DIY Doily Wreath

(Looking for the winner of the BonaFideBride Favorite Things Giveaway?  Check here!)

As we kick off another wonderful winter week, I wanted to share with you a fabulous use for paper doilies.  This project comes straight from The Martha, and although she uses Biedermeiermanschetten (say that three times fast... heck, say that one time slowly!), we think paper doilies would look just as magical.

What You Need:
•24-inch wreath form {from here}
•30-inch wreath form {from here}
•24-gauge wire
•White spray paint
•20-foot strand of white holiday lights
•Scissors
•Paper bouquet holders (we used ten 8.8-inch ones, twenty 6.4-inch ones, twenty 4.8-inch ones, and fifty 3.2-inch ones) {from here}


What You Do:

Step 1 Working on a covered surface, lay a 24-inch wreath form inside a 30-inch one. Attach them with 24-gauge wire at 6 to 8 evenly spaced points.

Step 2

In a ventilated area, coat combined wreath form with white spray paint. Let dry.

Step 3
Wrap wreath form with a 20-foot strand of white holiday lights (test lights beforehand), leaving the plug end unwrapped (as much as is needed to plug in).

Step 4

With scissors, widen the center-hole slits slightly in paper bouquet holders. Poke a finger through center hole of each bouquet holder (from front to back) to create openings large enough to accommodate a lightbulb.

Step 5

Beginning with largest ones, place bouquet holders evenly around wreath, slipping a light through each hole so that bulb bases, not bulbs, rest against paper. (From time to time, hang wreath, and step back to ensure that the arrangement is balanced and attractive.)

Step 6

Add remaining bouquet holders in descending size order. Use smallest bouquet holders to cover centers of larger ones and to fill in any gaps. Hang near an outlet. Unplug when unattended.

{Credit: Martha Stewart}

bonafidebride