Preparing for Spring - Create an Easter Wreath using Stampin Up! Flowers.

Hello to all you out there!

How great it is to have beautiful weather again!   Thursday my umbrella was wrecked by a strong gust of wind, and so on our walk to church Sunday, there was me with no umbrella,  steady rain = me being a bit wet! But today - it was glorious outside! Crazy!

Saturday we also had our annual spring Rummage Sale.. And this is a signal to me to  create a new wreath for our door! I keep a supply of seasonal floral stems, and what-ever else strikes my fancy in storage. I drag it out and re-create a new wreath every year.  What I like about it is  it never gets boring - and I try to come up with new ideas.  A couple of weeks ago, I bought some glittery, inexpensive ribbon in a Robin's Egg Blue, and  dollar store Morning Glory flowers. So I knew my theme would start with blues and purples!

But of course, a 'punch of yellow' as my daughter likes to say - is truly a nod to Easter . And so I had the bright idea of using my handy-dandy BIG SHOT - again - to create some flowers!  I have the DAISIES #2  Bigz Die which provides you with a triple layer of successive sized daisies - it creates a real dimensional feel to the final flower creation.

And a few years back, I'd created some paper mache Easter Eggs embellished with crystal beads and cut-out alphabet letters to create HAPPY EASTER, so I was pretty much ready to go.

For anyone who'd like to try their first home-made wreath, I've posted a tutorial on how to create this wreath.

Actually, hope you all create a wreath - whatever size, shape or colour - to brighten your days!  Cheers!

TUTORIAL:

 CREATING A  PRETTY WREATH 

with STAMPIN' UP! DAISY #2 ACCENTS.

click on pictures for close-ups

Here I am with my supplies laid out - all within easy reach.  This helps you to be focused on designing your wreath if everything is handy :)  

This nice organza  ribbon is easily  tied to the wreath. Twisting the ribbon, and puffing it out nicely helps create fullness if you work with 'wire-edged' ribbon.  

I've finished tying the ribbon ....and cut the ends nicely. 

To give my wreath some sparkle and more Easter accent, I pulled some of the pretty purple easter floss away from its package and carefully wrapped it tight with cotton floss - these will be tucked around the wreath just like a flower pick! I will attach them with a short length of grosgrain ribbon. 

Here is the final bundle with some vintage lilac ribbon I own!

Here we are - Daisy #2 for Sizzix's Big Shot or compatible machines. You can use smaller squares of cardstock to cut the flower in different colours.

I put the layers together by using a 1 inch circle behind the largest flower layer, then the rest are stacked on top by nesting the petals between one another.  You can layer the petals so they are perfectly aligned one on top of the other - then you'd have a different look!  You can switch each flower layer's colour - or - keep them all one colour......lots of creative decisions! 

and here are my 4 completed flowers - although I made 1 more after because an uneven amount of an design element works better.

place a good dollop of white glue onto center, and sprinkle  metallic flakes over top, gently push the flakes into the sides of the glue glop whie still trying to retain some dimension! Tap off excess flakes.

attach the finished flowers to ribbon or a leaf using a Stampin' Up! Dimensional glue dot - the dot is strong, so after a week and my door opening/closing - its still there! Doesn't it make the wreath pop?

tuck in my papermache eggs with die-cut alphabet greeting