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Quick & Easy Mother’s Day Gift Ideas

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Quick and Easy Mothers Day IdeasHere it is the week before Mother’s Day already! Are you all set or are you still looking for some special, and more importantly – meaningful, gifts for your moms and grandmas? You probably know that around here we think that gifts we make ourselves are the most meaningful, as they truly have a little bit of us in every gift we give.

Along these lines, I’ve searched the archives of Mom Adivce to bring you some of our quickest and easiest DIY projects that would be perfect for the women in your life! I’ve grouped them into four categories that moms are guaranteed to love:

DIY Flowers - who says you need to buy traditional flowers that last only a little while? Try crafting a bouquet or floral jewelry that will last much longer…maybe forever!

Fun Breakfasts – whether for a special breakfast-in-bed or a family brunch, any of these favorite recipes will help celebrate mom.

Pampering Gifts – these easy to make projects will make mom feel special – just make sure she gets the time to use them!

Special Confections – not your everyday sweets, these are certain to show mom your the extra care you took to shower her with love…and sugar!

Finally, these tips on how to use Goodwill items for your gift wrapping may spark some ideas to make even the presentation special:
Creative_Gift_Giving

I hope you have a wonderful Mother’s Day – either giving or receiving!

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19 Awesome Ways to Show Teacher Appreciation

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19 Teacher Appreciation Ideas
As you may have guessed by now, we love our teachers and we love letting them know how thankful we are for all the time, energy, and love they put into educating our children! I look forward to Teacher Appreciation Week each year (May 6-10 this year) as a time I can really let them know how we feel (though of course telling them all through the school year is allowed, too!).

Today I’m excited to share with you 19 of our best teacher appreciation ideas – all pulled from the archives of MomAdvice! Some years I have more time and some years less, so there are ideas for gifts that can be created in minutes like Oreo Cookie Biscotti:

oreo biscotti

Or if you have more time there are some super special ideas that are guaranteed to knock their socks off like a Rosette Bib Necklace:

Rosette_Bib_Necklace

Need a few more ideas…how about 17 more? These are some of the best projects I’ve come up with over the years – and I found them to be a great way to show love to the awesome teachers in our lives!

1. DIY Book Page Flower Bouquet (this year’s teacher appreciation idea!)

2.  Teacher School Supplies Cake

3.  Raise Your Hand If You Mustache a Question Printable & Mustache Mug

4.  Rolled Rosette Pins

5. Light & Fluffy Baked Cake Donuts

6.  No-Slip Bookmarks (3rd project in the post)

7.  Oatmeal Cookies & Milk Bath Soak

8.  Dark Chocolate & Sea Salt Brownies

9.  Easy Felt Fabric Brooches

10. Light Snickerdoodle Biscotti

11. Rolled Rosette Ribbon Rings

12. Fabric Flower Pins

13. Honey Nut Granola

14. Knitted Coffee Cozies

15 DIY Monogrammed Wine Glasses

16. Six Stitch Knitted Ruffled Scarf

17. Easy Microwave Peanut Brittle

What are some ways you’ve found to say thanks to teachers?

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No-Bake Peppermint Cheesecakes In A Jar

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I have a theory that any gift given in a little jar is a tad more special and certainly cuter if it is packaged sweetly in a jar. These no-bake peppermint cheesecakes in a jar are a perfect gift to give and full of that peppermint flavor we crave around the holidays. The best part about these isn’t the jar though, it is the, “no baking required,” feature that I happen to love the most.

This year I wanted to create holiday hostess gifts that would long be remembered, but quickly be used. What could be more memorable or useful than a tiny cheesecake in a jar?

The possibilities with this fun food craft are endless. Convert your favorite no-bake cheesecake into a sweet gift and decorate your jar with your favorite craft technique whether it is spray paint, decoupage, or a scrap of fun fabric.

These gifts can easily be personalized and will be a fun treat for whoever you might share them with. I guarantee if you made me one of these as a hostess gift, I would have you over and over again…just for that Oreo crust alone!

Make a batch of these and keep them on hand for those unexpected occasions where a gift is needed! It also could be a lovely reward for yourself after all of that hard holiday preparation you have been doing. You deserve it.

