DIY Faux Cotton Stem Wreath

Pin It
How to make a cotton stem wreath for only a couple dollars!
Let's talk about cotton. I love it. I wear it. But I hate seeing it piling up in my yard during the spring. Like seriously, it gets about 2 inches deep over here thanks to our neighbors ginormous cotton tree. I do love seeing all the dried cotton stems in home decor lately though. For some reason, the cotton stems on this tree look nowhere near as appealing. I've been on a look out to by some stems, but have yet to see any in any store. I've been wanting to make a wreath out of them...or I guess I could have bought a wreath but either way, this next project I'm going to share with you is probably a ton cheaper anyway. Like cents to dollars cheaper. So, if you are like me and can't find any stems, here's a simple little 'hack' :)

What you'll need is a grapevine wreath, some cotton and a couple of pine cones (the older the better).
How to make a cotton stem wreath for only a couple dollars!
 First step is to get your cotton ball, stretch it out a little long ways first, then sideways, then roll it into a ball. Grab some hot glue and put it on the wreath. Work your way around the wreath, inside and outside. Make some bigger, some smaller.
How to make a cotton stem wreath for only a couple dollars!
 Next get your pine cones and start taking off the little pieces. Twisting and pulling help a lot. If you can get some scissors in there, this will save you some headache :) The older ones seem to have a little more give than the newer ones.
How to make a cotton stem wreath for only a couple dollars!
 Now with the pine cone pieces, you want to glue them in between the cotton. Real cotton stems have their seeds coming up over the cotton on all sides. So, I tried to make mine look organically as possible, securing anywhere from one to three pieces onto any given cotton ball. There was really no rhyme or reason. Once I was done, I then did a look over and added more where it looked too empty. I let some of the grapevine stems peak out a bit too.
How to make a cotton stem wreath for only a couple dollars!
 I was saving this as a Christmas wreath, but then decided it can really be an all year wreath since cotton really comes about in the Spring. So, it's a great transitional wreath :)
How to make a cotton stem wreath for only a couple dollars!
For me, the cost of this wreath was about a buck. Just the cost of the cotton balls I had to buy. I bought a 400 count bag of cotton balls and probably used half. I used about 2 and half pine cones I had from several Christmases ago and an old wreath. See, a lot cheaper than buying real stems :) I'm sure I'll still buy some stems anyways to put in a vase. So, if you have a great place to get them, let me know!

4 comments

  1. You know cottonwood trees are different from cotton plants, right?

    I kind of missed the cottonwoods this year (despite what Google calls me, I'm now Karen In South Jersey). Of course, I never lived directly downwind of any, so didn't have the accumulation. A friend had a willow positioned so its cotton (I didn't know they did that, but at least some do) blew right in her garage door, and hated it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is so cute and seems really easy! I'd actually probably make mine with a little less "cotton" so you can see more of the wood underneath.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This is really cute. When I first saw the picture I assumed you used real cotton stems and figure it would be expensive. Why do I doubt you!? You're the thriftiest ever! AND the cleverest! LOVE IT.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Love this and am going to try to make one! However, cotton in West Texas bolls out in the fall......

    ReplyDelete

happy DIYing! Alicia