Today I’m excited to share my latest wreath, made with Mardi Gras beads, seashells, and a little mermaid glitter! Would you like to make a Mardi Gras Mermaid Wreath too? Read on for instructions.

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Wreath a Day #6: Mardi Gras Mermaid Wreath

I have had these pretty seashells in my stash for a few months. I bought them because I thought it would be fun to make a dollar store mermaid crown, but I never made it. When I saw the shells in my Craft Hoarder’s Paradise (aka CHP, aka my garage), I thought “Hmm, maybe I’ll never make that mermaid crown. But you know what I need to make right now? A wreath! Maybe I should make a mermaid wreath!” And the idea was born.

I held onto the shells for a few days because I couldn’t settle on the right background on the wreath. I had neutral colored ribbon that would have made a perfectly serviceable beachy wreath, but what I really wanted was something mermaid-y. I wanted a sparkly blue or green background. When I was visiting the dollar store, I saw these Mardi Gras style beads, and I knew those were the final component in my mermaid wreath.

Supplies Needed:

• Foam wreath form*
• 3 packages of Mardi Gras beaded necklace (approximately 18 necklaces)*
• Assorted seashells and starfish
• Blue glitter paste or glue* and blue glitter*
• Hot glue gun and glue sticks*
• Paint brush*

*Items with an asterisk can be purchased at the dollar store or DollarTree.com.

Step 1: Glue beads to wreath

Before you glue the beads to the wreath, you need to break the beads on the spot where they are glued together. Find the two beads that are fused together and break them apart with your hands (or hold one side with pliers if you have trouble breaking them). Alternately, you can just snip the string between any two beads.

Put a line of hot glue on the wreath form and put the end of the beads on the glue. Hold the beads on the wreath form until the glue cools, then begin to wrap the beads around the wreath form.

When you reach the end of one strand of beads, glue the next strand to the previous strand, and secure it onto the wreath with a dab of hot glue. Continue to wrap the wreath with beads until it is fully covered.

Production note: You might want to paint the wreath form before you begin, as the wreath form does show through the beads a little bit. If I made another wreath (or made one to sell), I would definitely cover up the wreath form before I glued the beads.

I didn’t have enough blue beads to cover the entire wreath (which would have looked amazing, I think), so I had to split the wreath coverage between blue and green beads.

Step 2: Glue the shells onto the wreath

Before you add the beads, tie a piece of ribbon around the top of the wreath to provide a hanger.

Hot glue the starfish and seashells in place on the wreath.

I arranged the starfish evenly around the wreath first, then arranged the seashells between them.

Step 3: Add glitter paste

When I got all the seashells glued in place, the wreath didn’t look finished, so I rummaged around in my CHP and found some sapphire blue glitter glue paste. You can buy the paste at your local art store, or online.

Or, you can just use liquid glue and blue glitter (both of which you probably have in your stash, or you can find at the dollar store).

I brushed blue glitter paste on all the shells to add some shimmer, and also to tone down the brightness of some of the shells and help them blend into the beaded background a little better.

That’s better! I like how the glitter looks kind of like sea gunk, but glittery sea gunk. It also tied the disparate seashells together more and made them fit together as a unit of related items.

Overall, I like how it turned out! I think it would look neat if I spray painted the whole thing white and then added some glitter glue over that. I wouldn’t mind trying it.

I hope you are having as much fun watching me bust my stash as I am having making these crazy wreaths! To follow along with my project, check out my other Wreath a Day posts.

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I’ve made a new commitment for 2017: I am going to make a wreath a day for the entire year! That’s 365 wreaths, and I am gonna make them all!

First I want to tell you about the rules I have laid out for myself:

1. I will make 365 wreaths this year
2. I will focus on using materials I already have in my stash (read: my full garage of stuff)
3. I will post about my wreath-making progress right here at Dollar Store Crafts
4. I will attempt to make one wreath a day, BUT
5. If I fall behind, I am allowed to make it up, as long as
6. I will make 365 wreaths this year.

That way, if I have a day where there’s no way I can make a wreath, my project isn’t completely blown. I am happy with this set of rules because it allows me to complete my goal without getting upset if for some reason I fail on one day.

I hope that you will join me in making some wreaths this year!

