Themed craft projects are some of the most fun to make because they get you in the spirit of whatever holiday you’re decorating for, whether it’s Halloween or Thanksgiving or Independence Day.
Crafting grants you the freedom in choice of material, color and size of the project. You can buy the items you need at crafting supply stores or upcycle stuff from around your house. Being the full-fledged crafter that you are, you most likely have A TON of leftover materials from other projects long since finished. I know I have enough deco mesh to last me for the rest of the year. Not wanting it to go to waste, I’ve decided to get ready for the impending holiday season (just a few short months away) and make festive decorations for Halloween and Thanksgiving
Deco mesh is a wonderful crafting material that you can buy in bulk and in about a million different colors. You can make wreaths, garlands, centerpieces, flowers and even faux trees out of the stuff! In this post we’re going to be looking out how to build a pumpkin and turkey wreath.
The Deco Mesh Pumpkin
Materials Needed:
12-inch Work Creations Ball (Orange)
21-inch X 10 Yards of 10 Poly Deco Mesh: Metallic Orange
4 pieces of 11-inch 10 Poly Deco Mesh: 2-Tone Moss Green/Gold
4 pieces of 7-inch burlap
Pair of Scissors
Olive Green Pipe Cleaners
Chocolate Pipe Cleaners
Directions:
- If your creation ball is flat, stand it up and pull apart “the ribs” of the ball, making a circle. Cap the circle at the top to hold the ball in position.
- Cut the mesh into 16 20-inch strips.
- Roll the individual strips from their edges to their middles, forming the shape of a tube.
- Repeat Step 3 for all 16 pieces of deco mesh.
- Gather the strips into 8 pairs of 2.
- Working with one pair at a time, attach the deco mesh to each rib of the ball. Tighten the top and bottom of the mesh using the twist tassels attached to the ball.
- Take the 4 pieces of the green deco mesh and the 4 pieces of burlap and cut their ends at a diagonal to make a leaf pattern.
- Pull and layer the cut pieces of green mesh and burlap through the top of the deco mesh pumpkin.
- Next, form the green and chocolate pipe cleaners into spiral shapes to represent the pumpkin vine and curli-cues Stick them in the top of the pumpkin.
- Stand back and be amazed: you made your very own upcycled gourd!
The Deco Mesh Turkey Wreath
Materials Needed:
Floral foam Wreath
21-inch X 10 Yards of 10 Poly Deco Mesh: Red
21-inch X 10 Yards of 10 Poly Deco Mesh: Orange
21-inch X 10 Yards of 10 Poly Deco Mesh: Yellow
Roll of Dark Brown Twine
2 Ping Pong Balls
Sharpie Marker
Pair of Scissors
Hot Glue Gun
Sheet of Yellow Felt
Sheet of Red Felt
Pipe cleaners
Directions:
- Cut 6 10-inch strips from each roll of deco mesh. This should give you 18 strips in total.
- Wrap around and tie the strips (secure with pipe cleaners) at the top half of the foam wreath, alternating colors. If there are areas where the foam is peeking through, cut and tie off with more deco mesh. This will be the tail feathers of your turkey.
- Using the twine, wrap it around the bottom half of the foam wreath. The wreath should be neatly divided into a deco mesh side and a twine side. Set aside.
- With your Sharpie, draw 2 large black pupils in the center of the ping pong balls. These will be your turkey’s eyes.
- Use the hot glue gun to glue down the eyes on the twine-sided wreath. Ball placement should be on the inside curve of the wreath.
- With your scissors, cut a piece of the yellow felt and make a cone using the hot glue gun.
- Glue the cone directly below the eyes of the wreath.
- Cut out a squiggly shape (the gobbler) from the red felt. Glue onto the tip of the beak.
- Drum roll please…you have your very own turkey friend!
Spruce up your place this fall with a guard turkey at the door and a bright pumpkin at your steps!
