Mini wreath craft

     I got my newest copy of the Paper Source catalog the other day. I just love that company and they are based locally in Chicago! I have used their cards and envelopes before for bridal shower invitations that I'd made for a friend's wedding. I would have used them for my own wedding invitations had I not found a kit for $25 at le Target made by Gartner. I will warn you that it is much safer to order from the catalog. If you are lucky enough to live close to one of their locations, you can go see all of the colors of papers up close and personal. It's like eye candy.

     I love Paper Source because they also have cute little crafts kits and quirky gifts. On the cover was a paper and burlap wreath kit that comes with all the needed supplies for only $20. Which I think is a pretty good deal. However, knowing that I have leftover foam core from a school project I helped my little brother with, I thought it would be easy to make my own. Here's my inspiration:

Supplies needed:

foam core, or book board wreath forms

exacto knife or hot knife

several sheets of scrapbook paper

linen or burlap or fabric of your choice

modpodge

scissors

leaf pattern

double stick tape, scotch tape and/or hot glue gun

ribbon

     First, I prepped my foam core. In this tutorial, I am making a mini version to decorate my chalkboard I have hanging in my dining room. I started out cutting a big one for a future version to hang on my front door. I traced a big dinner plate onto the foam core and then a bowl in the middle to made the wreath shape. That's how I was left with the circle for my mini wreath. Bonus! 

       I didn't take a picture of this step but I used my hot knife to cut it out. I highly recommend getting one of these babies if you are planning on working with foam core. It cuts way nicer and easier than using just an exact knife. Just make sure to put some cardboard under your project so you don't mark up your table! I started by first tracing my line with the hot knife with just enough pressure to cut through the paper overlay of the foam core. Next, I retraced the line and it slid through the foam part like butta! Slow and steady will work the best. Beware, the melted foam core is kinda stinky so you may want to do it next to an open window or have a fan on. Lastly, I marked a line for the outer layer of leaves so that I could make sure they were even as I laid them down.

papers I chose from Michael's

     With my wreath forms cut and ready to go, my next step was cutting out the paper. I have a Silhouette Cameo so I thought it would be nice to let that little guy do some of the work for me. I downloaded a cut file for the leaves. This file actually contains a wreath form and banner. I have not cut fabric yet on my Silhouette so I don't have a fabric blade or fabric interfacing. To get around that for linen, I painted a nice, thick layer of modpodge on to the side that was not going to show. Then I traced a leaf onto the modpodged size (after drying) and hand cut them with fabric shears. If you do not have a Silhouette Cameo, then you can find some clip art online of a leaf and cut it out to use as a template. I have to say also that the particular glitter paper I chose was just way too thick, and it made a mess when I cut it on the Silhouette. If I could do it again, I would have just cut those by hand. I have other glitter paper I could have used that cuts nicely on the machine, but I really, really liked this paper. Its hard to tell but it is a mix of gold and silver sparkle. 

     Then I put a layer of double stick tape around the line I drew on the foam core. Then its as easy as starting to lay down the leaves. I played with the papers until I found a pattern I liked and kept that handy so I didn't get confused. See the upper right hand of the photo. The double stick came in handy after I laid them down as it wasn't permanent, so I could adjust the spacing of the leaves if needed. I used 30 leaves on the first layer! 

    For the second layer, I put the double stick tape right along the edge of the middle circle and repeated the pattern. No matter where you start, odds are you will have some of the same paper lining up from the first row to the next row. It's inevitable. I hated it, but in the long run you won't notice it much. Here's where you also want to start using your hot glue gun. I didn't until the end and the linen pieces don't stick well to each other. It was a mess...because the papers started sticking up with the third row (I'll show you in a minute).

     The last row I lined up as follows: I laid the leaves down so that just shy of middle of the leaf was on the edge of the inside circle. I bent one leaf and kept it as a template to try to make sure they were all level before I folded the bottoms around on of the inside of the leaf and taped them to the back with Scotch tape. That way you won't have multiple creases if you didn't line them up just perfect.

And here is where the leaves started standing up and pulling 

away from the tape so I reinforced them with the hot glue.

      I finished it off by tying some brown ribbon around the wreath to create the hanger. I had on hand from previous projects but I believe I had purchased it from Michaels. Ta-da! Maybe one day the big one will get done. 

     I was glad to have this little guy finished because there was glitter everywhere. I laughed because I recently came across a book on Amazon called The Tao of Martha: My Year of LIVING; Or, Why I'm Never Getting All That Glitter Off of the Dog. I thought to myself "how the heck do you get glitter on your dog?" Well, now I know...Glitter gets everywhere. Especially when a little pooch gets nosey and wants to be in my lap so she can see what I'm doing.

