i had this idea that i would run out and get a fall wreath. truly, i was thinking i would spend about $25. how did i not know wreaths are so much more than that? even the ugly ones are expensive!

does this happen to you? when i’m shopping with a friend and i tell myself i am not going to buy anything, i like everything i see. but when i go with excitement to buy something specific, i can’t find anything i like. i even told my sister i would get her a wreath. i was that confident.

hobby lobby usually has exactly what i am looking for {and lots of things i’m not looking for but need. somehow they wind up in my cart}. but this time, the options just seemed dated. think pears and apples on a very fake looking vine. or fake sunflower overload. that’s not really my sister’s style. or mine. i never thought i’d see the day when i left hobby lobby empty handed. this called for another lap.

i spotted this leaf garland when i first strolled through the fall aisles. it was calling to me but i had no idea how to use it. i just have a minor obsession with burlap {says my sister}, so my mind kept going back to it. and leaves stood out as the perfect fall colors.

in my second lap, i spotted this wreath form on an end cap. the possibility of a fall burlap leaf wreath started to take shape in my head but i wasn’t convinced i could pull it off. i’ve made a total of two wreaths in my life. one was kind of an accident and the other was something i copied from pinterest. i was not sure wreath making was my calling and i had come with a budget to buy, not DIY. but in my head, this seemed pretty self explanatory. i even started thinking of all the other wreaths i could make for other seasons and holidays if i could figure this out.

i left with two simple purchases ::

{1} leaf garland

{2} wreath frame

easy, right? i called my sister to let her know it was her lucky day. she was going to get a wreath. and it would be handmade. i am not sure what her confidence level was at that point. i assume it wasn’t all that high. until i told her the price. $22. that’s it!

at first, things didn’t go quite as i’d pictured in my mind. the garland was too long to wrap around the wreath frame once but too short to wrap around twice. the maroon leaves were huge, which was throwing me off. and everything just seemed a bit wonky and awkward as i tried to wrap the garland around the form. sigh.

after a bit of experimenting, realizing the garland was wire and i could bend and gather it every so often to make it look fuller, i was able to measure it out correctly. i made it around once but doubled up a bit every now and then. the most helpful thing about the wreath base was the little pipe cleaner-like parts that i could use to secure the garland. once i figured out that the leaves could bend to create some layering and depth, it started to take shape. in the end, it really only took two steps to complete and a tiny bit of persistence:

step 1 :: line the garland up with the wreath frame, doubling up every 8 inches or so.

step 2 :: secure the garland to the frame with the ties, as often as the ties allow.

with only two items and two steps, this is one of the easiest DIY projects i have ever completed. minimal supplies, minimal time, and minimal price. and i plan to repeat this for other holidays. looks like it’s worth $80, right!? it was only $22. happy fall!

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