tulip wreath tutorial

Maybe it's because I'm a March baby and my mom, famous for her creative names, still calls me "Spring Flower." (A couple of crocuses popped through the snow the morning of my birth.) Maybe it's because every spring, those stubborn bulbs magically peek their green heads out of what looks to be dead earth, exploding like a rainbow surprise that's waited all winter just for you. Whatever the reason, I adore tulips. And daffodils, and hyacinth, and muscari. And snowdrops and crocuses, too. You get the idea. I love spring.  

For the past few weeks I've had my eye on this very happy Etsy wreath. Problem: it costs $110 (including shipping). Ouch.

I've never made a wreath before, but sure enough, I found a couple of good tutorials online. The boys have half-days at school on Fridays, so last Friday, after strategically wearing them out at the indoor pool, I braved the long drive to Michael's, aka Claustrophobia Central (and yet, mysteriously, I seem to be really good at dropping cash there). On Saturday, with Daniel fielding the wall-climbing, shrieking, energy-central that is our life with boys, I got to work on this beauty.

Materials

15 tulip bunches (you could do fewer but I wanted a really full look)

18-inch grapevine wreath

1 1/2-inch ribbon in coordinating color

wire cutters

Process

So easy! Snip the bunches to break them down into stems with just 2-3 flowers each. Start pushing the stems into the wreath, working your way around, all in one direction. It's a good idea to experiment with the stem length, trimming as you go. You want them long enough to get some traction in the grapevine strands, but not so long that they're sticking out the back.

For me, it worked best to alternate colors as I went. About halfway through, I realized I'd been making it so full that I wouldn't have enough to maintain that fullness, so I went back and pulled some out to make everything more even. No problem.

When you feel good about your design, thread the ribbon through the grapevine branches at the back and cut to whatever length you want.

Cost

Michael's was having a 40%-off sale on flowers, so I got them for $2.39 each (instead of the regular $3.99). If you have some Michael's coupons on hand, use them on this project. I've heard you might be able to get tulip bunches at the Dollar Store, but I didn't feel like going to two stores to get (possibly) less of a selection--especially with two kids in tow. The wreath cost $4.99, and the ribbon was $3.99. Total cost: $44.83.

Note: the tutorial I liked best only used 9 bunches, so if you don't mind a more open look, you could cut costs by buying fewer bunches and/or a smaller wreath.

Putting it together took less than an hour. I've never been a huge fan of fake flowers, but I have to say, this gives me a little jolt of spring happiness every time I see it.

And, voilà! A flash of spring color. Just in time for Valentine's Day, and in six weeks or so (according to the groundhog), spring!