Saturday, November 5, 2011

Let The Decorating Begin!

Can you believe it's that time of the year again!?  Now, I haven't started to drag out my decorations from the attic but I'm definitely thinking about how I want to decorate this year and I've decided to go with a burlap theme!  We're in a new and different house so I'm changing things up a little!  Can't wait to share!

So I was out shopping with Bennett {my usual shopping companion;)} and we saw this simple wreath with a monogram and holly.  I turned it over to see the price and it was $56!  It was once again one of those "oh please, I can make that myself" moments.  So with a touch of burlap, I did;)

Here's my version!  So simple but I think it makes a nice statement.  I plan on having garland all around the door so maybe a less elaborate "wreath" will be better.



Here's how I made it:

It's not rocket science, just a cheap mdf letter from Michaels, glue gun {of course}, holly from Michaels and burlap garland or ribbon.  I found this burlap ribbon at Michaels as well and it will be perfect to add to my green garland but I'm wanting the wired ribbon to make more bows so I ordered that from Ballard Designs and I'm waiting for it's arrival.  The ribbon should be easier to manipulate into a bow as well for other wreaths.

Just cut the holly off and glue!  Fill in the spaces and you're done!  Depending on the letter of your last name you may have to get creative with how you hang your ribbon from the letter.

So that's my first little tid bit of decor.  I'm busy painting most of the downstairs this very pale blue (totally different color scheme for me) and I love it!  Can't wait to have everything in it's place and ready for the holidays!!

Stay tuned!

*Edited*

Many have asked about hanging those tricky letters like L, M, H and W.  Again, you will have to get creative but here's what I suggest for the letter L:

 I would either hot glue or use a staple gun to attach the burlap (to the back of the L) and give yourself enough burlap to then make a big bow. I'm not sure by I'm thinking it would hang straight and not be uneven.


For those letters that have 2 points  {for lack of better words}:


You could decorate the H, M, W etc. with holly berries and then get a basic stick wreath and hot clue jute string to the top of each point on the 2 pointed letter {lol} and then tie it around the letter and then add a burlap bow, an extra step but not expensive.  I've done this before for a wreath I made for my sister:


This was for fall so of course you wouldn't have all the extra stuff on the side, just the stick wreath, the holly berry letter and a big burlap bow.  Still simple but a way to hang that tricky letter.  


The letter I purchased at Michaels for the holly berry letter wreath was a black MDF letter and it's 12x11 in size.   


Hope this helps!!






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119 comments:

  1. Great job! I'm loving burlap right now except for the smell! Is there a less smelly version of it?

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    1. Karen, I can understand your concerned in re: to the burlap 'aroma'. I made my living room drapes out of burlap, once it's been hanging for while the 'aroma' seems to disappear. To help it along a bit I sprayed them once a day for 2 weeks with Febreeze. It WORKED! I hope this helps. CHEERS, CC

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  2. Love the "wreath". Cannot wait to "see" the decor!Enjoy!

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  3. Wow, great idea. Love it. We're a "D" too.

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  4. Oh my goodness, I am going to have to make this...thank you, thank you!

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  5. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this!!! Gonna try and make our S too!!! Michael's here I come!!!

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  6. Love it. Now trying to figure out how to hang a 'V'!

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  7. Margaret V-push pin (or glue- depending on what you're using) a single ribbon on to the top back of each side of the V and put your bow in the middle of that ribbon you hang onto your hook. Hope that makes sense.

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    1. Thank you I was trying to figure out how I could do a "W".

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  8. LOVE it! Do you mind me asking how many branches of holly berries you bought? I know each letter will be different, but I'm just looking for a rough idea. Thanks!

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  9. Kristina, I believe I ended up using 2.5 branches but I had purchased 4 to be safe. Michael's always has sales so take your coupon!

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  10. If you don't mind me asking, what store is the orignal one from? I would love to see what they did with the letter H.

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  11. Hi! I'm sorry but I got it a local store-not a chain store and they only had an "E" for sale so no H's for me to see how it would be done. The letter H is tricky but you could decorate the H with holly berries and then get a basic stick wreath and hot clue jute string to the top of each line on the "H" and then tie it around the H and then add a burlap bow, an extra step but not expensive.

