Monday, March 22, 2010

Framed Book Page Egg Wreath

I have been dying to make a book page wreath since before Christmas and have just never gotten around to it. But with Easter rapidly approaching, I thought of a fun way to combine the two: The Framed Book Page Egg Wreath!! It’s a mouthful, but a good one! :)

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If you want to make this project, gather together these supplies and get to work, because Easter will be here soon and you’re going to want to keep this out for a little while! You’ll also want to grab an empty frame. I used a square 15x15, but you could easily use any size, you’ll just need to adjust the size of your wreath base accordingly.

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I got 2 bags of small Easter eggs from Hobby Lobby for $.67 each, and there were about 25 in a bag. The Dollar Store in town didn’t have any foam wreaths but they did have round floral planters, so I sawed off about an inch of that, wrapped it in newspaper, and used it as my wreath base.

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I picked out a few old books with varying degrees of page yellowness, tore out some pages, cut the length a little longer than my eggs, and the width just long enough to wrap all the way around the egg. I used Mod Podge to glue the paper around the eggs and then set them aside to dry for 5 minutes or so. (I learned the hard way, that if you try to glue the paper on the whole egg all at once, the egg slides around in the paper and you get air bubbles. Don’t do this, you will become annoyed very quickly.) I had a little assembly line going with my eggs, which was a good way to give the eggs a little time to dry in between the steps, and helped me not to waste any of those precious naptime minutes.

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Once the middle section was dry and could be a sturdy base, I cut slits on each end of the paper, and pushed them down so that one side of the egg was exposed.

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Make sure that when you are pushing down the slits, that you peel them down just a bit further, ripping the paper a little. This ensures that they will lie flat when you are smoothing them down against the egg, and there won’t be any air pockets.

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Otherwise it will look like this in the end. Not so pretty.

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Once the paper is pushed down, smear the top of the egg with a good bit of Mod Podge. I used the Matte finish, so it didn’t matter if it got all over the top of the paper. Use your thumb to push down a few of the pieces at a time, smoothing them so that they lay flat and overlap a little.

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Top with more Mod Podge, and smooth down the next few strips, working your way around the egg.

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You will end up with a nice little overlap, and if you’ve been smoothing it out with your thumb as you go, it will look great!

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Once I had a finished pile, I pulled out my wreath base, hung it on the frame and started gluing on the eggs. This was mostly to see how far this batch of eggs would take me and how many more I needed to make.

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I hot glued the ends of the ribbon around the frame because I wanted the wreath to be centered, and I wanted to use the hardware that was already attached to hang the framed wreath on the wall.

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I also hot glued the ribbon to the base of the wreath, so that I could put some eggs on top of the ribbon.

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I then made a big floppy bow, glued the ends in the knot so that it wouldn’t come undone, and glued that to the top of the frame.

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I loved the scrunched brown coffee filter idea that Jen used last month on her Burlap Valentine Heart, so I used a similar idea to make a flower. I just scrunched it up, inked the edges with a black stamp pad, added a second layer for extra fullness, and glued a little button to the middle.

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And there you have it!! I love this wreath. It is so neutral and chic, and looks nice in every single room of my house. Now I just have to decide where to put it! I also need to figure out if I can pull it off after Easter is over :) A lack of pastels means I can keep it up, right? Furthermore, since I used an old frame that was holding a blah piece of art and already had the ribbon, glue and books, this project cost me less than $3!!!

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If you decide to make these eggs I’m warning you that you will have a hard time deciding what to do with them, because the possibilities are endless. You could make a little egg tree or topiary. If you opt not to glue them down, you may want to give them their own little display.

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Or you could use them to fill your glass containers and apothecary jars. I’ll just go ahead and say it, book page eggs are the new twine balls. :)

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I shared this project last week on Tatertots and Jello, but am so excited to share it with you here, and I hope you like it as much as I do!! Please let me know if you make some of these eggs, I would love to see your take on them!

I’ll be linking to these great parties this week, so please stop by and check them out!


