State of the Blog 2014 Part 2: A Little More Insight into Doing It All *snort*

By Mandi | 01/04/2014 | 31 Comments

Today’s post is a continuation of yesterday’s State of the Blog survey stats. These are some of the most common questions or really fun ones!

What are people most surprised by when they meet you? 

Easiest answer of my life. They are always surprised at how tall I am. (Apparently I come across as really short online? Not even sure how that happens…) I am 5’9 and very regularly wear tall shoes,  especially if it’s at an event or conference or something fun like that. So basically when I walk into a room I am at least 6’ tall. That is hands down the first thing that 9 out of 10 people say.

How old are you? You look so young, but then it seems like you’re too young for those girls of yours! Maybe you just started early…..

I turn 31 in April (gah that is so freaky.) So I was pretty young when I had Ivie (20) but not like 16 and Pregnant young.

Are you done having kids?

Nope! Poor Court just wants a boy so we will probably try again and keep our fingers crossed. My girls are 5 1/2 years apart and I really love it. Dylan turns 5 this year so we might start trying again in a year or so depending on how we are feeling about it. I am in no hurry though. FYI if you see me and I am looking a little pudge,  its this fun thing called blogger butt, and the only thing that I am about to give birth to is another post.

How much time a day do you spend on your blog? The writing part, not the actual project time …

I usually spend 1-2 hours writing the post (not including photography edits etc.)  With everything that running the blog entails (email, social media, comments etc.) I probably spend 4-5 hours though out my day on the computer. On days when I am feeling really unfocused it goes higher because I am just clicking around and being unproductive (please tell me that I am not alone in this!)  I spend the majority of my time writing and editing after the girls are in bed (which is why if you are a top o’ the morning reader you probably catch my spelling errors before I have a chance to re-edit in the morning!) Doing things that way gives me a bit of relief from the mom guilt, but there are totally days where the blog has to take over and the girls are pretty good to play and let me work. When the blog started it was 1000% hobby so justifying the time it took was a little bit difficult. Now it is a full time job (that I LOVE!) so I can justify the time it takes and just do the best that I can and not feel too bad.

Do you think there’s room in the world for another “lifestyle” type blogger, and what do you think it takes to be a successful blogger??

This is such a great question. I remember a few years ago when DIY blogging really took off and there was just so much amazing talent. I didnt feel like I could compete, and I sort of felt like with so many people shouting, how was anyone going to hear me? I had a chat with one of my favorite PR girls and she told me something that I just have to remember. No matter how much milk you add,  the cream will always rise to the top.

I also think that everyone defines successful differently. There are so many blogs that have millions and millions of pageviews because they post projects that regularly go viral on Pinterest. But to me a pageview and a reader are completely different things. I would much rather have 100 readers that feel like I am their friend, than 10,000 click and go pinterest pageviews. But the pay off for me isnt money. The pay off is having the chance to inspire someone. Personally I think everyone should start a blog. I will teach you SO MUCH about yourself, the good and the bad. Even if 5 people read it, you never know how it might change their life. Sorry sort of rambling!

On a side note, I did get a lot of questions about blogging and growing a blog and everything that comes along with it. I am still trying to figure out a way to post about it. Maybe do a google hangout? I dont know. Stay tuned whilst I ponder!

You always seem so cheery, but I know your life has had some ups and downs, what are your down times like these days?

These questions are so good! You guys are like Diane Sawyer! My down times right now are usually because I dont feel like I am living up to my potential. I tend to focus on the things I want to do vs the things I have accomplished (not in a negative way though,  more in a I want to experience everything way). I love a new challenge and when I feel like I am disconnected from the creative process I sort of shut down and just want to watch Vampire Diaries for a week. I dont worry about how things are going to work out, I just know that they will and it will be great! When I am really feeling down it is because I am suffering spiritually. Not taking enough time for perspective and meditation and stopping to feel grateful.

Do you ever worry you will run out of rooms to makeover or projects to do? I mean, you really found your style and your rooms are amazing so I feel like eventually, is there anything left to change?!

