Up-cycled Sweater Wreath

This month our family has been on what I would term a "no-spend" budget, well, other than the absolute necessities.  We looked at our budget at the end of December and saw that we could be so close to reaching a huge financial goal if we just bit the bullet and did it.  (Praise the Lord, through His extra provision during the Christmas season along with ultra-penny-pinching, we were able to meet that goal last week, which was 4 months earlier than expected!  Woo-hoo!)

Now back to the reason I was telling you that in the first place...after I took down the Christmas decorations, my "Fantel" was looking all bare and sad without a wreath.  I've never done a "winter" wreath before, and with our little "no-spend challenge" going on, I wasn't sure what I could do about it.  

While being in "ultra-penny-pinching" mode is not always the easiest, it does force you to be creative with the resources you already have at your disposal! And honestly, I love that.  I need to think this creatively ALL the time. So without spending a penny, I created an "Upcycled Sweater Wreath."  Here's how it all came about...

Like we probably all do in January, I was purging the closets when I came across this sweater....

I bought it at a yard sale last summer for $0.25 and had only worn it once during this fall/winter season.  I hadn't seen when I bought it that there was an itsy-bitsy, orangey-colored stain on the camisole part of the sweater.  Or perhaps one of my children smeared it on me the first time I wore it...not sure! =D  But anyhow, I have not been able to remove said stain so this sweater was in the goodwill pile. (Stains bother, me, okay?) =)

But then it hit me!  "Hmmmm...it's white and cozy looking...has some lace on it....perhaps I can make it into a wreath!"

So on Saturday I went to town hacking up the sweater into 2 inch strips, trying to use just about every square inch of it possible.  (You may have seen this pic if you follow me on Instagram....I'm itsjustlaine.)

I saved the bottom lacey-edged part of the sweater for later and then began hot gluing the strips around the wreath form. (Oh, and the wreath form is actually plumbing insulation duct taped together to form a circle...super cheap at Lowe's!)  

Because my wreath form was dark, I ended up doing two layers of strips.  Those sleeves sure came in handy! =)

  

I used part of the lacey edge from the bottom of the sweater to wrap around one part of the wreath, but also used a little of it, along with some of the laced edged camisole to make a flower. 

 For the flower, I cut 5 circles (they are a bit misshapen since I didn't want to cut off any of the lace), folded them in quarters and sewed them onto a felt circle.  

 Just add four to the bottom layer (like four pieces of pie) and then sew one standing up in the center, and you have a pretty fabric flower!

I put it on the wreath, along with a felted pin given to me last year at the Favorite Things Party.  Truly love how this wreath turned out!

  

It's fun to get creative with what we have, isn't it?  Now go ahead, take that sweater you never wear and make it into a wreath...I think you'll love it! =) 

Have you every taken apart a sweater to make something?  Made a new wreath lately?  And does penny-pinching push your creativity?  I'd love to hear about it!

Sometimes I link up to:  Beneath my Heart, Serenity Now, Raising 4 Princesses, 5 days 5 ways, Today's Creative Blog, Skip to My Lou, Home Stories A to Z, House of Hepworths, 36th Avenue, Kitchen Fun, DIY Dreamer, {Primp}, Sassafras Salvation, Shabby Creek Cottage, Somewhat Simple, Creation Corner, The Shabby Nest, Finding Fabulous, CSI Project, Trendy Treehouse, Uncommon Design, Happy Home, Imparting Grace, Metamorphosis Monday,