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78 comments:

Jessica March 22, 2010 at 6:25 AM  

Gorgeous! What a great idea!

Teri March 22, 2010 at 7:52 AM  

I love this idea! Anything with book pages really catches my eye. :)

Hope March 22, 2010 at 8:06 AM  

This is really darling...love this idea. Thanks for sharing!

TBonesMom March 22, 2010 at 8:48 AM  

Very cute...I really like them in their own little display like a real nest. :)

Julie March 22, 2010 at 10:02 AM  

How great! Love the idea. Thanks for sharing with Made it Monday! Jules

Linda@Coastal Charm March 22, 2010 at 11:05 AM  

Love your idea...your wreath looks outstanding! Come by and show it off at my NIFTY THRIFTY TUESDAYS PARTY...hope to see you there:)

Blessings,
Linda

Jessi March 22, 2010 at 12:15 PM  

Breathtaking! And I love that you added it to an empty frame.

Kaysi March 22, 2010 at 1:05 PM  

What a fun idea, this is awesome!

Amy @ Positively Splendid March 22, 2010 at 1:30 PM  

Love this! I've been so impressed with all of the projects I've seen on here!

Jenny @ Kerrfect! March 22, 2010 at 1:55 PM  

That's really pretty!

K@The Thrifty Teacher March 22, 2010 at 3:07 PM  

Very cute! Love your detailed instructions!

Tina @ www.commoncentshome.blogspot.com March 22, 2010 at 6:04 PM  

I might be in love! Was just thinking this would be an excellent teacher gift!

deb March 22, 2010 at 6:13 PM  

Amazing! Just gorgeous!
*hugs*Deb

KimMalk March 22, 2010 at 8:19 PM  

Such a cute job on all those eggs. The wreath even looks good partially covered :).

Morgan//Nuts and Bows March 22, 2010 at 9:19 PM  

Erin! This turned out so stinking cute I love it!

~Morgan

http://meetvirginiaandroo.blogspot.com/
http://www.etsy.com/shop/MeetVirginiaShop

deborah March 22, 2010 at 10:02 PM  

This is very cool - I'm inspired.

Brandy March 23, 2010 at 7:46 AM  

I LOVE this! It's a nice change from the millions of book page wreaths that have come out recently. I love the eggs and think I need some :)

Brandy
www.brandyscrafts.blogpot.com {Home Sweet Home}

Susan @ Oh My! Creative March 23, 2010 at 8:07 AM  

Wow...I love this! So pretty.
Susan

Amanda March 23, 2010 at 8:23 AM  

That is just stunning! Love it!

TaDa! Creations March 23, 2010 at 8:25 AM  

Oh that is SO cute! and you made it look super easy too. Thanks for the tutorial!

Mary Beth @ Live. Laugh. Make Something March 23, 2010 at 8:35 AM  

Bee-You-Tee-Full! I adore your wreath! ...and excellent photo how-to. I will making some of these cutie pies! until later...

Patrice March 23, 2010 at 8:22 PM  

I mean really, this is too much! It's just as great as I remember it from last saturday!

Kristi Flanagan March 24, 2010 at 8:11 AM  

Wow - love, love, love this! I'd like to invite you to come plant your "creative seeds" at my new blog party on Fridays: "Plant a Punkin Seed at Punkin Seed Productions".

Hope to see you there!

Kristi
Punkin Seed Productions

Hillary @ The Other Mama March 24, 2010 at 9:26 AM  

So stinkin' cute!

Angie Holden March 24, 2010 at 9:37 AM  

Oh my goodness!!! Awesome, spectacular, i am speachless!!

Blueprints of a Southern Belle March 24, 2010 at 11:06 AM  

i love this!!!!

SO anthropologie.

erin

jen March 24, 2010 at 2:56 PM  

Great idea! I love this!

Unknown March 24, 2010 at 5:55 PM  

Oh how I love this idea! Those eggs are FABULOUS!
We have a Friday Fun Find party (on Fridays, obviously)... if you're interested, we'd love it if you'd link up this week!