After I finish a really amazing project I always feel a little bit of the “Holy Crap! How am I ever going to top this?!” twinge. But if you ask me what my favorite project is, 9 times out of 10 it is one of the most recent ones (like the Himmeli Wreath. Obsessed!) which tells me that I am always changing. A really good brainstorm session with my MIL always gets things moving for me. She is like my design prune juice! If I run out of rooms in my house, I always have all of you guys, right?!

How do you do it ALL?

The most asked question was different variations of how do I do it all. Which is actually EXTREMELY hilarious. Like really. I dont even come close. You guys get to see pictures of my house at its best. And trust me when I say it has never looked like that again. There are project supplies everywhere. My kids eat Mac & Cheese WAY more than they should. If you knocked on my door right now do you know what you would see? Me. Completely unrecognizable from the made up stylish lady at the top of the blog. I am probably wearing pajama pants from Christmas circa 1998 and I would only open the door a crack so that you couldnt see the disaster behind me (and so that Wallace wouldnt run out and down the street)  So now that you know what things are really like, let me answer this question.

I am naturally a busy person. I have a problem saying no because I want to experience everything and help everyone. I try to be a good mom but fail every single day in one way or another. I try and let my girls have as much freedom to grow as possible, so when it comes to clothes, toys, projects, etc. I just give them a little space and let them figure out what they like.

I am not a perfectionist. So while I do many things, I dont obsess over them (I think this is key to getting crap done.)  When I hit a deadline or I am really close to it, my creative adrenaline kicks in and I go into overdrive (just ask some of my sponsors, they love it when I ask for 1 more day to change EVERYTHING.)  I am extremely impulsive when it comes to creative decisions. I dont mull over them for days. If I want to try something I do it then. If it doesnt work out the way I want, then I go to the drawing board and troubleshoot. There is a lot of trial and error going on here…

I dont love to cook, so most of our meals are simple, or come from Durangos (the restaurant that Court’s family owns. Stop in and say hi to him, he loves being Mr. Vintage Revivals!)  I think you just have to do what you can do and dont worry about the rest!

Now for a bit of spirituality. Avert your eyes if you dont love this kind of stuff! I know that the only reason that Vintage Revivals is as successful as it is, is because I was (and still am) willing to share my story of Court’s addiction with whoever takes the time to read it. It is not a coincidence that I unearthed this crazy hidden talent right before Court got sober. A few years ago when the blog was just starting to take off I was feeling super overwhelmed and inadequate. I called Court’s aunt because she is one of “those” people who always seems to stay on top of the things that she needs to do and gets a lot accomplished. After crying to her for a few minutes she told me something that has stuck with me. She had a blessing, and in it was told that every day she needed to say “Get thee behind me Satan”. I love that. Sorry man, but I have stuff I have to do so you are going to need to move.

I think it would be really fun to do a day in the life type post so you guys can see how things happen around here. I will add it to my list of upcoming posts.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

This is one of the hardest things to answer because I am in awe of where the last 3.5 have taken me and my family. Dreaming my heart out,  my family would still be as healthy and adorable as ever. Career-wise I would love to have a show on HGTV or something similar. I really want to come to your houses and help overhaul spaces all day long. So the big reveal would be on the show and then I would blog the in depth tutorials for all of the projects. Lets be honest, House Hunters International needs to end. Anyone have a hook up?

Now for the fun announcements!

I have a weekly newsletter in the works. For those that are rolling your eyes about the whole follow through situation, dont worry, my right hand girl Jamie is putting it all together and I am just adding the sparkling personality. So it will be happening. One of the questions in the survey was “If you could ask me anything what would it be?” 1 or 2 of those questions will be appearing in each of the newsletters every week. I will be posting more about it in the next little bit, after we get all of the details finalized but it is going to be really interactive and very reader based. I am SO excited!!

Smaller Projects!! Dudes. I know that I need more of these happening. And I think I finally have it figured out. Would you believe that it is WAY harder for me to do a small project vs an entire room? Its so lame and so true.

