We R Memory Keepers :: Grateful Grapevine Wreaths

It's time for some Thanksgiving home decor that's close to my heart.  I grew up in the middle of a vineyard; my dad was a grape farmer for the first several years of my life, with vineyards and wineries becoming a prominent staple of our community.  Harvest was most often complete by this time of year, but my mother always had grapevine wreaths hanging around the house year-round.  This is also the time of year that she passed away, so I get extra sentimental and nostalgic in November, especially as we enter the holiday season.  This year, I decided to put that nostalgia to use with a fun project centered around mini grapevine wreaths.

This is also my favorite time of year for yarn pom-poms--they're so cozy!--and I knew they'd play a big role in this project.  I created these with some of my favorite We R Memory Keepers tools and if you'd like to re-create these, here are a few things you'll need:

Mini grapevine wreaths (4" - 6" diameter in center; found in most craft stores)
Patterned paper (Mine is from the Faded Floral stack by DCWV)
Yarn of your choice
Glue gun
Glue Dots
The Works All-In-One Tool (or Pom-Pom Makers and Paper Cutter)
Circle Spin & Trim
Embellishments of your choice, including ribbon

I began by choosing my paper background; as mentioned, the papers are from the Faded Floral paper pad from DCWV; I chose these for their fall patterns and colors.

It's easiest to trim the papers down a bit before cutting out the circles.  The Works All-In-One tool is pulling double duty on this project, acting as my paper trimmer and I also used it to create my pom-poms.  For the 6" wreaths, I cut circles that were 5 1/2" so I cut my paper down to a size of 6 1/2" x 12"; this ensures that there is enough excess for the points of the Spin & Trim to hold so the paper doesn't shift while you're cutting the circle.  The smaller wreaths have circles that are 4" so the paper length I chose was 4 1/2" x 9".

You'll need to decide what (if anything) to put in the center of the wreath.  My wreaths focus on giving thanks and gratitude, and I was able to use a couple of sentiments and designs from a sheet of 3x4 cards in the Faded Floral stack.  I chose one that said 'thank you' in the center of another wreath--it was a perfect fit for this project!  It also makes a good gift or gift topper.  I trimmed 'Grateful' down from another of the cards to place in the center of my second small wreath.

I used more of the cards in the background for my larger wreaths, but I used a 'blessed' and 'thankful' die with my Mini Evolution for the sentiments.

After my general designs were set, it was time to make some pom-poms.  I already had The Works tool out so I just used that to whip them up, choosing fall colors that complemented the colors of the papers I used in the wreath interiors.  I made a couple different sizes of pom-pom; with The Works Tool, the further your 2 plastic straws are from each other, the larger your pom-pom will be, so if you want to make a small one, place them closer together.  Also, the more yarn you wind around the plastic straws, the fuller your pom-poms will be.

It was time to assemble the wreaths; I hot glued everything in place.  The paper is the trickiest part because the wreaths are not flat on the back.  In some spots, I had to use a few glue dots that I molded with my fingers to act as an adhesive bridge between the paper and wreath.  *If you're adding ribbon, add the ribbon BEFORE you attach the paper!

Glue the pom-poms on with hot glue.  I added some wood leaves that I got at the craft store as an extra bit of embellishment, too.

These would make cute hostess or teacher gifts, or just hang one on each bedroom door in your home--my mom always hung something on the outside of our doors for each season; these would have been right up her alley!

Supplies:
WRMK:
The Works All-In-One Tool
Circle Spin 'N Trim
Mini Evolution

Other:
Faded Floral Paper Stack (DCWV)
Word dies (Ink to Paper)
Wood Leaves (Michael's)