Okay, here we go with another toilet paper roll Christmas craft project. I truly love finding ways to not buy new decorations for my home at Christmas. Yes, I will pick up the odd piece, made by local artists, but in general, I don't buy new Christmas decor anymore. There are so many amazing things you can make with recycled products or reuse items to make them "new". This is one reason why I love toilet paper roll crafts and I love a good DIY wreath idea too!
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Let's face it we have an abundance of toilet paper rolls. And, I think we found a way to totally transform them into something beautiful for Christmas. I was toying around with the idea of making a toilet paper roll wreath for a while now. I thought I had a plan, then my youngest daughter walked in and totally changed the plan.
How to Make a Toilet Paper Roll Christmas Wreath
She suggested this holly leaf shape. I loved it immediately! I mean, it's delightful. However, it had some structural strength issues. So, after a whole lotta brainstorming and trial and error - we created this paper roll Christmas wreath.
9 toilet paper rolls
green acrylic paint
craft knife
scissors
paintbrushes
0.5cm x 0.5cm piece of balsa wood or craft wood
red card stock paper
pink (or red) felt
glue gun
decorative string
First up is the preparation of the toilet paper rolls. We craft with toilet paper rolls all the time, so I am always sure to remove them from the washroom when they are empty and ready to craft with. If you aren't comfortable crafting with the toilet paper rolls you have at home you could purchase cardboard paper rolls (which kind of defeats the "recycle" angle of the project). Use the pencil to divide each roll into quarters. No need to measure, just eyeball the measurements. Then use the craft knife to slice the rolls into pieces.
Once you have a pile of sliced toilet paper rolls, it's time to paint. We painted two coats of green paint on our rolls. When they are dried, use the scissors to make one cut in the ring.
Next fold each ring in half, inside out. This will give you the "w" shape. Each piece of holly will require 4 rings (1 paper roll). Use the glue gun to attach a line of 4 rings together.
When you have the line of 4 rings, fold the line in half and you will have a piece of holly. Glue gun the ends together to secure the holly piece. Use the scissors to trim off the tail end of the holly.
Now you should have 9 pieces of holly. You can make as many pieces as you like - depending on how large a wreath you want to make. Play around with the pieces and link them together using the glue gun.
I added the extra structural support of the balsa wood to the top and a smaller piece to the bottom of the wreath. This also gave me a spot to tie my string, to hang the wreath. Simply measure the distance between the "top" 2 pieces of holly.
Cut and paint a piece of balsa wood and then glue it in place. It will brace the top of the wreath and help it keep its roundish shape. Do the same at the bottom of the wreath. I opted to brace a smaller span on the bottom, it's up to you. The good thing about balsa wood (aka basswood) is how light it is. It shouldn't weigh down the project at all.
Next up are the berries. Use a toilet paper roll as your template for the holly berries. I love how big and graphic the berries are. I used a piece of card stock glued to a piece of felt. If you happen to have that stiff felt on hand, I'm sure that would work too. The berries are both decorative and structural.
When you glue the berries in place they too will brace the holly leaves...just like the balsa wood.
Once the berries are in place, it's time to tie a length of string to the top and hang up your wreath. Even with the added supports, the wreath will stretch a little. This is simply because of the movement in the holly leaves. I love the way it hangs. I hope you do too. I think I might even make a couple of holly leaf swags and maybe a holly garland! Bring on the toilet paper rolls!
How fun is this toilet paper roll Christmas wreath?! Where will you hang your wreath? Ours is hanging in our living room...but, she might end up on our front door soon enough!
More Christmas Craft Projects to Make
Check out our collection of toilet paper roll Christmas crafts
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