The Epic Room Makeover Giveaway will be showing her glowing face in 2014! For those that are unaware the last 3 years (I took 2013 off to readjust the time frame) I have hosted the most epic of all contests. Anyone in the United States can enter to have me and a few of my DIYin’ friends come to your house for an entire week and overhaul a room of your choice! Completely freeeeee! I mean. Can you even imagine how much fun it is? We are working out all of the details right now but it is coming down the pipeline!

I hope you have an amazing weekend and I will see you on Monday! With a post! Because I am super prepared right now! Yay!!

Love Your Guts

State of the Blog 2014 Part 1: Results & the Deal with Sponsors and Guts

By Mandi | 01/03/2014 | 32 Comments

I feel like I need to post a survey at the end of every single post!  I LOVE hearing what you guys think.  Seriously, best.answers.ever.  Thank you so much for being honest with me, I know that can be hard sometimes but I truly am grateful for it!

If you still havent taken it and want to be entered into a giveaway for $50 to HomeGoods click here! I still really want your feedback!

Now for the results (granted we are only a day into the survey, but as the numbers have changed the results have stayed really consistent, so I thought it would be ok to share!)  And I cant believe that as of midnight over 1500 of you have taken this survey.  I bow to your awesomeness.

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Now for the essay questions…

Where Can I Improve?

The most consistent answer on what I can improve is regularly posting and keeping you guys updated with the progress of projects.

I know this is where I totally fail.  Its not just on the blog, its sort of all of my life and one of my biggest character weaknesses.  One problem that I have is that if I feel like I don’t have anything mind blowing to say, or I am writing a post that is just not gel-ing I don’t want to share it with you because I feel like it is a waste of your time.  I just have so much love for you guys that I don’t ever want you to click away from VR thinking “Wow.  That was so not worth the 20 seconds it took to read.”  But after reading your responses I get that I am being too freaky about it, and not every post needs to be ROFL hilarious or mind blowing amazing.   Just most of them (wink!)

Another problem that I have when it comes to follow through, is that the ideas never stop. Ever.   I have so many ideas all the time that I want to try, that it is really hard for me to edit.  I feel like I am doing a little bit better than I used to (FFA anyone?).  New ideas are my drug.   So if anyone needs ideas for Etsy shops,  13 new websites,  countless series,  and a few ways to change the world, hit your girl up.  I have more than enough to go around.

The Skinny on Sponsors:

This is sort of the giant elephant in the blogging living room that no one wants to address.  But I mean,  lets talk about it,  it is obviously a touchy subject for most parties involved and I really value hearing where you are coming from and would love to share my thoughts on it too!

I remember a conversation that I had about 3 years ago with Brooke.  I told her that all I wanted out of the blog (money wise) was to be able to write what I want to write about,  use products that I love (in real life) and have the company be so impressed with all of it that they WANT to pay me.   I mean its like a dream right?  It would be like your kids noticing all of your hard work and giving you a weekly spa day just because you did SUCH a good job scrubbing their toilet.   Amazingly that is sort of what happened.  (Insert a whispery voice) “If you build it, they will come.”

For those that have been reading for a while you have probably noticed that while I do do sponsored posts, it is almost always for the same companies.  Sherwin Williams, 3M (ScotchBlue etc.),  P&G.  Companies that I love.  Companies that I sought out and sent “stalker” emails to (they were a little bit more profesh than your average stalker email but you get the idea.)   

I always want roll my eyes when bloggers are like “Don’t you know how many sponsored posts I turn down on a daily basis?!”  Like it is such a sacrifice to have a little bit of loyalty?  Here is the thing,  I turn down opportunities from other companies because when I tell you guys that a $60 gallon of paint is worth it, its because I really believe that.  And as great as that exclusivity is for the companies I work with, my loyalty is to YOU.  I don’t ever want you to feel like I lead you astray to make a buck.  I know that my viewpoint on this is not the way 95% of bloggers feel and that is totally fine.  Everyone runs things the way that they feel is best.  This is the way I have found that works best for me.  I want the take away to be “this is who I am” not “this is what I am trying to sell.”  #offmysoapbox

Sponsors lead to money (which quite a few of you asked about) and lucky for you I am not known for my privacy.  After 3.5 years of blogging I am so humbled and excited to say that yes, I do make an income off of my blog.  It is what keeps the projects flowing and my husband from grumbling (too much!)  But money is not the reason I blog, I would do it for free because I love sharing ideas with perfect strangers that I think of as my best friends.

