You can either purchase already dried hydrangea flowers from your local craft store, or you can dry your own. The biggest trick when drying your own is timing of when you pick flowers. It is best to pick them right before you anticipate your first fall frost. If you pick them mid-summer, they just will not dry correctly.

You can either hang them upside down in a darkened room to dry, or you can set them in a vase upright, even adding a tiny bit of water in bottom of vase, although even that is optional. As long as they are picked at correct time, it’s difficult to fail with them. It’s fun if you can, to pick several blooms from different bushes, as it will provide a nice variety of colors to wreath. After they are dried, pick off any dead / discolored brown blooms.

Now, pick type of base you want to use for a wreath. My personal favorites are either Styrofoam or grapevine type wreath bases. Take some floral wire and wrap it around wreath, then form a loop of wire to hang from wall, and then wrap wreath again. You might try hanging it from wall at this point to make sure it lies correctly, and then make any needed adjustments while wreath is bare.

One moment you're just so tempted to paste embellishment onto your page, and next moment you're questioning yourself, "Should I? Should I not?” You even wonder if you're just trying to force that simply irresistible page accent onto your page to satisfy your craving for… more embellishments.

Well, you're in good company. I still remember first time I encountered packets and packets of wondrous embellishments. My eyes sparkled with enthusiasm, and my heart fluttered in excitement and truth was, I simply can't decide. What a rush!

So for anyone who loves scrapbooking embellishments, we have to learn some balancing acts and avoid falling into trap of overwhelming pages with loads of such page accents.

Here's some tips for you to consider when you're holding that simply irresistible piece of embellishment in your hand, and pausing for that momentous decision.

TIPS: