How To: Vintage Christmas Ornament Wreath

I love Christmas decorations, but usually just things that are really shinny or sparkly.  My Mom and I made these wreaths over Thanksgiving out of vintage Christmas ornaments that we found.  Maybe you will want to keep your eyes out for the bulbs and make one for your own home. 


The first thing is to find vintage Christmas bulbs.  We found ours at thrift stores and the more ornate ones at antique stores.  The style of wreath that you chose will dictate how many bulbs you need.  The full one has probably 40-50 bulbs on it.  The tinsel wreath needs about 20 bulbs.  Look for colors that you like and a couple with special elements for the top layer.  

You will also need a foam wreath, a glue gun, and some wire to hang the wreath when you are finished.

A glass of wine also helps!

I laid the ornaments out so that they were easy to reach and so I could see the color theme as I started to put the bulbs on the wreath. 

Start by gluing the bulbs around the inside of the circle and then the outside of the wreath.  This will allow you to lay the foam wreath flat on the counter and then build up from there using your best bulbs for the very top.  

 This is the mult-colored wreath in progress. 

And here it is finished.  Add a bow and hang! 

 I was inspired to vary the first one and make a wreath with tinsel and just 2 colors of bulbs.  I found some great light pink bulbs, used some leftover silver ones from the first wreath and added two which had pink and silver stripes. 

The best thing about the vintage bulbs is their subtle shine.

My Mom started the wreath by wrapping the foam in silver tinsel.  

I layed out the bulbs which I had chosen and started to play around with how I would place them.  Make sure you do this before you start gluing! 

The wreath looks best when you alternate the tilt of the ornaments and use some of different sizes.  

 For the tinsel one, I just put bulbs through the middle of the wreath instead of covering every surface.

A "green" wreath making something old into new for your Christmas display.  A touch of glamour for the holiday season.

Laura x