Turn on the Christmas music, grab some eggnog or hot apple cider, bake your favorite holiday cookies, and call your friends over so we can get this DIY Christmas Ornament Wreath Party started!

Isn't she pretty?! I smile every time I walk by this beauty! I have been dreaming of making one of these for a few years now and with the help of a few ladies from my women's group I was able to make a party out of it. 

We have about thirty to thirty five women in our group, but usually only ten to fifteen of them have flexible enough schedules to participate in events like this that take place during the week night. So I emailed everyone in the group a few wreath ideas and the majority voted on making a Christmas Ornament Wreath. 

I read a few different tutorials and even emailed Jessica from Four Generations One Roof for advice on how many ornaments to buy. Some bloggers used 80 to 100 while others used less. But it really all comes down to the size of your wreath and the size of your ornaments. I ended up purchasing 18 inch straw wreaths and followed some tips from Melissa of The Happier Homemaker's post as well since she used a straw wreath for hers.

Items You'll Need:

Wreath Form

Shatter Proof Ornaments

Low Heat Glue Gun

Ribbon (optional)

Decorative toppers (optional) 

I was concerned about the plastic that covers the straw but read in the comments on Melissa's blog that she left the plastic on to contain the straw. (Note: If you can't find the answer in the post, read through the comments...someone usually asks the same questions that are on your mind!) 

Another question we had: Do you leave the caps on the ornaments or take them off?! Jessica from Four Generations One Roof took hers off and faced the top downwards. It really helps to take them off so you have more room to work with and can place the ornaments closer together. But after a while it was getting to be a little annoying since the shatter proofs have caps that don't pop off as easily as glass ornament caps do! 

Another great tip I read from Jessica is to not only hot glue your ornaments to the wreath, but to each other as well to make them more secure. Note that in my items needed list is a low temp glue gun. Well, I only had a high temp glue gun and when it got too hot it started melting some of the plastic ornaments so I had to be careful with how much I used and only glued them to the wreath! 

You can see a few empty spaces in my wreath still, so I may be purchasing a few more small ornaments to stack on top. (Tip: If you don't want to worry about this wrap your wreath in colored yarn or ribbon first.) There's really no right or wrong method to how you start gluing on your ornaments. I started with the center ones, then the top and worked my way from there. We had a mix of large ornaments, medium, and small ones. The large and medium sized ones were from Walmart and the small ones were from Dollar Tree. 

As you can see everyone had their own method, and some ladies used just red and gold ornaments while others used red and green, or all three colors like I did! 

You can also purchase decorative toppers like holly leaves to cover those empty spaces. 

We actually ran out of red and gold ornaments since they were the most popular colors so a few of the ladies finished their wreaths at home and have been emailing me the final look!

I love the way everyone's turned out, each one is so different and unique. I'm so glad I could share this Christmas craft with the ladies of my women's group. 

I saw these little owls at Walmart and couldn't leave without them! But then today I stopped by the Dollar Tree and saw a reindeer ornament, these owls may change out next year! I am obsessed with Christmas reindeer decor right now. Have you seen these vinyl reindeer crafts from Two Thirty-Five Designs?! 

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AHH... I just love everything Allison from Two Thirty-Five Designs does and all of her Cricut deer designs! I need to find out if any of my cartridges have reindeer on them! PS, I'm also linking up with her for her Casual Friday link up!

So next time on the blog I may feature a reindeer craft, or something else I have in mind for DIY Christmas gifts this year...shh!! 

I hope you enjoyed my DIY Christmas Ornament Wreath. Do you make your own Christmas Wreaths? What are some designs you are crushing over right now? 

Can you believe Thanksgiving is next week?! What are your plans, are you staying home to cook or going as a guest? Either way, I hope you have a lovely holiday with your family. 

Thanks for stopping by today! Have a great weekend! 

Also linking up with the Party Palooza and Weekend Re-Treat link parties!

Fall Favorites: Food, Decor, and More!

Yesterday over on East Coast Creative, where I'm the blog assistant, Monica posted an amazing collection of modern and unique fall decor ideas. So, I thought I should probably finish up my fall post that I started to put together 2 weeks ago!
 I've seen so many amazing fall decor and recipe pins trending lately and wanted to make a list of my fall favorites to share with you. Have you started to pin ideas for fall yet?! 

East Coast Creative {Chicken Chili}, Tatertots and Jello {Fall Front Porch}, Bliss At Home {Tribal Pumpkins}, Whipperberry {Candy Corn Wreath}, This Girl's Life {Pumpkin Spiced Latte}, The 36th Avenue {DIY Pumpkin Jars}

1. Crockpot Chicken Chili...

I've been waiting for cooler weather to start the crock pot and make one of my favorite chicken recipes that I shared with you guys last year when I found it on East Coast Creative. It's so easy to make, and taste so good that you'll want to dive in for seconds and maybe even thirds! Stop by the EC2 blog for the complete recipe details. 

2. Fall Front Porch...

It doesn't take much to make a small space look festive for the holidays, you don't want to over do it but you don't want to skimp on the details either. These simple tips from Jen of Tatertots and Jello on how to create a beautiful fall front porch show you how to create just the right amount of character and charm by using more than just fall decor. My favorite ideas that help pull the look together for any season are the rug and seating area. Throw in some pumpkins and a festive wreath and you are good to go! I can't wait to decorate my front porch area for fall! 

