Wreath Addiction

I only have one door in  my house, the front door.  No back door. No side door.  But I will say I have 13 wreaths in my house.  I love making wreaths.  So yes, it's an addiction.  I have had a wreath on my front door for several years.  I bought the wreath frame at the Dollar Store and it was a "spring" themed wreath.  It had colorful blooms, colorfully painted mini bird houses and colorfully painted mini terra cotta pots. Then one day....I got sick of it.  I needed a change and I came up with this:

I am very pleased with the result.  Once again, it cost NO money, just my time. And since I love to make wreaths, it was time well spent.

I removed everything from the existing wreath and painted everything with 2 coats of Gesso. Then I wrapped the wreath in burlap ribbon.  I knew there were going to be a lot of gaps, since I decided to forgo faux flowers or foliage. So I decided to make a 'ribbon'  I cut a narrow piece of thin muslin and then used a $1 music sheet stamp that I got at Michaels. I then wrapped the 'ribbon' around the wreath.

after the Gesso dried I painted the pots and the birdhouses with Folk Art Vintage White and Americana Slate Green. after they dried, I sanded with sandpaper to distress and then added 'stuff'. The 'stuff' included Graphic's Fairy ephemera, scrapbook paper tidbits and I also used 7 Gypsies "conservatory" stamps and stamped onto some plain canvas fabric.

this little metal pitcher used to have a fall themed sticker, I whitewashed and then added a bird image, some jute twine and a key. The feather's were courtesy of the Canada Geese at Lindo Lake. Sometimes they leave a feather behind and I am more than willing to make use of it :)

I had one 'open' space and no more do dads to add, so I took a bottle cap, cut out a bird image and glued it down

this little bird was one of the spring items at Michaels that I had to have and then didn't use right away.  I painted him Slate Green, dry brushed some white paint and added two little gems to make him stand out

Each little terra cotta pot was transformed into little 'nests'  I filled each one with Spanish Moss and placed two or three eggs in each one.

the butterflies were on the original wreath as well, but they too were brightly colored.  After several coats of Gesso and white paint, I then added Tim Holtz Tissue tape to each one.

 

I will say I am in LOVE with this wreath!  I really wish I had taken a 'before' photo.  It was a complete transformation and sometimes when I finish a product, I'll say to myself, "I'm good"  not in a cocky way or anything, just a patting myself on the back for a job well done