Neck Tie Wreath and Banner - Pies and Ties Party

Today I am delighted to introduce you to my guest poster Katherine!  

I've known Katherine a long time.  I mean, a LONG time!  

We met and became instant friends when we both bought our first homes in the same darling Provo neighborhood, back in the early 90's.  

In the past few years we've rekindled our friendship via Facebook, and now we're GREAT friends via internet.

Recently we've discovered something new about each other.....we're both SUPER CRAFTY!  

I am in awe of Katherine's creativity and since she doesn't have a blog of her own YET, 

I begged her if I could share this amazing idea of hers here on my blog.  

I am honored that she said YES!  

So here you go!  

If you have an inkling to make Father's Day extra special, 

or if you have a missionary {like Katherine's son who just left for Finland}, you will certainly LOVE these ideas!

Start planning now so you can track down plenty of ties!

I was so surprised when Cindy asked me to write a guest post on her blog. But she really (I mean REALLY) liked this Tie Wreath I created for my son's mission farewell party. I've known Cindy since the good ole days (we don't discuss age or dates any more because it's a little bit frightening to realize how quickly 20 years passes!) when we both lived in a cute little neighborhood in Provo, Utah with our even cuter children. I still live in that cute little neighborhood while Cindy has gone on to explore a much larger world. Cindy is my crafting hero. She helped re-spark my creative side after many years of it lying dormant while I focused on raising my children. Now my little ones are all taller than me and I'm finding I have a lot more time and am enjoying rediscovering the joy of creating something beautiful for my home, friends and loved ones.

I mentioned that I created this adorable Tie Wreath for my son's mission farewell party (he will be serving 2 years as a missionary in Finland for our church) but I think it would also be fantastic for Father's Day or a man's birthday party. This was one of the simplest and fastest wreaths to put together. It seriously might take you all of 20 minutes! and that is if you are slightly OCD like me. (Well I'm OCD until time becomes a factor!! lol) So gather your supplies and pop in your favorite DVD or CD and get your craft on!

You will need:

1 straw wreath (any size will do) (if not already wrapped in plastic, wrap it in saran)

Straight pins

about 18 to 20 ties

scissors

1) Cut your ties. I cut my ties at about 16 inches from the tip (bottom-most point of the tie). You could finish the ends but I didnt because they are going to be covered. (You might want to double check this measurement before you cut all your ties by wrapping one tie once around the wreath so that the skinny edge meets the inside circle and the fat end just barely extends past the outer edge of the wreath.)

2) Determine your pattern. I laid my ties out in the order that I wanted to add them to the wreath so that the light and dark colors were evenly distributed and so that the colors next to each other were harmonious. But for those free spirits out there you could just skip this step. (you wouldn't actually do that, would you??)

3) Pin your ties to the wreath. Beginning with your first tie, slide the tie front-side down under the wreath so the cut edge is closest to you and the fat end is in the center of the wreath. Wrap the cut edge of the tie over the top of the wreath and pin it to the bottom of the inside circle. I used 2 straight pins, one in each corner. Next, firmly yet gently pull the fat end of the tie towards you and pin it in place. I placed my pins at the edge of the tie near the outer points of the V

The wider width of this end of the tie should cover the skinny end you just pinned. The end of the tie should just barely extend past the edge of the wreath. If you it hangs over too far it will "flop" over and be limp.

Adjust the length of your ties and positions of the where you pin them as necessary.

(I only used 4 or 5 pins per tie.)

4) Continue wrapping ties. Continue wrapping ties slightly overlapping them (maybe a 1/16" ~ just enough to hide the pins on the previous tie).

That's it! So simple you are probably thinking, "I didn't need all those directions for that!" and you are probably right! but as a guest blogger I had to write something! 

Oh and don't throw those leftover tie parts away! The skinny ends can be recycled into little boy ties or they make super cute rosettes for pins for your hair and clothing! (maybe Cindy will teach you how!)

I had a lot of fun posting this and hope you will all post pictures so I can see your creations!

Katherine

A side note on the ties ~ mine were all donated. I originally thought I'd just pick some up at the local thrift store but they were $4.99 each which isn't bad if you only need one but I needed almost 20!! No way was i going to fork out $100 to make a wreath! lol So instead I just asked my friends and neighbors for their old ties. It's a great way to recycle ties they won't wear anymore and you will have some laughs as they tell you the story behind that fugly (funny-ugly) tie they just handed you!

Katherine also created a few other fun things for her son's farewell.

She had a Pies and Ties Party for him the Sunday before he left.

WHAT A GREAT IDEA!

Just thinking about it makes me want pie!!!

She made a few banners for his special event

A tie and missionary tag banner!

A banner for the pie!

And a banner for the country he was headed to, made with travel paraphernalia!

She even rocked the water bottle labels!

{bottle wraps were made on Avery 5263 2x4 mailing labels!}

Thank you so much Katherine for sharing your fun and fabulous ideas!!!

Now y'all go tie one on!!!  ;)