Neil and I are exhausted from a weekend of downtown concerts, family visits, and trick or treating. Not to mention, candy eating and horror movie watching (no one ever told me Bela Lugosi's Dracula is ridiculously un-scary). We had a great Halloween celebration with some friends and family from back home - including my adorable niece and nephew, who dressed up like a fairy and a pot-bellied dragon this year. And this morning, due to excess of kids and chocolate, I'm moving a lot slower than usual.
On Thursday night, I made this fall floral garland to put on top of our white stone fireplace. It's a pretty simple process and exactly the same concept as a floral hair wreath, except you string the flowers and wire in a straight line rather than in a circle. I was happy the idea could be applied to other things around the home, though, so I decided to share it!
What you need for this project.. floral tape and wire (found at most craft stores), a wire cutter (my wire came with a cutter attached, which is really easy and useful), some autumn colored faux flowers and leaves, cut to a good length, and scissors.
First, I measured the wire to match my desired length (roughly the length of my fireplace mantel), and doubled the wire. Then, I twisted the two matching pieces of wire together to form a stronger garland. You can probably do this more than once, if you'd like the garland thicker.
Once the wire was ready, I added the flowers. I used pieces of floral tape about 2 inches long to wrap each leaf and flower to the wire. Do this very, very tightly, and don't worry so much about what it looks like yet. Feel free to wrap some flowers close to the wire and others with their stems showing a bit - mix it up a little.
When all flowers were attached, I went over the garland again with more tape, this time focusing on any empty spots where exposed wire showed through. This is where you make sure the tape looks smooth and uniform. And make sure to wrap the tape around tightly, like before!
That's all! This project cost me a lot less than the pre-made garlands I find at craft stores. I think this project would be super lovely with some vintage flowers, maybe velvet blooms from an old millinery store, or with some red berries for the winter.
One day, I'll share photos of our new home that we moved into this autumn! And next weekend, I promise to have a finished wool cape to share with you all.
This is what I wore as Loretta Lynn this Halloween! It's a swiss dot navy dress with the loveliest lace cuffs and collar, made from a sheer fabric that feels almost like taffeta - which makes the skirt puff out a bit when worn. I bought it from Anna of Mom and Pop Culture Shop, an awesome vintage seller here in Nashville (she sells some of her stuff at Pre to Post Modern, which is a shop you should definitely check out when in Nashville).
This morning, I'll be shortening the dress to wear today for Neil and my wedding anniversary! We've been married two years today!! I'll be sure to take photos of our day, and of the pretty dress.
Happy (post) Halloween! Hope everyone had a great celebration.
