yarn wreath {halloween}

surprise, surprise... i didnt work on ANY of the projects that i listed yesterday! i couldn't find my amy butler pattern, i didn't feel like doing the Christmas wreath...the excuses could go on and on. however, i did finish another yarn wreath! they are easy & fun to do in a setting like craft night because they don't take too much concentration. here it is!

this wreath is a little different than the first

{skinnier, different accents, etc.}

this is a horrible iphone picture, but it shows the $1 wreath frame i used for a skinnier look. the price is right! and the little swirl pattern of the grapevines gives it some texture :)

{add some felt rosettes, tulle, and some deconstructed black roses with purple glitter- from the dollar store}

the black roses from the dollar store were fun to take apart and use in different ways... you can see the leaves which i ripped off the stem...and then i used the petals to make rosettes and some other flowers

{i guess they kind of look like carnations... easily achieved by cutting out circles and then gathering them at the middle with a dollop of hot glue}

UPDATE:

here is my tutorial for rosettes! {adapted from here}

{start with a small square - or circle - of fabric... the shape does not have to be perfect!}

{then cut the fabric in a swirl pattern - this picture is just to show you how to cut,

dont actually draw the lines}

once you cut out the swirl, start with the outside edge and roll the fabric up

at the end of your roll, you'll be left with a little tab {the original middle of your fabric square/circle}

glue it to the base of your rosette and you're done! i love that this is the only time you have to glue.

i've taken this tutorial and just adapted it to whatever fabric i have.

TIP: if you're making rosettes of thin fabric, glue two pieces of the fabric together.

THEN cut out your swirl and roll it up. :)

craft night!

who is excited??? ME!!! i have a few crafts in the works... here is what could/will be happening tonight:

{the amy butler swing bag! i bought the pattern and reallllly cute plaid & polka dot fabric! queen b will be jealous}

{joyh had the novel idea to use kojo's tea wreath and turn it into a Christmas card showcase! can't you just picture all the holiday cards you get in the mail on display in this pretty fashion? i'm all set with clothespins and christmas paper, so there is no excuse for me to not finish this!}

{i got 4 of these frames on clearance from Target.com... $6.84 each! hoping to make a geometric & romantic arrangement in our bedroom:)}

{oh, and i have a few things in the works for lauras shower... no i will not be featuring myself in the invitation, but there will be a chalkboard...more to come on this}

{jeremy's sister suggested kraft paper in lieu of tablecloths... i'm suggesting paper flowers on the kraft paper?}

{this is my dream craft! love love love this tutorial for a peek-a-boo mirror.... i like it even better than the anthropologie mirror it was inspired from! now THAT's good!}

black and white {pumpkins}

this may totally change my halloween decorating plan...

black and white is so hot right now! ;) all i need are some white pumpkins & a sharpie!

diy {ahead of time} wedding

it was fun to run into my bride friend {megan} at hobby lobby last week. she was roaming the aisles to think of non-floral ideas for her december wedding. her motivation wasn't necessarily to save money, but to save her florist mom from running around like crazy on her wedding day!

one of my fav things about these ideas is that they can be done ahead of time.

the bride {and the mother-of-the-bride} should be able to relax and enjoy the whole day :)

{glass vases & holiday fillers}

{balsa wood bouquets}

{pinecone bouquets & bouts}

{all sorts of pomanders... berries, ribbons, evergreens, or silk florals}

{antique brooch bouquets}

{draped ribbon & beads}

{sheer fabric and uplit tree branches}

preppy headband

blair waldorf is my style icon

and although she is a fictional {teenage} character from Gossip Girl, i want to be her! this headband is totally something she would wear.

please excuse the poor picture quality... my iphone doesn't do it justice!

as soon as i saw this tutorial, i knew i needed one. it's so easy and fun to make! this is a pic from the tutorial that shows the bow in more detail...

{rufflesandstuff}

hobby lobby had cool mustard yellow leather, but its only 9 inches long.... not long enough even for an infant headwrap.

i improvised and glued pieces together to get the length i needed. {clamping them together with a clothespin while they dried.} annnd it's worth it to soak your elastic in tea bags so it becomes a nice beige color :)

i'm giving this as a gift, so i'll post more pictures when she opens it :)

on the list! {for the house}

i'm afraid that i'm turning into my dad... so many ideas {awesome ideas} but not enough time to get them all done! i hope that listing them here will motivate me to press onward and get them all done by dec 31!
you may remember this post from april... still a work in process! but my vision hasn't changed much :)
1. Master Bedroom - our bedroom is an awesome shade of grey... wood smoke, to be more specific. we have beautiful menswear inspired bedding & black furniture which make some awesome starting pieces. i really want to pull the rest of it together into a romantic, masculine suite! here is my inspiration:

{love the window treatments and the cluster of frames}

{some crown molding, a new light fixture...}

{love seat at the foot of the bed...}

i feel this goal is totally doable. our wall color is exactly the same as pic #2 & i already love our bedding...

2. Living Room -  our front window is huge! but far away from the fireplace/tv which makes it a totally under-used space.
well, under-used by all but one member of the fam......

anyway, i'd like to build a window seat or something to utilize the whole room {and all this natural light!}

3. Color - pick a neutral/consistent color palette. this is probably my biggest problem. right now we have a mix of black, brown, tan, yellow, red, green, and white. too much for me!

4. Entryway- drews favorite part of the house {besides the basement} was the little foyer we have :) i'd like to define that space to make it it's own little room!

{it really wouldn't take much...but just something that looks like it's supposed to be there}

5. Kitchen - i really like our kitchen now, its bright and fun. this is the only kitchen i am crushing on at the moment, if we were going to do an update

6. Dining - im kind of obsessed with upholstered chairs, love seats, and benches for the dining room. in my dreams, i find lots of cool furniture at goodwill, i reupholster it with my staple gun, and it looks amazing.

{6a} also, our dining room is open to the living room... we already have half-wall cabinets that divide the rooms, but id like to take it to the ceiling....

7. Holidays - if it was up to me, i would start decorating for Christmas now. winter is my favorite.

oh the joys of home ownership... the to-do list never ends! ;)