3. Tribal Pumpkins...

This DIY pumpkin post from Bliss at Home may be from last year, however the tribal trend doesn't seem to be going away any time soon. I'd like to get a little more creative with pumpkins this year, there is more to them than just carving out a jack o' lantern! Kristin used white craft paint to create the arrows on her pumpkins, and well that's it! Fall decor can't get easier than that folks. 

4. Candy Corn Wreath...

I love the ombre effect on this candy corn wreath from Whipperberry, it's not your typical fall wreath but works so well the colors of the season. I used to be a big fan of candy corn, but I guess as I got older I realized that there is a world full of candy out there that tastes much better! I may no longer enjoy eating candy corn, but this wreath is pretty cool and looks fun to make. 

5. Pumpkin Spiced Latte....

Coffee house lattes can really pack on the calories and may include unnecessary ingredients. So what's a girl to do when she can't get enough of the pumpkin spiced latte during the fall and winter seasons? Well thanks to This Girl's Life blog, this girl (me!) can make a homemade version...yum! 

6. DIY Pumpkin Jars....

I am currently obsessed with painting mason jars, oh wait until you see the DIY project I'm going to share with you later this week! OK, back to these adorable pumpkin jars from The 36th Avenue, I mean they are just too cute! I would love to place these with my fall owls that sit on the bay window sill in my kitchen, especially that little fat jar in the front....oh my word! Make sure to stop by Desiree's post if you love painting mason jars too, she has some really great tips on how to perfect this craft! 

So, what are some of your fall favorites? Do you obsess over pumpkin recipes and fall decor as much as I do? 

If you're looking for more, here are a few fall recipes I made last year. I can't wait to make the pumpkin pancakes again! 

Thanks for stopping by, enjoy your day! 

Creative Ways to Decorate for Spring

It seems that Mother Nature is confused because we are supposed to get a few inches of snow today, but I'm pushing forward and still on the look for creative ways to decorate for Spring! I don't have many decorations for this time of year, heck I don't even have a Spring wreath! Plus, the only decor I have around the house doesn't really shout, "It's Springtime"; a few plants, my cherished teddies, owls (of course!), and a huge smiling rustic sun that I hang outside to greet our guests isn't going to cut it! I want get more creative and really brighten things up after the long winter we've experienced this year. Here are a few ideas I discovered by searching Pinterest that I'm obsessing over...

Is it too late to make my own Spring wreath? If not, then here are a few wreath ideas I'm inspired by...

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So, I showed this garden hose wreath from Create. Craft. Love to the hubby and he wasn't seeing the same unique and quirky Spring wreath idea I was seeing! What do you think? Is it too out of the box or is it just right? 

I love the fabric flower wreath from Digital Designs Scrapbooking with the little blue wooden bird and picture frame, it's cheerful and perfect for Spring and Summer. Do you think it has too much going on, or would you leave it just as is?

I have seen these fabric ball wreaths trending during the winter holiday season, but haven't really seen too many for Spring and Summer until I stumbled upon this one from The Love Nerds. This color combination is one of my favorites, it was actually our wedding colors and they have since been my favorite colors for Spring. 

How can you not love this amazing succulent wreath from Garden Therapy, am I right? It looks like a lot of time was put into creating this beauty. I had a succulent plant my mom purchased one year at the Philadelphia Flower Show, but sadly it didn't last. Any tips on taking care of succulents?! 

From wreaths to planters, there are just so many creative ways to decorate for Spring...

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It's really amazing what a little spray paint, a few stencils, and rope can do to change the look of a boring planter! 

This southwest painted tiered planter DIY is from last year, but arrows are still trending so you can't go wrong with going the southern route with this idea from East Coast Creative. 

I recently wrote a post for AWS about DIY rope decor ideas, still waiting for it to go live and will update you with that link! But, who knew rope could be so much fun and bring new life to a simple planter?! I love that blogger April from House by Hoff  painted her rope to give it even more character.

If you are looking for a pop of color and you are obsessed with pink or bright neon colors, then this last idea from The Proper Pinwheel is just for you! Grab your favorite can of spray paint and get creative! 

Sometimes a table runner is all you need to bring new life to a boring tablescape....

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I had a really cute table runner for the holiday season, but currently my table only has a single plant sitting on it...not very creative! 

This first table runner was created using paint stinks....the ideas people come up with are just mind blowing! I love the herringbone pattern that was created, by Amanda over on Ruffled it gives it more of a creative design element then just gluing them side by side for the table runner. 

How adorable is this paper pinwheel table runner from Green Wedding Shoes? I'm not sure how long it would last in a household full of children, but if you are looking for a table runner for the Spring holidays that would really impress your guests, this would be a great one! 

So, there you have it a few of my favorite creative ways to decorate for Spring...now let's go execute them! 

Thanks for stopping by, have a great day! 

PS.... have you checked out my blog Facebook page yet?! I'm running a fun giveaway when I hit 100 likes, co-hosting with my friend Katie over at Busy Bee Kate, give her a sweet hello!