Book Page Wreath

I fell in L-O-V-E with this wreath over at Lovely Crafty Home. Isn't it elegant looking? And using pages from books really added a little something extra, I think.

So, after I stopped drooling, I decided to try my hand at making these paper rosettes. I did change what I did a little from the tutorial.

1. Rachael specifically mentions in her tutorial to use a low temp glue gun. But, because I'm a rebel (and an idiot, apparently) I started out using a high temp hot glue gun because that is what I had. I then promptly burned the shizz out of my fingers. On the way to the ER, I stopped and picked up a low temp glue gun. (Just kidding about the ER. Not kidding about burning my fingers. Don't be a martyr or, as in my case, cheap - spend the $4 and get a low temp gun.)

2. When cutting the circles out of the layers of book pages, I cut some ovals and some more circular to get a little variety in the size/shape of some of the rosettes. Rachael's flowers are very uniform and gorgeous. I couldn't have gotten all of those flowers the same size if someone offered me a million dollars and a night with Kevin James. (Is he not the current Hollywood heartthrob? But he's funny and adorable and... Hey! Don't judge me!!)

3. I also varied the tightness of wrapping them, so some appear more "bloomed" than others. I was going for a more random conglomeration of flowers and think I did pretty well.

This is what I came up with!!

All in all, I'm happy with it. The wreath itself took about 5 hours to complete, but I watched train-wreck TV throughout most of it. (Train-wreck TV is made of shows that make me feel better about my life like Jersey Shore, Hoarders and My Strange Addiction - hey, I may not have it all together, but at least I don't eat drywall.)

I snagged some ribbon from JoAnn's (which is the only fabric place even semi-close to me... BUT A HOBBY LOBBY IS OPENING UP NEXT MONTH!!! I think I literally peed in my pants a little when I heard the news. As if I don't spend enough money on this crap as it is... But I digress) and added two coats of American Accents spray paint in aqua to an old frame I had. !Me gusta!

Close up of the rosettes

I may be biased, but I think they are ADORBS!


(Note: No, the wreath is not the only thing on my 8 foot mantle... anymore. I added a wooden ampersand that I spray painted brown. I used to have a photo of my dog up there, but it really annoyed my boyfriend.)

(Note 2: I love parentheses [in case you couldn't tell.])

Possible upcoming post title: "Why You Should Never Spray Paint In The House, or How I Almost Killed My Dog"


Linking to:

Not JUST A Housewife