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Mexican Garden Decor – Removable Felt Flower Collage
With Spring here and Summer fast approaching, we've been working up a storm in our backyard. Our side yard was an after -thought that received no love for the past couple years. We halfway put some gravel in and then halfway put pavers in and then halfway dug all of that up and it was just a wreck with weeds and mud and trash for the last two years. We cleaned it all up this past weekend and I'll be sharing how we did that coming soon. We decided to install a gravel pad and, while it is low-maintenance, it is also low color. I am using live flowers to add color via pots but what about the fence? I have seen some fabulous fence decor and home garden decor projects like these Mexican tin hearts from Mark Montano and these painted DIY Mexican planters by Crafty Chica and was inspired by the Mexican folk art look to create an outdoor piece of art for my fence. I needed something colorful that was fade-resistant and could stand up to the harsh heat of the desert sun; I immediately thought of Kunin Group's eco-fi fade resistant Rainbow Classic felt! I created a removable felt collage inside of a Walnut Hollow Rustic Shadow Panel to serve as colorful Latin inspired garden wall art in my newly graveled side yard:
Here's how:
The real beauty with this project is that the flowers can vines can all be removed from the Rustic Shadow Panel and I can use the shelf for another project and use the flowers in another place. Or I can keep the Rustic Shadow panel in the garden and change out the felt items seasonally. If wind is a concern, you can glue the flowers on or tack them with flat tacks but then they won't be as easy to remove later.
To create the panel, I first gathered felt in bright colors that complimented the geraniums, snapdragons, and dahlias that I planted in the pots in the same area. Then I gathered an assortment of Sizzix dies in flowers, vines, and hearts. I cut two of each item to create a symmetrical design on the Rustic Shadow Panel.
After cutting, I layered and laid out all of the elements on the Rustic Shadow Panel. I used white thread to add stitches and sequins to the flowers as well as to hold them together. The rough texture of the Rustic Shadow Panel will hold one layer of felt easily but holding two layers was a bit more challenging and the stitching helped to hold all the pieces together while also adding a decorative element. It's amazing how much a little white or black can make colors pop! I pressed each item into the wood, wiggling each a little to hook the wood's texture into the fibers of the felt. You can also use a brayer to press the felt fibers into the wood grain.
Supplies:
- Kunin Eco-Fi Rainbow Classic Felt Assortment
- Kunin Eco-Fi Premium Plus Felt in Kelly Green
- Sizzix Big Shot Machine
- Sizzix Dies – you can use dies you already have but if you want to use the same dies I did, here they are:
- Bigz Flowers, 3D
- Bigz Decorative Accents, Swirls
- Bigz Hello Kitty Flower Bouquet
- Bigz Flowers, Rose 3-D
- Bigz Flower, 3D Fringed by Eileen Hull Designs
- Bigz Corner, Flourish #2
- Bigz Decorative Accent #1
- Flower Layers #2
- Flower Layers #4
- Hearts
- Flower, Beauty Foliage
- Flower, Beauty Bloom
- Walnut Hollow Rustic Shadow Panel
- White Embroidery Floss
- Sewing Needle
- Sequins by Taylored Expressions
Display this Latin-Inspired Garden Wall Art on a table top, wall, or attach to a wood fence, like I plan to do.
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About the Author
Jennifer Priest is a 20+ year designer in the arts & crafts industry and home DIYer with a passion for creativity. An Army veteran raised on a ranch, from her experience, she shares smart DIY projects that save money and fun craft ideas that anyone can make. Besides blogging, Jennifer is a Master Practitioner and Trainer of NLP, Hypnosis, and MER, and coaches other online entrepreneurs on money mindset, business, and living an intentional life. When not blogging, Jennifer is having adventures in the wilderness, on road trips, playing with her cats, and making paleo food.
So pretty Jennifer! I can’t believe the felt can be outside! That’s awesome! Great post!
Absolutely gorgeous. Total #CreativeGoodness. At first I thought you manually cut all these beautiful shapes. Glad to learn you did this with a Sizzix die cutter and dies, as well as Kunin’s new Eco-Fi Plus Felt that is such fun to create with.
QuiltShopGal
http://www.quiltshopgal.com
Thanks so much! Ha, no way would I have cut all those out! LOL Sizzix is a gifty from the heavens 🙂 Do you work with felt often?
Absolutely gorgeous Jennifer!
I never thought about using that tool to cut felt!
So festive and so fun. I love that it is multi-purpose. You have indeed done it again Jennifer Priest.
Thank you!
Gorgeous, I just love it! It also looks a bit like traditional Scandanavian felt work, and you could always use the pieces to make a nice wall hanging. Thanks so much for sharing on craft schooling Sunday!
This looks fabulous. It would create a beautiful centerpiece in a garden.
What a very beautiful and intricate design on your collage. It is full of vibrancy and detail. Thank you for sharing it with us at Share it link party.
Hi, Jennifer! Your design is so awesome – really a stunning piece – I would glue that baby down so you never lose it! I saw Crafty Chica’s pots, too, and love how you took the Mexican style another step. Just beautiful!
Wow, that’s really beautiful!!