How To: A #1 Teacher Wreath

A couple of posts ago I shared with you the desktop floral pens that we made during teacher appreciation week.  I'm finally back today with the wreath that I mentioned in that post, read on to see how easy it was to put together!

(You can click here to read about the pens)

(The photos in this post were enhanced using Photoshop's Spring filter and white Vignette  border)

(This post is for you, Ms. Campbell, thanks for being the BEST 1st Grade teacher EVER!!!)

Ok now, on with the wreath......

Materials

For this wreath I used a straw base, bright red fabric tulips and a #1 Teacher chalkboard pick.

Baby Girl found the chalkboard pick back in September and had to have it for this year's appreciation gift.  I said ok and then (eventually) chose the tulips because they were spring flowers whose color matched the red apple on the pick perfectly.  Sometimes you start planning months in advance...ok, ok, if you are me you do that all the time :D

Step 1

After gluing one of the green leaves in place, I began layering the tulips on top.

Step 2

Keep layering!  I chose to create an asymmetrical wreath where only some of the wreath base was covered by flowers.  You could cover the entire wreath form if you wanted, or come up with another design entirely.

Step 3

After the flowers were in place I softened the look by layering in a few more greens.

Step 4

After using a pair of wire cutters to remove the chalkboard sign from it's stick, I glued it in place at the center of the tulips.  And that was it, all done!

I thought the wreath looked ok at this angle but then I hung it up for a photo and.....

.....realized that it looked much better hanging at a slight angle.

That happens sometimes in design.  Sometimes you change things up a bit along the way, sometimes you adjust the finished product or sometimes you go in a completely different direction altogether.  It's all ok, just enjoy the creative process!

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I hope you enjoyed this how-to post, thanks for stopping by!

-Jennifer

© Jennifer Adams Flowers 2016

Fall Wreath Upgrade: Scarecrow Fun!

Fall Floral Wreath

You might remember this wreath from previous fall decor posts.  I made it a couple of years ago and it hangs on our front door.

(You can click here to read more about this wreath and the rest of my fall decor)

Recently I found some scarecrows at a yard sale that I thought would be fun to add to this wreath.  I chose them to represent our family of four and bought them for a total of $5.

I'm going to show you how easy it was to add the scarecrows to my fall wreath, but first......

.......Let me just share with you the 'upgrade' that Baby Girl created! 

See here is the thing; whenever I get out my supplies to work on any sort of project, I have one or two kiddos that want to take part in the fun.  Sometimes we can work side by side, and other times I let them play for awhile until they get bored.  

Today Baby Girl and I made a deal; she could design whatever kind of scarecrow/ pipe cleaner wreath that she wanted and I would put a photograph of it on the blog.  So here you go folks!

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And now back to the wreath.....

Scarecrows!

(You can click here to read the treasure hunting post that features these scarecrows)

Step 1

The first thing I did was to remove the wooden sticks from the scarecrows.  They were easy to cut off with a pair of clippers.

Step 2

Since the 'Husby' scarecrow was the biggest, I added him first.  

A little hot glue was all I needed to attach the scarecrows.

Step 3

I added my scarecrow next.

Step 4

Then followed up with two tiny 'kid' scarecrows and that was that!

Front Door

I'm happy with the way the wreath turned out, and just in time to get ready for Thanksgiving.
But for now, I'm off to celebrate the Halloween weekend with the kids! 

I hope you enjoyed this how-to post, thanks for stopping by!

-Jennifer

© Jennifer Adams Flowers 2015

Upcycle: Party Decor Turned Keepsake Wreath

I was all set to hit you guys with a treasure hunting post today when I logged in and realized that I still had this wreath post hanging out in my dashboard.  Oops! 

(We won't discuss the other 25 or so posts that are waiting there as well..hahaha!)

Anyway, read on to see how I turned leftover party decorations into an adorable keepsake wreath:

Leftover Flowers

Here are the flowers I used to decorate the Welcome Baby Party that I have blogged about recently.

I wanted to re-purpose them in some way and got the idea to recycle them into a wreath.

(You can click here to see the flowers in use at the party)

I looked through my stash of crafting supplies and found this partially decorated wreath.  

The wreath was a treasure hunting find from earlier this summer.  It came as you see it here: with greenery, purple flowers and a few seashells.

You can also see that it cost me quite a bit.....;)

The first thing I did (after washing the wreath) was to remove everything but the greenery.  I wanted a nice clean base for the pink flowers.

These purple flowers are pretty so I tucked them away into a supply bin.  Who knows where they might come in handy?  :)

*The seashells I threw into the trash, they were chipped up and nasty.

I used hot glue to place the white roses on first...

...and then followed behind with the pink roses.

I only had three each of the white and pink roses, so I started with them first.  That way I could make sure that they were evenly spaced apart.

