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Monday, March 26, 2012

Apple Blossom Wreath DIY

I've been wanting a spring wreath to hang on the front door for a while now, and I've seen pretty ones at Pier1 and other places that tempt me.  I made a trip to Michael's today, always a dangerous thing, and I was inspired to try my hand at making my own.

The ingredients:
- 1 pre-made grapevine wreath
- 1 apple blossom garland
- 1 roll of sparkly sage green open-weave ribbon

I thought this was going to be a five minute project.  I thought to myself, "I'll just wrap the garland around the wreath, stick a bow on it and call it done!"  That was overly optimistic, because what happens when you do that is this:
I'm pretty sure that a two year old could have done better.  So on to the next attempt.

I began by plucking individual flowers off the garland, but it became quickly apparent that method was going to require the hot glue gun, stat!



Unfortunately, the hot glue gun is buried at the bottom of my craft closet.  I do believe my next project is cleaning and organizing said craft closet, by the way... So I scrapped the idea of gluing individual flowers on, and instead dissected the garland into smaller pieces.  They were about this big:


I worked my way around the wreath, tucking the bottom of each piece deep into the wreath and then weaving the flowers through the twisted vines to keep them in place.  My wreath shed a lot of twigs and crud onto the floor, so if I were to do this in the future, I'd probably put down a drop cloth or, you know, make the wreath on a table.  And let's not forget that I had a helper...



Once I got all the flowers tucked in, I was left with this:


I was then left to deal with the bow.  I'm usually pretty good at making bows.  With normal ribbon.  This open weave "ribbon" was a challenge, though.  I started out making a bow with the help of my good friend, the red Swingline stapler.  I quickly discovered that the open weave meant that the staples would hold only some of the strands, but the rest would go wonky fast... and then it started fraying at the edges.  I finally just tried tying a bow, then taking another piece of ribbon and tying it around the wreath.  My cats have left prettier looking things in their litter boxes.

I was frustrated, at this point, so got my scissors and just cut the piece I'd tied and pulled it off.  And then I looked at it, and it actually looked kinda cool.  So I tied on another piece of ribbon, and futzed with it for a few minutes and came up with this:





So, here's the final wreath!  I'm happy with it.  It was getting dark out by the time I finished, so this is the best picture I could get.




Meanwhile, Willow's looking forward to our next afternoon craft-time...













And why, you may ask, am I linking this to so many blog parties?  Because it's fun!  :-D  If you're here, I encourage you to leave a comment.  They inevitably make me smile.

19 comments:

  1. Beautiful wreath. I found the prettiest contact paper at Home Goods. They seem to have a large selection lately. Hope you will link up to my party tonight.

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    1. Thank you! I wasn't sure, for a little while, that it wasn't going to end up being a complete fail. ;) I'm definitely going to have to check out Home Goods - thanks for the tip!

      (Also, will link up! I'm leaving it open in my browser so that I remember to! ;)

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  2. I'm so glad you stopped back and linked up. You really did such an awesome job.

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    1. Aw, thank you so much, Judy! I'm such a n00b to blogging - I appreciate any and all feedback. :)

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  3. Dear Mrs. Handyverger (thats not really your name is it?)

    Your post had me laughing out loud!!! Your tutorial was hysterically funny. Don't we all go through the same things but don't always show the 'getting there' to others. You are my kind of gal I can tell you that. I'm so glad I have found your blog and its because you came to my blog and so kindly made a comment on my spring birthday tea parties for my grand daughters. That was so very nice of you. I can't see where I'm to sign up to follow you so I guess I won't be doing that. But I think you have delightful blog. Many thanks for your comments and giving me a very good laugh tonight.

    Nann

    PS I think your wreath turned out absolutely beautiful. And I surely know your cat enjoyed being part of it. (smile)

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    1. Thank you much, Nann! I think the 'getting there' is as important as the end product, especially when I learn more from projects I have to rethink than ones that go perfectly the first time.

      It looks like you use blogspot for your blog, so I think that if you wanted to follow, it's in the bar at the top? I would love it if you'd follow me, but either way, I do hope you stop by now and again! Your tea party looked like fun, and I hope to see the recipes for your tea sandwiches and such. And a candy buffet?! Yum! What a lovely way to spend some time with your granddaughters.

      Thanks again, Nann! I'll be following you. :) (Wow, that sounds sooo creepy! ;)

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    2. *laugh* I just saw your comment at the top about my name. It's -almost- my name - take away the Y, and you've got it. I couldn't help the silly pun. (Especially with my very first post, the Not-So-Handy-Vergers. ;)

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  4. Oh my, take a bow!

    You've put a "spring" in my step with your creative loveliness.

    Have a blessed day!

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    1. Thank you so much! It's a gloomy, cold day here, so I'll take a little spring wherever I can get it.

      Hope you have a wonderful day, as well! Thank you for stopping by. :)

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  5. Totally gorgeous! So light and airy....perfect.

    Love the kitty, too.

    Barb

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    1. Thank you, Barb! I was inspired by Pier 1's cherry blossom wreath, remembering the lovely cherry blossoms in Washington DC in Maryland where I went to college (the first time)... but I think I like my apple blossoms even more!

      And no project is complete in my house without a little cat fur. ;)

      Thank you for stopping by!

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  6. Sweet and lovely. Cute helper too!

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    1. Thank you, Jeanette! With four cats, I find myself with LOTS of help. ;) Thank you for stopping by. :)

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  7. Very cute wreath! And it looks like you had a lot of help making it...

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    1. Thanks, Cindy! I had more "help" than I knew what to do with! *LOL*

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  8. This looks so pretty. I am looking forward to seeing you at My Dream Canvas. Visiting you from Wow Us Wednesday

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    1. Thank you, Anu! I checked out "My Dream Canvas," and decided to follow you. I love your aesthetic!

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  9. This is really pretty - I can just picture adding some more seasonal decor and it would be a very stunning, sophisticated CHristmas decoration! :) xx

    Anna (My Design Ethos)

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    1. That's a fantastic idea, Anna! I'll have to try that out - with the white flowers, it could definitely have a wintery look. :)

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