In this post, I will provide you with a step-by-step tutorial on creating a DIY patriotic wreath!
So to be honest, I don’t usually decorate for the patriotic holidays, in fact I don’t think I ever have…
It just didn’t seem like it would be very exciting, and I didn’t want to put up a bunch of red, white and blue shiny foil things, ya know?? I wanted something more classic and understated.
So this year I decided to go ahead and make a wreath. And you’ll be able to make this wreath too! Just follow the steps below to create this classic patriotic wreath.
How to make a patriotic wreath:
Disclaimer: I have affiliate links in this post. If you purchase through one of my links, I may make a small commission, at no extra cost to you.
1. Gather your supplies:
- grapevine wreath– I used an 18”
- 4 eucalyptus stems
- 1 bushel of little white flowers
- wire cutters- The ones pictured were not that great, so I ended up using these.
- patriotic wired ribbon
- white acrylic paint
- 46pt heavy chipboard -for your letter
- hot glue gun- I love this one from Ryobi because it’s cordless!
- gluesticks
- Burlap ribbon– anchor for twine
- Twine-to hang wreath
- 4×6 American flag (not pictured)
I actually ended up not using the floral wire, the red paint, or the birds. My daughter helped me pick out the supplies and she insisted on getting the birds, but I just didn’t think they were quite right for this particular wreath, lol. Maybe the next one! Anyway, I digress…
2. Make your Letter
I took my chipboard and ran it through my Cricut Explore Air 2. However, it did not cut all the way through, so I had to hand cut it the rest of the way with an xacto knife… this took awhile. If you have the Cricut maker, I believe that machine will cut through heavier materials.
You could also just purchase pre-made letters! Like these pretty pine ones here.
Then paint your letter!
3. Lay everything out
Lay all your stems out on the wreath. This gives you a rough idea of what it will look like.
4. Trim your stems
- Use your wire cutters to trim the floral and eucalyptus stems.
- For the floral bush, trim each individual floral stem off near the base.
- I also slid all of the leaves off of the flowers because I felt it would cause too much bulk in the wreath.
- Trim the eucalyptus stems about a couple inches from where all the stems meet, as shown in pic below.
5. Place and glue eucalyptus stems
- Now you can start shoving the stems in! Carefully of course…
- Place your stem about where you want it to sit on the wreath and find a space/crevice through which the stem can slide.
- Sometimes you have to try different spots within the same little area in order to get a good fit.
- Now flip the wreath over and find the ends of the stems you just shoved in.
- Place hot glue all around the stem and let it sit for a minute before moving the wreath.
- Some stems may not have gone through to the other side, so just find a spot where the stem meets the grapevine and add plenty of hot glue.
Trim any stems that are sticking out.
This is what you should have now. It’s coming along!
6. Place and glue floral stems
Glue the floral stems the same way we did above .
We are looking good!
7. Add your burlap ribbon & twine
Now you’ll want to wrap a piece of burlap ribbon around the top of the wreath and tack it together with some hot glue. This will be where we tie the twine string so that the wreath can hang.
Feed a piece of twine under the burlap ribbon and tie the ends.
8. Make and attach your bow
Okay, time to make a pretty bow!
To make the bow, I used this tutorial on Youtube. I did the Mary Casey bow.
You can use ribbon, string, or wire to tie the center of the bow.
Use the remaining ribbon or wire on back of bow to tie onto the wreath, OR you can just hot glue the center of the back of the bow directly to the wreath.
9. Glue on letter
Figure out the placement for your letter. Then use hot glue to attach the letter to the wreath. Make sure to hold the letter in place for at least 30 secs while the glue sets.
10. Finishing touches
Almost done! Just add on one of those cute little 4×6 flags and hang your masterpiece on the front door or over your mantel.
That’s a wrap my friends!
I hope you enjoyed making your wreath! Have you ever made a wreath before? Did you follow this tutorial? Let me know how it turned out in the comments!
Have a wonderful holiday!
