DIY: Gothic Halloween Wreath Tutorial

     Hi everyone!  And welcome to my favorite time of the year!  Yes, it is October and I can officially put up all my Halloween decorations without making the neighbors wonder if they need to put me on the neighborhood watch list (ha as if I am not there already).

     Today I wanted to share my tutorial for this Gothic Halloween wreath.  I was inspired to create this look by (surprise surprise) my time spent in Pere Lachaise.  Many of the monuments there had wreaths, both temporary (comprised of flowers) and permanent (carved into the stone, or cast in bronze).  I really wanted to keep the monotone look of the wreathes carved into the stone, but seeing as I am not a mason and my front door would not support a granite wreath... grapevine and flowers it was.

     So I settled for this kind of rotten, decrepit looking thing.  If you like what I have done, please feel free to share, or to take this idea and expand on it in your own unique way. The only thing I ask is that you share your creation back with me as I love seeing how people expand on ideas.

What You Will Need:

• Grapevine wreath - any size, this is a 22" available at Hobby Lobby (remember your coupons and shop when floral is on sale)
• Flower/Leaf stems - any kind, I chose 2 leaf stems and 2 Hydrangea looking ones.  Also available at Hobby Lobby or any craft store
• "Scary Fabric" - this is literally what it was called, I got it in the Halloween section of Walmart.
•  "Trick or Treat" sign - I think I picked this up at Homegoods for like $4, but you can find this or similar signs everywhere.
• Plastic skeletons - picked these up at Target last year on clearance after Halloween.  I know they have something similar again this year. 
• Flat black spray paint - you could use a gloss or a satin to achieve a different look, for this I chose the flat. 
• Black zip ties (not shown)

Step 1: Spray Paint the Wreath and Flowers Black

    My motto when dealing with spray paint: don't be stingy and take your time. 10 super light coats will look better than 1 thick coat that drips or streaks. I probably could have gotten away with using just one can of spray paint, as I barely tapped into the second can.  However, I wanted to make sure I got everything coated evenly on the grapevine wreath so I went over it a few extra times. 

     For the flowers I used quick succession pulses of the spray paint, instead of one continuous spray. It kept the petals from sticking together too much.  Also while I was painting, I liked how a really light layer of paint would still allow the original colors through, it kind of gave the flowers a more rotted look, so I kept the paint light.  

Step 2: Drape the "Scary Fabric" Over the Wreath

     I only ended up using a fraction of the fabric that actually came in the package, so have a knife or a pair of scissors handy to cut off the extra.  There was no rhyme or reason to how I cut the fabric, or even how I draped it.  I just tried out a few different placements and stopped when I thought it looked cool.  Remember to keep the remaining fabric!  I'll probably re-purpose mine for our mantel decor.

Step 3: Attach the Sign

     My sign had these handy little wall hangers.  If your sign doesn't have them,  they are super cheap and easy to apply.  Or you can use hot glue to attach the sign.  I'd personally go the wall hanger route, as it was super easy to thread the zip ties through the hangers, and then just tie them onto the wreath.  

Step 4: Add the Flowers

     Just as I did with the fall wreath tutorial (you can find that post here), just shove the stem part of the leaves and flowers right into the grapevine. There should be enough braided material in the wreath to grab hold of the stems and keep them in place.  If you find yours is falling out, you can use a dot of hot glue to secure it.  

Step 5: Secure the Skeletons with Zip Ties

     I wanted to keep the skeletons pretty loose and pose-able, so I used a single zip tie around the spine.  If you wanted to keep the skeletons posed in a particular manner, you could easily use more zip ties to keep their arms and legs in one spot. It's entirely up to you. 

Step 6: Hang Your Wreath 

     I am assuming you already know how to do this, but it seemed like a good way to end the tutorial.  In case you are interested, I have a dual sided wreath hook that hangs over the top of our door.  I love these types of hooks as I can easily remove the hook when necessary.  Also it makes a convenient location to "store" whatever permanent sign or wreath you usually have displayed on the interior side of the door.  I currently have the fall wreath I created hanging inside, as I will put that one back out once Halloween has passed.

     Thank you all for visiting!  I'd truly love to see what you all come up with for your own homes!  Please feel free to share your comments and include links to pictures or blogs showcasing your designs!  See you next week!  

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DIY: Festive Fall Wreath With Monogram

      In my opinion there is nothing more welcoming than a nice wreath on the front door.  This is true for all seasons, but in the fall there's something about the colors that just makes it more cozy and friendly.   Pre-made wreaths however can be pricey, especially if you want a full one with lots of fall foliage. Fortunately wreaths are easy to make - I promise even the most crafty-challenged person can take this on.  And with some ad watching, making a wreath can be ridiculously affordable.  Included below are the instructions to copy the look I have created above. 

