A dollar store fall wreath
October 18, 2019
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How to make a fall wreath with dollar store materials
Hellooo there! I’m finally pulling out the fall decor this week! This is SO late for me -- usually I’m itching to get it out in August! This year I wanted to make sure I was completely done going through the basement before I started lugging the (cough. numerous.) bins up.
One of the projects I wanted to tackle this year was a DIY fall wreath. I was inspired by this one last year:
Start with your base
I started with some thick foam core board from Hobby Lobby for $5 – it was half an inch thick and it was already 20 inches wide, so I cut it down to 20 inches in length as well:
Btw -- you can easily use foam core from the dollar store, this is just thicker.
I wanted it to be four inches thick, so I marked a square in the middle accordingly:
I used my jigsaw to cut it out (it cut like butta!), but you could probably get away with cutting it with something else (especially if you use a thinner foam board – I use scissors.)
Remember it does not have to be perfect – you won’t see the exact shape when you’re done!
I did a really quick spray of the edges, (with red because it was the closest I found) just in case they'd show through at all:
They don’t, so you can save the two minutes and skip this step.
You’re welcome. :)
Add your leaves
I was trying to think of a cheap way to do this project and I remembered some packets of leaves I bought at the Dollar Tree a few weeks ago for another project. I absolutely loved the colors, the texture, and they were large – perfect for this project!
WHOO!!
I started laying them out to see what I liked:
Hmmm – it wasn’t random enough for me. So I tried a willy nilly way:
MUCH better, but the leaves were a bit flat for my liking. I wanted some POOF.
Because they’re made with wire, that was an easy fix – I crumpled up a few at a time (gently) and gave them some dimension:
(I ended up snipping off the wire stems.)
I fired up the hot glue gun and started placing them here and there, filling in any empty spots:
There was no rhyme or reason to it – just stick ‘em on!
And less than an hour later, I had just what I was looking for!:
(Our door always photographs blue, but it’s a dark brown.)
I love love LOVE these leaves! They look so real! They are made of a material that reminds me of crepe paper – but not nearly as delicate:
You do have to be gentle with them though – they tear if you’re not careful. I didn’t mind though – it made them look more real. ;)
If you have a door that’s exposed to the wind, you’ll want to add weights to the “frame” because it is very lightweight. We don’t have that problem, but I may add some sticky tack to the back just to make sure it stays put. And I’m not sure how these leaves would hold up to the elements – so you may want to test out a leaf or two.
Last year some of you suggested using a large frame as the base, and I thought that was a great idea – it would be heavy enough too!
I absolutely LOVE it – lots of color, texture and it’s simple. The best part is that it only cost $11 total! (Five for foam and six packages of the leaves at a dollar each.) And that’s only because I got the thicker foam – if you got a thinner piece from the dollar store, you’d get this done for well under ten bucks!:
It's gonna look FAB with the rest of the fall decor on our porch! I’ll share that with you next week! (Click here for our fall porch tour!)
It’s getting just a bit cooler here…slowly but surely. It was in the 80’s today but there was so little humidity, it felt pretty fantastic! Yay…it’s coming!! :)
Oh my goodness! SO beautiful! Love it! :)
ReplyDeleteThat is so cute! I love the square shape!
ReplyDeleteI need to get my fall stuff out..... Gosh! I feel
way behind all of the sudden!
That turned out gorgeous! Square looks so much more interesting, and the colors are perfect!
ReplyDeleteI love it! I actually bought a few packs of those same leaves last week with a few projects in mind! Currently they are hanging from a Fall Bunting on the Mantle ... but maybe I'll re-purpose them into a wreath! Great idea!
ReplyDeleteLOVE this! It turned out perfectly! Another great project Sarah! You go girl! ;)
ReplyDeleteourveryblessednest.blogspot.com
Dang girrl, that looks good! I'll def be adding this to my fall craft list which is growing, and growing, and growing!
ReplyDeleteThis turned out so great! I love it. And I kind of like your door blue :)
ReplyDeleteOh! I need those leaves. It is beautiful!
ReplyDeletesquare wreaths are my absolute favorite! Love this fall wreath!
ReplyDeleteSo very cute! How creative. Love it!!! Thanks for sharing! =)
ReplyDeleteThis just might work for my door. I have a storm door in front of my door and wreaths tend to get smooshed. But this seems like it doesn't stick out as far as something like a grapevine. What do you think? Whould a storm door get in the way? Oh I hope the dollar tree still has leaves!
ReplyDeleteHey I saw those leaves at the Dollarama here the other day and was trying to think of what to use them for! Great idea.
ReplyDeleteShannon
www.akadesign.ca
I love this idea, will have to find some leaves.
ReplyDeleteFunny about your door color. I have met dogs that had brown eyes, but they photographed blue. Kind of quirky.
So pretty I love it. I love all the colors!!!
