Tired of spending money on expensive fresh evergreen wreaths at Christmas time? Our DIY upcycled twig wreath is a great alternative and still has that natural look you want for the holidays.

First, grab the kids or the dog and go for a walk. Your mission is to collect enough short twigs or branches to cover a 12” Styrofoam wreath.

Next, comb the house for any leftover yarn or acrylic paints you might have. Complete the supply list by heading to your local craft store.

When you’ve gathered all of the supplies, begin by wrapping yarn tightly around the Styrofoam wreath, to completely cover the foam. We suggest queuing up your favorite TV show or movie, as this part requires a bit of patience. If patience is not your strong suit, you can always ditch the yarn and cover the foam with spray paint and glitter instead.

If decorating with the bird box, paint one half and let dry then fill in its fine details. Once you’ve decorated your bird box, snip the upcycled twigs and branches to varied lengths and press them firmly into the foam wreath–you may need to glue the ends for additional stability.

Add a few jeweled floral branches to make it sparkle, attach your bird and you’ve got a wreath that will last long after the holidays are over.

Looking for a variety of DIY wreath projects this holiday? Check out our yarn wreath with toothpick ornaments, swag wreath, and winter crab apple wreath made with eucalyptus.

This post includes links to purchase items you’ll need from our affiliates.

Upcycled twig wreath craft

DIY upcycled twig wreath
Ingredients
  • Styrofoam wreath 10” x 2”
  • sticks or thin tree branches
  • mustard yarn
  • jeweled floral branches
  • ribbon
  • craft bird box or ornament of your choice
  • green acrylic paint–green, black, white and mustard
  • fine point black permanent marker
  • white craft glue
  • green glitter
  • small paintbrush
  • hot glue gun
Instructions
wreath
  1. Loop yarn around wreath and tie a knot to start.
  2. Tightly wrap yarn around foam wreath form (use fingers to get yarn tight and close together to hide foam).
  3. Wrap yarn around wreath until it is fully covered.
  4. Tie knot when finished and trim excess yarn.
  5. Cut upcycled tree branches 9″–11” long with scissors or yard clippers.
  6. Separate yarn and firmly push branches into foam (use a small amount of hot glue on the end of branches if needed).
  7. Insert branches of varying lengths and sizes all around wreath.
  8. Add a few random jeweled floral branches to add shine and color.
  9. Cut desired length of ribbon and tie to yarn on back of wreath for hanging.
painting bird box
  1. Paint half of bird box with green paint, let dry (choose which direction you want the bird to face before you start painting so you paint the correct half).
  2. Paint the beak a mustard color and color eye black with fine point marker then paint a small white dot on eye for pupil highlight. Allow paint to dry.
  3. Paint glue on tips of wing feathers and sprinkle with green glitter. Let dry.
  4. Lightly blow or dust off excess glitter (use a dry paintbrush to help dust off excess glitter).
  5. Secure bird in place on wreath with hot glue.
Notes
Looking to make a Halloween wreath? Use black yarn and decorate with an orange bird!