DIY Halloween Ribbon Wreath Tutorial

I remember a time when wreaths were for Christmas and Christmas only — made of mostly (fake) pine branches. Over the years I have seen them become more of a trend and one that is perfectly acceptable for any holiday, occasion and even year-round. From Halloween to Christmas, birthday parties to a permanent decoration in your house, you can create a custom ribbon wreath for any occasion or space.

DIY Halloween Ribbon Wreath Tutorial

MATERIALS:

• Styrofoam wreath — any size (I used a 14″ diameter for this project)

• Ribbon, ribbon and more ribbon — Scour the dollar bins, catch the sales and collect any scraps you might have laying around house because you need a lot of ribbon. For my 14″ styrofoam wreath, I used 18 different ribbons. Each spool consisted of 3 yards and while I have some left over, I think it’s better to be safe (and have more than enough) than sorry (and run out mid-project). When buying ribbon — think outside the box and get ribbon with different widths, patterns, colors and textures. For this project, I stuck to a wide-range color theme… I picked everything from black and white paisley, purple metallic sheer, orange satin, silver glitter and black… to green skull and crossbones, purple plaid, orange and white dots, leopard print and purple with white spider webs.

• Black all purpose craft paint
  

• Basic (wide) paintbrush

• Scissors

• Hot glue gun and glue sticks

DIRECTIONS:

1. Paint the top and sides of the styrofoam wreath and let dry completely (I didn’t paint the back because I’m afraid that the black paint will rub off on my walls). It doesn’t have to be painted perfectly… it’s just so you don’t see the styrofoam through the ribbon once it’s complete.

2. Cut the ribbon approximately 3-5 inches in length

3. Tie a knot in the center of each piece of ribbon

4. Cut a “V” at the end of each ribbon piece and cut at a diagonal on each thin piece of ribbon (this keeps the ends from fraying and cleans up any fraying that may have occurred while tying the knots — in step 3).

5. Glue each ribbon piece to the black painted part of the wreath — make sure the knot is where you glue the ribbon to the wreath.

GLUING TIPS

• Pinch each piece of ribbon as you glue it to the wreath (hold it there for a few seconds as the glue settles). This is so the ends of the ribbon don’t accidentally get glued to the wreath and so you can easily glue other pieces of ribbon around it.

• Don’t glue the ribbon down in straight lines or rows. Scatter the placement of each piece as your glue them to the wreath.

• Don’t burn your fingers! Sounds pretty basic but I burned my finger because I pinched one of the ribbon pieces too close to the hot glue. Be careful!

ALMOST DONE

6. Finish up by “fluffing” and separating the ribbon pieces and fill in any holes with any leftover pieces.

7. Measure the length that you want your wreath to hang then double it and cut one piece of ribbon.

8. Loop it around the wreath and tie a knot at the top (leaving 2 pieces, about 5″ above the knot).

9. Cut a second piece of ribbon — about 18″ long

10. Tie a bow around the knot of the ribbon (in step 8 ) and cut a “V” in all loose ends.

This style does take a little longer but I think it turns out looking better than some of the easier wreaths. Next time I make a ribbon wreath (yes, I’m going to do it again), I’ll make the quicker version and share the tutorial.
If you want to really put on your Martha Stewart hat… grab some styrofoam balls and make some matching (or coordinating) Ribbon Balls!

Happy Crafting!