ReplyDeleteVery cute! I love the square shape -- adds so much interest!
ReplyDeleteGreat job!!
xox
Jen
this is really, really a cute wreath! g'job, thrifty!
ReplyDeleteangie
I love your wreath! I especially love that it is square!!
ReplyDeleteI made a dollar store wreath last week as well. Check it out of you're really bored. lol
www.houseofhepworths.com/2010/09/07/dollar-store-fall-decor/
~Allison @ House of Hepworths
You could put magnets glued to the back to keep it from moving around if you have a metal door. Then you might not even need a wreath hanger if they were strong magnets. :-) Love the project and i might have to stop at dollar tree tomorrow! thanks for the inspiration!
ReplyDeleteADORABLE! I've just found your blog, and l.o.v.e it. And just in time. . . we closed yesterday on a huge new (old!) house and I will most certainly need some decorating help. I've found so many cute ideas here already!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! I love it!
ReplyDeleteI love it!! Big bang for your bucks!!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great idea! Can't wait to try it out. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeletevery cute! And I hear you about Fall...it's my absolute-without-a-doubt FAVE time of year (we only live one state over, so I too am dying from the summer heat and so ready for the cooler weather - COME ONNNN, 70's!!!)
ReplyDeleteI've been planning to do a wreath covered in acorns... and um.... I'm still hoping to get to that sometime soon.
ReplyDeleteThey look real to me!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! Wish I could find leaves that look like that!
ReplyDeleteI Love it. Great colours. It's Sept 15th - TIME TO BRING OUT FALL!! My own wreath that I made a few weeks goes up today!!!!!
ReplyDeleteFirst time commenting. Your wreath is beautiful and looks very expensive. Also, your front door is wonderful. How did you paint the "Welcome"?
ReplyDeleteCuuuuuuute!!! Love it! I need to get me to te dollar tree! :-)
ReplyDeleteAwesome!! Last night I was actually googling "cheap fall wreath." This is perfect. Thanks for the frame tip...the previous owners left a lot of old frames down in the basement. Thanks for another beautiful idea.
ReplyDeleteI love the wreath! Our door is plain jane white but hubby is trying to convince me to paint it. Maybe a cranberry (our house is a creamy beige w/ white trim... yawn!)... we shall see! In the meantime I think a nice wreath and a welcome sign would go a long way to help perk it up.... Any ideas for the peak of a roof over a two car garage? It screams adornament of some sort but sits empty and pouting right now!!
ReplyDeleteKeep up the great work!!! :)
What a great idea! I haven't been to the dollar store in quite a few weeks and I am just so ready to head over there and see all the inexpensive fall decor!
ReplyDeleteJust right for fall and I had to look at your door in a few shots after you said it photographs blue but is in reality brown. WHAT!?! That is some crazy brown paint...Janell
ReplyDeleteI would have never guessed these were dollar store leaves - they look so good and I assume the cheap leaves look, well, cheap! Amazing job!
ReplyDeleteWhat a cute little wreath! I actually prefer yours to the inspiration photo since the square is more symmetrical. I hope to be puttinng our our fall decor soon. Thanks for more great inspiration, as always!
ReplyDeleteI love this! Such a cute, easy, cheap project! Off to the dollar store to copy! (www.thismommyloves.com)
ReplyDeleteI can't believe how real those leaves look!! Your wreath looks just beautiful. I'm TOTALLY headed to the Dollar Store. ;-)
ReplyDeleteLove it! I've got a trip planned to Dollar Tree and now when I stand there with the package of leaves in my hand, I'll know what to do with them. : ) I will probably go the frame route though because I have 4 11x14 frames sitting under my craft table waiting for a new life.
ReplyDeleteHow funny about your door photographing blue when it's brown. I have to tell you though, that the blue it shows up as is really pretty!
Maybe your door is secretly telling you to paint it blue.
ReplyDeleteHow pretty! Such an easy project! How funny that your door looks blue in pictures. Maybe it wants painted;)
ReplyDeleteOMGoodness, it's prettier than the one that inspired you last fall. I love it. I also love those dollar stores!
ReplyDeleteI bought three packs of those leaves last week! I'm working them into my mantle decor. Your wreath looks great!
ReplyDeleteIt's gorgeous, Sarah! :) I love the neat square shape b/c it's different!
ReplyDeleteSarah,
ReplyDeleteWhere did you get your leaves? Which "dollar" store? We have Dollar General, Dollar Tree, and Family Dollar in our area. Our Dollar Tree has similar one without the wire but it was the wired ones we are looking for. And to think we were in Indy Saturday for a football game... at Lucas Oil Stadium! Man is it ever awesome! It makes me want to get tickets to a game this season....
I have a Dollar Store fall wreath too!
ReplyDeleteSquare's where it's at. Love it.
