Unique Spin on a Halloween Door Wreath

I love, love, love Halloween.  I love seeing the crazy costumes the kids get dressed up in. I love hearing the doorbell ring every five minutes with pumpkins or bags held out for candy.  And I especially love decorating for Halloween.  Unfortunately, this year, I ran out of time to string the black and orange lights and hang the cheesecloth ghosts from the tree branches, but I did manage to DIY one cool Halloween decoration for my front door. I was inspired by some ideas on Pinterest to make a Halloween picture frame wreath.  I also pinned a few other Halloween ideas while I was searching for wreaths, you can find them here.

Since this wreath is going to hang outside during our unpredictable fall weather, I opted to use prefinished polystyrene decorative moulding because it’s moisture resistant so it won’t rot or mold. You can pick some up at Lowe’s or Home Depot.  And you can get as fancy or creative as you want because they have a lot of different profiles and styles to choose from. I wanted mine to be fairly simple, so I went with an 8’ x 4-1/2” piece standard wall base moulding. Mine is a 2’ x 2’ wreath, but you can make yours any size you want.  Here is how I made my Halloween picture frame door wreath:

You’ll need:

• Wood glue
  
• Brad or nail gun
• Skill saw
• miter box saw
• L-shaped corner braces with small screws
• hanging mechanism
• spray paint

Step 1:  Using your miter box saw, measure a 45 degree angle at one end of your moulding. Because I wasn’t going to put a picture or glass in the frame, I didn’t have to worry about inside measurements. Go ahead and cut the other side.  Make sure you cut your angle in the opposite direction.

Step 2:  Next, cut your next 45 degree angle piece. Repeat this step until you have all 4 pieces.

Step 3:  Smooth the edges of each piece by gently sanding. Lay the pieces together and make sure they are flush with each other.

Step 4:  Glue the ends of each piece together with wood glue. I used small wood clamps to clamp together overnight as it dried.

Step 5:  Once the glue is dry, attach L-shaped corner braces to reinforce your joints.

Step 6:  Paint the frame. I used Interior/Exteriors Valspar Black Satin spray paint.

Step 7:  Here is the fun part!  Decorate with ghoulish appliques, bows, spider webs, whatever you want!

Voila!  You’re ready to hang your Halloween picture frame wreath!  Please share your Halloween decorating ideas.  It’s always inspiring to see new ways to spook up your home!