Coffee Filter Wreath for Valentines

I needed to fill a space in my home with a touch of color, but really didn't want to go to the store and get some supplies.  I found an idea on Pinterest to make a coffee filter wreath (filters make great preschool projects and we use them often around our house).  Then I visited you tube for some extra instructions (PS there are a lot of tutorials to make this, just pick a couple to watch for some tips).  

 

Here are the written instructions:

1. Cut a heart out of cardboard the size and shape you want.  (Mine was about 1 1/4 inch thick, but the heart was cut from a piece of 8.5x11 piece of paper, traced to cardboard and cut out).

 

2.   Then I just squished the coffee filters up in my hand with no specific folding technique, just very random.  A tip: Have all the outside edges meet up at the top somehow and the center of the filter a point at the bottom. 

3.  Then I bent the point at the bottom over 1/2 inch or so and adhered it to the edges of the wreath (outside and inside edges). 

Repeat squishing and folding the filters, and adhering them to the cardboard heart, until the wreath is full.

 

At this point you can leave the wreath as is, if you need a white one.  But I needed a pinkish one. :)

 



4.  So I mixed 3-4 drops of acrylic paint  (red makes a pinkish color) in a container and added 1/8 cup of water to it.  With a brush I mixed it up and proceeded to paint (carefully) the wreath lightly - as the filters soak the water in quickly.  This gave my wreath a more rugged and distressed feel.  I believe you could also dip the edges of your filters in the same mixture, then let them dry before squishing them and adhering them to the cardboard base.  But I really liked this imperfect shabby look :)

 

Voyla!  A splash of color to your home in a relaxing afternoon project!!