Recycling the Holidays!

            Number one on your list for Santa: an iPad, a Kindle, or maybe a Nook?  Whatever tablet device is on your wish list, what will you do with all the clunky books that are soon to just be dust collectors on the shelf?  Here’s a project that will put your favorite book to good use after you’ve downloaded it onto that future slim tablet.  This simple step by step tutorial shows you how to make a unique holiday wreath that can be showcased year round.

Materials Needed:

-old book

-12 x 12” square cardboard

-scotch tape

-hot glue gun

-exacto knife

• Start by taking your 12 x 12” square of cardboard and draw a vertical and horizontal line down the middle of the square.  Draw lines across the diagonals of the square as well breaking the circle into 8 sections.  Draw a circle to connect all the lines as an outline.
• Cut out a 3” diameter circle with an exacto knife.  This will serve as a base.

• Cut the pages out of your book close to the binding with your exacto knife.  If you don’t want to use a book you already have, check your local dollar store for a thick hard cover!

• Roll each individual page into your cone shapes taping the end with a small piece of scotch tape to hold the shape.  You are going to need a lot of cones so I recommend making a good amount to start off with.

• Using a dab of hot glue, glue the points of eight cones to the eight points of the circle.

• In each section, glue 3 more cones onto the base closer to the center hole of the base.  Repeat around the entire base.  This will complete your outermost layer of the wreath.

• You can now move onto the second layer of the wreath.  Draw a circle around the hole of your base to serve as the outline for your second layer.  Glue cones around the outline you have just created.  Repeat around entire circle.

• The last layer will be your final layer.  In order to make a clean center, fold about an 1 ½” of your cone through the hole of the base and to the back and glue.  You will also need to glue a small dot of the open end of the cone to the previous layer for structure stability.  Repeat around the whole circle.

In just eight easy steps you have created a beautiful holiday wreath!  This can also be used as decoration year-round as a floral structure.

Enjoy! Happy Recycling!