Starburst Wreath

Have you heard of Pick Your Plum?? I just found it a week ago and have already made two purchases. I bought a set of craft paper labels and 4 packs of paper straws. Aren't they just dreamy? The colors and prints are so vibrant; I just had to have all four.

But, I have a problem. We don't have any children that are begging for fun straws for their milk. I don't throw cute little backyard soirres where these would be right at home. So what should I do? Make a wreath of course! A wreath? Yep! Considering that Summer is wrapping up (boo!), I figured that it's as good a time as any to replace my Hawaiian wreath with something a bit more transitional.

I went on a search and saw Yellow Mum's Sunshine Wreath and found myself drooling all over my keyboard. Even though Summer is almost over, Autumn is no where near here so it seemed a bit premature to whip this one together as is. Nevertheless, I pinned it immediately and figured I could put a spin on it to make it the best non-seasonal wreath ever. This is what I came up with:

As with most of my projects, it's pretty simple. You only need a handful of supplies:

• 35-40 straws 
• 2 old CDs
• Hot glue gun & glue
• Optional: paint (for CDs) and embellishments

1. If you'll be painting your CDs (I suggest you do), choose whatever color you'd like and go to town. Make sure they are completely dry before moving on.
2. Hot glue a single layer of straws in equal increments around the center ring on the CD. It took me 19 straws to get completely around it.
3. In between each straw, add another. This is what creates the trendy starburst effect! Don't worry if it's a little messy on this side because they'll get covered up soon.
4. Hot glue the second CD directly on top. See? I told you it would get covered up! If you'd prefer something simple, you could stop here.
5. Since it was a bit plain for me, I opted to add some embellishments. Since I used coordinating shades of gray and white, I wanted TEXTURE. I made a variety of blooms: pom-poms, a crocheted bud, a rickrack blossom, and a large ruffled flower. I affixed these finishing touches securely with some hot glue and I was done.

Isn't it lovely? Our front door has been open all day just so I can keep staring at it!

As you can see, we have a glass door so the straws are completely protected from the elements. I may have reconsidered this project if that weren't the case because I'm not sure how well the straws would stand up to rain.

We have a traditional colonial and the wreath brings just a bit of whimsy and pizazz to the front porch. It's modern but playful at the same time. Perfect combo if you ask me.

If you didn't already know would you have guessed that this was a couple of old CDs and a handful of drinking straws?! Probably not and neither will your visitors.

Even though I made mine as a wreath, I think this would be cute as a button in a nursery.

While it's important that I love it (and I definitely do), what do you think?

If you thought this was a great upcycling project, you should consider following Spool and Spoon via email or through Google Friend Connect for other tutorials and recipes that are sure to tickle your fancy. Also, did you know we have a Facebook? Hop on over so you don't miss any of the fun. 

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