Summer Wreath

Well hello there!  I need to apologize really quick...my blogging creativity has been lagging a little lately.  Teaching high school students during the last 3 weeks of school drains me completely.  I have to force myself to workout, and once I get home I just want to eat cereal for dinner and lay on my couch.  My brain has turned into mush, and getting 8+ hours of sleep isn't cutting it any more. Regardless,  I am still able to teach my students how find limits at infinity, and write piece-wise  functions {don't you wish you were back in high school?!}.  Alright, back to my latest craft project.  My {Valentines Wreath} had been on my door since February...Good thing it wasn't covered with hearts.  :)  As you can see {if you go look at it :)} I was on TOTAL on FELT OVERLOAD.  If I see anymore felt in the next couple months I will burst into  hysterical tears, and fall into child's pose.  {sigh} I had been seeing a lot of cool wreaths done with paper, and from what I read it was going to be a fast project.  Thankfully, it was!   

To make this wreath you will need:

• Straw Wreath {leave plastic on}
• Natural Jute {Hobby Lobby, I bought the 135 ft pkg}
• 3 12x12 pieces of Scrapbook Paper
• Scissors
• Hot Glue Gun and Glue
• Buttons
• Ribbon to match

Start with your wreath and jute {and a good episode of the Bachelorette}.

Tie a knot around your wreath with the jute, and then begin wrapping.  This is a little tedious, but well worth it.  I would loosely wrap the jute 4 or 5 times, and then stop and pull the jute tight and close together.  I am not really sure how long this look me, because I was so entertained by my tv show. :)  Time to make paper flowers! Grab your paper...

Next you will need to cut strips. Each flower take 2 strips of paper.  With the yellow paper I cut 1 set 2 inches wide, and the other set 1.5 inches wide {I kept the paper 12 inches long}.  

Now begin folding your paper.  Make sure you fold it so the width of the flower will be thin.

  

 Do this to both 2 inch strips.

Now fan the rest of your paper.  Here are the dimensions {a.k.a. radius for all you math people} for all my flowers {remember you will want two strips of each}:

Yellow: 2 and 1.5 inches

Pink:  2 and 2.5 inches

Orange: 2 and 1.25 inches

Using your 2 folded papers glue the ends together.  

Glue the other ends together.  

Now press the flower down, and apply hot glue to the middle {this was difficult to take a picture of only use one hand!!}.  Hold flower together for a short while, and then set aside.  I think I held them for about 30 ish seconds.  I just made sure when I let go it would not separate.  

    

You can go ahead and add button to the glue since it is not dry yet! I didn't think about this until I got to the last one... I just dabbed a little more glue to the middle, and applied the button. 

Arrange your flowers to make it look good {duh}, and attach using hot glue!  :)  I had to add a little bit of paper below a couple of the flowers to make them lay the way I wanted them to.  

It is almost SUMMER time!!!

I am sooooo excited about what is coming up...

I love the countdown app.  :)  I hope you have a great week!  I can do this...I can survive...I can still be a good teacher...{deep breaths}...

{Leslie}