Teeny Tiny Design: craft

I love ribbon wreaths! They are sooo easy to make. Seriously. It's a snap. And even better...super cheap! Especially if you get ribbon when it's 50% off at HobLob, which it practically always is.

I previously had a houndstooth ribbon wreath hanging up, but I got sick of seeing it every day. It was perfectly nice, but I wanted something with a little more punch. So off to the ribbon aisle I went, and I spent about an hour or twenty trying to decide between the ribbons I liked (every single roll they had). There is no need for a tutorial on this...it's THAT easy...but I went ahead and wrote one out anyway. :)

Ribbon Wreath Tutorial

Supplies:

Polka dot ribbon: $3.99+50% off=$2 x 2 rolls=$4

Pink ribbon: $1.99+50% off= $1

Straw wreath: $3.00+50% off= $1.50

Hot glue and hot glue gun: on hand

Total cost: $6.50

First fold over the ribbon to give a nice clean edge. Secure with a dab of hot glue. Ignore my lack of a manicure please!!

Glue the edge down on the inside or back of the wreath. I leave the plastic on because it helps keep the straw from poking out. Start wrapping the ribbon around, slightly overlapping the last wrap. Secure with a blob of glue every few wraps.

This is where one roll got me to. To start the next one, you can either start on the back/inside and double back (to hide the seam)....oooorrr if you're like me, and frankly could care less about crap like that, just start right where you finished.

Just like at the beginning, fold over the edge and secure with a dab of glue. Keep wrapping until you get the entire wreath covered. Fold over the edge of the ribbon and glue again. Glue the edge to the inside or back of the wreath.

Next, I added a bow at the top. You could do this lots of different ways. Sometimes I wrap the ribbon around several times to get a thick band. You could also leave a loop so that you could hang it from that. I just shove the wreath itself onto the hook; otherwise it obscures our peephole. For this wreath, I wrapped it once, tied it in a knot, and tied a big bow. Then, for a little extra sparkle power, I glued a little ~~diamond~~ plastic gem at the top. Sidenote: are there people that are rich enough to decorate wreaths with actual gemstones? Probably, but I guess it's doubtful they'd be making their own wreaths. Anyway...

At this point, I had planned to stop with the wreath, but I still had a little bit of ribbon left over. I decided to make a flower to put on the corner. I ran a quick, wide stitch through the edge of the ribbon, gathered it as tight as I could, and sewed the edges together. Instant flower!

I did the same thing with the pink ribbon, except I didn't pull it into a circle. I pulled it tight enough to ruffle a little, then I glued it onto a scrap of fabric that I had cut to be slightly larger than the above flower.

Glue the flower to the middle of the circle of fabric. Adorn with a crazy amount of crystal-y things. Place the flower on the wreath and secure with hot glue (and lots of it).

And you're done! I love it. Perhaps a bit bright for January in the midwest, but so what? Who cares?

If anyone asks, it's a Valentine's day wreath...despite the fact that it's a month til the holiday and I plan to keep it up long after. :)

If you made it all the way through that boring tutorial, congratulations! Your reward is some bonus craft photos.

First up...an apron I've been working on for my friend for a few weeks. It's my first attempt at an apron and it was made sans sewing machine. It is cobbled together with hand stitching, hot glue and Stitch WitcheryDefinitely not perfect, but I really liked it. It's bright and cheerful...perhaps a bit too busy, but I like that about it! The flowers were made with the same technique as above...super easy and quick!

Next, I made this wreath of pages from Shakespeare plays for my the classroom of my friend, who is a high school English teacher, using this tutorial. I love how it turned out, but it was soooo time consuming!! For each rosette, you have to cut out a square, then cut it into a spiral, then roll it, then cover it in hot glue. I made at least 200 rosettes. It took hours and hours, and my fingers were covered in hot glue burns! It was cheap though, I must admit...a package of glue gun sticks ($4) and a straw wreath ($2). The books I had on hand. I had planned to make one for myself, but I'm going to wait until my fingertips heal.