Sunday, July 15, 2012

My poor naked rope wreath

Thumb's healing nicely. I bend it and move it without too much pain. Time to wade into my craft room and grab some shelved projects.

I unpack the first project: my rope and shell wreaths for my front doors. Now, I start to rethink my original plan. Is the photo of my inspiration wreath in the project box? Of course not! And it's not in the craft inspirations folder on my PC. Peachy, just peachy.  

Do I want all shells, a few shells, a few shells and some other decorations or something completely different? Should I take a chance and just do something, or ponder on options for a while and put this project back on the shelf? 

I wrapped my wreath forms with rope. It's easy and forms a great base for many wreaths. 

Assemble components: hot glue pad, hot glue gun (on low temp), low temp glue sticks, rope and wreath form. 



Wrap the wreath form with the rope and secure with a bit of hot glue on the rope. Use too much or touch the glue gun tip on the wreath form, and it melts. 



Wrap, wrap and wrap rope around the base until the base is covered. Trim the ends and match them up. You end up with a rope wrapped wreath base.



Voila! May I present my poor naked rope wreath? All wrapped up and no decorations to show. I should say wreaths as I have two of these blank slates to gussy up. I dreamed of seashell wreaths when I started, so I bought a gazillion seashells at the local dollar store to completely cover the rope on the front of the wreaths. Was it a formal style wreath that inspired me, with concentric circles of matching shells? Or was it a gorgeous hodgepodge of mismatched shells artistically applied to form a breathtaking creation? I can't recall. 

Should I explore different options? Go light on the shells and driftwood and beach glass? Use small life rings, lighthouses and buoys for nautical wreaths? Add some cute bows and call call it a day? Forget the beach or nautical theme and go with something completely different? Or stay with an all shell design and just do it? 

I'm off to knit a little and mull over my options. I'll post when I'm finished with the wreaths.