What happened to your Master Bedroom Makeover? 

I swear I am not just leaving you guys hanging while secretly keeping this amazing room design under wraps.  The room hit a creative dead end and so it sits, just as you saw it last.  I  am just waiting to hit the creative gold vein that has to be in there somewhere.  Or maybe I just need to start over.  We will see where it goes.

Project Costs?

As your blog has gotten more popular, you’ve moved from cheaper to more expensive materials for your tutorials, which is kind of lame. I’m assuming it’s due to your sponsors. Not that I don’t still love your blog, though!

I absolutely have done this.  It isn’t so much due to sponsors, but just that the projects that I am doing require more/different supplies.  I remember when I wrote a post about the most expensive piece of furniture that I had ever purchased.  It was $50.  I mean.  How is that for setting yourself up for failure?!  I feel like the last year or so I have been doing more building and creating things from scratch as opposed to refinishing something I found at the thrift store, which tends to cost more.

 

I love the uniqueness of your projects, but many times I feel they are so unique that I could never do them. Like "Here’s this craptastic thing that I found at this thrift store that no one will ever find again because it is so insanely unique. . . and here’s what I did with it." Those are awesome, but sometimes I think I would like to see more "Here’s this basic chair from Ikea, some Styrofoam, puffy paint, and cheap fabric from Wal-Mart. . . and here’s what I did with them." Of course I understand your blog is totally about things YOU love and finding stuff that speaks to you and how we should all be doing the same. . . So I can see why you don’t have more of the posts I’m talking about. But maybe if you had something once a month or so like "back to basics" or something for those of us who are newbie’s to DIY or don’t have access to amazing stores or the ability to hit up a thrift store multiple times a week.

This is something that I have totally been trying to fight against (hence the building and creating explained above) but I love the idea of using more mainstream materials!

What’s with Guts?  It’s sort of gross.

I actually get this question a lot, but I don’t know if it is something that I have ever talked about on the blog.  Some people think that it is a really contrived way of branding,  extremely juvenile, or just plain annoying.  So let me tell you about guts,  it may change your mind.  When I came upon the world of DIY blogs I was in the darkest place of my life.   Everything I felt was wrapped up in Court’s addiction and it was all darkened with the pain that goes along with that. 

When I found All Things Thrifty, it was like something inside me changed.  I was SO inspired to create something, anything.  I wanted to spray paint anything that didn’t move.  It was ok that I didn’t have any money,  and that the black slightly distressed living room group that all of my friends had would never be mine.  I sent Brooke an email to tell her how much this all meant to me and it was impossible to describe the hope that she gave me.  That these simple projects made me feel like I could be in control of something.  The only way I could put the excitement and joy it into words was “I love your guts!”  So that is where it started.  I still say it because I never want to forget how she made me feel.  If I can make even one person feel like that then this is all worth it.  And on a lighter note, I really do love people!  I am a textbook extrovert and I really just want to be around people and get to know them and love them all day, every day.  Who wants to hug?

Part 2 will be up tomorrow (I PROMISE! The post is already written and scheduled!  Look at me being all responsible!  You guys!!)  And then I will be doing a separate post on the loaded Pinterest question next week (so many great responses!!)

I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart and let you know how much I really do appreciate the time you took to take the survey and read VR.  As I was reading the responses I found myself wishing I had email addresses to respond to.  Especially for those that shared the stuff they wanted to get off their chests. 

Just a few messages to my anonymous friends. 

Sisters forgive (mine have to forgive me all the time) just love her and it will be ok!

Career burnout is horrible.  Don’t be scared.  You are in my prayers!

Kids that are sick (although fiercely ornery) do love you so much!  You are a wonderful mom!

If you are ever in St. George message me on FB and we will totally meet up ( I am DEAD serious.)

I’ve already cheated on my diet too…its ok we can start tomorrow…err Monday?

Yes I wear Mormon underwear.  You can read all about that situation here.

