Saturday, October 13, 2012

Easy DIY Autumn Wreath Tutorial


After pinning so many fun autumnal decor ideas on my Pinterest board, I thought it was time to finally make something seasonal and festive!  Although I got alot of visual inspiration from the various pins, I ended up making my own version of a wreath that was very simple to make.  I got all the materials at a local craft store (hint: Michaels/ACMoore/etc often have discounts, such as 40% off all holiday decor)

All materials needed for this project



Materials:

-1 twig wreath
-hot glue gun
-seasonal decorated stems (3 or more)
-wire cutter (optional, but helps)

Directions:

1. Purchase at least three or more seasonal decorative stems decor (often found in the floral aisle).  I used five for my project, so that I had more choice for what I wanted to put on my wreath.  The stems don't have to be identical - actually, it can be more interesting to get all different decorative floral stems!
Sample of a decorative floral stem

 2. Next, separate each item from each of the stem cluster.  Sometimes they pull right out, or else use your wirecutters and cut them as close to the main base stem as possible.  You want the individual wire to be long, so it can go inside your wreath later. 

Individual stems separated




 3. Now comes the fun part - arrange all the pieces on the wreath to your liking.  DON'T use the gluegun yet, as you want to plan what you want your wreath to look like when it's completed; this way you can rearrange things as you see fit.  Thread the wire ends of each piece into your twig wreath so that it doesn't protrude out the other side.  As you are doing this step, you can go ahead and plug in your glue gun so that it can get warmed up. 

arrange your decorations

 4. When you are satisfied with your floral arrangement, you can go ahead and use your glue gun to hold down each of your pieces.  Be careful, the tip is hot, adults should help out smaller children during this step. 
 
glue down your arranged pieces

5. This step is optional, but since I had some left over pieces and items I didnt end up using, I filled them inside some lanterns; they make nice centerpieces for your dining table!
 
left items can still make fun household decor

 6. After your wreath is dry, go ahead and hang it on your door, viola! 

Finished Autumn Wreath






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