ReplyDeleteLove that! Guess who might be heading to Dollar Tree to see what she can find?! Love how the door looks metallic blue in the photos! Very cool! :)
ReplyDeleteI love the rectangle shape! Seeing a trip to the Dollar Store after work tonight! Here in Connecticut the leaves are already starting to change (and fall)! Kinda early! A way to satiate my need to create while I wait to get my sewing machine fixed!!!! THANK YOU!
ReplyDeleteLooks great! I love the square shape.
ReplyDeleteOoops! I really did mean the SQUARE shape!
ReplyDeleteLove the rectangle wreath! So creative....
ReplyDeleteHealth and happiness,
Angela
Oh my goodness, this is GREAT. I love it. It came out so, so pretty. Love your blog, you crack me up with every post :)
ReplyDeleteLove it!
ReplyDeleteLove the wreath! And my favorite thing about hanging square things is that you can turn them...and they can be a diamond shape! That might look really cool! :-) Thanks for the great ideas- I definitely need to pull out my fall decor this week!!!
ReplyDeleteNice!! I love that it's square! So much more original and unique! Great job! As always! :)
ReplyDeleteWow! I love how you made the leaves stick up and look poofy! So beautiful! I feel totally inspired!
ReplyDeleteOk the wreath is cute. But I'm totally fixated on the fact that your brown door shows up blue. What the heck?
ReplyDeleteYAY!! can't wait to make my own... Great leave hunting assignment for the boys =)
ReplyDeleteI featured your lamp today over at Sassy Sites! Come by and check it out! AND don't forget to grab a featured button if you don't already have one! Great job on your lamp revamp!! xoxo
ReplyDeleteMarni @ Sassy Sites!
I love it!!!!
ReplyDeleteHmmm I wonder why your door chooses to be blue? I mean it really does look blue!
So cute! I add magnets to the backs of my wreaths to make them a little more wind-resistant. I definitely need to make one of these!
ReplyDeleteI was at the dollar store today and was staring at the leaves thinking of this post! :) I almost bought some to make one of my own. I ended up with some stuff to make some artwork for my kitchen...but this will definitely be on my to-do list!!!
ReplyDeleteI love this! I might try it on the $1 goodwill hay wreath I bought a couple of weeks ago (it's kind of plain right now!) Love your blog - you continue to inspire me! :)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful fall wreath and gorgeous door!!
ReplyDeletebeautifulmessdecor.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteLOVE this! It is so beautiful. Love that you did it for less than $15! You are SUCH an inspiration to me. I just started my own blog. Would love for you to stop by :)
LOVE it! I think you've inspired me to try some Fall crafts. I love that the wreat is square because it stands out. Great job!
ReplyDeleteVery cute! I love decorating for fall, but it can get sooo expensive. My husband thinks he would be happy in a plain, white box of a room, but I know better. :) I'm doing it for him!
ReplyDeleteLOOOVE it!
ReplyDeleteThe only thing it's missing is a badger.
By the way, I love square wreaths too. I have one that was a Christmas clearance, but I use it year round. It's a matte-ish bronzey gold color. Gorgeous.
I really like your wreath so I was inspired to make my own. I put it on my blog and linked back to you if that's OK. Thanks for the inspiration; I have been enjoying looking through your blog :)
ReplyDeleteJenn
What a lovely wreath, I just love it. I also LOVE the way you have 'WELCOME' written on your front door...I hope you don't mind, but I am going to steal that idea, I love it!!!!
ReplyDeleteWe are wreath twins :) I made my wreath a few weeks ago with the same supplies from the Dollar Tree! I went with more of a round shape for mine. Yours turned out great!
ReplyDeleteYou can see mine at OurOneTree.blogspot.com
Looks fantastic!! I have been eyeing those leaves at the DT for a couple of weeks and couldn't figure out what to do with them!! Genius!
ReplyDeleteAlyshia
This is a beautiful wreath! I've never been a big fan of wreaths- but I absolutely love this one! The square shape & the leaves that look so natural- it makes me want to make one! And the fact that it's made with inexpensive materials means I can actually do it!
ReplyDeletethat looks awesome! I love it!
ReplyDeleteLOVE! Because of you, I will now be going BACK to the Dollar Tree in the morning :) haha I will post my creation and link back to your blog for the inspiration. Wonderful Job! Thanks for sharing. I'm all about my fall crafts right now too. BRING ON THE COOLER WEATHER!
ReplyDeleteNew reader, by the way :)
Very pretty! Thanks so much for this, I'll be linking.
ReplyDeleteHeavens to Betsy- How I LOVE the no humidity factor :) My hair says "hallelujah!"
ReplyDeleteCute, Cute, Super Cute wreath. hummm.... one of those just MIGHT grace my door in the near future. :)
Love it! :-)
ReplyDeleteI LOVE this. I have two boxes of old frames and I Just found some fall leaf garland at the $ store, I am going to do this today!! THanks for the inspiration!