My cute little desk chair

    Today I worked on cleaning the desk chair I brought home a couple of weekends ago. It was a Craigslist find gem. I spent hours scouring the earth (or the Internet) for he perfect desk chair. They are expensive. And this girl doesn't have the money or the will to spend what I do have on something that is not going to be used every day.
     I already have a common office chair I brought home from work many years ago. We got new furniture and so our mismatched medley of black and brown office furniture was given out first-come-first served style. It has suited me for use with our Sauder computer armoire that was given to use by the previous home owner. I was glad to take it because was had no money and needed many more important such as bath towels and dishes, and well, everything. See, I am the oldest of three and so I don't get nice hand-me-downs like my little sis gets. Since my hubby and I both have laptops now for school, the desktop was a moot point. I gave that big honkin fake wood armoire to little sis since she has more room than I do.

U-G-L-Y you ain't got no alibi, you UGLY
(but functional, and free)

     We also grew up poor, which is why I'm so tight with my money. Like, we had the power and heat turned off many times in our childhood poor. I think that is one of the things that brings us close together though, that we both know what its like to struggle. Needless to say this does not keep me from pining over nice things for our home.
      I was really appalled by the prices of office chairs. Even my trusty old friend IKEA was coming in at $169 for the only suitable option. naturally, they have cheaper options but my friends, its not only style that is dictating what kind of chair I get. It's body mechanics. I was hit by a car when I was 4.5 years old and some things just don't work like their supposed to on my body. I am very lucky, I am not disabled in any major way but I do have back problems. Two herniated discs and some nice degenerative discs to be exact. I sit all day for a living. If I'm using my home office to craft or do homework, I NEED to be as comfortable as I can or I will not last long.
    I fell in love with a beauty from Pottery Barn Teen. Was it pretty? Check. Did it look nice and cushy and comfy? Check? Was the price within my budget....errr, nope. Not even close. It comes in at a hefty price of $359 plus delivery charges.

Ooh La La Swivel Chair

     A little more diggin on the site led me to the armchair version of this style for $299 on sale. It was still outside my budget and also these didn't come in colors that I really was planning on having in my office. I couldn't justify spending that money and reupholstering them. But it sparked my little think tank to get moving and see what I could find on Craigslist. This style chair looks antique, so why not try to refinish one? I'm already refinishing my desk that my sister lent gave me. And it would match the style nicely.

     I finally found a chair that made my heart go pitter-patter. The listing was about two weeks old so I told myself not to get my hopes up. The lister was only asking $30. It looked pretty solid in the picture so my gut was telling me it wasn't antique. Which is perfect. Then I don't have the guilt of refinishing it to a modern crisp lacquer white. I kind of have a split personality on when it comes to antiques on whether they should be restored to their original beauty or remade into something new. I wasn't really looking for shabby chic. Also, I loved that the shape was a tad bit more updated. And with a quick cleaning and some Febreze, it can go in my office now and wait for it's make over next spring, since I'm kind out out of commission right now because of my back. I had planned on having all of my office furniture rehabbed and ready to go before winter but my body had other plans. Wot wot. Story of my life.

Needless to say, I am planning on taking the arms off, sanding it down and painting it. And one day reupholstering it. The microfiber on it is wearing in the obvious spots. I might even take the  moulding off of the chair legs so I can cut them off and make it into a swivel chair like my inspiration above. 

Hello My Name Is....

Well, hello there friend! 

My name is Nicole White. I live with my husband of 3 years, and our little dogs too. Marley and Lily are my mischievous min pins that are way too spoiled. Currently, I work full time and go to school part time. I am (very slowly) working toward my degree in Elementary Education. 

Little Lady Lily

My girl Marley

I have a ton of things going on in my head and I really felt like I needed to get them out somewhere. Enter my blog. Projects. Recipes. Pinterest successes and fails. General information I have found and need to tell you about. It will all go here.

Any of my friends will tell you that I love to learn, and they usually turn to me when some sort of detailed researching of a product or idea is needed for them to make an informed decision on whether or not to purchase/partake in. Some of them even know they are guilty of persuading me to look up movie times for a show I am not going to. Yeah, you know who you are. 

Its kind of sad, but I love to read reviews. In a world of "click, click, thank you for your purchase," I often spend more time reading about products I'm going to buy than using them when they come. 

And then there is my habit of searching Wikipedia for random topics when I'm bored at work. Hey, don't judge! I know of at least one other person on this earth who has admitted to doing this so I know I'm not alone! 

I also love more than anything to save money. I love to get a ton of stuff for very little denero. More importantly, if I am going to spend the dough I want to make sure that it is completely worth it.

Stop on by anytime if you also like to gab about the same things:) I'll try my best to share some good useful info with you!