Deck the Halls... and Your Door!

I absolutely LOVE everything about Christmas!

I don't think I said that right...

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT CHRISTMAS!

I am pretty sure you can put an emphasis on any one of those words.

I love the lights, the greenery, the ribbons, the red, the gold, the cheerfulness, the prettiness, the elegance, the gaudiness, the songs, the movies, the commercials, the EVERYTHING.

It just makes me so happy... I just can't help it.

So, needless to say, I am oh so happy right now. 

Except for this morning...

I woke up determined to FINALLY sew my curtains for the living room. I bought some fabric several months ago that I love and got a super good deal on while my favorite little fabric store was having a sale. The colors in the fabric go perfectly with everything. They are just perfect... oh, and they are chevron patterned... what could be better?!

Anywho, I got my fabric back out since school is over for Christmas break (I had previously started working on them, but never finished, and WAHOO for being out of school) and started to re-iron what I had already done. While I am ironing and watching the most recent episode of "New Girl" (love that show!), I saw my worst nightmare come true....

A *&%$& stain on my fabric!!!

I was so mad! I have no idea how it got there, but it was there! 

I called my mom and consulted her about what to do. I ended up putting all the fabric into the washer (which I didn't want to do), and now both panels are delicately hanging over two different shower curtain rods in my house air drying. So mad things did not go my way this morning. Oh well, I guess I can do them tomorrow.....

So, onto what I did do this morning!

I have been itching to make a certain wreath for several months. I had acquired a pendent from a family friend that I have been trying to make into a wreath. I had seen a wreath made from a pendent on Pinterest awhile ago, and I have been holding onto the idea in my mind. I decided to make it into a Christmas wreath. What could be better?!

(Just a forewarning, my camera has been acting up, so please bear with me on these photos)

Here was my blank canvas. I decided to spray paint the thing green. Then I went and found a really cute ribbon in red to make it Christmasy!

Once I had my pendent spray painted, I got all my supplies. I picked out a wide, wire edge ribbon that I liked and some pretty jingle bells. I liked these because they reminded me of vintage bells, like the ones from The Polar Express.

I already had some pipe cleaners lying around so I got those and some fishing line together. Sorry, the fishing line is not pictured.

Then I started to make my big bow. Here is how you make a big, pretty Christmas bow. All you need is wire edge ribbon (the wire edge is a must) and some pipe cleaners or some wire.

I started out by leaving a little tail of about 6" and making a loop with the long end. The size of your loop will decide how big your bow will be in the end. Good reference is one loop is the radius of your bow (sorry to throw out a math word in there).

Once you complete the loop, make sure you pinch the end of your loop so that you can make another loop going in the opposite direction. Important: when you start your next loop, make sure that you twist the ribbon over once so that the back side of the ribbon is visible. Once you see the ugly part of your ribbon looking up at you, make another loop. This will keep the pretty side of the ribbon visible. It is important that you twist the ribbon over once after making EACH loop. Make sure each loop is even in size as well. As you can see in this picture, one loop is a little bigger than the other. Make them the same size.  

Another point of advice, ALWAYS keep your pinch grip firm! Never loose grip of the middle of your ribbon, or you will have to start all over again. See how I am keeping the middle of my loops firm between my fingers?

Now, just keep on looping! I did 10 loops on either side of my fingers to have 20 loops in total. Once you have the amount of loops you want, get out your pipe cleaner or wire. You should have it real handy before you start making your loops, because it is critical for you to keep that grip around the middle of the bow. Wrap your pipe cleaner or wire securely around the middle of your loops. I wrapped the end of my pipe cleaner around part of the already looped pipe cleaner to keep it tight and in place.

Once you have in secured, the hard part is over and you can relax! I left a long tail on my bow so that I could use the tail to hang up my wreath.

Once you get this far, all you have to do is start pulling loops up toward you. I set my bow on the ground as pictured. Then I got a hold of one loop at a time, and starting at the center, positioned it how and where I wanted it to stand. Do this with each loop, being careful not to break the wire. I have heard that can happen sometimes.

It does take a few minutes to get everything situated how you want it, but be patient! It will end up how you want it!

Once you have tugged and pulled all you can, VIOLA! You have a pretty Christmas bow!!

To finish the wreath, I wrapped my tail around the hole in the middle of the pendent and tied it to the other short end I had left. I made sure it was secure so that my wreath doesn't fall off the door.

For an added embellishment and a little excitement, I added some bells to the wreath. I used fishing line and tied the bells into the bow so that they dangle just below the bow, but more importantly, they jingle when you open and close the door.

Here is the finished project!

Now you have an idea for a wreath, and if you didn't know already, now you know how to make a bow!

Happy Christmas decorations making! Post soon to come about the Christmas banner that I made last week with my sister! It is so pretty! :)