What You'll Need:

1. 20" Grapevine wreath 

2. Wooden letter or saying

3. Acrylic paint - 1 tube 

4. Burlap ribbon - 1 Spool should be more than enough.

5. Twine

6. Mod Podge

7. Glitter

8. Scissors

9. Paint brushes

10. Floral stems - I used 4 leaves, 2 pumpkins and 4 "berries"

Step 1: Paint Your Monogram

     I used a foam brush for this to keep the brush strokes to a minimum as I was using a metallic gold paint. I also let it dry overnight. The paint I used is from DecoArt (I picked it up at Hobby Lobby) and is a paint that I already had at home and have used in many different crafts.  You could easily use spray paint on this if you were so inclined, I just wanted to keep costs to a minimum and use paint I already had. 

Step 2: Glitter Your Pumpkins

     Go insane, go insane! Throw some glitter make it rain!  OK I'm done singing Ke$ha (maybe). Anyway, if you wanted to make this easier on yourself you could buy the floral stems that had pumpkins with glitter already applied.  I wasn't fond of my color selection, these non-sparkly pumpkins were a pretty dark orange-red.  So I very lightly brushed some Mod Podge on the tops and dusted them with a fine-grit glitter.  Then set them aside to dry with the monogram. 

Step 3: Make a Bow

     I followed the directions from this lovely site: http://www.thistlewoodfarms.com/how-to-make-a-burlap-bow.  Bow making is not my strong suit. If I were to do this again, I might use some burlap that is a smaller width and maybe wired. Alas this is what I had hanging around the house, left over from another craft so I figured I would use it here.  Also since the burlap is kind of deconstructed I felt that the the lop-lopsidedness wouldn't be too obvious. 

Step 4: Attach the Bow to the Wreath

     Figure out the general layout of the wreath and place the bow first.  This will be the anchor element of the wreath and all the other pieces will fan out from this central point.   I used a piece of twine to tie the ribbon to the wreath, but you could also use wire or even a hot glue gun.  The twine ties in nicely with the burlap and again it was something I had on hand.

A backside view of the attached bow.  I used a simple knot. 

Step 5:  Add in Pumpkins and Start Filling

     The HARDEST part of this project was figuring out where I was going to put the pumpkins.  Originally I thought the bow would be more in line with the wreath, and I was planning on doing pumpkins on top and bottom in a more symmetrical pattern.  I quickly realized that A: that looked really odd with only two pumpkins and B: my bow didn't want to lay straight.  So instead I let the bow sit however it wanted to and decided to do a more asymmetrical look.  I put the pumpkins on the top and the majority of the leaves on the bottom.  

     The great thing about the grapevine wreaths is that by their nature they catch on to everything.  For this step I just had to shove the floral stem wires deep into the vines and they stayed put. I shook the wreath around a bit to make sure they wouldn't fall out, which they did not.  If yours do you can secure them with some floral wire, twine, or even some glue from a hot glue gun. 

Step 6: Attach Your Monogram 

     I wanted our "N" to be in the middle of the wreath so I threaded some twine through the vines and tied each end to the letter.  If you wanted to you could use the twine (or any of the above mentioned methods) to attach it directly to the wreath.  

Step 7: Hang It Up: Bask in the Revelation That You Are a Crafting Genius. 

     This is the most important step - especially the second part.  When someone compliments your wreath (and they will) say "Thanks I made it myself!"  They will think you are amazing.  When your husband comes home and complains that you have spent more money on house decor - whip out the receipt and show him the savings - make sure to show him the prices of a pre-made wreath first! 

The Bottom Line:  How Much Did this REALLY Cost?

   These are the prices of the materials I did NOT have on hand, and had to buy.  I purchased everything from Hobby Lobby when it was 50% off.  If something you want isn't on sale at Hobby Lobby, wait a week.  Chances are next week it will be as they rotate departments every week. 

Grapevine wreath - $3.50

Wooden Letter - $1.75

Floral Stems "leaves" - $3.00 (4 at $0.75)

Pumpkin Stems - $1.50 (2 at $0.75)

Floral Stems "berries" - $4.00 (4 at $1.00)

TOTAL = $13.75

   I was able to save some by using materials I already had at home, the burlap ribbon, the glitter and the paint.  However all these materials are relatively cheap and can also be found at 50% off.  The most expensive item if you had to buy everything would probably be the Mod Podge and I think that can run around $11.00 at full price. 

 

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