I’ve seen wreaths, adorned with bottle brush trees and little buildings, all over Pinterest and I think they are adorable! So of course I decided I needed to make one and I also decided I was gonna be frugal (you know, cheap) and DIY as much of it as a could.

I started with the wreath, I had an orange wreath frame that I purchased on clearance for about 75 cents and I decided it would work because you don’t see it when everything else is on it. I also had an inexpensive garland that I picked up at Walmart recently; it was for another project but, oh well, I’m sure I’ll figure something out for that.

I had some Christmas picks that I purchased at the thrift store and I made some of my own out of pine cones and sticks from my yard. (I’ll be posting about drying pine cones for crafts another day.) I also had some greenery that had fallen out of a garland I’ve used for years, so I used that as additional filler.

Next, I needed to figure out the little buildings. I decided to make a house, barn and church. I plan to use the wreath in my entrance way, which is decorated with farm/country related art so it just made sense. (I would like to try to make other little buildings as well…like a lighthouse!) I started with some graph paper and a ruler to create some drawings. It took a  little trial and error but I finally figured out dimensions and the places that I needed to create tabs in order to glue the pieces together. Once I had the drawings complete, I used carbon paper to trace them  on to heavy cardboard to create my templates.

Once I had the templates made, I cut practice buildings out of card stock and assembled them using hot glue. I have to say, they are pretty cute! With the practice run complete, I made the buildings for the wreath. I used hot glue and craft paint to make “snow banks” and I also used paint and markers to give the buildings a little more detail .

I had the little brush trees on hand because I went Christmas clearance shopping last year, so I think I probably paid a couple buck for those. Once I had all the parts and pieces, I wired everything to the wreath with floral wire. As you can see, I tried to arrange the buildings and trees to look like a little scene at the bottom of the wreath.

All in all, I think I got a pretty great wreath for relatively little money. I have to say that it was rather time consuming, but for me it’s fun so I really don’t mind.

Now that the wreath is completed, it’s time to get working on some other holiday projects! I hope you’ve enjoyed your latest glimpse into my crafting craziness.

Keep it creative.

I’m struggling to make myself take it down until it’s time to decorate for Christmas!