Been a while - but I have been crafting (Spring Wreaths)

It has been quite a while since I have posted anything.  Its not that I haven't been crafting or baking (though definitely not as much as usual), its more that I'm swamped with tying up everything at work before mat leave and also being exhausted at the end of each day.  However, I did a couple spring wreaths recently and thought I would share some pictures.

These are the same style of wreath I usually make - faux flowers, ribbon and grapevine wreaths.  Oh, and the glue gun, can't forget that. 

 
I needed a pop of spring colour and definitely got that - one is bright yellow and white, the other is shades of purple and yellow.  Walmart's selection of flowers included some sprigs with silk butterflies that were quite cute, so I incorporated those into both wreaths.

Anyhow, here are a few pictures of the final products.

Christmas Crafting - O' Christmas Wreath, O' Christmas Wreath

I earlier wrote about some of the fall wreaths I made last year (see With Fall Comes Wreaths for instructions and necessary materials - just change up the seasonal flowers, I find that Walmart usually has a great selection of faux flowers for Christmas at far more reasonable prices than Michaels).  I haven't had time to make any Christmas wreaths this year, but I made so many last year that I really don't have anyone left to give them to and my house only has so many doors.

Here's some pictures from the making of a couple Christmas wreaths that I gave to my parents and in-laws last year:

I also made a few for sale at my law firm's charity craft/bake sale last year for the annual United Way fundraising campaign, one of which is below:

I often found myself with too much ribbon or left over flowers, so I cut up some cardboard and glued it into the shape of small planters or vases.  I covered the cardboard with the left over ribbon and inserted flower Styrofoam, into which I placed the leftover flowers.  These actually turned out quite cute:

Yarn and Felt Wreath

I started making this wreath earlier this year, but only finished putting together the felt flowers.  Last year I made a dozen wreaths for friends and family, including two yarn and felt wreaths.  By the time I got ready to make this one, I got really busy with work and haven't touched it since.  With this weekend being a holiday, I have a little extra time to craft and decided to finish this one.

These are very easy to make but are time consuming, particularly wrapping the wreath.  For this design, I used the following materials:

- straw wreath (from Michael's)
- red and burgundy felt
- faux crystal sprigs
- white and red ribbon
- white yarn
- pearl head pins
- glue gun

As mentioned above, I had already created the felt flowers, so I can't show pictures of that process.  They are easy: just cut felt circles of different sizes.  For the roses, cut the circles in a spiral pattern and start rolling them together from the outside in and use the glue gun to glue the bottom to keep them together.  I wrapped a couple around the crystal sprigs.  For a different look, cut a rectangle of felt about 20 cm long, fold it in half and roll it up. Then cut the roll up, until you have a good number of pieces (as you can see below).

Here's a picture of the flowers I made for this wreath:

For the wreath itself, I start by looping some ribbon to create the loop that will ultimately hold the wreath.  Then, just wrap the entire wreath in the yarn (this takes a while, I think it took about two hours).

I decided to add some extra detail to this wreath by creating an argyle look with red ribbon.

Finally, the felt flowers are glued on in the preferred arrangement.  For extra stability, I placed a pearl head pin down the centre of each flower.

On another note, this week my hubby and I also finally got our next tattoos.  Rather than add a separate post, I figured I'd post it here.  As I'm both a lawyer and a Libra, I've wanted this design for years, but just hadn't gotten around to getting it done.  The hubby was getting a new piece on his arm and I was waiting, so I figured I could make better use of my time by getting the scales of justice done.  The artist added the Libra sign at the top.  

I love it!!!

With Fall Comes Wreaths

Last fall, my favourite items to make were wreaths.  It seemed like any spare time I had was spent making wreaths for our house, friends and family.  My particular favourite design typically used the following:

Grapevine wreath
Fall bouquets (mums etc.)
Faux berries
Maple leaves
Homemade bows using wired ribbon
Glue gun
Grosgrain or satin ribbon (1" wide)

Typically, I lay out the flowers on the wreath to get a sense of how many I will need and then I wrap the wreath with the grosgrain/satin.  I also would use the grosgrain/satin ribbon to create the loop for hanging.  Before gluing the flowers into place, I attach the bow (usually at the bottom) using flower wire.

Next, starting at the top and working my way down to the bow, alternating sides to keep the design even, I glue the flowers into place using the glue gun.  Finally, I glue the finishing pieces (berries, leaves) into place.

Here are a couple of designs from last falls (I'll add more when I make some this year):