Read an Excerpt
Modern Wreaths to Make in a Day
By Victoria Hudgins Dover Publications, Inc.
Copyright © 2016 Victoria Hudgins
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-486-82227-3
CHAPTER 1
Balloon Wreath
Celebrate a special day or make any day a little more fun with this classic balloon wreath. It is just about one of the easiest party decorations that can be made, and has so much whimsy and fun connected to it. The wreath will serve as a perfect welcome for a festive day.
To make the balloon wreath you will need:
* Styrofoam wreath mold
* About 100 balloons in various colors and sizes
* Floral pins
(1) Start by organizing the balloons by color, size, and texture. We worked one color at a time to add style and dimension around the entire wreath.
(2) Take 1 or 2 balloons at a time and pin through the end of them with a floral pin. It will go right into the wreath frame.
(3) Continue doing this varying the colors and sizes as you go. Leave out a number of small balloons to use at the end, pushing them into the areas that still need covering.
(4) Hang with a string or fishing wire for a festive front door.
Crepe Paper Twist Wreaths
Crepe paper is a cinch to work with, and these twist wreaths will bring just the right amount of bright pizzazz to your decorating. Make one for the door, make a bunch to gussy up a mantel, or coordinate the colors for a quick party wall. You can even make a stash to hand out for cheering on the home team.
To make the crepe paper wreaths you will need:
* Crepe paper
* Scissors
* A length of 24-gauge jewelry wire — a good rule of thumb — the bigger the wreath, the thicker the wire.
(1) Cut the crepe paper into ovals. Make the ovals about 3 inches for the small wreaths, 5 inches for the large ones.
(2) Fold the ovals in half and gently twist around the wire. Continue cutting, folding and twisting until the wreath is fully formed.
(3) Hang with tape or string for a festive way to adorn the walls and welcome in a new season of crafty, revelrous bliss!
Cupcake Wrapper Wreath
A collection of bright cupcake wrappers makes for a pretty wreath to happily adorn any wall. The colorful display will make an adorable backdrop for baby showers, birthdays, and brightening up the mantel any day of the year. Who knew there was such fun decor hiding out in the baking aisle?!
To make the wreath you will need:
* A wreath form that measures under 2 inches wide
* A stash of bright colored cupcake wrappers
* Scissors
* A knife
* A couple of pieces of tape
(1) Make the wreath by folding the cupcake wrappers in half and cutting a semi-circle on the bottom of the wrappers (you can do about 8 at a time).
(2) Use a knife to make one straight cut in the wreath form and begin layering the cupcake wrappers onto the form.
(3) Use a small piece of tape to secure the wrapper — about every 10 wrappers — to be sure they don't fall out of place. Mostly they stay right in line though — happy to be displayed and not baked.
(4) Hang the wreath with string and enjoy the burst of bright colorful fun at home.
Fabric Ball Wreath
Changing the wreath is a monthly tradition at our house. This bright wreath of fabric balls is a fun way to adorn an entrance in style. The bright balls of fabric work well to lighten every kind of door entrance, and the wreath is colorful enough to hang in any season.
To make the bright-balled wreath you will need:
* Fabric in a few fun colors
* A medium size wreath form
* A mixture of small wooden or Styrofoam balls
* Scissors
* Hot glue
(1) Begin by cutting small squares of the fabric.
(2) Wrap each ball with a square of fabric and hot glue the fabric closed over the ball.
(3) Once the balls of a particular color are wrapped, begin gluing them onto the wreath frame. Mix the colors for a vibrant design
(4) To get the best hold, hot glue the ball and hold it for 30 seconds. This hot glue bond will seriously last through anything.
(5) Hang the wreath on a wall or door for an entrance you'll love looking at for months on end.
Felt leaf Wreath
This wreath has a very traditional vibe, with a burst of fun and fresh color. It's a bold statement wreath to greet guests at the front door. The texture of the felt will hold up great to the whooshing of opening and closing a door and the style is wonderfully pulled together with a great imperfect crafted feel. Exactly the casual welcome we all long to make.
To make the felt leaf wreath you will need:
* Felt in a few fun colors
* A skinny grapevine wreath frame
* Faux plant leaves to trace and include for texture
* Hot glue
* Floral wire
(1) Start by cutting out the leafs from the felt. This can be done freehand, although I liked tracing and including a selection of faux plant leafs as well. It adds stability and texture to the wreath.
(2) Once all the felt leafs are cut out, glue about a 6-inch length of fabric wire onto the backside of each leaf.
(3) Connect the fabric wire to the grapevine wreath by tying it off around the sticks.
(4) Include the faux floral leafs for added substance and texture.
(5) Hang from the door for a colorful welcome to fall, or spring, or anytime of year!
Crescent Moss Wreath
Using moss to create a wreath can be a great way to inject a bit of modern green into any room. The moss can be molded into any shape imaginable so it is easy to create a heart wreath, circle wreath, or even this crescent moon wreath. Hung over a mantel or along a gallery wall, the statement piece adds great texture to a space.
To make the moss wreath you will need:
* A roll of craft moss
* Wire
* Hot glue
* Scissors
* Thick ribbon for hanging
(1) Start by cutting the wire down and bending it into your wreath shape. To make the crescent moon we used a 26-inch length of wire and bent it gently into a half circle shape.
(2) Using hot glue attach the moss roll to the wreath on the front side. If the moss roll is wider than you'd like your wreath to be, simply cut down to the correct width.
(3) Glue the ribbon to hang the wreath with along the backside and then glue the moss to the backside of the wreath form as well.
(4) We let the ribbon hang over into the center of the wreath for a modern and whimsical touch.
Paper Accordion Wreath
Accordion-folded paper is one of my favorite things. The simple folds provide a crazy affordable and easy way to create pretty art. This wreath was crafted with about 50 sheets of white printer paper! It makes a gorgeous statement for a home or a party that is well beyond its pay grade.
To make the paper accordion wreath you will need:
* 50 sheets of white office printer paper
* Thick floral wire
* Hot glue
(1) Start with a piece of printer paper and begin to fold the paper back and forth. Fold the paper all the way across until it looks like a small accordion.
(2) Then bend the paper in half; each round on this wreath is made by combining two pieces of folded paper together.
(3) Once the paper is all folded, use thick floral wire to create the wreath form.
(4) Hot glue the two pieces of folded paper together onto the wreath.
(5) Continue gluing all the way around, making the wreath any size you'd like! Hang with pretty ribbon on walls, doors, or windows.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Modern Wreaths to Make in a Day by Victoria Hudgins. Copyright © 2016 Victoria Hudgins. Excerpted by permission of Dover Publications, Inc..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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