You know those little white coffee filters that are right next to those yummy coffee beans in the supermarket isle? Well, they are not only great for filtering coffee grounds out of your cup of Joe, they make beautiful vintage inspired paper flower wreaths. To purchase these wreaths you will spend upwards of $120.00 to $175.00. I'm not kidding! However, to make one yourself, you will spend under $10.00. Today on KUTV Fresh Living we demonstrated how to make a DIY Coffee Filter Wreath, Garland, Pom, and even a Christmas Tree.
Materials
2 Packages of White Coffee Filters
1 Foam Wreath Base
Dressmaker Pins
Wire
Hot Glue
Instant Coffee (optional)
These wreaths are so simple to make that anyone can make one...even little hands. There are some tricks to getting a boutiques look and I'm about to share those secrets with you. To make a Winter White DIY Coffee Filter Wreath all you need is the white filters and you can skip the coffee dye step.
If you want your wreath to have an aged look, then coffee staining is the best way to get the variation in color to each of those filters. I have a simple way to accomplish this. You can hand dip each one and let them air dry. It works, but is super time consuming. My favortie way to dye these filters is to take a stack of filters and dip them into a large pot of dissolved instant coffee.
To make the instant coffee, fill a pot about half way with water and dump into it a couple of cups of instant coffee. Heat and stir and there is your dye ready for dipping. Take your stack of coffee filters and dunk them into the pot of coffee. You can separate them into 1/2 inch chunk sections and lightly wring them out. The wringing will keep some of the filters darker than others with the coffee settling in to creases.
Set your wrung out filters on an old towel and then place into your cloths dryer. Dry for 10 minutes on a delicate cycle. That is all it takes to dry the filters. In addition to drying the filters, the moisture and heat makes the filters crinkle and soften to almost a translucent texture. This change in the texture of the paper filters makes for gorgeous "flowers" when layered into a wreath.
To make a petal. Take one filter and fold in half. Then fold in half again to make a quarter fold. Then, fold again to create a little "pie" wedge.
Once you have your wedge, fold the bottom or point up just a little about an inch from the point. This is where you will pin it into place.
Use a dressmaker pin and a thimble to pin the petal into place. You will only need to cover the sides and front of the wreath. Leave the back plain so your wreath will lay flat against your wall or door. So begin by pinning one row from the outside edge to the inside edge. Place the petal edges close together so there are no gaps where you would see the foam base.
One layer, then two, then three...then a hundred! Push the paper petals back and keep adding more rows and just when you think it is enough, add more. You want your wreath to be full of petals which can then be fluffed to look like paper flowers. You can see how they begin to form after a few rows.
I love to place petals that have more coloring on the outside and up front where they will be seen. Sometimes I will fold a petal with one edge sticking up more than the other to give the petal more depth and add it in next to one that is perfectly folded to give the wreath a more textured and realistic look.
Continue adding more filters until you make it all the way around your wreath form.
Your back will not look too pretty, but no one will see your back! When it is full all the way to the top and you have added even more....turn your wreath over and fluff or adjust the petals in a manner that looks full and beautiful to your eye. This is why using pins is so helpful versus hot glue. It allows you to adjust your petals to be what you want them to be.
To create a hanger, clip a piece of wire about 5" long and push both ends into the form. Use a dot of hot glue and the push-in point to secure the hanger in place. Your wreath is ready to embellish and hang.
To embellish your DIY Coffee Filter Wreath, drape ribbons over the wreath hook and let them flow down. I love to have one large bow at the top. You can also find word pieces such as Merry Christmas, or Happy Holidays to make even more of a holiday statement. Switch out your ribbons with different colors for different seasons OR leave them plain for a beautiful Farmhouse inspired everyday wreath.
I hope this written tutorial helps you feel ready to make one of these for your own home. I have the two white ones that hang every year on my double black doors for the winter months and my coffee stained one hangs in my bedroom over a vintage window. It is perfect! Don't forget to check out the segment on KUTV Fresh Living and message me if you have any questions!
Celebrate, Dream and Create a little joy in your life today!
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