Deco Mesh Fall Wreath

Even though the weather is still hot and humid here in Central Illinois, I am getting a jump start on my fall decorating. Fall is my absolute favorite time of year, and if my husband wouldn't think I'm nuts(I'm quite sure he does already) I would leave my fall decor up year round. I love the colors, the textures, the smells, everything about fall!!

To get into the swing of decorating, I decided to make a new wreath yesterday. It is my first craft project in well over a month, and the first one in my new place. I didn't really need a new wreath, my burlap one from last year is still in good condition.

Fall 2011 Wreath, painted burlap.

Lately, I've been obsessed with Deco Mesh. I love the fullness it gives the wreaths, and how easy it is to manipulate while still holding it's form. However, I do not like the price of the Deco Mesh wreath forms, which is essentially a wire wreath form with wired tinsel attached. After purchasing one on clearance at Hobby Lobby to make a Cardinals wreath, I immediately knew I could make my own.

Cardinals Wreath, with hand-painted sign. First Deco Mesh wreath I made!

So, yesterday morning, I woke up, and put together my wreath form. I took a wire wreath form, which I bought at HL for $4, and added chenille pipe cleaners that I had cut in half. They slid around some, so I hot glued each one in place. I used two different colors to mark where the crossbars were and the halfway points, so that when attaching other things, I had an easier reference point.

Wire wreath form, with pipe cleaners. 

This was more than enough for my wreath. I think there are a couple that I didn't even use. Next, I began by putting my Deco Mesh on the form. I used the really wide rolls for this, and it took almost a whole roll to go around the form. I started on the inside, and went around then moved to the outside. I only tied it at the crossbars. I fluffed each loop out a bit as I went, this makes the next step easier!

Orange Deco Mesh, first layer. 

Now, the most important thing in decorating these kinds of wreaths is to layer everything. I think it makes the wreaths look a little less...crazy. My next layer was burlap ribbon, which I zig-zagged across the mesh, skipping one tie each time.

After adding the burlap ribbon.

At this point, it still looks a little smashed and uneven, not very pretty at all. After I finish adding my layers, and before gluing, I fluff each of the loops to my satisfaction. It is much easier to hang this on a door, fluff and step back to look before fluffing again.  After the burlap, I added some fall ribbon and raffia. I think the raffia really pops against the burlap.

You can't really see the ribbon in the photo, because it is a sheer wire ribbon. It blends in, but the wire allowed me to help keep some of the mesh loops in place.

As you can see, there is still some fluffing yet to do. I do my final fluffing once I hang it on the door. Now, I take my flowers and other decorations, and start placing them. I leave the wires on the flower, so I can move them around easier. I do not glue anything into place yet, as I want to make sure I like the placement before gluing. 

At this point, I decided I needed a bow, yellow flowers, and some leaves. A quick trip to the store resolved that!

 To glue the items in place, I remove the stems from the flowers, put a bit of hot glue around the base, and stick them through the mesh. The scarecrow had a stand attached, so I left the rod in place, and glued it directly to the frame. 

The final product:

All in all, this project took me roughly 3 hours, and that includes the trip to the store.

Please check out all of the cute crafts and fall themed fun at this link party!