I go a little bananas every winter. Frequent trips to Michael’s usually leave our tiny apartment looking like a massive elf fart, but I don’t care. I love it. Bring on the pine cone crafts! We all need handmade stockings! Lay off my pipe cleaners!
My first completion of the season? This adorable wreath. Eeep! *Fainting at the saccharine sweetness*
Before I get into the how-to for this piece of cuteness, I need to introduce my top 10 favorite things:
- olives
- cheese
- mint chocolate chip ice cream
- elephants
- LJ
- Pete
- Carsey
- baked ziti
- breakfast burritos
- my glue gun
Ok, that’s a pathetic list, and probably not *really* my top favorite things in the correct order. I mean, I obviously don’t love ice cream and elephants more than my family. I really do love my glue gun, though, and I think everyone should own one because it makes you look like a craft superhero. Usually whenever something requires sewing, I just break out the hot glue. LJ’s blue macaw Halloween costume? Glue gun. All of it.
I first came across this dreamy Christmas wreath project last year and I became obsessed with it. I LOVE that she chose to use holiday neutral colors, because I think sometimes too much red and green seems hokey. Her instructions call for a straw wreath, clear thread and a lot of sewing. I’m clumsy, so I knew if I attempted to thread all these balls by hand my fingertips would be a bloody mess by the end. There would have been carnage. Voila! Glue gun to the rescue!
In addition to a glue gun, you’ll need extra glue gun sticks, a green styrofoam wreath from a craft store (usually found in a “wreath section” with a lot of dried flowers and whatnot. I didn’t use regular white styrofoam because I have a sneaking suspicion the hot glue would have melted it. The green was more dense and worked perfectly. You’ll also need felt balls. Now, if you are some sort of craftastic diva, feel free to make your own. Martha shows you how to make felt balls right here. I used roughly 320 balls on mine, and the thought of making that many by hand seemed agonizing. It’s doable, though, and MUCH cheaper. I ordered my felt balls from a lovely craft store in Raleigh, North Carolina called Ornamentea, and I used a little more than 6 bags.
(Insert frowny face here.)
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Very cool. We’re doing crafty things here too. Last week we made some christmas trees and snowflakes out of craft sticks.
They don’t look as cool as you wreath.
Aww, but handmade crafts with kids are the most special. My parents still have ornaments my sister and I made in preschool: they’re smushed blobs of nonsense, but so sweet. DEF my fave ornaments on the tree. This wreath was a parent project. LJ only helped by handing me the balls one at a time, which she found very entertaining for some reason.
This is so festive, and fun that it’s not just red/green. Seems like it could be doable for my non-crafty self, but I have a feeling I’d lose steam halfway through. I should have more money, b/c I’d love to BUY something like this.
You can do it!!! It really didn’t take long and was oddly soothing. I did while watching tv.
Thanks a lot! Like you I didnt feel upto all the sewing and was wanting to use a glue gun, but wasnt sure how it would turn out… Looks like it turns out great! Thanks for sharing!
This is stunning. I am yet to use my glue gun, but I feel great for packing one
I pinned a similar one and I love seeing how it is done. Also a list of ten and you refuse to share?! Silly…
That is sooooo cute! I’m still laughing over “elf fart”!
Love. It. I would also spend a lot of extra time ensuring that no two balls of the same colour were touching.
love this!!!
I can’t wait to make a wreath this year. I haven’t made one in a while and I keep putting it off. Now to Pinterest to pick which one
LOVE yours, and BTW finally got a glue gun!
What size balls did you use? 1cm, 2cm, or 3cm?
Also, what size wreath?