Christmas Catch-up - Gold Leaf Wreath and a Giveaway!

Hello and welcome to day three of my Christmas Catch-up! I had the wonderful opportunity to guest design for Craftwell this past month. Using Teresa Collins' Cut-n-Boss machine and the Woodgrain Cottage embossing folder, I created this wreath:

You can read more about my process for creating the wreath on the Craftwell blog here.

Basically, I embossed cardstock, hand-cut the leaves, painted them with gold spray paint, and attached them to a wire wreath frame.I love how the gold spray paint brought out the woodgrain texture of the leaves.

GIVEAWAY: Do you have a Cut-n-boss machine (or another die-cut machine that can take 8.5x11 embossing folders)? I happen to have an extra Woodgrain Cottage embossing folder that I would love to pass on to someone who could use it. Leave a comment on this post - including a way to contact you - and I'll randomly draw a name on January 14th (one week from today). I'll update this post with the name of the winner that day.

Update: The winner is cghundley! Thanks to all who left comments :).

Thanks for visiting today! Tomorrow I'll be sharing a new video, so stay tuned :). Have a great day! Tessa

Front Door Friday - Santa Wreath - Pretty Little Studio

Hello! I'm excited to share with you a new wreath, made with Pretty Little Studio paper ribbons:

I started by wrapping a wreath base with plain white yarn. Once completely covered, I wrapped fuzzy yarn every half inch or so around the wreath. Last, I crisscross wrapped a sparkly white yarn around the wreath. The effect is soft and the sparkle and texture are subtle.

The big impact comes from the red and white striped ribbon. I used this same ribbon for another project that I'll share later this month. It's my favorite at the moment :). It was a wired ribbon that I picked up on Black Friday for just a couple of dollars. I didn't need the wire, so I simply cut the ribbon to the length I wanted and then gently pulled the wires out. Pretty easy with a grosgrain ribbon like this.

The paper ribbons by Pretty Little Studio come from the Santa Claus line. That line, as well as all of Melissa's other holiday lines, are absolutely adorable! I'm making my December album with a mix of the collections and I can't wait to share.

You can find this project, as well as the photo that inspired it, at the Pretty Little Studio blog here.

Thanks for stopping by today and happy Friday! Tessa

Front Door Friday - Pink and Mustard Grapevine Wreath

Hello! Happy Friday! This week I have a mini wreath for you, and my first Front Door Friday grapevine wreath:

The wreath base is only about 5 inches. That makes this wreath a great option for a small window opening, a shelf, or wall decor.

The peachy-pink flowers are by Prima. I love the fairy-like feeling they give the wreath. The mustard wool rose is from my shop. I can't get enough of the mustard roses!

Because the grapevine is so tangled, I decided to leave the ends of my garland thread long so that they could tangle, too.

Thanks for visiting! I hope your weekend is a great one! Tessa

Adlyn's Nursery Wreath - Front Door Friday

Welcome to installment #2 of Front Door Friday! Someone asked me, "Are you really going to share a new wreath every week?" My answer is yes, that's the plan for now! Last week's post was about the Spring wreath currently on my front door. Today's post is about the wreath I made for Adlyn's nursery's door:

I love how feminine lace instantly makes any project. The teal color is fun and bold and the scalloped edge is a beautiful pattern to repeat around the wreath.

Because the wreath is an indoor wreath, I was able to raid my stash of paper flowers as embellishments. All of these flowers are by Prima. I don't recommend using paper flowers on wreaths that will be outdoors. The sun will fade them quickly and moisture will damage them. Plus, bugs like to make them homes and it's hard to clean them out.

I only had one of these doilies but I wanted a bit to peek out at the top and bottom of the cluster of flowers. So, I cut it in half. This tip works great for paper doilies on scrapbook pages, too. ;) I thought about hanging this wreath by more of the lace, but this key print twill ribbon was perfect for a door. Key...door...get it?

I'm not sure I'll make an inspiration board every week, but last week's was popular so I gave it a go this time around, too:

one - two - three

Thanks for visiting! Next week I'll be sharing another Spring wreath, this time full of pastels perfect for Easter. Have a great day!

Peachy Spring Wreath - SEI

I've really been into home decor projects lately, and one of my latest assignments for SEI is no exception. As a house-warming gift for my sister I made this grapevine wreath:

I made the large, lacy flowers from papers in the Diane collection. Did you know that SEI has fabric papers (and other fancy papers with all kinds of different textures and patterns)? I think it's my favorite part of their product line. They are so fun to work with and easy to die-cut.

I made the garland by cutting circles in two sizes with my Cameo. I would have used a paper punch, but I didn't have one petite enough ;). These are pretty small.

If you are looking for a peachy Spring palette for your next project, be sure to check out SEI's Diane collection. There really isn't anything on the market quite like it. And be sure to see my post at SEI's lifestyle blog for more details and other great projects.

Thanks for stopping by! Tessa

Two Turtle Doves - DCWV

Hello! We are celebrating 12 Days of Christmas at DCWV right now. I was assigned the second day of Christmas, so I put together a pair of wreaths complete with two sweet little birds.

I embellished the grapevine wreaths with picks (cut apart and woven into the grapevine branches), silk flowers, and handmade paper flowers cut from DCWV's Traditional Holiday stack.

I die-cut the birds from the same stack using my Silhouette Cameo. They may not be doves, but they were the right shape and size for these wreaths :).

If you'd like to follow our 12 Days of Christmas feature, be sure to stop by the blog daily. The design team has come up with some pretty creative takes on this classic Christmas carol. I hope all is well! Thanks for stopping by :). Tessa