Not Your Average Gal

Copywriter. Content Creator. Constant Sassypants.

DIY

How to: Valentine’s Day Wreath

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Apparently a Valentine’s Day wreath I made and uploaded on Pinterest over 2 years ago is making quite the rounds this year. Over 1,750 repins so far! So, as I put in my goals for 2015, I’m going utilize Pinterest more on my blog.

Hello, Pinteresters!

Thanks for stopping by! My name is Caroline. I’m a rad gal without much of a filter. (Lucky you.) You can find out more about me here. I’d love to have you stick around as a reader. We’re fun people ’round these parts. Plus, we drink good beer!

You can also follow me here:

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Now, since I uploaded this picture over 2 years ago and didn’t have the intention of writing step-by-step instructions, I only have a picture of the final product, rather than each step.

Valentine's Day Wreath by Caroline Made This -- www.carolinemadethis.com

But, never fear! This is so easy that even my cat, who lacks opposable thumbs and often coordination, could still whip this pretty thang together.

You’ll need:

  • Wreath foam of any size that you’re feelin’ (get at any craft store)
  • Grey Yarn
  • Red & Pink Felt
  • Big spankin’ Ribbon of any color you desire (you’ll hang the wreath from this)
  • Hot Glue Gun

Instructions:

  1. Place a small dab of hot glue anywhere on the wreath foam.
  2. Take the end of the grey yarn and place it on the hot glue to secure the yarn.
  3. Start wrapping the yarn, line-by-line so there are no gaps, around the wreath until you’re back where you started.
  4. Cut the yarn and dab hot glue on top of that piece to secure it.
  5. Cut an equal amount of hearts from the red and pink felt (I needed 7 and traced each heart from the original heart I cut from the felt.)
  6. Place hearts equal distance from each other in alternating directions around the wreath.
  7. Secure each heart into position with hot glue.
  8. Use the same gray yarn and wrap it around the wreath across each heart, going clockwise, and then hot glue the end once you’ve made it fully around.
  9. Next, go counterclockwise with the yarn, and make sure you make an “X” over each heart around the wreath one last time. Hot glue the end again.
  10. Grab that big spankin’ bow and hang it for all to see!

‘Das it!

Again, I wish I had step-by-step pics, but I never thought this little guy would take off like it did. Tip of the hat to Remodelaholic who inspired this wreath. You can find her wreath here.

Any questions or want to shower me with compliments? (Is it fishing for compliments if you just ask?)  Give me a shout in the comments. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Filed Under: DIY

How to be creative and cheap on Halloween!

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Anyone who knows me, knows how much I love Halloween!  It’s my favorite holiday.  Yes, it’s a holiday.  It’s way better than any awkward political discussion during Thanksgiving.

This year, since we’ve moved and are still working on somewhat of a social life, we don’t have any Halloween parties to go to or costume contests to enter. <insert sad face>  But I told My Main Squeeze I didn’t care if I sat on the couch in my costume eating chips and salsa…dressing up for Halloween was going to happen.

Problem is…Medical school is expensive.  Not pulling in the income I once did sure hits the wallet too.

To remain in budget, we talked and decided we needed to choose between carving pumpkins or creating costumes.

It was a tough Halloween discussion  ya’ll.  

But in the end, I decided that pumpkin seeds will come and go…but photos last forever!

May I present to you our $1.00 The Price is Right costumes:

Yeah.  You read it right. I created that puppy for $1.00!  One dollar.  Uno dollar-o.  …or something.

With my infinite Halloween knowledge, I discovered this wonderful site:  Coolest Homemade Costumes.  A couple years ago I remember seeing a hilarious costume on there for The Price is Right contestant. I’m not sure this is the same exact picture but you get the idea:

So cool!  Well done! I knew that this year considering our time crunch, lack of social gatherings and lack of funds, I should make this costume too!  I just needed to take a different route than the Showcase Showdown in the above picture to save some $. Which is why I decided to just do the “Come on dooowwwwn, you’re the next contestant on the Price is Right!” part.

So how did I make it for $1.00?  EASY!

Things you’ll need:

1 poster board

Yellow and green construction paper

Scissors

Glue

Black marker

Yarn

Duct tape

I had everything else besides the poster at home, as most crafty nerds do.  So I only needed to buy the poster board – which was 2 for $1.  So I have an extra poster laying around here…  Maybe I’ll make a costume with it for the Bax-man!

Then again, maybe not…

Cut the poster board in half and use the separate pieces for each contestant.  Cut out your green backgrounds, yellow numbers and yellow name tags.  Glue all the necessary pieces.  Duct tape the yarn on the back the poster and use it to put the nametag on your shirt too.  Write out your names.  Grab you Main Squeeze away from the medical school books.  Direct him to look super excited.  Set the timer on the camera and Wah-lah!  

Happy Halloween!

