25 Days of Hand Crafted Gifts and Ornaments - Button Wreath Ornament

As promised it's time to begin the 25 Days of Hand Crafted Gifts and Ornaments!

I wanted to start off with a really easy ornament that is quick, easy and can be made with children, sitting in front of the tv or on the go. 

Button Wreath Ornaments

Supplies:



Buttons (same color or mix)
Wire (heavy gauge so it will hold it's shape)
Ribbon
Wire Cutters

Instructions:

1. To start off with you will need to cut your wire to the desired length.  The length will depend on how large you want your finished ornament to be.  The first wreath I made I cut the wire to 12" and it created a 4" wreath.  The second was 9" and finished out at 3" long so you can use these as a basic guide.

2. Create a hook on one end of the wire and shape into a circle.  If you need assistance getting your circle just so try wrapping it around a salt box, glass or a soup can.  Works like a charm ;)

NOTE: if you are going to be working with children you may want to file both ends of the wire before moving along to the next step.  Some wire can be very sharp when cut and could easily puncture a child's skin.



3. Now for the fun part!  String the buttons...  Since I am using 2 colors ~ green and red ~ I decided to string 7 green then 3 red.  I repeated it until I had only about 1.5-2" of wire left. 

4. After you have all the buttons on the wire that you need, wrap the extra wire around the original hook.  Create a loop and wrap the rest of the wire around the center.  This isn't an exact science...just so it's knotted up and won't come loose.



5. Tie a bow at the top of the wreath to cover your knot and loop.   Add any additional embellishments that you'd like to top off your wreath ~ ideas might include a mini candy cane, holly, mistletoe, holiday miniature, snowflakes, etc.



You can whip these little devils up in about 5-10 minutes a piece depending on how large each wreath is.  I used 56 green and 24 red buttons for the large wreath.  If you are using various sizes of buttons you will probably use less because the buttons I had on hand were thin and uniform.

How's that for quick and easy to start off our holiday ornaments!

Tomorrow I have a great gift idea that will work for both guys and gals on your list!

See you then!