DreamScape Peg Wreath by Elizabeth Arden

Hello. I’m Elizabeth, a former Guest Member of the Lavinia Design Team.

Earlier this month, I posted some photographs of a wreath that I made with wooden clothes pegs (pins), and I had several requests for instructions or a photo tutorial…so here it is.

The supplies I used were:

Dream-Scape papers

Sharp scissors

Clear Drying Wet Glue

Hot glue gun and glue sticks

Distress Ink for the top edges of the pegs

The Steps in creating the card
(click on the first image to view as a slideshow)

: You can use a 10” or 12” double-wire wreath form, with pegs either 5/16th or 3/8th of an inch wide. The quantity of pegs will vary with their width, and I recommend using the narrower pegs for the 10”. Either size can be used for the 12”.

: Clip pegs to the inside wire of your chosen wreath form, then count them. Choose the closest common denominator to arrive at a number of patterned papers and a number of repeats. You can disguise any missing or excess patterns with flowers, butterflies, etc., at the end.

: Measure the width and length of a peg and cut your patterned strips of DreamScape paper just a little larger. Glue these to the pegs and trim the excess, once dry.

: Apply the Distress Ink to the top edges of the pegs, This helps define the edges and tie the various colours together.

: Once you have completed all the pegs, sort them into the order you’d like them on your wreath.

: Clip your decorated pegs onto the inner wire of your wreath form. At this point, you can change the order as you wish. If you have missing or excess patterns, decide where you want the anomaly – I usually have mine at the bottom of my wreath, to be covered by a floral embellishment.

: Place a large tray or cutting mat over the top (back uppermost) of the pegged wreath, and holding it firmly in place, grip the wreath tight to the tray or mat, and turn it over (as you might with a cake).

: Working between two of the joining wires, evenly space the pegs, and put a blob of hot glue on each side and over the top of the outer wire ring, to secure each peg. Once you’ve applied the hot glue to a few pegs, push the inner, opening end of each peg, outwards, hard against the inner wire, and at the same time adjust the spacing of the outer ends before the glue cools. Don’t move the wreath until the pegs are secure, then continue with the next few pegs; repeat all the way around the wreath.

: To prevent the possibly of the scuffing a wall or door, and to further secure them, apply a continuous line of hot glue just inside the inner edge of the pegs, working on a 5” or 6” maximum stretch at a time, effectively joining them all together. Once you’ve applied a length of hot glue, quickly turn the wreath over onto a non-stick and heat-resistant surface and apply very gentle pressure for a couple of seconds to the top surface of the newly glued pegs, and then allow the glue to cool before turning the wreath back, and continuing to the next section.

: Once all the hot glue is hard, turn the wreath face-up, and decide which two or three pegs will be the top. cut a suitable length of ribbon, maybe about 18”, and thread one end under the outer wire on each side of your chosen pegs. Tie in a firm knot, and trim the tails or if you prefer, you can leave the tails long, to hang down inside the centre circle of your wreath

: Decorate your wreath to personalise it. You could add a handmade floral embellishment with organza or other ribbon, and a few flat silver sequins

: You could even add a short string of fairy lights (with a flat/shallow battery compartment, Velcro’d to the back of the pegs) woven in and out of the pegs.

I hope that you enjoyed this tutorial, and maybe make a peg wreath yourself.

Stay safe and well.