Easy Front Door Decor for the Babe on a Budget
Now that the front of our house has come together and the door is repainted at last, there was one finishing touch missing: the perfect front door decoration.
Being me, I scoured Pinterest for ideas. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted but I knew that it needed to be:
- Homemade
- Inexpensive
- Not too large or loud
With all of the color on the accents already (hello, purple front door makeover), I was looking for something simple and sleek. Finally, it hit me: succulents.
One of the Pinterest trends is to create a live succulent wreath but this was a no-go for a variety of reasons. 1. You need a lot of succulents for a wreath, and the costs quickly add up. 2. Someone has to keep that thing alive. Our front door gets full sun all day long, and live succulents would be fried in a matter of days.
Nah, I’m really more of a make-it-once, use-it-forever kind of girl, and that means faux succulents.
The best part about this wreath? It requires no skill, uses tools that everyone already has in their house, and comes together in under an hour (outside of spray paint dry time, of course).
Grab your hot glue gun and let’s get crafty. 😉
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How to DIY a Simple Succulent Wreath
What You’ll Need
- 12-inch or 18-inch wire wreath ring (mine was 12 inches)
- Spray paint (I used Rustoleum Bright Rose Gold Metallic)
- 8-12 assorted artificial succulents (minimum of 12-15 if using a larger wreath)
- Jewelry or craft wire (I used this kit with different colors)
- Hot glue gun
- Heavy-duty wire cutters
- Ribbon for hanging
Step-by-Step Tutorial
1. Decide if you want to change the color of the wire wreath frame (most of the options are green). I chose rose gold to “pop” against my violet door. Silver or gold would work too.
2. Spray paint the front side of the wire frame wreath. Let dry, then spray back side. Let dry again, then spray second coat on front side.
3. While the spray paint dries, prep your supplies. You’ll need craft wire, wire cutters, and hot glue gun at the ready.
4. Start by choosing which succulents you like best for your wreath. Make sure to choose an assortment of shapes, colors, and textures.
5. Trim the stems of the plastic succulents with the wire cutters, leaving about a quarter-inch of stem to wire onto the wreath.
6. Start to design your wreath so you have a rough layout of where you want the plants to go.
7. Start from the center and work your way out in both directions. You won’t cover the entire wreath … where you want to stop is up to your own aesthetic preference. I planned to do only about a quarter of the wreath but ended up preferring the final look that’s between a third and half.
8. Once you decide on a focal point, wire the first plant to the wreath. Cut a length of jewelry wire about 4-5 inches. Wrap it around the stem nub of the plant and then wrap it around the wire frame. You’ll want to secure it in more than one spot on the frame so it doesn’t move around too much.
9. Work your way outward, wiring more succulents into place. Don’t worry too much about your wiring technique. You’re going to hot glue them in place before you’re finished.
10. Once everything is placed, use the hot glue gun to reinforce the connections on the back of the wreath. I put a generous bead of glue at every point where a plant and the wire frame touched. In fact, as I worked along, I stopped wiring and started only hot gluing some of the plants on the edges. From behind, the project may look like a glue-y mess but no one is going to see the back once it’s hung. So go heavy on the hot glue.
11. When everything is securely in place and the glue is fully dried, flip the wreath back to the front to inspect your masterpiece. If there are gaps between plants, you can use a tiny bead of hot glue to secure leaves or petals of one succulent to another for a more polished look.
12. Loop a ribbon for hanging at the top. Make sure your ribbon or twine is sturdy enough to support the weight of the wreath — the plastic succulents can be a bit heavy.
13. Hang from a medium/large nail on your front door or wall and enjoy!
I love how the finished product came out, and I love that it only took me about an hour of work to make it. The colors really pop on that purple door, don’t they?
I’d love to see your finished creations — there are so many options and colors for faux succulents. You can really personalize it to your palette and preferences.
Tag me on Instagram, Pinterest or Facebook so I can see how yours turned out! Keep following on social for more easy ideas and inspiration for cultivating creativity amid chaos.
