When I styled this Kentucky Derby Bridal Shower, I knew I wanted a statement piece for the backdrop. I had recently seen a tutorial for a beautiful coffee filter wreath, and thought it would look great in a horseshoe shape in my color palette. Gorgeous, right? Here is a close up of the flowers. Yup, those were once plain white coffee filters. I was so happy with how beautiful it turned out! Now, let’s walk through how to make it.
Coffee Filter Wreath Tutorial
Supplies Needed:
- 100-200 white coffee filters
- acrylic paint
- clothespins (approx. 30)
- paintbrush, 2″ wide
- scissors
- paper towels
- paper plates
- twine
- glass with a little water
- 2.5″ wide masking tape
1. First, add a little paint into the glass that has a small amount of water. You are basically making a watercolor. The more paint you add, the stronger the color. Add paint and stir until you get the desired color. Place 1-2 paper towels down, with one coffee filter on top, and paint the filter. You want it saturated, but not dripping. For this project, a little water goes a long way, so don’t fill your glass high. My paint colors were lime green, purple, grape taffy (lilac), and a touch of dark grey to achieve the dark plum color. You can use any acrylic paint, but these were some I picked up at the local craft store for about a dollar. 2. Hang twine like a long “clothesline”. As you finish painting each filter, hang with a clothespin on the twine. They take about 15-20 minutes to dry (depending on how wet they were, which is why I have them on a paper towel while painting). Using 2 strings of twine will make this process go much quicker, trust me on this. ;) 3. After they are all fully dry, sort them in piles by colors. Now we are going to make the actual flowers. 4. Fold three filters together at a time, in half once, then in half again. Cut the outer edge in a scalloped pattern as shown below. Then cut the inner part in a curve, about an inch in from the point, so that when they are unfolded you have a circle. Before you cut them all, fully finish one of them to make sure your cuts are the correct size! 5. This is what the filter will look like when unfolded. Cut a long piece of tape approximately 30 inches. Take one of your circles and twist it like a figure 8. Place it halfway off the tape, and at the beginning of the piece of tape. Place all 3 of your circles. 6. Now, take one of the long pieces and stick it near the very top of your tape, pushing and pinching small sections at a time to create a “ruffled look.” When you are done with one piece, start the second and third pieces immediately following the last piece. Note: The longer you make these, the larger your flowers will be. So play around with them, making them bigger and smaller like I did. For example, you may only want to use 2 strips in one, but 4 in another. 7. Now here is the tricky part. Start rolling your tape onto itself, the sticky part towards the inside. The first three “figure 8” pieces will form the middle part of the flower. Continue rolling the tape around and around, sticking the tape as close to the top as you can until you get to the end. Note: If you roll it too low, then the middle of the flower will get higher and higher and not look right. If this happens, just unroll it again and reposition it. It took me a few tries to get the hang of it. Then the process went much quicker after I found my groove. TIP: Rolling the flowers looser or tighter will give them a different look, so don’t be afraid to experiment! 8. After you have finished all of your flowers, trim the bottom tape off so there is just a flat nub left, then hot glue each one onto your wreath.
The finished Coffee Filter Wreath for my Kentucky Derby Party!
This was my final setup for my Kentucky Derby Bridal Shower with the wreath as the backdrop. I created this entire styled party in just a week, which included making the wreath, designing all of the printables, making the cupcake “grandstands”, cake, and decor. This was also the first time I shot and edited all the photos myself. I am pretty proud of this party. :) I hope you’ve enjoyed this tutorial and will share some amazing things you come up with! Now that we are in our new house, I just might have to create another one!
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Ariel says
What did you use as the actual wreath
Katie Farmer says
The back of the wreath, to hold the flowers? It was just a cardboard box I freehand cut into a horseshoe shape.