DIY Modern Fall Wreath

diy-fall-wreath-with-copper-ring-and-peony

As much as we tried to keep summer around as long as we could, it came and went. There’s no denying it’s fall. With some recent snowfall, it feels a lot like winter. When the air gets cold, and the leaves change color, we throw on the scarves, bust out the pumpkins and drink a lot more tea.

After a recent trip to Michael’s, Jessica was inspired to make a DIY fall wreath for her front door. It’s outside the traditional “orange fall” box for her. Though we love orange, there is no orange color on this wreath. It’s modern, and pretty. Here’s how she did it in less than 30 minutes (once the paint on the ring dried).

Materials:

  • Wire ring, 18″
  • Copper spray paint
  • Faux greenery, including lamb’s ear, eucalyptus, a fall-tone peony and burgundy leaves
  • Mini pumpkins, Pier 1
  • Copper floral wire
  • Hot glue gun and hot glue

Directions:

Step 1: Spray paint the ring copper.

Step 2: Cut stems from the faux greenery, and once the ring is dry begin to lay out the greenery along the ring. I wanted everything slightly off-center on the lower right corner.

faux-greenery-and-copper-wire-with-burgundy-leaves

Step 3: Hold stems on the ring and wrap with a 3-4 inch long piece of copper wire. Wrap it until it’s tight on the ring wreath. As you add stems, try to cover the copper wire.

copper-wire-for-a-faux-greenery-wreath

Step 4: Leave a small space in the center for the flower and pumpkin. Use hot glue to glue the flower.

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Step 5: Drill two small holes on the bottom of the pumpkin at an angle where you can insert the copper wire through one hole, and push it out through the other hole. Once the wire is in, set on the copper wreath and wrap the wire around the wreath.

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diy-modern-fall-wreath-with-copper-ring-and-peony

diy-modern-fall-wreath-with-copper-ring-and-peony

Step 6: If you need to hide the copper wire, glue leaves and stems here and there. Then, just hang.

diy-modern-fall-wreath-with-copper-ring-and-peony

diy-modern-fall-wreath-with-copper-ring-and-peony

diy-modern-fall-wreath-with-copper-ring-and-peony

DIY I’m Grateful For List Pad

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Moments you are grateful for in your everyday life should be noted. Whether you write it down, type in into your phone, or record it in a gratitude journal, take the time to do it. With this continued practice, your mind and energy vibrations will shift. Your perspective will change. Negativity will find it’s way to the door, and a lighter, happier heart will be full of joy.

The list does not need to be profound, and there’s no wrong answer. It will challenge you on the worst of days. And, on the best days, it will come easy. My {Jessica’s} list this past week included gratitude for two weeks in a row of bright and warm sunshine, no snow on the ground in early November, a good glass of wine shared with friends, a moment of great hope for our country, a phone conversation with my elderly and sick grandpa, kisses from my children in the morning and a husband that loves to cuddle, even when I don’t.

Oprah, a firm believer in a gratitude journal, is quoted as saying, “Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, never have enough.” We couldn’t agree more.

Yes, it’s true that circumstances are a reality, life can be really, unbearably hard, and our hearts can actually break. But, the one thing we can control is our attitude and the way we look at all the moments in our life. With a grateful mind and heart, life is more likely to have a beautiful view.

We have an easy and cute DIY for you to note all the things you’re thankful for in your life on a daily basis. It’s a DIY list pad; a I’m Grateful for List Pad, to be exact. The scroll means the list can go on and on, and it’s decorated with faux marble and Rifle Paper Co. paper, so it’s pretty to look at…which means it can be carried around with you, or left in a public area of your house.

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Here’s how we did it!

Materials:

Directions:

Step 1: Cut wood to dimensions you want. Our wood is about 3 inches x 15 inches. Home Depot was amazing and did it for us in-store for free. Gather all other materials.

wood-pliers-diy-list-copper-coil

Step 2: Cut copper coil with pliers. Measure {eyeball method} the amount you will need for a U shape to reach from the left side of the wood to the right. Test out the width of the copper on the wood, and trim it down if need be.  We liked the copper to hang down from the top of the wood in a U shape, so we could include the vinyl text on top.

 wood-pliers

Step 3: Gently bend the copper in a U shape. Do not bend it into a V because it is difficult to re-shape. This step is easy, and even small muscles can do it. Use the pliers to flatten both sides of the copper so it aligns right next to each edge of the wood.

copper-coil

Step 4: Use a drill with a small metal bit to make small holes on each side of the copper, in the center of the flat part. Press down firmly as you drill so it doesn’t move in the middle of your drilling.

copper-coil-drill

Step 5: Align the copper piping just the way it will sit on the wood. Use a pencil to mark the spot on each side of the wood, so you will know where to drill the holes to screw it in place.

