DIY Embroidered String Art Summer Wreath | Thrift Store Upcycle Challenge!

Hi friends,

So I have a minor obsession with pineapples. I say minor because I can (most times) control myself from purchasing everything that has a pineapple on it, unlike anything that has foxes on it or is rose gold. Those are major obsessions. I picked this wooden wreath up at a thrift store a while ago and I wanted to give it a makeover. It already had summer-y vibes but I wanted to make it more modern. Check out the tutorial below for my DIY Embroidered String Art Summer Wreath!

The Rules:

• Upcycle an item(s) from a thrift store, resale store, or garage sale into a new piece of decor.
• There’s no monthly theme.
• There’s no budget to stick to.

Meet the Hosts!

Amanda | The Kolb Corner    Kim | Made in a Day    Dru | Polka Dot Poplars

Pili | Sweet Things    Ann | Duct Tape and Denim    Debra | Shoppe No. 5     Chelc | Inside the Fox Den

Marie | DIY Adulation    Chelsea | Making Manzanita    Molly | Just a Little Creativity

Kimm | Reinvented    Michelle | Our Crafty Mom    Sara | Twelve on Main    Colleen | Life on Kaydeross Creek

Victoria | Dazzle While Frazzled     Sue | A Purdy Little House     Denise | My Thrifty House

Jeannee | Shepherds and Chardonnay     Toni | Small Home Soul     Florence | Vintage Southern Picks

Kathleen | Our Hopeful Home    Michelle | Michelle James Designs     Angela | Simply Beautiful by Angela

Make sure you follow our board on Pinterest for more upcycled decor inspiration!

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So it has been a hot minute since I participated in a thrift store upcycle challenge. To be honest, I picked this wooden wreath up in…maybe March-ish? I put off doing it until summer (because pineapples scream summer) and then I got dates mixed up in May and June so I saved it for July. Better late than never, right?!

Supplies Used

• wooden wreath form
• wood filler
• sand paper
• white spray paint
• drill & drill bit
• embroidery thread
• embroidery needle

Instructions

1. Like I said, it was already summer-y-ish. I loved the pineapple and potential it had, but I did not care for the bow or giant screw sticking out of it. So I took both of those off.

2. However, after taking them off it uncovered a giant split in the wood. Not a big deal. I took some wood filler and patched it up.

3. Once the cracks were filled, I sanded the filler down and spray painted it white.

4. My original plan was to do traditional string art (like my posts here and here) but nooooo. Mr. Pineapple’s leaves decided that they weren’t having it and broke off nearly every time I hammered a nail in. So I took the nails out, glued the broken pieces back on, and worked on figuring out a plan B.

5. I love doing embroidery so I thought maybe I could replicate the effect on this wreath. So I grabbed my drill and my 1/16 drill bit and drilled each hole individually. Pain in the butt, but I really like how it turned out.

6. I wanted my wreath to have fun, vibrant, and tropical-ish colors. Green and yellow for the pineapple, and then a bright magenta for the border. I divided the embroidery thread in half, threaded the needle, and started sewing through the drilled holes. I did the green first…

7. …and then finished with the yellow and magenta.

8. I could’ve totally glue a piece of looped embroidery thread on the back if I wanted to hang it on a door, but I will probably use it more as shelf decor simply because of the materials.

I love anything geometric so the pattern of the string art on this summer wreath is everyyyyything to me. Also, I totally didn’t mean to copy the same colors as my Island Margarita candle, but I’m super stoked at the happy DIY accident.

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And now for more thrifty goodness!

Check out what my fellow upcyclers created below!