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First things first.  I had planned to name this post:  “Channeling Martha: A Valentine’s Day Wreath How-To.”  And then just for fun, I decided to google the words “channeling martha.”  And, do you know how many times those two words are mentioned?

Only 478,000 times.  That’s how many.

So, I went a different direction on the title and still managed to get a tiny bit crafty on a Sunday afternoon.  Not too shabby for someone like me {I always have the best intentions, I just never quite follow through on my grand crafty plans and schemes.}

For those not in the know, a totally charming tissue paper blossom heart graces the cover of this month’s Martha Stewart Living magazine.  I saw it and fell in love.

So I want to share with you that this is a how-to and not a tutorial.  I repeat, it is definitely not a tutorial.  By emphasizing that it is not a tutorial then just in case your wreath doesn’t turn out so swoon-worthy, then you won’t be mad that you spent a few extra dollars at your local craft store.  Or mad at me.

{Let’s press on.}

You’ll need the following supplies: a styrofoam wreath, muslin fabric strips, glue gun and plenty of glue sticks, a sharp pair of scissors, 2 or 3 colors of tissue paper, floral wire and pins.  I found these U-shaped pins at my local craft store which helped with securing the pom-pom flowers to the wreath.  I didn’t think the tiny pins in my sewing basket would help me out if I ran into trouble attaching the pom-poms to the wreath.

I used 6 sheets of tissue paper for each flower.  First, you’ll accordion-fold the tissue paper in 2 inch increments.

Next, I cut the folded tissue paper in half.  And I gathered each half (in the center) with some wire and gently twisted it to hold it in place.  For smaller flowers, you could cut the accordion-folded paper into thirds.

I used a sharp pair of scissors to round the edges of the “petals” to mimic the tutorial in the magazine.

Begin to fan out the layers of the tissue paper, separating one sheet at a time.

You can get a better idea of how the flower is taking shape.  One thing to note is that the smaller flowers that I made (the darker pink tissue paper in the first and last photos) were a lot tougher when I went to separate the layers.  I think I would recommend using 4 or 5 sheets on the smaller flowers.

Isn’t she pretty?  I couldn’t find three shades of pink tissue paper so I used a darker pink to give my finished wreath a little oomph.  I had a little trouble with my glue gun and and so having those pins I mentioned earlier helped to get the pom-poms firmly attached.

I hung it in front of my chalkboard in our formal dining room.  I can tell I’m not going to want to take it down after Valentine’s Day.

Oh and let share with you that I found an ever-so-helpful tutorial (with great step-by-step photos) on this very same wreath, inspired by this very same magazine cover over on the blog, nine & sixteen.   Tessa’s wreath turned out just lovely.  I can tell she’s quite a bit better at crafting than I am.

Tomorrow I plan to share the nifty Valentines I made with my oldest {using a Martha idea and clipart}.  And then I’ll post the Valentine’s Day cupcakes I’m baking for the big day.

Enjoy your evening…and oh, I apologize for the multiple run-on sentences and misuse of commas in today’s post.  I’m certain that my 7th grade English teacher is scowling at me right about now.

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