A quick aside before I get down to it: I want to thank my dear friend, Emily, for designing the title for my blog! I spoke to her about my ideas, and she took it and turned it into something fabulous for me! Thanks Emily! I owe you either a batch of cookies or a pan of my famous manicotti!
Now, onto my first REAL project. ;)
Last year, as I was looking through a vast number of decorating emails, websites, and library books for Halloween decoration ideas, I came across a really neat wreath made with skulls, and I just HAD to make one for myself. Also last year, I stopped by the Dollar Tree and found the remnants of two glitter-covered Styrofoam skulls, and by remnants, I mean these two were pretty much in pieces or with huge dents…not usable. Somewhere along the line, I think I may have either imagined this wreath, or gotten ideas mixed up with each other, or perhaps I just forgot where I saw this project. But here is what I will SWEAR until I am in my grave that I saw/read: there were definitely glitter skulls on the wreath in the picture; the skulls were bunched together in groups of three; the instructions specifically said “spray paint large magnolia leaves with black spray paint.” Glitter skulls, I can admit it is possible it got mixed up in my new obsession to find glitter skulls last year (never did until this year), and I tend to group as much as I can in multiples of three, so my mild ocd may have been to blame for that part to creep in there, but I can’t think of ANY reason to imagine magnolia leaves! I mean, I just don’t really think about them. I had thought that I saved the email from whence this project originated, but when I went to look for it again, this is what I got: http://www.hgtv.com/holidays-occasions/halloween-skull-wreath/index.html.
However, I was determined to make it my own way! Thus starts the adventure. A classic “I can make that” situation.
Construction Zone:
For the base, I started out with a grape vine wreath purchased at Hobby Lobby when they were on sale for half-off. I’d been having this wreath for well over a year with plans for it to go into this very project. I spray painted it front and back with matte black spray paint. To give it an extra “creepy” look, but mostly because I thought it looked really cool, I added some artificial webbing.
Because the name of the game for me is to make things in as inexpensive a manner as possible, I purchased silk foliage and flowers from Dollar Tree. Just out of curiosity, why are they called “silk” flowers when clearly they are made out of plastic? The stems were cut from the bunch using wire cutters, and these, too, were spray painted black. I found a bunch of anthurium, or flamingo, flowers (I admit I had to look that up!), and I seem to remember seeing them in funeral flower arrangements before, so I thought it would be highly appropriate for this project! Besides, it kind of looks like it has a finger in the middle anyway.
I kind of liked the funeral wreath idea, so I decided to run with it by using a very large floral bow. It took me several tries to get it to look alright. Floral bows were never my forte. So I mentally marked out where the bow would go, and hot glued the foliage and flowers in place, starting with the large leaves, then the ivy, and lastly, the anthuriums.
I found some extra black tulle I had stashed away, and cannibalized a purple tulle “fairy skirt” I bought on eBay years ago before I started making my own stuff (the skirt looked pretty stupid when I got it, but picking out the stitches was actually fun!).so I folded the black tulle around the purple tulle and tied it periodically down the length of the fabric with clear fishing line. I then secured the tulle to the wreath with floral wire and bunched up the resulting poufs.
The skulls came next! I honestly didn’t know how hot gluing would work on top of tulle, but let me tell you, those things are NOT coming off without serious damage to the finish!
Then I attached matte black glass bulbs and the coolest purple shatterproof bulbs I have seen! The instructions actually say to use black and orange, but I had my misgivings about the orange on this wreath. Luckily, the first Hobby Lobby I went to had every single black ornament on the TOP two shelves, and the shiny orange ornaments were likewise out of reach. I kept walking around in circles hoping I overlooked something so that I wouldn’t have to wait on an employee to bring a ladder. I accidently turned down the wrong aisle, and there they were! They looked very Halloween-like, and I couldn’t resist! It felt like fate! So orange was OUT, purple was in! Before I put these on the wreath, I hot-glued the crowns to the ornaments, because I thought I’d be attaching them with more floral wire. The dangled too much if I used wire, so they ended up being hot glued into place, making that work quite unnecessary.
For the final steps, I attached the bow with floral ribbon, added a little extra artificial webbing (that stuff sticks to ANYTHING!), then added a wire for hanging (yeah should have done that FIRST), and up it went on my door! Unfortunately, the picture doesn’t do the reality justice. I am NOT a photographer! Except for the ribbon tail (which I may remove and add a longer one), for once a project turned out as good as or better than I had first imagined! Usually my execution doesn’t result in my original vision, but this time, I couldn’t have asked for better! I am thinking of using a black light in my outside fixture, since I have other decorations going up that would certainly benefit from the effect, and it might bring out the white skull and webbing better.
So in conclusion, for a little over $27, I got something AMAZING that would normally have cost well over $70 to buy it already made. What a bargain! I am pleased! If this blog had a kudos option, I’d give myself a whole mess of them!
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