Super Simple Saturday Craft

This weekend I made one of my favorite, simple crafts- a wreath! To me, wreaths just reek of grown-up, put-together decor and they are so much more cost effective to make than to buy. (Want proof? Search "wreath" on Etsy.)  Best of all, it really only takes an afternoon to put most of them together.

I was at Walmart a couple weeks ago and found some really inexpensive straw wreaths for sale. I picked up two and finished one to hang for the autumn season. I didn't want to get too holiday specific, but I chose some natural colors and fabrics to keep it cozy.

Depending on the material of your wreath and your technique, you have a few options in terms of how to get started. I did a yarn wrap wreath (that's got to be the technical term for it) and my straw wreath form was already covered in plastic, so I just kept it that way so that it would be a uniform size. Foam wreath forms are already set for yarn wrapping too, but I've never used one because who wants to pay $7 when you can pay $2.50? If your wreath form is bumpy, you can wrap it in scrap fabric which I have done before also.

Here's what my finished wreath looks like:

On the stairs inside.. 

The color of the blue yarn is much more accurate in this photo. It's teal, not navy. 

And from the outside! 

I used 3 colors of yarn and made some fabric rosettes. These fabric embellishments are super easy and it's tempting to put them on everything. They're also the primary reason I can't ever toss out scrap fabric! Here's a tutorial to try for them. To be honest though, I never measure my fabric. I just cut a strip, twist, and glue! I used some leftover burlap from the wedding, some leftover polka dot fabric from the pet bed project, and picked up a fat quarter sample in a nice bright orange. 

Another wreath tip- if you have them, balls of yarn are quite a bit easier to use for this project than a big skein. You are literally wrapping the entire form in yarn and a skein can be a bit cumbersome, while a ball of yarn fits nicely in your hands. I used skeins for this one however, because I'm not entirely sure that you can find a store that sell balls of yarn anymore.  

The last wreath I made (with the "Moser" bunting) was from a mini-wreath form, so I'm happy to have more of a large-Marge wreath up on the door now. I'm confident this will take me all the way to November 23rd, which is the day after Thanksgiving and the first day I'm allowed to put up Christmas decorations, per Brett's regulations. 

Anyway, these wreaths are a great afternoon project and it's a super cheap way to add a nice touch to your door decor! 

PS- Happy Halloween!