It's Time To DIY A Summer Wreath With Items Already In Your Kitchen

Though you might think of wreaths made from greenery, items in your kitchen can also be used to fashion aesthetic pieces to hang up in your home or on the front of your door. With a craft project that is this easy to compile, you may find yourself regularly refreshing your rooms with interesting wreaths. Pretty wreaths aren't just for the winter season.

Whether using dried ingredients, items pulled from behind your at-home bar, or product packaging to create circular ornaments, once you start viewing the items in your home as the kind of raw material needed for wreath-making endeavors, your DIY projects may take an interesting turn. Before you begin compiling objects to arrange in a pleasing way, consider the themes you are looking to emphasize or if there is any particular color you want to highlight in your home. DIY wreaths can be just the ticket to spruce up your next dinner party with theme-specific decor or intentionally placed in your at-home office to bring some brightness into mundane workweeks.

Instead of keeping colorful packets of tea hidden away in your pantry, turn these prime pieces of wreath-making items into art. You can use clothespins to arrange tea bags into a circular pattern or keep empty packages to glue in pleasing forms. Hot glue can be your friend if you're looking to create a piece that will have some longevity. You may want to keep displaying this creation near your kettle, as the whimsical decoration can also be considered as functional storage. 

While you can use any brand of tea to make a wreath, consider the colors and patterns that look nice together once all of the pieces are assembled. Alternate colors or stick to one as you create these fun pieces. Teabags from Pukka, Harney & Sons, and Creano provide bright, colorful packaging that is perfect for wreath-making efforts, but there is no fixed rule as to what kind of tea you need to use for your creations. You can even use smaller packages of instant hot chocolate if the colors suit your intended design.

Your sweet tooth can help you create some seriously sweet-looking decorations for your home. If you've tried making pretzel wreaths with chocolate and pretzels, you'll love this much easier task that requires no melting of chocolate or dusting of sprinkles. While there are different ways to approach making a candy wreath, using a glue gun can make your life simpler as you affix pieces onto a store-bought form made up of wire or styrofoam. You can use any kind of candy you like — peppermints, mini Snickers, packages of M&Ms, or even popcorn — to build artful-looking decorations.

Alternatively, you can wrap pieces of candy with cellophane and hold each item in place with tied ribbons. Think about the cohesive look of your finished project as you work. You may want to keep certain candies together to build streamlined patterns and tasteful pieces that can be set onto tables or hung up around your home. If you're less than confident about your aesthetic choices, make smaller wreaths using just one candy type before venturing into more complicated designs that call for multiple layers of confections.

Instead of tossing popsicle sticks straight into the trash or waiting for warmer weeks to roll around to make popsicles at home, you can use clean popsicle sticks to create vivid, interesting wreaths that can add interest to dinner table settings, backyard barbecues, and kitchen command centers. Paint popsicle sticks in monochromatic variants for a more subdued design, or opt for brighter, vivid colors to spruce up your home. 

As with other wreath-making efforts, enlist a foam wreath ring to glue separate pieces into an arranged pattern. You can also sidestep the need for a form by gluing popsicle sticks directly on top of each other and building a flatter, layered design. Embellish your finished pieces with colorful ribbons or bedazzle your creations with glued gems, sparkles, or ornaments. You can add a personal touch to your DIY project with tiny objects that have meaning for you and your family, like photographs, ticket stubs, or buttons. 

Step behind your cocktail bar to find more materials to make wreaths. The cute pieces you use to garnish your drinks with can also make for ideal wreath-making materials. Look for dehydrated citrus wheels, straws, or cocktail umbrellas. Choose one object to form a cohesive visual or build an arrangement using a variety of items. 

You can glue dehydrated wheels on top of each other or use a form to create depth and make your efforts to build a circular shape a bit easier. Try alternating pieces of grapefruit, orange, lemon, and lime for a more colorful creation. Once you have the core components of your wreath in place, cinnamon sticks and star anise pods can add not only aesthetic interest but bring an aromatic element to your creations, as can sprigs of rosemary and dried pieces of lavender. Tie your work of art with a colorful ribbon or set the pieces onto a table to place candles or flower vases for crafty tablescapes. 

For a hotter approach to wreath making, dried chiles are the ticket. With a variety of shapes, textures, and hues, handfuls of dried chiles can be glued to a wire frame. Once you start setting the pieces down, keep the ends of the peppers facing in the same direction to create cohesive visual movement in the wreath. Alternatively, you can string clusters of peppers together that can be attached to a wreath form and secured in place with ribbon, thread, or raffia string. 

Also known as ristras, bunches of peppers are commonly seen throughout New Mexico. You can add dried herbs to your wreath projects and use tasteful pieces of ribbon to hide any areas that look sparse. Corn husks, bulbs of garlic, and bay leaves can also be tied to the frame to fill out empty holes and create a homey, culinary-inspired piece of art that can be gifted or proudly displayed in your kitchen.