Somehow the coming of Fall gets the creative craft juices flowing. Today I’m going to share with you a few easy things to do for some Fall decor that are also quite cost effective. Hydrangea wreaths, wood pumpkin wall decor and a potpourri crescent moon are all on the decorating menu. Welcome, Friends, and let’s get started.
Hydrangea wreaths are really quite easy to make and don’t take much time. You start by harvesting some hydrangea blossoms. You can tell when they are ready for drying by the texture and the look. The hydrangea will feel papery and, in the case of Everlasting Hydrangea, they start to turn a bit pink. They can be ready virtually from one day to the next so you have to keep a close eye on your bushes. I have some that are ready for harvesting now right into mid-September.
Start with your hydrangea and make sure you have removed the leaves. I’m using a grapevine wreath for this project. The hydrangea stems want to be 3-4 inches in length. You can weave the hydrangea stem into the wreath or wrap the stems in with wire just to be sure they won’t slip. I use both methods with a grapevine wreath. This wreath I happened to find at the Thrift Store which made it even more cost effective. Tie the wire around the wreath to start, then place each stem and wrap the stem to the wreath with wire. Continue around the wreath tucking the last stem under the first and wire it in place. You can see in the picture above how I’ve done that.
The flowers will continue to dry on the wreath. It’s best to make your wreath when the stems are freshly picked before they dry out and become brittle and fragile to the touch. Don’t you just love the green color tinged with pink?
Our next craft is styling some wall decor. I found these pumpkins for 75 cents each at the Thrift Store. They are made of pine wood and were ready to be decorated.
This is how they looked when I purchased them at the Thrift Store.
I chose some off-white flat paint to apply to one side of the pumpkin in preparation for stenciling.
The next step was choosing the stencils that would go on the pumpkin. I already had these stencils on hand and the stencil paint so no expense there.
It was nice to use some stencil images that would be typical for Fall. Adding a little bit of shading adds some depth to the images. What could be better for Fall than falling leaves and pumpkins.
The only thing better is adding it to a vignette.
The next wreath is wound in jute cord. I’ll show you the process up until now and then you can see the final look of the wreath.
Take a wire wreath, whatever size you like, and cut out about 1/4 of the wire to create a crescent moon shape. The first picture on the left shows the tip of the crescent being wired together to form a point. In the next picture the jute is inserted about four or five inches above the point. Then run the jute to the point and begin wrapping the jute around the wire at the tip.
Wrap the jute around the crescent moon shape until four or five inches from the second tip. Run a single strand of jute to the end and start wrapping the tip and go toward the center of the crescent.
Once the wrapping is complete tie the jute as pictured above. No hot glue is needed.
Now I am going to try to cover this base with some Elmer’s Glue and potpourri. The potpourri is homemade and, fortunately, I have lots of it.
I started with a small area and then discovered that I could do a much larger area at one time. I spread the glue with a paintbrush and then pressed potpourri onto the glue. It’s really that simple.
It actually turned out better than I expected and it smells great. I love the colors that appear randomly as you progress around the crescent moon.
Here’s a close-up. I’m going to try one additional method and I’ll let you know how that goes. I’ll be leaving this to dry overnight and then will hang if for Hallowe’en. My daughter gave me a great idea for Hallowe’en and is going to help me pull it together.
I hope you will give some of these crafts a try. It’s quite satisfying to display something in your home that you have created.
Great n clear instructions. Thank you.
I hope you’ll have a chance to try some of these crafts. Appreciate you stopping by and commenting.
Lynne
Great craft ideas for fall they all will be amazing in your fall decor. Looking forward to seeing how you display the potpourri crescent moon wreath
Thanks, Vicki. I’m working on the best way to display the crescent moon. You’ll probably see it around Hallowe’en. Thanks for visiting and commenting.
Lynne
Hydrangeas are my favorite! I dry tons every year. This wreath is beautiful. Visting from Farmhouse Friday!
Hydrangeas are the best flowers to work with for all sorts of things. Thanks for visiting from Farmhouse Friday. Would love to know what else you do with your dried hydrangea. Thanks for commenting.
Lynne
Great projects. I love the green–springey and fall-ish, too. The shading on the pumpkin stenciling adds so much to it! Great idea! Years ago, I did a hydrangea (that had dried) straw wreathe for my church bazaar. Well, me and my impatience! I had a big armload going down a flight of stairs. The wreathe tumbled–probably bounced–down the stairs. It was past praying for when it reached the bottom! Someday my ex-sister-in-law across the street is gonna have the little men in white coats drop a BIG net on me. I decided to spray paint my hydrangea blossoms while they were still on the bush–just a dusting of paint to add to the cream and pink! I used copper on some and gold on others; it was beautiful in wreathes! NO Problem of wear to hang them while they dried!!!
Sounds like you live a very interesting life. I had a picture in my head of you at the top of the stairs with the wreath tumbling down. Have to say I had not thought of spray painting the hydrangea. I’ll have to consider it. Maybe a little sprinkling of gold. Thanks for sharing.
Lynne
Beautiful. Thanks!
You gotta love Fall decor. Thanks for visiting and commenting
Lynne
Thanks so much for the feature. I love visiting your site each week and get some great ideas. Looking forward to this week’s link party.
Lynne
Thrifty projects make me happy so to see three great craft ideas that are very affordable makes me smile. I think I might try a hydrangea wreath this Fall. Thanks for the inspiration!
Hope you do try the wreath. It is really quite easy and will last a long time while looking beautiful in your home. Thanks for sharing.
Lynne
Thanks so much for the feature. It’s always a pleasure to visit your site.
Lynne
Really appreciate the feature on your great site. Always a pleasure to share with others who visit.
Lynne
Such a thrill to be featured on your site. Really enjoy seeing what other Bloggers have to share.
Lynne
You have a great site and it’s exciting to be featured. Thanks for the opportunity to share with other Bloggers.
Lynne
Really enjoy visiting your site and so exciting to be featured. Thanks so much for the opportunity to share with other visitors.
Lynne
LOVE the hydrangea wreath!
They look beautiful and last for a long time. I try to make some every couple of years. Hope you give it a try. Thanks for commenting.
Lynne