Fall is in the air and there is no better way to usher it in than by placing a DIY fall wreath on our door or wall. Or at least that’s what I was thinking when I made my way down to the local dollar store. I was going to find the perfect fall accessory to make Autumn shine in my home.
Today I am back again with my dollar store crafting buddies. You may remember we did this a while back and I made an easy colorful fence with dollar store flowers.
At the end of this project you’ll be able to see what my friends did with their dollar store finds. Make sure to check them out!
DIY Fall Wreath from a Dollar Store Vine
This is what I ended up purchasing at the dollar store. A pathetic green vine! It really looks like its ready to jump into fall with two feet, doesn’t it?
Oh and at this point I ought to mention that summer was still in full glory at the dollar store! Did I make a mistake? Should I look at my calendar again? Is it not September??
What I used for this project:
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience. If you purchase any of these products through the links, we receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. You can find our full disclosure here.
- a plastic vine bought at the dollar store
- DecoArt Americana acrylic paint in red, yellow, black and tan
- DecoArt Metallic Paint in Bronze
- paint brush
- a piece of cardboard cut into a donut shape
- strips of fabric
- stapler
- ribbons
- burlap ribbon
- dried flowers
- assorted embellishments of your choosing
- mini squash
- toothpicks
The How-To:
I was not a happy camper at all with all that green and so I took out my DecoArt Americana acrylic paints and had a paint fest with that vine!
Much better don’t you think? Nothing screams fall like red and yellow and when they are mixed together we end up with that gorgeous orange.
Love my DecoArt acrylic paints, they always get me out of jams! I got so carried away I painted the stems and even the tablecloth … but we won’t talk about that.
At this point I had a vague idea of adding the vine to another project I’m working on but quickly scrapped the idea because I wanted to go after fall with a vengeance! The other project is a pretty blue, not exactly fall-fabulous.
And so I came up with the idea of a DIY fall wreath. I love how it turned out almost as much as this dollar store fall wreath I made.
I have a super easy way of recycling the same wreath over and over again. I use a piece of cardboard which I have cut into a donut shape. This is the base for all of my wreaths.
The next step is to add some bulk to the foundation. I’ve taken a neutral piece of fabric, cut it into strips and wrapped it around the donut shape. I don’t even try that hard. I stapled the pieces together and then just stapled the whole thing to the cardboard. You can be more professional and use glue.
I tried to wrap the vine around the wreath shape but it looked stupid. The leaves were flying around all over the place. Instead I wrapped some burlap ribbon like you see below.
I then tucked the painted vine between the burlap ribbon so it would stay put.
And because those leaves were quite unruly I added a second ribbon, the gold one you see below, to keep the leaves from flying around.
Now I have a little story to tell you. When I lived in New York, we had taken a trip to a nature preserve on a cloudy fall day. I still have a vivid memory of walking down a path and a ray of sunshine hitting a few yellow leaves. They sparked like gold.
That for me is the quintessential fall memory. Those few rays of sunshine hitting the yellow leaves and making them look like golden nuggets. Now you can see where the gold ribbon comes in.
Add a few dried flowers like these…. that are so prevalent in the streets right now. I tried to find their names but to no avail. They are pink or lilac in color when in bloom but as you can see they turn a soft blue when they dry out. And they grow on trees. Anyone have any clue?
A small chalkboard sign and I am done.
Oops after I had finished I was still not happy with it. The leaves looked great but it needed something more.
I had a whole bunch of mini squash from my first ever trip to the dollar store to do the “How to fake a fall vignette” project. And I figured I would reuse them and add a little something to the wreath. Below is a photo of them from the Halloween wall unit decor.
The difference this time is that I painted them. I used bronze, tan and black.
To attach them to the wreath I just snapped toothpicks into two pieces.
I stuck the pointy end of the toothpick into the wreath which as we know is made of cardboard. And then pushed the squash which is made of styrofoam into the other end of the toothpick.
I also stuck in a few random stems. Just to give it a bit of variety.
And here is my upcycled dollar store DIY fall wreath.
I was not about to let my town’s dollar store defeat me with all of that summer stuff!
Even my beloved pumpkin man approves.
And if you are wondering if this is the same pumpkin that I had written about last year …
Why yes!
It is the same pumpkin from last year’s crafts. He has been with us for almost a year and he is still going strong. But we shouldn’t push our luck.
It is time to retire this little fellow to the pumpkin patch and let his little ones grow.
What have we learned from this project?
