Monday, December 14, 2015

New Steampunk Christmas Wreaths

I started Christmas decorating extra early this year, since I knew the steampunk room was going to take some time. This is our first Christmas after the big room renovation, so I was starting from scratch - and with me still fighting off the dregs of a 3-week ear & sinus infection, it's just as well I had so much done early. [Urg]

I'll show you guys the new steampunk tree soon, but first: wreaths! I wanted a matching pair to hang over these two windows on the main focal wall:


I started with two blank wreath forms, then used what I had on hand (Deco mesh, berries, etc.) to wire together a simple, classic design. Trouble was, even with a few small gears mixed in, they just weren't steampunky enough. In fact, they were kind of boring. Bleh.

Enter John the problem solver, who took one look and said, "Why don't we put giant gold gears behind them?"

And so we did:



The gears are made from light weight foam board: John taped two sheets together, drew the gear using a large ruler and some math, then cut out the pattern with a craft blade. After that it just took a few blasts of gold spray paint, and voila! Gears!

We poked small holes in the gears for floral wire, and then wired them directly to the wreaths. They're hung with a bit of rough twine from removable Command hooks, which are hidden under the window valances.

For the finishing touch I hung one of my steampunk nutcrackers in the center of each wreath:








Our room has always leaned to the more elegant side of steampunk (as opposed to grunge and rust), so I think these fit in nicely.


The little gears are the same foil ones I use on just about everything, which my friend Sharyn makes with her die-cutting machine. They're barely thicker than aluminum foil, and impossible to stick down, but oh so shiny and pretty.


I took way too many pictures of these, btw. Can you tell?


Ok, I think you've got the idea. ;)

I'll leave you with a crappy cellphone pic - taken in the dark - of the whole steampunk room:



You can see how the wreath gears catch and reflect the low light. And consider this a blurry sneak peek at the tree, which I'm super excited to show you guys; the new theme is airships & hot air balloons! *squee!*

Plus the whole room has all these little vignettes of shiny glass and sparkly gold, and lemme tell ya, it's just about the prettiest sick house a sick girl could ask for. (I like to pretend the heavy menthol in the air from my vaporizer is the scent of fresh pine. It's... um... kind of close?)

22 comments:

  1. So pretty!! On so many of your projects, you "use stuff I have on hand." I'd love to see how you store all your supplies. (Organization is not one of my strengths.) Hope you're feeling better soon.

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  2. I agree with Tracey; show us all your craft supplies. <3

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    1. Hmm, it's nothing TOO organized; for this I just have an "extras" bin of Christmas greenery supplies that I store with the other decorations in the garage. Just generic stuff like pinecones, berries, leftover garland, ornaments, and ribbon. (One roll of Deco Mesh has lasted me for 3 years now!) During big sales I'll add to the stash, but then I have to sort & purge to make sure it's never more than one bin's worth. :)

      As for my other supplies, they're scattered & hidden all over the house! The apothecary in the DR has all the jewelry bits, gems, pliers, and small items. A plastic rolling cart in the hall closet keeps leather working tools, clay, and larger miscellanea. The DR buffet houses adhesives, craft paints, our sewing machine, and fabric. And the largest stuff, like brass candlesticks & junk for steampunk projects, hangs out in my office closet.

      Basically, anywhere you look over here, you'll probaby find craft stuff stashed away. ;)

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  3. It looks great! It seems to be Lily approved as well ;) Can't wait to see the tree!
    Hope you get better soon. Being sick (especially for weeks) is never fun.

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  4. Hey, in regards to getting sick...

    My natural doc says that with immune problems like Hashi's or Grave's, getting a cold can be a positive thing because it's like exercise for the immune system. When you get over your cold, you might discover that other problems have eased up.

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    1. Gah, I hope you're right! I feel like I'm going to be an extreme germaphobe after this, for fear of getting sick again. o.0

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  5. Beautiful! Feel better soon, so you can enjoy the results of your labors. Wonderful room.

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  6. Those wreaths are perfection.
    A+ job, Jen! (and honorable mention to John, the problem solver!)

    The room looks great!
    - Piper P from Washington State

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  7. What a brilliant idea John had! The giant gears in the background are just right and I love the nutcrackers! I'm digging how cozy Lily looks in the last picture -- just the right touch of Christmas warmth and cheer! Feel better soon, Jen; sinus infections are the exact opposite of fun.

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  8. Wow, those are so cool! I keep looking at your cool Christmas posts from this year and last and randomly deciding to make awesome wreathes and fill the house with homemade golden snitches. Then I remember that I haven't even bothered to get a tree yet and that I'm the lamest decorator in history. Thank you for giving us chronically unmotivated and craft-challenged people great Christmas eye candy! <3

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  9. So pretty! I can't wait to see the new tree in detail.

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  10. Reminds me of this: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/CmrSiJTMf7s/maxresdefault.jpg and the room is wonderful. Well placed Lily too :)

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    1. Ha! How appropriate for a couple of Dizgeeks. :D

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  11. Those wreaths are fantastic! I bought a blank wreath last year on clearance after Christmas with the intention of making it into a steampunk wreath. It's still hanging on the cool hanger I found, with nothing on it. *sheepish look* It's on the project list, I promise!! :) Maybe seeing your awesome wreaths will give me the boost I need to get mine done.

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  12. Menthol is in eucalyptus, so you're close to pine...well, the pine of another hemisphere :-). I hope you feel better soon.

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  13. 1. I love your steampunk-y room, gives me so much hope that I can one day give our (future) house just as much of a creative spin, (I love your tutorials/DIY's), and these wreaths look wonderful!

    2. Do you have a Tumblr? I searched for it but could only an "Epbot" tumblr blog with only 1 post...? (Lol if it was you, but kinda sad/annoying if someone just stole the name.)

    3. Get well soon! :)

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    1. ...Can one edit their comments? I accidentally my sentence.

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  14. How do you keep your cats from attacking all of the sparkly bits? Mine attack every decoration I try to put out. My Christmas tree looks ridiculous, as the lower third is completely bare (and the stinkybutt cats keep attacking higher ornaments, too).

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  15. Killing me with those fantastic wreaths and backers. I adore that idea! They look gorgeous.

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  16. John mathed the hell out of those giant gears! That would've taken me a year to figure out. I bet he had them measured and cut out faster than I could find a ruler.

    I'm loving that beautiful steampunk room, you lucky girl!

    Looking forward to the post on the airships and hot-air-balloons tree!

    Hope you've finally kicked that nasty sinus/ear infection to the curb.

    KW

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