DIY Vintage Christmas Ornament Wreath

Learn How to make a Christmas wreath. Dress up your home for the holidays with a touch of nostalgia. I’m so thrilled to be sharing this DIY Vintage Christmas Ornament Wreath with you today.

As I’ve mentioned a few times here on the blog, I have a mild obsession with glass Christmas ornaments. I’ve been collecting them for years. If I remember correctly, it all started with my rainbow Christmas tree. So of course, when I saw a few vintage Christmas ornament wreaths pop up online recently (shout out to The Makerista for posting one in her Instagram stories thrift store adventures), I knew I had to make one as well.

Here’s what I came up with:

Isn’t she lovely? I do realize that this colorful and kitschy look isn’t for everyone, but it certainly makes my holiday heart sing. That’s why today, I’m going to teach you how to make a Christmas wreath!

DIY Vintage Christmas Ornament Wreath:

Surprisingly enough, crafting a vintage Christmas ornament wreath is fairly straightforward. However, I do have a few tips to offer that will make the process even easier.

Let’s get started, shall we?

How to Make a Christmas Wreath with Ornaments:

1. You’re going to need ornaments. I decided to use all glass and mostly vintage ones. I pulled lots of ornaments from my collection and purchased some at local thrift stores and from Etsy and eBay.

A couple things to note here: Vintage ornaments appear to be in big demand these days, so sourcing them online can be expensive. I recommend hitting up local second-hand stores for the best deals. Also, if you’re hunting for any vintage Christmas items, plan ahead and shop online from May to August. The demand (and price) isn’t likely to be as high.

In addition to their being vintage and glass, I wanted most of the ornaments to be round. I also decided to go with a mix of colors for an eclectic look. Your vision will probably be different. You can follow the same procedure using shatterproof ornaments or a selection of ornaments in a specific color palette. Make the wreath uniquely your own.

There are about 150 ornaments on my wreath. To get a full look, you will need ornaments in various sizes.

2. You’ll need a wreath. I chose this tinsel one because that felt vintage to me, but a green wreath with faux pine-like needles would work well, too. Having a wreath made from the right material is important because you’ll be hot gluing the ornaments to it. Hot glue does not hold glass on glass. A wreath like this one will give your ornaments something to adhere to.

3. Once you have your supplies, begin by cutting off 10-15% of the pine needles; set them to the side. Then, using a glue gun, start attaching the ornaments, one by one, to the wreath.

4. For the majority of the ornaments, I put the hot glue near the tops (hangers) because I didn’t want those to show. With the hot glue on the ornament, gently press it on the wreath. Ensure that the hot glue on the ornament is coming in contact with the tinsel/pine needles This will provide the hold you need.

5. I started by gluing ornaments in a small section and then worked out from there. Attach the larger ornaments first and then fill in with smaller ones. Save your special ornaments and glue them on when most of the other ornaments are in place.

6. Once you start covering the wreath, it will be harder to find areas where you can attach the ornaments to the tinsel/pine needles. This is when you’ll use the pine needles that you cut off at the beginning. As needed, tuck them between the ornaments and use hot glue to secure.

7. I also found it helpful to flip the wreath over and add hot glue in various places on the back of the wreath to ensure everything was well secured. However, as you work, be conscious of where you are adding the hot glue so that it’s not visible on the front of your wreath.

8. Once the wreath is covered, double check to make sure everything is well glued. (If you are using glass ornaments, be aware that you will probably break a few along the way. It’s almost inevitable.) If there are any areas where things aren’t securely attached, add hot glue to a piece of your reserved tinsel/pine needles and place it between the two ornaments. This will create a stronger bond.

9. Finally, look the wreath over carefully and trim off any hot glue strands or tinsel/pine needles that might be sticking out. Then, attach a piece of floral wire to the back of the wreath. Put the wire around the metal frame of the wreath for a firm hold.

10. Sit back and admire your handiwork!

That, my friends, is the step-by-step process I followed to  make a Christmas wreath out of ornaments.

The whole project took about 2 hours, and overall, things went swimmingly. The only exceptions were a few ornament casualties and one nasty hot glue burn.

Like this wreath? See more of my DIY wreaths here:

• Rainbow Ornament Wreath
• Red and Green Ornament Wreath
• Cookie Cutter Wreath

I’m not sure where the wreath will end up hanging this Christmas season, but I’m having fun trying it out in different spots around my home.

I hope you find this tutorial helpful and enjoy making your own wreath. Happy crafting!