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No-Bake Peppermint Cheesecakes In A Jar
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Prep time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 10
 

A sweet & simple no-bake cheesecake in a jar that you can give to someone special for the holidays. This is the perfect little hostess gift, teacher gift, or neighbor gift to share!
Ingredients
  • 10 Half Pint Ball Jars
  • Cooking Spray
  • 2 cups of chocolate sandwich cookies (approximately 17 cookies)
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
  • 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
  • 2 teaspoons peppermint extract
  • 2 cups whipping cream, whipped
  • Red food coloring
  • 20 peppermint candies
  • 3 freezer bags
  • 1 rolling pin
  • For decorating jars (optional): Red Spray Paint, Green Grosgrain Ribbon, and Hot Glue

Instructions
  1. Place your chocolate sandwich cookies in a freezer bag and use a rolling pin to smash the bag of cookies until they become cookie crumbs. Add your melted butter and sugar to the bag and mash the bag in your hands until the three ingredients pull together to create your crust and are well incorporated.
  2. Take the lids off of your glass jars and place them on a cookie sheet to contain the mess. Spray each of the jars with cooking spray. Put two spoonfuls of cookie crumbs into each jar and use the back of the spoon or your hands to press the crust into each jar. Slide the cookie sheet of jars back into the freezer to chill while you prepare the filling.
  3. In a large bowl, beat your cream cheese until light and fluffy. Gradually pour in a can of sweetened condensed milk until it is smooth. Stir in your peppermint extract and red food coloring, approximately three drops, to achieve a pale pink color. Mix all of these ingredients well. Fold in your whipped cream.
  4. Remove your tray of jars from the freezer. Using a standard ice cream scoop, add one scoop of filling to each of your jars. Use the back of a small spoon to smooth the filling on top until it is level and smooth.
  5. Remove the wrappers from your peppermint candies. Place the peppermint candies into a double-bagged freezer bag and use your rolling pin to smash these into small pieces to garnish your cheesecakes. Sprinkle the broken peppermints on top of each one.
  6. Screw the lids back on your jars and put these back into the freezer. Freeze for two hours or until firm.

 

How To Decorate Yours Jars:

Remove the bands from the jars and set aside. Outside or in a well-ventilated area, spread your jar lids out on newspaper. Shake your spray paint well. Slowly and evenly, spray your spray paint back and forth until all of the lids are covered with the spray paint. Allow these to dry for at least thirty minutes.

Plug in your glue gun and allow it to heat up. Tie grosgrain ribbon (any width you desire) into a small bow.  Place your spray-painted lids on top of your jars and screw the bands into place. Squirt a tiny dot of hot glue on the back of your bow and place it on top in the center of your lid.  Hold it in place for a minute. Sit back and bask in your crafting glory.

 

Looking for more sweet Peppermint Gifts to share?  Take a peek at our recipe for Homemade Peppermint Marshmallows, Candy Cane Peppermint Bath Salts, and DIY Peppermint Mocha Coffees you can enjoy or share this holiday season!

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Creative Mother’s Day Gifts on a Budget

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Mother’s Day is just around the corner and it’s time to honor our moms! Each year we try to do something special for my mom and mother-in-law. I have found that often the simplest of gifts are the most treasured, especially if they are hand delivered by my children.

Today I am over at the Kenmore blog sharing a few of my favorite Mother’s Day gifts that are not only creative gifts to create, but they are also very easy on the wallet. Head on over there to get the scoop on my top gifts to give.

Enough about the giving though, let’s talk about the receiving. After all, it is your day too! What is your dream Mother’s Day gift this year?

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Teacher School Supplies Cake

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Hip, Hip, Hooray for amazing teachers! Teacher Appreciation Week is fast approaching (May 7-11), and it is time to begin thinking of some fun ways to shower your favorite teachers with some appreciation. What says I appreciate you more than a school supplies cake to replenish their school supplies?

Every single day, I count my blessings for the amazing school and the teachers that are in my kid’s lives. We wanted to show our teachers just how much we appreciate them with a special gift this year. Today I wanted to show you how to make a school supplies cake for your favorite teacher. The best part about this is that this project can be accommodated to your own budget. You can stock up on cute fillers at the dollars store, you can add tiers to the ceiling OR you can keep it simple with just a couple of layers. Whatever you budget, this project can fit with this easy craft.

