Summertime Wreath

Have you ever seen something so lovely and foolishly thought "hey I bet I could do that!"  This happens to me all the time. usually I fall in love with a sewn project, which if you haven't noticed aren't my forte, so I don't get too hung up on them.  But every once and a while a project comes along using a glue gun and/or tissue paper and I get all cocky and i say to myself "I can totally do that!" HA! Once again I fooled myself into thinking I could recreate someonelse's creation....

This week I finally decided to recreate Kim's (from Bugaboo, Mini, Mr & Me) farewell to summer wreath. It's so awesome, I needed to make one!  Kim offers a pretty great tutorial but like all crafts so much is trial and error....oh not to mention I'm horrible at making rosettes, so this should be interesting!

First cover something circular in tissue paper

(I went out an bought a flat styrofoam circle and it worked really well.)

Then start cutting the tissue paper in strips the long way, against the folds.  I kept the tissue paper folded as I cut my strips....this is super efficient and saves you a lot of time.  Plus the sides will be straighter...if you care about that kind of thing. 

I cut two and a half pieces of tissue paper to make all my rosettes. 

I followed Kim's directions to twist and roll (like any other rosette) but they didn't turn out as poufy as hers.  See I told you I stink at making these. I think I get too caught up in the twisting and I wrapped them too tight! My roses are flat, scrawny little things!  I even made extras to overlap & add some depth!

If you think making the rosettes is tedious (it took me 2.5 hours from the time I started to glueing the last rosette on-but I'm just that special) just wait until you start filling in the edges with the poufs!  Of course your rosette making skills (and distraction level "ooh Oprah's on") will dictate how long it takes.

For the 'petals' I used the old elementary school trick of putting the tissue paper squares on the end of a pencil and then gluing them down.  It saved my fingers a lot of hot glue burns!  I highly recommend this method! 

All that finnicky work is worth it though!  Isn't she a beaut?

I really like my version, even if it's not exactly like Kim's.  I added a few poufs of tulle here and there and also added small pearls in the centre of random roses. 

I hope Kim doesn't mind my additions.

Party Party!