Book Page Wreath {Pages o' Potter}

I mentioned in my Potter canvas post {HERE}, a pretty little girl I know is having a birthday soon...

I like to make a big deal out of my sweet little girls' birthdays {I think they enjoy it... but it might be mostly me.}.  I start the planning process a few months before the big event and usually need at least a month to handle all the preparations.  The parties are always themed, the invitations are always handmade and the decor is always awesome.

Maia's birthday themes {1-5}:  Butterfly, Train, Tinkerbell Carnival, Bubbles, Gardening

Ella's birthday themes {1}:  Teddy Bear Picnic

I can safely say, this party is going to be my best yet.

Earlier this month I started the snitch rolling with my girly version of Harry Potter canvas art.  This week the snitch is taking flight with my absolutely fabulous Pages O' Potter Wreath!

Isn't he a doll?

The best part about my wreath?  The little trinkets I made to embellish it!

These were so fun to make and I think will receive the most "oohs" and "aahs" for sure.

Owl:  Charm found at Michaels.

Broom:  I cut a paintbrush down slightly, sanded it, painted the handle and hairsprayed the brush portion so it was more spread out.  I hand painted "Nimbus 2000" on the end.

Wand:  I sanded and painted the tip of the paintbrush that I had cut for the broom.

Snitch:  I found a random, wooden knob in the craft closet and painted it gold.  I cut the wings out using my Silhouette.

Potion Bottles:  I bought the Tim Holtz 9 vial set at Joann's on sale.  I chose the smallest vials and filled them with water that I then tinted with food coloring {blue and red}.

Dragon:  I bought the charm at Michaels and then hand painted it.

Pegasus:  Another cute charm found at Michaels and then hand painted.

Frog:  And again, a charm I found at Michaels and then hand painted for the "chocolate" look.

Key:  An embellishment that came off of a wedding gift card I had saved.

Glasses:  I drew and cut these on my Silhouette.  I cut out scraps of book pages to fill the glasses.

Scar:  I drew and cut this out using my Silhouette.

I attached each of these sweet little things with wire, string or glue {whatever worked best for each item}.

This year's theme was a no brainer because my Maia is a Harry Potter fanatic.  My husband recently started reading the books to her and they are loving it {they are on the 3rd book now}!  She has all the movies and asks to watch them every chance she gets {there was a short period of time that she was forbidden because of some Serious Black induced fear of the dark}.  

I started gathering ideas for this b-day bash after last year's party {was that too soon?}.  I have pages of notes in my brainstorming notebook {gotta have paper and pen handy at all times!} and a Harry Potter Party Pinterest board.

Be prepared to see a whole lotta Potta over the next month.

From here until the end of April I will be sharing at least one Harry Potter inspired craft with all of you each week!  It will all come together on April 30th when I unveil Maia's Harry Potter Party Masterpiece!

I started this project after I heard about the wreath theme for March in the {new} Pinspired & Rewired Challenge put on by fellow brilliant bloggers Gingersnap Crafts, Southern Lovely, The Gunny Sack and Family Ever After.  Have you met these ladies yet?









There will no doubt be some serious competition in this series!  Hopefully my wreath can handle the pressure!

Since the challenge is based on Pinterest inspiration, I scoured Pinterest for a wreath that I could tweak to fit with a Harry Potter birthday party.

To my excitement I found this papery perfection.

{source}

You can check out this pin and my other Potter pins HERE.

The blog where this originates, D Reyne, has a tutorial, but I didn't consult her steps until long after my wreath was complete.  I simply took the inspiration and went with it!  Now that I have read through her tutorial I can see that my path was different.

Since D Reyne has a lovely tutorial I will not post my creation process step-by-step, but I will share a few tips!

My materials:

About 100 Harry Potter book pages from Order of the Phoenix {torn on the left and right side of page}
Stick wreath form from the dollar store {looks to be about 16"}
Strips of linen in a shade close to the book pages
My First Ticonderoga pencil
Embroidery floss in Hogwarts' school colors
Scotch tape
Hot glue & glue gun
Scissors

1.  Use a My First Ticonderoga pencil to roll your book page scrolls {these are designed for Pre-K & K students so they are bigger around than a standard pencil}; unless, of course, you want a tighter scroll.

2.  To keep each scroll closed use a small piece of scotch tape.

3.  Tie scrolls together in bundles of twos and threes and some singles too for a really nice variety and good depth.

4.  Wrap your wreath in a fabric that coordinates with your book pages.  I used linen.  There are bound to be a few gaps here and there where bits of wreath would show if you don't cover it.

5.  Use hot glue to attach the bundles to the wreath.  Even just tying the scrolls into bundles became tiresome and frustrating at times {my least favorite part}.  I can't imagine then also having to tie them to the wreath form.

6.  Glue the bundles to the wreath over a period of a few days.  Put some on and then turn it so you can see a different angle for the next time you add some.  I found this to make it more even and not so monotonous.



I really want to display this on some distressed shutters above the mantel, but I have yet to score any shutters {ARGH!}.  For now he stands alone, patiently waiting.

Linking up to these fabulous parties:
 


Check out my other Harry Potter party posts!

Potter Inspired Canvas Art

Pages O' Potter Book Page Wreath

Potter Party Invites

Felt Hogwarts' Ties

Chocolate Frogs

Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans

Harry Potter Party Reveal

Monday: Crafts Keep Me Sane, Craftomaniac, Making the World Cuter, Skip to my Lou, Mad in Crafts, DIY Home Sweet Home, C.R.A.F.T., Cherished Bliss, Lines Across My Face

Tuesday: Not Just a Housewife, Tip Junkie, Today's Creative Blog, My World Made By Hand, Cowgirl Up!, Chef in Training

Wednesday: 733blog, Someday Crafts, Southern Lovely, Gingersnap Crafts, I Gotta Create, Rae Gun Ramblings

Thursday: The ArtsyGirl Connection, Embracing Change, Delightful Order, 52mantels, Somewhat Simple, Live Laugh Rowe, Hating Martha, Crafty Scrappy Happy

Friday: Tatertots and Jello, A Little Inspiration, Addicted 2 Decorating, Whipperberry, Naptime Crafters, Thirty Handmade Days

Saturday: Six Sister's Stuff, Family Ever After, Be Different Act Normal, Too Much Time on my Hands

Sunday: Homemaker on a Dime, DIY Show Off