Crow Wreath

$20 - $25 (based on 2017 prices)

Makes one wreath

A friend asked me to make a wreath for the auction portion of her annual fundraiser. Since I repurposed the fall leaves and crow mask I purchased for 2016’s haunted farm theme, I was able to keep the project’s cost relatively low. For a more dramatic piece, consider substituting the leaves with black feathers.

• One twelve-inch grapevine wreath
• Two yards of light-brown twine
• Five or six four-foot garlands of fall leaves (roughly thirty-six leaves per garland)
• One foam crow mask
• Hot glue gun and glue sticks
  

1. Wrap twine around the wreath in a haphazard design. Do not aim for perfection (the more chaotic the pattern, the spookier the final product will be). Since much of the wreath will be covered by the leaves, you can skip this step if you desire.

2. Separate the leaves from their garlands. Although you could do this while you glue them to the wreath, I found that performing this step beforehand made the following process much easier. Plus, it gives you a clear idea of exactly how many leaves you have.

3. Use hot glue to adhere the leaves to the wreath. For visual interest, build up layers and vary the color patterns so that leaves with the same hues and shapes are not concentrated in one area (you may want to reserve some leaves for step four).

4. Center the mask on the wreath and glue it into place. Give the wreath additional bulk by fluffing the leaves around the skull’s edges. You can also adhere additional leaves around the mask to fill gaps and blend the two items together.

5. You can create a hanging loop by repurposing the mask’s elastic band (or use steel wire for added support).