Pool Noodle Wreathmaking--Inspired by Pinterest

A Wreath for Patriotic Holidays

One of my favorite Pinterest boards is "Wreaths for All Seasons and Reasons." On that board, I pin wreaths I love as well as anything else that might be appropriate for door décor throughout the year. I've pinned several ideas for celebrating the Fourth of July and many others for summertime fun. So, I've some of the creative ideas I've pinned to come up with my own version of a pool-noodle, flip-flop wreath.

I love the dollar store! Most of the supplies are available there, making this Pinterest-inspired wreath a budget-friendly project—and it won't take long to make it either! You can substitute ribbon for that if you wish—or eliminate it. The items purchased at my local Dollar Tree have an asterisk* in the "Materials, Tools, and Supplies" list below. Add a few more bucks and you have a custom-made wreath for between $20 and $25, plus the fun you had creating it! Throw in a few more dollars for miscellaneous supplies if needed.

Flip-Flop Hooray for the USA Wreath

...a pool noodle wreath for the Fourth of July and other patriotic holidays—Flag Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day! 

I've written this step-by-step tutorial so you can follow along and make your own. When the shopping is done, the wreath making is done and shouldn't take much more than a few hours! Follow along and yours will be finished before you know it!

Although I made my wreath to hang on the door for the month of July, you can adapt this to any other color scheme for other seasons. For example, if you want to turn it into an Easter wreath, substitute plastic eggs from the dollar store for the flip-flops and use deco mesh as a background for the flowers. The possibilities are quite endless! You could make a wreath for every season for not much more than it would cost you to pay full retail for a custom-made one. Now that's what I call "bargain crafting."

Materials

* (1) 2-1/2"-diameter pool noodle, about 48" long in desired color. I wanted white but had to settle on blue, which is fine for this color scheme. Red would work, too! The noodle should already have a hole all the way through the center, about 3/4" in diameter.

*1 pair of flip flops, medium in child's size or size 7 for an adult; look for red-white-and blue ones or use your choice of red or blue (I actually bought the ones shown on sale at JoAnn Fabrics for $1.00. they are definitely of better quality than the ones available a the dollar store and in the "dollar spot" bins at Target stores--plus I love the stripes! Consider "glamorizing" plain flip-flops with strips of colored Duck tape, glue-on jewels, decals, or painted motifs. Gussy them up a bit for more pizazz!

*16-20 or more multi-blossom sprays of assorted silk flowers (5 medium to large flowers on a spray). I used matching red and white daisies as well as a few sprays of a red mum and a white rose because I ran out of the daisies and there were no more daisies at my local Dollar Tree.

Note: I've also made a wreath using multiple flower styles and a more random arrangement (a photo of that wreath appears later in this tutorial). The number of flowers you will need depends on their size and the density of coverage so the noodle doesn't show—unless of course you want it to.

3"-long piece of dowel—the diameter of the hole in the pool noodle, or as close as you can come

About 2 yards of 1-1/2" to 2"-wide grosgrain or wire-edged ribbon for the hanger, more if you want to tie a bow in it

OR

A small bone or brass drapery ring OR the pop-top ring from a soda can for a hanger if you don't want a ribbon one

Optional: Spray-on fabric protector

Tools and Supplies

Tacky craft glue

Clear mailing tape

Straight pins

Small sewing scissors

Measuring tape

Seam sealant such as Fray Check from the fabric store

Glue Gun and glue sticks

Assembly

1. Insert 1' to 2" of the dowel into one end of the noodle. If it's not a snug fit, remove, put some glue in the opening of the hole and slide the noodle back in place. Allow the glue to dry. It needs air to dry thoroughly. Try drying it with a blow dryer to speed up the process.

Note: Since I didn't have the right size dowel on hand, I raided my husband's workshop for a scrap of wood that would work the same way as the dowel. That's what you see in the photo.

Bring ends together, then force
together as much as possible.

2. Bring the other end of the noodle around to the exposed end of the dowel, put some glue inside the hole and insert the dowel, shaping the noodle into a circle. Tape the ends together (allow it to spread a bit to keep the circle round. You'll cover up this area later.

Clear packing tape; there is a gap between
 the two edges at the outer edge of noodle. 

Note: When I made my second wreath, I was in a hurry, so I didn't use a dowel or lumber. I just cut off a few lengths of tape, then forced the ends together as much as possible.

3.  Cut a short length of ribbon or other trim and wrap it around the wreath. Use the Tacky craft glue to secure it. (I used a scrap of cotton strap webbing. Treat the cut end with seam sealant (Fray-Check). Make sure it is securely glued and allow to dry thoroughly. This is where you will attach the ribbon for the hanger.

