The first thing I do when I start any craft project is...

...forget about the directions.

I am cursed like that.

Seriously.

And then I just go my own way...a trait that has had frustrated a few art teachers in the past causing them to ask me just to get a refund. I mean, seriously. I can take a hint but geez! Some people really WANT you to follow their directions. Sigh.

But...

In my previous post after our weiner dog Oskar came to my rescue, I was left with almost all the materials I needed to make this paper wreath... I gathered up the few other things I needed like my hot glue gun, a 14" extruded styro green wreath, a pencil, my zig-zag scissors and a few other things......although there were no watercolors involved in the original project I felt the need to change it up...

So the first thing I did was cut about 100 paper leaves. I stacked up five pages and then just free-hand cut out shapes...roughly the same size...between 3 and 3 1/2" long and 2 and 2 1/2" wide. Then I put them on waxed paper and used green and yellow watercolors to add some tint to them. I actually made them fairly damp so they would curl up a bit for texture on my wreath. Then I let them dry and started attaching them to the wreath form with hot glue. At first I tried sticking them down with a pencil eraser but I have pretty tough fingers so I quickly abandoned that. I layered them on the sides, too, to make sure the wreath form wouldn't show. Put the hot glue on the front of the leaves that are going on the side of the wreath so the color wash shows. The leaves on the top of the wreath need to have the glue on the back. You would probably figure this out right away but it took me about 5 inches of wreath to get the hang of it.

Just keep going around your wreath until it is completely covered in leaves. At least that's what the directions say.

But...

I am thinking in the leaf gluing process how cool paper roses would look instead of a bow. So what I did was rip the edges off both sides of some pages and then cut them in half lengthwise. Then I smeared watercolor all over the edge and while it was slightly damp rolled it into a flower. I'll show you how in a minute.

The first one I made was pink-y red and I thought it looked boring with the leaves. So then I made purple ones which were a whole lot prettier with the greenish-yellow of my wreath. I think they turned out quite pretty.

I'm going to show you how I did it but don't be distracted by my paint covered non-hand-model hands. They are old. But I like them anyway. But you may not like them and think "OMG! Look at those old, paint covered hands and close this post and then you will miss out on the glory that these paint smeared leaves will become!

So...

Disregarding the hands, here's how I made the flowers.

After you smear your paint all over the edge turn the paint side down and start rolling the rectangle into a little tube...
Then just start forming "petals" with the paper. The paper must be slightly damp or it won't work...or at least it didn't for me...
If you want your flower to be bigger add on more sheets of paper......and then pinch the base of the flower together, wrap it with florists tape... and then cut off right below the florist tape. Carefully fluff up the flower a little bit and then put more watercolor on if you like. Make your flowers different sizes by simply using more or less paper and pinching farther forward or back before you wrap the base with floral tape. Just mess around with it. There is no cost involved and although you may end up with several ugly flowers while you practice it is actually kind of fun once you get the hang of it.

At least I thought it was mostly fun. Except for the brief time when I was making my paper flowers and I had a bad flashback to the one and only time I was arrested in my life. I actually made similar flowers to these in my little jail cell out of paper cups but I didn't have any florist tape or watercolors so they weren't quite as lovely. But that whole sordid tale is a story for another time.

Because here at Jenny Matlock I am always on track.

I never divert from a given course.

NoSirreeBob! I am focused. I am intent. I am...

Huh? Wreath? Wreath? Oh!

So, yea, back to the paper flowers now...

When I got to this part of making the wreath I ran into a little snag because the flower has a kind of thick base that made it hard to attach to the wreath.

So I took the pencil and kind of stabbed into the wreath (vicariously violent - I liked it!) and then poke a hole down with the eraser. I filled it with hot glue and then stuck my flower in...
...and then I filled in around the flowers with a few smaller water-color washed leaves...and...
drumroll please...


I love it!

I like the idea of making one in fall colors, too!

And now I need to go make a smaller one for a gift for a sweet girl I know!

And if you make one send me a picture, OK?

I want to see what happens when you don't follow my directions!

Sigh...

This post is linked to Trendy Treehouse!

PS! This wreath is brought to you by Oskar and my inability to follow directions.

PPS! On Friday I am going to do my Lisa Leonard jewelry giveaway.

PPPS! Bye.