DIY Graduation Wreath

 

I’m in party planning mode right now for my son’s graduation and I’m a little picky when it comes to decorations.   Since it’s my son’s graduation I have to tone things down a little.  My daughter’s graduation decor will be a whole different look.  Since most of the people coming to our open house already know where our house is located I don’t need any major signage, but I still wanted to have something festive to greet people.  The wreath that I’ve created for our front door was inspired by Thistlewood Farms.

Long ago I pinned this wreath to my craft board.  I recently had the privilege of meeting Karianne (the blogger behind Thistlewood Farms) in person.  She is as lovely in person as she is on her blog.  She creates the most amazing DIY projects.  I’ve previously written about “Why I’m Not A DIY Diva,” but this was one project I thought I could tackle.  I gave it my own personal spin and used a few shortcuts as well.  This isn’t a wreath I will be keeping up all year-long so it should be fine for a few days.  I also didn’t use glue dots this time.

I can’t believe my son is graduating in a week.  I couldn’t be more proud of his accomplishments, but I’m even more proud of the fact he’s still the kind and caring soul that he was 18 years ago.  I decided to use pictures starting from his birth up to his senior year.

Materials

1.grapevine wreath

2.wide ribbon (I purchased the black chevron ribbon at Hobby Lobby)

3.small picture frames ( I purchased the frames from Michael’s) I believe they were about $2 each and in the bargain bins.

4.glue gun

5.paper graduation cap (My friend found this one for me at HomeGoods, but Party City also carries them.)  You could even make your own with black card stock and add a tassel.

6.letter stickers

Directions

1.Wrap ribbon around the grapevine wreath and hot glue the ends together.  I also added a touch of hot glue to the underside of one or two pieces to secure it to the wreath.  However,  the burlap ribbon stays on pretty well without it.

2.Add your child’s name and graduation year to the cap.

3.Hot glue the graduation cap to the top of the wreath at an angle.  I hot glued a green button on top of the tassel to jazz it up which is one of my son’s school colors.

4.Cut photos of your child and put in picture frames.

5.Insert frame backs inside the grapevine wreath.  This is the part where I cheated.   I can reuse the frames for something else and they manage to stay in the wreath without falling.

6.I looped a piece of ribbon around the top of the wreath and tied it to my door hanger.  That way the wreath sits a little lower on the door.

You could customize this wreath in numerous ways to make it your own.  One example is to use sports or activity themed pictures.  I also love this wreath my neighbor created last year for her graduation party.

Linking to: I’m Lovin’ It Party, Link Party Palooza, Made by You Monday