Supplies Needed (if you are replicating my cake):

1 square of sturdy cardboard (I used an old box)
Wrapping Paper
Sterlite 5.5 Quart Clear Storage Container
4 White Glues
2 boxes of 48 count crayons
6 glue sticks
48 No. 2 Pencils (two boxes)
1 package of ballpoint pens (any variety)
1 Ruler
1 square box of tissues
50 count tub of markers (I got the Crayola Pip-Squeaks Telescoping Tower)
Packing Tape
Regular Tape
A picture of your child
A Skewer
Rubber Bands
3 yards of ribbon (I used the Offray Polka Dot Red Ribbon)
Scissors

To begin, we are going to cover our recycled cardboard base with your favorite color of gift wrap.

In the center of your base, securing with tape as you go, stack two glues on each side of your Kleenex square. (Side note: if you see the glue standing up in subsequent pictures, just know that I quickly realized that they needed to be flat for the base to be flush with the cardboard base. This is the right way to do it.)

Slide your plastic container over your glue and tissue paper. This should all fit together really tightly. You can secure your storage container to the cardboard base with more packing tape.

Next, using more packing tape, add your tube of markers on top. I taped the lid on the markers to make sure that everything stayed secure.

Next up, we will add our two boxes of crayons. I secured these on top of the markers with more packing tape.

On each side of your crayon layer, add three glue sticks. I stuck these on with a little regular tape or you can use double-stick tape for this one.

Bundle your pencils up into two bundles of 24 pencils. Wrap each bundle with rubber bands. Slip your ruler between the two boxes of crayons and secure the ruler with tape on the inside of the two boxes. Add each bundle of crayons on each side of the ruler and then secure with masking tape.

With a little tape, add a little package of ballpoint pens to the front of your storage container.

Wrap your layer of pencils, your layer of crayons, and your storage container base in ribbon, with a simple double knot.

For the final touch, add a cute picture of your child with a message to their teacher. I did this in Picnik and it breaks my heart to hear that they will be closing their doors for photo editing. I found that PicMonkey is a great place to upload your photo and add text very quickly and easily. You can choose from a variety of fonts and colors.

Save your image once you have finished it. If you have a photo printer, you can print these out at home. I printed mine on 4×6 Kodak paper with my photo printer. If you don’t have a photo printer, Walmart offers one hour prints (for a 4×6) for $.09.  With a little tape on the back of your image, secure it to a simple skewer and then tuck it in and tape it to your ruler.

I couldn’t resist adding a sweet treat just for our teachers. I am working on making these Easy Felt Fabric Brooches for each of them as a fun little surprise. I can’t wait to make these in a few other colors and I know they will be the perfect accessory to their jackets this year!

Looking for more great teacher gift ideas? Look no further! Here is a round-up of my favorite gifts to give to the amazing teachers in our lives.

1. Raise Your Hand If You Mustache a Question Printable & Mustache Mug

2. Rolled Rosette Pins

3. Light & Fluffy Baked Cake Donuts

4. No-Slip Bookmarks

5. Oatmeal Cookies & Milk Bath Soak

6. Dark Chocolate & Sea Salt Brownies

7. Easy Felt Fabric Brooches

8. Light Snickerdoodle Biscotti

9. Rolled Rosette Ribbon Rings

10. Fabric Flower Pins

11. Oreo Cookie Biscotti

12. Honey Nut Granola

What gifts do you have up your sleeve for you teachers this year? What gift has been the biggest hit? I would love to hear your ideas!

I am a part of the Walmart Moms program, and Walmart has provided me with compensation for these posts. My participation is voluntary and opinions are always my own.

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Homemade Gingerbread Latte

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I absolutely love anything that has gingerbread flavors in it and I had a reader request that I share a recipe for their favorite Starbuck’s treat, the delicious Gingerbread Latte. Always up for a challenge, I went on a search for a recipe for this yummy Gingerbread Latte treat to create at home.

