Monday, May 13, 2013

Very Quick and Easy Hydrangea Wreath Tutorial

The hydrangea wreath I mentioned in my last post was so super east to make, that I went out today, bought the supplies and made an additional one to give to my mother-in-law.  It took me 41 minutes from the very start to completion (yes, I actually timed it!). The total cost was around $31, because the hydrangea "bushes" were on sale 60% off at Joann's and I was able to use a 50% off coupon for both the ribbon and the wreath form.

I have to give credit to V & Co. Blog for the original idea and general instructions that I followed on my first wreath.  I tweaked them just a little for the second wreath, so here's the instructions for that.

Here's the finished product, so you know what we're aiming for!







Supplies:

  • 5-6 hydrangea "bushes" from the silk flower section of your local craft store
  • 14" grapevine wreath
  • 2 yd satin ribbon
  • wire cutters
  • scissors
  • hot glue gun and about 4 glue sticks
These are the "bushes" I bought.  They were originally $9.99, each.  I used 5 on the first wreath and 6 on the second one.  I have no idea why I needed more for the second one!




Here's the grapevine wreath.  I had a difficult time finding a 14" wreath.  But the 12 looked too small and the 18 too big, so I hunted until I found one.  If you like a bigger wreath, get a bigger one and a couple more bushes!




The supplies.  You'll notice I use a "low temp" hot glue gun.  I am far too clumsy to use a hot melt one!  I only needed to burn myself once to realize that I shouldn't be allowed to wield a hot melt gun.  I've never had any problems with the glue not holding or anything like that!

Using wire cutters, snip each bloom leaving about 2" of stem.  You need enough to get it to stick into the wreath, but not so much that it protrudes too far out the back.  





Begin arranging the blooms in the wreath, poking them in through the woven grapevine.  Don't glue them in yet.  I found that I needed to do some rearranging after I got the blooms all in.  Pay special attention to the inner and outer edges.  The wreath won't look lush and full if you don't cover all of the visible grapevine.
  

Once you have everything as you like it, flip the wreath over and begin glueing from the back.  I use a LOT of glue.  I mean a LOT.  It's an issue I'm addressing and trying to overcome.  You may not need as much!

See all of that glue?


After you glue all of the stems that you can see (and you probably won't be able to see them all from the back, that's okay) flip the wreath back over and give each bloom a gentle tug.  If the bloom moves, dig down under the petals and find where the stem meets the wreath and glue it.  


Once all the blooms are secure, loop a ribbon through it.  I simply glued the edges together and pushed the seam to the back.  Then tie a bow and you're ready to hang it!


Please let me see your creations!

Wednesday, May 08, 2013

I. Am. Not. A. Crafter.

I like to create things.  Not like in the science lab - although, truth be know, I was a Chem major...  but that's not what I'm talking about here.  I'm talking about that kind of creation that some might call "Crafting."

Blech.


I don't like that word.  crafting.  Crayons, Elmer's Glue, Macaroni and tempera paint... that's the stuff of crafting.  Oh - and that weird plastic "canvas" that you can weave yarn through to make tissue covers... those are crafts.


My creations are of wool roving, comic book pages, discarded wood, yarn, flowers (fake and real), beautiful papers, and a whole lot of hot glue.  But, whether you call it craft, art, or simply creation - I like to make stuff.   Weird stuff, cool stuff, pretty stuff... just about any stuff.


You see, that's my difficulty.  I like to make just about ANYTHING.  I've discovered that I tend to pick up a new medium, play around with it for a while, make a few things and then move on to something else.  This means that I end up with a of of random pieces of stuff:  hand-made pompoms, needle-felted flowers, skeins of yarn half-used in knitting,  loads of gorgeous papers, metal keys, jump rings.... you get the picture.  


I've finally found something to do with all those weird little left-over bits.


Wreaths!


This one is a straw form wrapped with black and white yarn.  I added the beautiful woll pompoms that I made in my pompom-making frenzy in mid-2012.  




The close-up is not only a little blurry (sorry) but it's also a little pollen-covered.  I'd just pulled it in after having on the front door throughout pollen season.  If you haven't lived through Spring in Georgia, then you may not realize that it "pollens" here like it snows in Minnesota.  We get a nice, thick, even covering of yellow dust on everything.



Here's the newest wreath.  The only "left-over" thing about this wreath, however, is the grapevine wreath form.  I've had it for years.  The flowers, however, were just Hydrangea "bushes" from JoAnn's.  60% off this week.  I just wanted some hydrangeas - and every attempt I've made to plant them has failed miserably! 


In case you want to make one like this - it's super simple.  Really.  I might not even mind if you called it just a "craft!" It was so easy, in fact, that I ended up making a second one for my Mother-in-law.   I followed some of the ideas at the V. and Co blog, but if you want to know exactly how I did it, check out my tutorial here.  I got the flowers on sale at 60% off and used a coupon for 50% off one item for the ribbon at Joann's then purchased the grapevine wreath from Michael's using a 50% off coupon.  So, all told I spent $31 for this beautiful wreath!



I like it!