I am going to ALT and SNAP!  Lets meet up!  Since I have no idea who wrote this meet me in the lobby wearing blue.  Bring a yellow rose.

I am so sorry that I didn’t respond to your email!  I try really hard to respond as much as possible.  I would love for you to resend it with a big fat star in the subject line and I will totally respond!

The DIY Fail cloud is TOTALLY a real thing.  Take a breather and don’t force it.  This storm too shall pass.

Don’t be mad at yourself.  No one is perfect and we all fail sometimes.  You have another chance so grab it by the you-know-what and learn from your mistakes!

And a big fat resounding YES!  We can be best friends!

Love Your Guts

State of the Blog 2014 Survey

By Mandi | 01/02/2014 | 27 Comments

When one of my friends asked me what I wanted for Christmas, I told her that the best gift I could get was a focus group of my amazing readers, available to me at all hours of the day, that would give me honest but constructive feedback.  And help me paint.

How is that for specific?

And as much as I am sure you would love for me to call you at 2:47 in the a.m. and ask if a project is stupid,  I care about you too much to do that.

I really do care what you think though, and would LOVE to make Vintage Revivals a place that you feel even more comfortable hanging out at.

I have put together a quick survey that I would love your honest answers on.

Seriously, you rock my whole life.

And because you are just that amazing I am giving away a $50 HomeGoods gift card to one lucky survey taker!  I want the survey responses to remain anonymous so entering the Rafflecopter is totally on your honor. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Love Your Guts

Perfect Pale Gray Paint

By Mandi | 12/27/2013 | 16 Comments

Remember last month when I posted about my MIL’s Staircase Makeover? It was the last little bit of space that needed to be finished up after the complete gut job that I talked about here.

And just because I love a good before and after in the morning…

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Living Room Makeover @ Vintage Revivals-1

Obviously the focal wall is the uber dark charcoal one (Iron Ore by Sherwin Williams), but the tone of other walls are just as important in making a space feel right.

Instead of going with an ultra white, which is admittedly my favorite wall color,  we decided to go with Nebulous White a very light shade of gray.

Perfect Pale Gray Paint Color vintagerevivals.com

 

So when we were working on the staircase that is what we used again, and I was reminded at just how much I love that color.

Sherwin Williams Perfect Pale Gray

 

My go to paint for anything wall related is Sherwin Williams Emerald. I have been using it pretty exclusively for over a year and I LOVE it. The quality is unlike anything else that I have ever used (and I have used a lot of paint)  One reason that I am so loyal to it is because of the scrub-ability. Dylan (my 4 year old) has an inner artist that just cant seem to be restrained to paper. The walls in her room have little bits of art all over them. With a typical paint line you need a higher sheen to retain the durability that comes with massive sessions with a Magic Eraser, but with Emerald Satin I have never had any of the paint come off the wall.

Sherwin Williams Emerald Paint vintagerevivals.com

I am off to take pictures for the big reveal later this week,  I cant wait to show you guys!

Love Your Guts

 

 

 

This post is written in partnership with Sherwin Williams, a paint line that I really use and love. I would never recommend anything that I didnt believe was the best!

How The Grinch Stole Christmas! Christmas Photo 2013

By Mandi | 12/26/2013 | 42 Comments

A few years ago, desperate for an amazing gift for my in-laws,  Court and his siblings got together for a funny family portrait. Little did we know at the time, that it would become more exciting to us than pretty much anything else during the Christmas season. (There are links at the end of this post to all of the past photos!)

This year we decided to take a trip to Whoville, and what would you know,
We found The Grinch on a Wrecking Ball putting on a show.

 

Who Family Pictures vintagerevivals.com

Gardner Family Who Christmas Who Family Pictures vintagerevivals.com (2)

Who Christmas vintagerevivals.com

Grinch Christmas Card vintagerevivals.com

Whoville Christmas Card vintagerevivals.com

To make our lips nice and puffy we used grapes (a trick my friend Brooke taught me!)  It is SO hard to keep them in, especially when you laugh. I am sure you can imagine.

