Acorn Cap Wreath (A Tutorial)

 Remember a few years back when I made an Acorn Cap Ornament? Check out tutorial HERE. Well, for some reason, this year, I thought it would be a good idea to do a wreath in the same fashion. My friends, what was I thinking? My hands are still aching...this craft is not for the faint of heart. You've got to really make a {craft}commitment and get 'er done.

First things first, harvest a bazillion acorn caps. I grabbed a Walmart bag and Logan and I picked up a ton of caps. Just to make sure there are no little critters, heat the oven up to 200 degrees and leave them in there about an hour then let them cool.

 Pick out what sort of wreath you'd like (size and whatnot), just make sure it's a hard Styrofoam type. Paint the wreath in Burnt Umber craft paint so the green doesn't show in between the caps.

 Begin the process of pushing the caps into the foam wreath. Have a hot glue gun handy for the ones that are wanting to fall out...but most stay pretty well.

 Do a staggered pattern, but it does not have to be perfect.

 Once the  wreath is filled, you can certainly leave it as is, but I wanted to have a little glitter (like the ornament), I just like the added sparkle.

 I used some chocolate satin ribbon to hang it over a mirror...but you could use any color/style ribbon you'd like.

(check out my hair growth!!!)

 The one thing that I should have done is paint the back of the wreath in burnt umber, especially since I hung it over a mirror...

 But other than that, I think it was worth the effort. I like it mixed with the cedar garland, mirror and sconces.

Now, I've got to get that tree done!!! :)

Joining Kate

Acorn Cap Ornament

Hi and welcome to another installment of my tiny series of handmade holiday ornaments! Thanks so much for the sweet comments on the mini house tour. Now lets make something!

Back in the early fall when the oak trees on my in law's property were dropping acorns like crazy, every step you took was a crunch, crunch, crunch, Logan and I harvested a few zip lock bags full. I used them for decorating during fall, and I wanted to incorporate them into Christmas as well. I thought they would look neat as an ornament.

Here is what you will need:

Acorn caps

Burnt Umber craft paint (and brush)

3" Styrofoam ball

Jute twine

Small piece of floral wire (18 gauge)

Narrow ribbon

Silver glitter (or your choice of color)

Mod Podge

Hot glue gun

First paint the styrofoam ball with burnt umber, this is just so you don't see the white of the foam. You could find a closer match to the color of the acorns if you want, burnt umber is what I had on hand.

Next start pushing the caps into the foam. Hot glue might be necessary for this part. While a lot of them stayed pretty well, if they are loose, just put a little dab of glue in the indention and stick the cap back on.
Get the caps as close as you can and work your way all the way around. Do not try to get it perfect, there will be gaps, but that's why we painted the ball in the first place. To attach the jute twine hanger, cut a length of twine about six inches. Take the floral wire and cut a piece about 3 inches long, bend it in half to make something that resembles a hair pin. Fold the twine in half and use the wire 'pin' to anchor the twine to the ball. Push the wire all the way in, if it doesn't seem secure, put a dab of glue. Tie a knot on the end of the string and the hanger is ready.

Now that all of the caps are covering the ball, use Mod Podge and brush a little across the edges of the caps. While the glue is still wet, sprinkle on glitter. I used silver, but I think gold would be nice or even brownstone. I tie some pretty ribbon the the top and it's ready to hang!

Of course if you don't want to hang them, they would make great bowl fillers too. Just complete all the steps and don't add the jute.
I hope you are inspired to try this! Thanks so much for stopping by!

Joining Kate.