This drink tastes like gingerbread itself and is filled with ginger, molasses, and cinnamon within the gingerbread syrup you create for your latte. I found that if I mixed the latte together with the syrup and let it sit for a minute or two and then stirred it again, that the flavors came together more fully than if I drank it right away as the spices seemed to blend in better.

This gingerbread coffee syrup does not look like the usual simple syrup gingerbread coffee syrup that I had originally thought I would create. To me, the most important flavor is the molasses in the gingerbread though and without it, I don’t think it would taste like a true gingerbread treat. If you are looking for a simple syrup version though, I found this Gingerbread Coffee Syrup that would fit the bill beautifully.

So this holiday season whether you are sipping a Peppermint Mocha, a Salted Caramel Mocha, a Pumpkin Spice Latte, or this little version of a Gingerbread Latte, I hope you enjoy saving a little extra cash and can enjoy these homemade treats to unwind with during this busy time of year.

Recipe:

Homemade Gingerbread Latte

Ingredients:

1 cup milk, steamed
1 cup very strong coffee (4 tablespoons coffee grounds to 1 cup of hot water, I prepared this in my French Press, but you can brew a strong drip pot if you prefer)
1 tablespoon white sugar (can omit if you prefer a drink that is less sweet)
1 tablespoon gingerbread syrup (you can use the recipe provided below)
Whipped cream (optional)
Ground Cloves (sprinkled for topping, optional) or Festive Sprinkles (sprinkled for topping, these just aren’t optional)

Directions:

Prepare your hot water in a kettle. Add four tablespoons of your favorite coffee grounds to your French Press. Pour 1 cup of hot water over them and allow the coffee to steep for four minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.

In a pot, heat up one cup of milk until it is steaming. Froth the milk with a wire whisk or an immersion blender until it is nice and foamy.

In your coffee cup, add your coffee syrup and white sugar. Pour your coffee over the gingerbread syrup & sugar and then stir well with a spoon until the gingerbread syrup dissolves and the spices are incorporated well. Pour the milk foam over the top of the coffee/mocha mixture and stir again to incorporate. Allow it to merry together for a minute or two and then mix once more. Top with whipped cream and festive sprinkles or a dusting of ground cloves.

Drink.

Be Merry.

Note- This is just a base recipe that can be played with to your own tastes and preferences. It is meant to be personalized depending on how you like your latte!

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Serving Size: 1

This Gingerbread Syrup is thicker than a traditional simple syrup so this can be stored in a jar rather than a pour spout container. The molasses combined with the brown sugar, ginger, and cinnamon make it a rich and decadent treat to add to your latte.

This Gingerbread Syrup would make a fantastic gift to give to a friend or loved one. Place this syrup in a jar and tie with festive ribbon. In a basket add your syrup, coffee, and a shaker of festive sprinkles, along with this recipe. So easy and a great way to start anyone’s day.

Recipe:

Homemade Gingerbread Coffee Syrup

Ingredients:

1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

In a jar, mix together your molasses, brown sugar, baking soda, ground ginger, and ground cinnamon until well incorporated. You can store this mixture in a jar in the refrigerator for two to three weeks.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Serving Size: 8-10 drinks

Recipe Source: Latte courtesy of MomAdvice, Gingerbread Syrup from AllRecipes.com

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36 Handmade Gift Ideas

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The holidays are here and for me that means lots of holiday crafting, baking, knitting, and creating.  Today I wanted to share with you 36 handmade gift ideas that you can create for gifts this year. It can be a challenge to come up with great handmade gifts year after year so I hope that these 36 handmade gift ideas will give you some inspiration this holiday season as you tackle your own holiday crafts.

Of course, all month long will be dedicated to baking, crafting, and knitting as we prepare for the holidays. After this month, we will get back to tackling the organizing and caring for our homes after the holiday aftermath.

For now, I am looking forward to reveling in a lot of one on one time with my glue gun and baking in the kitchen with you.

Let’s get crafting!

