The COWGIRL's DIY: Rope Wreath

Rope Wreath

In my house, traditional western relics are the final word in home decor. And what is more traditional that the rope? I like to think of the rope wreath as a facelift for the used rope, crafting new life and style with a traditional part of the cowgirl and cowboy lifestyle. Each rope wreath can show off your personal home style, lifestyle, or style for the season. The rope wreath is all about bringing a traditional piece of western history back to modern life.

Materials:

In order to complete this D.I.Y. you will need …

• Used rope
  • I contacted a local team roper to find mine, look for yours through friends and family!
• Needle nose pliers
• Wire cutters
• Scissors
• Floral wire
• Multi-surface glue
  • E6000 is available at Walmart
• Assorted artificial greenery and accessories
  • Cotton stems available from Michael’s and Hobby Lobby
  • Eucalyptus available from Hobby Lobby
  • Assorted florals available from Hobby Lobby
  • Turkey feathers found on a hike in California
    • Similar feathers available from Amazon

Although I featured the products I used specifically, most of these items are available through your local arts and crafts supply store.

Instructions

Step 1:

Coil your used rope in the size you want the wreath to be. Make sure all the layers are similar in circumference and the hondo (knot on the end of the lariat) is on the top layer.

Step 2:

Take a small section of wire and wrap the rope and hondo in place. This will keep the rope in place and the hondo rotated outward.

Step 3:

Take 3 small sections of wire and wrap the rope three time, approximately 4 inches apart where you want the florals and greenery to lay. The center wire wrap will be the center of the artificial greenery.

Step 4:

Take this time to lay out the greenery you have next to the rope to organize layers and plan the design. This will give you an idea of if you need to cut any greenery, and how bushy or wide your wreath will be.

Step 5:

Clip and cut your greenery to better fit your wreath. Use scissors and wire cuts to cleanly remove the sprigs from their stems. For my wreath, I cut the leaves off of the cotton and trimmed some of the eucalyptus greens in order to create a more streamline design.

Step 6:

Start placing your greenery. Follow the order you laid out in the planning phase. Intertwine each stem in the wire and add any additional wire as needed. Follow your heart with lengths, shapes and textures of the greenery.

Step 7:

Once all the greenery and accessories are placed its time for flower, or whatever creative items you have planned for your wreath. With flowers, remove them from their stems and cut off any excess plastic on the bud. This will create a more flat surface for glueing to your wreath.

Step 9:

Glue each flower on to the wreath. With the E6000 glue, you may have to hold the flower in place until the glue is tacky. You can also use hot glue or super glue for glueing the flowers. The flowers are an easy way to cover any gnarly ends or pieces of wire you use to hold the greenery.

Step 10:

Hang your rope wreath and enjoy!

I love making these wreaths different for every season and even gifting them to friends and family. Can’t wait to see your beautiful rope wreaths.

The COWGIRL way has always had a do-it-yourself flair and the modern cowgirl is no different. The COWGIRL‘s DIY will bring you easy to follow western inspired D.I.Y.s for your home, stable and life. Follow along and share your completed COWGIRL DIYs!