Holly Jolly (Wally) Wreath

This is one of those projects that requires no crafting ability-at all. I didn't even use my trusty hot glue gun! I had been to Target and seen their "Merry Market" ornaments- all sparkly and glittery. That is not usually my style, but I thought that they would be really fun on a wreath. A wreath is a good place to expand your style horizons at Christmas. It is expensive to purchase all new decor for your tree, but a wreath is usually pretty cheap! I didn't really want to spend $2 per ornament when I knew that I would need between 6-10 to make a satisfactory wreath. Then I went to Walmart. I normally despise the big "W" but it just so happened they had extremely similar ornaments- for a buck! I knew I could swing a dollar so I picked up a "flower", a stocking,and a key (I thought that was so cool). The "Merry Christmas" was a dollar, and the four plain ball ornaments were sold in a pack together-a buck for all 4 made them $0.25 each! Then I grabbed the cheapest wreath you can get- $2. I also got a pack of white gauze wired ribbon- also $2. The total for my wreath: $9!

The key to a cheap wreath is to spend plenty of time "fluffing" it. It is like a fake tree, you have to bend the branches to give it some depth and shape. I made sure that it was nice and fluffed before I started. I didn't even glue my ribbon. I just twined it around the wreath and then tied a knot in the back.

See my cheapy ornaments? It will be so easy to use these on something else if I change my mind. I spent a few minutes deciding where I wanted everything on the wreath before I started tying them on. I thought the "Merry Christmas" was the perfect topper. I simply pushed a few "sprigs" of the wreath through it and then bent them to help it hold on. Can you see where it is being held on through the "a" and the "s" and the "C"? Initially I thought I wanted to have a bow on top, but I decided I liked it better without one, so I moved the Merry Christmas up some more before I put the wreath up. Still it gives you a better idea of how all the ornaments are attached.

The finished product! I used wreath sprigs to hang the ornaments on, and then I just twisted them to make sure they didn't come loose. Each sprig has wire in it so it is sort of like using a bread tie. Then I just curved the pieces around each ornament to keep it where I wanted it. No gluing and everything can be easily removed if I want to change it. I have had it up for almost two weeks now on our front door and I have lost any pieces yet. This would be a really easy, inexpensive "homemade" gift- the ornaments come in a large variety of colors- pink, lime green, and more traditional colors, too. And if you already had ribbon, it would be an even better deal!