How to Create the Perfect (Easy!) DIY Wreath with Coffee Filters
I adore wreaths. Bright, cheerful summertime wreaths, jolly holiday ornament wreaths, traditional pinecone and poinsettia winter wreaths, perky flowery springtime wreaths — I love them all! Wreaths decorate doors, entryways, and mantles with each season, adding warmth to each place they hang. The thing I don’t like about wreaths? They can be EXPENSIVE! Even at Michaels or Home Goods, the wreaths can go for a pretty penny, sometimes upwards of $50 or $60 dollars. While beautiful, wreaths can put a strain on a tight budget. So what does any thrifty, industrious wreath loving gal do? That’s right, let’s DIY it! In this post, we’ll be learning all about how to create your own DIY wreath with coffee filters. And, even better, we’ll make a perfect DIY wreath for less than $10! Want to learn more about how to create this DIY wreath? Then keep on reading!
This project was so much fun to do! The wreath looked stunning on my mantle as part of my $20 fall decorations. Also, if you’re interested in watching the video tutorial, you can either click here or scroll on down to the bottom.
Materials Needed for the Perfect Wreath
To make this wreath, you’ll need the following supplies, which you can get from lots of stores, like Amazon, Michaels, or even the dollar store. I’ve tagged the supplies to Amazon so you can learn more about each product. Click the link (affiliate) to learn more!
Step 1: Make Your Filter Flowers
In order to create your coffee filter wreath, you’re going to need LOTS and LOTS of coffee filters. We’re talking about 300 and 400 filters. I bought mine at the Dollar Store (always looking to save a penny!) and purchased the bleached white variety. This project would also look super cute using the unbleached brown filters … it’s up to you!
The first step in creating the perfect DIY wreath is to make a big old pile of filter flowers. How do you do this? Take a knitting needle (or a pencil, or any kind of poke-y device) and put the needle in the center of the filter. Smoosh down the sides of the filter around the needle. Do this step again and again and again (and again) until you have a mountain of coffee filter flowers. Honestly, be prepared to invest a few hours in this project. It takes a while, sure, but I found it oddly relaxing. Maybe you will too!
Step 2: Affix Your Flowers to the Wreath Form
Once you have a sizeable amount of filter flowers, it’s time to gear up the glue gun. I used a mini glue gun from Michaels that cost about $3. This little baby was SO inexpensive and has lasted years and years (not a bad investment!)
Put a small dab of glue on the end of your filter flower, then using the knitting needle, hold the flower in place on the wreath form for about 2 to 3 seconds. You’ll want to use the knitting needle (or pencil) for this so that you don’t burn your fingers with the hot glue, which I still managed to do several dozen times. I chose to use a knitting needle in part because it had a wider, flat base on the end than a pencil, so it really pushed the flower onto the wreath form well.
When gluing my filter flowers, I learned that it’s best to work in rows to see what you’re doing. I went around the wreath form gluing one loop of flowers, then glued an inner ring of flowers, and an outer ring of flowers. Before I started to do this, when I was working section by section, without strategically working in rings, I really couldn’t see what I was doing and ended up having to go back and fill in bald spots.
Not gonna lie, it took about 3 hours to complete this step, with breaks in between to create more piles of filter flowers along the way. And I only put flowers on one side of the wreath! I wanted the wreath to hang flat against the mirror above the mantle, so I didn’t put flowers on the other side. Instead, I made sure that the sides were full enough to cover any gaps that might appear between the wreath and the mirror once it was hung.
Step 3: Hang it Up!
My $20 fall mantle décor featured rustic browns, crisp whites, and deep plum colors so I knew I wanted to use a rich purple ribbon to hang my wreath. I cut a strip of ribbon 20 inches long, folded it in half, and glued the raw edges together to create a loop 10 inches in diameter.
Once I had my loop created, I hot glued my ribbon to the back of the wreath form, gluing it down across the back of the top ring loop. I used a command hook on the top back of the mirror, holding it firmly in place to secure it. Easy! Once the command hook was secure, I hung my ribbon from the hook and my wreath hung perfectly in the center of the mirror.
For all my visual learners, check out this video tutorial, which shows how to make the perfect DIY wreath step by step:
This project complemented the other projects in the $20 fall mantle series so well! If you’re curious how to make the reversible banner, the rustic wooden boxes, the ribbon garland, or the charming painted sign, or the white painted pumpkins, be sure to click each to read all about the tutorials!
Thanks so much for checking out this easy coffee filter DIY wreath tutorial. Pop a comment below if you want to see other wreath tutorials! And be sure to follow along on Pinterest to stay up to date with all the latest DIY home projects.