- Stay away from the dollar store?
- Have lots of little bottles of paint on hand?
- Never throw anything out because you never know when you’ll need it?
- Make sure you get the pumpkin man’s seal of approval?
None of that, although it is useful. What we learned is when you go flower picking make sure to find out the name of the flowers you are picking!
This idea with the cardboard base is cheap and super easy to make. It is also reusable so we can be friendly to our mother earth who seems to be acting up lately in a fierce-some way. Because you know I am all about thrifty and green!
And with that I have made a beautiful DIY fall wreath for my wall, no thanks to the dollar store. If you like the painted leaf look, check out this pretty metallic fall leaf wreath from Sustain My Craft Habit.
Hum, hum well I guess I should say thanks to the dollar store since they gave me the basis for this project. Otherwise we may have ended up with something totally different.
Additional Dollar Store Fall Craft Ideas
Not it’s time to see what our fellow crafty blogging friedns have come up with for this dollar store craft challenge:
Across the Boulevard
My Husband Has Too Many Hobbies
Purple Hues and Me
Sew Crafty Crochet
Stone Cottage Adventures
The Boondocks Blog
Two Chicks and a Mom
If you like what you see, share it with your friends, or save it on Pinterest. Above is a Pinterest worthy image!
Fall DIY Ideas to Explore
If you really like what you see subscribe to my blog and get my adventures twice a week in your mailbox. The form is on the sidebar and your e-mail will never be shared with a third party.
This blog is for entertainment purposes only; my DIY tutorials are not professional advice. Read our full disclosure here.
LOL, Mary, I loved reading this and really enjoyed how you changed the vine leaves to fall for your wreath. But the bestest thing EVER is Mr Pumpkin man, my favorite. I can’t believe he’s still around. I swear I teared up a little when I saw him again. Send him my love,a and when he does make those babies, please may I have one?
Aww Michelle I put him in the post just for you. I know you love him so. I wanted for him to say goodbye. After all this will be the end of his time here and it was only fitting to close it this way. He will be greatly missed.
Sniff, sniff, he will be missed, but his legacy will live one forever.
Mary, you created the perfect faux fall leaves.
Your little pumpkin man always makes me smile. 🍂🍁😉
Thanks Lisa. I wasn’t about to let the dollar store defeat me!
Mary I love your fall Wreath! Adding the paint to the leaves made a big difference, and the small pumpkins were perfect for finishing off your beautiful wreath.
Mr Pumpkin is retiring, oh no! He will be greatly missed!
Aww he will be missed but he is also preserved forever in this blog. I don’t want to leave him any longer. Who knows how he will smell when we finally open him.
You definitely were NOT defeated! I love that you painted the leaves! You always have a great solution to any obstacle. Thank you for the tutorial! -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures
Can you see me walking out of the dollar store with my fist in the air as a sign of victory? Haha!
Mary, you always manage to brighten my day with such sweetness! You certainly know how to turn bland items to make a wreath into loveliness! So pretty! And this awesome wreath certainly does shout Fall! Great job!
Thank goodness Gail. I would have been so upset if I couldn’t have celebrated fall. Imagine the nerve of them to still have summer items at the dollar store! 😉
Pure genius painting those leaves and they really do give the perfect look of fall, Mary. I don’t know if I ever would have thought of simply painting faux leaves but, it’s beautiful! Pinned
Desperate times (and a bad dollar store) call for desperate measures Angie! 😉
So many useful tips here Mary, especially the toothpick one.
Your pumpkin man is sort of like my ‘chucky’. He’s a legend around here. Don’t ask. ;).
xxx
I was on a roll and threw caution to the wind Doreen. I figured even if I got stabbed by the toothpick it would still be ok after the dollar store fiasco.
What a lovely fall wreath, Mary. The painted leaves are a perfect touch. I love the addition of the small gourds, too. Pinning and sharing.
Thanks Beverly, I had to wrestle with summer and give it a kick out the door.
Stop it! This is SO cute! I LOVE that you transformed this with painting the leaves — I would have never thought to do that. Also love how you used materials you already had to create such a lovely wreath!
I try to be frugal as much as possible and use what I have Lauren. No point in going out and spending money on things that we already have. Plus my dollar store helps to force my creativity. haha!
Mary, Incredible! Who would have thought to paint some lonely looking ivy with beautiful fall colors! Your wreath is a beautiful fall wreath. Love that little chalkboard pumpkin! Pinning and sharing
Thanks Laurie. I’ve got plenty of paint so I might as well use it to usher in my favorite season!
