Spooky Halloween Wreath Tutorial

I LOVE making wreaths!  The Fall wreath on my door I made a couple of years ago was faded and totally didn't match the spooky decor we put up this year.  Soooo, I thought, why not make a Halloween wreath and hopefully inspire someone to make one too?

I promise, it's not hard!  It just takes a little imagination, creativity and a few minutes at the craft store to pick up some supplies...

 

I chose a grapevine wreath, Styrofoam skulls, a little metal sign, some black leaf garland, and purple glittered black roses...but you can chose from a variety of items.  A garland of some sort and a couple of focal pieces usually works well, as you don't want it to be too busy.

I plugged in the hot glue gun and inserted wooden dowels in the base of the skulls while waiting for it to heat up.  If they are too long, cut them short enough to not stick out of the back of the wreath...

Then, hot glue around the dowel where it meets the skull to give it extra hold.  When in doubt, add hot glue (but not to your finger ;-) tee hee...

I decided to add black glitter to the eye sockets to jazz it up a bit...but of course adding glitter is always optional.  I prefer Martha Stewart's glitter and glittering glue but you could use any kind.  So, paint the glue first...

Then, pour the glitter in (I am never shy with it as you can see ;-)

Now, it's time to move on to the wreath itself. 

Start by hot gluing the end of the garland into the back of the wreath.  Please do this over a covered surface, so that if the hot glue drips through, you don't burn yourself or ruin furniture...

Then, you summon your nifty little studio helper, tee hee!  Yes, I do that whenever I can...so I can't take credit for the whole wreath, it's true. 

She winded the leaf garland around and around trying to space it out a bit until it reached the starting point...and then I hot glued that end the same way I did the other one...

It's time to add those spooky little Skelly's you made! 

Just pop the dowels through the bottom of the wreath and hot glue them really good in there.  I kind of pull the wreath apart a wee bit to fit in the tip of my hot glue gun...again, being careful the glue doesn't drip through to the front...

I found these purple glittered black roses that were perfect to add a splash of color!  So, I just cut off the stems...

...and popped them in around the wreath like I did the wooden dowels, hot gluing along the way...

For a final touch, I added the 'Ghosts were people too,' sign, by sliding it onto an broken branch and hot gluing it really good.  Then I covered it with a black leaf so you couldn't see any glue...

 

There were a lot of cute Halloween signs but I thought this one suited the purple and black skull theme!  Better yet, make your own little sign...oh, I should have thought of that earlier, tee hee.

Sooooo, here is the final Spooooky wreath...

I will say...if I were to do this one again, I might spray paint the grapevine wreath black before adding all the decor.  I think it would make it a little more spooky...oooh, and maybe sprinkle some purple glitter on it too ;-)  Glitter is a girls best friend...isn't that the saying?  Oh, wait...no, that's diamonds, tee hee.  Well, not this girl...I LOVE glitter!

So, I hope you've been inspired to try making your own wreath.  They are so fun and fairly easy to make.  Not to mention much cheaper than buying one already made (not that there's anything wrong with that because I've seen some really cute ones on Etsy ;-)  But, I think this cost me about $15 to make, yay.

Jamie :)

Comments

[Paula Weigel]

love it! i've never been a big fan of halloween, but i'm seeing so many amazing ideas ... i may have to change my mind!!!

[tristan]

spooky and cute!! good job!

[TidyMom]

GREAT job! I LOVE it!

~TidyMom

[robin]

How talented are YOU? That is just too freaking cool... where do you come up with the design ideas for these things?
That wreath is nicer (and more creative) than anything they sell in stores. You should totally try selling them!

[Theresa]

That is so awesome, Jamie! Very gothic. :) I like that the sign says WERE...very appropriate. Thanks so much for the tutorial!!! Theresa

[Tatieva]

Wouah, je craque complètement sur ta bannière, fantastique !
Qu'est-ce qu'elle me plaît !
Happy Halloween !
From France,
Tatieva, painter

[Sara]

That is really cute Jamie!! Thanks for the tutorial!

[Kendra]

OMG! This wreath is beautiful! Makes me want to go make one now! Oh, and I love your header!

[Heather]

Spooooooky!

[Melanie @ Whimsical Creations]

That is so cool!!

[Kelli]

So I get to this post via a Tweet by Tidy Mom. I give it a once over and see that I really like the idea of this wreath. Then I scan up to the pic of the blogger up at the top. I think to myself, "Gosh that looks a lot like Jaimie. The same girl that used to turn around in Geometry class and doodle crazy stuff on my notebook. I was intrigued so I read more...and it is you! WOW!! Kelli (Helms) Mayhorn here! Remember me?

[jes]

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrl,
LOVE THIS! i think i'm gonna have to make it's twin! so spooky and sparkly and fabulous!

happy weekend, sweets!

jes
xo

[Kristin]

Ghosts are still people, just in a different dimension. Hehe. I love it! And love the new header. Are you gonna be Dorothy this year again?

[Rhonda Roo]

Dearest Lovely Talented Crafty Jamie Woo~
Oh, how I love love love coming here!
You are so much fun- I love the wreath! And what an organized "ghoul" you are labeling your potions with a little help from a Fanciful Twist muuuhahahahah

I totally dig the glitter in the skull's eyes BTW it takes them to a whole new level!

...and I cant wait to see baby costumes...
sighhhhh

I think you've invented "Spooky Chic"
XOXOXOXOXO

[Florrie Nuttall]

Happy SITS Saturday Sharefest. This is actually my very FIRST time participating in this and I am so glad I came across your blog. It is BEAUTIFUL and I love how it shows step by step instructions for the crafting challenged, like myself. I can't wait to poke around here a little bit more and see all your grand ideas!
Thanks.

[Yaya]

Wow! Good job!

PS Thank you for stopping by my blog on my sits day!

[Denise]

That is one wickedly cool wreath! Nice job!!!!

[Sarah Brown]

AWESOME!!!!! Please come decorate my house!!!!!

[The Magic Onions]

Oh my... that's so cool!! I love it. But what I love the most is how it has glitter... that cracked me up! And pink glitter to boot!! Just adorable... I think you are so lucky to have three girls! What fun.
Blessings and maigc.

[Tabitha Blue]

You are always so creative... and seem to have alot of fun... will you be my friend??!! This is a cool idea!

:)
~Tabitha

[Sandra]

Great wreath!! I love the black/purple roses especially.

I know you say it's easy... but coming from a aethestically-challenged person like myself... I dun think I can do it! :P Haha! Hope you had a great halloween!

[Lauren]

LOVE the color you added to the black roses. and the glitter in the eyes! Amazing little touches

[Karen - The Graphics Fairy]

What a great wreath!! I love the glitter and the colors! The sign is great too, and so true!

[Jessica]

I love it!!!

[Amy at The Red Chair Blog]

Very spooky chic!