Ruffled valentine wreath

So.... I told you yesterday that the fuzzy heart was just a sneak peak and that it was part of a bigger project. Here it is:

My ruffle Valentine wreath.

My ruffles didn't quite turn out like I planned, but that's the beauty of DIY. You can take something and morph it and make it yours. You can still make things work even when they don't go as planned. I was inspired by this wreath at Sunshine Mama.

Since I put myself on a craft spending diet, I started with a cardboard box and cut a circle wreath form, much like she did. Her directions are probably better than mine would be. I started out tracing a cookie sheet and another lid and then got the husband involved with a measuring tape.  Just follow her directions for the base. I coated my cardboard form with Mod Podge for some extra stability as we live in a humid climate and I was afraid the cardboard would not hold up outside.

I had some canvas-like material that I bought at Goodwill. When I got it home and unfolded it, I discovered that it was a curtain someone had cut the bottom off of and did not hem. I don't blame them- it's really hard to sew and absolutely did not want to ruffle. I had to ruffle by hand. I sewed them with my running stitch on one side, so I did not get a two sided ruffle like the inspiration wreath- hence, mine is flatter. But I went with them anyway and glued two rows all the way around. Since I did this, I opted to have all of my strips the same width. (Well, I would if I had it to do over. A few are a little narrower than others, but again, I think I made it work. 10 foot rule- that's what the hubby says about movie props and costumes- made to look good from 10 feet away. No one passing by on the street will be able to tell, LOL. ) I had a few narrower pieces left over that I actually got ruffled somewhat on the machine and rolled them into flowers for the bottom.

 I then tied my fuzzy heart to the wreath at the top  and that was it!

Took a little longer than I wanted it to, but I'm happy with it for this year. I see some modifications coming for next year as I think it might be missing something. I'm open for suggestions.

I'll be linking up to GET YOUR CRAFT ON  and others listed on the side.