Baby Shower Onesie Bouquets

This past Saturday, our sweet friends Ashley and Jason welcomed their first baby into the world. We are so excited for all three of them and know that they'll be awesome parents to little Ellery Kate. (Her name is pretty great, right?? I think it's lovely.) Most likely, this little one will grow up to have a quick sense of humor, along with a love for others, especially those in need. She'll be smart and crafty and organized and a good worker. She'll probably make a mean cupcake. And of course, she'll be stinkin' cute, because Ashley and Jason are such a handsome couple. =) Right away, she'll be very well dressed. The outpouring of love in the form of an incredible number of gifts and guests at their church baby shower was a great indicator of how much people think of Ashley and Jason. We are fortunate to count them as close friends.

I was honored to help hostess this baby shower in September and I offered to do the decorations. So, thanks to Pinterest for this sweet idea...a fun baby shower gift that's, at once, decorative - and ultimately, pretty useful also. I've now made two of these - one for Ellery Kate and the other for another "first baby" for our good friends Sasha and Jared. (Her name will be Adelae Grace; my friends are picking some superb names lately!) Both projects were incredibly fun and fairly quick. Bonus! (Speaking of Pinterest, I hope to have a Pinterest button on the blog soon...it's in the middle of a autumn redesign, which I'm pretty excited about. Woo hoo!)

A funny story involving this project...I got a thank you note from Ashley after the shower and I handed it to Jeremy to read. At one point he paused and said, "She's using words I don't even know! O-niece? O-nee-see?" I couldn't *imagine* what he was talking about, but after a quick peek at the note, I started laughing hysterically. I guess Jeremy had never seen the word "onesie" written out...

I shared that story on Facebook a few weeks ago and my friend Lindley said her husband had sounded it out the same way...and then said, "I guess I'm looking at the Spanish side of the package..." Oh, the laughter!!

Onesie Bouquet Tutorial

Materials needed:
*medium-sized flower pot...any color and design you wish!
*styrofoam block
*knife or box cutter (for cutting styrofoam)
*hot glue gun (I highly recommend a low-temp one)
*heavy floral wire covered with floral tape (needs to be sturdy; these will be the stems)
*wire cutters
*assortment of baby onesies/matching pants, baby washcloths, and/or baby socks (all in the same color scheme). I used three sets of onesies/pants, three onesies or pants in each set.
*one bunch of "permanent flowers" with plenty of leaves attached
*floral tape, preferably green

Instructions:
1. Heat up glue gun; cut styrofoam into two smaller blocks that will fit (one on top of the other) into the pot. Glue pieces together, mainly on the edges. You don't want to make it it impossible for the floral wire to pierce through a thick smear of hardened glue. Attach the styrofoam pieces into the pot, pressing down well until adhesive is dry and blocks seem sturdy.

2. Cut floral wire to desired length. I think mine were about 9-10 inches long. Make a small loop at one end; this will help anchor the onesie rosette and also help keep it from snagging the fabric. (Good idea, Jeremy.)

3. Lay first onesie upside down and fold both sides over, much like tucking the sleeves back when folding a shirt. Place first piece of floral wire (loop side up) on the tush-side of the onesie and start rolling it up, fairly tightly. When you've finished rolling it, secure with a generous strand of floral tape. (If you've never used floral tape before, it works best when pulled and wrapped at the same time - it only becomes sticky when it stretches and then sticks to itself.)

4. Insert onesie rosette into the styrofoam. Continue making the rosettes and arranging them in a pleasing color pattern into the pot. Take care to not pierce any fabric with the floral stems.

5. After the onesie rosettes are completed and placed, cut several of the "permanent" flowers and insert them into the arrangement for visual interest. You will want to cut off the leaves from the stems and tuck them around the edge of the pot  to cover any of the floral tape. Tuck a few leaves into the middle of the arrangement, too, if you have enough. I did not anchor these with glue or anything because it's a temporary arrangement. I had no problem transporting it with everything staying in place. =)

6. Admire your handiwork and take some pictures you "secretly" hope will end up on Pinterest. ;)

Coming up soon...more baby shower projects! 

Heart Day: Flowers

I just love flowers. They can be growing in the yard or they can be a cut bouquet popping out of pretty vase on my kitchen counter. Either way, I regularly stop to admire them and take a few photos. But bouquets (especially roses and especially this time of year) can be expensive. Therefore, I am totally O.K. with my bouquets coming directly from "big, bad" Wal-Mart. They often have quite a good selection and they are affordable enough to buy here and there throughout the year. Sometimes I even purchase them for myself if there's something special that I can't seem to pass up.

