Holiday Wreath Making DIY

This year, more than ever, I have felt in the Christmas spirit and I couldn’t help but indulge myself. I always think it’s nice to have a project that doesn’t require having to run to the store to pick up supplies (unless you need floral wire) and so if you have a few minutes to go out for a walk by yourself or with a friend, bundle up, pack yourself some clippers and a basket or bag and get some fresh air and get clipping!

I like to be on the lookout for different colours and textures to give it a little variety.

Because I couldn’t find the traditional wreath form that my mom always used when we were growing up, like this, and I wasn’t so enticed by the tiny sized straw forms I saw in stores around France, I decided I’d instead transform an old wire hanger since I’m happy to limit the population of them in our house as it is. I used some blunt-nosed pliers to try and remove the sharp bends as best as I could and then folded over and trimmed off the top. 

Once you’ve got your form ready, you can begin to attach your greenery. We have a nice large table to work on and I like to cover it with newspaper, or in this case kraft paper, so you don’t get any sap on the table, and it makes cleanup much easier! I start with one or two branches and twist the end of the floral wire around these like a twist tie and then 2-3 loops around before attaching the next piece, trimming any unruly branch ends as I go but never cutting the wire unless I absolutely have to until I’m done. Then afterwards if you see any spots that look like they could use a little fill or some extra berries then you can try and attach them with short lengths of floral wire. I threaded the wire around the base of my pinecones and made a little grouping attaching them to the wreath at the very end when I decided how I wanted to display it but you could also put small threaded hooks into the base of each cone and attach those to the floral wire if you prefer. I’m all for using what you have on hand and making it easy. Alternatively, you could add some festive touches with little ornaments you have on hand or a pretty ribbon instead of, or along with the cones.

How do you like your wreath? Natural or with a pop of colour?