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  12. any idea how I could hang an L? I absolutely adore this!

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  13. Funny, I was on Pinterest and came across the D wreath. I clicked on it and thought, "Our Unexpected Journey?" Could it be?? Then I read that your usual shopping companion was Bennett!

    You are very talented! And busy! :)

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  14. Tracy, for an L I would either hot glue or use a staple gun to attach the burlap (to the back of the L) and give yourself enough burlap to then make a big bow. I'm not sure by I'm thinking it would hang straight and not be uneven.

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  15. I am not very crafty, but love to do new things and see the end result!!! I cannot wait to make my W

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  16. Adrienne, did it work for an L?

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  17. I can't wait to try this. Visited a Joann fabrics today but they only had wooden or cardboard letters. I'll have to go to Michaels as they didn't have burlap ribbon either. Can I ask what kind if material your D is? And also how you would hang an M? Thank you! And thank you for this great idea. If my M turns out, I'm going to make them for Xmas gifts.

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  18. LOVE!! And we are a "D" family - perfect!

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  19. The letter M is tricky too but you could decorate the M with holly berries and then get a basic stick wreath and hot clue jute string to the top of each point on the M and then tie it around the H and then add a burlap bow, an extra step but not expensive.

    It's a black MDF letter from Michaels- nice solid material.

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  20. Chelsey, this is what I suggest for an L:
    I would either hot glue or use a staple gun to attach the burlap (to the back of the L) and give yourself enough burlap to then make a big bow. I'm not sure by I'm thinking it would hang straight and not be uneven.

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  21. SOOO addicted to the letter!!! I love ours, made it with my daughter and for my best friend too, posted on Facebook and I think all of the Michael's are out of stock here in MN! :) Can I just say I love love love your little Bennett, he is the cutest dang kid ever and I have a magic baby as well, who is 14 months old, check out my blog if you can!
    dreamingbigx3@blogspot.com :) Grace

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  22. Aww that's cute! Am I a freak though that it makes me nervous to identify my house with the last letter of my name? Okay, yes I am. Maybe hang the wreath inside. LMAO.

    Side note on the letters like "L" ... I had this issue when I hung Payton's letters in her room with ribbon. For her "T", for example, I just hung ribbon straight down and attached it in one spot, and then tied a bow around the nail. Worked fine! (hope that made sense)

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  23. How would you suggest doing a W?

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  24. I would do the letter W the same as an M or and H-see edited part of post. Or you could try hot gluing the burlap to the middle part of the W and then making the bow part above.

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  25. So is this letter wooden?? My local Michaels (in St Joe, MO) does not carry any this big. Would a hot glue work on a metal one?

    what section was the burlap ribbon in---christmas or every day ribbon?

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  26. so, what section of michaels do you find the letter and the burlap ribbon? i love the burlap ribbon idea! thanks for sharing! Nicole

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  27. To those that asked, I found the letter in the front of the store but I had never seen them before so they may be sold out;( You could always try wood or metal, hot glue works on both.

    The burlap garland/ribbon was in the section where they sell jute and string. Get it when you see it because I don't think it will last long!!

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  28. I want to do this! I LOVE the color of your door! Did you paint it? If so, what paint did you use?

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  29. I love this!!! Perfect holiday DIY project! How would you hang the letter "I" .....thinking hot glue the ribbon to the back of the letter...?

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  30. This is beautiful! Way to go! I totally want to make one for my front door :D

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  31. I made this the other day, still have to add the ribbon tomorrow. But it turned out great! Thank you for the idea :)

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  32. Burlap and red is so classic, I love this and cant wait to try a version for myself!

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  33. This might be a dumb question but I'm new at this crafty stuff :) Do you individually glue each berry or do you cut them off the branches and glue them in chunks and glue them? -Morgan

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  34. Hi Morgan, I just cut them off and glued them in chunks;)

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  35. I've been on the phone with all the Michael's stores in the area! These are special new letters that aren't available in all the stores. I'm hoping I can get one mailed to me since my local store is out of Hs!

