Happy Fall Y'all!
Fall is my favorite one to decorate for, besides the amazing, magical time called Christmas! Pumpkins, fake or alive, are a definite weakness of mine...the cashier at Target probably thinks I'm a bit mad. Is there such a thing as too many pumpkins? If there is I haven't found the number yet haha! With summer quickly coming to an end I decided Autumn was the perfect time to debut the new door piece!
This summer while on a trip to the mountains, we ended up at a BBQ festival. Like any festival, there were vendors selling their crafts, everything from knitted doll clothes to amazing pieces of woodwork. One booth stood out the most and no it wasn't selling food. It was the BTC Custom Designs booth! What caught my eye was the high-quality product and the wide variety of pieces they were selling. They use a laser cutter to create precise and detailed pieces, everything from a classic scalloped monogram to a large zebra. Check out their Facebook page HERE to see some other examples of their amazing work! I chose to bring home the square piece with the G in the center. The styling is very classic and I thought it could last longer than any trendy font or current styling. I decided to create the wooden G into a door "wreath" that could change with the seasons. (Not sure what to officially call it because it isn't a traditional arrangement but because it is serving the same decorative purpose, so I am calling it a wreath.) How can it change with the seasons? Starting with the Autumn burlap bow and gourds, the piece can be changed by simply untieing the ribbon from the G! I know you want to know how I did it. Keep reading below!
Before you begin here is a list of the necessary supplies!
Wooden Letter
Thick ribbon (full spool)
Hardward hooks
Foral wire
Mini pumpkins, berries and leaves from formal section
wood stain
old rag
thick paint brush
urethane
scissors
wire cutters
hot glue gun & hot glue
outdoor command hook
If you like my letter style, in particular, please contact BTC Custom Designs, they will ship to you any piece you are interested in or create something custom for you! Most of the other items on the list came from Hobby Lobby. The pumpkins, leaves and berry steam came from the floral department, I cut the wire stems off with wire cutters and BOOM mini Fall for cheap! For the stain and sealer I actually already had those but I recommend looking at your local hardware store. The stain goes a long way so if you are buying some just for this project, buy the smallest one you can find!
Step 1: Prepare the wooden letter.
Find a well-ventilated area to prepare the letter, such as your backyard or balcony. Lay out enough old newspapers to have a safe place to stain the wooden letter. Unless you are staining in the grass, please double or triple up on newspapers because the stain will bleed through and possible stain your balcony... *cough cough* Anyways, you may be a staining pro or just a beginner here are my tips to staining! Use a thick brush to paint the stain on and once the stain hits the wooden use an old rag to blend the stain into the grain of the wood. Also to get the tight corners I dipped the end of the rag into the stain and used my finger (wrapped in the rag) to get the corners. (Beauty tip: nail polish remover works great to remove the stain from your hands.) If you want a darker shade, simply repeat the process until the wood is the shade you desire. The close-up below is actually after only one coat of the MINWAX Dark Walnut 2716 stain.
Let the stain dry overnight to make sure it is completely dry before sealing the wood with urethane. I have used the canned urethane in the past and it works really well but the sprayed version by MINWAX is the real deal! I always had trouble getting even coats and with the spray I find that to not be an issue. For this project, I used the clear gloss and did about 2 coats. The door is under a well-protected awning so I was not concerned too much about water and weathering. While drying for a couple hours, I started on the fun part, the Autumn bow!
Step 2: Prepare the Bow.
To create the big bow of Autumn-y goodness, you first have to start with the actual bow. The bow for this project is essentially three ribbon bunches. Each about half the size of the last, to figure out how much ribbon you will need, fold the ribbon in half to see the size of the actual bow. After you have cut your three ribbon pieces, take the longest strand and your floral wire to create the first bunch. Fold each end of the ribbon over each other toward the middle section of the strand (as seen below) and wrap the wire around this section to create the bunch. Next, repeat this with the other two strands to make the middle and smallest bunches. Wrap a piece of wire around the two largest bunches, then tie the smallest bunch to the top of the other two. Bam you have a bow. If you are a visual person like me scroll down a little to see what I mean.
Step 3: Add the Autumn-y Goodness.
As mentioned during the supply list section, the Fall goodies I found for the wreath came from the floral section, and so the first step is to prep all of the pieces. While doing this I heated up my handy dandy pink hot glue gun. This is truly the fun part! There is no wrong way to layer the pieces.
I started with the leaves as a base between the layers of the bow when just put pieces where ever I wanted. Due to the pumpkins being made out of a very light foam, I had no trouble hot gluing them at the different angles and areas you can see below.
Once the main pieces are added take the last of the ribbon and glue it to the back of the bow in such a way where both sides are about equal length. Once this piece is attached, create a wire loop on the back of the bow to act as the hanger for the wreath. Then glue the wire loop to the back with hot glue and use several leaves glued over it, to support the loop while also hiding it.
Step 4: Attaching the wooden letter and the bow. & Hanging the Wreath
Use two metal hooks to attach the bow. Screw the hooks into the wooden piece evenly on both sides. For this piece, it is about two inches in on each side but the location will vary depending on your piece. After the hooks are in place, take the project outside to the front door. Figure out how high you want the wreath to hang, then tie the ribbon to the hooks at the desired length. If there is a lot of extra ribbons cut off the excess. Follow the direction to install an outdoor Command Hook and BOOM you have a custom wreath your neighbors will be envious of!
{The mix of glitter and Autumn colors this bow has is such a fun a festive style! }
If you have any questions please feel free to leave a comment or email me!
Time to go warm up some apple cider!
Blessings from Birmingham,
