DIY: Baby Shower Diaper Wreath

I love having a diaper wreath on the front door when I host baby showers!  I think diaper wreaths are so cute and a great way to greet guests and introduce the color scheme or theme of the shower!  I made this diaper wreath for my friend Erin's baby shower which is coming up later this month.  The wreath is navy and bright green to match the colors of her baby's nursery, as well as the theme of the baby shower. 

Here's how to make one of your own.  You can buy all of the supplies except the diapers at Hobby Lobby.

Supplies:

1 package diapers (I recommend Pampers Swaddlers**)
1 wire wreath frame
1 pair scissors
1 roll 1 1/2" wide decorative ribbon
1 roll 3/8" wide solid-colored ribbon
1 hot glue gun
1 wood decoration (I used an alligator)
1 wood letter in the baby's first initial
1 can spray paint (not pictured)
1 pencil
1 piece scrapbook paper
1 foam paintbrush
1 jar Modge Podge

**I opened a package of Pampers Baby Dry diapers and realized they are light blue, not white, so I switched to Pampers Swaddlers.  Make sure the diapers you buy are white!

Directions:

Diaper Wreath:

1.  Wrap a diaper around the wire wreath frame, with the 2 ends of the diaper pointing out.  Make sure the back of the diaper is facing forwards so that the printed design on the diaper is hidden.

 

2.  Use a 16-18" length of 3/8" ribbon to tie a bow around the diaper to secure it to the wreath frame.

3.  Repeat steps 1 and 2 all the way around the wreath frame, leaving a little bit of space between the diapers.

 

 

4.  Once you have done the first layer of diapers, go back around and add another diaper in between each pair of diapers to form a second "layer".  Make sure that the new diaper overlaps each of the existing diapers to fully hide the wire wreath frame.  Secure by tying a bow of 3/8" ribbon.

5.  Repeat step 4 all the way around the wreath frame.  I used a total of 24 diapers for this wreath, but the number of diapers required may vary if you use a smaller or larger wreath frame.

6.  Take the roll of 1 1/2" ribbon and weave it through the second (top) diaper layer -- the ribbon should go on top of the first layer of diapers (so it is showing) and under the second layer of diapers (so it is not showing). 
7.  Tie a bow at the top of the wreath with the 2 loose ends of the 1 1/2" ribbon.

8.  Tie a length of 3/8" ribbon from the top to hang the wood letter (see directions below).
9.  Use a hot glue gun to glue the wood decoration (the alligator, in this case), to the diapers at the bottom of the wreath.  I tried to glue it to only one diaper so the other diapers are use-able, if the guest of honor wants to take apart the wreath and use the diapers.

 

 

Wood Initial Letter:

1.  Using a pencil, trace the outline of the wood letter on the scrapbook paper.  Carefully cut out the letter with scissors and set aside.
2.  In a well ventilated area, spray paint the back and sides of the wood letter.  I used white spray paint. You don't need to paint the front of the letter since it will be covered in scrapbook paper.

3.  When the spray paint is dry, use a foam paintbrush to brush a thin layer of Modge Podge on the front of the wood letter.  Quickly adhere the scrapbook paper cutout to the front of the wood letter, smoothing out any air bubbles.

4.  Use the foam paintbrush to brush a thin layer of Modge Podge on the scrapbook paper to give it a hard and durable top coat