Make one-of-a-kind holiday wreaths with cheap ornaments from the dollar store! It’s fun, inexpensive, quick, and professional-looking. You can make one easily, with a little instruction from this video. Read along and build your own custom holiday wreath!
You’ll first need to buy 60 cheap plastic or glass balls, in any color. These ball ornaments are sold in packs or buckets in large and small quantities. You can find them at dollar stores, big box stores and craft stores. (Sneak out the day after the holiday and buy them for a song.) Plastic ornaments are just as pretty these days, but you can use glass ornaments if they have a coating. The package will say “unbreakable.”
The next part is to coordinate a color scheme. You can mix and match, using up to five different colors. The mix livens your wreath. When you can, also add a print-design ornament that coordinates with your overall color scheme. Thinking like a crafter, you would know that you don’t have to do a mix. You could go for the classic all-gold or all-green. You’ll need 50-60 balls in total. Choose the standard 2 ½” round size.
To make the wreath frame, all you need is a plain wire hanger from the dry cleaner. Untwist the coil joint and coax the triangle into a circle. You can use a trash can or other big circle as a guide. Simply squeeze and bend it to your will with your hands. Then, starting from the coiled end, slip the ornaments onto the coat hanger. You can place the colors randomly, or fashion a pattern. Remember that the ornaments will eventually fan out in a circle. On the top, where the new coil joint will be, tie a bow. Use at least ¾ yard of ribbon to keep the size of the bow in scale with the size of the wreath. Try it with traditional holiday ribbon, or with pink polka-dots or something contemporary and unexpected.
The most creative thing about this wreath is that you can decide which of the many variations you want to use. Make it your own way, and there is not a wrong way. Try mixing in smaller-size ornament balls. Make smaller wreaths by cutting the coat hanger shorter. Play! Have fun! The finished wreath looks expensive but costs just a few dollars. It’s an easy, impressive gift. Look around and you’ll see studies that prove gift recipients have higher regard for a hand-crafted gift over all others. If you find a great buy on beautiful colors, make several wreaths. They make wonderful early presents for many on your list.
These wreaths make a bold statement, for sure. You can make one wreath in less than an afternoon. There is no pattern to follow. It requires no calculations or painstaking detail. You can make a free-form art expression to welcome your guests at the front door. Hang with pride.