DIY Agate Slice Wreath

Yesterday I showed you a sneak peek of the Hello Holiday guide – did you spot my holiday DIY projects, like the DIY agate slice wreath?  I absolutely love this modern organic spin on a classic grapevine wreath.

How I came up with the idea for this DIY agate slice wreath is kind of a funny story.  Hubby and I were driving home one night and I was brainstorming wreath ideas, lazily scrolling Pinterest on my phone.  I joked that making wreaths seemed to be competition in gluing weird things to a wreath form.  We started naming really ridiculous things one could affix to a wreath and, all of a sudden, agate slices popped into my head!  You know I love rocks, gems, and minerals – I even have a whole Pinterest board devoted to them!  (My agate slice pendants and framed agate slices are
still very popular posts, so I know I’m not alone…)  Once I had the idea for this DIY agate slice wreath, I was fully committed!  We turned the truck around and hit up the craft store for a grapevine wreath and some wire, then I tracked down the perfect agate slices on Etsy.

DIY Agate Slice Wreath Supplies:

• Grapevine wreath (mine is 18″)
• Spray paint (optional)
• 10-12 agate slices (I bought mine from this seller, Amazon has multi-colour lots)
• 22 gauge wire
• Wire cutters
• Needle nose pliers

How to Make a DIY Agate Slice Wreath:

First I spray painted my wreath gold, but you can leave it natural.  I purchased 10 dyed agate slices from an Etsy seller and she helped me choose stones with a similar scale and colour.  They’re all between 2.5″ – 4″ (except the one bonus mini she sent me).

To affix the agate slices, I looped a piece of wire around one end of the agate, twisting it tightly at the back. You can do this by hand, but needle-nose pliers help.  Be careful not to over-twist as metal fatigue can cause the wire to snap.  If your wire has snapped a few times, upgrade to a lower gauge wire.  It will be a bit stiffer to work with, but will be stronger – especially good if you have little kiddos around who might be tempted to tug on the shiny agate slices.  (If you’re really committed to the look, you can also use glue instead of wire, but wire affords some flexibility because the wreath could be dissembled in the future).

Next I cut a second piece of wire and looped it around the other end of the agate slice, twisting it tightly as well.  With a loop at each end of the agate, I brought the tail ends of wire together at the back of the agate slice and twisted them together.

Then I simply twisted the wire on to the grapevine wreath and buried the tail.  I worked my way around the wreath, layering the agate slices for a natural look.  I love this DIY agate slice wreath because it works for all seasons!

P.S. Don’t Forget to Pin for Later!