DIY Christmas Card Wreath

For years I have kept the Christmas cards we receive in a little sleigh-shaped basket that sits by the fireplace.  Inevitably, my kids end up using it for their stuffed animals as though it’s Malibu Barbie’s convertible.  So, even though my kiddos are outgrowing that stage, I really wanted to do something different this year.  What to do?! 

I made a Christmas card wreath that I can hang on the wall that looks pretty and is out of reach!

You’ve probably seen little wire wreaths you can buy all over the place for around 15-20 bucks.  Well, I didn’t want to spend that much because…you know…I’m cheap.  I ended up spending less than $5 on my DIY Christmas card wreath.  Cool, huh?!

Here’s how I did it:

First, I bought an inexpensive wire wreath form from Michaels.  I had a 40% off coupon so it cost me less than $3.  Then, I bought a package of wooden clothespins at Target.  Michaels has them too, but since they’re for crafts, they’re a whole lot more expensive than getting them from good old Tar-jay.  (Less than 2 bucks for 50 clothespins.)

I already had the Mod Podge and a sheet of scrapbooking paper that had a pretty green pattern on it.

I cut the paper into small strips using my handy-dandy paper cutter (one of my very favorite crafting tools!), then glued them onto one side of the clothespins.

 Then I decided to embellish the plain wire frame.  By the way, I left the frame in it’s original green color but you could spray it any color you want — I considered brown but decided to stick with plain old green.

I already had the little green berry garland that I used somewhere else last year.  I used a wire cutter to clip off a couple of ends and then taped them to the top of the wreath.  Then I used some twine and covered the tape.  By covering the tape, I gave myself a nice little place to hot glue on a bow.  But, before I added the bow, I added a couple of rusty-looking sleigh bells. Again, I already had these.  (In case you’re wondering, I keep a bin full of extra ribbon, vase fillers, embellishments etc. so I can tweak my decor each year.  I hate to throw it out because one year I may want to use it, the next year maybe not so much!)

 Okay…so once I put the bells on, I made a bow and hot-glued it to the twine.   Then, I clipped all my little clothespins to the wire and hung it up!

Here’s what it looks like with some holiday cards on it:

I’m super excited about this addition to my holiday decor!  I think it’s cute and practical — two things I love.  

Now…what to do with that sleigh? 

Do you think the elf or the Polar Express will win?