How to Make an Ornament Wreath for Christmas

Who doesn’t love a pretty wreath? Christmas is probably the most popular time to add a wreath to our seasonal decor. Do you need a new wreath? Let me show you how to make an ornament wreath for Christmas.

When I first discovered ornament wreaths on Pinterest, I thought they were so beautiful. I had to figure out how to make an ornament wreath for Christmas. I did. It wasn’t hard and actually really fun.

I love DIY projects that are easy and relatively inexpensive. This ornament wreath fits the bill. You can make it while binge-watching Christmas movies on the Hallmark Channel.

Why Make Your Own Ornament Wreath

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The first ornament wreaths that I saw on various websites were for sale. The prices ranged from $125 to $200. That was way more than I wanted to spend. Plus, making something is more satisfying than buying.

I felt certain that I could make an ornament wreath easily for less than half that amount. When I have a vision of a finished project, I enjoy figuring out how to make it. Guess what? I did.

Christmas may be months off, but it’s never too early to get busy creating decorations for our home.

Another great thing about making this ornament wreath? It’s totally customizable. Depending on the colors you use, the size of the ornaments, and how you arrange them, no two wreaths will ever look like.

Supplies for the Ornament Wreath

You only need a few supplies for this wreath project. You may have some of the supplies at home already.

• styrofoam wreath – I used a 16-inch diameter wreath, but you can use whatever size you want.

• ornaments in choice of color and size: I thought using ornaments in different sizes would be easier to work with. I wanted a mix of colors from pastels to brights and metallics. Fortunately, I found my ornaments at Target: 5 packages of 25 each in a variety of colors; each package: $5.00 for a total of $25.
• I had to go back and buy a couple more packages; only the red and green packages were left. I also bought 4 boxes of very small ornaments that were $3 each. $22.
• I recommend getting ornaments in different sizes. Ornaments from 1 – 3 inches work best.
• Here are more possibilities for ornaments to use: small ornaments; my favorite are packages of multiple sizes in your color of choice or this ornament option.

• I also had a box of gold, silver, and white small ornaments and small metallic and glittering balls on hand.

• glue gun and glue sticks – don’t most of us have these on hand? I always try to have plenty on hand. I’m currently on the search for a new glue gun. This one looks like a contender.

• ribbon to cover the styrofoam wreath; I don’t know if this is absolutely necessary, but I thought it would project the styrofoam.
• ” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener sponsored nofollow”>roll of cream-colored burlap ribbon that I had on hand would work fine.
• ribbon to make a bow for the wreath. I used some leftover metallic gold and silver ribbon and some new green metallic ribbon that I bought in New Orleans for 50% off. I didn’t use much of it and have plenty for other projects.
• over the door wreath hanger; this adjustable one looks great to me.
• battery-operated timer fairy lights ~ to give your ornament wreath a magical quality at night.

Steps to Wrap the Styrofoam Wreath

Wrapping my fall pumpkin styrofoam wreath was a helpful step.

Step 1 – First, use your glue gun to attach the burlap to the wreath. Wrap the ribbon around the wreath, pulling it tight and using the glue gun to add glue every few “wraps”.

As you can see, I didn’t have quite enough ribbon to completely wrap the wreath. My bow should hide that area.

Steps to Add the Ornaments to YourWreath

Step 2 – I emptied all my ornaments into plastic containers, organizing them by color.

I didn’t intend to make a color pattern for my wreath but mix up the colors for a pleasing effect. Organizing the ornaments by color helped me create a random mix of colors.

Step 3 ~ Remove the ornament hangers. You can do this all at once before you start gluing the ornaments or as you add each ornament.

Step 4 – Begin to glue the largest ornaments to the top of the styrofoam wreath, mixing the colors. Place the ornaments close together.

I found it easiest to add the glue to the wreath, place the ornament on the glue and press down on it.

TIP: You can also add a dot of glue to the sides of an ornament as you attach them to adjoining ornaments.

After covering the top of the wreath, start adding ornaments on the outside of the wreath, from front to back.

Step 5 – When you have the wreath covered, start adding the medium and smaller ornaments to fill in and cover gaps. The small balls are best for this step. This time, I added a dot of glue directly to the small balls.

NOTE: Adding the small balls and ornaments not only fills in the gaps; that step also covers any glue build-up and creates more depth to the wreath.

Make Your Bow

Step 6 – Make your bow. Be sure to have plenty of ribbon allowance to tie it around your wreath. I used the ends of the silver ribbon to make a loop for the wreath hanger.

Finally, add your bow to the ornament wreath. The green part of the styrofoam wreath won’t show when it is hung on the front door.

Final Cost: I started with 150 large and medium ornaments that I purchased ($35) and 80 very small ornaments ($9). I ended up using most of the colored ornaments that I bought, but I had quite a bit of white, gold, and silver ones left over. I already had the small metallic balls.

I already had the ribbon and glue sticks. I’ll estimate the total cost at $55. Much better than the $100 – $200 online – and much more fun to make.

Display Your Ornament Wreath

Step 7 – Add your wreath to your front door, mantel, or on a mirror. I always intended that this ornament wreath would go on our front door. This year I may hang it on our entry mirror.

I like to use wreath hangers to hang wreaths. Just wrap it with ribbon to hide the metal color.

We don’t have a front porch or much space at our front door. I had an extra white planter that I ordered last year from Wayfair. A pine “tree” from the grocery store filled it nicely.

I covered the base with moss. Some red berries and large ornaments add a pop of color.

Of course, it has fairy lights – 5 strands, on timers.

I brought my tall wood lantern filled with more ornaments outside. If we have a big rainstorm, I may have to bring it inside.

I love this colorful, shiny, and unique ornament wreath for Christmas. It’s one of my very favorites.

I decided that this wreath definitely needed to be lit at night. I wrapped two battery fairy lights on timers around the wreath.

Much better!

Shop the Wreath Project

Are you ready to get a head start on Christmas decorating? If you don’t have a wreath yet for Christmas, I hope that you try to make an ornament wreath for your home.

More Awesome Christmas Decoration Ideas

Take a look at these other Christmas projects for making your home shine at holiday time.

• How to Make the Cutest DIY Christmas Garland
• DIY Christmas Trees in a Holiday Vignette
• How to Make Pretty Yarn Christmas Trees
• How to Make Christmas Charger Plates

Want even more pretty Christmas ideas? Check out my Christmas Pinterest Boards.

• Christmas DIY Ideas
• Christmas Home Decor
• Christmas Inspiration

Already have a wreath? Then please PIN this project, how to make an ornament wreath, for next year. I think it’s a classic.