Metallic Hand Lettered Christmas Wreath

Every year around this time, I make a Christmas wreath. And I don’t get to keep it! What’s that about? Our local Arts Center hosts an annual Festival of Wreaths where individuals, families, groups, and businesses in the community create and donate over 150 themed wreaths which are displayed for two weeks and sold silent auction style to help fund the arts in our county. I’ve participated in this event for the past several years, and each time I try to create something totally different from what I did the year before. Here’s a look at this year’s wreath, as well as how I made it so you can create your own version at home! As you know, my current obsessions are glitter, metallics, and all things hand lettered, so I came up with this Metallic Hand Lettered Christmas Wreath!

Metallic Hand Lettered Christmas Wreath

Materials:

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Artificial Fir Wreath
Wide Holiday Ribbon, 3 types
Large Jingle Bells
Round Ornaments
Glittered Snowflake Ornaments
Small Wooden Sign
FolkArt Home Decor Chalk Paint, Adirondack White
Paintbrush
Gold Paint Pen
Sandpaper and/or Power Sander
Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks
Scissors
Pencil
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Creating Your Wreath

Step 1: Fluff your wreath.

It may sound like a silly step to mention, but when you get your wreath it’ll probably need some TLC! Being smushed in a box makes them look a little sad, so you’ll want to go around the wreath arranging the branches to make it look full and as natural as possible, just like you would with an artificial tree.

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Step 2: Arrange and attach your ribbon using hot glue.

This was the most stressful step for me because I wasn’t sure exactly how to do it to get the look I wanted. In the end, it turns out you can kind of do it any way you want because the ornaments and other decorations will cover up a lot of it anyway. Basically, I started by gluing the ends of all 3 types of ribbon to the wreath. Then, I went a little farther around the wreath and glued the ribbon down without pulling it too tight. I continued around, gluing the ribbon down every few inches and trying to alternate the position of the ribbon a bit by crossing one over another in some spots. There’s no exact science to it. I didn’t cut my ribbon until I got all the way around to where it met my starting point.

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Step 3: Paint your sign with one coat of white chalk paint, then lightly distress the edges.

You could actually do your painting first and let this dry while you glue and arrange your ribbon. Once the paint is dry, sand the edges either by hand or with some help from a power sander like the RYOBI ONE+ 18V Corner Cat. This will pull some of the paint back off and create that gorgeous distressed look we all love!

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Step 4: Hand letter your message onto the sign using a gold paint marker.

Before you break out the marker, I suggest lightly penciling in your words so you have an idea of where to position them. Then, trace over them with the paint marker, adding the double lines to create a faux calligraphy look. If you’ve never done this before, check out my full basic hand lettering tutorial. It’s way easier than you think to create this kind of lettering! Promise! Your other options are to use a stencil or adhesive vinyl to create your message if you prefer.

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Step 5: Glue your sign to the center of the wreath.

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Step 6: Arrange and glue your ornaments, snowflakes, and bells.

I put a snowflake on each side of my sign at the top to help balance it out since “merry” is much shorter than “Christmas.” Then I went around the wreath adding something everywhere I had glued down the ribbon. First, I added seven round ornaments, alternating between silver glitter and shiny gold. Then, I added four jumbo jingle bells and one more of the glittered snowflakes. Finally, I had a strand of silver star wire garland that I wrapped around the wreath one time, tucking it around and under some of the other embellishments to finish things off.

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What do you think?! Everyone has a different style of decor for Christmas, but if you love metallics and glam, this could just be the perfect type of wreath for your home! I can’t wait to see it on display at the Festival of Wreaths, but quite honestly, I’m feeling a little grumpy that I have to part with it. Maybe I’ll just have to buy it back in the silent auction, because it sure did look pretty on my wall!! Fortunately, I have more of the ribbon, ornaments, bells, and snowflakes left, so if I buy another wreath and sign I can create my own to keep. Sounds like a plan, right? What about you?

Metallic Hand Lettered Christmas Wreath

If you happen to be local to the Maryland area, be sure to check out the Festival of Wreaths at the Carroll Arts Center from  November 25 – December 3. The display is open from 10 AM – 7 PM daily and it’s free to the public. You can bid on your favorite wreaths, some of which are accompanied by additional prizes and gift certificates {mine will have a credit to the Coffee & Tee Designs online shop!}, and all proceeds go to support the Arts Center. Or, you can just browse the 150+ gorgeous creations and cast votes for your favorite!

Metallic Hand Lettered Christmas Wreath

I’d love to hear about your holiday decorating traditions and what you love in a Christmas wreath! Share your photos with us in the One Artsy Mama & Friends Facebook group so we can all enjoy them and be inspired! Here’s a look at a few of the wreaths I’ve created for the festival in past years:

2014: 12 Days of Crafting

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2014 {#2}: Teacup Wreath

{This one was created for a local business, a tea room, as their entry into the Festival}

cupwreath

2015: Merry & Bright

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2016: Metallic Hand Lettered Wreath

Metallic Hand Lettered Christmas Wreath

Which one is your favorite?

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