Monday, September 17, 2012

Inkling: brown bag wreath {faux bay leaves}


I love those bay leaf wreaths that you can buy. I’m sure that they smell wonderful and it’s a nice idea to be able to pluck a bay leaf from your wreath when you’re cooking. But they can be pricey. Even buying fresh bay leaves and making your own wreath can add up. Here’s a way to get the look for less.




Make a faux bay leaf wreath from brown paper grocery bags.


Here’s the how-to:
Blog Brown Bag Wreath Collage
  • Gather several brown paper grocery bags. I probably used 4-5 bags to make this wreath. Cut the bags down to workable flat pieces of paper avoiding any imprinted areas.
  • Use craft paint or water color paints and water - I used green and brown. Using a lot of water wet your paper and dab on the paint so that it’s not uniform.
  • Once your sheets are dry cut out your leaves. You can fold the paper and cut several at once. 

Add a hanger to your wreath form and start gluing on your leaves. For this project I used a glue gun. To achieve a more natural look slightly curl each leaf with your fingers as you add them.



I love the look of water color and the effect is even more muted and water colory on these brown bags.





From throw-away grocery store bags to a pretty wreath. 

Thanks for visiting.
Carolyn
Pin It
I link at the wonderful parties listed here and 
UndertheTableandDreaming Tip Junkie handmade projects Photobucket Photobucket 
Visit thecsiproject.com

46 comments :

  1. Carolyn that is flipping awesome! I thought it was made from real leaves but I love it even better knowing you recycled a bag! I love it!!!! Susan

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is a great idea! I love recycling things :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Amazing! Love it Carolyn
    xo,
    Alexis

    ReplyDelete
  4. What an awesome idea! Your bay leaf wreath is so realistic looking and I love the upcycle factor too. Love it! ~Melanie

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sometimes people come up with wreath ideas that don't quite work (myself included). Yours, however, is really lovely.

    ReplyDelete
  6. This is so cool, I thought it was real at first. I really like it!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. it's fabulous! bravo!

    smiles to you and hope you'll visit soon.

    michele

    ReplyDelete
  8. This is so pretty Carolyn!! It looks so real!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Ah Carolyn this is stunning!! You have perfect taste girl!! Love it!

    ReplyDelete
  10. That is absolutely stunning! I would love it if you would link it up to the Fall into the Holidays blog hop!

    http://redcrowgreencrow.wordpress.com/2012/09/16/fall-into-the-holidays-2-happy-misgivings-day/

    Katie @ Horrific Knits

    ReplyDelete
  11. Who would have thought! It looks fantastic! Guess I'll be saving those bags for a new project ;)

    -Fotini

    ReplyDelete
  12. this is simply beautiful - only you can pull off something like this Carolyn, I love how you did not add any flowers or any other adornments on it. Simplicity is beauty really, and this is an epitome of that. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  13. very pretty and so simple!! Nice work!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Carol..you beat me to the punch.. I was going to make some paper magnolia leafs....this looks super pretty...xo

    ReplyDelete
  15. very pretty! looks better than an actual dried bay leaf wreath. I'm so remembering this!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I love that you upcycled a grocery bag, Carolyn!! It really gives the wreath some thickness. It looks so real!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Carolyn, this might just be my favorite project of yours now! This looks so elegant and sophisticated - great job!

    ReplyDelete
  18. This is a fantastic project! The wreath is absolutely gorgeous!
    Would you consider linking this up at my Pinworthy Projects Party? I hope to see you there!

    ReplyDelete
  19. This is so incredible - really - and that you recycled paper bags is unbelievable!
    Love it!

    ReplyDelete
  20. I'm usually not a fan of faux, but this wreath looks so real. Great job! You got the color and the shape of the leaves just right. Wow.

    Any chance you'll post your leaf template?

    ReplyDelete
  21. Beautiful - unbelievable that it is made from brown paper bags. I love it and am pinning it.....Found you through Snap's linky party....

    ReplyDelete
  22. very sweet wreath! I love paper!
    Lezlee

    ReplyDelete
  23. Blown away! So completely gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  24. This is a really cute wreath. I was thinking copper spray paint would be great for autumn, and silver or gold spray paint for the winter. I liked your tutorial so much I just featured you in my weekly Crafty Thursdays post.
    -Viva recently posted 4 Simple Ways to Save Money

    ReplyDelete
  25. No WAY!!!!
    You can't tell at all these are made from a brown [paper bag! This is terrific...
    You are one smart girl....

    ReplyDelete
  26. Carolyn!!! This is GORGEOUS!!!! What a clever project!

    ReplyDelete
  27. I love this so much! Everything you do is beautiful. I'm featuring you tomorrow. XO, Aimee

    itsoverflowing.com | simply inspired home living

    ReplyDelete
  28. GORGEOUS!!! Such a fantastic idea, thanks for the tip...I always try to think of things to use mine for but hadn't thought out of the box 'this' much...just fantastic! :)

    Dawn

    www.leroylime.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  29. Elegant and so, so clever! I love the wreath and the way that your technique for making the faux bay leaves can be used in so many different ways -- swags, boutonnieres, embellishments for presents, etc.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Great use of paper bags. Fabulous!

    ReplyDelete
  31. That is just lovely! I have always wanted to have a fresh bay leaf wreath, but never did b/c of the cost... this is a great idea to get the look!

    P.S. Saw you featured over at Vanessa's..Nifty Thrifty Things.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Great idea to make something awesome for nothing! Proof positive that you don't have to pay the big bucks to have style in your home :)

    ReplyDelete
  33. This is amazing. Every year I look at these in the Williams Sonoma catalog , and every year I can't justify what they're asking. You've solved that! Just wanted to let you know I featured it as part of my weekly link party wrap up today.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Amazing! You are so creative and skilled. Thank you for linking your beautiful creation!

    ReplyDelete
  35. This is the coolest thing ever, I love it so much! Pinning this!!

    ReplyDelete
  36. I absolutely love this wreath Carolyn! It reminds me of my bay leaf trees! It's beautiful. Thanks for linking it up to our Countdown to Fall Party!
    ~ Kim @ Sand & Sisal

    ReplyDelete
  37. I love this! Just pinned it to try later! Thanks for sharring! Visiting from the CSI Project link up.

    ReplyDelete
  38. What an incredible wreath! It turned out so neat. I would have never thought to try this. I'll have it on my FB.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Your wreath is still being admired over 2 years later! Congrats for that! I'd like to ask some specific questions -- 1 What is the approximate size of the wreath you created (diameter)? 2 What is the general size of the individual leaves (length, width)? 3 What type of base did you use? (cardboard, wire, straw, vine, styrofoam, etc.) Thanks for your inspiration and your help!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BJ - thank you so much. The wreath is approximately 12-14" in diameter. Each leaf is approximately 2 inches long. I used an inexpensive foam base for this project but any type of base would work. Hope that helps! Happy crafting.

      Delete
  40. After pricing artificial greenery I used Carolyn's technique to make laurel leave crowns for a costume. Well done!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting and leaving a comment. I enjoy reading and responding to your comments. If you do not hear back from me via email your profile is most likely defaulted to no reply-comment or anonymous and I am unable to respond.