Halloween Candy Corn Decorations

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Anyone who knows me, knows I love Halloween.  Some may even say I <heart> it.  That’s about as far as you’ll get me using teenage internet lingo for the day…  I mean, I even convinced My Main Squeeze to dress up as a Garden Gnome for Halloween a few years ago.  THAT’S how much I <heart> Halloween.  He’s so good to me.


Uh oh.  I did the <heart> thing again.

So last Halloween, when I saw how easy this project was, I immediately headed to Joann Fabrics and scooped up the few materials I would need to put my own spin on the project.  This is a very easy project and even kid friendly. (If they are old enough to use a glue gun…no lawsuits here!)

How to make Halloween Candy Corn Decorations

This is what you’ll need:

Styrofoam or foam cones

Yarn

Hot glue gun

Start at the base of the cone and work your way up with the varying yarn colors.  Use the glue gun at the start and end of each new color of yarn by holding it down until you can’t feel the tip of your finger anymore.  Jokes.  Just hold it as long as it needs to stay down on it’s own.  Shouldn’t take long because, you know, you’re using glue.  You can also use the glue sparingly in between sections as you feel you need it.  Be careful using too much hot glue.  For 1) OUCH! and 2) you can melt the foam if you use too much in one place.  When you get to the top of the cone (if it is a flat-topped cone), just swirl the yarn around in a flat circle so it covers the top completely.

That’s it.

No, seriously.

People think I’ve spent sooooooooo much time on making these when they see them.  And while I may lead them to believe it takes hours and Martha Stewart talent.  It doesn’t.

If you do this project, I would love to know or any of your Halloween projects for that matter! Let me know if you have any questions!

Happy Halloween!

How to make a headboard on the cheap!

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My Main Squeeze encouraged me to blog about all the projects I’ve completed around the places we’ve lived.  I mean, my blog is named: Caroline Made This!  I just never really thought much about it because it is truly a hobby; something to do while watching The Real Housewives or The Jersey Shore.

What?

Who said that?

I’ve found some amazingly talented men and women through Pinterest and the project I completed below was indeed inspired by a pin I found when I searched for “how to make a headboard” for our new bedroom.  I used the information I discovered while researching instructions and decided to combine information and  head out on my own to create what ended up being a super easy, super cheap headboard!

My favorite phrases!  Super cheap.  Super easy.  Just like me!  Wait.  Forget that last part…

How to Make a Headboard

 This is all you’ll need:

Plywood

Batting

Fabric

Staples and one of them fancy staple guns (Say it with a Southern accent…)

Wall mount(s) (This, obviously, depends on if you use the studs in the wall and how heavy your plywood is. Be sure to check how much weight the wall mounts can carry.)

Screws or nails

 

The size of your headboard depends on how large your bed is and how high you want it to sit.  So measure it out and be sure to do it WITH your bed already made because your comforter and pillows do add some “bulk” to the bed.  Use those measurements for your fabric and batting, but add a few (3-5) inches to give yourself enough extra that enables you to staple it to the plywood.

Next, head to Home Depot.  Look completely lost and walk aimlessly around the aisles for 45 minutes.  Oh wait, that’s just me.   We had the plywood cut in 2 equal dimensions so we could fit it in the car.  Depending on the size of your vehicle, you may have to do it as well.  I’ll show you how I adjusted cutting it into 2 separate pieces below:

Buy enough brackets and screw them to the back of the plywood so that you feel both bracketed pieces are now one sturdy piece. We bought three brackets and it was very sturdy.  Now that you have all of your materials and the wood cut to the dimensions you need, lay the batting on the ground and place the plywood on top.  Now staple to your heart’s content.  No, really.  You can’t really go wrong here!  Just make sure you used the same type of “fold” on both sides of your headboard so you don’t have a lopsided edge.

Next, place your fabric on the ground and lay the plywood (that has the batting already stapled on it) on top.  Staple away again!  Do you see a pattern here?  Speaking of patterns…

Notice the pattern I chose?  While I LOVE it, I was quite lucky that the lines turned out even.  Lucky or talented…take your pick.  Be sure to choose a fabric that has a design that will not be ruined if it’s not stapled evenly.

Admire your work:

Now, find a stud.  A stud in the WALL, people.  Hang that wall mount where you want or need it depending on where the wall stud is.  Put in the screws to the back of your plywood, adjust the wire and hang it!  So glad we had the Bax-man to supervise the project…

 

There are many techniques you can use to hang your headboard.  I didn’t take many pictures of this portion because a lot can depend on how heavy the plywood is.  After looking through other tutorials, I thought this was the best technique and it worked for us.  But use your discretion and adjust how you need it to hang based on what tools you have and the placement on the wall.

Be flexible, people. :)

     

And that’s it!

I must be sure to give credit where credit is due: Thank you Thrifty Decor Chick and Design Sponge for your great blogs and inspiration.  Be sure to visit them to see the great headboards they’ve created!  Plus you can follow my finished projects on Pinterest!

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What do you think?  Share your thoughts on any projects you’ve done or if you have any suggestions!