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Trends come and go (of course). Some trends I don't care about, and some trends I just love. The wood bead garland trend....well, I'm all about that. You would know if you looked throughout my house. I have beaded garland, at least one, in every room. My husband hates them. In fact, I bought a wood beaded chandelier and he pretty much told me that he's not allowing a taxicab driver's beaded seat to hang from our ceiling. Ha! You know, I never thought about how they do look similar until he said that? 

And now I can't un-see it.... at least these ones are different colors :) So, yeah, he's not thrilled to be reminded of a taxi every room he goes in to. That being said....I'm sure taxi's aren't the only ones with this cover, just sayin'. 

Instead of one hanging from our ceiling, I do have rows of the seat strewn about the house. I'm not sure what's better...one ceiling or every room in the house? ;) ...don't worry, the one for the ceiling is still going up. 

So, I bought one of the beaded garlands, then realized that they would be a ton cheaper to make and super easy too! So, I have made seriously like 10 of these...I know. Obsessive. I think they are just the perfect addition to any weird 'blank space'. 

For instance, this tray would have been boring...then I added the bead garland.

Boom, not boring... :)

Okay, so here's the super simple tutorial on how to make these. Could be obvious in some ways, but tricky in others. So, lets get going. 

Supplies:
Jute
Tape
Scissors
Hot glue
Beads -Got mine from Amazon (link). The garland in the tray is using 20 mm beads, the garland in the bowls (below) are 16 mm. You could make probably 2 or 3 garlands for each set of beads depending on how long you want them. The size in the tray would be the 2/3. The size in the bowl is 8 garlands.

 Step 1: Cut off a piece of jute about 10" longer than you want your garland to be. Tape off one end with tape, kind of circling around it. This will make it easier to send the jute through the holes. Tie off the other end with a double knot. leaving a 5" tail. String the beads. Tie off the taped end close to the beads with a double knot, leaving about a 5" tail. Don't have the beads super tight against each other or else the garland won't relax. So, when you tie the last knot, do it about an half inch to an inch away from the last bead.

 Step 2: Cut five or so pieces of jute in the same size. These are roughly 6" each. If you want longer, make them longer. On the ends of the strung beads, tie the tail around the middle of the five pieces of jute. Or, for visual learners, you can make a circle and knot it, then slide the jute through.

 Like so....

 Step 3: Get another piece of jute, approximately 15-20". Tie one end around the 5 jute pieces, securing it tightly by pulling. The tail on this one is about 3" or make it the same length as the jute around it.

 Then start wrapping the jute around all the other pieces. When you like the way it looks, cut it off and use the hot glue to adhere the end into place. Here's a thicker wrap, using a lot more jute.

 And a smaller wrap, using less jute. It just depends on the look you are going for.

 These are the shorter ones that I made 8 of for my dining room. 

 Here's the longer one on the tray again. You can see that I used longer pieces of jute for the ends and somewhat thicker wraps. 

 I have another one resting in a small dough bowl. As you can see, perfect for an empty space! I had no idea what to put in this little guy, and the bead garland was perfect.

 As for my table and the bowls. Another thing that I didn't know what to put in. I usually put greens or something in the place settings during spring, but I had so much greenery going on. So, I kept thinking about what the heck would look decent because the bowls looked so empty. Then I got the idea to just add small little bead garlands.

 I kind of like the way they look! It would be super easy to add little wood tags with names on here for special dinners. What do you think? 

So, are you a fan of this trend? Does it remind you of taxi cabs? Ha! ...Well, now does it remind you of taxi cabs? I hope I didn't ruin it for you.... Just think, maybe it's not a trend after all. I mean, those beaded seat covers have been around for decades! Trends don't last that long ;)

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Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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I was provided product by DecoArt and compensated to write about this project, but all thoughts, opinions, and ideas are my own :)

When you do as many DIY projects as me, you get a lot of scrap wood pieces. And if you are also like me, you can't ever seem to throw those pieces away. You never know when that 5 inch piece of molding or wood is going to come to good use, right? Ha! Serious though, my scrap pile is so big it's a little ridiculous. Every once in awhile I try to go through it and use it up, and I actually do pull pieces from it often to use on other projects. Today, I'm going to share with you a cute little spring wreath using nothing but scrap would pieces from my pile. 

 I love how this turned out so much that I'll probably be doing another one which I'll update this post with to give you all more ideas. 

So, here are my scrap would pieces. I used quite a mixture or wood or mdf in all different sizes. The backing that I used was also a scrap piece from one of my furniture builds, it's 1/16" piece of plywood. If you don't have this available, you can buy it at a building supply store for about $5 for a 4'x4' piece.

 The width of all the wood pieces together was about 19". That was around the size I wanted for my wreath, so I made sure that all the pieces were at least that length also. 

I painted the wood and mdf using DecoArt's Americana Acrylic Paint in Royal Navy, Berry Cobble, and Vintage Pink. I originally had left the middle mdf piece white, but then decided to use Snow White in the acrylic paint on it also. This took about two coats for full coverage.

 Next, I used the wood glue and squirted it all over the plywood. 