36 Handmade Gift Ideas

1. Knitted Anthropologie-Inspired Scarflet
2. Coffee Filter Wreaths
3. Close to My Heart Barrette
4. Honey Nut Granola
5. Treasure Chests (For a Boy or Girl)
6. Yarn Wreath For All Seasons
7. Cinnamon Delight Bread
8. Cabled Knitted Headband
9. Personalized CD
10 Light Banana Oat Bread
11. Waffle Stitch Fingerless Gloves
12. Peppermint Syrup (for Homemade Peppermint Mochas)
13. Dark Chocolate & Sea Salt Brownies
14. Gap-Tastic Cowl
15. Hot Cocoa Mix
16. Knitted Dishcloths (Part One)
17. Knitted Ruffled Scarf
18. Knitted Dishcloths (Part Two)
19. Oreo Biscotti
20. Movie Lover’s Gift Basket
21. Hand Painted Mugs (DIY Painted Pottery Day)
22. Spiced Pumpkin Bread
23. Vanilla Scented Granola
24. Gorgeous Gathered Scarfs
25. Merci Scarf
26. Photo Journals With a Unique Spin
27. Vanilla Chai Mix
28. Shades of Gray Knitted Headband
29. Yarn Ball Wreaths
30. Cozy Knitted Fingerless Gloves
31. Oatmeal Cookes & Milk Bath Soak
32. Stretchy Ribbon Bookmarks
33. Rolled Rosette Rings
34. Snickerdoodle Biscotti
35. Candy Cane Bath Salts
36. Knitted Prayer Shawls

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Mustache Mugs & Free Mustache Printables

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I am so excited to begin sharing some new gift ideas for all the people in your life. Of course, if there is one trend that is hot right now it is mustaches. We wanted to jump on the mustache-loving trend and share with you some free mustache templates that can be used to adorn any mug and a free mustache printable for your favorite teachers.

Mustaches can adorn anything from a fun glass beer mug for a great guy gift, to a cute little shaving set for your favorite dad, to a fun mug for your best friend.

To begin, there are many ideas for paint that you can use with your mug. You can buy a fine tipped painter’s marker at the craft store and outline and paint your mustache with this and/or you can buy a porcelain paint set (that requires not heat setting), or a porcelain paint that needs to be baked.

With the type of paints that don’t require heat, you are looking for one that has a conditioner, the black paint, and then the gloss. These do not need to be heat set, but do require ten days to set up.

I used a combination of the two. I applied the conditioner, used the paint marker and filled a bit with the black paint, and then applied the glaze to set the paint. I have had great success with the non-heat setting variety, but you can choose whichever type works best for your budget, is already in your craft supplies, or whichever is on sale.

You will also need a beautiful mug for your project. I found these large white mugs for a little over $2 at Walmart. Feel free to visit the dollar store or thrift shop for an inexpensive mug of your choice!

Begin by applying the conditioner to your mugs and let them dry. This should only take about ten or fifteen minutes.

Cut, secure with a little tape underneath, trace with your painter’s pen, and fill in your mustache of choice. We have three different options available so you can choose your favorite for your mug.

Let it dry overnight and then apply the glaze over your piece.

Of course, what fun is a mustache mug without a great printable go along with it? This mustache printable is the perfect sign to adorn any teachers desk.

“Raise Your Hand If You Must Ask (Mustache) a Question,” is a great motto for class. I placed this fun printable in an inexpensive frame that I spray painted red. The mug is filled with a small denominator Starbucks gift card to round out this budget-friendly gift for your favorite teacher.

Get Printing:

Raise Your Hand if You Moustache a Question Free Printable

Printable Dimensions: 8 1/2 x 11″ (can be trimmed for an 8×10 frame)

Print on Heavy-Duty White Cardstock

 

Three Free Mustache Templates

Printable Dimensions: These mustaches are 3″ long

Print On Standard Computer Paper for Tracing

 

Happy mustache mug making!

What holiday craft projects have you been working on?  Feel free to share any links to what you are working on! Access all of our craft fun on MomAdvice by visiting our Craft Section. Happy crafting, friends!

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How to Make a Monogrammed Coffee Filter Wreath

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When my book proposal went out in the literary world, I decided to throw myself wholeheartedly into two bedrooms that were both in need of a serious overhaul, to prevent me from thinking about the big decisions being made. All of that nervous energy turned into fuel into creating my daughter and son’s room into what I had envisioned their new big kid spaces to be.

