Autumn Wreath Craft

Make an a-door-able, nature-inspired wreath.

Submitted by
Kayla Chong

All those pine cones and acorns your kids insist on collecting can become festive and chic when you turn them into a fancy seasonal wreath for your front door.

Vine Wreath:
Pick one up at your local craft store or get one online like this one at The Flower Mart.
Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks:
Kids and hot glue don't mix, so make sure you do all the hot gluing!
White glue
Pine cones:
Have your little one find them in the yard. Don't have a conifer on your property? Go to a nearby park or buy some pine cones from these entrepreneurial Girl Scouts. All the proceeds go to help the girls' troop.
Unshelled nuts:
Walnuts will work best. Raid the bulk bin at your grocery store.
Dried or fake berries:
Check you local craft store.
Acorns:
Did you know oak trees must be 20 years old before they produce acorns, and they only make 'em once a year—during the fall? By the time they're 70, the trees are knocking out more than 2,000 acorns a year. Surely they can spare a few for your wreath!
Fall-colored paper:
Like rich burnt oranges, deep golden yellows and crimson reds.
Wired ribbon:
Stick with that fall color palate.
Glitter
Scissors
6-inch piece of wire
Plastic tablecloth or newspaper
Leaf-shaped cookie cutters:
Like these.

Plug in your hot glue gun so it's out of your kids' reach and insert a glue stick.
Lay down some newspaper or a plastic tablecloth to protect the table and then set up your supplies.
Have your kid place all of the pine cones, acorns, berries and nuts exactly where she wants them. Then (you) pick up the hot glue gun and glue them on.
Take a leaf-shaped cookie cutter and help your kid trace leaves onto the colored paper and cut them out.
Next, have her use white glue to stick the leaves around the wreath to add a little pop of color.
Help your child tie a beautiful bow on the top of the wreath.
On the back porch or in the yard, have your child drizzle some white glue onto her creation and then sprinkle the whole thing with loose glitter. (Of course, you can do this inside, but then you'll have glitter all over your floor.)
Hang the wreath on the front door with a wreath hanger (which you can get for a buck during the holiday season at most dollar stores) and have an instantly more festive home!