Paper cone wreath

July 31, 2016

One of my friends moved recently, and wanted to get rid of a set of encyclopedias. The library didn't want them and Goodwill didn't want them. She didn't want to throw them out, but what to do?

I ended up taking all of them thinking maybe they would be good for some type of craft. There's tons of ideas online for what to do with old encyclopedias, so I did a little research and watched a few YouTube tutorials.

My finished project . . . 


We are having our Second Annual Book Club Sleepover at my house this weekend. Several ladies expressed interest in helping me reduce my stash of encyclopedia paper!!, so I made this practice wreath ahead of time.

I originally thought of all of us making wreaths from paper roses. Isn't this rose pretty?


But I told them they'd have to come to a week-long summer camp here if we were going to make roses! They are time consuming. A perfect craft, though, to do while watching movies.


The cones can be put together much more quickly. I used 92 to make my wreath (each was made with two sheets to make them a little sturdier). If you look closely, you can see I started with Volume 1 -- the word aardvark can be seen on one of the cones!


Thirty-three volumes. My wreath, which ended up much bigger than I expected, at about 30 by 30 inches, only used up one-third of Volume 1. So we could make around 100 of these wreaths.

Um, no.

I will have to think of something else to do with what's left after our sleepover. Any ideas?

I watched two movies making this wreath. So it took about 3 to 3 1/2 hours to make. After rolling the cones and stapling them, I hot-glued them onto foam board in a pattern following two circles made by tracing a dinner plate and then a salad plate onto the foam board.

(I haven't used a hot glue gun for a long time. Mine was hard to use with both the stand and trigger not working. I had to push the glue through manually using an extra glue stick. How nice to go get a new one and discover they have cordless ones now!)



I just laid the cones at noon, three o'clock, six o'clock, and nine o'clock, and then started filling in. The second row, the cones on the inner circle, were hot-glued in between the cones on first layer.


Then I thought a third layer was needed, so I just drew a third little inner circle, and glued more around. I used 92 cones in all.




You can make the cones longer or shorter depending on how you roll them. Just staple the cones at the bottom and then again toward the top to keep them together. Make sure the staples on the top are hidden when you glue the cone onto the foam board.

 I've seen some really pretty wreaths using old sheet music. And I've seen people "age" the paper by dying in tea.

I just used a binder clip on the back on the foam board to hang the wreath on a nail in the wall. 

Now, I just need something for the middle. I've seen pictures on Pinterest of wreaths like this with shells, bows, photos, and Christmas ornaments (particularly pretty with cones made using Christmas carol sheet music) glued into the center.



I decided to put a silk flower in the center of mine. Hmm, which one?

This plate was part of a collection on the wall before I put up the wreath. I will probably put the plates back up and hang the wreath elsewhere.

I decided to go monochromatic.

Maybe this needs some leaves around the rose or some lace. What do you think?

My next project will be with paper roses. That's going to involve some serious movie watching and probably a much smaller wreath!  



Well, there it is . . . I rarely do a DIY post; I feel like a real blogger today!

Thanks for coming by friends. 

24 comments

  1. You will have to go into business making these!!
    Thank you for the very clear instructions. I've seen the wreathes on other blogs but never knew just how they were put together.

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  2. Hi dear Deborath ,, me encanto esa corona de papeles , muchas gracias por compartir el paso a paso ,, espero que tengas un bendecido comienzo de semana
    Cariños

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  3. How pretty! A while back on Pinterest, I saw where folks are using old book pages to print a rabbit, dog, bird, etc. and then framing it. The roses are very nice, also. Wishing you a very nice afternoon, Deborah.

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  4. OMG, how incredibly creative !!!
    Imagine how many different looks you could make with this idea? Spray paint them any color or colors? It's endless. I'm happy you showed us this. Great with the holidays coming up, and great for kids too. xx's

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  5. Interesting to see how these paper cone wreaths come together. Sad isn't it that many older books have nowhere to go? I just donated a pile of gardening books to a goodwill pickup, the library didn't want them.