 I then added the wood and mdf on top of the plywood, securing them down with weights. I kept these like this for a couple of hours to make sure the wood glue adhered properly. 

 Next, I used a piece of string and a pen to outline the outer circle. I did this by tying a knot in the middle of the string and securing it in the very center of the pieces with a thumbtack. I then stood the pen up and stretched the string out as far as it could go, and made a circle. To get the length of the string initially, I just pulled it out to the shortest edge. It ended up being about 9".

 I then took a bowl (an easier method) to trace the inner circle. Since I wanted to make this circle off centered, I just eyed where I wanted it. If you want it centered, you would want to measure to make sure it was equidistant from all edges of the previous circle.

 To make the jigsawing process easier, I drilled a hole into the middle circle that's big enough to fit the jigsaw blade.

 Now the fun part :) I put on my protective gear, and use the jigsaw to cut out the outer circle.

 Next, I cut out the center circle starting in the hole that was drilled earlier. 

 I sanded all the edges.

 Then painted the edges using the Snow White.

 I added tied jute onto the back for it to hang. I secured the knots with a staple gun.

 To finish it off, I hot glued flowers onto the bottom left along with a "hello" chipboard sign onto the top right that I had used last spring on a different wreath.

 The "hello" was painted using DecoArt Americana Decor Matte Metallics in Aged Bronze.

 And there's the finished piece!

It has found it's place on my mantel for now, but it will be heading to my door when the weather gets a little bit better.

I just love being able to make things like this at little to no cost; it's the best!

To find more spring decor ideas, be sure to check out DecoArt and their social media for more inspiration!
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Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored post.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to write it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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Even though I kept my Christmas/winter decor out a lot longer than usual this year, I also decorated for spring a lot earlier than usual. I couldn't wait to decorate my front living room with my new mantel. When I got the mantel, it was pretty close to Christmas so I didn't get much of a chance to play around with normal decor. And of course, since it's in my front room, that room has seen some spring updates too! 

The entry to this room has double sliding barn doors that's a must have for when guests use this space as a guest room (the sofa pulls out to a queen bed!)

(Barn Doors: Tutorial      Barn Doors Hardware: Amazon      wood x lamp: Target         White cabinet: Target)

 I realized last year that my sunburst mirror above the new mantel was just too much wood in one place, so I moved it over above the couch. I think it offers a good balance. I was iffy about putting it here since the porthole mirror was also on this wall above the storage cabinet, but I think it works :) 

I went pretty neutral with the pillows, of course :) The white ones came with the couch and actually fit under the bed when it's pulled out. It has a crazy amount of storage in it. The crisscross type jute pillows came from Target last year and the beige ticking pillows were a Home Goods find. 

 (Side Table: Target      White Slipcover Couch/Bed: Ikea      Rug: Rugs USA    Storage Bench: Target     Jute Pillows: Target      Farmhouse ladder: Tutorial       Wood sunburst mirror: Tutorial)

 I am loving this room more and more everyday especially with this new beauty! I am so glad I didn't paint it. It took all I had in me to change my vision in here and have a big wood mantel be the centerpiece, but I think that's what makes it work and makes me love it! 

 For the fireplace I decided to break up the white shiplap and place old book pages in the middle. I put an old painted tree stump in the middle as a small side table for the chairs. A perfect place to hang out and read! 

As for the mantel decor, I went away from my symmetry. It was hard...it was very hard. Ha! But, I wanted to break out of my norm and try something new. This is what happens when you find pieces that you love and want to work together, but you only have one of each....and it only makes sense to have one of each :) Goodbye symmetry! The saying is from Hobby Lobby, the scale and window frame is from Kirklands. 

 These chairs in here are still my favorite find....besides the mantel. They are at least the cheapest ones! They are true Scandinavian chairs that I bought off a yard sale site for $5 each. Yeah! Just a little reupholstering and some paint went a long way.  

 For my bench, I kept it cozy in here with a blanket since it was still technically below 10 degrees outside when I decorated in here. I put up a new light for my gallery wall to give it a more modern farmhouse feel. It doesn't work and isn't connected, but you wouldn't have known if I didn't tell you ;)

Wire Hamper: Amazon    Bench: Target

I placed some lambs ear stems to the dough bowl along with faux lavender. I'm never sure about how to decorate this thing, but I figure you can't go wrong with lots of greenery :)

 I think this room is just full of my favorite things, including this vintage inspired wire hamper. I like to add extra blankets (goodness knows I have enough), and pillows (also way overboard on those) to it no matter what season. This sweet Flower Market pillow case is new and is from the etsy store Living With Amanda.

 Here's a view of this angle that isn't shown too often. I'm in the process of making another one of these blanket ladders for my bedroom. When you have as many blankets as I do, you need the extra storage! :)

 And a couple more views of the room to get a good feel of the space!

When do you start decorating for spring? And what does you spring decor typically look like? Mine is obviously just greens and greens and greens!...and maybe lavender sneaking in there. I know spring to some are eggs and bunnies. I don't tend to go that way, maybe I'll add some decals on the windows for the kids, but that's about it :)....oh wait. Correction. I did buy one small 3" wood and white bunny the other day...I'm well on my way now ... haha :)

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” 

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