Good morning! And wow! It's definitely early here. The sun isn't even up yet! I need to get my java brewing.
Have you ever made something that when it was completed, you absolutely were glowing and giddy with the end result? Have you ever made something that you just can't help by staring at and smiling and thinking to yourself, "Wow! I ROCKED this project!!"? I have. And this wreath is my "IT" project and I finally get to share it with you!
I did this wreath for a contest with
May Arts, which I still have my fingers crossed for. I also used an awesome mix of print pages and some
Gauche Alchemy awesomeness. I have also included a quick tutorial on how to make the roses that comprise this wreath.
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| The finished wreath |
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I used ripped out pages from an old telephone book, pages from an old
romance novel ‘For the Roses’ by Julie Garwood (ironic right??!!) and papers from the
Gauche Alchemy Acme kit.
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| Close up of the rolled roses |
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I rolled each. and. every. rose. by. hand. I can’t even tell you
how many I made! A couple hondo easy. After they were rolled, I
applied some Tattered Angels glimmer mist in gold. I then added some
Diamond Glaze and a healthy sprinklin’ of crystal glitter by
Scintillement. After everything dried, I shook off the excess and hot glued them onto my wreath form.
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| My dressed up pine cone and resin Santa ornament |
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The floral spray was a stem I bought at a local hobby store and
completely dismantled. Once I had my leaves arranged and glued, I used
the pine cones and some berries to fill in any bare spots. My finishing
touches are poinsettias by Irene’s Garden for Blue Hills Studio and a
resin Santa ornament. I dressed up my pine cones with some twine from
the Twinery and the berry clusters with some green hemp from May Arts.
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| Gotta have a Christmas dove! |
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Now, onto the biggest headache of this wreath, THE BOW! I HATE
making bows. I suck at it and have NO patience for it. However, I am nothing if not stubborn and determined! I used ribbon
from May Arts to make all of the bows. Sure. That bow looks all neat
and pretty. But the backside of it….YIKES!
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| My PERFECT bow! I conquered the frustration!!! |
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And there you have the 411 on the wreath! Now for the tutorial on those rolled roses. They really are quite simple to make.
Cut yourself a circle. A punch that will work too. I like the
imperfections for character but it really doesn't matter. Start at the
outside edge and cut the circle into a spiral. If you make a wavy cut,
it will look more like "petals" as you make the flower. Stop just short
of the actual center of the flower. You'll have a small circle at the
end of the spiral which will act as your base for the flower.
Using your tweezers, start at the outside edge and roll the spiral
tightly around the tweezers, making your way to the center, once again
stopping just short of the little circle in the middle.
Remove the rolled spiral from the tweezer and let it unwind. Add a dot
of hot glue or quick drying adhesive to the unrolled center spot. Press
the center spot to the flower. (I was getting into my groove and forgot to take a picture of the "unrolled" flower! I hate it when that happens!)
Depending on how tightly you wound up the rosette your flower can be
budlike or a full bloom. After applying hot glue to secure the rosette
Chrissy added mist and glass glitter to make her flowers shine.
Remember, the beauty of making your own flowers are the imperfections. If it doesn't look "perfect" to you, that is ok! I strive for the imperfections. It adds character and looks more realistic, in my opinion.
I hope you try your hand at making some Christmas decor. This was actually really simple to make, but it is time consuming and a bit redundant. However, it's so worth it! I still walk by my wreath and just stare at it.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Holidays, Yule Blessings or whatever suits you. Be happy and love everyone this season.
