Alexander - Make your own wreaths: for any occasion in any season

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Copyright 2016 by Stackpole Books

Published by Stackpole Books

An imprint of Globe Pequot

Trade Division of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.

4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706

www.rowman.com

Distributed by National Book Network

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

The contents of this book are for personal use only. Patterns contained herein may be reproduced in limited quantities for such use. Any large-scale commercial reproduction is prohibited without the written consent of the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

First edition

Cover design by Wendy A. Reynolds

Photography by Spencer Stanton, Stanton Photography, Greenville, SC

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Alexander, Nancy, 1950 author.

Title: Make your own wreaths : for any occasion in any season / Nancy Alexander.

Description: First edition. | Mechanicsburg, PA : Stackpole Books, [2016]

Identifiers: LCCN 2015039132 | ISBN 9780811716192

Subjects: LCSH: Wreaths.

Classification: LCC SB449.5.W74 A44 2016 | DDC 745.92/6dc23 LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015039132

T hank you for joining me on this delightful journey into creating wreathsfrom my wild and woodsy signature style to glamorous Christmas wreaths, and everything in between. Before we get started, Id like to share the story of how I created my business, Ladybug Wreaths. My passion for wreaths started long before I opened my storefront and online businesses. In fact, it started when I was a young girl walking alongside my grandmother and my daddy in my hometown of Anderson, South Carolina.

As the oldest girl in a family of five, I often found myself spending several days a week at my grandmothers home. My precious grandmother radiated warmth and unconditional love as she included me in whatever creative project she undertook. She often had several projects going on at the same time.

During those weekly visits, which spanned many years, I learned how to paint furniture, sew clothing, and do counted cross-stitch. My grandmother could make beautiful works of art out of just about anything. Simple clippings from her garden turned into elegant bouquets in her strong, slender fingers.

Her hands reflected a beautiful inner strength that gave her patience to teach me to crochet scarves with tiny crochet needles. Her resilient spirit still shone in her eighties, when she realized her ceilings needed painting and didnt hesitate to climb up on her kitchen table and do it herself. I helped her dig a goldfish pond in her backyard that same year simply because she wanted to.

My daddy also nurtured my love for being outside as he found much joy working in his gardens and making our home so beautiful. If he wasnt at work in the service department of Duke Power, then you could always find him working in his yard. Our well-kept lawn was the envy of the neighborhood, and his hosta plants brought lots of attention and admiration from those who passed by.

Daddy was passionate about growing plants and taught me how to thoughtfully arrange them to create visual interest through layering the rows with plants of varying textures and colors. Of course, he didnt use those exact words as I worked beside him, but he certainly laid the foundation for how I could forever see the world in shapes and colors. He taught me how to be wild and woodsy.

Through my time spent outside and alongside these two wonderful people, I simply fell in love with nature. I discovered that when I placed sticks together of varying lengths from different trees, I could make a creative arrangement in one of Mamas vases. So much beauty existed around me just waiting for me to notice and embrace it. My wild and woodsy style is a reflection of how I see the world and it speaks to my deep appreciation of the lessons I learned from these people I dearly loved.

O ne of the most important things I learned early in my career in wreath design is that the tools and supplies I use greatly affect the quality of my wreaths. It has taken years of trial and error, but now I am confident that I have found the best tools and supplies for each and every job.

Tool Basket

Im sure every designer has her own supply basket or caddy. Mine is a basket. I function much better when my basket is organizedeven down to the floral picks divided into sizes. From wire-cutters and glue guns, to pipe cleaners and wreath materials, there is a specific reason for using each particular type of material or tool in my wreaths. This information is valuable and can save you a lot of time. I have spent years doing all the research which you can benefit from, simply by reading this book.