Yarn frames and paper wreaths

I had no idea how many craft and decorating blogs were out there until recently. And many of them make their authors seem like beautiful, barefoot versions of Martha Stewart who happen to have materials like spray adhesive and medium-sized paper doilies on hand. I'll admit, I have a craft closet, but it's not stocked with an assortment of glues and lumber.

I found instructions online this week for a book wreath that required four things: a book, a styrofoam wreath, a hot glue gun, and some paint. Done. I tore up a book that I've had forever called "The Hamptons Diet" (choose your own metaphor). I've never read it, and don't really remember where it came from. I think an author must have sent it to me in a lovely little press kit. I'm sure the shipping cost more than this craft project.

Going back to look at the original inspiration, my wreath isn't as dense... but hey, it took me about 90 minutes and I was done. If I had kept going back to copy what she had done I never would have been satisfied and I'd likely have given up.

The other blog project that inspired me was for yarn-covered picture frames. Of course, this author actually built her own picture frames (ha!), but I totally cheated and used two frames I already had, and the round ones are more styrofoam wreaths.

We really don't have a lot of things hanging on our walls, probably because we've lived in five different places in the last five years and are haunted by nightmares of last-minute hole-filling. But these wreaths weigh next to nothing, so I was able to hang them with push pins. Voila!