Admittedly, they may not quite up to par with fresh bouquets, say, from a street vendor in Europe. When I studied in Belgium for a semester, I remember the various buckets of flowers lined up for selection. It was a point and smile order system because although I knew a teensy bit of French, I was too timid to Actually Use It. The blooms were gorgeous and the prices were just as nice. I found myself wishing for little flower markets to suddenly appear back home. Sigh!

Enter the flower station at Wal-Mart. Totally doable. And Jeremy feels the same way, so for Valentine's Day, he can get me flowers and an actual gift, if he so desires. Which is totally fine by me.

I love bouquets with unique fillers, like this purple stuff (name, anyone?) and the tall grassy stuff. And daisies always remind me of Meg Ryan's character in You've Got Mail. "Don't you think daisies are the friendliest flower?" Yes, Kathleen Kelly, I do. You're true.

I wanted to give you a few hints on how to take care of your cut bouquets, whether they come from the yard or the store. Because you want them to last as long as they can. First of all, if they came from the store, you're gonna want to recut the stems. This makes it easier on the flowers to keep drinking as much water as they want. Also, cut the stems at an angle.

I have a pair of scissors (they're plain ole scissors but they're green-handled...green = plant-friendly) that I use for only plants. If you remembered my fabric scissor comment from the post about the craft room, it's similar in theory to that. Except no, not really. Fabric scissors need to cut fabric only; if they start cutting on other things, the blades will dull and they will start raveling your fabric. Plant scissors (in my house) are reserved for plant materials. These scissors will not stay clean and that's O.K. But because they're for plants only, nothing else ever gets messed up with them. Did that make all kinds of sense or did I just basically tell you that I have too many rules? Don't answer that.

If some parts of your bouquet have woody stems (like the purple filler), you can take an extra step here. Smash the end of the stem to help it absorb even more water. Super simple.

Alright, find an appropriate vase for your bouquet. Reference this post at The Art of Doing Stuff for more info. on that. She has good ideas. As for me, I have a small stash of vases I've bought or been given. You can also recycle pretty juice bottles or Mason jars for smaller bouquets. For bigger bouquets, I tend to use this one often.

It's tall and medium sized, which holds the flowers upright and allows you to keep the stems somewhat long. It'd be perfect for a dozen roses, too. (Again, reference the above post to tell you what could happen with the wrong vase. It's kind of hilarious. =) Also, the pretty scalloped edge and designs on this particular vase dress up my entire arrangement, no matter what I put in it. Word to the wise.

I always use room temperature water to fill the vase with. The flowers are already in a bit of shock after being cut and moved around and taken in and out of water. You don't want to shock them further with freezing cold or burning hot water in their new home. Be nice to your flowers and they'll be nice to you. (Did I really just say that?) Some people suggest that you actually recut the flowers underneath running water, but I hardly ever do that. Honestly, I can't tell a difference.

If the bouquet came with a little packet of plant food, by all means, use it. Stir well to dissolve. Now you're ready to arrange!

You may want to keep the bouquet in the same exact arrangement in which it first appeared to you. If it's already pleasing to your eye, well, that's the easiest thing to do! Just grasp the bouquet, snip the stems, and insert the flowers into the vase. Done.

If you want to rearrange some things, which I often do, it doesn't take much longer. I lay a big paper towel (or three) on the counter and set the flowers on top of it. Then I first put the flowers with the largest representation in the vase. In this case, the daisies. Simply a bouquet of daisies. Then I started in with the magenta gerbera daisies, white lilies, and the pink carnations, evenly spacing them out a bit. The fillers came next and I finished up with the grassy stuff. So easy.

Another tip is to recut your stems a bit every couple of days or so. Don't cut too much, though, or you'll end up with an Incredible Shrinking Arrangement. But you won't really have to worry about that if you have tulips...I find it extremely interesting that they're the only flowers that still keep growing after they're cut. The flowers change day by day. Very, very cool.

You'll also want to change your water every couple of days or so. Sometimes I go a little longer without changing it if I don't have any more plant food available.

And that's all the flowery tips I can think of right now. I surely don't claim to be a professional florist, but I am interested in it enough to pick up some things here and there. Hope these hints are helpful to you, too!

