DIY Wreath with Paper Mache Cowbells

by - 17:12:00

More cowbell! Does anyone else decorate for Christmas and then redecorate for Christmas? I think I have a problem. I find a new DIY and then I have to adjust all my Christmas decor around it. Here's my DIY Wreath with Paper Mache Cowbells tutorial:

DIY Christmas wreath with cowbells olive leaf and eucalyptus

If you're a Pinterest nut like me, I'm sure you've seen this amazing olive wreath from Shades of Blue Interiors. When my friend Roxanne from Bonjour Bliss Blog asked me if I wanted to try DIYing it I was super excited.  Here is a side-by-side comparison of my knock-off olive wreath with cowbells and the original (right).
DIY Christmas wreath with cowbells olive leaf and eucalyptus
I was unable to find olive leaves per the original wreath so I settled for eucalyptus. The leaves are a bit bigger and darker but in a pinch they work. I also used wire and wire cutters for this DIY.

DIY Christmas wreath with cowbells olive leaf and eucalyptus

The original wreath was made by curling the olive branches in a circle but in order for me to get the leafy look I was going for I had to group the eucalyptus in little bunches and attach them to a wire hoop.

DIY Christmas wreath with cowbells olive leaf and eucalyptus

I found an artificial wreath from the dollar store and simply removed the faux greenery around it to expose a wire hoop.

DIY Christmas wreath with cowbells olive leaf and eucalyptus

Then I took my bunches of eucalyptus and attached them to the hoop using wire. I started from the bottom and worked my way up on both sides. I overlapped them a bit to hide the wire.

DIY Christmas wreath with cowbells olive leaf and eucalyptus

DIY Christmas wreath with eucalyptus and velvet ribbon

Now this eucalyptus Christmas wreath looks cute on it's own with a simple velvet bow however I wanted to recreate the original olive wreath with the cowbells. I searched everywhere for cowbells and found a few on Etsy, Overstock and at Walmart but I couldn't get them fast enough so I did what any DIY blogger would do and recreated these cowbells using paper mache. Yep, that's right, that gooey guck from elementary school can really come in handy.

First, I made a small batch of the paste (one part water, one part flour and a squirt of white glue - sorry not very scientific). I cut up a bunch of small strips of paper (I used one of my kids old colouring books shhh), covered a plastic cup with pastic wrap, dipped the paper strips in the glue mixture and slowly layered them onto the cup. I let it dry over night and then spray painted it gold.

DIY Paper mache cowbells

paper mache cowbells

Finally I tied the paper mache cowbells together using a hemp rope, added some beads and attached it to the wreath with a delicate white bow. I love the way it turned out.

DIY Christmas wreath with cowbells olive leaf and eucalyptus

DIY Christmas wreath with cowbells olive leaf and eucalyptus

DIY Christmas wreath with cowbells olive leaf and eucalyptus

DIY Christmas wreath with cowbells olive leaf and eucalyptus

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2 comments

  1. Wow! You totally scored! I love this...the bells are perfect! Seriously you are the queen of DIYs. So creative! Thanks for sharing....

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    Replies
    1. Thanks lady! And thank you for keeping me motivated :)

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