Make Your Own Christmas Ornament Wreath
Did you know that you can take a wreath form, some ornaments, ribbon, beads and a glue gun, and make a gorgeous holiday wreath? You can! It’s easy, too. It takes a little time, but in the end, it’s SO worth it.
I used to be crafty. All the time! Then I had kids, and all that goes along with them got in the way. Not that that’s a bad thing! I love my kids. But I got out of the habit of making things for myself, and into the habit of usually buying stuff already made.
A few weeks ago, all of that changed. I actually felt like grabbing a glue gun and making something. Something pretty, kind of funky…and my mind ended up thinking about ornament wreaths. Ooooh yeah.
I’ve wanted to make one of these for a few years now (but didn’t feel like it!), and I finally decided to just take the plunge. I hit a couple of stores, bought my supplies, and then…and then…had to wait. I hate waiting when I get an idea in my head! But I was so busy at the end of last week, that I couldn’t get to this until Friday night, and then finishing it up Saturday afternoon. So, yeah--my guess is this wreath took me about 2-2 1/2 hours in all. Not too bad, I think!
My husband teased me when he saw all of my bags of craft stuff. He said “So, how long are these bags going to sit here? You gonna make something we can finally use next Christmas?” Funny. I made both wreaths that I planned on making, and only have a few more decorations to hang in the windows. So he can suck on that, haha!
Let’s get to it. Here’s what you need, or what I used for mine:
- A wreath form. The foam ones were squared off on the edges, and I didn’t really like them, but you can use one if you like. I decided to go with a straw one, center diameter 12 inches. Take the plastic wrap off, but don’t remove the thread that’s wrapped around it! $4.99 (Also, it was a lot cheaper than the foam one!)
- Wide ribbon (I went with silver). You need a good amount. I picked up a large 90 foot roll at Hobby Lobby that was 50% off--it cost $5.00, normally $10. It’s more than enough.
- A boatload of ornaments. Seriously. Buy more than you think you’ll need. If you have extra, you can always toss them in a pretty glass vase or bowl for extra decorating. I bought a large container with 45 shatterproof larger ornaments, 2 boxes of 8 count larger ornaments, and 4 cylinders of smaller ones--20 count in each one. $37.00 total.
- A string of silver beaded garland. I have no clue how long this was, sorry. Oh, and you can use any color you like, but shiny is best! (Make sure they’re not just loose beads on the string, because you’ll be cutting it up.) $2.00
- Not necessary, but instead of the traditional bow, I picked up a funky little glittery-curly-bow-type silver ornament. $2.00
- A glue gun and plenty of glue sticks.
-Begin by wrapping the ribbon all the way around your unwrapped wreath form. Glue one end of the ribbon the the wreath, and spiral it all the way around once, snipping and gluing the other end when you’ve wrapped the whole thing. You shouldn’t see any of the wreath form when you’re done.
-Cut a length of ribbon and make a hanger. Figure out how long you want it to be, then loop it around the wreath, securely gluing the two ends of the ribbon together to form your loop hanger.
-Start with the large ornaments, and glue them around the inside and outside edges of the wreath form. When you’ve done that, glue some on to the top of the wreath. You’re not going to put any on the back of the wreath.
-Fill in the gaps and spaces with the smaller ornaments. Don’t worry if you have some small spaces showing through, just do your best.
-Now, take the beaded garland, and without being measurey or technical, just snip it into lengths about 5-6 inches. (First make sure they’re not loose stringed beads, or you’ll have a mess!) Glue the ends of each cut piece together to form little loops, like teeny bracelets. Look over the wreath from different angles, and with the glue gun, add some glue to the closest ornaments so you can stick the beaded loops into the gaps. I just draped them into the gaps and added a bit more glue if needed to make them stick. It’s not as hard as it sounds, really. Just maybe harder to explain.
-If you’re adding a “bow” or fun ornament to the wreath, glue it into place now wherever you want it.
-That’s it! You’re done! Easy, right? Now hang it up!
Back of the wreath and close up of ribbon wrapped wreath:
- I ended up using every single ornament. I could have even used a few more!
- When I started, I looked at my table full of ornaments and thought, “Wow, I may even have enough to make another, smaller wreath!” Ha! Not even close. As I worked on it, I began to think, “Whoa. I think I’m going to need more ornaments!” I kept going, though, and like I said, had just enough.
