Do you have any wire hangers laying around? How about ribbon? If yes, you already have half the materials needed to make this ornament wreath! Keep reading to see how I made this DIY ornament ball wreath in 8 easy steps!
Just in time for the holidays! Here is a pretty easy project to deck out your door or any space in need of some cheer.
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Several years ago I tried this project when I was looking for a low cost way to make a wreath. I had found tubes of shatterproof Christmas ornaments at Dollar Tree. I loved it so much that I made ones for my office at work. When my husband and I last moved, I gave the wreaths away in an effort to downsize. I remembered the ornament wreaths I had made and figured it would be fun to try a new one.
Step 1. Gather materials.
Click on images above to shop supplies. Also click the arrows on the left and right of the image to shop more materials.
Ornaments
This time around I purchased shatterproof ornaments from Amazon. I definitely paid more compared to The Dollar Tree, but convenience won. Besides the next day delivery, Amazon also had a larger color selection. I went with champagne color ornaments and rose gold balls in various sizes.
Wire Hanger (Sorry Joan Crawford!!!)
Other than the ornaments, I already had the wire coat hanger from the dry cleaners, which is the frame for the wreath. If you don’t do dry cleaning, thrift stores often have wire hangers or pop into a dry cleaner to ask if you might have one of theirs.
Ribbon
I also had some beautiful velvet ribbon which I’ve had for ages. Years ago I purchased it at a fabric shop that was going out of business. Similar options in pink, blue and black would work great! 2.5 inch or larger is a nice width, depending on the size of the wreath.
In addition to these items shown, you may need scissors if your ornaments come with hanging strings, and wire cutters if you need to trim the hanger.
Step 2. Decide on your pattern.
I opened the ornament packages and spread the ornaments out in a tray. I did this for easy access, to prevent them from rolling off the table, and to look at the patterns and colors together. The packs I chose have glitter covered ornaments.
Beware if you are glitter averse! My table and I and other surfaces in the vicinity were covered in a fine glitter mist. Nothing like some sparkle to make you feel festive.
Step 3. Unwrap the wire hanger.
After unwrapping the hanger, lay it out and begin to shape it into a circle. It doesn’t need to be a flawless circle, as the ornaments will cover the wire. However, you do want the shape to be as circular as possible.
After taking the picture above I made a few more adjustments to round out the wire.
Step 4. String ornaments on wire.
In the photo above you can see I left all the ridges in the wire. After the ornaments have been strung on the wire, you will wrap the two pieces again to close the wreath loop.
Step 5. Check your pattern.
String along several balls to get a visual of your creation. Initially, the wire seems to show too much. Keep adding more balls and the emptiness will fill in.
Feeling doubtful? See below for a more filled in look.
Step 6. Keep adding ornaments.
At about midway through, you actually start to see a wreath! It was at this point that I did a quick inventory and realized I was running low on one of the champagne color balls in my pattern. I undid all my work and started over, adding several more of the rose gold ornaments to my mix. This turned out to be great, as it added more textures and sizes.
Step 7. Twist hanger back together.
Once you reach the other end, you twist the wire back to its original hanger-like state.
When I closed the loop I noticed one side was a bit sparse. I untwisted the wire and added a few more balls.
Step 8. Add a ribbon or bow if you like.
The wreaths I made in the past had large bows that I fashioned out of wire-edge Christmas ribbon. I hot-glued these bows on the wire to camouflage the hook of the hanger. This time around I did not have the wire edge ribbon and decided I didn’t need a bow after all.
Simply tie the ribbon in a way that will allow you to hang it. Voilà!
DIY Ornament Ball Wreath In 8 Easy Steps
There is a huge selection of ornament wreaths online, ranging from just under $20 to over $200. When I first made these some years ago, I didn’t see too many that were ready-made, but now there are traditional red and green, candy colored, coastal inspired seafoam, beautiful aged iron, and wreaths filled with vintage ornaments! Take a look below at the Christmas ornament wreaths, garland and table top trees I found for inspiration or to buy!
Shop Similar Ornament Wreaths
Pin DIY Ornament Ball Wreath In 8 Easy Steps
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More holiday decorating inspiration!
Danielle’s Laundry Room Makeover-Christmas Edition. She re-did this space as part of the One Room Challenge and now she has it decked out for the holidays! How fun would doing laundry be here? Make sure to see all the details at Faith and Farmhouse.
Thanks for reading! Are you ready for the holidays? Leave me a comment and let me know your favorite holiday craft or tradition that you do.