{oc cottage} March 24, 2010 at 10:33 PM  

Oh, do you have the patience of a saint! I made a few of those the other day and THAT was enough! But then my technique was much less practical! LOVE this wreath!

m ^..^

The Painted Home March 25, 2010 at 8:05 AM  

Love this! so glad I found you!

Anonymous March 25, 2010 at 9:03 AM  

So clever - we've done some interesting decoupage with hymnal pages...this makes me think we need to start a new Easter project. Thank you!

:) March 25, 2010 at 10:24 AM  

That is adorable and very clever too. :)

Tina March 25, 2010 at 11:49 AM  

Love this!

Adrienne March 25, 2010 at 12:06 PM  

just might be my favorite idea yet!

Helena March 25, 2010 at 12:15 PM  

Cute!! You have GREAT tutorial skills. I love the pictures and clear instructions.

I will be making this.

Thank you for linking this to A Little Craft Therapy with Life in the Pitts.

Anonymous March 25, 2010 at 2:42 PM  

This is one of my favorites so far!! LOVE the combination of book pages & eggs. Great way to do spring/Easter without so much pastel.

Korby March 25, 2010 at 4:47 PM  

I REALLY LOVE IT!!!

Fawnda@Fireflies and Jellybeans March 25, 2010 at 6:02 PM  

This is an AWESOME project! I love it! :)

Stephanie March 25, 2010 at 6:16 PM  

That looks beautiful! I like the way you did the eggs, they look so smooth and professional. How you figured out how to do that is amazing, I am stealing that idea for the future! Thanks again.

Beth@The Stories of A to Z March 25, 2010 at 9:39 PM  

Such a great idea! Love this :).

Victoria March 26, 2010 at 7:49 AM  

Oh my gosh, that is gorgeous! Your patience astounds me, I think I could get through maybe 5 eggs but to make an entire wreath..wow!!!

Andy Porter March 26, 2010 at 7:56 AM  

This is my favorite egg wreath. I love it!! You are amazing!!

jen March 26, 2010 at 8:37 AM  

wish i would have found you yesterday -- i made these eggs yesterday and did it with strips of paper -- over and over again - never thought of making slips the way you did -- now i know! your wreath is awesome!!!

Anonymous March 26, 2010 at 9:36 AM  

What a simple and gorgeous project! Love it!

Katie

Patti @ Pandoras Box March 26, 2010 at 11:51 AM  

very sweet wreath...you make it look so easy...love the little flower, too

Alberta March 26, 2010 at 2:42 PM  

What a lovely way to keep some of those outdated books in such a cute & creative manner! Great tutorial.

Heather March 26, 2010 at 3:58 PM  

Great tutorial! Very creative and original. I'm going to link up to this tute.

The Single Nester March 26, 2010 at 5:10 PM  

Looks terrific. Book Egg Wreath. Love it!

Sonny G March 26, 2010 at 5:12 PM  

Of all the eggs I've seen in the last month, these are the BEST~! move over martha, you've been beat by a mile.
Sonny

Tania Pelletier March 26, 2010 at 6:45 PM  

I love it, very clever!

Tania

Southern Fried Gal March 26, 2010 at 8:22 PM  

Too cute! I wish I had the patience to make this. Have a blessed weekend!

momof3girls March 26, 2010 at 9:08 PM  

so very cute!!!!

Jess @ Just a Blink March 26, 2010 at 11:05 PM  

Nice variety of applications!

Carolyn @ My Backyard Eden March 27, 2010 at 12:30 PM  

That is so creative. I think you could leave that up year round. Even though you made it with Easter eggs, they look a bit like walnuts to me.

Great job!

Thanks for linking up to Make it Yours Day at My Backyard Eden!

Mary March 27, 2010 at 9:36 PM  

Lovely and classy! Thanks for sharing!

