I love creating wreaths, not only for the major holidays, but also just to add some festive decor for the other fun times of the year as well. I especially love making ornament wreaths. They are very easy to create and look quite professional when complete. Since it’s quickly approaching football season again (“I’m feelin’ kinda Sunday….”), I made us a “House Divided” wreath since that is what we are, at least in our professional football allegiance. Here I’ll walk you through a step-by-step tutorial of how I created this ornament wreath, and the technique can be applied for wreaths of any occasion or celebration.
Our House Divided
Like I mentioned, we live in a house divided during NFL season. I’m a Cincinnati Bengals fan whereas The Hubs pulls for the New England Patriots…..and our poor little boy is caught in the middle!
Some days, The Cub is decked out in full Bengals’ gear, other days he looks like a die-hard Patriots fan…..he’s going to be so confused when he gets older…..*sigh* You can check out more about our good-natured rivalry here.
Alrighty….onto the tutorial!
Supplies:
- Grapevine wreath form
- Ornaments (I try and only use shatterproof ones)
- Filler of some type (usually tinsel or fake floral items such as leaves or flowers)
- Hot glue gun and glue sticks
- Scissors
How To Make An Ornament Wreath:
- Clean and remove excess debris from grapevine wreath form.
- Prep ornaments by removing their hanging tops.
- Glue ornaments onto wreath form in a cluster method.
- Use filler to hide any holes or gaps between ornaments.
- Add additional decorations (such as a sign) if desired.
- Hang and enjoy!
Which Wreath Form To Use?? GRAPEVINE!
For ornament wreaths, I prefer to use grapevine wreath forms. I like how they’re flat(ish), which I think creates a better final look and saves time and money….I use fewer ornaments thanks to the smaller surface area needed to be covered. My Fall Ornament wreath turned out beautifully (and it was my very first ornament wreath), as did my University of Kentucky basketball one (keep reading to see a pic of it!).
I made a Halloween ornament wreath on a half of a styrofoam wreath form as well as a Spring Easter egg wreath on a (whole) styrofoam one (look for posts on both of these wreaths in the near future!), and while I love how they both turned out, they made me truly appreciate grapevine forms.
For a moment I considered just cutting a circle out of a random cardboard box that we have kicking around here, but I want this wreath to have longevity, so I quickly dismissed this idea. Plus I’ll look for any excuse to make a craft store run!
So, I ran to Michaels on the hunt for a grapevine form. I had originally planned on getting a circle one (which is what I normally use), but while there I spotted some in an oval shape and thought it would be just perfect for this project….oval is very similar to a football after all! I always look for a form that is flat as well as symmetrical (not all grapevine wreath forms are created equal). I found a decent footballesque one that was approximately 18″ x 15″ and headed to the checkout lane. It was on sale, plus I had a 20% off coupon, so it ended up only costing me around $3….cha-ching!
Cleaning the Grapevine Wreath Form
Grapevine wreath forms are not ready to go from the start…they need a good clean-up first. I grabbed a pair of scissors are started removing all the loose pieces of debris or those pieces that are sticking out of place. Remember, symmetrical is the name of the game here.
Curly q’s, dead leaves, loose twigs, or oddball pieces all need to go!
I ended up with a decent sized garbage pile. No matter how much I remove at the beginning, however, there’s always more that I either end up removing or falls out on its own during the addition of the ornaments. Just remove the most serious offenders now and take care of the rest as they appear.
It’s amazing what a little grooming can do! I always say this to myself after a trip to the hair salon as well. :) Now my wreath form was ready to go.
The Ornaments
Since this wreath was going to be a House Divided wreath featuring our rival NFL teams, I purchased some ornaments in both our teams’ respective colors: black and orange for my Cincinnati Bengals, and red and blue for The Hub’s New England Patriots.
I originally wanted navy blue ornaments for the Patriots’ side, but I couldn’t find any shatterproof ones. I thought about buying some clear ones and then painting/glittering them myself, but ain’t nobody got time for that! So royal blue it was. I also planned on using some silver ornaments throughout the wreath to add a little cohesiveness to the whole thing.
[Any Project Runway fans here? “I’m concerned the judges are going to question your cohesiveness!”….I didn’t want Tim Gunn’s voice haunting me, so silver to the rescue!]
I grabbed up a wide variety of ornaments from a few local craft stores. I wanted some not only in the different colors that I had previously mentioned, but also different sizes as well as textures:
- Shiny
- Matte
- Glittered
- Disco ball (does this have an official term?)
I also purchased some mini Bengals and Patriots helmets online to drive the point home that this was an NFL wreath featuring these two specific teams. I thought about also using some football ornaments scattered around in there as well, but the ones I found were either not shatterproof or had their hanging tops in a location that wouldn’t be conducive to being hidden well….more on that in a bit.
Oh, and don’t panic at the below pic….I did NOT use all of these ornaments! I ended up actually using less than half of what you see below….a rough count shows I used a total of about 25 small ornaments, 28 large ones, and eight football helmets.
Prepping The Ornaments
I prefer for my ornament wreaths to have the tops of their ornaments hidden, so I always remove the hanging tops first. I’ve seen others that leave them on and proudly display them as part of the design. It’s really whatever look you’re going for and personal preference.
Here are the ornaments (and helmets) that I prepped at the start. I grabbed a variety of textures and sizes for each color, and I ended up not using all of some and additional ones of others. I like to have a big pile of ornaments sans tops and ready to go on my table, that way I can just grab and glue and keep the creative process going.
Attaching The Ornaments
I always use a hot glue gun when creating my wreaths, and for this particular wreath I used 3-4 all-purpose 4″ glue sticks.
To attach the ornaments, I put a dollop of glue near the now-bare top….
