This craft is available as the first take-n-make kit for adults participating in the Adult Summer Reading Challenge. ( Ages 21- on up). Registration is required and that opens on Wednesday, May 26th. Once they are gone, they are gone! Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdI1gWE6ibn29To2MV-Q6CLJiDgtmuWSzOHWVz442dIhiyCfA/viewform?usp=sf_link or stop in at the library to register. For anyone else wanting to make their metal ring wreath using their own materials, the instructions are as follows:
For our first adult craft, we are going to make these wreaths! Since it is a take-n-make style craft we had to use fake flowers. However, if you wanted to gather your own fresh greenery to use instead, you could totally do that!
We included in each bag:
A ribbon
Sprigs of Eucalyptus and Lavender
A metal ring
Floral tape
Floral wire
A coloring affirmation card
You also will need a wire cutter and possibly hot glue.
To make the wreath:
Decide what you would like to use for your greenery. We wanted to give you options so that is why we included both lavender and eucalyptus! You can see how each of them turned out in the example wreaths. Or, as mentioned above, use fresh ones if you would like!
Once you have decided which you would like to use, I did a mock-up of how I roughly wanted them arranged. I personally enjoyed the slightly asymmetrical look and found the eucalyptus was the easiest to lay out since it is one piece. The lavender needed to be cut down a bit. Once you have a rough idea of what you want yours to look like you can either use the floral tape or wire to begin securing it on the ring. There are a few ways to do this.
For example, the eucalyptus has a very long stem. I had to cut mine down a bit, but you could leave a bit of a tail and wrap that evenly with wire (or jute if you had that) so that it looks nice left visible. You can then do small wraps hidden behind the flowers and leaves in other areas for extra support. The floral tape can be used too, it just depends on how heavy your items are and your personal preference for wrapping.
But if you want to hide the wire in all places, then I would suggest doing small sections with the wire and using hot glue to add pieces of greenery or flowers over the areas you need to cover up. You can also work with twisting and arranging your greenery to cover most of it and hide it towards the back. The lavender was easier to do this with! I could cut a few flowers and glue them over my wire at the base. I just had to clamp the glue down a little longer to get it to hold.
I started with one sprig and worked from left to right, getting it attached and working on hiding the wire the best I could, then adding the next, going on until I was satisfied with the arrangement and weight. Here are some photos of the backside of the wreaths and how the wire looks:
Once you have your greenery secured, the last step is to tie your ribbon so you can hang it!
Just use a simple larkshead knot for the ribbon. Fold your ribbon in half. Take the end that makes a loop and bring it up under and behind the ring. Bring the loop down over the top of the ring, and then grab the two loose ends up and pull them through the loop. Then pull it tight and you have your larkshead knot.
Lastly, tie a small knot at the top and you are ready to hang and enjoy your wreath!
Here’s a final look at the finished piece!
I hope you enjoyed this project and stay tuned for two more! Registration for those opens on June 23rd and July 21st! The June box will be a tutorial on needle-felting and the July box will be creating teacup moss topiaries!