The wreath is the first thing anyone sees at your house in December, so it might as well be one you made. These DIY Christmas wreaths run from five minute dollar store makeovers to a book page wreath, a wine cork wreath, a fluffy Rudolph, a gnome with a knitted hat and a candle wreath for the middle of the table. There are ornament wreaths for the front door, hoop wreaths for a modern house, a crochet wreath for the yarn people and a paper wreath the kids can make. Most of them won't cost more than a store wreath and take one evening. Perfect for the front door, the mantel, the kitchen cabinets and every teacher on your list.
1. Evergreen Ornament Wreath
This is the classic DIY Christmas wreath. Aubree starts with a plain faux evergreen wreath, wires on shiny, matte and glitter ball ornaments in red, green and white until the greenery is nearly covered, and finishes with a big red ribbon bow with green pom pom trim. She compares every kind of wreath base in the post, so if you'd rather build on foam or a wire form, she has a tutorial for that too. Aubree Originals has the step by step.
2. Paper Rosette Wreath
This one is ours, and it's the wreath to make with the kids on a rainy afternoon. Strips of red, green and candy cane striped paper get accordion folded and pinched into rosettes, a button goes in the middle of each one and the rosettes overlap around a ring until the whole thing reads as a wreath. A loop of gold cord hangs it. It's light enough for a bedroom door or a classroom wall, and it costs about a dollar in paper. DIY Joy has the how to.
3. Farmhouse Cotton Wreath
Meredith set out to make a wreath for her own door, started playing with supplies in the basement and ended up doing a happy dance over this one. A grapevine base gets flocked greenery picks, cotton stems, eucalyptus, mini pinecones, a few bells and a big buffalo check bow, all tucked in so the picks can be swapped out next year. It reads farmhouse from the sidewalk. Nothing is glued down permanently. unOriginal Mom has the full breakdown.
4. Ornament and Snowflake Wreath
Amber grabbed a pile of supplies at the craft store, put on a cheesy holiday movie and played until she had something she loved. A grapevine wreath gets frosted greenery, shiny and glittered balls in red and silver, a few white glitter snowflakes and berry sprigs, and the mix of textures is what makes it look bought. No plan, no pattern, just tuck and glue until the gaps are gone. Crazy Little Projects has the supply list and the how to.
5. Flocked Hoop Wreath
A gold wire ring, a few flocked pine branches, a cotton stem and a spray of red berries wired along one side, and a wide red ribbon to hang it. Stephanie's hoop wreath is the modern, half-empty kind that looks expensive and takes about fifteen minutes. The bare half of the ring is the point, so resist filling it in. It hangs on a door, a mirror or the back of a chair. Crafting in the Rain has the supply list and the wiring tips.
6. Gift Card Mini Wreaths
Amy's mantra is that everything is better mini, and these little leaf wreaths prove it. Each one is a small wire ring wrapped in faux bay leaves, hung on black and white twine, with a gift card tied in the center with a ribbon bow. The person opens the card and keeps a wreath to hang up, so it's two gifts in one, and a row of three on the wall is the prettiest way to hold gift cards until they're handed out. Homey Oh My has the how to.
7. Red Ticking Rag Wreath
Misty rips a yard and a half of red ticking fabric into strips, ties and clips them around a dollar store wire wreath form until it's fluffy, and hangs a little galvanized truck with a tree in the middle. The whole thing came in under twelve dollars. Swap the truck for a nativity or bottle brush trees, or change the ribbon and it works for the next holiday too. Rip, don't cut, so the edges fray. Back Porch Bliss has the how to.
8. Christmas Gnome Wreath
Greg is on a mission to convert everyone to gnomes, and this wreath is his best argument. A bundle of Christmas picks with berries and pinecones hangs upside down as the beard, a knitted hat in speckled gray yarn sits over the top and a single wooden bead peeks out as the nose. That's the whole face, and it's somehow the most charming thing on the door. It's really a swag, so it takes less material than a full wreath. The Navage Patch has the details.
9. Monogram Boxwood Wreath
A real boxwood wreath, a wooden letter and a wide red ribbon, and Linda had a classy DIY Christmas wreath on the door in one weekend. The letter gets a coat of white paint and candy cane stripes decoupaged on, then hangs in the center of the wreath from the same ribbon that holds it on the door. It's the kind of wreath that looks like a boutique made it, and the boxwood dries in place so it lasts for years. Craftaholics Anonymous has the tutorial.
10. Book Page Wreath
Kara's book page wreath lives on her door all year, and for Christmas she swaps the center for a red and cream paper rosette medallion with a button in the middle. Pages from an old book get rolled into cones and glued in rings, tight and then wider, until they fan out like a sunburst. It took her three tries to land on the center she liked, and the simplest one won. Make the base once and change the middle for every season. Creations by Kara has both tutorials.
11. Wine Cork Wreath
If you've been saving corks for something special, this is the something. Evelyn hot glues them in layers around a wreath form until the whole ring is cork, then tucks in sprigs of greenery, pinecones and bright cranberry picks. The texture is what makes it, and the printed corks tell a little story of every bottle. It takes a good stash, so start collecting or ask friends. My Turn for Us has the layering method and the cork count.