Fawnda@Fireflies and Jellybeans March 28, 2010 at 7:41 AM  

I just wanted to let you know that I featured your here:
http://firefliesandjellybeans.blogspot.com/2010/03/fireflies-and-jellybeans-birthday-and.html

Katie Olthoff March 28, 2010 at 6:37 PM  

Those are great! I wondered how you would cover them to be flat.

Erin@The Phillips Fam March 28, 2010 at 11:39 PM  

SO cute! Love it!

Stacey @ Fun to Craft March 31, 2010 at 8:23 PM  

This is so darling! I love this! Thanks for sharing at Fun to Craft's Spring has Sprung Party.

Miss Mustard Seed March 31, 2010 at 9:10 PM  

How clever! I just love those little eggs. Thanks for sharing.

bilbiochic April 2, 2010 at 11:09 PM  

omg this is darling!!! what a beautiful wreath! we do work with recycled books as well! its kinda our thing ;) glad to see other people doing the same thing! come and check us out sometime!
xoxo
http://bibliochicshop.blogspot.com/

bilbiochic April 2, 2010 at 11:09 PM  
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bilbiochic April 2, 2010 at 11:09 PM  
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ashlee Marie April 30, 2010 at 5:40 AM  

I am in LOVE with this wreath! I made all the eggs, but never got around to creating a wreath! Next year.

Unknown May 23, 2010 at 10:38 AM  

Great Project!

Yanet @ 3 Sun Kissed Boys August 31, 2010 at 2:22 PM  

What a great way to use up those eggs I never know what to do with. The wreath looks great! Terrific detailed tutorial too!

Unknown August 31, 2010 at 5:42 PM  

Adorable idea. Just found it from this week's CSI (mod podge).

The Pineapple Room September 1, 2010 at 6:44 AM  

Love this wreath...can't wait to try this. So very cute for easter!

Cristie September 1, 2010 at 9:56 PM  

Very cool looking. love the idea of using the newpaper.

Anonymous September 2, 2010 at 7:30 AM  

Not just great for Easter, but for a fall wreath too, as I found the wreath to have a delightfully nutty look about it. Not nutty wacky, literally like walnuts! Really cool!

Jenn Erickson January 2, 2011 at 10:30 PM  

I saw your project linked up over at the CSI Club and just had to come by. I collect eggs and am a huge fan of vintage papers. Your wreath is an incredible way to combine both. Simply wonderful!

Shan March 30, 2011 at 11:05 AM  

Just posted a photo of my book page egg wreath you inspired me to create on my blog. I love it! Just wanted to thank you again for this very thorough tutorial. In case you want to see it {I gave you credit ;)} Here is the address: http://blog.familybringsjoy.com/2011/03/29/easter-decorated-mantle/
Have a great day, Erin! :D

A Dance With Grace April 1, 2011 at 10:31 AM  

Such a cute idea. Thanks so much for posting! You have a new follower :).

Ivonne Loving April 6, 2011 at 9:49 AM  

I love this idea! Great alternative to pastel colors. It feels like old world meets mod. Thank you for sharing the tutorial.

Steph @ somewhatsimple April 19, 2011 at 5:19 PM  

I am featuring this idea tomorrow! Thanks for the idea!!!

Ela September 28, 2011 at 3:25 AM  

I just found this tutorial. I love it. I am a new follower. Hope you can drop by/follow on my blog http://scrapidoodlelicious.blogspot.com/

Jamie March 9, 2012 at 8:21 PM  

This is a very unique wreath.. I love it! I hope it's okay, I just couldn't help but feature it in my Easter wreath and topiary round-up I just finished. You can see it here:

http://jamiebrock.hubpages.com/hub/Decorate-Your-Home-for-Easter-Topiary-and-Wreath-Ideas

Thank you so much for sharing!

Colleen April 4, 2012 at 10:02 AM  

This wreath is gorgeous! I've been planning to make these eggs since I read your tutorial, I tried today and failed miserably, lol! You either have a lot of patience or I am doing it wrong!

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