For my first ever hosting of Pinnie’s Piggies we made ornament wreaths. Tried and tested, these are and say first craft of the season if you’re looking to up your wreath game. My DIY Starburst wreath is a tad more complicated, but also fun.
We had about 8 people over for the affair, glue guns and all! I don’t think I can host many more events like that on our tinny but mighty dining room table. NB – If you’re up to it, consider making a harvest table like we did for our backyard.
Back to the craft- We made ornament wreaths, something everyone wants, many people attempt, and few master. From my many attempts and hours spent perusing Pinterest, I have compiled some tidbits that may be useful in your attempt at crafting the ultimate ornament wreath.
Many people do a traditional two or three colour palette, some opt for one while other strive for the rainbow. They all look great, and colour choice (like almost everything in decorating) depends on what you already have. Last year I made gargantuan red one, with traces of gold. I also made a smaller one for the kitchen with ice blues, greens, whites and silver. They were both bitchin’ first attempts at wreaths, and this year I made a gold/copper/silver one. If you’re ever looking for inspiration, stop by my Ornament Wreath board on Pinterest.
Material list /budget
May I suggest the following materials for your wreath?
Extruded Foam Floral Wreath http://www.michaels.com/extruded-foam-flora…/M10103227.html… –> Get the size you want, keep in mind it will get about 6 inches wider once we add ornaments. You can pick these up at Michaels or any certified craft store. Walmart and Omer De Serres sometimes have them, so if you live in a remote area I think you may be better off ordering one online.. They can be square or in any shape you’d like your wreath to be in.
Hot Glue gun (with LOTS of glue) http://www.michaels.com/imaginisce-ibond-cor…/10268205.html…
–> you can get these almost anywhere, and the glue sticks are usually available at Dollarama (sizes varie though)
60-90 ornaments, of all shapes and sizes. I recommend some L, M, S and XS ones. You’ll need them to build a base, add details and then fill holes.
Any other bits and bobs you’d like to add such as jingle bells, figures, brids, cranberrie sprigs, spruce sprigs etc. Search Pinterest and get excited! I’ve seen some really nice ones made with ornaments from the 50s and 60s. I made mine with battery powered LED lights set into them (usefull when you’re not near a plug). Now all I do is flip the switch and BAM! We have light.
I also recommend you figure out how your hoping to hang the wreath: ribbon, wire, a hook for your door etc, so that when you make it you can account for a hook or a ribbon in the placement of your ornaments. If you put balls all over,you may have to weave wire through the spaces in between in order to hang it! I may or may not have done that last year, and it made me sweat at the last minute. I suggest you avoid that.
Directions
You’ll need quite a bit of space, so I suggest you clear off a table. Make sure you don’t have nine hot glue guns plugged into one power bar (which may spark and crap-out…), and put down a drop-cloth to catch any glitter or hot glue gobs.
Step 1: Take off all the little metal/plastic caps on the ornaments. They can be akward, and will scratch your window/door when hanging in place. If some of your chosen ornaments need to be viewed from a certain direction, taking off the caps may help with placement.
Step 2: Lay your wreath down, and glue balls to the outer and inner perimeter of the wreath. I suggest you place them all with their necks/stubby bits that you just took the caps off from, facing the same direction. It will determine which way is the front vs. back of the wreath. BE CONSISTENT: if you have them all facing down along the outer perimeter, make sure it’s the same on the inner perimeter.
I suggest you lay the biggest ones along the outside, and medium ones along the inner circle. Make sure you have enough to do so before you start gluing.
Visually, it will help set a base, and allow you fill a lot of space later.
Step 3: Wait 5 minutes until they’re dry enough that you can flip the wreath over (so that you’re looking at what will be the front). If their not dried in place, they will go flying when you flip it over.
Step 4: Layer in a methodical way so that the core itself is covered in ornaments. It will look like you have three different circles of ornaments (outer, inner, and “on” the top of the death).
Step 5: fill in the rest of the space with varying sizes of ornaments.
Make sure that you’re not wasting any and all of your XS small ornaments filling gaps no one will see. Don’t forget, people will only see your wreath from head-on, so anything on the top or bottom is less important.
Step 5.5: layer in the lights you want to use. I have a little 20 LED light string that’s powered by batteries. It’ll be weaving it through the main layers before adding the smaller and/or prettier ones.
Step 6: adorn with details like beads, beaded rope, ribbons, little birds, letters, numbers, lights, bells etc. The world of crafting is your oyster! so get creative and make something that speaks to you.
Step 7: let it dry overnight before hanging to ensure everything is set.
I hope you get as much joy out of making your wreath as we did yesterday. It can be a great solo activity, or something to do with others. If you want to see more Christmas Decor, stop by the Christmas Home Tour.
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