Glue ends in place and teat

 exposed end with seam sealant.

Use wire snips to cut
flowers from stems.

4. Use a wire cutter to snip two flowers from one of the floral sprays, leaving enough stem to tuck into the opening of the toe thongs of the flip-flops. If you want leaves, push them up the wires stems so they lie beneath the flower. Squirt a little tacky glue into and around the hole before forcing the flower stem in place.

Flowers glued in place

Glue flip-flops to noodle wreath.

5. Position the flip-flops on the wreath as desired. When happy with the positioning, glue in place with the glue gun. I glued the edges of the flip-flops together too, so the lower one wouldn't tip into the center. I also flipped the wreath over and put more glue in the back along the flip-flops.

6. Begin cutting flowers from at least ten of the floral sprays to start, leaving enough stem (2"-2-1/4") to push into the noodle. Test the stem length in the foam to make sure the stem doesn't poke through the back. Stems should be long enough to anchor the flower, so cutting them a little shy of the distance from the top of the noodle to your work surface should work. Set aside at least 1 blossom for the ribbon hanger if you are not making a bow in the ribbon. Cut more flowers as needed.

7. Arrange the blossoms around on the top of the wreath, but don't push them into the top of the noodle until you are pleased with the placement. Just lean them against the inner and outer edges of the wreath so you can rough-out the placement. When you are satisfied, simply push the stems into the noodle. You can remove and reposition them as you go, but don't re-use a previous hole as the flowers may fall out because the hole won't be as stable as with a single poke-through. If you don't like something after you are finished pushing all of the flowers into the top of the wreath, remove them one at a time and rearrange or reposition as desired. 

First round of flowers, on top of wreath

Note: If your wreath will hang on a door is that gets a lot of use, it would be a good idea to glue the flowers in place with tacky craft glue. However, I recommend waiting to do this after you've "lived" with the finished wreath for a few days. You might see a few blooms that need re-spacing or require a different angle to hide the pool tube underneath. Once glued that's not possible.

To glue, remove the blossoms one by one, insert a little tacky craft glue into and around the hole, and then replace it. Depending on how many blossoms, you've used, this will be a little time-consuming, but worth it.

If your wreath will hang indoors on a wall, gluing may not be necessary unless they start falling out.

8. When happy with the front of the wreath, fill in with flowers around the outer and inner perimeters to hide the wreath. Hold it up against a wall and look at both side edges to make sure there are enough blossoms to hide the wreath from the side. If you leftover leaves and stems, these may be used as fillers.

All flowers in place on inner & outer 

edges and top of wreath

Wispy sprays for movement 
and visual interest

9. For a less static look, consider adding wispy floral sprays around the inner and outer perimeter.

10. To hang your wreath, choose one of these options:

Tie a snug square knot; glue 

with tacky craft glue.

a. Loop color-coordinated ribbon through the ribbon or webbing (step 3) and tie in a knot, then tie in a bow if desired, or tie another square knot to create the length required where you wish to hang it. Make sure the knot is secure and that both halves of the ribbon are the same length. 

Decide how long the ribbon tails should be and cut the ends at a 45-degree angle. Treat the cut edges with seam sealant to prevent further raveling. It dries clear.

Treat cut ends with seam sealant after 
cutting at a 45-degree angle.

b. If you don't want a ribbon bow, sew a soda-can pop-top metal ring to the ribbon or webbing on the back of the wreath so you can hang it on a small hook or nail positioned on the wall or door behind it.

Note: Since the wreath is so lightweight, you might find it safe and easy to hang it on your front door using a Command hook from 3M. Find them at your grocery store. Locate on the hanging surface so the wreath covers the hook-- "no visible means of support!" This type of hook can take the place of an over-the-door-wreath hook when one that hooks over the top of the door is too thick to allow the door to close. Pool noodle wreaths are lightweight, unless you weight them down with geegaws! But, I always buy a hook that will support more than the actual weight of the wreath. Don't skip the step of cleaning the surface where you will mount it. I have, and the consequences are not pretty! (A few framed pictures fell off the walls eventually!)

11. Finally, if your wreath will be outdoors, it's a good idea to treat it with spray-on fabric protector. If you can't find it locally, you can order it from Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00006IA8Ooz/13281231

Second wreath with more planned  flower 

arrangement; flip-flops at an angle.

