Getting Started:
Hey, friends! This is my first EVER tutorial, so please forgive me if I am not thorough enough with any of the details. I’m excited about bringing you fun, easy-to-make projects, and I hope you’re able to light a little of your creative fire in the process!
I’m a lover of all things nostalgic, and am especially inspired when beauty is found in uncommon places! Making things on a budget is also important…it’s fun to know you can create unique, eye-catching pieces without breaking the bank! So…if you’re ready, I’m ready, so LET’S DO THIS!!!
I’ve made a list of supplies I used in this cool book page wreath project, and there are affiliate links to many items on the list. Something to note: when you purchase a roll of wire or antiquing wax, for example, you will have it to use on MANY other projects! It’s definitely something I use on nearly everything I make, and it’s very reasonable to buy. I made this particular wreath for under $15, so it’s incredibly affordable, and will have these “staple” supplies left over for another project!
Supplies:
- Folk Art Antiquing Wax http://amzn.to/2CSlneQ
- Fiskars Scissors http://amzn.to/2D4mhJg
- Steel Wire http://amzn.to/2FtYxMy
- Ryobi Cordless Glue Gun http://amzn.to/2FurNCu
- Quilting or Embroidery Hoop http://amzn.to/2AQ17cd
- A pair of pliers for cutting the wire
- An old rag for applying the wax
- A few stems of faux greenery
- An old book
Step 1:
Start with an embroidery/quilting hoop. I found mine at my local craft store for around $2, and you may even have one laying around your craft area. This particular one is 14” in diameter, and is the size of a “standard” front door wreath. I found an old rag to apply the antiquing wax, and started by dabbing a small amount on the end of the rag. Remember in Kindergarten when they told you “a little dab will do ya?” That’s the truth! Start with a small amount, and work your way around the hoop until you’ve achieved the look you like. I intentionally left areas with thinner coverage…I like the imperfect and age-worn look of it! Set your hoop aside to dry for a couple of minutes. The beauty of this antiquing wax is that it dries very quickly, so you’re not waiting overnight to finish your project!
Step 2:
While that dries, take the faux greenery you plan to use for your wreath. I had a couple stems of “mixed” greenery that I purchased for a couple of dollars on clearance. Pick something you’ll like, and there is really no “wrong” type to use! Then, using your cutting pliers, snip a couple of sprigs that will end up being around 7-8” long. Place them loosely along your hoop and decide what arrangement you like the best. I used 4 sprigs on the upper part of the wreath, and 2 facing the opposite direction on the bottom portion of the hoop. Space them out a bit as you layer them. Using small pieces of wire around 8” long, affix your stems to the hoop. Be sure to leave a bit of space between your upper and lower pieces to place your book page flowers. If you prefer, you can even add a few dots of hot glue to secure your greenery even more, but it was not necessary on the wreath I made.
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Step 3:
On to the flowers! This was the fun part!! I was cleaning out some old drawers and shelving around my house and came across a pile of books I was taking to my local thrift store. One of the books, (an old Dictionary), was missing its cover and some pages, so I chose to use this for my flowers. I tore….yes, TORE, 4 pages from the book! I like the look of the uneven edges, but you may choose to cut the pages from your book. I took the first page and folded it widthwise and sort loosely “gathered” it in the center. I then folded it lengthwise and spent some time “scrunching” and “fanning” it out a bit until it resembled a flower. Again, there is no perfect or right way to do this part…just work the page until you have something that you like!! Using my cordless Ryobi glue gun, (by the way, if you don’t have a cordless glue gun, you are missing out!! I LOVE mine!), put a few dots of glue inside the center part of the flower. Without burning yourself, work your way around adding more dots, if necessary, to hold the shape you’ve made. I repeated this process until I had 4 flowers.
Step 4:
Once you have as many flowers as you’d like, arrange them on your hoop in the open space between the greenery you wired on. Play with the placement until you like the look of it. Using your glue gun, affix each flower in place and allow the glue to set up. Depending on where you plan to display your wreath, you may want to add a small loop to hang it with, but it is not necessary. For mine, I added a small piece of regular twine to the top part of my hoop. I wanted something that wouldn’t take away from the look of the piece, and it worked nicely!
That’s it!! You did it!!!
Now…step back and enjoy this unique and timeless looking wreath YOU made! I’d love to see your creations, so if you end up trying this project, please be sure to post pics in the comments! Thank you for following me, and stay tuned for more fun projects to come!
Copyright © 2019, Sarah Berry Designs. All designs and photos are the copyright of Sarah Berry Designs. It is a strict violation of copyright law to use or duplicate them in any way without my permission. For personal use only. Thank you!