Holiday home decor on a budget

A rag wreath can be as cheap as FREE, can be done while watching a holiday special and only requires a minimal amount of spatial awareness. You can make one for any holiday or season in about 2 hours and reuse it year after year.

What you need

• Wreath frame. The free version of this is an old wire hanger bent into a circle. If you are willing to part with $5, search the internet or your local dollar establishment for a legitimate wreath frame like the one in our video. The multiple wire rings create a fuller, more luxurious wreath
• 2 to 3 yards of fabric. You might have what you need laying around the house: try old bed sheets or men’s flannel or dress shirts (plaid is so festive!) if you don’t have a craft room filled with bargain fabric. Or shell out a few bucks for new fabric and ribbon from a craft store. Mix solids and patterns for a shabby chic feel. Just make sure to use fabric with a little natural stiffness to it, like cotton or polyester broadcloth. Silky fabrics will just look wilty and sad
• Scissors
• A ruler

What to do

1. Prepare your fabric. Cut or tear it into strips about 1.5 inches by 9 inches long (they don’t have to be super even and regular). Pro tip: Cotton and similar fabrics tear in straight lines. Snip into your fabric every 1.5 inches, grab either side of the cut, then tear away. Cut the long strips into shorter ones of about 9 inches.
2. Decide on a design. If you are mixing fabrics and/or ribbon, how do you want to combine them? You could alternate colors, mix them randomly, or create a complicated pattern. The possibilities are endless.
3. Add rag strips to wreath. Fold a fabric strip in half to make a loop, thread it behind a ring of the wreath frame, then pull the ends of the strip over the wire and through the loop. Pull tight and smooth the ends away from the wreath frame. Repeat this step until your wreath is full.