thelittlelemoncupcakeco: Caterpillar Kitchen Spring Wreath

When to Call It Quits and Buy the Darn Thing!

Hola Amigos! HAPPY FIRST DAY OF SPRING 2013!!!! I know...it seems like it's only on the calendar because there's still snow falling out there and with Easter just two weeks away I wonder if we have to try to find eggs in the snow, let's keep our fingers crossed this doesn't happen.

How may times have you said to yourself as you browse through a catalog.."What? How Much?...Nahh I can do that for way less!!!!! Well I fell into this temptation and after all I went through I said : "You know what? Next time just buy the darn thing!!!!
It all started one afternoon when I saw this cute caterpillar made out of clay pots. It wasn't expensive at all, but I don't know what possessed me to think.".that plus shipping, nah..I can do this for less than 10 bucks"! In theory perhaps...
First I bought 6 mini clay pots for less than a dollar and I used a coupon...Score!
I primed them with white primer that I always keep handy...Score again!
I have tons of acrylic paint so that was free...so far I'm way under $10.00...Score

Then the 3 hour problem began...try to put these pots together in a way that they resemble the movement and body of a cute caterpillar, give it a head (non present on the catalog version) and then attaching it to a vine wreath! Sounded easier than it was...

First the pots would not stay in place...they kept moving, twisting and getting all bent out of shape.

Attaching jute to a Christmas ornament was a good idea until my cat ran away with the end of my jute roll and started playing with it..

When I finally had them in some sort of shape that resembled a caterpillar it came time to attach it to the wreath, yeah 6 heavy little pots on a vine wreath first thing that came to mind, Hot Glue Gun! Big mistake as you can see here...Ouch...

To make a long story short and between dinner, playing, cleaning and a load of laundry I finally mounted the caterpillar, decorated the wreath and I'm still praying I don't wake up tomorrow morning to a pile of broken clay pots! (It held together, Thank Goodness!)

Now in my defense, the little caterpillar I saw in the catalog, was not meant to be part of a wreath at all, it was just a garden decoration with bigger pots, so it's like trying to make a roast out of a can of Spam (nothing wrong with Spam though, lol)

Don't get me wrong, I think I accomplished what I initially was set to do and I'm proud of the results.

My little spring kitchen wreath is much loved, after all, you love everything which costs you sweat and tears right?I think it's cute and perfect size for my pantry door.

I manage to keep the overall feeling of "nature" I wanted for the entire house decor this spring in a whimsical way, it's the kitchen and I like to have fun and enjoy myself while I'm cooking.

But at the end I realized that sometimes is better to "invest" in the goods, go and focus on to other better things. My time and poor hand were certainly worth more than the catalog price and my imaginary $10 bucks...so next time if you think you can make something for less...just think about it twice...and safe yourself some aggravation (or use something other than a hot glue gun to work with) LOL