Over the next few weeks, I wanted to showcase some of the crafts that I created and how I decorated their bedrooms on a budget. The first tutorial I wanted to share was for this easy monogrammed coffee filter wreath for my daughter’s wall.  I am not the first to create a coffee filter wreath and I know I won’t be the last. I read a billion tutorials for making these and then decided to do it my own way with a few tips from each tutorial. When you create yours, I am sure you will do the same on your wreath to create a masterpiece for your home.

These are a beautiful accent to decorate any room in your house. These would also make fantastic holiday gifts for your friends, mothers, daughters, grandmothers, or teachers and cost about $8-10 in supplies.

Let’s get started. You need a wreath or wreath form of your your choice (I found this flat Styrofoam wreath at Hobby Lobby), a package of 200 coffee filters, hot glue gun, glue sticks (you will need about six for this project), a screwdriver, a lightweight monogram letter of your choice, and a can of spray paint of your choice.

Fold your coffee filter in half as shown here.

Fold your coffee filter in half again as shown here.

On the tip of this you will apply your hot glue and then fold the tip a bit to apply it to the wreath. Secure the glued end to the wreath, flattening it a bit and adjusting as needed.

The top of your filters will look like this. That screwdriver can go into the center to help push the filter into the wreath and save your hands from getting burned. You can risk it and just burn those hands up, but I found the tip of the screwdriver really works to help prevent burns as you add those filters in. I wish I could take pictures of myself doing this as I am doing it, but, unfortunately, I only have two hands and no one to work the camera for me.

Start filling the wreath in with the filters all over. Anywhere that you see that wreath form sticking out should be covered with your filters. You can bend and twist them into the spots, securing these with hot glue. Catch up on all of your favorite shows since you need to do this approximately 150 times.

Please don’t judge me on my favorite show. A girl needs an escape when doing her billions of loads of laundry and other mundane tasks around the house. It makes me feel hip and chic, unlike the 33 year-old woman sitting on her carpet making a coffee filter wreath.

Keep on going around and around and around. Don’t worry if it isn’t even, just do the best you can.  You can trim it all up in the end and no one will ever know.

Once it is all filled in on top, we need to cover the sides of the wreath so we don’t see any of the wreath form peeking out. Fold the coffee filters as I showed you above and this time we will lay them flat against the side to cover the wreath.

Just keep overlapping this final layer to cover up the wreath form as I have pictured here.  This wreath will be very full and the little spots that aren’t covered won’t be seen, so don’t worry!

Once you flip it over, you will see that the back layer is a tad longer than the other layers. Trim those up with a pair of sharp scissors and cut them down so they fit in with the other layers on your wreath.

Once the wreath is all trimmed up, you can mount a monogrammed letter of your choice. I spray painted mine green to match my daughter’s room. I found this little letter at Michael’s back by the wooden craft supplies. This letter was just, $1.99. The key to this is to find one that is lightweight so it stays on easily. Hot glue the back of the letter and secure it in place on your wreath. You can then hang your wreath with ribbon or just hang it on a nail, as I did here, to keep things sweet and simple.

This wall in her room is making me very, very happy right now. It is the first thing I see when I walk up the steps and was so inexpensive to do.  I framed three of my favorite pictures of her, all printed in black-and-white.

The, “Will We have Rainbows Day After Day?,” printable was found for free printing on Making It Lovely.  I found a frame for this at Michael’s for half off and printed it on my printer at home.  It is so sweet and fits perfectly with her personality and color scheme.

I could not be happier with how this wreath turned out and definitely recommend making one or two for yourself or someone you love.

Don’t toss the rest of your coffee filters out after making this wreath. Next week I will show you how I made this bouquet of coffee filter flowers to adorn a nightstand. No one will believe these are made from this household item and it can be a fun craft to decorate any table in your home.

What craft projects have you been working on? Feel free to share any links to what you are working on! Access all of our craft fun on MomAdvice by visiting our Craft Section. Happy crafting, friends!

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How To Make a Yarn Wreath For All Seasons

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Yarn wreaths are easy to create with a mere ten-fifteen dollars  in supplies and a whole lot of your own individual creativity. I have been dying to create my own handmade yarn wreath, but I hate to store out-of-season wreaths in my limited amount of storage in my house. I decided to create a wreath that you could use all year long that would be perfect for your door or to give as a gift this holiday season. I partnered with Walmart on this DIY project and I am excited to share it with you.

