HOMEMADE DECORATIVE FLORAL WREATH

Making your own decorative floral wreath can be done very easily as well as very inexpensively.  A decorative wreath can add a great look to your front door to greet your guests or you can hang one in any room in your home to match your everyday decor.  They also make great one of a kind gifts. 

Below are the step by step instructions on how I made my own summer wreath for under $20 dollars:

1) I bought the below grapevine wreath at a yard sale for only $1.00.  I thought it was really ugly plus it was very dusty because it probably spent years in someones basement, but I knew I could make it look great.  These grapevine wreaths can be bought at any craft store.

"BEFORE"  
I had to look beyond the bad and try to imagine
what it could look like with a little creativity.

2) First I cut all the loose vines and thick branches off to make it look neater.  I did this outside because I knew it would make a mess.  I was able to break most of the branches off with my hands, but some I had to use wire cutters to break them off. 

3) I then wrapped green floral wire around the entire wreath by simply wrapping it all the way around making sure that all the branches were secure. 

4) Then I hosed down the entire wreath with my garden hose outside to clean up all the dust as well as any excess pieces that were not secure and I let it dry outside.  I probably should have hosed it down first before I started cutting off the excess branches because the wreath was so dirty.

5) Then I added some spray paint to lighten it up so it looked more summery.  Using a drop cloth outside, I first used an ivory colored spray paint and then I used a turquoise blue spray paint and randomly sprayed light squirts of each color all over the wreath being careful not to cover the entire wreath with paint because I wanted some of the original color to show through.  Let it dry outside.



The wreath after it was cleaned up and spray painted.
Tools needed: Drop cloth, Spray paint, floral wire, wire cutters and glue gun

 

6) Buying the floral stems.  If you've ever priced these out, they can be really expensive.  Luckily, I had found at yet another yard sale an entire garbage bag full of floral stems for just $4.00.  To get the cheapest price on these, I suggest that you go to your local yard sale, garage sale, flea market or even Craigslist to find the floral stems you need.  You can also go to the dollar store for these or the local craft store during the sales and be sure to go armed with your coupons. 

7) Adding the floral stems to the wreath.  Using the wire cutters, cut the stems about 2 to 4 inches from the bottom of the flower.  Then all you have to do is just easily stick the stems into the grapevines and they usually hold nicely.  For any flowers that are loose or for any that fell off the stems use your glue gun to secure them to the wreath.  Continue doing this by filling in the empty spaces until the wreath is completely filled in.
   
8) Then I wrapped some pretty blue and silvery ribbon that was also bought at a yard sale for just $1.00.

9) TIME TO FACE FACTS:  I've come to realize that a preschooler can make a large bow look better than I can.  So, I actually bought a large pre-made bow at the craft store.  This was the most expensive part of the wreath and was just under $5.00 dollars after I used my discount coupon.  Yes, this goes against every tightwad part of my being, but it definitely prevented me from getting completely aggravated by trying to make one myself.

Below is the AFTER picture of my summer wreath.  It really looks great on my front door.       

"AFTER"

The cost was under $20 dollars and that includes the cost of the spray paint.  If you've every priced these wreaths at a floral shop or craft store, the price would easily be triple the price I paid. 

****Please share with me your pictures of the wreaths you've made and how

you did it "On The Cheap", all it takes is a little creativity!******

**Cheap Tip: For a drop cloth, buy a plastic shower curtain liner at the dollar store.  These can be used more than once and are great for large or small projects.

***Another Cheap Tip: When you go to yard sales and flea markets make yourself a list of items you will need for the project.