Wreath Making 101
Express your creativity by making you own wreath. I've been doing it for years. Here are some of my creations to inspire and to help you come up with your own hand made wreaths.
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Making a wreath with a wire hanger.
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There's no need to buy an expensive wreath when you can make your own using garden greenery, a wire coat hanger, or if you want to go all out - a vine wreath.
Gather the greenery.
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Use hand pruners to cut evergreen branches from pines, spruce, yews, cedars, evergreen magnolias, English ivy, Japanese spurge. Look around the garden for hydrangea flowers, pine cones, berries, funky seed heads and anything else that's looking good. Need more? Visit your local garden centre for festive branches. Spray paint works wonders to add some glitz. Although gold and silver paint are popular, consider black, white, purple paint or even different shades of green.
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Gather scissors, ribbon, wire cutters, a glue gun with glue sticks and thin wire. I like paddle wire as you can easily wrap it around the greenery. A finger bowl full of icy water is an essential tool when using a hot glue gun. It quickly cools off burned fingers and reduces the subsequent cursing that follows. Although wreath making is a fun and easy craft, it is messy so I suggest doing this outside, in the garage or car port.
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It's going to get messy. My workspace is under the carport.
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What You Need
Either buy a vine wreath or make one from woody vines wrapped in a circle.
Bend a coat hanger into a circle to make the frame.
Paddle wire is thin and easy to maneuver around branches and pine cones.
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Spray painted foliage and hydrangea flowers adds some glitz.
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Visit garden centres for their selection of evergreen magnolia and other festive stems.
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Wire Wreath #1
A wire coat hanger is covered with yew leaves with some baubles
Wire Coat Hanger Wreath: Bend the hanger into a circle or a square. Attach the evergreen branches by wrapping the wire around both the hanger and the stems. Completely cover the coat hanger so it is not visible.
Cut short stems to cover the wire frame.
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Once the yew stems were attached the entire wreath was lightly sprayed with gold paint.
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Use a hot glue gun to add faux red berries and other baubles
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Stems of silver leaves are cut and added inbetween the red berries.
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This wreath can be hung so the berries are on the top, either side or the bottom.
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WIRE WREATH #2
Attach bunches of different greenery to wire frames with paddle wire.
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Cover the wire hanger with the greenery.
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Attach pine cones with wire or a hot glue gun.
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Hot glue or wire on some pinecones.
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Faux frosted English ivy is glued into the flora.
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A big green & gold bow is the finishing touch.
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WIRE WREATH #3
Cedar, yew & juniper branches were wired onto the wire hanger with paddle wire.
Mix in faux accents to your wreath.
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Blue-green juniper stems match the faux silver ivy leaves.
A berry garland from the dollar store provided lots of berries.
A wee Christmas toque was the finishing touch to this wreath.
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Vine Wreath #1
A purple feather boa works well with black spray painted hydrangeas.
Vine Wreaths: Vine wreaths don't need much adornment as they are attractive in their own right, especially when compared to a wire coat hanger! It's easy to add the greenery; just tuck sprigs inbetween the intertwined woody vine stems or feel free to use a glue gun.
Hot glue them into place.
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Insert stems into the wreath if you don't want to use a glue gun.
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There's no need to cover the entire frame with greenery.
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A hydrangea sprayed with black paint.
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Using wire cutters, snip off individual branches from faux silver foliage.
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Silver stems were added to the yew foliage that had been spray painted black.
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A purple feather boa adds colour and texture.
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A purple ornament is attached with a black ribbon.
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Sparkly battery operated lights are added.
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VINE WREATH #2
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Hydrangeas, cedar boughs, and rosemary branches are the flora in this vine wreath.
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Faux crystallized fruit and green marbled pears are nestled among green satin & burlap ribbon.
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VINE WREATH #3
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Yew and cedar branches intertwine with English ivy and colourful rose hips. Frosted pine cones from the dollar store are wired on.
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Battery operated lights finish off this simple wreath.
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