DIY Memorial Day Wreath

Lynn Lilly

 

Here at Southern Living, we love a good DIY. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, the Craft Box Girls – led by craft guru Lynn Lilly – are creating fun, easy-to-make projects to spice up your entertaining, wedding planning, or holiday gifting. Check back every other Thursday for some DIY inspiration.

Memorial Day is a special holiday to celebrate those who served our country and lost their lives to protect our freedom. I personally love Memorial Day because of its symbolic meaning, but also because it is a great holiday to gather family and friends and kick off summer. As a frequent party hostess, I am constantly changing my front door decor for each occasion and party. Today, I am excited to share this simple vintage ribbon wreath that is not only perfect for Memorial Day, but is easy door decor for the whole season.

 

The Project: DIY Memorial Day Wreath

Materials: 

  • 14-inch foam wreath form
  • 4 rolls of wired patriotic ribbon (3-4 yards of ribbon per roll)
  • 1 yard burlap ribbon
  • Floral wire
  • Scissors
  • 100 T-pins
  • Wooden star (optional)
  • Decorative wooden words (optional)
  • Small flags (optional)
  • Glue Gun (if adding optional decor)

Instructions: 

  1. Wrap the burlap ribbon tightly around your wreath, securing every 5 inches with a T-pin.

  • Cut strips of 4-6 inches of the wired patriotic ribbon. Vary the sizes randomly.
  • Using your T-pins, form and secure the ribbon pieces into loops.

  • Working your way around the entire wreath form, use the T-pins to secure the loops of ribbon to the wreath form. Place loops close together so you can not see the burlap ribbon.

  • Once you have covered the entire wreath with the loops, you can add optional decor.
  • For the optional decor, cut pieces of floral wire long enough to secure the item(s) to the wreath form. For my wreath, I decided to use a wooden star, decorative wooden words, and small flags. Using the hot glue gun, glue the wire to the back of the star and wrap the wire around the flags' poles. Secure with a drop of glue, and let dry for 5 minutes.
  • While the glue is drying, you can paint or decorate the star with words. I made a last minute decision to paint the words blue and secure them to the star with the glue gun.
  • Once the glue is dry, secure the flags to the side of the wreath by wrapping the wire around the wreath form and twisting the ends tightly. You can use your scissors to trim off the excess wire. Do the same thing with the star, placing it over the poles of the flags.

    • Have a safe and happy Memorial Day!