Wreath for Dad's 80th Birthday

On October 2, 2010, my dad turned 80.  What a special day that was for
my family.  Before this day arrived, I knew that something special needed
to take place for my dad.  Growing up, I was very lucky.  I came from a
large family, was loved every day, and my daddy was a wonderful provider. 
We never wanted for anything.  We lived in a modest home, had plenty to
eat, and had clothes to wear and as we got older, we had an allowance to
spend.  That was for all my other siblings...3 boys and another sister too.
Sooo for my daddy's birthday, I really wanted to surprise him by having
the whole family there.  I started planning in August.  I contacted all family
members so they could put this event on their calendar. 
Do you know how hard it is to get a family of five kids together, plus their
families???  Everyone was able to come except for one grandchild....
Chris...we missed you! 
Chris had just moved to Texas and just couldn't get here. 
I wanted to make something special for my dad.  I felt that since he was
turning 80, whatever I made, had to show pictures of him throughout his life. 
Then I was wondering how to display all these pictures. 
I didn't just want to put a bunch of pictures in frames and sit them out. 
I wanted them all together.  Something I could "HANG" up for everyone to see. 
I thought at first that I might put this on the front door as a birthday welcome. 
That's when I thought of doing a wreath. 
I could hang it somewhere else if I wanted too and I could also add some
paraphernalia to it.
So I started gathering items for the wreath. 
Whenever I begin a project, I put a tray on the table and
anything I think I might use, I place it in the tray.
Here are a list of items I used for my "Birthday Wreath."

Grape vine wreath
Pictures
Ribbon
Clothes Pins
Wooden Letters
Wooden Hearts
Tags
White Card stock (printer size)
Ink - Tim Holtz
Hot Glue Gun
Jewelry leaves

I've been working with my dad on family history for a while, so I went
through some of his pictures and reprinted the ones I want to use.
My dad had an older brother, so I didn't find any pictures of him alone
when he was growing up.  When I put the pictures on the wreath,
I put them on clockwise in sequence.
I knew I needed ribbon, but I didn't want anything blingy.  This
was for an 80 year old man.  My dad has always had a love for the
Smoky Mountains, so when I ran across some green plaid, burlap
and dark green ribbon at Michael's, I knew it was perfect.  I also
found some twine, and some wooden letters and hearts
that I thought I could use.  I had some thin ribbon in the beige colors
that I had purchased at Hobby Lobby.  I planned on putting this ribbon
on the clothes pins.
I knew I would be printing out comments/quotes on the computer, so I got
out my Tim Holtz Inks. I got to thinking about how to attach all this on the wreath and
I went through my stash and found some clothes pins.  Perfect!
All the items on this wreath can be easily removed.  The only things hot glued were the
bow, the wooden letters: Papa, and the wooden hearts.  

This project wasn't time consuming or expensive. I bet I spent less than $30 dollars.
Everyone that viewed the wreath commented on how wonderful it turned out. 
This project is simple and easy to do.  If you can't make a bow, you can easily
go to a craft store that makes floral arrangements, and they will make one for you.
One other thing that I thought of when I made this wreath is that it is a versatile project.
This could be used for other occasions, such as a baby shower, a graduation, or
holidays.  I have even thought of putting all the pictures I have of my boys with Santa
on one. Well, that will be a project for another day.  If you think of doing this for a
special occasion and have questions, just send me an email or leave me a comment.
Mylissa