How to Assemble Your Fourth of July Wreath Kit

Here's how to put together your Fourth of July wreath. It comes as a kit, so everything you need is in the box. Let's get into it.

Everything comes in the kit:

• A metal wire frame with pipe cleaners already attached
• Three bundles of longer mesh (4 pieces each) for the outer ring
• Three bundles of shorter mesh (3 pieces each) for the inner ring
• Three stars with fishing line attached
• 11 pre-cut ribbons (these might vary in pattern from what I'm showing, but they'll all coordinate)
• A piece of wire for the hanger

Tools you don't need but help:

• Needle nose pliers
• Wire cutters

I'll show you how to do it both ways.

Step 1: Understand the frame

Look at your wire frame. You'll see pipe cleaners sticking out everywhere. There are 12 on the outer ring and 9 on the inner ring. The pipe cleaners are color-coded to match your mesh, so a blue pipe cleaner gets blue mesh.

Step 2: Prep your mesh

Separate your mesh bundles. You've got two sets of each color — one set has four longer pieces for the outside, the other has three shorter pieces for the inside.

Pull them apart and scrunch each piece. I like to gather the mesh at the bottom so it stays rolled under a bit. Pinch it in the middle.

Step 3: Attach the mesh

Take your first piece of mesh. Pinch it in the middle, bring it to the matching pipe cleaner, and twist the pipe cleaner around the mesh. That's it.

The mesh will catch on itself. That's normal. It might also catch on your clothes. Just spread it out and keep going.

Don't worry if it looks bunched up or messy. You'll finesse everything at the end.

Step 4: Work the outer ring

Start with your longer mesh pieces. Pick a color — I started with blue — and attach them to the matching pipe cleaners around the outside. You have 12 spots and 12 pieces for the outer ring, so you'll fill every one.

Sometimes a strand or two will pull loose from the mesh. Don't freak out. It won't unravel. It's normal.

Step 5: Work the inner ring

Now grab your shorter pieces. Same deal — match the color to the pipe cleaner, pinch, twist.

I know it might bother you if you end up putting a blue next to a blue. It bothered me when I first started making wreaths. But here's the thing — once you add all the ribbon, you won't even notice. The ribbon adds so much color and texture that the mesh just becomes a background. Trust the process.

Step 6: Leave the pipe cleaners up

When you're done attaching mesh, leave the pipe cleaners sticking up. You'll use them to attach the ribbon.

Step 7: Add your ribbon

You've got 11 pre-cut ribbons. Mix and match them however you want. Attach them to the pipe cleaners the same way you did the mesh — pinch the ribbon in the middle, wrap the pipe cleaner around it, twist.

Step 8: Attach the stars

Your stars already have fishing line on them. Tie them onto the wreath wherever looks good.

Step 9: Add the hanger

Take that little piece of wire and make a loop on the back of the frame. If you have wire cutters and pliers, this is where they come in handy. If not, you can twist it by hand — it just takes a little more effort.

Step 10: Fluff everything

Now go back and fluff your mesh and ribbon. Spread it out, adjust the angles, make it look full. This is where you can fix anything that looks off.