Beachy beauty: Create a canvas wreath inspired by a life preserver

Bring a hint of summer into your home all year round. No matter what month it is, this wreath, inspired by a life preserver, will make your guests feel like they’re having a carefree day at the beach. Whether your home already has plenty of nautically chic pieces, or this is your first foray into seaside style, this canvas wreath makes an adorable addition to any doorway.

To recreate the look of a life preserver, select Styrofoam floral wreaths in two different sizes. The bottom piece of Styrofoam should be slightly larger than the top piece, so the wreath has plenty of depth and visual interest. This project uses floral canvas to give the wreath a feminine touch, but any color or design will do. Play around with the details until the finished product matches your home’s decor.

Materials
- Floral canvas
- Straight ruler
- Fabric pencil
- Scissors
- Straight pins
- Styrofoam floral wreaths, one medium and one large
- High temp glue gun
- Decorative rope in white
- Flat braided trim in white

Instructions
1. Lay a piece of floral fabric on the table. Use a straight ruler and fabric pencil to measure, and mark a strip of fabric that's 2 inches tall and as wide as the piece of fabric. Cut out the strip. Repeat to create a second strip.

2. Begin wrapping one of the strips around the smaller of the two Styrofoam floral wreaths. Use straight pins to secure the ends of the strip in place. Repeat with the second strip until the wreath has been covered.

3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 to cover the larger Styrofoam wreath.

4. Place the small wreath on top of the large one. Attach the wreaths with a few dots of hot glue around the circumference.

5. Loop the flat braided trim around one side of the wreath. Cut the trim to be slightly longer than what's needed to complete the loop. Pin down the edges of the trim on the backside of the wreath. Repeat until you have four loops: one on the top, one on the bottom and one on each side of the wreath.

6. Thread the end of the rope through one of the loops. Pin down the braided trim on both sides of the rope.

7. Continue threading the rope through all four loops. Leave enough rope so there's excess between each loop. Tie off the rope to form a circle. Pin down the braided trim as in step 6.

8. Position the excess rope on top of the wreath to look like the rope on a life preserver. Pin in place, then hang and enjoy.