Crafting - A Fun Autumn Wreath!

In all the stores, Autumn has Arrived (so has Christmas, but please, let's not go THERE right now!!)!  It put me in the mood for some crafting.  I need a new look on my door for the season, and a wreath is the perfect thing to share with you today.  Everything can be attached with floral pins - no hot glue necessary - -  so Lets Begin!

 You will need:

• One Straw Wreath (mine is a 16 inch wreath)
• One package of floral pins (Michaels or Hobby Lobby have them in stock)
• A Scarecrow head (I found mine at Hobby Lobby, but Michaels has them too)
• One 4 ounce package of dried corn husks (found in grocery stores, ethnic foods)
• A small fake pumpkin, cheap gardening gloves, fake leaves, fake crow, and excelsior or dried moss (Dollar store purchases)

1.) First, separate the husks, then soak them in a pot or tub of warm water to make them pliable.
2.)Next, take old newspaper and lightly stuff the garden gloves.  You can use worn out gloves instead of new, if you like.  Recycle!!!

Fold

Fan Shape

Pin Fan to Wreath

Adding fans and continue pinning

Check positioning for starting and finishing ruffles

Layers of Ruffles

3.) Take a corn husk and fold it in half, then fold it into a fan shape.  Pin it to the wreath with a floral pin, near where you will want one of the gloves to be.  Lay out the gloves and head, to get an idea of where the corn husk "arms" will go.  When this is done, it will give the idea of a scarecrow encircling his arms around a bountiful fall harvest, so align to get a better idea of what the finished project will look like.

Arm Ruffles, leaving spaces for head and gloves

4.) Continue to fold and fan the corn husks, pinning each in place to cover previous pins and creating a semi-circle from outside the wreath to the inside of the wreath.  Work your way around, stopping where the scarecrow head will attach, leaving a space for the head, then continue around, making sure that the fan tips point towards the top of the wreath.

Top of "sleeves" - puff husks to hide the pins!

5.) When you have those "sleeves" nice and fluffy, you will then attach a few final husks near where the head will be, but make the tips of the fans point the opposite way.  When you have that completed on each "neck" area, lift the center of the fans to puff out a bit, and pin again so the puffs hide the pins used to attach them.  We don't want to have any pins showing!

Pin Head!

Adding Pumpkin, Crow, Leaves, and other decorations

6. Put a floral pin in the back of each side of the Scarecrow head, and pin it onto the straw form securely.  Do the same with each glove, making sure that each glove is on the correct side.  Secure a couple of the fingers in the same way.  Poke a floral pin behind one finger, then push it into a portion of the bottom of the pumpkin.  Don't put it towards the center because the pumpkin will probably just fall out.  You want to balance it against the secured glove and the straw base, then attach with another pin.

Finished Scarecrow Wreath

7.) Grab some excelsior and stuff it behind the gloves and around the rest of the straw wreath that is showing between the gloves, pin in place.  Take fake leaves and pin in place.  I had dried bearded wheat that I used as well, and if you have additional flowers, fake grapes, and dried weeds or pods, those would be wonderful to place in this wreath. Use what you have on hand and be creative!  Last but not least, I placed a lovely crow into the mix - how glamorous he looks!

Now the wreath is ready to be hung on your door using a wreath holder - and doesn't he look dapper?

Happy Fall, Y'all!