Ruler Wreath! Back 2 School Week

Good Morning!

You may have noticed my absence last week... I was busy getting ready for the "Back 2 School Party" - and redoing Adam's bedroom from a toddler bedroom to a BIG BOY bedroom - and trying to wrap my head around the fact that we now have 7 6 5 4 3 day until school STARTS!  This summer has zoomed past me... with lots of fun adventure days, fun lazy days and fun crafting days!

I went to the Dollar Tree last week to gather supplies for the Back 2 School Party... I spent a little lot more than $25 ... If I would have been more organized, I would not have over bought and then had to return/exchange a good amount.  Lesson 1: Be Organized!

Anyways - I saw a super cute school wreath last year on The Polka Chair blog and it's stayed in my mind ever since...

Isn't it darling?  I love everything about it and I knew I wanted to create my own for our front porch... take a look!

It was super easy and pretty inexpensive to make so  I got to work and gathered my supplies!

Here's what you'll need:

- Inexpensive plate/platter - I found mine at the 99Cents store a while back.
- Chalkboard Paint - I prefer the Rustoleum Spray Paint but you can use any brand.
- 20 Rulers (depending on size of plate)- I bought mine from Target for $.25 ea.
- 20 Pencils - 1 pkg at Dollar Tree
- Word Flash  Cards - 1 pkg at Dollar Tree
- Silk Flowers - I had mine on hand, you can find them at the Dollar Tree, Michael's, Joann's...
- Brown paper lunch sack
- Colored pencils - Dollar Tree
- & Pin - Pink Paisley School Days line (I've had mine in a stash for years)
- October Afternoon "School" card - came in a mini-album kit
- Soda can pull tab
- Duct tape
- Gorilla Glue (or any super strong epoxy)
- Glue gun and glue sticks

Steps:

1. Spray paint your plate with chalkboard paint.  I sprayed 3 coats, giving each coat a 30 min. drying time - if you live in a cooler climate, you may have to give it more time between coats.

2.  Once your plate is dry, grab it, the rulers and your glue gun.  Start gluing your rulers onto your plate around the rim.  Try to keep them equal distance apart, remember that you'll glue pencils in between each ruler.

3.  Once your rulers are all on, your plate will resemble a sunburst - it's pretty cute already!  Now grab your rulers and start gluing those onto your plate between each ruler.

4.  You now have the base of your wreath all done and it's time to start embellishing it!

5.  I always like to lay out my design before I glue so that I can add or subtract elements.  I started layering everything school related that I had on hand - and since I've been a papercraft hoarder enthusiast for the past 15 years, I had a lot of school themed supplies just waiting for Adam's first day of Elementary School to choose from!

6. I grabbed my OA "School" flash card, some fun Pink Paisley elements, the word flashcards from the Dollar Tree and the artificial flowers from who knows when!  I started arranging them on the wreath until I was happy with the look.  Then I grabbed my trusty glue gun and started adhering them! 

I didn't want the wreath to be too juvenille so I stuck with a red and yellow color pallet.  I think if I would've kept adding colors, it would've looked more childish than I wanted.

The total cost of my wreath (minus the OA "School Flashcard and the Pink Paisley Pin since I don't know what they cost) was under $10! 

I wrote my message on my chalkboard (after I seasoned it), glued my soda tab to the top back of my wreath, reinforced it with duct tape and put it on our front porch wall (if you punched a hole at the top of your plate before you glued the rulers/pencils on, you could hang it with the ribbon instead)! 

I love it, my husband even commented on how cute it is, which is as good as 2 thumbs up in our house!  It didn't take too much time, I'd say around an hour once you have your supplies picked out and it's a great way to celebrate the school year starting or ending!

Thanks for visiting today!  I'll see you tomorrow with more school party inspiration and ideas!
Have a great Monday!
Andrea