How to Upcycle an Old Wreath Into a Pretty Centerpiece

In this post, I’ll show you how to easily upcycle an old fall wreath into a beautiful centerpiece for your Thanksgiving table.

Thanksgiving is next week. Can you believe it? We’re hosting our extended family in our small Bay Area abode. We typically host 8-10 family members each year. I will have to get creative with space to accommodate everyone!

This week has been all about cleaning and planning. So far I’ve washed all of the china I’m planning on using. I’ve also washed all of the stemware in our bar area. The dishwasher has been going non-stop!

I decided early on this fall that we’re not cooking dinner for this Thanksgiving. Instead, we ordered a pre-cooked turkey dinner from our local gourmet grocery store. Done! Now I don’t have to spend any time worrying about cooking and shopping. I can focus my attention on setting a beautiful table for our guests. I’d rather decorate than cook any day! How about you?

How to Upcycle an Old Wreath

I have a collection of duplicate wreaths from our last Bay Area home. It was a larger home with double front doors, which meant two wreaths. Since we only have a single front door now I no longer need two of each kind of wreath. I decided to upcycle my extra wreaths into other kinds of decorations. For this project, I’ll show how to transform an old fall wreath into a pretty centerpiece for your Thanksgiving table.

Supplies Needed:

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Wreath

Tight-weave burlap ribbon 5” wide

Dry floral foam

Hot glue gun

Scissors

Kitchen knife

Floral container – I used a long glass one from Amazon

Battery-operated taper candles (color should complement your design) or real candles

Battery operated string lights

Optional: Assorted floral picks to complement your design

Step 1: Pull Your Old Wreath Apart

Gently pull your wreath apart. I located the wire on the back of the wreath and unwrapped it from the wreath. You can use scissors or wire cutters to cut any wires as needed. My wreath was made from a grapevine material, so the floral parts were fairly easy to remove. I was careful not to pull the floral pieces apart. I wanted the stems attached so I could poke them in my centerpiece. If you want you can save the wreath form for a future project. Mine was pretty trashed afterwards, so I tossed it.

Step 2: Trim Floral Foam Block

Using a kitchen knife, carefully cut the block to fit inside your container. I recommend doing this on a cutting board. If your container is larger you can use more than one block as I did. Leave room for the battery pack for your string lights on one side of the container.

Step 3: Glue Blocks Together & Cover With Burlap

If you are using more than one block, glue the ends together to make one long piece.

Then, use a glue gun to cover the sides of the block with the burlap ribbon. The burlap sticks up about an inch above the blocks. I left it that way to obscure the floral foam base. (Since I am using a clear glass container, I wanted to cover the floral foam. You can skip this step if your container is opaque.)

Cut a small square of burlap to cover 3 sides of the battery pack for the lights. Hot glue it to the battery pack, leaving the side with the switch exposed. Both the long block and battery pack should fit into the container. (You can skip this step if your container is opaque.)

Step 4: Insert Candles Into Foam Blocks

Decide how many taper candles you will be using in your design. I used 3. Decide where you want to place the candles on the floral block. I measured my container length wise and spaced my candles accordingly. Use a pen to trace around the base of a candle. This will tell you how big the holes for the candles should be.

Carefully dig out a small hole in the block for each candle. (I was able to gently twist the candles into place in the floral foam without needing to cut.) For this demonstration I used real candles, but I will switch them out to battery-operated ones due to fire risk with real ones. No decor is worth burning my house down! I will also add some glue in the holes to keep the candles straight and upright.

Step 5: Arrange the Florals

Now it’s time to get creative! Arrange the florals from your old wreath around the candles in a way that pleases your eye. I added the leaves first, focusing on symmetry. Once those were in place I filled in gaps with pinecones and pumpkins, securing them to the design with some hot glue.

Step 6: Add the Light Strand

Tuck the battery pack into the end of your container with the burlap facing out (if using a clear container.) Then weave the light strand throughout your arrangement, tucking in the wire amongst the leaves.

I’m really pleased with how it turned out!

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If you are looking for more holiday craft ideas, be sure to check out some of my other posts! You can also sign up for my email list above. Have a great week!