Weekend Pajama Party: Tulle Rosette Topiary

You might recognize this topiary from my friend Katie's baby shower that I posted a few weeks ago. {You can see it HERE.} It goes along with THIS matching wreath.  I love how soft and girly  it turned out.  Here's how I did it!

 I made the rosettes using THESE instructions and then tucked a piece of light green tulle behind the rosettes to add just a touch of contrast.  {Using pearlized corsage pins adds a fancy touch.}

 I made a variety of roses by varying how tight I wrapped the tulle.  I like the bigger rosettes for the look of this topiary, plus the bigger the roses, the fewer you have to make.

I used this cute box I got at Tai Pan a few months ago and painted it cream. 

Next, I wrapped some tulle around the stem and tied a bow around the top. 

Finally, I pinned green tulle at the base to cover the Styrofoam bottom.

Super easy and so beautiful!  

Another fun version I can't wait to make is a red one and add some bling for Christmas or Valentine's Day!  I'm feeling a Pajama Crafting Day coming on already!  :)

Have fun making the world a cuter place!

~ Cindy Jane

Weekend Pajama Party: Tulle Rose Wreath Tutorial

Last week I showed you the Sugar & Spice themed baby shower I threw for my friend Katie. 

{Click HERE if you want to check it out!} 

This wreath was a cotton candy inspired creation that was super easy to make for her sugar infused theme!  I based it off a similar wreath I found here. 

Here's what I used to make it:

*12 inch Styrofoam wreath base

*Corsage pins - make sure you get long ones!

*11 yards of pink tulle

{The best part of this project was that I realized when you tell a guy you're going to buy tulle, they get all excited and start talking about drills and power saws...and then they get depressed when they realize you aren't talking about power tools.} :)

I wrapped the wreath in some extra fabric so the finished product would look really clean. 

{Plus I wasn't thinking ahead....who buys a green wreath base for pink tulle?!?  I do!  Go with a white wreath base if you have a choice.}

I cut the tulle into 3 - 4 inch strips....lots and lots and lots of strips!  The easiest way to do it is to fold the tulle {lengthwise} into fourths, kind of bunch it together, and then cut. 

You'll end up with a strip that is about 3 yards long and 3 - 4 inches wide.

 I'm right handed, so I held onto the tulle with my left thumb and started wrapping it. 

 Then I loosely turned it until it looked like this...it took about 5 wraps.

Next, I formed the "bud" of the flower.  I gently unwrapped it from my fingers and held onto it with my thumb.  Then I wrapped the tulle around one side a few times, and then gradually turned it like I was making a ball of tulle...because really that IS all you're going to do! 

See!  I told you it was simple.  :)

The only tricky part is you'll need 100+ flowers, so it makes a perfect tv project. 

Just remember, the tighter you wrap the tulle, the smaller the rose and vise versa.  I like to have a variety of sizes when I do projects like this, so no rules apply!

 When you've wrapped all the tulle, put a corsage pin in the center and you're done!

Then poke the flowers in the wreath base!

{This is when the longer corsage pins come in handy so the roses will stay in nice and snug.} 

This is my favorite part by far...does that make me a craft nerd?

{Umm....don't answer that.}

It's kind of like a puzzle to put them in just the right spots.  :)

Don't forget to pin a fancy little hanger on the back of the wreath and you're done!

Here's a close-up of the finished product!  It was totally worth the effort and is going to look so cute in baby Megan's room!  Some of you commented on the baby shower post, you're thinking of making one of these!  If you do, please send pictures.  I'd love to see your finished product too!

Have fun making the world a cuter place!

~ Cindy Jane 

Weekend Pajama Party: Burlap Rose Lampshade

I have such a love/hate relationship with burlap!

I LOVE the look but HATE the mess!

I decided to "forgive-and-forget" for this lamp update and love, love, LOVE the way it all came together. I've had a set of lamps for about 7 years that I haven't used since I moved into my new house a few years ago and revamped my style. Anyway, I got ambitious on my 4 day weekend {the perks of being a teacher} and this is how it came together.

What I Used:
3 yards of natural colored burlap
hot glue/gun
repurposed lamp and shade
Krylon spray paint in Blue Ocean Breeze

Here's the "before" of the lamp. 

It's not too shabby, just a little too traditional for my house these days.

 First, I covered the cord and lamp structure with tin foil and spray painted it one of my favorite accent colors...Blue Ocean Breeze.

That was the easy part! 

Then, onto the burlap roses. 

I started by cutting 46-inch strips of burlap--this was the bolt width. 

{Click HERE for a tip on cutting burlap in straight lines.}

The strips varied in widths from 1 & 3/4 inches to about 2 & 1/2 inches.  I was able to make 3 roses out of each long strip of burlap. 

{Click HERE for directions on how to make the burlap roses.}

My lamp shade is about 11 inches tall and has a 36 inch diameter at its widest spot.  I made about 80 roses to cover it. 

If you want to make fewer roses {I recommend this!} I suggest cutting wider strips of burlap and making larger roses.

Gluing the roses on is the best part!

You'll need to cut off the "stems" of the roses so they will glue flat.

Another suggestion is to glue the roses around the top and bottom edges of the lampshade first. 

Then glue the remaining roses in.

I was so happy giddy when I glued in the last roses and put the lamp together. 

This project was totally worth the time and mess.  Plus, since I already had the lamp and spray paint, this project cost me less than 10 bucks! 

Even if you don't tackle burlap roses, I hope this project inspires you to repurpose something you love, but haven't used lately, to make your world a cuter place too!

Have fun!

~Cindy Jane

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