Nesting Wreath

Spring is like waking up after a three month sleep. The colors, the sunshine, and all of nature come out to enjoy the weather and a new life. I sometimes find myself driving down the street a little slower than usual, with the windows rolled down, the radio off, and the hint of a breeze flowing across my face; listening to the world around me. This was my inspiration for the nesting wreath, an example of the beautiful spring colors and birth of new things to come.

Here is what you need for this project:

-a twig wreath (available at Hobby Lobby or pretty much any craft store.)

-ribbon for the tie and bow (about 3 yards)

-yarn (I picked three different colors but you could do all the same color)

-water balloons

-liquid starch

-flour

-water

-clear string (I used jewelry thread)

-card stock

-bird template or any other animal you want to use

-hot glue gun

First you are going to make the string eggs. These are very simple but must dry overnight so do this step first. Begin by blowing up your water balloons with air. Once you have at least 3 balloons blown up mix together : 1 tsp flour, ½ tsp water, and ¼ cup glue. Cut your yarn into a long strip. The length depends on the size of your balloons and however much you are willing to work with at a time. Mine were about a yard long. Dip your yarn into the glue mixture and start wrapping it around the balloon. You can do this in a crossing motion or random, that is up to you and the kind of design you want on your eggs. **Be aware that once dipped in the glue mixture the color of the yarn will darken. I put my string in the starch mixture and slowly skimmed off the excess glue with my fingers so when it dries you don’t have a lot of starch between your strings. Cover the entire balloon with string leaving some spaces. This took me about 3 yards of yarn. Once you are finished place your eggs on a piece of wax paper to dry overnight and repeat with the other balloons. **Make sure there is enough starch mixture that the yarn will become stiff and hold its shape.

While you wait for your balloons to dry you can begin to cut out your birds. Use the template provided or any other shape to trace onto cardstock. Then cut out the shapes and arrange them on the wreath the way you like. I cut out 7 birds in varying sizes, **odd numbers of shapes look best. Once you have your shapes in place you can begin to hot glue them onto your wreath.

Next you will attach your string eggs. Begin by popping the balloon and removing it from the string portion. Next use your clear string and weave it through the string egg tying off both ends so that the egg stays in place. Repeat this process with the other eggs. With your wreath laying on a flat surface arrange your eggs in the center of the wreath and tie the loose ends of the clear string to the sides of the underside of the wreath.

Finally take your ribbon (1 ½ to 2 yards) and make a large circle attaching the loose ends together either by sewing or glue. Loop your ribbon circle around the top of the wreath. Create a bow with the remaining ribbon and hot glue your bow to the intersection of your ribbon loop.

Now you have a simple wreath for your door or inside your home that will remind you of all the aspects you love about spring. Happy Crafting!