Guest Post & Tutorial

Hey, fellow Frugalista Find friends!!! 

I'm Jamie and I blog over at Life As A Pepin!!

this is me :)

{{I really want to thank Liz Ann for inviting me to be here today to share this cute, fun tutorial!!!! Liz and I both went to the University of Kentucky and were involved in Campus Crusade there. This picture is from one of our parties circa 2003 }}

EA, me, and our friend Annie

Spring is officially here and we all know what that means!!!

April showers bring May babies....... OK, OK, that's not really the saying....... ;) 

Recently, my husband and I were asked to help host a baby shower for some friends of ours. It was a very relaxed couple's shower: we grilled out, watched basketball, had ping-pong and darts, and had a baby pool full of drinks. :) 

So, we planned to not play the typical "baby games". In lieu of the games, I made something else instead!  

and today I'll be showing you how to make a 

Wish Tree

All of the Supplies

Container/Flower Pot of your choice (has to be tall enough to hold tree branches)

3 bags of river rocks*

1 floral foam core*

1 bag Moss rocks(5 total) *

8 inch piece of floral wire

Napkins in a fun print

small bottle of Acrylic white paint

Mod Podge (Matte or Gloss)

regular paint brush

Foam paint brush *

4-8 tree branches

Pack of white cardstock (or your choice of color)

Paper Cutter

Cute pack of paper (for backing)

Glue stick *

Stapler or Hole Punch

Ribbon (I used twine)

*All items purchased at the Dollar Store for $1 :)

How to Make the Tree:

1. Place the floral foam in the bottom of your container

2. Stick the branches into the foam. Trim them to the desired look you want (might have to step back and eye them).

3. Wrap the floral wire around the branches at their base (where they meet the foam) to stabilize them.

4. Pour the bags of river rocks on top. Smooth them around so you won't see the foam or wire.

5. Place the moss rocks on top of the rocks (not necessary to have, but very cute I think).

How to Make the Decoupage Planter:

1. Place the planter on a paintable surface (since it was for a BOY, I wanted to make mine more masculine). Wipe the surface clean with a wet paper towel and let dry.

2. Using a regular paint brush, completely cover the planter in one coat of white acrylic paint. Let dry and repeat with another coat. 

3. Cut the napkins into strips. Take apart each strip until you only have one layer leftover (with the design on it). 

4. Paint Mod Podge onto the entire surface of the container.

5. Begin placing the napkins onto the container (I placed mine horizontally)  end to end. It's like putting together a puzzle, and some pieces may need to be cut to fit.

6. Once the entire container is covered in napkins, use the foam brush to put another coat of Mod Podge on top to seal in. Let dry approx. 30 minutes.

How to Make the Wishes:

1.  Type out the wishes using a computer word processor (Word, Pages, etc). Print out as many copies as there will be guests. See photo for ideas.

2. Use the paper cutter and trim the papers with the wishes on them.  Leave a good inch of space all the way around.

3. Glue the wishes onto the cute patterned paper and trim an inch all the way around.

3. Take a hole punch or stapler and place a ribbon at the top for hanging.

At the shower, have everyone individually or together (it's fun to do as a couple) fill out the wishes. Once they are done, they can hang the wishes onto the tree. After opening presents, the future mom & dad can read them out loud or take them home and read them in private. {{ It was fun to see who was serious about their answers and those who liked to think they were "funny" }}  

The hosts with the momma-to-be

The happy parents

Hope you enjoyed the tutorial !! Please stop by my blog and come follow me for other fun tutorials, stories about life, adventures in traveling, and lots of photos!! 

Thanks again Liz!!!!

{Please be respectful of my designs and only use this tutorial for personal use.  Not intended for commercial sale or manufacture, even on a home based scale. Make them for yourself or as gifts, but I'd appreciate not using my design and instructions for profit.}