Making a Christmas Wreath is not only fun – but you really can get creative with them and make them extremely unique. Here are instructions for making a traditional holly wreath. With these instructions, you will be able to get the basic idea of how wreaths are actually made, and you can then decide what to do to make your own holly wreath special – or go with an entirely different kind of wreath.
Materials:
- A 20 inch wreath – This can be a plain foam wreath, a wreath that already has the evergreens on it, or a twine wreath. For a traditional holly wreath, the ones with the evergreens already attached are ideal.
- 1.5 yards of ribbon – this can be plain red, plain green, or a red and black or red and green plaid. The ribbon should about 2.5 inches wide, and can be silk or felt. It’s your wreath!
- Pine cones – you will need about ten. Try to find ones that are well shaped and unbroken.
- Pomegranates – six dried pomegranates will do. Don’t get fresh ones! Or substitute other dried or good-looking plastic fruits.
- Additional Foliage – you need more evergreens (to make the wreath seem fuller) berry sprays and berry clusters.
- Construction Materials – scissors, hot glue gun, glue sticks, wire (if there is no hanger on the back of the wreath), sewing needle, thread (same color as ribbon).
If the wreath has no hanger, you will need to construct one with the wire. This should be done first. Make sure that it is secure, and that it can bear the weight of the wreath.
Fluff the existing evergreens and add more. The wreath should have a full appearance. You will most likely need to straighten a few branches here and there – but don’t make it too ‘perfect.’ It should have a ‘natural’ appearance to it.
Let’s make and attach the bow. Cut a piece of ribbon about thirty inches long. Cut another piece of ribbon about four inches long. In the center of the long piece of ribbon, you want to form two loops that will make the bow.
The small piece of ribbon is used to secure the bow, in the middle of the loops. Note that the bow is ‘formed’ not ‘tied.’ There are no knots to tie. Secure the small piece of ribbon around the bow, in the back, with the thread. Each end of the bow will be about nine inches long.
You can place the bow wherever you choose to. It could go in the middle of the top, the bottom, or off to one side. The ends should be woven through the foliage on the wreath – or it can hang loose.
It is a good idea to paint the ends of the ribbon with clear fingernail polish to keep them from fraying over time. The bow can be attached to the wreath with glue or with wire. Just make sure that it is secure.
Once you’ve placed the bow on the wreath, you can glue two of the pomegranates in the center of the bow. The remaining four pomegranates should be glued to the wreath equal distances apart, in groups of two.
Next, glue the pine cones to the wreath. These can be spaced evenly apart sporadically, or in groups of pine cones. Do what looks good to you. Again, it is your wreath.
The berry clusters and sprays should also be glued to the front of the wreath. Glue some additional foliage over the top of the bow with a berry cluster for added affect. Remember that there is not specific way that any of this must be done. It is your choice.
It is a good idea to lay the pieces of the wreath on it before gluing anything down. This will allow you to see how the finished product will look before committing to anything. Try different arrangements of the material to see what looks best to you.
Once you’ve constructed the wreath, set it someplace where the glue has time to harden fully. Once this is done, pick the wreath up and gently shake it to make sure that everything is secured well. Most wreaths hang on the door, and doors are constantly opened and closed – and even slammed. You want to make sure that your wreath isn’t falling to pieces each time the door opens and closes.
In many cases, you may be able to use wire or a needle and thread to make items on the wreath more secure. Heavier items won’t be very secure with glue in most cases.
Remember that holly wreaths don’t have to be ‘busy’ to be beautiful. A few simple additions to the foliage is all that it takes.
The bow is typically the object that draws the eye, so make sure that the bow is really well done.
Now that you know how wreaths are made – and how easy it is – you may decide that you don’t want a holly wreath at all. You may opt for a themed wreath, a twined wreath, or a truly unique wreath that stands out. The possibilities are endless!
Author: Scott Wells. Learn how to make Christmas crafts at http://MakeChristmasCrafts.com
www.scribe816.com The 2009 Holiday Train Show at the New York Botanical Garden. All the buildings and structures are made from organic materials. (Branches, leaves, twigs, bark, seeds, nuts, dried flowers, etc) The people who created this are truly talented artisans.
Fits under the bed, in your closet, or nicely in storage
Perfect as a gift
Product Description This Holiday Storage Christmas Wreath Bag In Red (SFT-01596) by Honey Can Do provides dust-free storage for any wreath up to 30 inches in diameter. Easy open zipper for quick access to your wreath and handy handles for carrying.
