Sunday, September 14, 2014

Grandinroad Halloween Wreath Knock Off

Every year my Mother-in-law gives me her Grandinroad Halloween catalog and every year, I drool over the beautiful decorations, especially the wreaths.  Along with all my other obsessions, Halloween and wreaths are my top two! So when I saw their beautiful "Happy Hauntings" wreath, I decided that we just had to have one.  Unfortunately, Grandinroad's is way over our budget, so I set out to see if we could come up with a less expensive version.

Dollar Tree, .99 Store, Halloween DIY, Knock Off Decor, skeleton, skull, feather boa

Here is Grandinroad's wreath - 


There are a few differences - theirs has only a skull, while ours has a torso and theirs has more detailed hands, but all in all, I think it's a pretty good copy.

Dollar Tree, .99 Store, Halloween DIY, Knock Off Decor, skeleton, skull, feather boa


The biggest difference is that our version cost $12 to make and almost all the supplies came from the .99 Store and Dollar Tree! Not bad for $12 bucks!

Here's a list by store - 

.99 Store

1 - Skeleton torso 
2 - feather boas
Dollar Tree

3 - rolls Halloween Ribbon
2 - Halloween glitter stems (1-orange, 1-purple)
2 - Willow wreaths

Hobby Lobby

2 - Fun Foam glitter sheets 

Tools & Misc. Supplies

Glue Gun
Heat Gun
Wire
Small piece of orange ribbon for top hat
black cardstock for top hat
Small piece of black foam core board
Purple paint
Sharpie
Coat hanger

Instructions

1. The base of the wreath started with a wire coat hanger that was opened up and formed into a circle. 

2. Cut one wreath and wire to the coat hanger circle.  The wreath won't be large enough to cover the entire circle, so cut a piece out of the remaining wreath and wire it to the hanger to complete the circle.  The wreath is only a base and will not be seen after you have glued the feather boas to it.

Here's a view of the wreaths before their surgery - 


And here is a view of the back of the wreath, after they have been wired to the hanger - 


I sprayed the coat hanger with black spray paint, but that's just my craft OCD kicking in - it's really not necessary.

3. Hot glue the two boas to the top of the wreath.  One boa will just go around the wreath once, so use both to make it fuller.



4.  Now let's work on the skeleton.  Here's what he looked like before he was posed - notice his straight stiff arms.


To make him look more life like, I used a heat gun to heat up his elbows and bend the arms into a more natural position.  You can see how much more natural he looks here - enjoying a nice tropical drink!


His arms have a small button on them that attaches them to the torso - you can see that here - 


Pull his left arm out of his torso and cut off the button flush with the bone. Then hot glue the bone into the torso like this - you can see the difference between the shoulders in this shot - 

Dollar Tree, .99 Store, Halloween DIY, Knock Off Decor, skeleton, skull, feather boa

I also used the heat gun to tilt his left wrist forward just a bit.

5. Now the skeleton can be wired on to the wreath. Cut small holes in his back on either side of the back bone and run floral wire through, then wire on to the wreath.  Place one set of holes high and the torso and one set low.  You will also want to hot glue the skull on to the neck so that it doesn't wobble.

6. Cut a jagged "board" out of a piece of foam core board (or cardboard), paint purple and write
 Happy Haunting on it with a sharpie. Hot glue a piece of wire on the back and wire the board to the wreath.  I also used a dab of glue to affix the "board" to the skeleton hand.

7. Top Hat - I didn't take any photos when I was making the hat - sorry!!! But here's the basic how to - cut 2 circles of glitter foam for the brim, cut out inner portion so that it will sit on his head - Cut a strip of black card stock to make the main part of the hat - form into a tube and glue - gut tabs into one end (all the way around) - tabs should be about 1/2" - slip tabs under one brim and hot glue tabs to brim - glue other brim upside down so that glitter shows underneath - cut strip of glitter foam to cover cardstock tube - cut glitter circle for the top.  Trim hat with ribbon and a bit of glitter stem

8.  Make loops of ribbon and wire around the torso. Then cut the glitter stems apart and use them to fill in around the torso.

And TA DA!!! You will have a Grandinroad Happy Hauntings Wreath KNOCK OFF!!!

Dollar Tree, .99 Store, Halloween DIY, Knock Off Decor, skeleton, skull, feather boa

Dollar Tree, .99 Store, Halloween DIY, Knock Off Decor, skeleton, skull, feather boa

Dollar Tree, .99 Store, Halloween DIY, Knock Off Decor, skeleton, skull, feather boa
Elegant and Cheap too!!! Maybe not as elegant as Grandinroad's version, but it works for me!

Hope everyone had a great weekend! Leave us a line and tell us what you are working on for Halloween - we would love to see your creations!


Photobucket

We've linked up to these awesome parties: Fluster MusterCrafts a la modeSix Sisters Stuff

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15 comments:

  1. Fantastic! Love Grandinroad's version and love your version too. I just might have to make one too!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks so much for dropping by! We would love to see yours if you make one.

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  2. Great frugal knockoff. Thanks for linking.

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    Replies
    1. I just love the word frugal - sounds so much better than cheap! LOL! We are definitely frugal out here in Crosby! Thanks so much for dropping by and come back soon!

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  3. Wonderful Halloween wreath! I love the skeleton! Thanks for linking up at Submarine Sunday!!!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you T'onna and thanks so much for hosting the fabulous party each week! I really enjoy seeing all of your creations - especially all the adorable owls you make.

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  4. I love your version - so cute. Thank you for sharing at Share It One More Time. Cathy

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Cathy!!! Thanks for inviting us to the party!

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  5. Love how it turned out- and you can't beat that price! My favorite part is the boa background. I wouldn't have thought to loosen the arm joints like you did- awesome:) You've got me thinking that I could use a Halloween wreath for my front door. . .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I struggled with getting the arm right and finally just gave up when it popped out of the socket!!!! Sometimes mistakes just have a way of working out! Thanks so much for stopping by and come back soon!

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  6. Where do you find the time?
    I do up the house for Christmas, but I can never seem to get into halloween :( Your wreath looks amazing, I may just have to give it a shot.....soon, I swear, lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I sleep less and work and craft more!!! That way I don't need scary makeup for Halloween because by the time it rolls around I pretty much look like on of the walking dead!! I just love Halloween - so much fun to decorate without all the stress of the gift buying! Thanks for dropping by and hope you find some time for Halloween Crafts!

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