Necessity is the mother of invention - Plato
***
I don't have a money tree.
In fact- I don't even have a yard.
(Insert weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth here.)
Around here, pocket change is extinct and an account balance higher than $30 only exists in my Greatest Of Dreams. So I began to research ways to have a nice home without breaking the bank. I came across an extremely popular project that I fell in love with at first sight, and I was determined to make it: a Book Wreath.
It would make any bare wall in my home look amazing! The idea and tutorial came from: Living With Lindsay
For this project, the directions say to use styrofoam wreaths. Have you seen the price of styrofoam? So I began The Hunt. I racked my brain for circular objects that could double as a wreath. One glimmer-of-light-deep-in-the-recesses-of-my-brain later, an idea was born.
I cut an old bath towel into thirds. Only using one-third, I rolled it up length-wise. Then, I wrapped masking tape around the entire towel to make it more stiff and sturdy. I overlapped the ends together, taped and voila! I had an instant wreath. And it was free.
I brushed walnut stain with a foam brush along the edges of some old library books (purchased on Ebay ages ago) to give them a burned and antiqued look. I ripped the pages out and was surprised at how much paper it took to fill up the wreath. Be prepared to use a TON of pages for this wreath. One book may not be enough. I used 4 small paperbacks.
Follow the rest of the instructions here for a fabulous wreath to adorn your wall, window or door.
I had some leftover pages, so I decided to make a second wreath. After reading the instructions at The Shabby Nest, I once again searched high and low for that perfect something destined to be used for Wreath Number Two.
Enter recycle bin, stage left.
I saw this Ovaltine lid and knew. Call if fate, call it destiny, call it... perfect. I cut a 2 in. hole in the middle, hot glued till the fingers were blistered, plugged a tack into the wall, and hung it up by resting the lip of the lid on the tack.
If you have an old frame, hang the wreath inside to add dimension. You can also hang the frame up using tacks. This is great if you are renting and don't want to patch up a bazillion holes when you move.
Happy Wreath Making!
*all images are my own
Jordan is employed as a personal maid to her husband and two kids who, fortunately for them, she adores. She is one of the millions of people who rent and is trying to find creative ways to decorate and make her 1300 sq. ft. home her own - all without the use of a money tree. She is also the author of Mean Mommy Academy - a blog where laughter is first priority.
