Turn Dollar Tree Items Into Whimsical Hanging Front Porch Decor

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Unlike any other place in our home, the iconic front porch is at once both public and private. It's a place where guests are welcomed, where you can wave to your neighbor, and where you can hold late-night conversations with a loved one. A nicely decorated porch makes it feel good to come home, and it's worth investing some effort to make it feel more inviting. 

Fortunately, you can DIY a lot of what you need, whether it's turning an old cardboard box into rustic front porch decor or making a cute outdoor lantern. One inspiring idea from Instagram creator ashleymariesavage is the perfect place to start. She turns a few Dollar Tree and craft items into whimsical hanging front porch decor, and it looks like it came from an expensive boutique.

There are several charming features of this DIY, but it's the 10-inch Crafters Square Wooden Bead Wreaths from Dollar Tree that frame the entire piece and give it that whimsical style. You'll need a round macrame hoop as the base and a hot glue gun to secure two of the wooden bead wreaths in place, creating an open sphere that will hold a candle above a floral arrangement. After it's assembled, you can hang it from your porch rafters or even set it on an end table, where it will add a fanciful Bohemian charm to your entry. Since it is made with inexpensive materials, it would make affordable decor for a spring party or even a wedding.

To make the frame of this whimsical porch hanging, you need two of the bead wreaths from Dollar Tree. Bend one of them slightly so it will nest inside the other. Space them out so that the porch hanging is symmetrical, then use hot glue to secure them at the top and bottom. Next, use hot glue to secure them to the macrame ring base.

With the wooden bead hoop sphere assembled, the creator attaches a piece of foam inside the sphere to support a silk or dried floral arrangement. She cuts the rounded ends off a Foam Crafting Ball from Dollar Tree for this purpose, but you could also use a White Foam Disk for this part of the DIY. The piece of foam also supports a wooden base that holds an LED candle.

Glue the wooden base to the top of the foam after arranging the florals around it. If you're having problems securing the foam using hot glue, you can try an adhesive like Hold the Foam that is designed for this purpose. The LED candle should also be glued in place, especially since this is a porch hanging, and wind can be an issue. After adding the floral arrangement and attaching a string or wire for hanging the finished result, you can repeat the process to make as many as you want.

There's an almost unlimited number of ways to customize this versatile DIY. For the hoops, beads, and base, you can keep the wood look or give your porch hanging some color, using anything from chalk paint to acrylics with a coat of polyurethane to make it weather-resistant. The wooden base and candle could also be optional, and instead, you could fill that space with more greenery and LED String Lights. In addition, you could also swap out the florals with pine sprigs and holly for the holidays. 

This hanging can work beautifully in different areas around your home. For example, a stuffed animal could take center stage in this whimsical hanging in place of the candle for a child's nursery. Or, if you're thinking of using this idea for weddings or parties, consider substituting the craft foam with a disk of floral foam and using real flowers and greenery. For a woodland look, try pinecones and evergreens, or use embellishments like seashells and driftwood for a coastal theme. Add ribbons, bows, and macrame, or hang objects like feathers to give it a dream catcher vibe. When you're finished with this DIY porch hanging, check out more affordable dollar tree DIYs that add style and curb appeal to your front porch.