live . craft . learn: holidays

hey!

thanks so much for all of your sweet words for my little man. turns out he has a hairline fracture in the humerus {top arm bone} right where it meets at the elbow so hopefully all he'll need is a permanent cast set next week so his elbow stays immobilized to heal for a few weeks. however, we do head back to the orthopedic wednesday morning for new xrays since they couldn't get the last one they really needed because he was in so much pain on monday and he couldn't turn it for a flat image. poor boy. hopefully all he'll need is a cast for 3-6 weeks depending on the final xrays. i keep trying to talk him into a leopard print one but he's not buying into my idea. go figure!

i've also spent the week taking it easy & going through old kR class files since i've been sick on top of everything. when it rains it pours right?

anyways, i came across this tutorial i did for an older kR private class and thought i'd share it with all of you this weekend. the pictures below are a bit different from the wreath you see above as i decided to spruce mine up a bit and add a few extra tree reflectors when i pulled it out of the holiday box this year.

if you don't have reflectors or a vintage player piano roll you could easily substitute festooning and silver cupcake liners, or even create crepe paper rosettes for the background layers.

have fun and if you make one link up in the comments as i'd love to see your version!

supplies needed : various papers; alphabet letters; chenille ribbon; buttons; brads & other embellishments; piano roll; chipboard; foil christmas reflectors; large wreath base {i used a 10" made out of mdf from the craft store but you could also cut a circle out of chipboard or a recycled cardboard box}

tools needed : scissors; dry adhesive; glossy accents; tacky tape; gesso or white acrylic paint

* project generally takes from 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your speed. creating the paper flowers takes up the most time depending on your experience.

step 1 : create the chipboard joyeaux noel sign.

cut small piece of pattern paper to fit the back of the large scalloped chipboard frame. before adhering to the back lightly coat the front of the paper with watered down gesso or white acrylic paint so the pattern is muted. adhere to back of frame. trim any edges that peek out of scallops.

step 2 : apply alpha to interior of frame, right onto the paper.

step 3 : apply glossy accents

if you have ever made sugar cookies and frosted them using the "flood" method you know how to do this. simply apply a stream of glossy accents to the paper inside the chipboard frame. first by outlining the interior edge and the "flooding" the entire inside. after applying glossy accents to the entire area use your finger to smooth out the clear adhesive so there is a solid coat over the entire piece of paper. while wet apply a small button that has mini brads pierced through the holes to the 'o' in 'noel'. set aside to dry.

step 4 : create paper piano roll flowers

you will need to create 8-10 depending on the size of your wreath. you will make just enough to almost cover the entire circle while leaving a small 1-2" gap to tie the pink chenille ribbon onto.

step a : cut at least 18″ from the extra roll of player piano paper and fold lengthwise upon itself 2 times so you end up with a piece of paper that is approximately 24″ x 6″.

step b : cut mini strips along the open edge {the other edge will have two overlapping fold seams}.

step c : slowly pleat and apply the paper onto a large paper circle. {i know the pic shows staples, but i actually used 2" recycled paper circles to adhere the flowers as it will create a large opening in the middle of the flowers for adhering and layering the extra embellishments}. however, you can still staple if you want ;)

step d : scrunch up those edges until your flower is nice and big.

side view of the pretty texture.

step 5 : attach your piano roll flowers

tie a 24" piece of twine to the top of your wreath. mine had those small circles already punched into it, if yours doesn't simply punch a few holes or tie your twine around a few times and knot leaving a loop at the top for hanging.

now you can start adhering your paper flowers along the circle base. i squished mine close together a bit so none of the base shows through.

step 6 : create the chenille ribbon bow

step a : leave a 1-2" section exposed and wrap the chenille fabric ribbon around to cover the base.

step b : tie a square knot and let the ends hang loose. i always leave one tail end longer than the other as i love things that don't match perfectly.

step 7 : decorate your wreath

step a : apply the chipboard joyeaux noel frame you created earlier {it should be dry by now}. i put mine diagonally from the bow right over a paper flower for visual effect.

step b : decorate the remaining flowers by applying the foil light reflectors and then layer with vintage embellishments from your personal stash as you choose. i've also included detail close-up shots below for reference {you can see i used alot of scrap items from my stash}.

happy weekend!
xo

We had a beautiful weekend, did you?

Saturday afternoon was spent at the tree farm selecting our two trees Fred & Ethel. Did you know that I name almost all of our inanimate objects? I do.

I have pictures of the actual hunt but since I forgot my camera {doh!} they are on the man's phone, since of course, my phone was also dead. {{double doh!!}}

This is the world's most feared tree hunter. He conquers & cuts with wild abandon.

Then he's forced to spend Sunday morning & afternoon stringing lights on Ethel, The tree in our Living Room. That's his job. The only part of decorating he's required to do. Required by me.

He does a great job, doesn't he?

Then I swoop in at the end for the beauty part. This year I had two wonderfully happy helpers, Bubba & the Bean. It was the first year they were excited to help the entire time. Usually it's a good 5 minutes then they're off stealing ornies to burrow somewhere deep in their room.

Of course our house looks like a Christmas store belw up in it right now since I still have the mantels and our other tree {Fred} to finish. but oh how I am loving spreading joy around our house this year.

Happy Jolly Monday!
xo