Budget-Friendly Burlap Bubble Wreath

By Allison Collins

Ilove pretty things, but I’m cheap. Enter: crafting. But if I’m going to dive into DIY, I want that, too, to be inexpensive, relatively easy and not overly time-consuming. This Budget-Friendly Burlap Bubble Wreath checks all the boxes. And it comes out looking like a million bucks (or at least the $100 you could easily spend on a similar retail wreath).

This wreath comes together in roughly 45 minutes, costs about $20 and the burlap base works for any holiday wreath design. This Christmas-inspired version would make a lovely homemade gift (if you can stand giving it away), a great raffle donation or a fun make-and-take group project.

Materials:

12-15 yards of 6-inch burlap or ribbon 16-inch wire wreath frame Thin wire, floral wire or bread ties Holiday-colored silk flowers Small holiday decorations Scavenged natural decorations (pine boughs, pinecones, holly branches with berries, etc.) Glue gun and hot glue sticks

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1. Fold the ends of the burlap ribbon into a thick nub. 2. Secure the burlap nub with wire. 3. Begin weaving the burlap through the wreath form rows, anchoring with wire as needed. 4. Scrunch burlap bubbles together to create a full, fluffy look.

Directions:

Accordion just the end of the roll of burlap and secure by winding with wire. Use additional wire to anchor the burlap nub to the wreath frame.

Begin threading small swaths of burlap through the rungs of the wreath frame horizontally, pulling and fluffing to create the “bubbles.”

Flip the wreath frame over and, using wire or a bread tie, or by just firmly twisting the wadded burlap, secure the first row or two of bubbles.

Continue threading the burlap through the rows of the frame, scrunching, bunching and fluffing as you go. Don’t worry if some wire shows through; you can always adjust and re-scrunch. There really is no bad way to make these bubbles.

Repeat this process along the entire wreath frame, pausing occasionally to turn the frame over and secure from behind as needed.

Once the wreath is fully wrapped in burlap, give bubbles a final adjustment, then begin layering on your decorations.

Arrange decorations as desired before gluing in place. Glue larger pieces – pine boughs, leaves, etc. – first, under the smaller, accent items. The weave of the burlap makes a nice netting for branches and twigs, allowing you to position things securely before tacking down.

Glue down any final flowers or small decor pieces.

Tips:

If your local dollar store has wide burlap, the cost of the wreath will be much less than noted. If not, it is widely available online for between $5-$10 a roll, depending on length.

Before heading to the dollar store, look around the backyard. A base of natural decor only amplifies the rustic feel of this wreath.

If using real holly branches, make sure the toxic berries are kept out of reach of kids and pets while crafting, and once displayed.

The burlap can be a little messy to work with. To avoid inhaling the fibers that fly up, consider wearing a face mask while you craft. (We all have one!)

It can be helpful when making the bubbles to unroll the entire spool of burlap.

Before gluing on the decorations, take a moment to step back from the wreath and check for the visual balance of objects, colors and desired placement.

There are lots of bubble wreath-making tutorials online. If you need a visual for the pull-through bubble technique, check out YouTube beforehand.

Cost: Wire wreath frame - $1 Silk flowers and berries - $3 Ornament - $1 Scented mini pinecones (two packs) - $2 2 rolls (10 yards each) of 6-inch burlap - $14 Pine boughs and holly branches – $0

Total: $21

Photos by Allison Collins

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5. Continue weaving the burlap ribbon. 6. Wrap and scrunch burlap until the entire wreath form is covered. 7. Arrange decorations in desired positions before securing. 8. Adhere decorations with hot glue.