How to make a Halloween wreath: the perfect craft for spooky season

It's time to scare your neighbors again with a wreath that's full of all the Halloween icons – spiders, skeletons, eyeballs, webs and whatever other lovely spooky buys you can find. 

This fall I wanted to have a go at making a DIY Halloween wreath that has a mixture of real and faux stems, the usual scary pieces but with the result being more of a contemporary design. You can buy them ready-made, but some will stretch the purse to $200 so this one is a budget project that can be crafted to last. 

We're all about sustainability here at Real Homes, yes, we've used faux stems, but they can be used every year and the plan is to not buy new yearly, so we've chosen pieces that can be reused with a rattan wreath base that can be repurposed for the Holiday season or put away until next year, ready to display along with more of your favorite Halloween decor buys.

You will need: 

• willow wreath 12 inch 
• faux black eucalyptus stems 
• faux cream eucalyptus stems
• faux black thistle or black orchids
• skeleton bat
• fake spider web - we used orange and black but white would work well
• glue gun 
• glue gun sticks
• florist wire
• stems with orange leaves from backyard
• dried flower heads

1. Add your web

Add your fake web to the wreath, stretch it as much as possible as that gives you a more realistic look. I used orange and black, but white would look great too. I used it back and front to build up a little 'spider web' in the centre of the wreath.

2. Start placing in the faux stems into the wreath

The beauty of a rattan wreath is that you can easily poke stems, real or faux into the base. If you want to 'shape' some of the so they hug the wreath rather than stick out, use the wire to attach them in into the wreath by twisting the wire and fastening through the rattan wreath stems. 

3. Glue in some dried flower heads

Once you're happy with your faux stems then add in some extra pieces. I had some dried roses so I cut off the heads and used the glue gun to attach them to the wreath. I placed them in groups of three – odd numbers always work best. 

4. Add more interest with real stems

It's always good to use a mixture of real and faux where possible as it creates a more interesting result. At this time of year when the leaves are turning into orange and red you can cut a few thin branches from your backyard trees to use. It might be they start to drop their leaves quite quickly, don't worry, you can glue them into place easily using your glue gun and they will add natural feel to your wreath. 

5. Those little scary extras...

A scary Halloween wreath isn't complete without spiders and skeletons right? We love these spiders – they certainly look realistic from a distance! Attach a few to the web, if they won't stay in place give them a spot of glue. 

6. The finishing touch 

There are plenty of skeletons around to buy for Halloween, we couldn't resist this bat! This wreath can be used both inside and out, attach it with a hook at the back, or use ribbon or string to hang it up from. 

How do you make easy Halloween wreaths?

Start with a rattan wreath ring, this will give you a good solid base that has a rustic feel which naturally lends itself to the fall season. At this time of year there are plenty of cheap Halloween decor accessories to buy – from spiders and bats to skulls and pumpkins. If you love dried flowers weave them in out out of the rattan base and glue gun leaves. Real branches will add a sculptural feel but as shown above, faux stems work too. You could even add in some LED battery powered fairy lights for an extra scary glow.