Dollar Store Design School #2 - Halloween Wreath

Since I've started these Dollar Store Design School lessons I have learned a little something about shopping at the Dollar Store for craft items.  When they first get new holiday items in (You know... that time when you say: "Halloween already?" or "Christmas already?  It's not even Halloween!") you need to go ahead and buy items you will need for crafting.  If you wait, then all the good stuff will be gone!

That said... I will try to start posting ideas for Thanksgiving and Christmas decor soon since they already have those items in the store.

For now I have our Halloween Wreath tutorial.  It is inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven.  Listen to The Raven read by James Earl Jones HERE.

This is what I purchased from the Dollar Store:

Bag of Spanish Moss

Wreath
Black Bird
Black Roses/Spider bouquet

I had: tape, glue stick, hot glue gun, scissors, piece of thin cardboard (back of a legal pad) and a piece of raffia that I found in the yard.

I created the "NEVERMORE" sign and just printed it out on paper and then cut it out.

So the first thing I did was to glue the paper NEVERMORE sign down to the piece of thin cardboard and cut out around it.  It just made the "sign" a little more sturdy.  Then I poked holes in the sign and pushed the raffia through. I put a little piece of tape on the back of the holes just to hold the raffia in place. It doesn't look "neat" but I didn't want it to.

Moving on to the actual wreath...
I pulled out some of the moss and arranged it at the bottom of the wreath until I liked the way it looked (that leaf was totally in the bag with the moss). Some little pieces of moss shook loose and that's ok.  Keep those little pieces for our next project!!!
Then I used the hot glue gun to attach the moss to the wreath.  Again, this does not have to be perfect. It's supposed to look like a birds nesting place.

Now it is time to add the bird.  (Here is where shopping early comes in handy.  Some of the birds were a little worse for wear when I was at the store. I pawed through them until I found a decent looking one.)  This bird actually had wire on his feet so it was very easy to attach him.  I just found a place on the wreath that I liked and wrapped the wires around the wreath.  The thing I liked about this wreath was that it was messy... like a bunch of twigs twisted together.  Perfect for the birds nest look I was going for.

I attached one of the black roses to the wreath with hot glue and hung the sign from one of the twigs of the wreath.  I was concerned it might blow off the wreath though so I put a little hot glue on each side to attach it to the wreath.

Super easy and super cheap... $4 + what I had on hand at the house.  You could easily do this for $2.  Just buy the wreath and the bird.  Find items from your yard for the "nest" at the bottom.  If you wanted to get really crafty you could just buy the bird for $1 and make your own wreath from twigs.  I'm afraid I don't have that kind of time!!!

What do you think? I hope you all like the wreath and that it inspires you in your holiday decorating efforts.  

Up next on Dollar Store Design School... Creepy Centerpieces!!!