Before I dive into the wreath project, I wanted to mention that postings on this blog will continue to be sparse. I’ve spent the past six plus months unemployed and immersed in caring for my ailing pup and made the hard decision to let my best friend rest in peace earlier this month. It hardly seems fair that such an intelligent, loving and beautiful being is allowed such a short time on earth. He has been with me nearly all of my adult years, and now, almost 15 years after falling in love with the most adorable puppy I’ve ever seen (photos at bottom of post), I’m trying to figure out where this new chapter in life will take me. While you may see a few random do-it-yourself projects or artwork/photography posts pop-up every once in awhile, I’m feeling a desire to detach a bit more from the online world after this long hard winter. I hope everyone is enjoying spring – finally a bit of green popping up around here (and by green, I mean weeds – ha)!
My front door was looking rather naked after I took down my wooden snowflake a few weeks ago, so I decided to try making a wreath that could work for either spring or summer. While this isn’t much of a tutorial, I will tell you where I bought my supplies and how to I got everything to stay put.
Supplies:
- grapevine wreath (mine is fairly small, at 12″, purchased at Joann Fabrics*)
- your choice of artificial plants and flowers (all from this wreath were purchased at Michael’s*)
- wire cutting device (or scissors as a last resort)
- glue of some sort (a hot glue gun is the easiest method)
*don’t forget to go to the Michael’s or Joann’s websites and print out their weekly coupons!
Assembly:
- Before you begin, think about your wreath hanger. Because artificial plants/flowers can be delicate, I decided to leave a gap where the hanger would be placed.
- It’s helpful to set your plants/flowers around the wreath before securing so that you have a better feel for the finished design.
- Most of the artificial plants/flowers you chose are likely to have long wire stems – you’ll need to trim them so that only a few inches remain. The best way to decide how much to leave behind is to take a look at the depth of your wreath – if the stems aren’t too thick and have flexible wire, you can leave them a little longer so they can be shoved directly through gaps in the grapevines and then wrapped or woven around on the backside (no need for the back to be pretty!). Wrapping/weaving wires through to the backside, combined with some glue, will leave you with the most secure finished product.
- After all flowers/plants are placed as you desire and wrapped/woven through to the other side in some fashion, place a hidden dab of glue on any pieces that seem as though they have the potential to come loose – a hot glue gun will quickly do the trick.
I’d love to see your wreaths – feel free to place a link to a photo of yours in the comments section!
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…And before I sign-off, a few pictures of Orpheus.
Love the wreath, and your visual eulogy to your lovely pooch. My heart goes out to you for your loss.
Thank you :)
Here’s an explaination as to why dogs have short lives: http://www.lgd.org/library/WhyDogsDontLiveAsLongAsPeople.htm
:)
I’m so sorry about your sweet dog. Enjoy your blog break . . . take time to renew! Hugs, Katherine