After that I began filling in the greens pace with the pink daisies.

Overall I liked the way it was going, but one thing was bugging me: The white roses looked too stark, almost out of place.  

I decided that somehow they needed to be toned down a bit...

...and got out these light pink fabric rose petals (also left over from the party).

I used the pink rose petals as filler, and glued them in among the white rose petals.  You can see that they really helped to soften the look of the bright white.

A Close-Up

After 'fixing' the white roses, I continued to add in pink daisies to fill out the wreath.  I also decided to add in a few more rose petals here and there, just for kicks :D

And there you have it, a simple way to turn leftover party supplies into a beautiful keepsake.

I hope you enjoyed the post, thanks for stopping by!

-Jennifer

© Jennifer Adams Flowers 2015

Summer Wreaths (2015)

I'm spending most of the day baking for Baby Girl's graduation party, but I wanted to take a moment to share with you a few of the gorgeous summer wreaths I have been working on.

Check out the summer beauty:

Summer Sunflowers ($20)

Nestled into lush ivy on a grapevine base, these sunflowers bring sunshine to any entryway!

Orange Flip-Flops ($25)

These summer sandals are surrounded by yellow roses and magenta daisies.

Red Flip-Flops ($25)

Bright and colorful blooms paired with red flip-flops make this doorway bright and cheerful!

Purple Flip-Flops ($25)

These 'flippies' are settled into a lush bed of summer garden florals.

If you are interested in purchasing any of the wreaths pictured here, you may contact me at:
Jenniferadamsflowers.gmail.com

(Supplies are limited, so act fast!)

I'm going to head back into the kitchen now, I've got a huge pile of chocolate cupcakes that need my attention :D  I'll be back next week with photos from our celebration, thanks for stopping by!

-Jennifer

© Jennifer Adams Flowers 2015

Crepe Paper Valentine Wreath (2015)

When I was unpacking my Valentine decor this year, I pulled out a heart-shaped wreath form that I had forgotten about.  When I bought it (treasure hunting) I envisioned covering it with solid red roses...

..but I ended up finding another wreath that will work much better for that project.  So what to do?  Well a few days later I was sifting through Pinterest and found a gorgeous crepe paper rose tutorial from Amy at the Idea Room 

I knew I had to try it out!  Take a look:

Materials

A heart shaped Styrofoam wreath form and a couple of red crepe paper rolls.

The wreath form was a .25 treasure hunting find and the crepe paper rolls are sold 2 for $1 at Dollar tree.  Since I only used one roll, this project came in at a total of .75!

You can click here to read more about this treasure hunting find.

Red Heart

The first thing I did was wrap the form in the crepe paper.  

I recommend gently stretching the crepe paper to avoid wrinkles, and hot glue was perfect for keeping everything in place.

Rosebuds

The next step was to create several of these adorable crepe paper rosebuds.

Click here to see an excellent tutorial from Amy at the Idea Room

Rosebuds in Place

After making the rosebuds, I glued them into two clusters on the wreath.

And there you have it: an easy, inexpensive project completed in one afternoon.

Simple as that!

The Finished Wreath

Here the wreath is pictured hanging at the front door.

Later I ended up moving it to the dining room window, before finally positioning it on one of my bookshelves.  I thought it looked better without the wreath hanger.

On the Shelf

Sometimes you just gotta keep tweaking things until you get them right :)

I hope you enjoyed this how-to post and thanks for stopping by!

-Jennifer

© Jennifer Adams Flowers 2015

For more great ideas, visit Amy at the Idea Room by clicking here

Valentine Decor (2015)

It's almost Valentine's Day!
Come on in and see how I like to decorate!

Dining Room

Here is a shot containing most of my Valentine decor.
Keep scrolling to see everything in greater detail.

Red Roses

As some of you may know, I spent 13 years working in a florist shop.  Of all the flowers and all the colors, red roses have always been my absolute favorite!  But I hated the fact that they last only a few days, especially compared to the expense. I still wanted to have red roses as part of my Valentine decor, so of course I turned to fabric flowers!  

I purchased these amazing long-stem red roses from Hobby Lobby a couple of years ago.  I can't remember the price, but I do remember that they were half-off. And I also remember that I had a $50 gift card that covered these flowers, greenery and the cupcakes/chocolate cake that you will see in a bit.  

I love the fact that these roses look amazingly real (lots of people have been fooled by them), and they stay beautiful the entire month of February.  I also like how easy it is to store them away when I switch to spring.

Side Note:  Husby used to buy me roses, but once I started working in a florist I kindly suggested that he could stop.  After seeing how much a rose actually costs, compared to the retail mark-up, compared to the extra mark-up added for the Valentine  holiday, I just couldn't stand it!  I guess you could say I became a little jaded over the price discrepancy......

