idea.

Be sure to check out my other tutorials here at Pretty Handy Girl and over on my website love my simple home.

May 24, 2018/2 Comments/by Julie at Love My Simple Home

Centerpieces, cloche, decor, Decorating, DIY, Home Decor

Spring Cloche Idea

DIY Spring Decor Cloche table centerpiece

Spring Cloche Idea

Hi, it’s Julie from Love My Simple Home back with another simple DIY tutorial. Today I have a quick project using a cloche, faux spring flowers, and live moss to create a beautiful spring cloche.

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Instructions:

You can purchase moss at most craft stores or find it free in your yard (like I did.) Did you know moss is super easy to dig up? Just use your fingers to peel it off the ground.

Place the moss on top of the plate and trim the edges so there is no overhang when the cloche is placed on top. No need to worry about the moss drying because the cloche acts as a greenhouse and keeps the moss moist.

Use your wire cutters to trim the branches and stems of your faux spring flowers. Cut them at various heights and make sure to trim to fit inside the cloche. You can make the arrangement full by adding more branches or keep it light and airy with just a few.

Tips for decorating with faux flowers:

Select faux flowers that are in season.
Buy flowers that have the closest color and texture as the real deal.
Add something live to your arrangement to trick the mind into thinking the fakes are real.

After the branches and stems are cut to size, it is time to make your arrangement. Position the tallest branch in the middle of the moss then place the other branches and stems around it. Push the stems and branches inside the moss and dirt for a secure hold.