She Transforms Cardboard Trash Into A Mini Wreath With Rustic Charm

Shopping online often leaves you with a pile of packing materials far larger than what you actually ordered. But there's a crafty way to repurpose it if you're tired of stuffing all that cardboard and cushioning in the bin. TikTok creator mrsclarehoops demonstrates an incredibly simple way to transform leftover shipping materials into a wreath without needing to pick up a premade wreath form from the craft store. She covers a cardboard ring in expandable paper cushioning and burlap ribbon, creating a full, fabric-wrapped mini wreath.

Aside from your stuffing material and enough ribbon to completely cover your DIY burlap wreath, you'll only need a piece of sturdy cardboard and a cutting tool. Box cutters are the best tool for smoothly cutting through the cardboard layers, though scissors can work as well. You can also gather artificial flowers, greenery, contrasting ribbon for a bow, or any other embellishments if you want to put your own spin on the finished design.

Although mrsclarehoops uses paper cushioning, you could recreate the basic idea with almost anything you can find in a shipping box, from machine-crimped kraft paper to puffy sheets of bubble wrap. It's a clever way to reuse cardboard and leftover shipping supplies — or even repurpose old magazines and newspapers — but it can also become a template for reusing whatever you don't need. For instance, you can forgo the ribbon and wrap your wreath with fabric scraps, or even use old clothes in a fun, printed pattern and cut them into strips for easy wrapping.

In her video, mrsclarehoops begins by cutting a large ring from a piece of cardboard to create her wreath form. She then fluffs out the packing paper, rolls it lengthwise, then curls the rolled paper around the cardboard ring before wrapping it in burlap ribbon. She finishes by tucking the loose end beneath the wrapped burlap.

@mrsclarehoops

Can't beat a scrap paper wreath ... #AutumnDIY #AutumnCrafts #FallCrafts #DIYAutumn #autumnwreathsuk

♬ Tchaikovsky "Dance of the Reed Flutes"(1257471) – kzy

To ensure an even ring shape for your wreath, start by marking the center of your cardboard, then use a compass to draw the outer circle. Alternatively, you can make your own compass by tying a piece of string to a thumbtack or nail, using this as an anchor for your center point, and tying a pencil to the other end. Then, hold the string taught as you draw your circle. Shorten the string or narrow the compass and repeat from the same center point to draw a perfectly centered inner circle. Of course, you can also simply trace two round objects of different sizes and eyeball the placement of the smaller inner circle.

From there, the simple burlap wreath is a springboard for your own creative customizations. You could tie a bow with contrasting ribbon or use artificial flowers and greenery to add color and texture. Try pastel flowers or leafy stems for spring, colorful foliage and miniature pumpkins for fall, or evergreen sprigs, berries, and small ornaments during the holidays.