Have you jumped on the 'ol Deco Mesh Wreath Bandwagon yet? If you have, then you know all about the supposed 'Dollar Tree Wreath". Sure, you can get MOST of the necessary supplies at the Dollar Tree. I looooooveee Dollar Tree, but lets face it, even with a basic wreath you require at least 10-12 supplies...you do the math. Now add in the fun embellishments and your looking at a $20+ dollar “cheap” craft project!
I am all about the F.A.S.T when it comes to crafting. If it doesn't fall into these categories than its not for me-especially letter ‘S’: Fast, Affordable, Simple, Teachable.
I am not here to do another tutorial on how to make your own Deco Mesh Wreath. In fact, I had to watch several before I even made my first one. Because of this I have learned what works, what doesn't, and what is a rip off along the way. I am here to share that knowledge before you make the same mistakes that I, as well as so many of us have.
*Short Post- I will begin posting on a regularly scheduled time frame twice monthly. I'll confirm the schedule change and possible background change.
So I’m sure you've seen all the embellishments and doo-dads that the Dollar Store and Big Box stores have come up with. Well, any time someone makes one of these bad boys with all the Bells and Whistles you better believe a solid $20-30 is being tacked onto this “cheap” DIY wreath.
The first hack I adapted is to skip the store bought package of Styrofoam ball garland and DIY that shiz yourself. If you don't have the styro balls at your local D.T. you can easily find it at Michaels, Joannes, or whatever craft store is remotely close. This decorative string is almost always seen on a deco mesh wreath to give it the variation in color and that pop in dimension. Market price for a 2-3 foot long string of Orange/Black Styro balls is about $8. Seems reasonable right? Its gotta be hard to hand make that and being Halloween, I am sure its going to take long to order. WRONG! Already we have broken half of my Mantra- Fast and Affordable. Instead, you can take a bag of the painted styro balls and use a basic sewing kit to string them together. Don't let the word "sew" scare you, there is zero skill required here. If you can tie a knot and push a pin through styrofoam you've got what it takes.
Faux Flowers are the most versatile piece of decor out there. Generally speaking, they are relatively cheap too. The bunch of black cloth roses that I saw at Michaels last weekend were spattered with silver glitter and called my name for my soon to be Halloween Wreath. When I saw they were almost 10$, I first gasped! And I then snapped a pic and went on a mission to see how I could make them for 1/ 4 the price. This proved to be quite easy with the same flowers at dollar tree($1 vs$10) ... a can of spray adhesive (I had at home), and small packets of glitter (Had at home and bought for $1). I recreated the fancy decorations with only a few dollars, 2 to be exact, and even fewer minutes, I didn’t count😝.
Total savings = $11
One more popular embellishment to a Deco Mesh Wreath we often see is the “witches broom”for the oh so cute Witch Wreath. A broom will run you approximately $6-$10 depending on where you shop. The one I saw at michaels was $8.50!
Instead, you can find the sparkled colored twigs in orange and black at the every trusty $Tree and make an even better looking broom than the ready made variety at Michaels. I used some leftover Halloween ribbon and mesh to garnish the brooms handle and lay across the front open area of my super witchy wreath.
I hope I was able to save you at least a few bucks on this trendy DIY Wreath. Halloween is almost here, time to start thinking about the XMAS one!
Of course, if you have any clever ways of cutting a corner or two on your Deco Mesh Wreathing or any crafting for that matter I’d love to hear them.
You can catch me on social at the following:
IG: @mandapandaparties
If you wanna take the easy way out and browse some of my Crafty little inventions, I’m always adding new projects to my Etsy store!
Until next time- stay crafty San Diego
~Manda