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  36. Thanks for sharing! Happy Thanksgiving!

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  37. Thank you Adrienne!!

    Sarah- I did the same thing! My Michaels doesn't carry it either :( I've tried hobby lobby and pretty much everywhere else and the largest size letter they carry is 9 inches. Its not near big enough! Can Michaels mail them, have you checked? Who knew this would be so difficult to find!!!

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  38. I love this and plan on making it tomorrow, but I'm trying to figure out what you have the entire thing hanging from. Is that wire, pipe cleaner or part of the burlap itself? Sorry, it's hard to tell from the pic. Thanks!

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  39. Hi Natalie! I actually just tied the back of the bow to the hanger with jute string-got it at michaels but floral wire would work as well. Burlap is so easy to work with and today I actually untied the bow let it hang and added a new bow because I wanted it fuller, just slipped it right over the hanger. And then trimmed the longer sides from the old bow. Hope that makes sense!

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  40. Thanks! I actually have some, so that works out perfectly. I got my letter from JoAnn's (no Michael's nearby)...all they had was wooden ones. I'm going to spray paint it with some black paint I have. They didn't have burlap ribbon, so I bought a yard of burlap to make the ribbon. Not quite sure how that will turn out though...wish me luck!

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  41. my last name begins with an "M" and I think I am going to use magnets to attach it to my front door..COMMAND actually makes a really nice removeable velcro strip that I may try also! you can check it out here : http://www.command.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/NACommand/Command/Products/Product-Catalog/?PC_7_RJH9U523080QE0IIHEICN90GC1000000_nid=7P2PW2CF9XgsF0GFSQ26BSgl5Q133J7LGXbl

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  42. love this but yes our last name starts with L so hanging it could be interesting. I'm not a big 'bow' person. Any thoughts on a different method??

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  43. If your thinking about doing this project, make sure you paint the letter if its wooden, to prevent the wood from showing!

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  44. Just made an "M", turned out great! I glued a strip of burlap to the back of each "point" at the top and then just tied the two strips together. Decided not to do a bow, just a simple knot.

    Thanks for the idea!:)

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  45. I love it! I'm curious- how did you keep from burning your fingers while arranging the holly?

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  46. What color is your door if you don't mind me asking? You inspired me to paint mine!

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  47. Hi Deanna, we just moved into this house and the door was already painted-I'll see if I can find the color in the attic:)

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  48. LOVE your idea. I have made letters in/clay and held it along the top to see where to put a hanger. Had to place the hanger off-center for the 'L'. My last name starts with an L

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  49. I absolutely LOVE your wreath! Thanks for sharing...I just pinned it so I can make it for my front door!

    Briana

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  50. for the tricky letters like "L" you could put a command hook upside down on the back side to use as a anchor for the ribbon.

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  51. i've successfully found the burlap ribbon and the perfect size letter "Z" but i'm having a hard time finding the right holly berries, there's just so many! did you use the kind that feel a little styrofoamy or the ones with a glossier painted finish?

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  52. I'm making this too!!! :)

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  53. Just gotta figure out where to get my "D". Any ideas

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  54. The holly I got was glossier from Michael.

    If you can't find your letter at Michaels try Jo Ann Fabrics, Hobby Lobby or AC Moore. All of those places have letters as well.

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  55. Hi Adrienne, just picked up my materials from Michaels and Hobby Lobby to start making the holly berry wreath. Did you cut each berry off or did you leave some on the stem and then glue the stem to the letter

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  56. Hi, I cut clumps off and glued them. I did use some single berries to fill in bare spots though.

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  57. Hi Adrienne, did you leave them in clumps on the stems and glue the stems on

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  58. So we had a girls day and made our letters but now the bow is not turning out so pretty. Ideas?

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  59. OK, dumb question. How do you tie the bow? - especially because there is an extra loop.

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  60. Not a dumb question at all! I actually used a different piece of burlap, should have explained that!!

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  61. Not sure if anyone mentioned this already, but don't forget to download a coupon from Michael's... they often have 40% off discounts.

