#Silent Sunday

How to make a flower, butterfly and Bird wreath

I love making wreaths, I’ve formed quite a collection of wreath images and tutorials I’ve come across on the internet and of course pined them to some of my  Pinterest boards. I swear it’s starting to become a little obsessional (wreaths and Pinterest that is)!

When my daughter asked if I’d help her make one for her bedroom I happily agreed.

Alice-Sara is big on glitter and of course she wanted to incorporate this into her wreath.

I thought it looked a lot like a Christmas wreath but equally as stunning.

When your child designs and makes something it will always remain special within your heart.

I myself have been busy creating a wreath and hope to share this on the blog soon. I’m really into the Shabby Chic look and am busy bringing this look into my home. I’m yet to decorate my bedroom as life gets in the way and to be honest I’m always to busy making sure the children are sorted first (only to end up redecorating their rooms 5x before ever starting my own). My wreath is very shabby and will defiantly tie in with the look.

OK, back to my daughter and her flower, butterfly and bird wreath. We created a little video to give you a very quick run down on how we made it but here’s a quick how too in words first.

We used

1 small half Styrofoam wreath (this means its flat not round at the back making it easier to hang)

2 different coloured ribbons (around 7m white pattern ribbon and 4m plain yellow)

Some dress pins (tiny pin heads)

Lots of pre-cut glitter flower and butterfly embellishments

Clear double-sided tape

2 red bird embellishments with sticky foam backing (brought from hobby craft)

Alice-Sara is pretty funky and she really likes to mix up her colours as you’ll discover…

First we wrapped the white flower ribbon around the wreath tightly leaving a small section uncovered.

We secured the ribbon with some dress pins

We then took the yellow ribbon and cut around a meter off before wrapping this around the remaining section and again secured with dress pins.

DO MAKE SURE YOU DO THIS SO THAT NO STYROFOAM IS LEFT SHOWING.

The yellow section will be the top of your wreath. Take the remaining yellow ribbon and fold as to create a loop for hanging. We secured this to the top where the yellow section is wrapped with around three pins (note the dress pins need to be the type that have tiny pin heads so they look almost invisible, though the back doesn’t really matter as wont be seen when hanging).

Next take the flower embellishments and pin these to the wreath. Use the double-sided tape to layer different coloured flowers on top of one another as to create a two tone effect (do this before pinning and for only some and not all of the flowers).

Cover the wreath as you wish.

Experiment a bit before pinning. You could cover the whole area or maybe just half!

Place your butterflies amongst the flowers as you wish.

To finish add the sparkly birds (these came with a sticky tab attached and it’s this that gives it that 3d effect.

Lastly, all that is left to do is hang and admire.

Check out the video

 

Related articles

• Yarn/Felt Flower Wreath (2busybrunettes.com)
• How-To: Tulip Wreath (craftzine.com)
• A Spring themed Wreath (abeautifulmess.typepad.com)
• Look What The Easter Bunny Made (whileeveryoneelseissleeping.wordpress.com)
• D.I.Y. Wednesday: Striped Wreath (insidestitch.com)

How to make a beaded picture

I know Easter has been and gone, though this is a method you could use for other occasions and designs.

Making beaded pictures are a really simple yet fun activity, it’s not all that messy (well, a little) and the end result is pretty effective.

Now you may choke on your tea with complete horror if I told you I did this activity with my 2-year-old toddler! Why? Because this does involve working with small beads. However, Harley really isn’t one for putting alien objects in his mouth, up his nose or even in his ears. I was with him throughout, therefore lots of sticking fun was had. 

Nonetheless, please do note that this activity does require you to work with small beads and sequins, so please be careful with small children, especially those under 3. Only you as a parent knows if your child is suited to an activity so you should therefore do this at your own risk. 

This activity is perfect for improving or aiding the development of a child’s fine motor skills

What you will need…

Some card in a selection of colours

Some thick double-sided tap (white as opposed to clear) 

Selection of beads

Selection of sequins 

Glitter 

Large sheet of black or other coloured card 

Glue stick

scissors

pencil

clear glue

Paint brush

Now we recently got a pack of eggs and baskets made from thin card (the type that require you to fold it along a dotted line leaving you with kinda 3D design). These are meant to be used for an egg hunt but I had other plans. Instead these became the perfect base for our beaded picture. Cutting along the dotted line, rather than folding it, then continuing to cut around the entire shape  I was left with a flat paper egg and basket. These cards were just £1 from poundworld and both perfect and inexpensive (they also make good templates).

However if you cannot get a hold of any, you will need to make your own by drawing a large egg shape on some coloured card and the body of a basket (no handle needed) on another piece of coloured card before finally cutting them out.

Next, lay down lots of newspaper over the space you’re working at and tip a selection of brightly coloured beads and sequins in the middle of the area.

Now, take your thick double-sided tape, adding a strip across the middle of the egg. It’s important that you only remove the outer strip protecting your tape once it’s positioned exactly how you want it! Note you don’t have to add a stripe across the middle, you could do any design that takes your fancy. 

Once protective strip has been removed let your toddler stick the beads to the tape. Top tip, buy white double-sided tape as this way your toddler can see where to stick

his/her beads and sequins.

Let your child stick them at different angles (on their sides, flat etc…) as this gives greater impact making it a fantastic effect.

DO this for both the egg and the basket

Once your child has finished sticking, Mum/Dad should give the beads the once over, giving them a firm press to ensure they are stuck down well.

Next, take the glitter and ensuring the egg and basket shapes are laid on some newspaper, sprinkle the glitter all over the tapped and beaded area, blowing and lightly tapping off any excess (This will cover any gaps between beads which will be much easier to see if using white tape)

Now with the paint brush cover your beaded area in clear glue, giving it a protective and shiny coat (do not use white glue as this will dry white and take away any sparkle you have going. 

Leave to dry for 1-2 hours before using your glue stick to stick down the decorated shapes any way you like on your black card (or which ever colour you chose). 

We chose black as I felt this helped our creation to really stand out.

So, there you have it! A beaded Easter Egg picture that’s both inexpensive to create and loads of fun to make.

 Why not try it yourself?