Acorn Wreath Tutorial

This is my first tutorial on this blog! Yikes! Before now, I have been intimidated to post because my crafting doesn't compare to all the "professionals" out there! I don't have a great camera or lighting. I don' t use photoshop and my kids and their "stuff" are everywhere, but maybe you will be able to relate to real life and still enjoy my crafting!!! Welcome, Acorn Wreath!!!Acorns are so cute. I love the tops of them. However, I think acorns are neglected too often. While I was at my Mom's home last week, I picked up a bag of acorns from a big oak tree. I decided to make a wreath on the spur of the moment. Had I thought about it more, I would have made it differently. Here's what I did. I will highlight in red what I would do differently if I ever made one again.

Using what I had on hand (a posterboard), I cut out the shape of wreath by tracing two large kitchen bowls. Then I sprayed it brown using American Accents. Next time, I would buy a 3-d foam wreath from the store to make it 3-D and for sturdiness!!!

Next, my 3-yr-old daughter and a 6-yr-old neighbor sorted through the bag of acorns finding the tops. They had become separated from the bottoms. I hot glued the tops to the bottoms by putting a line of glue around the edge of tops and pushing it onto the bottom. They don't stay together unless you glue them!!! (Yeah, I'm sitting on the floor because my hot glue gun cord is short and won't reach the table.)
After that, I tried to figure out what I wanted it to look like and the following is the pattern I decided on. Since there were a lot more acorns than tops, I glued 4 acorns across at the innermost part of the circle and then hot glued them going outward to the other edge. The outside had about 8 acorns. My daughter is taking my picture with the neighbors still searching for tops. Notice the dishwasher box from 3 months ago in the background. That is a major play attraction at our house!!! Many games of "find me" and "tent" are enjoyed there! After glueing the acorns without tops, I glued two rows of acorns with the tops. I continued this pattern all the way around and it turned out very close to even. (I didn't measure the pattern out and I should have. At the last part of the pattern, I had to add an extra row of acorn and tops.)
This is what it looked like when I was done with glueing. You can see where I started/stopped because I had to try to make acorns fit when they really didn't!!!My 16-month-old son wanted to assist me in glueing. What a big helper all the kids were! (That's why I don't get much done or dare craft without 10 hands being into everything!) I don't know why blogger won't let me turn the these two pictures. I don't usually have a problem with it. The wreath is heavy and the posterboard needed reinforcement to go on a wall. I like the cheap dollar store bow at the top or the bottom of the wreath. The cost of this project - $.33. I had everything except the bow which came in a package of three! There are a few different variations I could forsee. I could do all bottoms or all tops. I could spray paint the finished wreath a different color like white. I could hang it differently - not using a bow, but a ribbon attached to nail. What could you do?

Now it is time for you to make one! Go buy a foam wreath and bow (at the $1 store), spray paint it and glue acorns on it! It is that easy!!!