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  62. Obsessed. Making this NOW!!!!!!!!!!! :D

    Visit my blog: www.welcometomontalvocountry.blogspot.com

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  63. Thanks so much for sharing this idea! I made it! took a while, I am new at this crafting stuff, but I really loved your wreath! Thanks again for sharing and I hope you and your family have a Merry Christmas!

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  64. What width burlap did you use? It looks pretty wide and the widest I can find on Ballard designs that has the wired edges is 1.5 inches. Seems skinny for this bow. Thanks for sharing!

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  65. I actually got the burlap garland at Michael's. It's about 4.5 inches thick-pretty thick. I also got the Ballard designs burlap but wasn't happy with the color or the thickness so go to Michael's and look for a large roll of burlap garland. I found it where floral wire is.

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  66. I want to do the letter T. and how do you make a bow? thanks so much

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    1. I did the letter T, check out my post at www.teachlovecraft.com
      Thanks!

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  67. I think you could use one of those command hooks you use for stockings etc... hang it upside down on the back of the letter (hook pointed down), then you could loop your ribbon under it and tie it up top. It's also easily taken off if you want to do something else with it after the holidays :)

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  68. This is gorgeous! I wrote about it on my blog as one of my favorite Pinterest Crafts this year: http://eedeedesignstudios.com/tutorials/a-pinterest-christmas/

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  69. Thank you for this idea! I LOVED it so much, I made several for gifts. I actually bought the cardboard boxy letters from JoAnn's Fabrics and thought they turned out really cute...I have since bought all different sizes and fonts and all have turned out well...I think you get better with each one you make...so cute and so inexpensive..thanks, again!

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  70. I want to go to Michaels right now to try to find these materials, and make one for each family member and friend! It is SO adorable!

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  71. This will most likely be a popular gift that I will be giving next Christmas...& could be made using different material than holly berries for wedding gifts. Looks great!

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  72. Thanks so much !!! Loved your idea and the directions !! I can't wait to get started on it.
    Carol

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  73. Hi, I'm your new follower. I found you through Laura at Along for the Ride. Love your wreath and been eyeing those letters every time I am in JoAnn's. I am going to give this a try. I think it would even transition to a Valentines wreath with different ribbon. Of course I need a 'W' so I guess I will have to get creative. Thanks and blessings to you!
    Kathleen @alwayssewlove

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  74. I made this for my wreath this year and I used a wooden wreath and spray painted it red. I made the mistake of using real cranberries and then shellacking it, but the cranberries began falling off! Next year I will definitely use the red holly berries! Beautiful wreath and looks so good on my door! thanks for the idea!!!

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  75. Is there something else that can be used in place of the holly berries? I'd like to make one that I can hang in my family room year round. Any suggestions? Thanks

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  76. Lovely! Thanks for the idea! =)

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  77. I love your background music! What is it?

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  78. Love your blog. Newest follower. My auntie was inspired by your wreath and made hers with pearls. I just blogged her wreath and gave your post here a shout out. Thanks for the inspiration. SusieQTpies

    http://cafescrapper-scrapsoflife.blogspot.com/2012/08/diy-initial-pearl-door-wreath-bow.html

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  79. I love the Letter D you have hanging from the front door with a burlap bow. I was give and black letter for Christmas. I painted my front door today. I got the burlap. But now I can't get the bow to look right. Can you show me how? Like a tutorial? I have had this pinned on my pinterest sight for like a year or so. Thanks!
    Gloria

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  80. I love this letter D on your front door! I love the burlap tie too! So I have had this pinned on pinterest for like a year or so. Then I was given a big black letter for Christmas. But my front door was the wrong color. So today I painted it. I have the burlap. But I can't figure out how to get the bow to look nice. Can you show me? Like a tutorial or something? Thanks! Gloria :)

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  81. Love the wreath but I'm also in love with the color of your door!!! Do you know what color that is?

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  82. Love this wreath! What section did you find the berries in at Michaels?

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  83. I LOVE your door color! Would you mind sharing the sheen, color, and paint line?! THANKS!!

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  84. I love this and want to make it for this Christmas!! My door is red though so I will have to go with something else instead of red holly berries. Do you know if they make something like them in white??

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    1. The dollar store in our area actually has them in white and green! :)

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  85. Door color please???????

