Vintage paper wreath tutorial

I spent quite a bit of time constructing this wreath out of the pages of an old music book. Craft is therapy for me and when times are stressful i find it easy to immerse myself in a project. This paper wreath was no expection. I began this project a few weeks ago, when my Mum was in the final stages of brain cancer. I choose this project because i knew it would be meaningful, for her and me. My Mum’s father, my Pop, introduced me to music at a young age and spent time teaching me how to play the organ. The pages for this wreath are from one of Pop’s music books called 101 Hits for Buskers.

You’ll need – paper, double sided tape, glue gun, stapler, cardboard and string.

Step 1. Making the paper cones. Place two strips of double sided tape on the right hand bottom corner of the page, as per the picture. Fold that corner around to form a cone shape, making sure the upper right hand corner is centred and straight.

Step 2. Peel off the cover of the double sided tape and stick the lower right hand corner down. The taped area should be around the back of the cone.

Step 3. Fold up the base of the cone and staple in place. Continue to make paper cones. Make lots! My wreath has approximately 70 cones. You can make your wreath any size you like, but for intensive therapy, i recommend making loads!! You’ll find yourself getting quicker and more accurate as you go along.

I really like that i can see so many of the song titles sticking out the top. LOVE!

Step 4. Alright, when you think you have enough cones you can begin to assemble your wreath. Cut a circle out of stiff cardboard to use as your base. Heat up the trusty old glue gun and start gluing the cones around the edges. Step 5. Continue to glue the cones, making sure that each layer sits in between the layer before, so that you can see all the cone points. Fill in each layer until the entire cardboard base is covered. I punched a hole through the base and threaded some string through, so i could attach it to the wall.

Here it is all finished and hung in my creative zone in the office. This has been one of my favourite projects and so extremely meaningful to me. I know Mum would have loved it and now every time i look at it i’ll be reminded of her and Pop. Rest in peace Mum. xo