Ornament Wreath Tutorial

You know all that extra time you have on your hands this time of year? That's right...the week of Christmas? Hours and hours of downtime? Because, obviously, you have all your shopping done, each present beautifully wrapped, cards sent, menus settled, groceries purchased, house cleaned. Oh, wait, that's not just me who doesn't have everything ready to go? Hmmm...

WELL. If you DO happen to have any extra time on your hands and you DO happen to find some shatterproof ornaments still in the stores (and hopefully on sale!) here's what you should do. Make a great Christmas wreath for your mantel or your door or your wall. If not, it's still totally allowable to make a wreath AFTER the Christmas holiday is over. You know, for next year and all.

This project is totally fun and would be great for a wreath-making party sometime. I had a little trouble getting started because somehow I thought I could make this work without using a hot glue gun. I know, I know...what was I thinking??! Wiring stuff together just didn't cut it. You are definitely going to want a hot glue gun unless you want to spend approximately 2 zillion (frustrating) hours making this thing. Also, you are going to want to use a LOW-TEMP glue gun on this project...unless you want third-degree burns resulting from your fun little project. I cannot stress this enough. I always use my low-temp glue gun...one time in high school I was using my mom's high temp one to make a pinata for Spanish class...there were definitely several moments where I thought about giving up craftiness altogether in favor of a less hurtful hobby. A low temp glue gun may make you say, "Well, hmmm, ouch" a few times, but it won't leave you screaming "OW! OOOOOOUUUUUUCCCCCCHHHHHHHH!" I can deal with a tiny ouch here and there, but oh, dear. Why put up with the other? I know, childbirth would not be kind to me.

The Recipe for an Ornament Wreath:

*a small or large wire wreath form (Hobby Lobby's got them)
*LOTS of shatterproof ornaments (more than you'll think you'll ever need - you can return unused ones)
*low-temp hot glue gun
*plenty of glue sticks
*scissors
*one package of tinsel, in a coordinating color (you'll use about 1/2 pkg. for a small; whole pkg. for a large)
*a wreath-easel (at least that's what I call it)
*about one hour for a small-medium wreath OR 2+ hours for a large one
*an area in your house that you don't mind completely destroying with glitter and tinsel-remnants =)

Let's begin!

Spread out some newpaper on your kitchen counter - or wherever you're choosing to do this...heat up your hot glue gun...and spend a little time designing your wreath. Play a little before you start with the glue. A good assortment of various shapes and coordinating colors is awesome for creating visual interest. I used a lot a glittery ones, too. I like a lot of sparkle.

This wreath is a small one - it can be hung OR it can be used as a centerpiece for a small table. It would be pretty to encircle a candle.

I find this easier to start on a flat surface. Keep adding layers. You may to have plan out each step ahead before glueing them. It takes a little time, but you can get it fairly symmetrical. Once you start adding the second layer, you need to glue both (or three) sides of the ornaments together - whatever will be touching.

This will provide stability, which is very important.

After your ornaments are in place, hold the wreath up - preferably in the space where you will be hanging it.

Look for any holes that need to be filled in. Then, fill 'em in. Now hang it on your "wreath easel" to finish it up.

Start cutting lengths of tinsel and placing them in their desired locations. I would do about a third of the wreath and then go back and glue all of it, so I wouldn't have to cut and then lay down the scissors - then pick up the glue gun, put down the glue gun, etc.

You don't want any of the wreaths mechanics to show through. No wire wreath form should be seen at the end of this project. You also don't want to see the glue between the ornaments, so put small pieces of tinsel to cover them up.

Keep turning the wreath, so that it looks good from every angle.

Keep adding tinsel where needed.

To finish up, gently turn the wreath over onto the counter. This last step has a two-fold purpose. You are going to reinforce the first layer (which is touching the wreath form) with extra glue - and then you'll be adding the tinsel in one long piece to cover the backing. It won't completely cover the backing but it'll be good enough. It's the BACK.

Then you'll be free to admire your handiwork.

That part is pretty stinkin' fun!

Here's a second wreath. All green and red.

 It's a large one, for a front door.

But it wasn't for my front door.

I totally loved the red and green, though!

You can see some more designs on this previous post.

If you do find yourself with some spare time and you do end up making a wreath, I'd love to see it! Email me a picture at Kristen4815@gmail.com. =)

Merry Christmas Week!!