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  86. Hi- so sorry but the door color was there when we moved in, so I don't know.

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  87. Where did you buy your wreath at? What size is it and do you remember price?

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  88. .... Where did you purchase the holly?

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    1. The letter can be found at Michaels for I think around $7. You then glue the berries on and those are also at Michael's in the floral dept. Almost all the bases of my wreaths come from Michaels and then I just add to them;)

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  89. Question, could I use modge podge stuff on top to seal on berrys? I glued them well but didn't want to over do the glue because it would show clear bubbles of it so I want something to seal in the, berries so they don't fall off with wear and tear storage etc

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    1. That's a very good idea! I think modge podge would be fine because it dries clear.

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  90. Love your "initial door decoration". Your letter looks metal in the picture, but is it paper mache? I can't seem to find anything that thin. Most letters are thicker. Can you tell me the measurements of the letter you used. I'm excited to try to make it. Thanks so much!!

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    1. It's actually mdf- found at Michaels- it's probably 12" by 11". This letter was black and is found with all the wooden letters in Michaels but they sell out fast during the holiday for some reason-maybe everyone's making this wreath;)

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  91. I LOVE THIS!!! Tomorrow I'm going to try this out. I'm going to cut my own letter out with black foam core since Joann's doesn't have any letter T's left. :( Fingers crossed!

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  92. This might be a dumb question, but are you able to explain how you made the bow? I'm horrible at it, and am not finding any good tutorials online. :(

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    1. Hi! I will try to get a video tutorial up of a burlap bow. It's pretty easy but there is some pulling and tugging involved so I can see why it may be difficult. Stay tuned!

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  93. Love this craft!!! Please show us how you made your beautiful bow!!!! Thank you!

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  94. I loved this especially because my last name starts with D! I couldn't find a wooden letter big enough, so i ended up making it out of a piece of Styrofoam that I traced a D on and cut out. Then I got the holly berries that come on a garland, snipped them and pushed them into the Styrofoam. I'm just worried about berries falling out eventually. Any ideas/tips for keeping them on???

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    1. You could modge podge them. That might help seal them in and make them stay.

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  95. Adreienne, I'd love to share your post including your final photo on my blog with a direct link back to your post. I'm not doing a tutorial, but rather sharing a few link backs to my favorite people/ideas. Only with your blessing of course! Can you email me at: tipgardenblog@hotmail.com and let me know your feelings?
    thanks
    Jan @ tipgarden.blogspot.com

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  96. Adrienne you rock!!! I just saw this on Pinterest and thought that had to be Adrenne's "D"! You are so stylish and creative, I wish I had half of your talent!! Not to mention you have the cutest kids and Bennett is out of this world adorable!

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  97. These are great ideas. Just love them.

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  98. I like this, thanks for sharing!

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  99. beautiful and simple craft! this inspired me to do a spring version... I used moss to cover the letter "m" for a christmas present. stapled the pink ribbon to each "point" of the m and that worked fine. I got the wooden letter and moss from joann

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  100. Why couldn't you use the pull tabs off of coke cans and stable them into the cardboard to use to hang those odd letters?

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  101. I would love to make these beautiful wreaths for my seven family members for Christmas, but am just beginning a long stint of chemotherapy and radiation treatment for breast cancer and just don't have the energy :-(
    Is this something you might be interested in making and shipping to me if I paid you to do so? If so what might you charge to make it worth your while?

    I appreciate you even considering my request!

    Kimberly

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  102. This is just what I've been looking for! Thanks for the great tutorial :)

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  103. I love this idea! It is so chic, yet simple. Thanks for the inspiration! I'm now following and excited to see more :)

    Autumn

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  104. I adored this craft! Thanks so much for the tutorial, I did mine a bit differently but still love your idea. Thanks for the inspiration!

    Please check us out at www.teachlovecraft.com

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  105. So beautiful! Thanks for the awesome tutorial--I made an "M" with pearls for my baby girl's nursery. http://craftymisc.weebly.com/1/post/2014/03/pearl-monogram.html

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  106. The amount of detail that has gone into making that D is astonishing!

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