Handmade Detroit

It’s February! I decided I wanted to take up a call-for-wreaths for the Bluish Barn in Ann Arbor this winter season. While I was thinking of what I would make for these nifty kids, I thought about what kind of wreaths for myself as my apartment is severely lacking Valentine’s Day decorations. And then it hit me. Paint samples. Make a wreath of paint samples. It sounds crazy, but take a look at these easy directions and you too will have some cute, but very cheap, Valentine magic.

You’ll need:

• 1 12×12 piece of cardboard (I used a piece I found inside a new calendar)
• Paint samples (The number of strips depends on what size your wreath is)
• Double-sided tape
• Hole puncher
• Ribbon, decorative wire, hearts, magic

1. Start by tracing a circle onto your cardboard. I wanted mine to be as big as the piece of board, so I used the top of a trash can. An old record would fill the space nicely, too. For the center hole, I used a small Pyrex mixing bowl. Again, the size of middle will vary on how big or small you want it to be.

2. I used Dutch Boy paint samples from my local grocery store. These worked great because they were perforated, and popped apart easily. If you can’t find perforated strips, simply cut them apart at each different color. Because I had one big sample on each, I used this as the beginning layer of the wreath. I went around and fanned them out, not paying attention to color. (Feel free to be more coordinated.) I used one piece of double-sided tape on this wreath because I was working with paper products, and was afraid hot glue might be too hot. (This also worked well because the wreath isn’t going outside.)

3. Once your base layer is down, continue making smaller layers, trying to cover any gaps in the cardboard or between samples. I kept going with layers (three) until I reached the center of the wreath, shown in the photo below:

4. Use your hole punch to make a small hole for ribbon, wire, etc., for hanging. I used some leftover heart wire to make both a hanger and a bow. Feel free to add any “extras” at this point in the game.

5. Hang it up, stand back and admire your work!

While I made mine to go inside my apartment, a varnish might make this wreath more weather-friendly, but I’d suggest using a different base other than cardboard. Depending on the colors you pick, this wreath works great for all sorts of holidays, or when you need a more Technicolor approach to your home decorating.

Let us know what you’ve got in the works for a crafty Valentine’s Day!