DIY Autumn Wreath

I'm so excited to share with you my first craft for the new home - An Autumn Wreath!  I think I may have ingested some glitter on this project, but the end result was rewarding, fun and festive.. and in a way symbolic in the sense that "I did it"!  Even though the home is still not quite liveable, the front door at least says, there's someone new in town and she plans to stay a while.  Is that bad that I'd rather work on crafts and buy new things for the new place than pack and finally fully move in?  I guess I haven't quite mustered up the guts to pack the things that have been building over the years in my childhood home.  And I think, maybe if I always have something back home, then I never really left and things will always be the same.  But that's not how life works and it's time for me to buckle down and do the dirty work as hard as it will be...

But on a lighter note, let me show you what a cinch this wreath is to make.  Mine screams Fall, but you can easily do this for the Winter Holidays, too, by just changing the color of the rafia.

What you'll need:

1 medium (12in) styrofoam wreath
2 or 3 spools (8ft) rafia (depending on the width of the rafia) get a third just in case
scotch tape
Christmas Picks (floral glitter stems, birds) 30% off at Michaels, this week!
glue gun
 floral wire

scissors/pliers (for cutting floral wire)

Step 1: Wrap the rafia around the wreath tightly, slightly overlapping to cover the green styrofoam as much as possible.  When you get to the end, just tape it down with a small piece of scotch tape.  You'll never see the tape once the floral pieces go over it. 

Step 2: Arrange your floral pieces before you start gluing to get an idea of the exact placement you want.

Step 3: With the glue gun, glue down each floral piece, layer upon layer.  To further stabilize them, cut 2 inch pieces of the floral wire and bend them in half.  Along the stems, push the floral wire all the way through the rafia and into the styrofoam.  The glue might not hold up over time, but the wires will.  The bird piece was attached to a long stick.  Cut the stick but leave 1 inch to allow room for pushing it into the styrofoam.  Use some glue at the base of the bird for reinforcement.

Step 4: Tie a piece of rafia at the top and hang on a nail or tac. 

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