In ancient Greece, laurel wreaths were placed upon the head of someone that demonstrated valor in battle or victory during a contest. It has also been associated with the Olympics for centuries. Today, however, it serves as a reminder of times gone by as an adornment for costumes both in the theater as well as during Halloween. When you need a laurel wreath for any reason, it’s important to embrace nature as the headpiece depicts the best mother nature has to offer. As shown here, however, there’s no reason you can’t get creative.
Project 1 – How to Make a Laurel Wreath Headband With Paper
Image Source: Pinterest
You don’t need a laurel plant in your backyard for this version since card stock will serve the purpose with very little cost. It’s the perfection option for a costume or Olympics party.
What You Need
- White card stock;
- Gold, thick gauged wire;
- Gold spray paint;
- 2 sheets of parchment paper;
- Scissors;
- Wire cutters;
- Hot glue gun and rods;
- Pencil and pen or thin marker.
Step-by-Step
- Create a laurel leaf pattern making sure your leaves are similar in size.
- Transfer the pattern onto card stock so you end up with about 40 leaves. The total number of leaves needed will depend on the size of the finished headband.
- Use the pen to draw leaf veins down the front and back of each leaf (These do not have to be perfect since they aren’t in nature either).
- In a well-ventilated space, place the parchment paper on a table. Lay out the leaves so they don’t touch each other. Spray the leaves gold on the front and back making sure that the veins can still be seen. You can touch up the veins after they dry if needed.
- Curve the wire into a headband that will fit the wearer and cut the end. It should not go all the way around but most of the way. Note: For babies and toddlers, having the wire form a complete loop then combing hair over the wire not covered in leaves will help it stay on.
- Place parchment paper onto a different table.
- Make 2 piles of leaves, one for each side of the headband with a few left over for the back.
- Glue the leaves in pairs making a “V” shape with the points of the leaves facing toward the front.
- Working quickly, glue each pair of leaves onto the headband beginning at the front on one side and stopping at the center back. The leaf clusters should face forward and overlap slightly.
- Do the other side the same way.
- At the back of the headband, glue single leaves in various positions including up and down to cover where the leaf pairs meet and overlap them slightly as you glue them to the wire.
Project 2 – How to Make a Laurel Wreath Headband Out of Plastic Spoons
Here’s a cleaver twist that also allows you to use those old plastic spoons you’re not sure what to do with.
What You Need
- Plastic spoons (the number needed depends on the size of the wearer’s head);
- Hot glue gun and rods;
- Green or gold spray paint (optional);
- 2 sheets of parchment paper;
- A string the size of the finished headband;
- Scissors;
- Hair dryer.
Step-by-Step
Note: Plastic spoons can be purchased in the color of choice so steps 1-2 can be skipped if you elect to purchased colored plastic spoons. If you are using white ones you can paint them any color you want with spray paint. We suggest gold or green for a more authentic look.
- Place a sheet of parchment paper in a well-ventilated place.
- Lay out the spoons so they don’t touch each other and spray the front and back of each. Note: Allow the paint to dry thoroughly before proceeding.
- Place parchment paper on a table where you’ll work on the project.
- Use the string to measure the head of the wearer and cut it.
- Divide the spoons in half.
- Place a dot of glue where the handle meets the scoop at the neck as well as at the very end then quickly place the back of the scoop of the 2nd spoon as well as handle on top of the glue. Note: Be sure that as you work placement of the spoons are consistent.
- Continue working until you get to the halfway point of the headband. The string that measured the size of the headband will show you where the center back will be.
- Do the other side the same way.
- To connect the two halves, add a strip of glue to the base of the handle on the left and quickly place the handles for the other half of the headband on top.
- Place the finished headband around an object the size of the string (such as a 3 lb. coffee can) being sure to leave 3″-4″ at the front open.
- Use the hair dryer to slightly heat the spoon handles so they’ll bend around the circular object. Note: The hair dryer will melt the spoons so be careful of how much direct heat you apply to a single area. It’s better to wave the hair dryer back and forth while using a low setting so the spoons are only exposed to indirect heat.
Project 3 – How to Make a Laurel Wreath Headband With Wire and Fallen Leaves
Fall is a great time to take advantage of the fact that you have so many dying leaves in your yard.
What You Need
- Heavy gauge wire;
- Jewelry wire;
- Wire cutters;
- Gold 2-sided card stock;
- Gold spray paint;
- Hot glue gun and rods;
- Leaves;
- Thin gold ribbon.
Step-by-Step
- Cut 2 lengths heavy gauge wire slightly shorter than the size required to fit the wearer.
