DIY Wine Lover's Wreath

I have always enjoyed making gifts more than purchasing them.  There is something so rewarding about seeing the recipients joy when they realize the thought and time that went into a homemade gift. I happen to have grown up in a wine drinking family that refuses to throw away corks, rather than watch them endlessly pile up I decided I would put them to good use and make a cork wreath.

Supplies:
Lots of corks - if you don't have any piling up at your house you can buy both new and used corks online. I prefer the look of used corks to the new ones but it's personal preference.
Hot Glue Gun and Glue
Wreath Form - available at your local craft store.  I prefer the flat wood kind for this project, you could also cut your own form out of cardboard.

Directions:
Step One:  While the hot glue gun is warming play around with the corks on the wreath form to get comfortable with the process and to determine a "pattern"

Step Two:  Begin glueing the first layer of corks onto the wreath form.  If you prefer a more uniform look then you may want to glue all the corks the same direction (this is more difficult since the wreath curves and the corks are straight).  Otherwise just start glueing the corks onto the base with hot glue, the goal with the first layer is to simply cover the wreath form.  If you come to a curve that doesn't fit the whole cork turn it and either glue is on it's side or on the bottom sticking straight up.

Step Three:  Finish glueing a second layer of corks onto the base layer, but this time use less corks and try to layer them on top of each other.  The more random it is the easier it becomes and the better it looks in my opinion.

Step Four: Hang and enjoy! If you are using it for the holidays or gifting it tie a large bow around the top to use as a hanging device, otherwise just put a nail in the wall and hang the edge onto it.

DIY Hanging Planter

Supplies Needed:
Cotton or Nylon Rope
Scissors
Plastic or lightweight planter without irrigation hole
Plant and soil

Do It Yourself Artwork

We finally finished remodeling and started to decorate our new house when we realized we would need a lot more art.  Our last apartment was 650 square feet and more than half the walls had windows, which means we owned very little art.  We had a few favorites which we immediately hung on our freshly painted white walls, but the majority of our house remainder bare.  As I scoured the internet for Art I realized it wasn't in our budget to purchase this much art and instead I went to the craft store and began making do it yourself art.  These are two of my favorites and can be easily customized to match the colors in your house.

Supplies Needed:
Black Acrylic Paint
Assorted Colorful Acrylic Paint - I used Craft Smart (Bright Red, Chrome Orange, Phthalo Red, Pink, Deep Yellow, and Chrome Yellow)
Foam Pouncers - this project is much easier if you have the same size pouncer for every color paint
Blue Painters Tape
Large Canvas or Poster Board - I used 21" x 36"canvas for the color block and regular poster board for the dots