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
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.
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.