But in case you cant, here is how most of the pictures turned out…

vintagerevivals.com Who Selfie Christmas Pictures vintagerevivals.com Who Christmas outake1   vintagerevivals.com Who Christmas outtake2

vintagerevivals.com Who Christmas Grinch Wrecking Ball

 

Of course we cant have a wrecking ball without some twerking…

vintagerevivals.com Twerking Whos Grinch Christmas Pictures

 

We covered our garage door with wrapping paper, set up a tripod and went to town.

And in case you are wondering, yes, our neighbors did come out…

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(please notice the rogue grape above)

 

I seriously love this family and all of the weirdness embracing that happens on a daily basis.

If you need just a little more laughter today…

Check out our 2012 picture here

Check out our 2011 picture here

Check out our 2010 picture here

Grinch Family Christmas Card vintagerevivals

FYI I will still be posting almost every day this week! See you tomorrow!

Love Your Guts

 

 

 

[mv_create title=”Annual Family Christmas Picture” key=”16″ thumbnail=”https://vintagerevivals.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Final_WT_family_2.jpg” type=”list” layout=”circles”]

$200 Home Depot Giveaway + $5k Sweepstakes!!

By Mandi | 12/18/2013 | 465 Comments

Merry Christmas to you!

Today I am teaming up with my pals at P&G and The Home Depot for a fantastic giveaway AND a chance to win (say the next few sentences with your best Rod Roddy voice) a Home Depot gift card worth… Five Thousand Dollars! You will also win $500 toward a Merry Maid cleaning service AND a whole slew of Proctor and Gamble products! 

Money and a clean house (that you didnt have to clean?  Is this heaven?) it is literally like winning a whole Showcase Showdown.  (Speaking of cleaning, remember last Christmas when I gave Court the worst Christmas present ever?)

All you have to do is vote for your favorite Christmas Decor (I mean it, thats it!)  There are 10 amazing bloggers to choose from (yours truly included) and all you have to do is pick your fave!  (psst I would love it if you voted for Vintage Revivals, but only if you love it the most!)

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P&G THD Seasons Cleanings How to Vote

 

But before you head off to enter to win the dream of all dreams, I have a giveaway right here for you on Vintage Revivals.  Enter the Rafflecopter below to win a $200 Home Depot Gift Card and some of my favorite P&G cleaning supplies to add to your arsenal! (if you are reading via reader click here to be redirected to vintagerevivals.com)

Giveaway to The Home Depot

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Now go enter the Seasons Cleaning Sweepstakes! 

I am rooting for you!  xo

Love Your Guts

DIY Leather and Brass Teardrop Hanging Planter

By Mandi | 12/16/2013 | 51 Comments

I.cant.stop. If you are turned off by my geometric Himmeli obsession, you might want to avert your eyes. Possibly for a few weeks, cause I have 3 or 4 good projects still left in me before I have to have a come to Jesus with myself about it.

Today is one of my favorite days of the year! It is Color Challenge!! (If you are scratching your head about it, it is where 6 bloggers from 6 different niches choose 1 color to inspire you in every aspect of your life! You can see our Fall Challenge here!) Our color this round is GOLD! (my fave!!)

So lets get on with the project!!

Today we are making a DIY Teardrop Hanging Planter, and seriously, I feel like I want to make 2 and wear them as earrings I love it SO much!

Make a Brass and Leather Teardrop Planter

And guess how much it will cost you?

Right around $15.00.

I know. It is like the gift that just keeps on giving.

First things first. You will need:

7 Feet of 1/8″ Round Brass Tubing

Mini Tubing Cutter ($5.49)

30 Gauge Floral Wire ($1.00 at Joann’s)

1 Piece of Leather Lace. The length will depend on how low you are going to hang it. (Mine came from the Leather Scrap bag from this project)

1 Small Bowl (I found mine at Homegoods for $2.99)

I tracked down a few places to buy 1/8” Brass Tubing. The best price that I found is here on Amazon. You will get fifteen 12” pieces of 1/8” tubing. That is just enough to make 2 planters for $1.45.

