How to Make a Surprisingly Simple Paper Wreath

A friend of mine made a simple request to me: "Show me something I can make in an hour that isn't going to cost and arm and a leg and won't leave me frustrated and discouraged by the time I finish it."

In one sentence, she summed up what every crafter I know is looking for. We want to make something and have fun doing it. Yes, sometimes, we'll go to extraordinary lengths, but mostly, we'd like it to be simple and straightforward. So today, I am going to focus on just that and nothing else. All you'll need to accomplish this is a strong shape, a simple armature, an interesting palette, and the means to put it all together. What could be easier (and more appropriate) during these hectic two months we refer to as "the holidays."

The supply list is modest:

• A styrofoam wreath form of your own choosing (roughly $3 to $5 at most craft suppliers)
  
• Some colorful paper like Color-Aid (or, if you'd prefer, a stack of coordinated paint chips pilferred from Home Depot or your local hardware store)
  
  
• A hole-punch (I used a 3-inch-diameter punch)
  
• A hot glue gun

When you're done with your first wreath, made a second or a third. They are great projects to do with children and they look wonderful hung in groups of three or five on the wall of a guestroom or above a sideboard in a dining room.

During the holidays, I do what I can to stay clear of the predictable use of red and green. Why not take a clue from nature and create a berry-colored wreath this year?

Working around the outer edge of my styrofoam wreath form, I simply hot-glued an assortment of colored paper disks in place.

Once you finish the outer edge, add a second course of disks to the inner edge, again, gluing them in place.

A third tier of colored disks is added so that it slightly overlaps the outer course below it.

A fourth and final course of disks is then added to completely cover the wreath form and hide it from view.

The addition of some 1/2-inch, tricolored "berries" (punched from red, fuchsia, and burgundy paper) along with a wide ribbon from which to hang it completes this project in no time.

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