Supplies Needed:

1 straw wreath (large or small- this is the large one, pick this up at your local craft store if your Walmart does not carry floral supplies, approximately $4 for the larger size)

1-2 balls of yarn, depending on your wreath size (I selected Vanna’s Choice in Silver Heather, $2.77)

1 fabric quarter ($1.27)

2 pieces of felt ($.20 each)

1 autumn floral pick ($1.99)

8 alligator clips or 1 1/2″ bar pins that can be clipped to the back of your flowers (look for these over by the ribbon section or in the jewelry section of the Craft area, approximately $1.99)

Hot Glue Gun & Glue Sticks

Scissors

Stamina, Pop Tarts, & Food Network for entertainment

Leave the plastic intact on your wreath to help cut down on the mess as well as to help your yarn to slide into place. Begin by tying a knot on the back of the wreath with the first ball of yarn. Carefully wrap the yarn around the wreath, covering it with the yarn. Continue doing this until the entire wreath is wrapped with yarn and then finish by tying it with a knot again on the back. A small wreath will only use one ball of yarn, but this larger wreath ended up taking 1 1/2 balls to cover it. Covering the larger wreath took me about forty-five minutes. I recommend tackling this with a Food Network marathon. And a box of Pop Tarts.

Once your wreath is covered, you can embellish it however you like. For my wreath, I chose two different types of flowers and used alligator clips to clip these to my yarn wreath so I can switch these out with the seasons.  To see how to make these easy Fabric Flowers, go to last month’s Close to My Heart Pin to get that tutorial. I am also posting that vlog below for even more visuals on this easy flower. With one fabric quarter, you can make two of these for your wreath. If you want more fabric flowers on your wreath, purchase an additional fabric quarter in the same fabric or another fun fabric. I covered the alligator clip with a little square of felt so I could make sure it doesn’t stick to my wreath.

The other type of flower that I added to my wreath is a simple felt flower. These are so easy to make. I am showing you with this gray felt, but made six of these in yellow for my wreath. Begin by cutting a wavy circle out of your felt. The bigger the circle, the bigger the flower, the smaller the circle, the smaller the flower. If you want them all the same size, use the first one as your template for your other flowers.

Begin cutting into the circle in a spiral motion. Around and around you go with your scissors until you get to the center. Leave the little circle at the end of your spiral intact.

It should look like this long piece of twirly felt. It will not be perfect.  Just remember that you can trim and angle everything the way you want it when you start creating your flower. It will look beautiful!

Starting with the end where you begin cutting, roll the felt back up. Keep wrapping and wrapping until you get to that little circle at the end. You can hot glue the felt as you go, but I found that the felt flower holds together well if you wrap it tightly enough.  Feel free to trim if you have any bits of felt sticking out or not laying as nicely as you like.

Open an alligator clip up and situated it between that little circle of felt. Secure it to the felt flower with a little hot glue.  Make as many of these felt flowers as you like for your wreath.  For my wreath, I made six out of the two pieces of felt.

Now comes the fun part. Take your two Fabric Flowers and your six Felt Flowers and begin clipping them on the side of your wreath. The best part about the clips is that you can move them around until you have them situated in the perfect place on your wreath. No worries about gluing to the wrong place.

Next fill in around the flowers with bits of your floral pick that you purchased. I weaved in a few leaves and a little of the fun berry foliage until I was happy. You can tuck your floral pieces into the alligator clips of your flowers or weave it under the wrapped yarn, whichever feels more secure.

Step back and admire your handiwork. Isn’t she beautiful? We will be revisiting this wreath in the Winter season and I will show you other cute idea for embellishing it. The possibilities with this wreath are truly endless and the best part… no giant wreaths to store until next season!

I am participating in the Nesting Place’s, “You Made a Wreath Out of What?” linky party! If you have a wreath, you should too! Happy wreath making!

I am a part of the Walmart Moms program, and Walmart has provided me with compensation for these posts. My participation is voluntary and opinions are always my own.