UPDATE:  The price on Amazon has changed and the seller is a total jerk and is ripping people off. Buy the tubing here. It is where I originally bought mine (but I posted the amazon link because it was a better price) it is $10.35 for (5) 3 foot pieces (so fifteen feet total). So sorry to everyone that has had to deal with this guy! xo

Geometric Brass and Leather Hanging Planter Supplies

The not so fun part is that you have to cut the pipe down yourself. So there is that. But it is sort of mindless and you can totally get caught up on your favorite show, or help your kids do homework while you are doing this, or do it in the bathtub. You didn’t judge me when I told you the alternate title of this post, I wont judge you and your tube cutting situation.

You will need to cut:

(20) 1 1/2” pieces

(5) 9 1/2” pieces

The easiest way I found to measure them is to use a tape measure, or ruler, and a really fine tipped Sharpie to mark all the way down your tubes. It would be a smart move to cut the 9 1/2” pieces first and then use the scraps to cut some of the shorter pieces. Less waste. I talk more about using a pipe cutter in this post if you are unsure of how they actually work!

Geometric Brass and Leather Hanging Planter Step 1

Start by measuring 2 arm lengths (arms length? Which is it!?)  Thread 5 of the smaller pieces onto your wire. Connect the wire to make a pentagon shape.

Geometric Brass and Leather Hanging Planter Step 2

Add 4 more pieces of tubing and connect to make a second pentagon.

Geometric Brass and Leather Hanging Planter Step 3

Geometric Brass and Leather Hanging Planter-10

Don’t worry if your shapes aren’t perfect, once the bowl is resting on them they will straighten out! Add 4 more pieces and form a 3rd pentagon.

 Geometric Brass and Leather Hanging Planter-Step 4

Feed your wire through the top 2 tube pieces so that you can attach one more pentagon.

Geometric Brass and Leather Hanging Planter-Step 5

Attach 4 more pieces to form another pentagon. Make sure that it looks like the image below (see how all of the bottoms are lined up and the shapes are all facing the same way with the points on the top?). Add one more piece of tubing to the wire.

Geometric Brass and Leather Hanging Planter-14

Connect the base of the pentagons at each end.

Geometric Brass and Leather Hanging Planter-Step 6

Thread the wire through one of the pentagon edges.

 Geometric Brass and Leather Hanging Planter-Step 8

Attach it to the pentagon on the other side, forming the 5th and final pentagon. It should look sort of like a pretty little flower!

Geometric Brass and Leather Hanging Planter-18

Feed your wire through one tube at the top so that it is coming out of one of the high points. Thread on 2 of the 9 1/2 “ tubes.

Geometric Brass and Leather Hanging Planter-Step 9

Image Map

Connect it to one of the other pentagon points (it doesn’t matter which one!)

Geometric Brass and Leather Hanging Planter-20

Thread your wire through 2 of the small pieces to come out at another tip. Attach one tube. Secure and twist your wire at the center point of the 2 long tubes. Add another piece and connect it to the top of a pentagon.

Geometric Brass and Leather Hanging Planter-21

 

This will leave you with one side of open. Put your bowl in now to avoid having to bend your tubes to get it in.

Geometric Brass and Leather Hanging Planter-24

 

Cut another piece of wire (12” long) and attach it to the point on the last pentagon. Thread your tube and secure your wire to the center of the other 4 tubes.

Geometric Brass and Leather Hanging Planter-25

 

Lay your teardrop on its side and thread the end of your leather lace underneath the point. Hot glue it like the picture below.

Geometric Brass and Leather Hanging Planter

 

Add a second smaller lace to the center of your loop. Secure it with hot glue.

Geometric Brass and Leather Hanging Planter-2

 

Wrap it around the first lace, gluing as you go wherever necessary.

Geometric Brass and Leather Hanging Planter-3

 

Trim your wires and plant your favorite succulents inside!

Geometric Brass and Leather Hanging Succulent Planter

DIY Geometric Brass and Leather Hanging Planter vintagerevivals.com

Geometric Brass and Leather Hanging Planter Tutorial vintagerevivals.com

 

If you are itching to try more projects like this one, check out my Geometric Wreath Tutorial! (psst! its not as hard as it looks and I even have a video to help you through!)

Geometric Wreath Tutorial vintagerevivals

 

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