Holidays > Easter > Decorations for the home > Plastic Bag Easter Wreath
This cute Easter wreath is made out of plastic shopping bags, so it is very inexpensive to make. It doesn’t matter if there are designs on the bags, because they don’t really show up. If all you have is white bags, that is o.k., too, because a white wreath will really make the color of the eggs stand out. Just be sure to hang it on a dark door or wall...because a white wreath will disappear against a white wall.
To make this wreath, you will need a wire that is fairly easy to bend, some plastic Easter eggs, and plastic shopping bags. 3 bags were used to make this wreath. A smaller wreath will require fewer bags and eggs.
If you don’t have shopping bags in the colors that you want, you can use cloth, ribbon, or that stuff they wrap around flower bouquets. It is a bit like tissue paper, but is quite tough; it doesn’t tear or ravel, so it would be perfect for this project, too.
Tissue paper is quite delicate, so if you decide to use it to make the wreath, rather than following the directions below, make tissue paper pompoms and glue to a cardboard ring.
You can use a wire coat hanger, if you have one. Otherwise, buy wire that is easy enough to bend by hand, but not so bendable that it will pull out of shape when you hang eggs on it. I used # 16 gauge (1.65mm) 54 inches long (137cm).
Bend it into a 14 inch diameter circle (36 cm), or any size that you want. Twist the ends around the wire to keep it from pulling apart.
Cut the bottom off the the bag. Next put your hands in the bag to spread out the folds on the sides of the bag. (It is 14 inches wide (36cm) along the bottom seam, but 18 inches wide (46cm) after the bottom has been cut off, and the bag is spread flat.)
Cut the bag into sections--the size of the bag determines how many sections you can cut out of it. This bag is 14 inches wide (36 cm) and 21 inches tall (54cm).
Cut each row into rectangles. Remember to cut the folded sides, too, so each rectangle is made up of 2 separate layers. The rectangles shown are 7 (18 cm) inches by 5 inches (13cm).
Always work with 2 or more layers. Lay the plastic rectangles under the wire wreath.
Tie the plastic into a knot. If the plastic is a bit tough, use pliers to pull the knot tight: loosely hold the knot with one hand, and use your other hand to pull one end with the pliers. Keep pulling each end until the knot is tight, and both sides are the same length on either side of the knot. Keep tying plastic knots onto the wire.
Squeeze the knots close together. Pull the layers apart to fluff out the knots. Keep adding knots and fluffing them out until the whole wreath is full. Squeeze the knots together so there are no gaps. If any of the knots twist so the knot is in front, twist them around so the fluffy side is in the front.
If any wording shows on the edges, you can cut it off.
Note: If you want to get a few more pieces of plastic from the bag, before cutting the top section, move the holes (that form handles) so that the holes are on the sides rather than in the middle. Cut off both sides where the holes are. Then cut rectangles out of the remaining plastic.
Putting eggs on the wreath couldn’t be easier--simply open each egg, and snap each egg back closed over a small section of one layer of plastic. You may want to fasten these eggs on once the wreath is hanging, since the weight of the egg can affect how it hangs. Also, the weight of the egg can make that particular knot spin to the back side of the wreath, or at a funny angle. If this happens, use mounting putty (Fun Tack, Blue Tack, etc.) to hold those sections against the wall.
Alternative decorations for the wreath: Ribbons, Christmas balls, and artificial flowers are all good alternative options for decorating the wreath, whether you can’t find plastic eggs, or you prefer to not use eggs. This wreath was made out of thinner plastic bags, cut to the size of sandwich bags. They were also tied around the wire, just as described above. These thinner plastic bags are much easier to tie, but you will need more bags because the knots squish closer together (see photos below) This wreath was made with 100 bags cut into quarters.
These napkins are similar to the wall hanging. (see photo at the top of the page.) The wall hangings are covered with craft paper used for scrapbooking. The craft paper is fastened onto the squares with mounting putty, so it can be changed to match the seasonal decorations. Shoe box lids would be an almost free way to imitate this look. Be sure to cover the sides with more paper, masking tape, or duct tape (which comes in so many colors and designs these days.)
