How to make a Dahlia book page wreath

I have wanted to make a Dahlia book page wreath for a while.  After seeing lots of pictures of them all over and loving the look of them, I decided it was time to make one.  I knew it would fit in perfect with my late summer mantel.  I also love that fact that is a very cheap DIY project to make.  You can use an old book you have around already or even pick up a cheap book at a thrift store.  The best part is that the end product looks stunning and it looks like something you would spend a lot of money on at the store.

*There are links to products in this post that I use or are similar to products I use.  If you buy something from one of these links, I will make a small commission from the purchase.  I will not recommend anything that I would not buy myself.

For this project you will need:

• Old book – the older the better as the pages will be more yellow and it will give a vintage look to your wreath.  The pages need to be big enough to cut out a 4 x 4”(inch) square.
• Hot Glue Gun
• Piece of cardboard – I just used the top of a large pizza box (FREE!!)
• Ball Bearing Compass  – you know, the ones you used in high school math class 🙂
• Paper Cutter – you could just use scissors but the paper cutter works so much easier and gives you nice straight lines.
• Scissors
• 6” piece of ribbon    

Don’t want to read all the instructions? Here is a quick little video showing you how make the wreath. If you can’t see the video, turn off your ad blocker. If you want more detailed instructions, continue reading. 

Using your compass, draw a 12” circle on your cardboard and cut it out.  Using the same hole, draw a 10” circle inside of the 12” circle.  This gives you a nice guideline on where to glue your first row of cones.  Next start tearing pages out of your book.  From the pages you will cut 4×4” squares, I used 102 on my wreath.  You will also need a few 3×3” squares for the middle, I used 9 on my wreath.  This is why the paper cutter makes it easier, you can whip through these squares pretty quick.  I would not want to cut these all out by hand!

Take one of your 4×4” pieces and form it into a cone shape.  I found it easiest to bring two opposite corners in towards each other and overlap them.  It is okay if there is a gap at the bottom, they don’t have to overlap all the way down.  Put some hot glue underneath the seam where it overlaps.   Be careful not to burn yourself!  That glue is hot!  Repeat this step with all your squares.  This is a great time to binge watch some episodes of your favorite show on Netflix.  🙂

Start gluing down your cones to your cardboard on the line you previously drew.  I glued them about ¾” to 1” apart.  You just want to make sure there is enough room for the next layer to nestle in between the previous layer.

Continue gluing down layers.  I found that with each layer I was gluing more of the bottom of the cone to the cardboard.

Use the 3×3” squares for the two middle layers.  

Glue the ribbon in a loop on the back of the cardboard and hang up your wreath!

This was a very easy project with beautiful results.  It is amazing that you can transform an old book into something that looks so elegant.  If you do not want to use an old book, another great way to make this wreath would be to use colored paper and match it with your decor.  Are you inspired to make one for yourself?

Kimberly