Wow! Those leaves Mary! They look so real and they are the perfect Fall decor, they look stunning. What a great idea to paint them. They look so pretty on the wreath and I cannot believe Mr. Pumpkin Man is still alive!
I had to do something Katrin. I am really missing the fall foliage that we have come to know from North America. As for our favorite Mr. Pumpkin man it is time for him to retire. So far he has held up remarkably well, but after almost a year I’m afraid of what may be going on inside him.
Wow, Mary, you sure didn’t let the summer inventory defeat you lol! Lovely wreath and so artistic–love it!
Thanks Donna. Who says we have to be slaves to what they sell to us! I am a firm believer in the power of paint.
Mary, Noooooooooo! Don’t retire Pumpkin Man! He’s cool! I do love your wreath though! So rustic and lovely! You did an amazing job painting those leaves! They look like they came from the factory! so fab!
Jeannee
Thanks Jeannee but he really needs to go. You know that he is real right, and at some point he will… well, lets just say that in human years he must be about one hundred now. 😉
Lovely wreath! You did a wonderful job painting the leaves and the little pumpkins.
T’onna I had to do something with the limited selection that was available to me at the dollar store. Or should I say the non existent selection. Haha!
I’m seriously impressed but what impresses me most about this is your painting technique. Not too much, just enough. It looks terrific!
Jeanie I was actually worried I would run out of paint. So in this case spare is best.
A great looking wreath, Mary! I love your little bit of sparkly inspiration from your days in NY!
Thank you Amy. I’m so glad you read that. I always wonder if I am just writing to myself or if anyone actually reads all of my ramblings. You probably know exactly what I’m talking about with Autumn up north.
Mary, you always make the most amazing wreaths out of what you have on hand. How you painted that ivy! Wow, it looks like it was made that way…you did a great job on that. I totally understand how those leaves can get unruly too. Like how you anchored them down. I’m trying the cardboard base trick soon.
That is the oldest trick with the cardboard. It is so easy to swap out the fabric stripes and therefore change the look.
Seriously girl, your painted Fall leaves look way better than the ones you can get at our dollar stores anyway. You showed those green leaves whose boss!! I am so happy to see Mr. Pumpkin Man’s return in 2017 and looking forward to following his antics.
Those leaves were not going to beat me Marie. Sadly Mr. Pumpkin Man has decided he will be retiring to that great big pumpkin patch at the farm. He’s been around for almost a year :O and I really wouldn’t know what is inside at this point.
I love this wreath just as much seeing it a couple years later. Leaf painting perfection right there!
Pumpkin Man returns! Pumpkin Man the Sequel… Pumpkin Man Jr. ….
I love how your wreath turned out. I can’t believe you were able to turn that very green vine into a fall object but its perfect. And those flowers that you picked from the roadside are gorgeous!
🙂 gwingal
Pumpkin Man retired is more like it Nikki. haha! That was his last appearance and hopefully he went out in style. I feel deprived here with no fall decor so I had to do something.
You always manage to turn something useless into a piece or art, look at that pretty wreath with those fall colors. It looks like if you took the leaves from Central Park… I couldn’t believe it when I saw the Paranoid Man, he’s strong for sure!
Thanks Pili, yes I’ve seen plenty of those leaves in Central park. As for Pumpkin man it is time to retire him before he starts to stink. Haha!
How clever. You would never know the leaves started off as springtime green. It is a lovely wreath. And it is great to see Mr Pumpkin Man.
Thanks Debra, desperation will take me to strange places.
Mary…You did it once again! Love the fall wreath and how you pulled together all the pieces. Bravo my friend! Pinned to my wreaths board 🙂
Thanks Wendi, it can be frustrating when you work with limited resources but also very rewarding.
Love it Mary! What a great idea. I need to make a smaller wreath and this idea is perfect.
Glad I could inspire. I started making these cardboard wreaths a few years ago and you would never know what is underneath.
So clever – and economical too! Thanks for the instructions. 🙂
Above all else, because there is no place to buy any fall decor here.
What a great idea to paint the leaves! My dollar store is already on to Christmas, can you believe it? I could barely find a pumpkin never mind any kind of greenery. And so happy to see Mr. Pumpkin. I saw him go by on Pinterest the other day and he made me smile!
Aww he’s become almost human. Kim, I cannot believe your store has Christmas already, What about Halloween and Thanksgiving, have we forgotten those? We are always in a rush to get to the next thing.
