Paper Bag Autumn Wreath

If you follow me on Pinterest, you'll see that I have an entire board dedicated to Wreaths and Door Decor.  I like changing them out each season, and finding some creative ideas for making my front door more festive.

I've had a pin for this paper bag wreath in the back of my mind for quite a while now.  I like how simple and elegant it is, and it looked extremely easy to make.  And it was!

While I didn't copy the wreath, I did use it as inspiration for my own design.  With a little more time on my hands, I decided I was finally going to make a similar wreath.  Since I had all the items to make it already on hand, it cost me nothing, however it would probably be a craft that costs less than $10.  I had a grapevine wreath on hand (purchased for under 5 bucks at a craft store), which is probably the most costly item in the project.

Here's what you'll need and how to do it:

• Grapevine wreath
• 1 large paper bag
• Paints/brush (I used tempera, since I had those on hand, but those small bottles of acrylic would be perfect)
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Template for leaves (I used cookie cutters, but you could print out a leaf silhouette online, or trace an actual leaf or just make it up.  The oak leaves on my wreath are freehanded).
• Floral wire
• Tape
• Ribbon (optional)

ignore the glue. I thought I was going to use that instead of wire

STEP ONE
Cut the bottom off of your bag, then cut it on the side to make it a flat piece of paper to work on.

It's ok if it's wrinkled, actually that gives it a more interesting texture.

STEP TWO
Paint your bag.  I wanted to use 4 colors (green, red, orange, yellow, though I wish I had had some gold paint too) so I visually divided the bag into 4 sections.

Allow to dry, obviously.

STEP THREE
Trace your leaves onto the paper.

You should be able to cut multiple leaves out by cutting out smaller rectangles of paper (large enough for your template) and stacking them on top of each other, then cutting through all 3-4 pieces of paper.

STEP FOUR
Cut a piece of wire about 3-4" long.  Then adhere it to the back of the leaf with tape.

Then twist that wire onto the wreath form.

I chose to have my leaves all going in the same direction, but you could certainly add them in whatever pattern you'd like.  You might make them sparse, or fill the entire wreath with so many leaves that you don't even see the grapevine anymore.

I then added a bow made similar to this one.

I like how colorful the wreath is, and how easy it was to make.  You could even do this with kids, especially the painting part.  It would be fun to have them mix colors to make their own unique leaves.

It looks fabulous on our front door.

I hope this inspires you to make one for your home.