Paper Pleasures

I have never been a big scrapbooker.  I have, in fact, completed three scrapbook pages ever.  But, I do like paper crafts on occasion.  It really is amazing what you can do with paper.  For instance, have you seen the things in the gallery at Anthropologie.com lately? My aspiration are much lower.

It really started when I bought a paper wreath at an antique store on my birthday.  

Then I saw a picture of a wreath like the one in my last post and I decided to make it.

Yesterday I attempted to recreate the one I bought.  It didn't really turn out the same. . .

But I sort of like mine better!

I started with a foam wreath again.

Then I rolled pages out of an old yellowed dictionary.

First one row all lined up around the ring, attached at the back.

Then two more rows glued down over the top.

Then I felt like it really needed something.  So I added some tissue paper rosettes.  Just like the fabric ones I made for Hannah's friend's birthday necklace.  It's all a matter of twisting and twirling and periodic/strategic gluing.  

I have to say I quite like it.  

Who knew books were so much fun without actually reading them!

Incremental Decorating

You know those home decor blogs that constantly post pictures of makeovers--room makeovers, furniture makeovers etc., all in one post. . . this isn't one of those.  My makeovers take eons to complete and if I waited to show pictures until the projects were complete I would still not have posted anything on this blog.

But I can give details as they come.  Last year (or was it the year before? I loose track during the process of project hopping!) we started Hannah's room makeover.  I had intended to do something fun above her bed other than hang a picture, but it took me forever to get around to it. Well, it is finally complete:

I actually started this wreath months ago and then put it in a cupboard and forgot about it.

I pulled it out last week and made Hannah finish it!  It was for her room, after all.

I even took pictures of the process. . . of course those pictures where numbered among the poor deceased thousands that weren't backed up when my hard drive died (Though I am still holding out hope that some will be miraculously retrieved here soon).

So all you get is the lovely after.

I bought the frame at the Goodwill, painted it white and distressed it a little.

The wreath is made with a foam wreath bought at Joann's.  The brown part is a gagillion paper sacks punched out with a scalloped circle punch--2", I think is what I used.  I would have preferred a 3" but there wasn't one at the store I was shopping at.

Remember in grade school when you made tissue paper wreaths by taking a square of tissue paper and folding it over a pencil eraser and then gluing it to a wreath?  That's how you make it, only you use hot glue.

The butterflies are cut out of various blue scrap papers and pages from an old dictionary.  I found a butterfly shape online and used it as a template in three sizes to cut them out.

Easy peasy and only like four months to make! But I think it was worth the wait.