ReplyDeleteI am so jealous! I went to my dollar store looking for leaves but all I found were the cheesy fakies there. Maybe I'll have to hit up another to find the ones you scored..they are fab!
ReplyDeleteYour project turned out wonderful.
I was all excited to do a square wreath, but my Hobby Lobby didn't have the foam board that was big enough. Was your 20in in a secret place?!
ReplyDeleteWhat dollar store do you shop at?? Love it!
ReplyDeleteso simple but great. i love this!
ReplyDeletethanks for the tutorial.
i'm linking.
many greetings, doro.
It looks great! So great that I made one for myself...thanks for the inspiration!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! Send some of that cooler weather here, will ya! 98 today!
ReplyDeleteBrittany
http://www.prettyhandygirl.com
Love this project. I can easily include the 5 children in it. Thank you so much for sharing your talents!!
ReplyDeletePeace,
Elizabeth
This is fabulous! I featured it on my blog today! http://mandysyellowcorner.blogspot.com/2010/09/favorites-week-2.html
ReplyDeleteI have these leaves, I have these leaves!!! Now I have a fun project to use them for!!! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAnd that's so funny your door photographs blue instead of brown!!!
I loved it so much I made one of my own! Thanks for the great idea!
ReplyDeleteHi!
ReplyDeleteWanted you to know I posted a link to this tutorial today on my blog, PaperFriendly.
nancy Ward
paperFriendly
http://paperfriendly.blogspot.com
I made your wreath last night and it is my post for the day! It was so easy - thanks for the inspiration!
ReplyDeleteJennifer (greendoordesigns.blogspot.com)
Love your stairs! I hope to do this in our home some day too. I have a question; at the top of your stairs in your hallway, do you have carpet or hardwood? I have carpet and am not sure how to do the top step should I tear the carpet up on the steps and leave it in the hallway. Do you have any suggestions?!
ReplyDeleteThanks! And btw, I just happened to run across your blog and LOVE IT! It's inspiring me so much, since my home is currently a work in progress and pretty much a blank canvas. ;)
Stephanie
Beautiful wreath! I hope you don't mind that I linked this tutorial on my blog to give you credit for how I made my own fall wreath! Thank you soo much!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great fall wreath idea. My son and I made one last night after dinner and hung it on our front door. My son is 3 and I always love simple, easy craft ideas that we can do together that are inexpensive. I wish I could post a pic for you to see how it came out, but not sure how to do that. Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteHeading to Dollar Tree NOW!!! thanks for the idea. I have my fingers crossed that maybe...maybe....i hope i hope they might have foam, too. I want to make it tonight! Thanks for your inspiration!
ReplyDeleteI am definitely going to try this. I have been looking for a decent front door wreath that doesn't cost a zillion dollars and also doesn't fall apart in three weeks. Excellent idea and nice photos, too.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Wendy Mihm in Pasadena, CA
I love your blog! There are so, so many out there, I usually go from one to another - but I think I will spend mucho time on yours! Love the square wreath idea too! I can't wait to start one myself.
ReplyDeleteThe colors of your wreath look stunning against the "blue" door!
ReplyDeleteahh! You saved my brain:) I was just in dollar tree yesterday and saw those leaves and I was RACKING my brain how i could make a wreath witht hem!!!!!!!!!!! you ROCK!!!! :)
ReplyDeleteI just finished making my very own beautiful fall square wreath! I love it!! I had an old picture frame laying around that I used for my base. It worked wonderfully! Thanks a bunch!
ReplyDeleteI made my square wreath this weekend and it turned out amazing. I did end up using a square 11X14 wooden picture frame instead of the foam board because Joann's had them on sale. I just removed the glass and the backing.....it worked great. My husband drilled a hole on the inside of the frame and hung an M on some fishing wire for our last name. I tell you what, it is beautiful. Thank you so much for a FABULOUS idea. Love your blog.
ReplyDeleteBe careful where you use some of the leaves from the Dollar Tree, I had some that bled like crazy when they got rained on!
ReplyDeleteI made a very similar wreath after seeing how cute yours is. I love your blog and get so many good ideas from it! I'm just starting my blog so there's not a lot to see on it yet, but if you want to see what you inspired you can check it out here ~
ReplyDeletehttp://cobblestonesandivy.blogspot.com/2011/10/leaf-wreath.html
You could also use canvas stretching frames from the art section of the craft store. You can pop your own together for anywhere from $5.00-8.00, or you could wait until canvases go on sale, buy a square one, remove the canvas, and just use the wood frame.
ReplyDeleteLove this and I am featuring it today on my blog to kick off the challenge of the week, Fall Wreaths and porches. Just wanted you to know it inspired me and many others!!!
ReplyDeletewww.thecsiproject.com