Monday 3 December 2012

I made my own Christmas Bauble Wreath

Since about August I've been spying and pinning, and pinning, and pinning Christmas wreaths made up of baubles. Every year back in the UK my dad would fasten a wreath to the front door as soon as we stuck up a Christmas tree and to me, they go hand in hand with Christmas. But I didn't want to have something as traditional and I wanted to make my own - hence me hoarding tonnes of vintage baubles every time we hit estate sales and saving them up. 

Luckily you don't really need much to make this, nor do you need to be extremely crafty you just need to be one with Christmas spirit and a bit of patience. 

Shopping list of goodies;
  • Baubles - many many baubles in whatever style, size, color, taste you want
  • An old wire coat hanger 
  • A glue gun [kinda optional but helps] 
  • Some Christmas music playing - to get you in the festive mood
  • A big bow - home made or shop brought

First you need to make sure you've eaten your spinach to pull the wire coat hanger open and bend into a circle. It's easier said then done. It does help somewhat using pillars but mostly it comes down to mere strength and bending and rebending. It doesn't have to be a perfect circle, just near enough. 


As you can see, mines far from being a true circle but it worked just as well. Then you want to take your baubles still with their small hangers [not the shop bought hangers or cotton you'd use to hang them upon the tree] and slip them down onto the coat hangers. 


There's no real logic to how to place them, I did find it helps have some smaller baubles to fill in some of the gaps and somewhat arrange them in three lines but they'll fall and settle in their own way. You may or may not want to glue the baubles either to the wire or to each other, gluing them does stop them from moving and twisting and stops the need to fill the reverse of the wreath as much.


Fill up and around as far as you can but you will want to leave a gap at the top. The fiddly bit comes when your trying to refasten the two ends of the hanger back together. Granted I failed at this, even with pillars, so the cheats way is to wrap wool very tightly around and around the two ends and glue gun it in place which surprisingly held. 


You could leave it as is, but I finished it off with a huge oversized ribbon. I picked mine up from the Dollar Tree [love that dollar store] but you could make your own. It's perfect for adding that little extra hint of Christmas and hides some more of the wire. Then you're done, you could hang it on your door or like me [because I don't trust people and I don't want it walking off] hang it inside your home. Mines hanging above my crafty corner opposite the tree - the lights reflecting off it adds that little extra.


Have you been getting crafty for Christmas?

9 comments:

  1. It looks amazing! I can't believe how easy(ish) you made it look - I really want to give it a go! x

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  2. Wire coat hangers are THE stuff for wreaths! I'll never know why people pay £5 for a wire ring when you can bend one yourself!

    Really like the colours you've used - and the big red bow, so, so festive!

    Jem xXx

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  3. Beautiful!! I love the baubles!! I want to get crafty this year but haven't had the time yet...Soon tho! =)

    Ergo - Blog

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  4. This is amazing! I want to try this when I break up for Christmas from work xx

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  5. This is such a great idea! xo

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  6. Fabulous idea - it looks great!
    Liz @ Shortbread & Ginger

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  7. That looks lovely, better than the stuff in shops! x

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  8. That's such a lovely wreath, one of a kind xxx

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