CEO Mommy: Easy Ornament Wreath for $30

You guys, I was so nervous to teach this CEO Mommy class in November. We had a packed group and I wasn't sure I was even going to be able to make an ornament wreath that looked worthy of wanting to duplicate. But let me assure you, you can make one and it's so much easier than it seems. I promise. 

If you've been wanting to make one of these adorable wreaths but were intimidated by the process, you're not alone. Looking at the finished product makes this project seem impossible. But with just a few supplies, this project comes together and looks phenomenal in the end. 

Supplies:

12" Wreath, ornaments, glue gun, wire, ribbon {optional}, tinsel {optional}
{for our class, each participant received two packs of ornaments, pack1, pack 2 totaling 76 ornaments}

Step 1: Wrap Wire

You'll want to wrap a small piece of garden wire around the wreath first. This will give you something to hang the wreath with when you're finished. Of course, I don't have a picture of this step happening first. But you will want to put this in place before adding ornaments. 

It doesn't really matter how large or small you make the loop, especially if you plan to hang the wreath with ribbon or something more festive. I encourage you to make it larger than you make think you need, then you can always cut, or twist, it down to get it to the size you want. 

Step 2: Glue First Layer of Large Ornaments

This first part is the most difficult, in my opinion. Hot glue does not adhere well to the foam wreath. To get the ornaments to stay put better, I encourage gluing not only to the wreath but also to the ornament next to it. Apply "gobs" of glue. The glue will not be visible once the wreath is finished so don't worry about how it looks or if the glue shows. 

You'll want to flip your wreath upside down, then glue your ornaments with the hook facing you, this way the hook is nicely hidden when you hang up your wreath. Use the largest ornaments in your set for this step. 

Step 3: Add Second Layer Using Medium Ornaments

Flip your wreath back over and add a second layer of ornaments on the top of wreath. Try to make sure the hook on the ornament is hidden, I found it easiest to try to place the hook in between the two larger ornaments on the first layer. To add the ornaments, I found it easiest to apply glue to the ornaments already placed. 

Also, avoid gluing the ornaments too far into the center circle. It will make your wreath appear very small. To cover up the exposed wreath on the inside, we will add tinsel later.

Aesthetically, these layers are not too significant as it is likely you won't be able to see them well when the wreath is finished, so that minor error I made having the hook exposed actually isn't too big of a deal. 

Step 4: Add Tinsel {optional}

This step is optional, however I find it really beneficial. Wrapping tinsel throughout the ornaments currently placed will help to fill in any gaps, which also saves on the amount of ornaments you will need in total. 

To add the tinsel, you simply wrap it around the ornaments and poke it into the crevasses. There is no real need to use glue for the tinsel. It basically stays in place once you set it and you're going to be adding more ornaments on top of it as well. 

You can cut the tinsel now and just tuck in the end. You can also add more tinsel at the end or as needed. 

Step 5: Add Third Layer of Ornaments
It was typically at this step that a lot of the moms in class said their wreath was terrible, they hated it, and it wasn't going to look nice. Just keep going, once you complete your next layer it will start coming together nicely. 

Using the medium and small ornaments, start adding more ornaments around your wreath. There are several different routes you can take here. You can build up with the ornaments {stack two-three more rows of ornaments on top of current layers, and wrap tinsel. Essentially repeating steps three and four twice}. 

Example of ornaments added by building up

You can build out with the ornaments {this involves adding ornaments to the outside of the ornaments you have in place. This will likely use more than the 76 ornaments we purchased. You will add one more row outside of your base row, gluing in between ornaments. Then build up from there.} 

Example of wreath with extra layer around the outside

Or you can simply fill in gaps on your current wreath and be finished {this takes fewer ornaments, about 40-50. You just fill in any gaps after your first two layers with small or medium ornaments and add tinsel if needed.}

Example of simply filling gaps

Step 6: Final Touches
Add more tinsel {optional}
This may not be necessary depending on how your wreath is looking. On the ones I created, the extra tinsel was not necessary except for circling the inside of the wreath.

I still had a few more gaps in my first wreath even after the added tinsel on the inside. So I added a few small ornaments to fill those gaps.

Add ribbon {optional}
You can add ribbon to your wreath if you desire. I honestly can't decide which way I like it better. I think it looks awesome with, or without!

To hang the wreath, you can either use the wire hook you first created, or you can thread ribbon through the wire and hang it this way. 

Hung with ribbon

Hung with hook

Here are just a few of the wreaths these mommas created...

Do you feel confident and motivated? You can definitely make one of your own! One of my favorite things about this project is how different everyone's wreaths are. Although I gave the same directions in class, each wreath has their own little bits of flare. Love it!! 

Check out other CEO Mommy projects here! 

Thanks for visiting!