The perfect holiday wreath

Creating the perfect holiday wreath is a lovely way to bring the outdoors in and at the same time, welcome your guests and make your home feel festive at Christmastime. Once you get the technique down, it’s a simple process. After the holidays,  remove the existing greens and add your choice of seasonal components.  Read on for tips and tricks to create the perfect holiday wreath!

DIY | The perfect holiday wreath

Items you may need:

• scissors
• grapevine wreath
• twine
• wire
• craft glue
• pine cones
• dried orange slices
• Bells

Fresh foliage

Start by gathering simple greens such as eucalyptus, pine, and olive leaf branches.  Dried flowers add a delicate touch and sugar pinecones will add texture to your wreath.  Add two or three types of greenery plus one or two different blooms to use as a focal point.

Set up a work space

Given the rainy, cold weather, my work space was my kitchen island.  Set up a drop cloth if you need to.  You’ll need floral scissors or clippers, a grapevine wreath for the base, dark green or brown floral wire, and you might also need floral adhesive.  All of these items can be found at your local gardening store or can be ordered on line for quick delivery.

Assembling your wreath

Cut wire into 3 or 4 inch pieces and set aside.  There are different ways of going about doing this.  I made small bouquets with what I had and then used that as a guide for placement on the grapevine.  Start with the base foliage, mine was the longer pine branches.  Pin the greens down with the wire and twist around the wreath.  If you are adding pinecones, secure them at the base and add the wreath. Try grouping together in a small bunch and placing clockwise and counter-clockwise on the wreath giving the appearance that your greens are growing outwards rather than being pressed down into the wreath. Use small dried flowers or moss to hide the floral wire.

Notes:

Use extra greens to make bouquets for your holiday table.  Hang your wreath as is or add a silk or velvet bow.