St. Patrick's Day Button Wreath

I have been wanting to make a button wreath ever since I saw this one on Craftapalooza.  And, as an aside, I absolutely LOVES me some Craftapalooza.  Nicole, the blog's author, is a crafting Jedi.  She lives in Australia, which means her choice of words is so different (and I think so much more interesting) than what someone from the Appalachian mountains is used to hearing.  But of course, I can't follow instructions worth a hoot, so I had to make a few variations.  So, without further ado, here is my foray into button wreath making, documented and posted for the whole world to read:

You will need:
Buttons.  And depending on the size of said buttons, you might need LOTS of them.  I found a huge lot of green buttons on eBay for super cheap and then I also raided my mom's button hoard and picked out all the green ones.  Sorry, Mom!
Glue - We will get more specific about this later
Cardboard - I used a cake circle because it was already round, but any kind of thick cardboard will do
Ribbon
Blingy, glittery embellishments (totally optional)

For starters, take your cake circle (I found this pack of 12-inch circles in the wedding aisle of the craft section in Wal-Mart) and flip it over so the unfinished side is facing up.

To cut out your center hole, use something round as a guide, then trace and cut.  I used a Tupperware lid and an xacto knife.  Use some sandpaper or an emery board to file down any rough edges.  And remember, the hole doesn't have to be perfectly centered.  By the time you get the buttons on, everything will look much more even.

*Note - Next time, I think I will either paint the cardboard or wrap it in ribbon, just so the gaps between the buttons won't be so obvious*

Starting with your largest buttons, place them all over your wreath just to get an idea of how far apart to place them.  Once you have them in place, start gluing.

Which brings us to the glue talk.  Nicole on Craftapalooza (see above) said NOT to use a hot glue gun. Did I listen?  No.  Do I wish I had listened?  Yes!  Next time, I will use Gorilla glue or something of the sort.  I have burns on my fingertips that I'm not sure will ever heal.  A friend of mine once said her glue gun released napalm instead of melted glue.  I believe I have the same model that she does.  Lesson learned.  Glue and glue and glue and keep on gluing.  Stack to cover the gaps in between buttons and glue some more.  Once you're done gluing, you will have a somewhat heavy wreath chock full o' buttons.  And if you don't heed my warning about using a hot glue gun, you will also have done (possible) irreparable damage to your fingertips.

Now, use some pretty ribbon or fabric to make yourself a hanger.  I found some sweet antique ribbon in my mom's stash while I was looking for her button collection.  Cut a length of ribbon long enough to go around the top of the wreath and hang down several inches.  Glue one end to the back of the wreath.

Loop the ribbon around the front of the wreath and glue the other end down.

*There my fingers are, flirting with the dangerous glue gun.*

Next, it's time to add your optional blingy and/or glittery embellishment(s).  I found this shamrock spinner at Michael's.  It already had a ribbon loop at the top, so I just glued the top of the loop to the back of the wreath - right over top of my hanger.  Who's going to see the back of the wreath, anyway?  I mean besides everyone who might read this.

Let your wreath dry on a flat surface just to be sure your it doesn't buckle, and you're done!  I had Adam hold ours up to the back of the front door just to get an idea of how it would look hanging.

So, there you go.  Cute, super easy, and super cheap to make, especially if you already have buttons on hand.
Now, I wonder if this will convince a Leprechaun to leave a pot o' gold at me front door this year?