Craft♥Advent, Day 1

So we are here… day 1! I have just had a repeat performance of last year– only not only did my camera part company with this life, so did my computer. I resusitated my camera and hope it lasts the month at least, but my computer, with all my be-organised-before-it-starts photographs, tutorials etc was not as obliging. I’m just praying that my dear brother will work his techie magic and retrieve the data…

But anyway, moving swiftly on… Day 1: ta-dah!!

I like to put up a wreath on December the first- for me, it signifies the start of Advent, the build-up to Christmas. Fergal will make a wreath for the front door, and this one is for my large window in the kitchen (where the crystal hangs and through which we watch the birds- this window is in constant focus for us!)

I started with a round polystyrene ring (you could also use a wire hanger, padded with newspaper taped on) and to this glued strips of an old book:

I cut out leaf shapes from the book pages and gave them a wash of watercolour paint in 2 shades of green.

As ever, my omnipresent helper (as ever, doing her own thing. I sometimes give myself a little dart of shock to think that some day, some day, I will craft by my lonesome. It simply never happens. Rare to have one by my side, usual to have at least three, often I have four (the teen no longer crafts with us, just hangs around in case some home baking is involved and he is called on to help nosh the lot))

Arrange these in a pleasing arrangement on the ring and glue down.

Gather your buttons: I used all reds with the odd deep pink thrown in- red is the complementary of green, so in a green arrangement if you use a dash (or several) of red, it makes the green “sing: (or at least it should)

I arranged my buttons off-centre in a group- you could, if you were a more organised and linear person than I, arrange them in equal distance from one another around the ring, or in any other combination that pleases your eye!

I simply glued these down with PVA, then when dry, attached the hanging ribbon with slightly stronger glue to make sure it all held.

In situ: the crystal hangs inside the wreath (this was a happy accident!)

We are also going to do this great idea from Karen–

“During the Advent season, whoever comes to the house traces his/her hand on paper and the hand gets added to the wreath… As our Advent prayers are said, we remember, especially, to pray for all those people who are a part of our wreath” ~ what a really lovely idea!

See you tomorrow for more Crafty-Advent-Craftiness!

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