A wreathy welcome

Chris was out of town this weekend, leaving me home to my own (crafting) devices.  I decided that I would dive into a project that I had been thinking about for a while.

Nothing like a a thrilling Friday night with me and my glue gun.  Yep, that is how I party.  If it helps your mental picture at all, I had a glass of wine poured, and since I'm aiming for full disclosure I also had a diet coke open.  Craft projects call for many beverages.

I bought a wreath for no reason at all when I was at the dollar store a few months ago.  Then I buried it somewhere and found it last week in a box under some stuff I needed to return.  I had pretty much forgotten about my wreath, but when I found it, I got excited to make something fabulous out of it.

I had some left over burlap from a baby shower I had thrown a few months ago, and I thought that burlap would make a perfect "Fall" wreath for our front door.

I think our front porch needs a bit of sprucing up, since my planter boxes are dying slowing- I am feeling the need to add something more to the front porch.  I also plan to find some winter plants that will give our porch some color, but until then, my new wreath is amping up the "spruce."

I googled around to see some ideas for wreaths.  I used the rough idea of gathering burlap in strips and gluing it to the wreath.  Sounds pretty self explanatory huh?  It was.

In case you are not getting the self-explanatory part, here is a very simple step-by-step process.

Step 1. Cut the burlap into 4 long strips about 6-8 inches wide, roughly 2 feet long

Step 2. Wrap the wreath in burlap to create a base, so you no longer see the wicker

Step 3. Glue 2 strips of burlap together to make a long piece.  You will need 2 long pieces to complete the project.

Step 4. Tread a needle and run it along the bottom of the burlap in long wide stitches.  When you get to the end, start to gather the burlap together.

Step 5. Lay the gathered burlap on top of the wreath and gather it more or less to fit exactly around the wreath.  Glue the ends of the burlap together to create a gathered circle.  ***Don't tie off your thread yet, so you can loosen or tighten as you go.

Step 6. Start gluing the burlap down (near the threaded part).  Make sure to glue the ruffles in place to retain the gathered parts.

Step 7. Flip the wreath over and repeat steps 4-6 with the second strip.  Make sure to glue this piece a bit more inside of the wreath.

Step 8. Cut the edge of the 2nd strip a bit to ensure the first burlap layer shows through.

I just cut a piece of satin ribbon and tied it off in a knot to complete the wreath.  

I hung it on the door and was pretty pleased with myself.

I knew that it would be quite a surprise to Chris when he came home.

When he did get home, he mentioned my newest creation, and I braced myself for him to tell me that it was going to be this month's veto.  BUT he actually told me he was ambivalent about it.  

You may not take this a a win, but it is!!!!

I am considering adding something to it to spice it up a bit, but I think I should not push things to much... Chris is still considering the wreath as a semi-permanent fixture.

Maybe less is more?  I fear if I add flowers, fabric, ribbons or other decor, that it may become too cluttery.  Until I make a decision, this is how our front porch will look.

Guess what?  Other people are into burlap too!  I promise!  Over at Whisperwood cottage, they are doing a whole month of Burlap.  They are crazy kids I tell you.  I'll be back later with more fun with burlap.  Stay tuned.

Check out all the cool projects made of burlap!