With Thanksgiving coming up, I thought I’d share the bountiful cornucopia wreath I made as a hostess gift. After all, ’tis the season for being grateful!

Sometimes project and design inspiration comes from an unexpected find.

While shopping for craft supplies at Michaels, I spotted it — a grapevine wreath ring with an incorporated cornucopia basket.

Initially, I was there looking for a few faux florals and leaf clusters to fill-in and finish the mesh and ribbon DIY Dollar Tree Pumpkin Truck Fall Wreath.

But then I discovered the grapevine wreath! I instantly knew it was a have-to-do project, and creative gears began spinning in my brain. So, I quickly grabbed one of only three forms off the rack and put it into the cart.

Right away I decided it’d make the perfect thank you gift for relatives who were hosting us at their lovely home in Northern Virginia. Because of the pandemic, it had been a very long 13 months since we’d seen each other. We were suppose to spend last Thanksgiving with them. So, I couldn’t be more happy and grateful to be together!

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Making a Bountiful Cornucopia Wreath

After grabbing more fall florals and materials, I headed right back to Dollar Tree for more reasonably priced craft supplies seen earlier that same day.

It was early August, and I know how fast things can disappear from Dollar Tree shelves. Even before the pandemic and supply chain issues, general fall decor and craft materials typically get squeezed out by retailers who prioritize Halloween and Christmas offerings.

Step 1: Gather Materials & Supplies

To begin, I laid out all the materials from both stores, outside on the covered back porch.

Since I was simultaneously working on both the cornucopia wreath and Pumpkin Truck Fall Wreath, I sorted what materials to incorporate into each project.

Here’s what went into the cornucopia wreath:

• Grapevine cornucopia wreath form (Michaels)
• Grape cluster (Michaels)
• Feathers (Michaels)
• Pumpkin pick & gourd (Michaels)
• Assorted faux florals (Michaels & Dollar Tree)
• Faux 5′ leaf garland (Dollar Tree)
• Faux leaf clusters (Dollar Tree)
• Orange 2 1/2″ wide wired ribbon (Dollar Tree)
• Cranberry check 2 1/2″ wired ribbon (Dollar Tree)
• Brown pipe cleaners
• Floral foam brick
• Spanish moss

Unless otherwise noted, some basic materials for the cornucopia wreath came from my craft stash. Tools included wire cutters, ruler, scissors, and glue gun with glue sticks.

Step 2: Prep Grapevine Form & Stems

First, I cut off most of the long stems from the florals.

Because I used some of the flower and leaf clusters in both wreath, I also clipped them into smaller, individual stems.

Now, I needed to figure out where the hanger should be positioned for the cornucopia wreath to properly balance. Using a dark brown pipe cleaner, I made a loop and attached it to the grapevine wreath base. Then I tried hanging the form on my kitchen door, before making a minor adjustment to the loop placement.

After that, I simply took the leaf garland and wrapped it around the upper section of the grapevine ring.

Step 3: Prep & Fill Basket

Now it was time to line the interior of the grapevine basket with moss — to hide the floral foam that I stuffed in next.

Floral foam provided the base that securely held the floral and pick stems in place. Finally, I topped off the opening with a thick layer of moss.

Step 4: Fill Cornucopia

Now for the fun part — filling and arranging the cornucopia with a combination of decorative elements.

Since the grapes and gourd didn’t already have a stem, I attached floral picks to each — as seen above. That allowed me to then secure them into the moss covered foam.

Filling in the cornucopia was more of an artistic process, similar to creating a floral arrangement. First into the basket were the the grape cluster, pumpkin and gourd.

Next, tall elements — like the feathers and cattails — were inserted upright into the foam, supported by the grapevine wreath form.

After that, I arranged different florals into the cornucopia, including small sunflowers. Extra leaves were used to fill any gaps and secured with glue.

Like the grape cluster, sprays of orange Amaranthus spill out of the basket. Pink Amaranthus were used in a similar way in the Charming Watering Can Wreath for Spring.

Step 5: Make Bow

To counterbalance the large basket floral arrangement, required a big bow at the top of the grapevine ring.

For the cornucopia wreath, I made a two-ribbon, ten-loop bow. As I spread and poofed the loops, leaves from the garland were into weaved into the bow.

Here’s the finished wreath hanging on my front door on a very sunny August day. Afterwards, I popped it into a large decorative bag ($1 at Marshall’s) to travel in the car.

Even though a horn of plenty is usually associated with Thanksgiving, I think the cornucopia wreath could be hung from September through the holiday. What do you think?

My sister-in-law chose to hang it on an interior door in her large open kitchen. Another gift I made her, Ladybug Wreath Bridges Seasons, hangs on her front door until September.

For more ideas, check out the Thanksgiving Horn of Plenty, and how to Craft Thanksgiving Bread Cornucopia & Pumpkin Rolls.

Both are two of my post popular fall posts.

More Fall Wreath Ideas

For more fall wreath ideas and inspiration, check out the two I made as housewarming gifts.

Modern Style, Fall Floral & Twig Wreath was made for my son’s new condo.

Or the more country style, DIY Dollar Tree Pumpkin Truck Fall Wreath, made for my cousin.

Grateful to See Family & Friends Again

We had a wonderful, long four-day weekend with hubby’s brother and his wife! The first evening we went to a county fair near the Manassas National Battlefield Park. There we witnessed our first ever demolition derby lol! My favorite part was seeing all the farm animals and contests.

We finished off the night sharing funnel cake. I love funnel cake! I don’t think I’ve had it since attending Friday night football games when our sons were in their high school drumline.

The next day, we went into Washington D.C. and explored a recently developed waterfront area and had lunch alfresco. The Wharf Marina is a mile-long neighborhood along the Washington Channel of the Potomac River.

Boaters enjoy easy access to shops, restaurants, cultural uses, hotels, music venues, free events and public areas including waterfront parks, promenades, piers, and docks. There’s all kinds of neat activities to enjoy, like this converted trailer that sells s’mores to enjoy by the nearby fire circle.

Back at their home, we were treated to specialty cocktails, delicious barbeque, and homemade fruit tart for dessert. Afterward, we played board games late into the evening, while listening to the sounds of bullfrogs and watching fireflies.

On Sunday, we stayed in our pajamas until 1 in the afternoon! They had prepared a fabulous brunch and we sat out on the covered porch over coffee, watching the humming birds — talking, laughing, teasing and just enjoying each others company.

From Dancing Queen to Queen of Theme

Late that afternoon we headed out to pick up supplies and hoagies, enroute to Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts. We had tickets to see an ABBA Tribute Band in the architecturally stunning, open air Filene Center. Before the performance, we enjoyed a lovely picnic on the adjacent grounds, while watching a number of fans dressed in 1970-80’s and ABBA lookalike attire.

I was an “only 17, dancing queen” myself back in the day! Literally 17 when the song hit the charts. Long before Momma Mia was a Broadway and movie hit, I was a huge fan with all the albums playing in my college dorm room.

We had front row seats in the first balcony to experience the show. I loved singing along with many ABBA favorites. It was a blast!

Wolf Trap’s 117-acre park is a majestic setting for over 100 performances across all genres every summer. It also includes the charmingly intimate Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods.

Have you ever been to Wolf Trap? It was my third time, having gone previously when I lived in nearby Fairfax. On both those occasions, we had lawn seats and brought bottles of wine and picnic dinners. First was to see Camelot with legendary Richard Harris as King Arthur. Amazing! Hubby and I were dating long distance when we later saw Chorus Line — “one singular sensation!”

Now we hope to make going to Wolf Trap an annual tradition.

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