an unconventional diy pleated wreath {made of duct tape!}

There are only a handful of shows I watch regularly and Project Runway is perhaps my very favorite. I always love seeing the art these amazing designers can create with limited time, a small budget and sometimes, the oddest of materials. In a show last year, the designers made prom dresses out of duct tape. Gorgeous dresses! Out of tape! Amazing. During the runway show, I caught a glimpse of the petticoat of one of the dresses and it immediately inspired this wreath. It just took me about a year to finally get to it.

Totally unconventional, slightly quirky, but easy to make, super cheap and durable for the upcoming cold and blustery winter days.

Want to make one? Here’s how …

// SUPPLIES //

styrofoam wreath form / 2 rolls of duck brand duct tape / scissors

// STEP ONE // unroll tape and fold over 1.5 inches. Cut and leave 1/2 inch extra tape. You’ll need a bunch of these little pleats so you can make them now or as you go. If you want your wreath to be larger, make your pleats longer. Or vary the sizes so that the outer pleats are longer than the inside pleats.

// STEP TWO // on back side of wreath, stick pleat to center of wreath form.

Continue around, overlapping about half of the previous pleat.

// STEP THREE // After each completed circle, begin a new row, overlapping in the same direction all the way around the wreath.

As you keep adding rows of pleats, you’ll need to switch the direction of your tape so that it covers down to the inside of the wreath. It will make sense once you start going.

Here’s the wreath with one, two, three and four layers. I think I did a total of six to fill it out.

// STEP FOUR //  add a thick grosgrain ribbon to hang, attaching each end with a thumb tack.

Then hang from a door.

It’s so strange, I readily admit. But totally different and interesting and actually really pretty, too.

I have a handful of wreath ideas for this holiday season that I’ll be posting about over the next few weeks so stay tuned!