Pepper Design Blog

Decorating for Fall: Felt Flower Wreath

I recently saw a felt flower wreath here and decided that I would love to make one for the house, but with my own spin on the flowers. (The wreath by I Can Craft That is adorable by the way, you should definitely check it out if you have a chance.)

I found the a twig wreath at Michaels for $4.99 (a blank canvas for so many ideas!) and the sheets of felt were on sale for 5/$1. After playing with the felt to create a few different flower shapes, I settled on six that I loved. I generally work in odd numbers but for some reason this arrangement felt right.

Here’s a close up of the various styles. They all involve felt strips rolled up into the shape of a flower, but for some the strips were left with their raw edge out and for some they were simply folded in half before wrapping for a softer finish. The large purple flower in the center is three sets of circles stacked on top of each other from smallest to largest with a wooden button in the center.

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Felt Flower Wreath

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Materials: Any style of wreath, felt sheets, needle & thread, wiring or glue for attaching flowers to wreath

{1.} Cut felt into various sized strips.

{2.} For flowers with a softer edge (more rose-like), fold strips in half horizontally and add a quick stitch to hold. You could use dots of hot glue here as well to keep your sides together.

{3.} Beginning at one end of the strip of felt (which will now be the center of your flower), wrap remaining end around and around and around. With every wrap around the center I kept poking the needle and thread back through the felt at the back to hold the new shape, this helped to spread the petals out to a create a short, flat flower that would nest nicely in the wreath.

{4.} Using thin wire (to later remove the flowers for other purposes) or hot glue, attach your new flowers and leaves to the wreath.

Now she’s ready to display!

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More fall decorating ideas found here. Happy Thursday!

Decorating for Fall: Yarn Pumpkins

Here’s an easy fall craft to tackle in about an hour (perfect for a car trip or while you’re catching up on the latest episode of The Office).

I found two styrofoam pumpkins in the 50% off bin at Michaels and knew that they could be so much more. With a bit of orange yarn (also 50% off) and a few fabric leaves these guys were ready for display:

They’re living in the fruit and veggie bowl at the moment (next to some hand grown tomatoes, yum) but they’ll probably find a new home soon.

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Yarn Pumpkins

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Materials: styrofoam pumpkins (or balls that you shape into pumpkins), orange yarn, green or fabric felt, pins or glue for leaves

It’s as easy as…

{1.} Wrap the yarn around your pumpkin and tie a knot on the underside.

{2.} Continue to wrap the yarn around the pumpkin in large sections (this gives the wrapping a little uniformity – you could skip that part and just wrap like crazy though).

{3.} Cut felt or fabric pumpkin leaves and attach with a pin or glue

…and display!

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Super simple and crafty fall pumpkins ready to go.

Inspiration: Fabric Bulletin Boards

We’ve all seen so many great examples of fabric bulletin boards, but here’s a roundup that I’m inspired by for the new office. Bulletin boards so practical! And they can be so pretty. I’m building two panels that will lay vertically up against the wall behind the desk – and they’re almost ready for their reveal.

Here are more great examples to fit just about every style:

How awesome is that gold framed bulletin board? It was likely an old mirror that they converted. I had an old dresser mirror that I turned into a map board, mirrors make great bulletin board frames.

A fabric lined bulletin board could be as simple as a classic burlap or tweed – or as ornate as a toile or suzani! Try lining a simpler bulletin board in nailhead trim or ribbon.

That little needlepoint ring is an interesting take on a fabric board (I’m assuming you’d cut your cork to fit the ring?) and here’s a tutorial for unframed fabric panels (like the lower bottom right).

Now back to work on mine!

Sources: DecorPad, Martha Stewart, Pottery Barn, Bella Dia, Houzz, and Houzz again.