Front Door Flower Basket How-To
I’ve talked to y’all before about my front door fetish, and how I’m kinda picky about having just the right kind of décor hanging on the front door. And you know you won’t see my house with a naked front door unless I’m somehow incapacitated while in the midst of changing out my seasonal wreaths. So, I know you’re not going to be surprised when I tell you why I had to replace my nice moss wreaths I showed you in this post.
I loved them. Really. But I found out after a few days that they were moody. I take full responsibility since I was the one who made them that way. It wasn’t the moss itself. That was great. It was what was on the inside. That tubing I used to make the wreath form turned out to have a weak personality. And as a result, I started noticing my wreaths begin to look more like ovals than circles. And I still have just enough OCD for that to drive me almost crazy.
I really did try to make the relationship work, but they were so whiny & constantly needing attention. I would walk by the front door and see this:
And that was on a good day. They were much more saggy at times. It got to where I had to rotate them every couple of days to even them out. I’m just not a fan of high maintenance décor. So, I decided that next time I make moss wreaths, I will use a much stronger form. But, as for these, they had to go.
So, I continued my recent trend of making friends with faux, I replaced the wonky moss wreaths with a couple of these…
And so far, I’m liking them. They’re a nice little touch of Spring after a long blah winter. And even if you’ve never made a wreath or arrangement before, you could do this. Easy.
For the basket, I started out with none other than these straw totes from the dollar section at Target. They’re only $2.50 each, and they work great for a front door basket.
I wanted mine to be a little French-flea market looking, so I gave it a quick brush-over with some white acrylic paint. You could paint it whatever color you like, or leave it natural.
Next, I folded the front handle into the tote and hot-glued it to the inside back of the tote so it would prevent the tote from flopping open once the flowers were in it.
Then, I was left with just a back handle sticking up which would serve as the hanger.
For the flowers, I used these 7 stems from Hobby Lobby (all 50% off this week).
Then, I just started layering. When I use faux stems, I usually just fold them to the length I need, rather than cutting. That way, I can re-use them later in other ways and it also helps to fill in the empty space in the bottom of the container.
After all the flowers were in, I added just a few twiggy sticks from my yard…
And for one last touch, I added one of my Chalkboard labels I told you about here. {**Stay tuned next week–I’ll be adding some sets of these to my blog shop for all of you non-DIYers!}
For these baskets, I tied on a little jute…
And then used hot glue to adhere them to the baskets!
And because I want them to speak French…
I hung them on the doors with my traditional ribbon hanging method (by stapling the ends of the ribbon to the top of the door), but that made them lean forward a little.
So, I added a little thumb tack stuck thru the back of the basket into the door. These shouldn’t have this problem if you hang them on a wreath hook.
And that’s it! You can easily make this basket for well under $20 if you shop for the flowers on sale. These would make great gifts for Easter, Mother’s Day or even May Day!
Hope you like them! I’m sharing them with a few of these friends,Southern Hospitality’s Door Decor Party, and Thrifty Decor Chick.
Diana @ AnyoneCanDecorate
March 23, 2012 @ 1:55 am
Great Job… and cute too 🙂 I agree your green wreaths were looking saggy… these are much better 🙂
Diana
http://AnyoneCanDecorate.blogspot.com
NanaDiana
March 23, 2012 @ 2:16 am
Very, Very pretty..and to tell you the truth I like them a lot better than the moss wreaths. Much more Spring! Hope you have a good night- xo Diana
Renewed Upon a Dream
March 23, 2012 @ 2:53 am
Pretty! They turned out really nice. Great way to add some color to your front door decor!
Sharon @ Elizabeth & Co.
March 23, 2012 @ 3:25 am
Very pretty!
Peggy
March 23, 2012 @ 11:35 am
Julie,
I must admit I am very impressed with these! I absolutely love the jute bags!! So much so that I think I am going to run out to our Target as soon as it opens this morning as this is exactly what we need to replace our Easter baskets…. and afterwards I can use them for holding fabric scraps or small sewing projects which are often left out.
Gorgeous front door! But then I haven't seen anything on your front door that I haven't loved! 🙂
Just Simply Live
March 23, 2012 @ 3:37 pm
Those are soooo adorable. Great idea.
Stephen/Melissa
March 23, 2012 @ 4:21 pm
I love reading your blog every day – you have such cute ideas! But if you want your baskets to TRULY speak French, then they should say, "Les fleurs," since all French nouns are accompanied by articles. :o) I have now been inspired to perk up my door with some French springiness.
Julie
March 23, 2012 @ 5:44 pm
Ahh! Thank you! I need to get back to Paris so I can get a better grasp on the French language!
Chessa @ Antsi-Pants
March 24, 2012 @ 1:57 pm
You are so creative! I love all the different ideas you used to make this look come together. And I love your front doors-beautiful!
Mel
March 24, 2012 @ 8:39 pm
Wow, something this simple became absolutely adorable! I found & started reading your blog last night and was up until 3am. After sleeping in (of course) I am back at it. I am a new follower and can't wait to keep up on all your inspiring creations.
Mel
craftymeldesigns
Karen
March 25, 2012 @ 11:12 am
Really pretty and very unique. Well done! God bless x
Heather
March 25, 2012 @ 3:25 pm
Oh my goodness, I love these! I've seen those baskets at Target…I am hoping they still have them at mine so I could steal your idea. My front door needs some "spring" added to it! Thanks so much for sharing!
live by the sun, luv by the moon
March 27, 2012 @ 3:16 pm
Coming to you via Southern Hospitality! Love the straw totes! And what a super cute idea for little chalkboard tags!
Laura Ingalls Gunn
March 27, 2012 @ 3:56 pm
Oh my, take a bow!
You've put a "spring" in my step with your creative loveliness.
Have a blessed day!
Claire
March 27, 2012 @ 11:33 pm
I adore your "french" door-the baskets are the perfect accent for spring!!
jade
March 30, 2012 @ 6:02 pm
Thank you for sharing this. I just made one and all I had to buy was the basket from Target. What a great way to reuse flowers I already had. Perfect for a front door!!!
Best,
Jennifer
Funky Junk Interiors
April 14, 2012 @ 6:49 pm
So adorable! I love the chalk board accent as well. Perfect!!
Shared this on FJI Facebook and pinned for SNS 129. 🙂
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150770743621141&set=a.192514281140.164586.175378011140&type=1&theater
Donna
" SHABBY JUNK"
April 14, 2012 @ 7:00 pm
Very cute!
Kristi @ Addicted 2 Decorating
April 14, 2012 @ 7:48 pm
Love this idea! So simple and beautiful. I always love seeing pretty alternatives to wreaths.
Saira Malik
September 14, 2012 @ 6:38 am
what a beautiful arrangment..Thanks for the great tutorial; it is so easy to follow! Great post!
Send gifts to pakistan
Tammy L Guseman
April 6, 2021 @ 9:36 am
Don’t the flowers fall out with wind, etc.??
Julie
April 9, 2021 @ 10:51 am
Mine did not–maybe because my porch is under cover. If the stems are long enough and there are enough of them, the flowers should be fine. You could also use floral foam as well.