This paper straw wreath is a fun project that you can create in a couple of hours. The hardest part is waiting for the glue to dry between layers.
You can keep the wreath sweet and simple as I have shown above or you can add a decorative element to the centre ...
like I did with the my paper pops! If you are interested in learning how to make paper pops, check out my tutorial here. I have Christmas messages on my paper pops but I could see changing these out for different holidays or to say happy birthday. I have a feeling one of these paper straw wreaths will make it's way into a party theme next year.
Here's how to make a paper straw wreath ....
Note: I used red striped paper straws but you can use whatever colour(s) of paper straws you want to match your decor.
I covered the front of the wood wreath with a piece of white cardstock. I traced the wreath shape onto the white cardstock, cut it out and glued it down using the gel medium.
Then I tied a long piece of baker's twine to the wood form to make it easier to hang later.
I cut a second circle out of the cardstock with a 2" hole in the centre to use as a guide when positioning the paper straws on the wood form. Tape was used to hold the second cardboard circle to the back of the wood form. Do not glue this paper to the wood form because we will throw it away when we are done.
The paper straws will be glued to the wood wreath form in layers. Every layer will have 24 straws that are evenly spaced to form the circular shape.
1. The first layer of straws are all full length. Position your first 4 straws, as shown in photo 1, using a generous amount of gel medium. Allow to dry.
2. Now position 5 straws inside each of the quarters, as shown in photo 2, and in the close up in photo 2c. Again, wait for this layer to dry.
3. Cut 24 straws down to six and a half inches. These 24 straws will be positioned in between the first 24 straws and on the same layer. The second set of straws will line up with the inner edge of the wood form ... you can see a detail of this in photo 3c.
4. Now we are ready to build on top of our first layer of straws and start our second layer. Cut 24 straws down to five inches. Hold onto the smaller (approx. three inch) straws because we will use them in the next step. Glue the 24 five inch straws on top of and in between the first layer of straws. Be careful to evenly space out the straws, see photo 4c for a closeup of the spacing. Allow to dry before going onto step 5.
5. The next 24 straws that we will add to the second layer are going to be the three inch straws. They will tuck into the spaces between the 24 five inch straws. As you can see in photo 5, I squeezed one end of the three inch straw so that it could easily fit in between the straws on the second layer. See photo 5c. Glue each straw in place and allow to dry.
6. And now we are ready for our third and last layer. These last 24 straws are all full length. I glued them DIRECTLY over the three inch straws on the second layer. See the detailed photo in 6c. Remove the paper circle that was taped to the back of the wood form.
Once your paper straw wreath has completely dried it is ready to be hung up for all to admire.
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