….and then placed it securely on the wreath form. After holding it for 5-10 seconds, the glue begins to cool and harden and the ornament is now securely attached.
Also, since I’m using shatterproof ornaments, they all have a seam running down the center where the two halves are connected. This doesn’t bother me because you can’t really even seen the seams unless you’re standing mere inches away, and I’m more concerned with having this wreath last for many years to come. I gladly sacrifice having a perfectly smooth ornament for one that won’t shatter and ruin my beautiful one-of-a-kind wreath that I worked so hard to create.
If the seam bothers you, go ahead and purchase some glass ornaments. The process would still be the same….just be extra careful when having them on your table and handling them. They won’t bounce like the shatterproof ones….trust me and my clumsy first-hand knowledge!
The Cluster Method
I like to add my ornaments in clusters as opposed to filling the whole outer edge, then inner edge, then middle. That’s how some people make theirs, but I found this cluster method works best for me and helps me with placing my different types of ornaments. I like to mix with the textures, sizes, and colors and try to keep a nice variety where the same style of ornaments aren’t touching each other….variety is the spice of life after all!
I try to hide the top round part that once housed the hanging piece by nestling it under a fellow ornament or on the wreath form. I also try and conceal the seam if at all possible….but if not, oh well. I won’t let it stress me out, and you shouldn’t either!
I like to try and glue the ornaments on so they’re glued to the wreath form instead of high on top of another ornament….this helps keep the final wreath as flat as possible, which looks better in my opinion since it’s not bulging way out. It also allows me to use fewer ornaments since I’m not building up on top of the ornaments themselves. Also, gluing fewer ornaments means less money spent on supplies and a faster project….a win-win if I’ve ever heard one! That’s why I prefer grapevine wreath forms over styrofoam ones. Since the styrofoam forms are round, they have a larger surface area that needs covering, which requires more ornaments, which requires more money and more time gluing.
Trust me: grapevine wreath forms are where it’s at.
Gaps & Holes = No Big Deal
Also, as I’m placing my ornaments into their final positions, I don’t get too concerned with any gaps between them. I always add a filler at the end because:
- It adds texture and dimension.
- It fills any gaps or large holes.
- It just looks cool.
So, any holes that remain after adding the ornaments will get plugged with my filler, which in this instance is some tinsel. I’ve also used some fake leaves as filler before, as was the case with both my Fall ornament wreath and Halloween ornament wreath, and some fake grass for my Spring Easter egg wreath. Anything that is soft and sticks out will work just fine.
Filling The Wreath Form With Ornaments
Since this is a House Divided wreath, it is going to be half Patriots/half Bengals. I worked my way around the Patriots’ side first, adding ornaments along the top and bottom in clusters, then repeated the same process on the Bengals’ side.
After all the ornaments were in place, I then added the mini football helmets on each side.
Adding the Filler: Tinsel
Now that all my ornaments were in place, it was time to fill in the gaps and holes with my filler. For this I used some white Christmas tinsel that I grabbed at Target a few years back. It was left over from another ornament wreath that I made: a University of Kentucky basketball ornament wreath (Go Big Blue!). I made this and gave it to my mom as a Christmas gift, and it’s now displayed year-round in my parents’ basement bar. One of these days I’ll get around to making one for myself too….ahhhh, so many projects, so little time.
Back to this House Divided wreath…. I cut off 1″-2″ pieces of tinsel and stuck them in any large holes between the ornaments. I also added some along the back edge as well as some to the inner edge to soften it up a bit. I first just stuck them in the gaps, then once I was happy with their placement, I pulled each one out one at a time, added a dollop of hot glue, then returned it to its final location.
And viola! My ornament wreath is basically complete. This would be just fine on its own, but I really wanted to drive the point home that this was a HOUSE DIVIDED wreath, so I created a sign to hang in the center.
‘A HOUSE DIVIDED’ Sign
I created a sign to hang in the center that simply read “A HOUSE DIVIDED” with my Silhouette Cameo (I just love this thing! It has literally changed my life. Crazy, I know! You can check out some of the cool stuff I’ve made with it so far by clicking here.).
I cut out the sign letters and background from a…..wait for it….cereal box! Yep, I just cut a side off a Raisin Bran Crunch box and then placed it on my cutting mat (I added some painter’s tape to the edges just to help secure it in place).
Much to my pleasure, the box and its chipboard-type material worked just as I had hoped!
Next, I grabbed some of my favorite paints (Martha Stewart craft paints) in the Bengals’ and Patriots’ colors and also some silver paint (Folk Art brand) for the background. I wasn’t sure how the cereal box would take to the paint, but much to my surprise, the paint went on perfectly and I only had to apply one coat (even for the the orange).
After the paint was dry, I went back and added a layer of Martha Stewart glitter paint just to jazz it up a bit and make the sign shiny and sparkly to match the ornaments and tinsel. I then attached the letters to the background with some spray adhesive.
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If you’d like to see a full tutorial on how I make custom signs from cereal boxes, check this out!
Attaching The ‘A HOUSE DIVIDED’ Sign
Now that my sign was complete, it needed to be hung. For this, I put a couple dabs of hot glue on the back of the sign in the upper right and left corners, attached some strands of clear jewelry wire, then tied the other loose ends around a twig of the wreath form. It looks like the sign is suspended in mid-air, which is just what I was going for!
Now that it’s football season again, we are proudly displaying this wreath on our kitchen pantry door. We may be a house divided in professional football….and maybe in music taste, and the level of spiciness in food….but it’s all good-natured fun. :)
I hope this tutorial is of some help to you when creating your very own ornament wreath. I’d love to see whatever you create!
Thanks so much for stopping by! If you enjoyed what you saw here today, please share the love and pin it! And I’d love for us to stay connected!
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