Last night we had a great time on UStream creating handmade gifts straight from the heart. If you missed the stream, don’t worry, a lot of it was recorded for you. If you have any questions about what we did, please feel free to leave me a comment or send me an email so I can answer them for you.
In the YouTube video, which you can watch here or click the link, I showed the highlights of what I did and gave a basic overview. The UStream videos are much more in detail and allow you to see what I did as I was creating.
The Button Wreath Ornaments were very simple to make. I will definitely be creating more of these so that I can tie them on packages, hand them out to family, etc.
Materials:
Craft Wire (I used 20 gauge silver wire)
Wire Cutters (or Tim Holtz Serrated Scissors)
Needlenose pliers
Buttons (takes about 100 buttons for the large size wreath)
Ribbons
1. Cut a piece of craft wire about 9-10 inches long. Using your needle nose pliers, wrap one end into a loop so that the buttons will not fall off as you are putting them on the wire.
2. Start adding buttons onto the wire in any pattern.
3. When you get to the end with about 1″ of wire left stop adding buttons. Thread this piece of wire through the original hoop that you created and then roll it down with the needle nose pliers. Crimp the two ends together so they roll up in a ball.
4. Take one ribbon and make a first knot around the connected wires to cover them up. Before you make the second knot, place the hanging ribbon down so that it will be secured in the knot. Make the second knot with the first ribbon.
5. Take the hanging ribbon and form it into a circle approximately the size of your wreath. Tie a knot a couple of times so that it is secure and will not fall off what you end up hanging it up on.
Viola! A finished project that you can enjoy or give to others. This project is great for kids to do as well. Teach them how to create patterns with their buttons and it becomes educational as well. 🙂
Another technique that I discovered while working on my tags for the handmade tag book was a White Wash Technique. I have created a video to explain this as typing it out would not have done it justice. I do hope that you will view this and I would love to see things that you create if you use this.
