 |
Make A Stunning Dried Hydrangea Wreath
Dried hydrangea wreaths are so beautiful and versatile in a
home, and a lot of fun to make as well.
You can either purchase already dried hydrangea flowers from
your local craft store, or you can dry your own. The biggest
trick when drying your own is the timing of when you pick the
flowers. It is best to pick them right before you anticipate your
first fall frost. If you pick them mid-summer, they just will not
dry correctly.
You can either hang them upside down in a darkened room to
dry, or you can set them in a vase upright, even adding a tiny
bit of water in the bottom of the vase, although even that is
optional. As long as they are picked at the correct time, it's
difficult to fail with them. It's fun if you can, to pick several
blooms from different bushes, as it will provide a nice variety
of colors to the wreath. After they are dried, pick off any dead
/ discolored brown blooms.
Now, pick the type of base you want to use for a wreath. My
personal favorites are either Styrofoam or grapevine type wreath
bases. Take some floral wire and wrap it around the wreath, then
form a loop of the wire to hang from the wall, and then wrap the
wreath again. You might try hanging it from the wall at this
point to make sure it lies correctly, and then make any needed
adjustments while the wreath is bare.
To do a Styrofoam wreath, use a low melt point hot glue gun.
Separate each bloom into smaller florets. Hot glue each floret
into the wreath base, actually poking the stem down into the
Styrofoam base. With each bloom, space it out over the surface of
the wreath, for example; a floret at the top, next left side,
bottom, then right side, then inside the circle of the wreath,
and outside of the wreath. Continue to do this with each bloom
until you fill it.
Balance is what you are looking for. Balance in shape, you
don't want any sticking out way above the others, you don't want
one side of the wreath to be fuller than the other. Try stepping
back and looking at a distance and just think "balance of
shape".
The second area to look for is balance of color. This is the
purpose of doing each bloom all over, then filling in, so you
achieve that balance of color. Give another once over to check on
that.
Now, this wreath is either finished, or you can add perhaps
add small sprigs of dried baby's breath to it.
Really depends on the look you want. Sometimes the simplicity
of only the hydrangeas is stunning.
For a grapevine wreath, it's the same principal but a
different look. You can tie a bow on the wreath if you want (if
you do, do so before adding flowers), or ribbon. I like to leave
bare spaces on these to be able to see the grapevine portion as
well. Again, look for balance. You can also add dried roses to it
or any other type of dried flowers or grasses too. You can get
really creative with these and come up with very different looks.
Experiment to your heart's content.
Many times people expect dried floral arrangements to last
forever, and are disappointed when they start looking bad after a
few years. This is a misconception. Expect them to look good for
about a year, that's really about all they were meant to
last.
If they are in direct sunlight it will be a much shorter time.
However, the next year, feel free to strip the old flowers off,
and make another with the same base for another year's worth of a
gorgeous hand made wreath!
By Valerie Garner-Mother, grandmother and candlemaker / owner
of Joyful Designs in Soy. She loves to write on a variety of
topics with a warm, and engaging style. http://www.joyfuldesignsinsoy.com
 MORE RESOURCES updated Thu. August / 18 / 2022
|
|
|
Related Hobbies - Crafts articles:
Make A Stunning Dried
Hydrangea Wreath
Dried hydrangea wreaths are so beautiful and versatile in a
home, and a lot of fun to make as well. You can either
purchase already dried hydrangea flowers from your local
craft store, or you can dry your own.
Stress-Free Scrapbook
Journaling Ideas
Do you find it intimidating when you come to journal your
scrapbook pages?You are not alone! Many scrapbookers find
it hard to get started when it comes to adding journaling
to their scrapbooking layouts.If you are one of those
people who go blank at the thought of having to journal,
don't worry.
What Do I Need to Start
Scrapbooking?
The best thing about scrapbooking is that although there
are a plethora of scrapbooking supplies available on the
market, you really don't need a lot to make your very first
scrapbook. Basically, all you need to scrapbook is an
album, some glue, a pair of scissors, and some photographs
or newspaper clippings.
The Unusual
Characteristics Of Reverse Painting
By stepping backwards in time one can discover an important
part of art history associated with reverse painting on
glass. It was an era that heralded the use of this art form
'en masse' during which people in communities could
directly express in their own original way what they lived,
perceived and felt in their own daily lives.
Cupcake
Candles
With candle making, there are hardly any limits. You can
replicate lots of things with your creativity.
Are Your Airbrush
Products Selling? If So, Here Are 3 Ways To Further
Skyrocket Sales!
