DIY Spring Ribbon Wreath

It really is such an honor to get together with a few local crafters and create such beautiful projects! This isn’t all the attendees, but I did manage to snap a few photos.

Interested in making a fabulous wreath of your own? We don’t have a full tutorial on these, since we all used the learn-as-you-go method, but we have a few key pointers:

> Paint your letter first. I started with a nice coat of spray paint, then used acrylic paint for the dots.

> If you’re no good at making circles, use a stencil such as a quarter to trace circles on your letter.

> The ribbons are threaded into the wreath, not tied all the way around the back.

> Keep your ribbon lengths in check – longer ribbons will droop instead of stick out.

> Don’t forget to seal the ends of your ribbons or they will fray as you are tying them to the grapevine – if you use a flame, be careful not to ignite your ribbon!

> It takes a lot more ribbon and you think, so buy a few extra rolls.

> Start with wider ribbons (1″ or wider) to form a nice base, then use the smaller ribbons for accent.

> The letters are adhered to the wreath with brown pipe cleaners (hot glued to the back of the letter first) – any color will work, but the brown blends in the best.

That’s basically it. As a reminder, here are the helpful hints for starting your very own Monthly Craft Night:

> Consider your potential attendees when choosing a date, time and location. I kept my “meeting time” fluid until everyone had a chance to weigh in on what worked for their schedule.

> Scout out free locations unless you want to host the craft night at your house OR pay a rental fee. JoAnn’s offers free use of their craft rooms, as long as they don’t have an organized craft class of their own. Just call and ask and they’ll sign you up! Also helps to be in a craft store if you have any forgotten supplies!

> Facebook is a great organizer, especially if you are already connected to a local crafters network. I organized a Facebook event, invited my potential attendees and started to pow-wow on crafting ideas.

> Connect with Pinterest! I started a group board for all of us to pin our ideas on. It was a great way to express our interests with pictures! You can post the link on your Facebook event so that everyone has access!

> When choosing a craft, think about the supplies (that you will have to lug around!). Are you going to supply everything? Do you have enough for everyone? Are there any supplies you will need to order or have shipped?

> Consider your total costs and communicate it with your group. You don’t want to buy supplies and have members of your group be surprised when it’s time to pay up. Unless these are close friends, it might be nice to have your attendees pay up front to reduce no-shows.

> Plan far enough in advance to get all the supplies you need, especially if you have to order anything online. When I decided on glass blocks, I stalked the Hobby Lobby newspaper to get the best price. I only got a few funny looks when I walked out with 20 blocks in my shopping cart, but it was worth it!

> Prepare as much as you can in advance. For me, I conversed with each attendee weeks in advance to order the vinyl, set up the design in the Silhouette software and frost the glass blocks, if necessary.

> HAVE FUN! Remember, crafting is FUN FUN FUN, so don’t organize to the point where it sucks the fun out of it! If it’s easier, have everyone bring their own supplies. You can work on the details as you have an opportunity to host more and more events