Valentine's Wreath

Well, even though my craft room isn't totally finished, that hasn't stopped me from working in it!  Like I said before, all I need is to install light fixtures and hang a pegboard.  I can't wait to show it to you.  But anyway, I decided to make a wreath for Valentine's Day - we are having a party here for my daughter and a few of her friends, and I have never done a Valentine's party before, so I am super excited!

I have been seeing so many felt flower wreaths around lately -

Our Best Bites

JoAnn's

Design Sponge

But to be honest, I really hate cutting all of those circles out of felt.  I really do!  (Does a silhouette cut felt?  Life would be so much easier if it did!)  My favorite felt flowers are these, and I learned from the wonderful Beckie over at Infarrantly Creative:

Aren't they gorgeous?  I find these much easier and less patience draining than cutting a million circles.  They are very easy - head over and learn how to make them if you don't know how, she gives an awesome tutorial with lots of variations.  Anyway... I planned to make an all red one, but after about 8 flowers, I realized I would run out of red.  I made some white, soft grey, and pink to go along with it, and I ended up loving the color combo.

I started with a embroidery hoop which I wrapped with a foam insulation pipe (that's my secret to making them stay round - at 50 cents a pipe tube, and $3 a hoop - which makes two rings, it's still less than $2 and it doesn't sag like just the insulation pipe.  The hoop makes it hold it's shape.)  I wrapped the form in a muslin type cloth.  (My husband is a chef so he brings me home big bolts of what they use for cheesecloth - it's a very tight weaved one though, so I use it all the time for wrapping wreath forms.)  Then, I started placing the flowers on - I started with a pattern but then some colors got too close together on the outside and inside, so I mixed it up.  To make them stick, I dipped a dress pin in glue and then pinned it through the center of the flower.  Voilà!  Gorgeous!

And there it is, being modelled on my door.  I'm not sure if I will stick with it plain or with the embellishment.  Pretty, huh?  And best of all, it's pretty easy :)

P.S.  Don't forget to head on over and enter my Household Binder Giveaway!