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  6. Beautiful! And your instructions were so well explained. Thanks for this info - I plan to make one now that I am clear on what to do.

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  7. Oh, Deb- that is FABULOUS! I absolutely love it - you did a perfect job, wow- love love love! Your book club sleep-over sounds fun. Have a wonderful time! HUGS!

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  8. This looks so simple and gorgeous ♥

    summerdaisy.net

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  9. I like your wreath, and I love your profile picture too! My mom has a paper cone wreath that has some tinsel and Christmas-y things in the center for her door at Christmas. Beautiful!

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  10. It's really lovely, yet I can see how making one would be enough. One hundred more? Nope. Wonder if a school art teacher would like to take them? So many projects; so little time.

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  11. What a clever way to repurpose old encyclopedias. Your paper wreath looks great, Deborah! My parents are trying to get rid of Funk and Wagnalls Encyclopedias from '70s (!!!), but I'm not crafty enough to make paper wreaths or roses...

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  12. An impressive wreath, looks amazing. Such a great way to recycle unwanted books. Like Vee I am going to suggest an art School project would want them.

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  13. Deborah, this is great, and you girls are going to have a blast making these.

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  14. Awesome! Thanks for the info....
    I love your wreath! 😀

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  15. Wow, look at you! You have crated a beautiful wreath and those roses are adorable. You could even spray paint the wreath in a light color so as to still see the writing. Just a thought??
    A great way to recycle those books, Deborah, but you certainly have a long way to go. HA!

    Enjoy your day~~

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  16. Dearest Deborah,
    Love the wreath but such a fact that nobody wants a classy set of encyclopedias makes me want to sob... Isn't that a shame?!
    Oh, you for sure have lots of material to make many more things.
    Looks good but over time they will yellow and collect dust...
    Sending you August blessings,
    Hugs,
    Mariette

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  17. Your wreath is awesome. The paper rose is simple but adds so much. Looking forward to more paper roses as I have considered making one or two. Thanks Deborah, for the encyclopedia recycling tip. I suppose it could work with other discarded books. Jill

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  18. Hi Deborah, LOVE your book page wreath. Your instructions are great. The paper rose is incredible too. This was a great idea to use up the old encyclopedia pages. I have wanted to make one of these for so long. Now I will be on the outlook for a few old books. Thanks for sharing and have fun creating more. What great Christmas ideas for this too. Blessings for a Happy August!! xo

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  19. Deb, this is absolutely stunning! What a great idea for using up those old books. You know, I was just thinking the other day about the volumes and volumes of encyclopedias that we all used to have and what folks have done with them. I also really like the roses! Enjoy your week :)

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  20. Oh my goodness these are AWESOME!!!!
    What fun you will all have creating together at your sleepover this weekend.
    I hope you post some of the results...

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  21. Your wreath is so very pretty, Deborah! What a great idea to use your encyclopedias! I hope you and the girls have a wonderful time this weekend. The rose wreath is going to be beautiful. Speaking of beautiful.....your profile picture is stunning! I love your hair :) xo Karen

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  22. Your recycled encyclopedia paper into a wreath is so pretty, Deborah, and the paper roses are beautiful. I like the flower in the center and you could change it out seasonally, which would be fun.
    Another sleepover....you girls are going to have the best time! I can't wait to hear all about it.

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  23. Oh my this is just gorgeous ! You did a wonderful job and knowing that you are recycling something from one use to another is great. I am sure your friends appreciate being able to participate in this as well. Sounds like a fun weekend! :)

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  24. Deborah,
    that wreath is gorgeous! I love it! I have seen them on pinterest and darn if we didn't get rid of a couple sets of old encyclopedias that would have been perfect for a few hundred of these!! LOL! The roses are pretty too!!! will you be doing a tutorial? hope all is well!
    xo
    Linda

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