Day of the Dead Holiday Wreath Transformation
I am a huge fan of Halloween and usually go all out with my holiday decor. When I decided to host a party for Dia de los Muertos I needed to upgrade some of my standard Halloween fare. This Day of the Dead Holiday Wreath Transformation smoothly transitions your existing Halloween decor for the Mexican holiday that's intrigued the nation. We are eagerly awaiting the Coco movie release. Even though Halloween is over you can use what you've got to host a fabulous Coco party with these tips!
The starting place…last year's Halloween mantel. My wreath is the focal point and I knew it needed an upgrade for Day of the Dead.
Day of the Dead Holiday Wreath Supplies
If you are starting from scratch it's a great idea to make the wreath play double duty if you want to use it for Halloween after your Day of the Dead or Coco parties are over. Gather a few materials and make {or transform} your wreath with me!
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- 2 Halloween garlands: Michaels {This isn't the same garland but would make a great wreath!}
- Bag of bones: Oriental Trading
- Black Roses: Dollar Tree {seasonal, start looking for Halloween in late August/early September}
- Black Ravens: Dollar Tree {seasonal, start looking for Halloween in late August/early September}
- Variety of silk flowers in bright colors: Dollar Tree
- 19″ Wire wreath form: Michaels
- Aluminum wire: Home Depot
Create a Wreath Base
This is the Halloween base. I created it quickly by wrapping the garlands to create the circle and added all the details. It worked pretty well but start sagging the next year, the poor skull hanging at a sad angle. If you're going to make a wreath the RIGHT way I recommend using a real form. It doesn't have to be complicated or expensive. 
I found this simple 19″ metal hoop on sale at Michael's and it was the perfect size. For less than $4 I gave my wreath a structural foundation that will keep it looking fresh for many years to come.
The 2nd structural fix was to use aluminum wire to tie everything together. I love this stuff! It's easy to cut, light weight and soft enough to wrap but strong enough to hold tight.
It was quite the upgrade from the wired twine I previously used! {what was I thinking!?} I made this wreath quickly from materials I had available. It totally worked that first year but then started to fall apart last year. If you are going to take the time to make something, you might as well do it right the first time. You don't save any time by fixing it later! Lesson learned.
Put a Bird on it!
Any Portlandia fans out there? I'm a big bird lover and use birds and feathers of some sort for nearly every holiday. For my details I laid the bones out using a wreath from Grandin Road as inspiration, and kept them in place with fishing line and hot glue. I love adding texture to the wreath with the tone on tone black birds and flowers.
Day of the Dead Wreath Transformation
Now for the fun part! All I did to make this an appropriate Day of the Dead holiday wreath was add brightly colored flowers! Seriously – how easy is that? I've learned that I can upgrade so much of my Halloween decor through florals alone. It takes it from creepy cool to bright and festive in a matter of minutes. 
If you want to remove the bright flowers later I'd recommend tying them in with wire and glue dots. If you love the look, which I do, go ahead with the hot glue gun. The most important pieces are the flowers in the eye sockets of the skull and a flower behind the “ear” or a flower crown. After that I grouped the flowers together in 3 areas for maximum impact. 
I enjoy giving older decor items new life with simple upgrades. I love how this Day of the Dead holiday wreath turned out. She's right at home on my mantel with a few new sugar skull friends just in time for a Coco movie viewing party! I'd love to see your DIY Day of the Dead decor. Share them with me on my Submission page and I just might feature your party in the future!
Additional Reading
- Dia de los Muertos Party Resources
- Sweet Sugar Skull Makeup Tutorial
- Coco Viewing Party Tips
- Day of the Dead Party Ideas – Michelle’s Party Plan-it
- Also check out our Black Cat party and Halloween decor series!
Until next time,
I love the colors! It looks awesome 🙂 pinned to my Halloween board so I can copy next year 🙂