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wood-copper-coil-pencil

Step 6: Drill ‘pilot’ holes in the wood on the pencil marks. Do not drill the entire length of the screw, only about ¼ size of the screw, so you can screw in the screws the remainder of the way. Pilot holes guarantee your screw won’t break off and your wood won’t split.

wood-drill

Step 7: Insert one end of the copper piece through the center of the thermal paper roll and push it until the paper roll is on the center of your U-shaped copper piece. Make sure the paper roll {the way it rolls out on the wood} lies flat on the wood, which will be easier to write on.

copper-coil-thermal-paper-roll

Step 8: Align each end of the copper to the holes on each side of the wood, and screw the small screws into the holes.

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copper-wood-screw

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Step 9: Trace the wood on the back of the Rifle Paper Co. wrapping paper and the faux marble. Add an angle on the top for a color-block effect. For the marble, cut the piece out, remove the backing and stick onto the wood. For the wrapping paper, cut it out, apply a thin layer of Mod Podge to the wood and the back of the wrapping paper. Place it on the wood and use a straight edge to make sure there are no bubbles. You can add a layer on Mod Podge on top of the paper if you want. We chose not to.

tracing

faux marble

faux marble-paper

rifle-paper-co-wrapping-paper

Step 10: Design a Grateful for design on the Silhouette Software. Follow the vinyl instructions on the box, and look at a previous post here to see how we do it. Add the vinyl on the top of the wood.

pink-grateful-for-diy-list-oad

grateful-for-list-pad-copper-vinyl

Step 11: Pull the paper down to the bottom of the wood. Wrap the hair tie around the bottom of the wood to keep the paper in place.

grateful-for-list-pad

Step 12: Begin to reflect and write down all that your grateful for. Make it a part of your daily routine and it will change your life for the better. Do it once a day, twice a day or three times a day – just do it. Thanksgiving is a great time to start.

diy-grateful-for-list-pad

 

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grateful-diy-list-flowers-black-white-stripes

 

DIY Marble and Copper Tray Hack

marble-and-copper-tray-west-elm-hack-vase-palm-leaf

We love, love, love to shop West Elm. But, we often love a good home decor hack even more. Our DIY side is totally satisfied when we successfully pull off a home décor hack that looks almost identical to the real thing sold in stores, at a fraction of the price.

One can never have enough trays, especially pretty ones like the Copper and Marble serving board at West Elm. So, one must make this DIY version of the Copper and Marble tray and West Elm hack. It’s so simple, and stunning.

marble-and-copper-tray-west-elm-hack-vase-palm-leaf-flower-wallpaper

Materials:

  • Copper Coil, 1/4 inch, Home Depot
  • Marble Tile, Home Depot
  • Super glue or Epoxy glue, Home Depot
  • Pliers and wire cutter, Home Depot

marble-and-copper-tray-west-elm-hack-vase-palm-leaf

 Directions:

Step 1: Cut the wire to approximately 8 inches long for the handles. Adjust the size according to your preference. Round the copper coil to the shape of a handle – it’s easy to bend and can be done with your hands.

marble-and-copper-tray-west-elm-hack-vase-copper-coil

Step 2: Insert the ends of the copper into the pliers and press firmly. This will flatten the round shape of the copper coil.

marble-and-copper-tray-west-elm-hack-vase-copper-coil

marble-and-copper-tray-west-elm-hack-vase-copper-coil

Step 3: Add glue to the ends of the copper coil and press it into the back of the marble tile. The flat sides of the copper should not show on the top side of the tray because it should be glued directly to the back of the tile.

marble-and-copper-tray-west-elm-hack-vase-copper-coil

Important note: if you use super glue, be extremely careful when pressing the copper ends down because your finger will get glued to the copper almost immediately. Wear gloves and/or be aware of the glue.

marble-and-copper-tray-west-elm-hack-vase-copper-coil

After holding the handles in place for several minutes, I got wise, and flipped the tray over, and placed heavy books on the tile where the copper was glued.

marble-and-copper-tray-west-elm-hack-vase-copper-coil

Step 4: Let it dry overnight.

This tray can be used as a cheese appetizer tray because it’s food safe, but we prefer it on a shelf with pretty jewelry, a bud vase or perfume.

 marble-and-copper-tray-west-elm-hack-vase-palm-leaf

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marble-and-copper-tray-west-elm-hack-vase-palm-leaf

If your eyes go straight to the Bourbon and Bowties bracelet, we’re a lot alike, because we love them! Buy one at Nordstrom {and while you’re there, shop the sale} – your arm will thank you.