- Twist them together to add strength and bend them into the shape of a headband.
- Cut a short length of jewelry wire about 6″ long and twist and bend it to make a limb and branches. Bend the wire in half then twist one wire around the other. Go up the limb a short way then branch off, fold the end a short way up and twist the wire around the branch on the way back down to the limb. Continue up the limb and branch off on the other side. Keep going until you almost run out of wire.
- The final step is to use your remaining wire to attach the limb to the headband. Make a sufficient number of limbs to go all the way across the headband but leave about an inch in-between each one. Once attached, the limbs and branches can be adjusted to best reflect nature.
- Cut enough small laurel leaves out of card stock so each branch will have one and fold each in half as you go.
- Glue 1-2 leaves, gold side up, to the end of each branch. Also run glue down the branches, limbs and across the headband. You want to coat everything in glue.
- Clean off any stringers of glue.
- Glue your collected leaves onto the branches. You want the glue covered wire to show so just space them out to create a visually attractive look.
- Spray paint both sides of leaves, card stock, headband and branches.
- Once dry, carefully take the ribbon and tie it to the ends of the wire to ensure the headband will remain secure when donned. Just remember that at this point the headband is extremely fragile due to the fact you’re using dead leaves.
Note: An alternative is to use fake leaves instead of real ones. They will be less fragile.
Project 4 – How To Make a Laurel Wreath Headband With Living Plants
Image Source: Pinterest
There’s something to be said for taking advantage of the beauty of nature when deciding on the best hair adornments. The best part is that any plant that has flexible vines or branches will work. Ivy, weeping willow, olive branches and, of course, laurel are all good options. For this project, we’ll refer to whatever you choose to use as a vine.
What You Need
- A length of vine or branches 6″ longer than the circumference of the wearer’s head that still has the leaves;
- Gardner’s shears;
- Accessories such as jewels, baby’s breath, small berries, pearls or anything else that might enhance the look;
- Glue gun and rods;
- Florist wire.
Step-by-Step
- Cut 2 lengths of vine 6″ longer than the wearer’s head (depending on the size of the person the headband is for).
- Make a circle large enough for the wearer and twist the remaining length of vine around the part that makes the circle.
- Place the wreath on parchment paper and seal the twisted ends with glue.
- Take the 2nd vine and twist it around the first. This will make it more secure.
- Secure the ends to the first wreath with glue.
- Add any adornments desired using the glue gun or florist wire to secure them.
Project 5 – How to Make a Laurel Wreath Headband With Soda Cans
There’s nothing wrong with modernizing an ancient look nor is there anything wrong with saving a little money while you do it. This is a great option for girls and young women that want a new-old look that’s quickly becoming a trend.
What You Need
- An inexpensive narrow headband (plastic works great);
- Gold spray paint;
- Several empty soda cans;
- Metal nippers (they look like scissors but are made for metal);
- Hot glue gun and rods;
- Florist wire;
- An ice pick or other sharp tool;
- Small hammer;
- Small block of wood;
- 2 sheets of parchment paper;
- Pencil or pen.
Step-by-Step
- Place parchment paper on a table in a well-ventilated space.
- Spray the headband gold all the way around but then don’t touch it until it’s had a chance to dry.
- Cut off the top and bottom of a soda can then cut the sides of the can into strips 1-1/2″ wide.
- Mark the shape of laurel leaves onto the back of the can strips and cut them out.
- Use the sharp tool to score the back of each leaf with veins. Be careful not to score it all the way through. You won’t be able to see the veins on the front, but should be able to feel them.
- Curl each leaf slightly toward the back.
- Spray the front and back of each leaf gold.
- Poke a hole at the base of each leaf using the sharp tool, hammer and block.
- Run a short piece of wire through the hole in the leaf.
- Put a dot of glue on the back of the leaf at the base and a second dot at the tip.
- Press the leaf onto headband at the highest-most point where the leaves will begin.
- Wrap the wire around the headband twisting it at the back.
- Trim the wire and spread it flat against the back of the headband.
- Put a dot of glue over the end of the wire so it doesn’t scratch your head.
- Continue adding leaves the same way with glue and wire in a “V” pattern. Be sure and stop prior to getting too close to where the band touches the back of the ear.
Note: This 1/2 laurel headband also looks great when adorned with sparkles, jewels and beads.
Summing Up
It’s not that difficult to learn how to make a laurel wreath headband and can be relatively inexpensive, especially when using the things that are all around you. Recycled materials as well as the gifts from nature can all become part of a hair adornment that’s really unique and spectacular.