Guest Post by Denise Manning - Holiday Wreaths

Good Morning,

I am so happy to be "Guest Posting" for Stacey.  She has brought me into the world of "Pinterest" and I can honestly say that I am officially addicted..  lol
I came across the cutest holiday wreaths and wanted to try to make them myself for holiday gifts for the girls.  I DO NOT consider myself a crafty person, but I gotta tell ya this was "supa easy" and hopefully the girls will luv them as much as I did.

YOU WILL NEED THE FOLLOWING:
Glue Gun-

Wreath-I used a Grape Vine Wreath, but I think you could probably use any wreath. 

Tulle-I used 2 different colors

Ribbon-I used 4-5 different ribbon per wreath.  I found it easier to use the holiday ribbon that    has the wire in it.  This aloud me to be able to give my bows the shape that I wanted.  (JoAnn's had holiday ribbon on sale this week for 40% off)

Christmas Ornaments-I used some different size ornaments, but I did find it easier to use the smaller ornaments. 

Christmas Sprigs-meaning the things that you see sticking out of the wreath.  You can also find these at JoAnn's this week on sale.  They totally add dimension to your wreath and give it some sass.

Letter-I am using the letter of the last names of the recipient to add to the wreaths.  You can use any size, but I recommend that you go with a little larger letter b/c you want the letter to be able to be seen through all the busyness of the ribbons that you have added.

Paint-I used red, green and silver.  A small bottle each.  You can absolutely use any colors for your letter and just make your ribbon colors to match.

First Step
I painted my letter the colors and patterns that I wanted them to look like.  You want to do this first so you letter has time to dry before hot gluing it to the wreath.

Second Step
Take one color of your tulle and cut about 8 pcs about 12' long.  Take 2 of those pcs and wrap them around your wreath and tie on a knot.  Puff your tulle as you go and then repeat w/2nd color wrapping the wreath in a different area. 

Third Step
Take your selected ribbon and cut in 12' strips and wrap these around the wreath in a bow like you are tying a shoe lace.  Puff your bows as you go.  Then move to your next box in a different area.  I will tell you that I cut about 6-7 bows for each color ribbon that I had.  The more you add the fuller your wreath will look.  When complete I went through and added a dot of hot glue to the middle of all the bows so that they would stay together the way that I formed them.

Fourth Step
I added all the Christmas Sprigs to the wreath.  They do come in long pcs, so you will have to cut them as you go to make them the size you are fitting in the wreath.  The stick easily right down in the grape vine wreath.  I think that if you used styrofoam wreaths it maybe even easier.  Adding a dot of hot glue to keep these in place when I was done placing them all.

Fifth Step
Make sure your letter that you are using is dry and place on wreath where you would like.  When you are sure where you want to letter to be, then add some hot glue to the back of the letter and place on the wreath.  I went back and tied some extra ribbon around the wreath by the letter after hot gluing b/c I wanted to make it look fuller.

Sixth Step
Hot glue ornaments all over the wreath.  This will add all your shine and sparkle.  On my first one I glued ornament top down, but on the second one I just added a dab of hot glue and placed my ornaments where I wanted them on there side.  I liked this look even better. 

Before I knew it I had just made the cutest wreath that I can't wait for my friends to see.  I hope that they will all enjoy them as I truly loved making them all.  This is a present that they can re-use every year and you know that hand made gifts are the "BEST".

Still need to add my "letter"

MY LAST TIP:
Have fun with it..  There really are no rules, no color boundaries, no size boundaries...  Every wreath will be a little different and that's what makes them unique. 

Hope ya'll have as much fun as I did......... 

and "Thank YOU" again Stac for letting me post....