Metallic Gourds Fall Wreath {DIY Tutorial}

Fall is here!

Well, officially it is. Unofficially, it is still sweat your arse off kinda hot down here in South Texas.

Nonetheless, I decided to make a pretty wreath for my dining room area. It was relatively inexpensive and it’s pretty easy to make. Like usual, I had to incorporate my love of metallics into my wreath.

You’ll need some common craft supplies to whip up this wreath. I’m usually strictly a pumpkin kinda gal, but this year the gourds caught my attention. Ok, to be perfectly honest, I had no choice because that’s what came in the little bags from Dollar Tree: 1 pumpkin + gourds.

I bought 4 packages, but for this wreath you’ll only need 1 pack.

Supplies:

-1 pack of gourds from Dollar Tree

-1 Grapevine Wreath ($4 at Walmart currently)

-About 2 yards of mesh ribbon (I got mine at Hobby Lobby for 40% off, $4)

-Some pearly twig thingies (~$1 each at Hobby Lobby)

-Decorative fall leaves (~$1 for a pack of 12 at Hobby Lobby)

-Paint (primer + craft paint colors of your choice)

-Hot glue

-Scissors

-1 yard of burlap or ribbon to hang the wreath

-Glue Dots

-Floral Wire

-Paint brushes/foam brushes

-Knife

Total Cost: About $10-$15 depending on what you have on hand

First I took my wreath, and I wrapped the deco mesh all around it. I wanted to give the wreath some pizazz while still retaining the rustic look of the grapevine wreath.

Then I used some of my trusty 97-cents a can flat white spray paint to prime my Dollar Tree gourds. Note, I primed all of mine because I am using the leftovers as vase filler for my fall mantle. :)

Once your gourds are dry, go ahead and paint them with 2 coats of your favorite craft paint. For my wreath, I used Martha Stewart Craft Paint in Rust, Gold and Sterling. For all my craft projects, I used to use foam brushes, but they didn’t really wash well for repeated use, so I am happy I invested in a set of Martha Stewart paint brushes. I’ve used them on walls, furniture, crafts, jewelry, etc. and they wash so easily with warm soapy water. They still look brand new. Love them, well worth the modest price. I’ve never had an issue with anything from the Martha Stewart crafts line from Plaid.

While my paint was drying, I placed my pearly twigs onto the wreath. I secured the small stems down with some basic 97-cent floral wire from Walmart since the pearls didn’t exactly lay flat. Then I curved the stems to the shape of the wreath.

I checked if my gourds were totally dry, and I sliced them in half with a knife. Literally, a knife from my kitchen. The gourds are foam, so it didn’t take much effort at all.

I hot glued them onto the wreath and filled in any gaps with my glitter leaves from Hobby Lobby.

Using some spare burlap I had on hand, I cut a section of about 5” x 30” to create a way to hang the wreath in my dining room. Three thumbtacks hold the wreath up (and are covered by the burlap). To make the little fold in the burlap, I rolled the end up and in and secured with my super heavy duty Glue Dots. I adore Glue Dots. I embellished with a pair of leaves and was done!

My favorite part of this wreath is the contrast in the metallic colors and the mesh ribbon and pearls. Feast for the eyes.

And also, the burlap gives it a hint of country chic amidst all the high impact metallics and pearls.

It was just too darn pretty to hang on my front door. Now I get to gaze at my creation as I blog. Squee. I guess I should mention that I didn’t officially affix the mesh ribbon to the wreath. I wrapped it around, but I didn’t hot glue it onto the grapevine, so at the end of the season, I could feasibly unwrap the wreath and re-use. I do that a lot with wreaths because I hate to end up with 6 wreaths at the end of the holidays. Now I have a prop box of stuff for wreaths. I did hot glue the gourds, but I use a low-temp glue gun, so it usually means I can peel it off if I want to. Just a tip that can save you money on décor + help out if you don’t have a ton of storage for wreaths—figure out a way to make the accents stick while you have it on display, but not in a permanent way.

Again, Glue Dots y’all. Seriously.

I love my fall wreath! Last year I didn’t make one and opted for a Halloween wreath, but this year I am opposite. I want to just decorate for fall and enjoy it all the way until Black Friday when it all gets put away in favor of Christmas décor. I do love Halloween though. How do you all decorate for both fall and Halloween?