- During the process, my daughter came in and said, “I don’t think that’s going to fit between the two doors, mom. Did you even think of checking?” She offered to go measure, and sure enough, that smartass was right. SO, this is currently hanging on my dining room wall. Still gorgeous, no matter where it is!
- Don’t be afraid to make this. If you’re worried that you’re not crafty, you’re fine! It’s not hard--it’s just a matter of gluing ornaments on and filling in the gaps. And hey, you only have to make it once! This thing isn’t extremely fragile. Just don’t go tossing it around like a shiny, bulby frisbee!
Here’s a close up of the “bow” ornament:
And here, you can get a better idea of how the beads fill in the gaps:
Elle | Print Article | Share Article | Email Article | 25 Comments tagged Christmas, DIY, beads, crafts, holiday, how to make, new england, ornament wreath, ornaments, wreath
Reader Comments (25)
Thanks for this - I'm currently trying to make a wreath from pine cones from the backyard. I started with a wire frame and florist wire, but you've inspired me to re-think and go with hey form and glue gun. Thanks for the inspiration! Let's see if I can get this done before Christmas!
It's gorgeous!
That is STUNNING! If I saw that in a store, I'd buy it in a heartbeat!
That is beautiful!!! I love all the colors!! I made one last year by slipping the loop end of ornaments over some heavy gauge wire (coat hanger would work) and it's one of my favorite things. I really should have glued each ornament into it's little cap the loop is on because I had to do a little surgery on it this year, especially after moving. I should re-do it like yours so they will all stay put! Are you still picking glitter off yourself? LOL
Nice job! That looks so pretty :) I don't have the patience for much lately when it comes to crafts. maybe I can convince you to craft for me! ;)
I am SO impressed! I have seen these all over Pinterest but am afraid mine would look like junk. GORGEOUS!
I am so in love with this Elle! I don't have a glue gun so I'd have to grab one to make this, but I'm VERY tempted.
It's exquisite. Amazing work!
Can't stop staring at it, beautiful! Love all the colours and shininess.
Wow Elle, this is gorgeous!!! I wish I celebrated Christmas, I would so (try to) make one of these. Absolutely beautiful!!!! And har har har for the skeptic men in our lives. Good job, baby!
This is one of my fave posts. I envy you. My craftiness extends to making paper airplanes, although I am hell on wheels with a glue stick. :)
WOW!!! Elle that's GORGEOUS!!!! I bought a premade one I loved last year - this blows it away.
Mine looked lonely on the looong wall over the sofa (big empty wall, small wreath)... so Saturday I grabbed some foam core - free handed the letters "J" & "Y" (Hubby's comment: "You're going to do what? Don't you have stencils? Are you sure?") Cut them out with an exacto knife, painted them red and placed them on either side of the wreath using it as the "O". So fun and it fills up the wall perfectly!
Gorgeous Elle...I love sparkles at Christmas and the colors are so up my alley.
That is amazing! I love it
These are so pretty! I have never tried to make one before, thanks for the tutorial :)
You are *so* crafty! That is beautiful! I used to be crafty too, then I had kids. ;)
Gorgeous.
This is awesome, with the sales now (& after Christmas) I may start picking up the items now and give it a try for nxt season. Thx for sharing!
Mom and I love making our own Christmas decorations! It's just part of the holiday fun!
I love this wreath...it is positively beautiful, Elle!!! :)
xoxo,
Tammy <3
fabulous and SO creative
Wow! It looks really beautiful! I'm still amazed how ordinary Christmas balls can be transformed into that wonderful ornament. Great job!
This is really pretty! I hope I remember it for next year!
Quite unique, you did a beautiful job with this wreath. Love the colors and the message it sends. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
hi, hey...FYI, I made a huge bunch of these a few years ago and gave them to every for Christmas, which meant it was too late to hang them up that year...they had to wait til the next year to hang them up. WELL, when they took them out of storage for the next year, all sorts of balls had unhooked and popped off. Ha. What a disaster. So, I have since learned to hot glue AND stick a straight pin through the hook when possible. Extra security and all. Also, the more satin the ribbon versus the crinkly plasticky kind, the longer the glue lasted for me.
just an fyi.
:)
Thank you min, that's great advice!