Another Living Room Project...and a Decorating Philosophy

Yep. I made a bookpage wreath. Two, actually.

The first one was inspired by this picture, which I'm a little embarrassed to admit out loud because mine looks nothing like that one now. In fact, mine was such a hot mess in the middle, I had to add a few book page roses to cover it up. For the bottom wreath, I used a flower punch and glued the pages around a styrofoam wreath. I envisioned them on the same wall, sort of off-center...but it looked terrible.

So the smaller one is hanging out there on the handle until I figure out what to do with it. And since I'm all about keeping things real, I didn't clear the stuff off the dresser. I still need to figure out what's going there.

The six-years-ago me -- the one who originally decorated this house -- would have balked at the idea of a bookpage wreath because they are all over the Internet. I would have been afraid of being too trendy. And if I could, I'd go back and give her a stern talking-to and tell her that it really doesn't matter. Make something trendy if you love it. Make it your own.

And, on the flip side, if something unconventional grabs you -- embrace that, too.

Who, that? That's Patrick Henry, my favorite revolutionary. I saw him at a thrift store and knew he must be mine and come home and live in this green frame on my wall.

Maybe it's age, but I'm finally getting to a place where I can experiment a little with things. If I hate them, I can move them around or change them out. But I refuse to be paralyzed and do nothing anymore. Because the only thing worse than ugly home decor is none at all.

**Update: A few people were asking how I made the first wreath. I took one trashy novel, ripped the pages out and rolled them lengthwise, then hot-glued the end of the page to make a loose-ish tube (this is all a very imperfect sort of craft). I hot-glued the paper rolls around the wreath with the bottom end at the edge of the hole in the wreath. I then did another row of paper rolls, bringing them closer to the middle. Continue rows toward the middle until your wreath is nice and full. My last row I actually cut the paper rolls in half to make them shorter. I added a few paper roses (link above) wherever I thought I needed some more fullness. I hope that all makes sense -- please let me know in the comments if you have any questions!

Linking to:

A Bowlful of Lemons, The DIY Dreamer

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