making wreaths // day 11

these small wreaths are great to start on this week. they don't take water, so they'll last a little past valentines day. they're also a great little piece of decor year round, customize for birthdays, other holidays or even weddings. for this week in february though, we'll add a nice message for your sweetie.

i used a gold ring, found in the floral section at the craft store (but i suggest a green one, shows through less), floral tape, regular scotch tape, thin wire, long strip of paper and various foliage (this is an awesome place to save some cash and grab some freebie greens from the yard!)

cut greens into 3-5" pieces and start by taping your first one to the ring. tape your next one slightly overlapping the first and continue until you have covered the entire ring. for the longer, thicker pieces i taped down both ends and the center. shorter ones only needed to be taped at the ends.

add more fullness to your wreath by cutting pieces that are a bit shorter, about 2-3" and stuffing the ends between the ring and the base pieces you taped down in the step above. you can tape those ends down as well but leave the top part of these free like you see below. add new pieces all the way around until you are satisfied with the fullness of the wreath.

take your paper strip and add a quote. ours said "you make me happy when skies are grey". add a simple conversation heart phrase, you and your love's names, or just 'happy valentines day'.

after you've written on the front, cut a piece of wire slightly shorter than the length of your paper strip and tape down along the center of the back. this way you can mold this paper banner before attaching to your wreath.

i taped a few additional pieces of wire to the back of the paper banner to attach to the wreath.. you can tape or glue as well. whatever works best with your foliage and size of wreath!

are you a decoration maker or more of a decoration buyer?