Burlap-style Deco Mesh Christmas Wreaths

I know I'm probably late to the party with this project, but I finally made some deco mesh style wreaths.  I'm so happy with how they turned out I had to share them!  We get some rough winters around here, so it seemed like it was time to make some really durable (and affordable) door wreaths for the holiday season.  Ones that won't easily blow off or get worn out.  I also had some pretty Christmas ribbons & themed mdf cutouts I'd gotten for my shop that I really wanted to use myself, so this seemed like the perfect project.

I made a pair for our double front doors:

I wanted the highlight the sweet Nativity design of the ribbon & wreath center wood cuts and at the same time have the bright blue of the starry ribbon to stand out against the neutrals of the gold & burlap. 

If you're short on time, but want to make a beautiful wreath, this is a quick & easy way to get results.

Materials:

- 20in metal wreath forms (I used these)

- 10yd rolls of 21in wide poly jute deco mesh (I used these)

- 3 different 2.5in wide wired ribbon (I used Nativity, Navy Gold Stars & Gold value roll from Hobby Lobby)

- chenille stems (aka pipe cleaners)

- hot glue gun

- MDF cutout shapes (Hope & Joy)

- Acrylic craft paint & brushes

- Fishing line & upholstery needle

To do the poof-style mesh wreath base, I used this fantastic tutorial from Dave's Wreaths and Things.  It's easy to follow and worked out exactly as he instructed, so I wasn't going to reinvent the wheel by trying to do any step-by-step photos.  I got the poly jute style because I wanted it to look like burlap but be more durable and not be too floppy to shape.  They turned out nice & full and I didn't have to fiddle around trying to shape them:  

I used a great tutorial from Michelle Smith Creations to strategically add in the ribbon embellishments and make a nice full bow.

I used acrylic craft paints to paint my unfinished Joy & Hope signs.  To get the color just right to match my ribbon, I layered a few shades of royal & navy blue with some broad brushstrokes: 

Then I painted the little Nativity scenes in each one with some metallic gold acrylic and a layer of gold glitter to add a little sparkle to go with the sparkle of my other ribbons.

The center signage being cutout letters, rather than a big circle or rectangle, meant using her technique of attaching a central sign to the wreath wouldn't really work for me, so I got out an upholstery needle and some fishing line and attached it to the back of the wreath form and then looped it around the edges of the outer letters to really anchor it on, but not be super obvious to the eye.

I didn't have time this year to get really spectacular with the rest of our porch decorations (I also need to keep room free for my giant bin of outgoing stuff), but I think they look nice with our potted trees.  Next year I might make more goodies to team with my wreath theme, but for now, it's making Christmas brighter at our front door:)