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!!

Baby gifts!

My littlest niece is turning One in a few weeks, and I was having a hard time trying to decide just what I would make her! For Christmas, I made her a Bella Bunny:




(The first ever Bella Bunny was for her big sister!)

I have been making so many things for Christmas, not to mention having non stop contractions for days (weeks, really) and getting ready for this baby to arrive any day, plus Kade's birthday was a couple weeks ago, and I have more family members and friends with birthdays within the next couple weeks as well. My brain is a little fried! Running on empty! But then I saw this really cute project in one of Addi's mom's Pinterest boards, and I thought it would be the perfect gift! Thank goodness for all these ideas and tutorials all over the internet, they save me from having to think of stuff for myself all the time!

It's called a Modular Star, and I think babies/toddlers would *love* it because it's very easy to grab on to, soft, and colorful! The hardest part was choosing the fabrics. I ended up using 30 different prints, and cut 2 triangles (I used a cardboard template and my rotary cutter) from each print. This project is perfect for all those little scraps!!! Here are all 60 of my triangles, ready for the next step:


I can't wait to see what it looks like when it's done! I may have to make one for my baby too, although that can wait a little while. And there are still a few Christmas projects that I'm rushing to finish in time. I think it will be pretty quick to come together though, I'm so excited!

Let the countdown begin!

It's December 1st, the beginning of a month we have been waiting for, for a long time! Kade told me last night that this December was going to be the best ever.

He woke up this morning and remembered to say "Bunny Bunny" first thing. I don't know what the story behind that is, but Kade said his teacher told him doing that will give him good luck for the whole month. This is the first month where he actually remembered to say it at the right time, so he is convinced it will work.

Kade's 8th birthday is tomorrow. It's also popcorn day and crazy hair day at school, which makes it even more fun! Jeremy and I will bring birthday treats to school in the afternoon. Kade gets to choose where we'll have dinner, and he's very excited for presents and cake, and a family birthday party on Sunday!

His wish of becoming a big brother will also come true this month. As long as baby isn't too overdue, he'll be born within the next few weeks!

Kade also loves it when we get out the Advent Calendar on December 1st! I made this one last year:




Each little matchbox compartment holds a small chocolate. I'm also doing something new this year to go along with the Advent Calendar. I got a bunch of Christmas books from around the house, the thrift store, and the used book store, and wrapped them all individually, labeling them from 1-24. Kade will get to unwrap the book that corresponds with the number (the date) on the Advent Calendar, and we'll read the book before bed. I love Christmas books!

One last good thing (well definitely not the last, but the last one I'll mention right now!) about December is that Kade got through the entire month of November without getting a fever! That may not seem like such a big deal, but for Kade and his medical issues, it's huge!! It's been months...and months... since he's gone so long without getting a fever. He is so happy and proud of himself for staying healthy. I hope we can keep it going throughout the rest of the year!