The post A Wreath a Day: Is She Crazy? appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

After awhile, Christmas wreaths can kinda start looking the same. Well, don’t get bored just yet, because over at eBay, I have posted a wonderful collection of 11 unique ideas for DIY Christmas wreaths. These aren’t the run-of-the-mill Christmas greenery with a red bow! In this collection you will find a bottle cap wreath and yarn ball wreath (shown above), as well as some other fantastic DIY wreath ideas for the holidays. Go check them out: [11 Unique Christmas Wreath Ideas]

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Wreaths are the best craft – easy to make, infinitely variable, and when you’re done, you have a cool decoration to adorn your home or your front door. Over at Live.Craft.Love, I posted instructions for how to make this eye-catching geometric wreath that is made by painting wooden circles with hand-mixed shades of acrylic paint. Set aside an evening or a crafternoon to make this one – you can thank me later! Instructions here: [geometric decor painted wood wreath]

Materials you can find at the dollar store:

• Wreath form, $1
• Acrylic paint pots, $1
• Burlap ribbon, $1
• Hot glue gun & glue sticks, on hand
• You will also need: 12 wooden craft circles, 2 for $1, $6 total

Total cost: $9

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Dollar Tree is a great place to find inexpensive styrofoam pieces for crafting.  I like to stock up on the egg shapes when Easter is here.  I combined several small styrofoam pieces to make an adorable mini wreath for Easter.  This would be cute on a dorm door, in a window, on an office bulletin board, or any other small space that could use some cheer!

Project estimate:

• Foam ring – $1 for 2
• Foam eggs –  $1
• Paint – on hand
• Yarn – on hand
• Ribbon – on hand
• Miniatures – on hand or $1 and up

Total:  $2 and up

Step one:  Paint the foam eggs.

Step two:  Wrap the foam ring with green yarn.

Step three:  Glue the miniatures to the wreath.  I glued beads in a mini basket to look like eggs.

Step four:  Glue the eggs onto ribbon and glue the ribbons to the back of the wreath.

Now you can embellish the wreath with a bow and tiny flowers.  This is a great stash busting project.  Since the wreath is mini-sized you can use up little ribbon scraps and other embellishments you have.  Have fun crafting, creating, and decorating!

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Need some ideas for fall wreaths? We’ve got you covered! Many of these tutes use a Styrofoam wreath form, but you can get the same effect by cutting 3-4 doughnut shapes from corrugated scrap cardboard and gluing them together. Cheaper and plastic free!

1. Yarn Wreath – This project calls for Styrofoam balls, but you could also use crumpled balls of paper as the base to save a buck.

2. Candy Corn Wreath – Candy corn is my favorite Halloween candy, so you know that I’m digging this cute fall wreath!

3. Burlap Bubble Wreath – I love the organic look of this wreath. And you can make one in 15 minutes!

4. Wheat and Berries – The big, chevron bow makes this wreath so soft and welcoming!

5. Pumpkin Wreath – Little handmade stuffed pumpkins replace the traditional flowers or bow you find on most fall wreaths.

6. Sunshine Wreath – Gathered twigs and fabric rosettes make a beautiful starburst wreath for fall.

7. Mini Pumpkin Wreath – Real mini pumpkins are the stars of what’s basically a wreath-meets-fall-diorama.

8. Recycled Sweater Wreath – Cut up some old sweaters to make the rosettes on this pretty fall wreath.

9. Wooden Hexagon – You need some power tool skills to make this fall wreath, and I love the unconventional shape of it.

10. Rake Wreath – Did your rake head pop off while you were cleaning up leaves? Don’t toss it! Turn it into a very cute fall wreath instead.

The post 10 Fall Wreaths to Make This Weekend appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

1. Cardboard and Book Page Wreath – Instead of a store-bought styrofoam wreath form, this project uses free reclaimed cardboard as the base and an old book from your stash for embellishments.
2. Paper Curls Wreath – Raid that stack of scrapbook paper to make this cheerful little wreath!
3. Rag Wreath – Are you a fabric scrap hoarder like I am? Bust that stash and make a sweet Valentine’s Day wreath.
4. Sweater Wreath – Have you been saving some thrift store sweaters for just the right project? Grab one of last summer’s pool noodles, and you’re halfway to a cute wreath.
5. Clothespin Wreath – Dig into your stash of clothespins to make a cute little wreath with a wire hanger base.
6. Picture Frame Wreath – I love this project, because it’s sort of more the idea of a wreath! Any frame you have will do. If yours is on the plainer side, add more embellishments to sass it up.
7. Converted Christmas Wreath – Dust off the wreath that you made over the holidays and add a little sweetness to make it Valentine’s Day-appropriate.
8. Felt Rose Wreath – This project uses reclaimed plastic bags and an insulation tube to make the wreath form. You can buy felt yardage like she suggests or use fabric scraps to make your roses.
9. Paper Heart Wreath – This is another great stash-buster for your scrapbook paper. Make sturdy, 3D hearts!
10. Heart-Shaped Rag Wreath – This is a sweet take on the rag wreath idea with a homemade, heart-shaped wreath form. I think that I’d use more fabric scraps to give the heart a fuller look, but what you decide to do really depends on your aesthetic.

Have you made a wreath for Valentine’s Day this year? I’d love to see what you’re working on! Feel free to share your links in the comments.

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