Such a pretty fall wreath. I hope you link it to my party!
Hugs
Maria
Of course I did I join you every week. Hope you are all safe and dried off after this past weeks scare.
Just a fun as could be. I would never know that your base was a piece of cardboard. I REALLY like how you added touches of blue. Thanks for sharing your creativity, Mary.
Thanks Meegan just because it’s frugal it doesn’t have to be ugly, right.
Mary I can’t believe how real you made your leaves look!! So creative!!!!
Sam the before was pathetic, anything would have made it look better.
I was chuckling through this entire post! Love how your mind works, you were going to find a way to make this wreath, no matter what.
Really love the leaves, I would never have thought about using paint to make them more fallish! Great tip to make any dollar store piece fit into your decor. Just brilliant.
So happy to see the Pumpkin Man again, truly amazed that he’s still hanging about!
Nikki at this point in my life I use paint to fix everything. Haha! Got a stain on your blouse, no problem we’ll paint over it. 😉
Awesome! You’d never know it’s a dollar store craft. I actually got some supplies and made a few $ store wreaths I’m sharing soon. I really like yours! I love decorating wreaths. Come by and share it if you like. 😉
I would love to Theresa. They are much easier to make than they seem, once you overcome the lack of fall problem I had. 😉
You are too funny! I giggled at “painting the tablecloth”. You did a great job turning that green ivy into a fall design. Great post! Happy Fall!
Happy Fall Snap. I did get a bit carried away there. 😉
Super cute! I cannot believe you painted those leaves by hand. They look amazing! Great job!
A bloggers gotta do what must be done to get that elusive fall look Amy!
Oh wow! I love how you turned some cheap pieces into something actually beautiful! And of course, Mr Paranoid Pumpkin is in on it too! 😀
Happy Friday!
Maisy
Of course he came to say goodbye to everyone and retire at the great pumpkin patch.
That little green vine came a long way since you brought it home from the dollar store. Very pretty Mary!
I was pretty desperate Sandra!
What a clever trick to add some paint to change up the leaves, they are perfect in your cute wreath!
Have a great weekend!
Desperate times Karren, I may have to paint everything!
You made such a pretty fall wreath. I love the gorgeous leaves on it. It will be perfect for fall.
Julie we’ll be lucky if we see any fall at all, it is still in the 90’s end of September!
I love this, well done, you overcame the obstacles the shops threw in you path! I especially love how you make your own wreath bases. I really must give that a try sometime 🙂
Those nasty shops! Have fun with the wreath base, it is super easy!
You gotta love the dollar store!! I love your fall wreath Mary, so pretty 🙂
Our dollar store is not to be trusted Tanya!
Hey! Love your project!!! By the way, your flowers are Rose of Sharon. I have several trees here in PA and never thought to use the dropped flowers. Great idea!
Brenda thanks so much for letting me know the name of the flower. I never would have figured it out on my own.
I’m so glad to see pumpkin man but also kind of sad that he’s going to retire! The wreath is so beautiful! I think I would like a little bit of Fall rain now!
Katerina we don’t want him to get all stinky! 😉 And fall rain is even better, we had some a few days ago… finally!
Great idea to paint them to get the leaves the way you want them. The natural drying flowers are my favorite part, what a rich blue blossom you choose. Very pretty and well done on a budget Mary.
Thank you so much Leanna. That is all I do budget crafts. But I strive for pretty as well.
Υπέροχο στεφάνι!
Μου αρέσει ο τρόπος που γράφεις Μαίρη .
Φαίνεται τόσο εύκολο να γίνει.
Καλή συνέχεια
Ευχαριστώ Ρενα μου! Προσπαθώ να ξεπεράσω οτι εμπόδια που βρίσκω μπροστά μου!
Oh Mary, don’t you just love the power of paint!
Great fall project. Thank you for sharing it at Create, Bake, Grow & Gather this week. I’m delighted to be featuring it at tonight’s party and pinning too.
Hugs – Kerryanne
Thank you so much Kerryanne, it is always an honor to be featured at your party!
I love your wreath. I just threw out an artificial plant with leaves that look just like this. Of course I am kicking myself now! I totally could have torn it apart and reused the greenery!
What a transformation! It looks great, and I am amazed at how the paint changed the look of the leaves!
http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
So pretty! I love DIYs with items from the dollar store!
How cute, I love finding supplies at Dollar Tree for my projects!