12. JOY Snowberry Wreath
Toni covered chunky wood letters in black and white striped patterned tape, which looks like paint from the porch, and hung JOY in the middle of a wreath of white snowberry stems and dusty greenery. A big red gingham bow on top and a tiny bow on the J finish it. The tape is the trick: no painting, no drying, and you can peel it off and change the pattern next year. Design Dazzle has the how to.
13. Pom-Pom Reindeer Wreath
Jess bought a wooden wreath form without knowing what it was, and it turned into this: a ring of oversized cream yarn pom poms with tiny gold jingle bells tucked between them and a red wooden deer head silhouette in the middle. The pom poms are quick with a maker or your hands, and they make the wreath look plush from across the room. It's modern, a little Scandinavian and easy to love. Make and Do Crew has the tutorial.
14. Sparkly White Winter Wreath
Cheap white wreaths tend to look blue and plasticky, so Stefanie upgraded one: a mist of spray snow to warm the color, a large white berry arrangement broken into pieces, nine small pinecones tipped in white and a silver glitter ribbon bow. The result looks like a frosted branch instead of a craft store shelf. It brightens a dark hallway and works all winter, not just December. girl. Inspired. has the supply list and the how to.
15. Foraged Table Wreath
Not every wreath goes on a door. Sara and Melissa made this one for the middle of the table, with foraged evergreen and seeded eucalyptus from the grocery store wired onto a wreath form and cream taper candles in little wooden holders tucked into the greenery. It reminds them of the Lucia wreaths of Scandinavia and the one their mom made every year. Lay it on a linen runner and light the candles at dinner. Alice and Lois has the how to.
16. Candy Cane Mesh Wreath
Amy saw a candy cane shaped wire wreath form online and the rest was history. Red and white deco mesh gets tucked and twisted along the form in loose curls so it looks striped from a distance, and a couple of green foam holly leaves with red berries sit at the curve. It's hard to mess up, which is why she keeps making wreaths, and the shape makes people smile before they ring the bell. DIY Candy has the tucking method for the mesh.
17. Antler Hoop Wreath
No animals were harmed, Ashley promises: the antlers are faux. They cross at the bottom of a wooden hoop with a buffalo check bow, snow tipped pinecones and a couple of rusty bells, and boxwood picks with red berries fan out to either side. She made a few for a school auction and they were the first to go. A hoop wreath is just a wreath built on an embroidery or macrame hoop, and everything came from one craft store. Simply Designing has the how to.
18. Burlap Ribbon Willow Wreath
Everything here came from the dollar store: a twelve inch willow wreath, a roll of red polka dot burlap ribbon and a roll of red chevron burlap ribbon. Kandice wraps short lengths of the two ribbons around the willow in alternating bands and builds a loopy bow from the leftovers for the bottom. It's rustic, it's fast and it reads Christmas without a single ornament. Change the ribbon and it works for any holiday. Just the Woods has the wrapping method.
19. Eucalyptus Candy Wreath
Keri fell for a designer eucalyptus wreath on a department store site, saw the price and the sold out sign, and made her own for about a tenth of the cost. A faux eucalyptus wreath gets peppermint candy ornaments, a striped candy stick, red berries and a pastel candy print bow, and it hangs on her blue front door next to a wooden nutcracker sign. Modest by design, and it still gets compliments. One Mama's Daily Drama has the how to.
20. Dollar Tree Rustic Glam Wreath
Sarah's whole wreath came from the dollar store: a greenery wreath form, a cluster of green berries, a couple of packs of white star ornaments, a bunch of white baby's breath and a few styles of ribbon. She works the flowers and stars in around the ring, ties on burlap and lace bows and hangs it on an old window frame against the brick. Seasonal stock goes fast, so grab it when you see it. All Things With Purpose has the how to.
21. Fluffy Rudolph Wreath
Jessica wraps a wreath form in fluffy white eyelash yarn, adds glitter gold antlers wound with fairy lights, tan felt ears, a red jingle bell nose and a little chalkboard tag that says Welcome Rudolph, carrots inside. A wide red ribbon hangs it. It's the wreath kids stop to touch, and the yarn wrapping is the only slow part. Swap the antlers and ears for a bow after Christmas and it turns into a snow wreath. Mama In A Stitch has the how to.
22. Crochet Gnome Wreath
For the yarn people: Agnes crochets a cream cover for a foam wreath, then adds a pair of little gnomes in pink and red hats with fluffy beards peeking over the bottom edge and a sprig of crocheted mistletoe with pearl berries. The gnome pattern is her own twist on a classic, and one of them works as a tree ornament on its own. The wreath cover tutorial is on her site too. It's soft, it's washable and it packs flat. Agnes Creates has the free pattern.
23. Merry and Bright Wreath Trio
Three wreaths stacked down a tall front door, with Merry, an ampersand and Bright cut from plywood and painted pink, teal and white to match the ornaments. Amy went with non traditional colors on purpose and wired the wreaths together with craft wire so they hang as one piece. The letters are the project; the wreaths are plain store greenery dressed with pinecones, sprayed picks and colored balls. It fills a door nothing else fits. Her Tool Belt has the how to.
24. Baby Jesus Paper Wreath
A wreath for Sunday school or the kitchen table: Emma's free template gives kids a blue night sky ring, a big yellow star and a baby in a manger with strips of paper straw to fringe, and they color, cut and glue it together in one sitting. There's a black and white version to color in and a full color one for little hands. It's a sweet way to talk about the story while making something. Kids Craft Room has the printable.
