paper wreath

Today I had to get some wreaths made up that had been ordered as gifts. One with blue central pieces and one natural. Since I had all the kit out, I tried to make a new version out of something other than old book pages that I usually use. I wanted a fun and bright version with lots of bright colours.

The wreaths I make are usually very fragile and cannot go outside unless in a protected porch, so I made one out of something far more weatherproof, very thin neoprene foam. It is a bit trickier to roll and staple, but I did get there. Plus a hot glue gun works well on it and does not melt the neoprene, but my hands are really burnt after three wreaths in a go, those glue guns can be murder!

I saw this idea online, and decided to have a try. They are really easy to make, and look beautiful. I sold a load at a craft fair at Christmas, and people now commission them with specific central ornament colours to match their home decor colours.

You will need: 120 pages of a standard sized old book. The older the better as the pages are yellower and have a great patina. I only use books from junk shops that are falling apart as I do not feel guilty when cutting out the pages. Scalpel and ruler Sellotape Stapler Foam Board Hot Glue Gun Decorations – These can be baubles, natural cones and dried fruits, shells (lightweight), feathers… anything light and that you like.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Cut a square piece of foam board slighter larger than a dinner plate. On the board, draw circles decreasing in size in pen or pencil, (I use a dinner plate, bowl, side plate & mug turned upside down and I draw around them). Then draw through the circles 2 x lines forming a cross, so you have a graphic resembling a target. This is your guide for when you stick on the paper cones.
With a scalpel and a ruler, cut out 120 pages from the book. Try and keep them equally sized. At this point I normally settle down in front of a good movies and start making the cones as it can take a while.
Roll each piece of paper from the bottom left inwards into a cone shape, use a small piece of sellotape to secure the wide back of the roll so that it is unseen, and then staple once across the bottom point horizontally.
Once you have all of your cones ready, heat up the glue gun.
Start attaching the cones to the board, put small blob of glue at the back bottom part of the cone where the back of the staple is. Use the widest circle as a starting point and stick a circle of cones around it. Then moving inwards, repeat the circles. The trick is to keep it neat and uniform. Once you start nearing the middle, you may need to trim the bottom of the cones so they are shorter and re-staple before attaching. Leave a space in the middle the diameter of a mug base. Once all of the cones are stuck on, just glue in the decorations you want to use.
That is pretty much it. To hang, I use a bulldog clip attached to the top of the foam board with a ribbon attached, as it is all paper and foam board, the flower wreath is very light.

I also been working on versions with folded paper sheets rather than cones. The central area is shredded paper rather than decorative elements: