Book Page Paper Rose Wreath

This was a last minute Christmas present for my parents. I am shocked that I actually finished it in time! It took much more time than I thought it would. I originally saw this on Pinterest, and just knew that it would go perfectly in my parent's lovely home!

I couldn't find a cheap foam circle wreath form, so I went to the Goodwill. I found a REALLY ugly (I mean... seriously) floral wreath on a square foam form, and bought it for a buck. The cashier just looked at it and said, "um... beautiful wreath... great choice...". When I told her I was ripping all the flowers off and just using the form, she was extremely relieved!

When I got home, I removed the hideousness from the form, and then hot glued book pages all over the whole square, front and back, to hide the color.

I found some old, unwanted books at my library's book sale for 50 cents apiece. I ended up using three books. I used two pages for each rose. I inked the edges of a few of the finished roses, just to add a little variation. The really strange thing was that I ended up using exactly all of the roses that I was able to make from the three books, and there wasn't a single empty spot on the wreath! Do you think that was just a coincidence, or did I subconsciously space all the roses to perfectly work with the number I had? Funny.

It took a LONG time to finish, many many hours, but it was definitely worth it!! I LOVE how it turned out! I think it would look beautiful hung with a wide ribbon and bow, or even with a black and white wedding photo inside, like a frame!

I used this tutorial for making the wreath:
DIY Faux Curled Rosewood Wreath

Here is another great little tutorial for paper roses:
HOW TO- make paper flowers

One thing I would add is a little time-saver I figured out! Do everything in stages. Rip out all the pages first. Then cut all the circles out. Next, cut all the spirals.

Then, as you make each rose, stick a pin through the top of the rose down through the little circle piece that makes the bottom of the rose. Then do the same thing in a different spot. This will hold the rose in place so it doesn't unravel.

You can make all your roses this way (or in batches, if you run out of pins), and then take out the pins as you hot glue the bottom of each rose together. It saves a ton of time!

This was an easy and affordable gift to make, with stunning results! I can't wait to make one for myself!!