DIY Wreath for Under $5

I went to the Dollar Tree to grab a few last minute things for Faith's birthday two weeks back and browsed the floral arts & crafts area.  They have 12" wreaths and a great assortment of faux silk flowers.  I grabbed a set of Gerbera Daisies, cattails with grass, and dahlias.  From my previous DIY efforts, I already had floral wire, floral tape, and wired burlap ribbon.

THINGS NEEDED

1.  12" GRAPEVINE WREATH

I like using the grapevine wreaths; they're sturdy and somewhat easy to manipulate to pull through the wiring on the flowers and wrap into place.  Since this is a smaller wreath, I decided to use this for indoor seasonal decor.  It's recommended that wreaths should be 18-20" in diameter for the front door.  My first DIY spring wreath project was 20" wreath I purchased at A.C. Moore.

Dollar Tree wreath, Joann 12" wreath

2.  FAUX SILK FLOWERS

Since the Gerbera daisies were large, I was able to cover the majority of the wreath.  If I wanted to cover the full wreath, I could have added in a fourth flower set.  Each set of flowers came with a total of five separate blooms.

3.  FLORAL WIRE & TAPE

For my next wreath project, I'm going to invest in brown floral tape - it would blend in better with the wreath.

Dollar Tree floral wire (24 gauge) & tape,  Jo-Ann brown floral tape, floral wire (24 gauge)

I included links to Jo-Ann's products since you have to buy things in bulk from Dollar Tree.  Jo-Ann is having special - 25% off + $2.99 shipping.  It won't be as cheap if you can't make it to your local dollar store, but probably under $10 for the supplies not including the flowers.

DIY STEPS

1.  CUT OFF INDIVIDUAL FLOWERS & WRAP W/ WIRE

I cut off each of the individual blooms and left about 6" of stem.  After cutting off the stem, I took the petals from the cut off piece and pushed it underneath the flower bloom to add some dimension.  It also helps to anchor the floral wire.  You need 24" pieces of floral wire for each bloom.  Refer to my instructions here for wiring the flowers.

2.  WRAP FLORAL TAPE AROUND WIRE

Once the wire has been completed twister, wrap each twisted length in floral tape.  I rotate the flower and leave the tape on the roll rather than cutting one long strip that could get tangled.  As I rotate the wired stem, I ocassionally press the tape into the stem so it's firmly on there and not as bulky.

3.  ARRANGE FLOWERS IN WREATH

I knew I wanted to cluster all of the cattails together.  After I got those in place and contrasted the cattails with the cream dahlias, I just randomly arranged the rest of the flowers.  Once you push the taped stem through and get it situated in place, wrap the stem around one of the grapevines that allows it to stay in the arranged spot.

FINAL PRODUCT

WRAP UP

Next I need to tackle finishing up my dining room table centerpiece now that I've changed my table linens over (reveal in a future post) and do something with my fireplace mantel.  I've seen some great posts on other blogs with their fall decor updates so there's plenty of inspiration out there.  Do you focus on fall or go straight into Halloween mode?  I'm thinking my mantel is going to be a combination of the two - some Fall mixed in with some Halloween elements. 

This post will be shared on these linkup parties.

DIY Floral Wreath for Outdoor Decor

Last week I discussed the importance of curb appeal in this post and one cheap, quick method of dressing up the outside of your house is a door wreath.  After reviewing other door wreaths on Pinterest, I decided to tackle my own version of DIY floral wreath project.  Below I'll take you through the steps.

I bought all my materials from A.C. Moore, but you could go to any local craft store.  A.C. Moore does not sell their products online, so I've linked to Michaels.  If you make jewelry or have an electrician in the family, then you probably already have wire cutters or can borrow some.  I used the glue gun for the ribbon. 

1. 20" Grapevine Wreath (only in store, 18" here)
2. Silk florals - rose bush (pink option), white flower garland
3. 24 gauge floral wire
4. Green floral tape
5. Ribbon (optional, exact one I used)
6. Tools - wire cutters, glue gun (includes glue sticks)

I waited for the florals to be on sale for 40% and used 25% off coupon on regular items.  In total, I spent ~$20.

1. Separate out individual flowers w/ cutters
2. Cut 12" wire pieces
3. Loop wire around flower & twist two ends together
4. Wrap floral tape, starting at flower base until reach wire end
5. Insert flower stems in wreath & wrap stems around twigs
6. Loop 12" ribbon around wreath for hanging purposes
7. Make bow and glue bow & ribbon to wreath

In total, it took me 5 hours to do this.  I knew what I needed for materials, but wasn't totally clear on how to use the floral wire and tape.  I found this great How To article by Punkin Patterns.

STEP 1 DETAILS

I separated out the roses from the bush.  There were a total of 18 and I decided to arrange them in ombre pattern ending with the white flowers.  The white flowers were removed from 24" garland.

STEP 2 DETAILS

I cut a total of 30 12" wire pieces, 18 for my roses and 12 for my orchids.

STEP 3 DETAILS

I probably cut off a little too much of the stem, but looped around the baby breath and then twisted the wire.



For the white flowers, I bunched three sprigs together, looped through the lower stems and twisted the two ends.  The chunkiness at the bottom made the floral tape somewhat difficult, but as I got better at taping, it got easier.

STEP 4 DETAILS

I cut about 18" lengths of ribbon tape and started wrapping around the floral base.  For the most part, I had enough length to reach the end of the wire.

STEP 5

I didn't take specific pictures, but you can find those in Punkin Pattern's article.  I pushed the taped stem through the front and wrapped the stem around the grapevines on the backside of the wreath.

STEPS 6 & 7

I cut 12" piece of ribbon and looped it around the top of the wreath.  I glued the overlapping ends.  Then I took another 12" piece of ribbon, created a bow, and glued that to the base of the loop.  

FINAL PRODUCT

That's my DIY floral wreath project - hope you enjoyed. I might update this in the future as I really like the initialized wreath, but didn't find anything the right size in the store. They didn't have any of the circled initials and I figured I could add the detail in later. Please share your own designs in the comments section below.

Love, Candace Jean

This post has been shared at these link ups.

I've also shared this on Show and Share on Coastal Charms.