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Size: Ornament: 30L x 17.5″W x 5D Inches; Paper: 40.5L x 13.5W x 4.5D Inches; Wreat… More >>
When our daughter was around 8 years old, she invited over a few friends for the day to do some crafting with us. Since it was the beginning of November, we decided to make a Thanksgiving holiday garland. This project can be done in one afternoon. If you are doing several of them at a time (group project), I suggest precutting all of the fabric strips ahead of time.1 roll of sisal twine (2 or 3 ply for durability)scraps of homespun fabricsall-purpose craft glue (or glue gun with adult supervision)acorns, twigs, pinecones, dried podsscissorsStep 1: Measure out the length of sisal twine that you will need to make your garland. We usually do 3 to 4 feet. Cut it from the roll. Tie each end into a loop, this way when you hang it up, you can easily do it via the loops.Step 2: Collect scraps of homespun or various fall print fabrics. We like to use 4 to 6 different prints and/or colors. You will want to cut out strips that measure approximately 1″ wide by 4″ long, or however long you would like. I usually cut out 50 to 75 of these strips when I make a garland.Step 3: Lay your sisal twine out across the floor. Take your strips and lay them out in front of the sisal twine and alternate your colors and prints. Let the children sit on the floor to do this part of the project. You will want to tie all of the fabric strips onto the twine until your garland is filled up. There is no wrong or right way to do this. You can make your garland as full or as sparse as you would like.Step 4: Take a nice walk outdoors and collect some fall theme nature items, such as: pinecones (small and medium-sized), acorns, dried pods, small twigs, pieces of bark, etc. Once you have your items collected, you will want to glue several of them onto your garland. I like to space them out about every 6″ or so. Let your project dry for a few hours to make sure all of the items are glued firmly into place.Now that your garland has been made, you can decide where to hang it. I like seeing them hung on a mantle, across a doorway or up a staircase.Optional: If you don’t want to use found nature objects to decorate your new garland, you can visit your local craft store and purchase fall or thanksgiving items to glue onto it.
Product Description Prepare for the holiday season with this 30″ wreath storage bag. A wreath bag is a must have holiday decor organizer, simply place your favorite wreath in the bag, zip it up with double-pull zippers, and store it safely until next Christmas. A removable center storage bag fits neatly inside the stored wreath, perfect for keeping ornaments, ribbons and other wreath decorations close by. Made of vinyl-backed 600-denier polyester shell with wire side supports.
When we think of giving holiday gifts, items from our gardens don’t always come to mind. After all, during the months of November and December, most parts of the country experience cold weather that is unsuitable for gardening. However, it is possible to harvest flowers and greenery from our gardens during the warm summer months and preserve those items to give as gifts during the holiday season. In this article, we’ll explore a few ideas for creating treasured gifts from your garden that can be enjoyed long after the growing season has ended.
Obviously, if you want to give a gift of flowers after their prime growing season is over, you’ll have to find a good way of preserving the blooms. Drying flowers by hanging them upside down is one of the easiest ways to accomplish this. When learning to dry flowers, it will probably take some time and experimentation to get the best results. You’ll want to find a very dry and slightly warm place to hang them. A laundry room with a dryer can work well. Some flowers will respond better to drying than others. The goal is to remove the moisture from the flowers as quickly as possible, so that the blooms will still retain their color and shape as much as possible.
Gift ideas are almost endless when it comes to dried flowers. Making wreaths and other arrangements is a very popular idea; however, there are many other uses, as well. Consider covering a picture frame with small dried blossoms. You can then use the frame for a special photograph or memento, making a really unique and treasured gift for the recipient. Another idea is to fill a tall, clear cylindrical vase or jar with dried blooms, all of the same color. This is a great technique for making the flowers last their longest, because it will keep them from exposure to dust and humidity.
If you are lacking a good place to dry flowers, another preservation method is pressing. The basic principle behind pressing flowers is to gently spread the blooms out between two sheets of clean, absorbent paper and then apply pressure or weight for some period of time. One easy way to do this is to put the blooms in between the pages of a large, heavy book. The end result is a dried and pressed flower. This process can be sped up by applying silica gel or even microwaving the flower.
Pressed flowers can be made into almost limitless gifts. One quick and easy way to use them is to have them laminated between heavy sheets of clear plastic, and then cut the sheets of lamination into bookmarks. You could also add a poem, photograph, or paper initial in the lamination as well, for a special effect. Once the bookmark is cut out, punch a hole on top and tie a satin ribbon on it for a nice touch. Pressed flowers can also be used to decorate the top of gift boxes or bags, as well.
These are just a few ideas out of the many things you can do with dried or pressed flowers. For more ideas, get online or visit your library to check out some books on preserved floral crafts. You’ll discover that your imagination is the only limit when it comes to what you can do with these beautiful products of your garden.
We’re taking you behind the scenes to see what it takes to put together the 10000-square-foot Wonderland Express exhibition. We found some of the horticulturists putting together their wreaths for the display. Find out about our holiday decorating classes at www.chicagobotanic.org/school/holiday.
Members of the Friends of Malcolm X Park gathered in the park to hang holiday wreaths on the light poles at each of the park entrances. Thanks to Philadelphia City electricians and their bucket trucks, nobody fell off a ladder. Happy Holidays!
How to Make a Lego Christmas Wreath. It is really easy and looks cool when you put it on a building. Uses only 10 pieces.
Members of the Friends of Malcolm X Park gathered in the park to hang holiday wreaths on the light poles at each of the park entrances. Thanks to Philadelphia City electricians and their bucket trucks, nobody fell off a ladder. Happy Holidays!