Now he picks me wildflowers during the spring/summer/early fall and I like that a whole lot better :)

Close-Up

Left:  Here you can better see the 'jewels' I used as vase filler.  I found these red plastic gems while treasure hunting, and knew they would look great as filler for my Valentine vase.  I also like the fact that they are pretty heavy because they also keep the vase from tipping over.

Right:  I couldn't resist taking a close-up of these gorgeous faux roses!

Sparkly Hearts

I have a lot of sparkly hearts in various sizes.  Pictured here are heart shaped ornaments that I purchased on clearance, I think for .25 each.

The red rose bud is actually made of wood and was a gift from the hospital when I had Little Man last year.  I got out of the shower and found a food tray and a red rose at my bed.  Sweet!

Glass Jars

Here I have a couple of jars containing fabric rose petals and one jar filled with sparkly foam hearts.  I have had the petals forever and most likely found them treasure hunting.  The foam hearts are left over from Baby Girl's valentine project.  She decided that she wanted to make her own valentines for her classmates and we found these hearts at Dollar Tree.

Hats & Hearts

Top:  Husby's Aunt Mary & family sent this adorable stocking hat to the Little Man last year.  I got to take some really cute pictures of him wearing it.  Now that he has outgrown it, it's part of our Valentine decor.

Bottom:  I filled a trifle bowl with these plastic conversation hearts.  I found them last summer while treasure hunting and while they would make great treat containers, I have been using them for photo props.

Click here to read about the conversation hearts.

Hearts & Chocolate

Another trifle bowl filled with sparkly hearts sits next to a framed print.  

I bought a bunch of scrapbooking papers at a yard sale for $1 last summer.  Once I got  home I found this chocolate print among them.  I popped it into an extra photo frame and there you have it, Valentine art!

Glass Jars & A Valentine

These containers are filled with miniature hearts that used to be floral picks.  I pulled them off of there sticks and stuck them into jars.  Next to them is a framed Valentine that Baby Girl made at her Gramma's  house.  I love it!

Strawberry Topped Cake

This is a Styrofoam cake that I purchased on eBay a few years ago.  It's weird, it's unexpected, it's completely unnecessary, it's totally me!  And it was my birthday, so I went for it.

I had no idea what I was going to do with it, but I loved it so very much.  Finally the light bulb clicked on and I realized that I could incorporate sweet treats into my Valentine display, and the rest is history!

Chocolate Strawberry Cake

Tadaa!  This is the fake cake from  Hobby Lobby that I mentioned earlier.  Is it not the most wonderful thing you have ever seen? ....No?....Just me?....Hahaha!

Close-Up

You know what the funny thing is?  I don't even eat a lot of sweets.  I have a blood sugar issue (hypoglycemia) and I have to be careful not to eat a lot of sugar.  Otherwise my already high metabolism kicks into overdrive and (ironically) end up with lower blood sugar than before.  Then I faint and stuff....fun times! :D

Put a real cake in front of me and I'm like, 'ehhh, no thanks' because I know it will make me sick.  I don't even crave it.  Put a fake cake in front of me and it's, "Take my money now!!!" 

Cupcakes!

These too are faux.  Can you stand it?  I can't!  I just want to hold them all day!

These too are from Hobby lobby

Close-Up

I am determined to either find or make faux chocolates like the ones on top of these cupcakes.  I think it would be so cute to have a Valentine box of fake chocolates.  And I know some little people who would enjoy playing with it ;)

Heart Wreath

Currently I have this shiny, tinsel-y, red garland heart wreath on the front door.  I'm going to be honest and say I don't really love it.  It looks a bit too much like Christmas tree garland for my taste.

  What I do love is the heavy duty heart-shaped wreath form that it is attached too.  It was a .50 treasure hunting find, so I bought it with the intention of re-styling it.  I know I want it to contain red fabric roses, but I'm still thinking about the details.  For now it hangs on the door as is.

Kitchen Decor

Left:  On the counter top I have this ceramic red velvet cake pan and cupcake.  The cake pan was a recent treasure hunting find.  The cupcake I pulled out of my bakers cabinet.

Click here to read about the cake pan.

Click here to read about the bakers cabinet full of treat inspired decor.

Lovey Ducks

Annnnnd we have a little family of Valentine ducks in the kids bathroom :)

That wraps up my Valentine decor for now.  I'll be back with a Valentine wreath how-to, flower photos from a Daddy-Daughter dance, Valentine print art and a post about how we celebrated the Little Man's actual birthday.

Side Note:  Valentine's Day means that spring is almost here, and that means that it's getting close to being one year since starting this blog.  I can't believe how fast it went.  Thanks to each and every one of my readers, all around the globe!

On that note, I hope you enjoyed my sparkly Valentine decor.  Thanks for stopping by!

-Jennifer

© Jennifer Adams Flowers 2015