Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Halloween Wreath


I realize that no baking is involved with this post. However since this blog is my little corner of the internet and I do occasionally do more than bake, I thought I share this little Halloween project I did this week. I have to start by saying that I am not a crafty person. Not. At. All. I don't have the patients for things like scrap booking or sewing. Which is kind of strange since I have no problem working on a cake for hours at a time or decorating dozens of cupcakes. 
 I blame my decision to do this little project totally on Pinetrest. I have seen so many cute crafty things posted there that I began to feel like a loser for not even owning a glue gun. When I came across this wreath, I thought it was adorable. It looked pretty easy so I thought I'd try my hand at making one. I didn't want to spend much on the supplies because I wasn't sure if I'd be able to make a wreath I actually wanted to hang! This wreath not only looked fairly easy to make but the supplies were inexpensive as well. I think all total (including purchasing a tiny glue gun for $3.00) I spent under $15.00 to buy everything I used to make it. 
This project is definitely on the easy side. Pretty much the only skill you need is knowing how to tie a knot. Perfect for the craft challenged person, such as I. 
I really like how the wreath turned but next time would do a sturdier base for my wreath. Because was trying not to spend too much and bases can cost as much as $10.00, I bought a foam piece from Lowes for .97 cents and cut it to the size I wanted. I saw this idea on Pintrest and thought I'd give it a try. It was okay but was definitely not as sturdy as a foam base would have been. I also thought it was a bit too narrow. I liked that it was black so I didn't have to worry about it showing through the tulle. However if you make this wreath I would recommend using a different wreath for the base. One like this or this would work better. 

Supplies:

1 base for wreath between 12 and 14 inchs
2  25yard spools of black tulle ( I found them at Wal-mart the amount you need will depend on how large around your base is. I used 2  25yard spools.)
1 yard large rick-rack (also found at Wal-mart. Hancock Fabrics carries it as well)
2 yards of wide orange ribbon for bow and to hang the wreath (again Wal-mart)
Decorations of your choice. (I found mine at Hobby Lobby for 30% off so they cost me less then $2.00 total.)

How To:

Cut your tulle into about 16 inch lengths. I measured out 16" on my table and marked it with two pieces of painters tape. This way I could just unroll and cut between the marks and not have to measure out each piece.


Next tie the tulle around the wreath and knot it in a basic knot. Like if you were tying you shoe laces in a knot: right over left, left over right. Continue to tie the strip all the way around the wreath. Try to keep the knots lined up. As you tie the strips, push them tightly together so that there are no gaps. The more piece of tulle you put, the fuller your finished wreath will look.


Hot glue your rick-rack around the edge where the knots are. Can I just tell you how much I love this orange rick-rack!
My lack of glue gun experience can be seen where I got some on the tulle!
 Now your ready to add the fun stuff. This is where you can be creative and do whatever you want. I made a bow using 2"wide orange ribbon and hot glued a tiny spider in the center. I like the way the ribbon bow came out but wired ribbon would have probably been easier for a novice at bow making. I glued the bow and the Beware sign to lower right side of the wreath


I looped a piece of the orange ribbon around the wreath and hung the Trick-Treat sign from the ribbon. How long your ribbon needs to be depends on how far down on the door you want the wreath to hang.

I had fun making this wreath. Watch out, I have a glue gun now. Who knows whats next!!

Not too bad for a first time wreath maker.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Nicely done, not bad at all! ~ Lynda