First wreath with more random flower
placement & straight up flip-flop positioning

http://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/dollar-store-spring-wreaththeres-a-fungus-amungus/--dowel

Easter wreath with plastic eggs from 
dollar store adhered to foam
pipe-insulation tube

After reading several posts that showed how to make a "pool noodle" wreath, I stumbled on a site that suggested using insulation foam tubes. That's what I used for my Easter Egg Wreath. These run $2 to $3 for a 6' length, which is way too long. I cut mine down to about 54" and when all was said and done, the wreath still turned out larger then I wanted--I forgot about the "bulk" that the eggs would add. It is a bit "wobbly" with over 120 plastic eggs hot-glued in place (that's at least seven bags or 18 eggs each from the dollar store). If you want to use this instead of a pool noodle, be sure to check out the post below shows how to avoid an "unround" wreath when using this material. It definitely works, but I recommend cutting a 48"-long piece from it--it will be plenty big when finished! It won't take nearly as many eggs to cover it either, making this a truly inexpensive wreath!

http://gailmade.blogspot.com/2011/10/how-to-avoid-pipe-insulation-wreath.html

For other wreaths featuring flip-flops, check out these web addresses from some of my favorite pins.

http://foxhollowcottage.com/2012/06/flip-flop-summer-pool-noodle-wreath.html

http://homeandgarden.craftgossip.com/14-colorful-wreaths-you-can-make/

You will need to click on the image of the "Welcome" wreath to access the tutorial when you reach the link above.

http://papersopretty.blogspot.com/2012/06/flip-flop-wreath-for-summer.html

I would love to see your wreath(s) if you make one from my directions. It would be nice to share your photos in this blog!

By the way, if you sew or quilt or both, be sure to check out my other blog, www.joyofsewingandquilting.blogspot.com

Strip Happy Fat Quarter
Tote Bag

I just posted about my latest pattern, the Strip Happy Fat Quarter Tote Bag.

Until next time, 

Keep on pinning, crafting, and smiling
Barbara

What's So "Pinteresting" About Pinterest?

Welcome to my new blog about that fabulous social media site that has the world "pining to pin!" My hair stylist told me about it and when I finally got around to checking it out several months later, I was immediately enchanted!

 I've been "pinning" on Pinterest for over a year now and I'm in love with it! I wanted to call this blog "I' Love Pinterest" or "Inspired by Pinterest," but wasn't surprised to find those names already taken. So,"Thumbs Up for Pinterest" it is! Since it's my intention to report on the things I've tried that have worked, that seems to be the appropriate name after all. And, if something that I've tried doesn't work, I'll share that too.

Actually, I've been doing my own version of "pinning"  from the web for years, using my own method to save images to my computer. Whenever I would do a "web crawl" (what I call a search), and found something I liked, I would save the image to the appropriate file folder I keep on a USB stick. I used to clip ideas from magazines and keep them in plastic sleeves in three-ring binders, but when I learned how to copy images to my computer, those went by the wayside. When I learned about Pinterest, I was overjoyed--what an easy way to find and keep ideas without taking up a lot space on my bookshelves!

Like most new pinners, I went crazy with it for the first few months--I spent hours searching boards and creating my own. Then I stopped when I realized how many hours it was taking from my pattern design business (which I also blog about at www.joyofsewingandquilting.blogspot.com) when the spirit moves me! Here's one of my newest patterns featured there just in time for the beach, the Sew 'n' Go BeachMat Tote and Pillow.

 Then the fun of the search drew me back to Pinterest. I've found so many wonderful ideas and so much useful information on Pinterest--that I simply wouldn't have found any other way. It is a powerful form of social media. If I had to search on my own for the thousands of images I've pinned, my boards would be empty. When everyone shares, everyone benefits, and that's wonderful. My Pinterest boards are my very own "library in the air." I look at my boards for ideas almost daily, sometimes more than once a day.

My pins encourage me, inspire me, educate, and inform me and take me to new sites and blogs I never would have found on my own, simply because I wouldn't have the time! So when people say it's a time-waster, I don't agree. For me it's a timesaver, connecting me to others with similar passions all over the world. Yes, I spend time every day pinning, and I do have to "police" that time, but it's time better spent than doing other time-wasting activities.

I'm excited by Pinterest and will post about my "Pinteresting" experiences as well as any trials and tribulations and will do my best to source the pins that were my inspiration.

Today, I'm working on a 4th of July wreath, inspired by several pins I've saved on my Wreaths for All Seasons and Reasons. I'll share it, along with a tutorial just soon as it's  finished.

Until next time,
Keep on Pinning and Grinning!
Barbara