Deck the halls with bags of coffee -- my upcycled holiday door wreaths


upcycled holiday door wreath made from coffee bags
In the past I've made all kinds of holiday decorations. This year, all I wanted was a pair of upcycled wreaths to adorn my double front doors. Simple, right? 

Ha! What started as a daylong project has turned into a month of trial, error, and tears.


I started with the Crafty Chica's instructions for making a wrapping paper wreath. Instead of wrapping paper, I wanted to use foil coffee bags. I've been stockpiling them for more than a year, so I was confident that I had enough for at least 2 large wreaths. 

I spent two evenings cutting the flattened bags into 6-inch squares and rolling them into slender tubes. A glue stick and a small strip of clear tape kept them wrapped up.
upcycled holiday door wreath made from coffee bags


We go through pounds of Tony's Coffee (my husband's favorite brand), which comes in plain chocolate brown bags. Blah! Luckily, my coffee-loving friends save their more colorful Starbucks and Tullys bags for me.

To mount the rolls, Crafty Chica suggests gluing them to a flat pressed-cardboard round surface. But I had to rebel. I bought two large wire wreath forms.
upcycled holiday door wreath made from coffee bags
Glue wouldn't work on these. I tried wire, then string. Finally, I came up with the perfect solution -- rubber bands! I raided my husband's stash of rubber bands (thank you, Harbor Freight). The clear small ones worked perfectly. Slipping each roll through the tight band felt a bit like weaving. 

Here's one wreath in process.

upcycled holiday door wreath made from coffee bags

upcycled holiday door wreath made from coffee bags
The best part about using rubber bands instead of glue was that I could easily adjust the roll spacing. Plus, no sticky fingers! And once this holiday was over, I could remove the rolls and use them again next year! Little did I know that I would be re-using the rolls much, much sooner.

I loved the way the finished wreath looked on the door. I spent another evening weaving a second one. My front porch had never looked more festive!
upcycled holiday door wreath made from coffee bags
But the next day, when I opened the door to admire my masterpieces, I noticed something long and shiny on the welcome mat. Two rolls had come loose and fallen off one of the wreaths. I wasn't worried. Probably just the wind. New rubber bands and the wreath would be good as new.

Unfortunately, rolls kept falling. The rubber bands were disintegrating. I tried bringing the wreaths inside, away from the cold weather. But it made no difference. After a few weeks, both my beautiful wreaths looked like this.
upcycled holiday door wreath made from coffee bags
Kind of like a Charlie Brown Christmas tree -- sad, anemic, unwanted. 

My husband recommended hot glue. It would probably work with a flat surface, but with the wire form it was hopeless. And I stubbornly refused to give up on the form or the original idea of a goop-free wreath. So I turned to the savior of many a desperate home-owner:

Duck tape!
upcycled holiday door wreath made from coffee bags
So far, the repaired wreath has weathered 3 nights outside. I'm hoping it makes it all the way until Christmas.
upcycled holiday door wreath made from coffee bags
Tonight I will re-make the second one. Keep your fingers crossed!




Comments

  1. What a fun wreath! Guess those Harbor Freight rubberbands are pretty light duty............

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    Replies
    1. Especially when they're a couple of years old. I actually tried some newer rubber bands, but the same thing happened.

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  2. I miss the gentle sound of dropping coffee bag squares as I open your door.

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  3. Oh Claudia!! All that work- I would be in tears also!!
    I actually like the black tape behind the rolls- it gives more depth to the wreath!! You have done a wonderful job on these- and I wish I knew- my coffee comes in a bright gold bag!!
    fingers crossed for staying in place!

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  4. I was laughing so hard when I read this that my husband thought I might have a heart attack. It is so like SO MANY 'quick and dirty projects' I've done. I so admire your perseverence, Claudia, in spite of the laughter! It looks marvellous, and you've made my week! :D

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  5. I really love this idea, the technique has so many possibilities. I also, love that you used recycled items to create your wreath. It turned out really lovely.
    :) Chris / CS Designs

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