One of the biggest challenges faced by airbrush artists are
proof of what you say is true! The potential customer is
going to find it hard to believe you. Whether it is, if you
can do the work, whether they think you are charging them
too much, or it is simply that you are artistic, potential
customers are going to find it hard to trust you.
Civil War Uniforms: 5
Tips on Making Your Trousers Last Forever!
Are your pants wearing out too fast?Does it look like you
are expecting a flood because your pants are too short?Make
your Civil War Uniform trousers last forever by following
these 5 tips!1. Cut your trousers long, so when you first
start wearing them you will have to roll them up a few
times.
Aromatherapy Candles -
How to Select the Right Scent
Feel sad, tired, or a little bit stressed? Something as
simple as an aromatherapy candle could help you relax and
feel happier. But not all scented candles have this effect.
Decorative Metal Work
Techniques From The Early 1900s
Today's Metal Craft workers should truly appreciate the
artistic skills & techniques used exclusively by the
highly skilled metal artisans from almost one hundred years
ago. Decorative metalworking is undergoing a new renaissance
as more & more people become involved in hobby metal
craft.
Embroidery Designs and
Thread Colors for Machine Embroidery Sewing
I wish that I had a nickel for each time I've been asked
for the "exact" colors I used in an embroidery design or
for a conversion chart for specific embroidery thread
brands - I would be a very wealthy woman! Everyone seems to
think that someone is going to knock on their door with a
search warrant if they don't use the exact colors a
designer used in the test sew out or the color numbers used
in the stitch directions. Not so - if you don't "think
outside the box" and use colors that you enjoy, or just
prefer, you are really missing the real fun of machine
embroidery! Come to think of it, I don't believe that I've
ever used the exact color on any design I've ever stitched
in 6+ years-some because I didn't have the exact color
& others due to a dislike of the colors used.
Tracing Your Family
History
Let me say straight away that tracing your family ancestry
is a great hobby but very addictive, so unless you want to
get well and truly hooked, don't start. When I travel around
the country to Family History Fairs, I am amazed at the
number of people who say quite cheerfully, "family history
is so easy, I did mine in half an hour on the internet.
Gold Jewelry Hallmarking
Secrets Revealed
We should be familiar with the BASIC hallmarks mentioned on
the website. It might pay you to read them again, just to
bring you up to speed and ensure you have grasped the
principles.
Marking Tools and Laser
Marking Machines for Marking on Metals
Marking tools are used for marking metals and non-metal
surfaces. Mark can be a company logo designed with
alphabets, numeric pattern or any graphical shape.
Make Your Own
Professional Gift Baskets
Ever given your family or friends a beautiful gift basket?
Gift baskets are such a wonderful gift and can be given for
any occasion. However, if you are like me you don't have a
clue where to start, let alone how to put one together?.
How to Use Feathers and
Dried Flowers to Give Your Scrapbooks an Artistic
Feel
Feathers make exotic and interesting embellishments and
borders. Feathers add an air of softness.
How To Make a
Pinata
MATERIALSA Large Round or Oval BalloonNewspaper, torn into
1 inch by 6-8" inch stripsWhite computer paper or paper
towels, torn into stripsFlour and water mixture for paper
mache pasteSaltVegetable oilPaintTissue paperCrepe
paperString or yarn for hangingINSTRUCTIONSPrepare:Prepare
your work surface with a layer of newspaper you can
discard, or an old plastic tablecloth you can wipe clean of
goop and glops which are part of this messy project!Tear
several pages of newspaper into strips, approximately 1
inch wide by 6-8 inches long. Don't try to be neat and cut
them with scissors; the torn edges will adhere more closely
and give a smoother overall surface to the finished pinata.
Wholesale Scrapbooking:
Should You Start A Direct Sales Scrapbooking Business Just
The Discount?
Have you ever thought about signing on with a scrapbooking
direct sales company, just to get the discount on your own
supplies? It can be a great way to get your own product at
a discount and meet other scrapbookers, but it's also
important to read the fine print. Here are seven of the
most important factors to consider:1.
Easy Crafts for Kids -
Help with Learning
According to the research on child cognitive development,
making use of basic easy crafts for kids can stimulate
their mental growth and enhance the learning process. Since
early times, mankind has always known that early crafts for
kids taught some important lessons.
Need A Scrapbook
Journaling Idea?
Try using song lyrics in your next layout. Song lyrics can
be a great source of title and page inspiration for a
scraper.
A Playtime Project: The
Memory Quilt
A friend recently suggested a use for my daughter's first
wardrobe, which I've dutifully saved in the back of the
closet, and lugged on two long distance relocations. Turns
out she's done the same thing with her daughter's first
clothes, and we've decided to make memory quilts.
|
|
