fall wreath inspiration

It's officially October (despite what the weather may be saying these days) and it's time to get festive! Earlier this month Shanty 2 Chic posted this beautiful fall wreath. I'd been debating on what kind of fall wreath to make for a while, but their gorgeous and simple wreath settled it for me. It was high time to create my own version of a fall-inspired wreath.

I started with a basic grapevine wreath from Michaels. Frugalish note: Please never ever ever buy anything at a craft store full price! There is almost always a 40% off coupon that can be paired up with non-sale items. I was originally planning on buying some naturally dried berries for the wreath, but the natural items are much more expensive and not in this frugalish girl's budget.

While browsing the aisles of fall wreaths, garlands, and picks I had a light bulb moment - memories of coming home from school with my mom sitting in the middle of giant pile of garland, random flower material, moss, and hot glue working on a flower arrangement filled my mind. She's made some beautiful wreaths and arrangements over the years and as a result has her own mini flower arranging department. I left with my wreath and decided it was time to raid her supply.

After much digging and debating, I settled on a simple orange and white color combination. I tore the white/snow berries off their large picks, removed all the green leaves, and pushed them in around the wreath in clusters. Then I took the bittersweet flowers off the garland they were on and wrapped them together in small clusters on individual picks.

After the berries, I laid out the persimmons evenly around the wreath. Persimmons are a sign of all things festive and delicious in our abode. We consider persimmon pudding a staple food in our family during the holidays. There may or may not be annual arguments about who gets the bigger piece... lost myself in persimmon pudding memories... Anyway, the minute we dug these little orangeish fruit out of the box I knew I had to use them. If you have trouble finding fake persimmons, try mini pumpkins, apples, or pears.

With the persimmons laid out, I then added the dried poppies and pushed them into the wreath around the fruit. Lastly, I twisted in grapevine curls to add some additional texture. I finished it off by hot gluing the persimmons in place. My personal preference is to use a minimal amount of glue on wreaths. This allows me to move berries and sprigs whenever the mood strikes or if something gets accidentally crushed. Besides little hot glue strings get everywhere!

Hang it on a handy command strip hook, add a cream burlap bow, and viola - the perfect fall greeting to any guests that arrive at your door.

Looking for more fall wreath inspiration? Try 50 Amazing Fall Wreaths from I heart nap time or 25 DIY Handmade Fall Wreaths from The 36th Avenue for some gorgeous, simple handmade harvest-time wreaths. Check out other crafting goodness at Skip to My Lou.

Happy crafting!