Holiday Wrapping Paper Wreath

And you thought gift wrap was only for presents. . .

This cheerful, festive wreath is made out of good ol' wrapping paper

and is rather easy to make, my friends.

It just takes a little time and practice making the bows

and before you know it you'll be swimming in the delightful curly things.

Just look at my helper, Ebony. . .she is about to jump into the pile.

And by helper I mean she was trying to EAT the bows!

As you know, Christmas items are already available at most stores!

If you don't have any wrapping paper on hand 

than just hop, skip, walk, run, bike, or drive

to a store nearby where you can purchase some pretty paper.

Or better yet, forget the hopping, skipping, walking, running, biking, and driving 

and check out the gift wrap that Shutterfly has.

They have the cutest paper that you can personalize with pictures - yes, it's darling!

I know the grandmas in this family would love it!

Okay, now that you've picked out your gift wrap,

 let's move onto the "how-to" for making this DIY wreath.

Items Needed:

wrapping paper 

18-inch round wreath

scissors

string, yarn, ribbon - whatever works for you

hot glue gun and glue

The wooden wreath that I used was purchased at Hobby Lobby and is flat.

If you don't have one nearby, any craft store should do.

Also, thicker wrapping paper curls better and makes the bow fuller

whereas thin paper curls too tightly.

Cut a strip of wrapping paper that is 14-inches in size,

fold it in half, then cut several squares from the folded strip of paper.

For an 18-inch wreath you will need 31 - 35 folded squares.

Gently fold the bottom up to about 2-inches away from the fold

- do not crease -

and cut strips that are about 1/2-inch in size.

Do not cut to the top!

You want to leave a small amount uncut at the fold.

* * Tip * *

{Smaller strips curl better - larger strips don't hold the curl.}

Now unfold the folded square.

See how my center is uncut?

Fold the small strips accordion style, 

back and forth, back and forth.

Use a piece of ribbon or yarn to tie a knot in the center.

On the wrong side of the paper 

{mine is double-sided so the stripes are the wrong side for me},

angle the blade of your scissors and gently, very gently, 

pull towards yourself to create a curl.

Angling the blade is very important, if you don't then you will get a round curl

rather than a corkscrew type curl.

If you haven't tried this before, it's okay to do a few practice rounds.

** Make sure you do not cut yourself! **

You will tear a few pieces, but don't let that discourage you.

Practice makes perfect and if a couple of strips tear off 

then the other remaining curls will hide the tears.

Soon you will have a perfect-looking curly bow.

Once your bows are made you can create a beautiful and unique holiday wreath.

Apply a little bit of hot glue to the knot on the bow

and press down onto the wooden wreath.

To finish my wreath

I attached a vintage handmade card which I printed off from Antique Images.

 I applied the card to some Christmas card stock and added a strip of vintage lace.

Then, I hung it from the center of the wreath

by taping it to the back.

Now that your wreath is made you can hang it up in your home

for some lovely Christmas cheer.

And I'm sure you probably realize this,

but your wrapping paper wreath is an indoor wreath.

One last thing. . .

you can also use the pretty bows for dressing up Christmas packages.

You know those little scraps of paper that are left behind and end up in the trash?

Well, don't throw them away!

Instead use them to make a bow for the gift you just wrapped!

They also look great on gift bags.

Happy wrapping and creating, sweet friends!

I shared this wreath tutorial two years ago on my blog.

You can check out the "original" here.

Blessings and hugs to each one of you!

* * * * *

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Whatever Goes Wednesday