Product Description
DARICE-Heavy Duty Painted Metal Door Wreath Hanger. 12. Black. Use to hang door weraths and swags easily without nails…. More >>
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
Whenever most people start decorating for the coming Christmas, they typically set up with the Christmas tree and adorn it with lights and other fancy embellishments. It’s true that conventional Christmas ornaments almost constantly seem to focus round the jovial evergreen, with its broad range of adornment choices and unique pine scent.
However, there are ample more potential to help you adorn your home with multicolored touches inspired by Mother Nature and the winter period. The dark green color often linked with the Christmas ornaments are an amazing background for red, gold and silver accents. The twigs of trees such as the Balsam Fir, Fraser Fir or Scotch Pines which can be made to beautify mantelpieces, shape a foundation for center table arrangements or offer a lovely setting for Christmas wreaths.
Here are a few ideas for Christmas decorations to draw out a cheerful look into your home, both inside and out:
1. Centerpiece decoration for the merry table: Do you have a set of petite wicker baskets stored in your kitchen or lying around in your garage? You can make use one of these baskets to shape the foundation of a table ornament for a unique holiday lunch or dinner. Make use of some floral foam or oasis to secure pieces of fir, holly or pine — then put in some accents to set off the design such as berries, pinecones, even tree embellishments.
2. Beautify a doorway or arch by making use of a garland of pine rope. Add some nice touch ups by frilling it with matching colors and shapes such as bows or ribbons, pinecones, dried fruits and full spices.
3. Hang a Christmas wreath on your front door or front porch to greet Christmas carolers and your holiday guests. You can find a broad assortment of designs and types to go well with your taste and match the rest of your holiday decors. If you prefer to make some alterations, search out for extra unique stuff like boxwood as a substitute to the most common holly or pine. You can customize your wreath with natural or painted pinecones or berries — and, of course, jazz it up with a very lovely ribbon to add more elegance and compare its colors!
Should you opt to purchase a standard Christmas wreath, garland or swag, you have all sorts of potential for garnishing it in your own special way. One better feature of these added extras is that you may be capable to disengage them when it’s time to get Christmas ornaments down and store them up for use again for next season. The next Christmas season, you can just take them out from the attic and make a new one.
Wonderful ornaments such as Christmas wreaths, door garlands and swags sets off your Christmas tree and lengthen the winter evergreen theme to other areas of your home, both inside and out. Using some imagination and ingenuity, you can customize store-bought stuff to give them an exceptional look and appeal.
Christmas wreath can be used as fantastic source of fundraising activity for non-profit groups. Instead of the traditional selling of cookies, children’s candy bars, or cookie dough, selling Christmas wreaths can be a bestseller which would brings in more money and helps draw out a cheerful mood into your locality at the same time.
Christmas wreath fundraising activity is a brilliant way to lend a hand to your neighborhood and assist your group raise funds simultaneously. Sometimes the wreaths that are prepared by non-profit groups have a very viable price and are of first-rate quality. There is an exceptional thing that a Christmas wreath brings with when you learn that the buying has lend a helping hand of a group you would like to support.
There are quite a few companies that recommend a Christmas wreath fundraiser plan, most are accessible online using a simple browsing. These companies permit you to buy wreaths in volumes getting a considerable discount and then put them up for sale at a marked up rate. Many are offering wreaths as affordable as $6 that you can later sell for $24. This is much better than the forty cents that you acquire from a candy bar sale.
There are closing dates and not everybody thinks of their Christmas fundraisers in or before the month of October. For those of you who are getting a bit late getting on track don’t worry, there is still hope. Instead of buying their wreaths out on Thanksgiving Day or through the last week of November more than a few people choose to wait until days closer to Christmas. There are also companies that provide deliveries as late as the week before Christmas.
However, if this still doesn’t work for you, then it is time to take matters in your very hands. To propose a Christmas wreath fund raiser you can opt to make the wreaths yourself. They are fairly easy and all of the supplies except the evergreen branches are available in almost all craft stores all year round.
The finest way to organize a Christmas wreath fundraiser is to secure orders from people before you actually make them. Prior to purchasing your supplies you should have a list of placed orders by customers ready. Collect for these sales as soon as the order is placed, this will keep your group from all the hassle when the people who placed their orders are unexpectedly not home at the time of delivery and have actually moved without leaving a forwarding address from costing you the capital you considered making. Have the outstanding balance due a few days prior to your plan of purchase so those final stragglers can get their as well.
After receiving your orders you can acquire your materials or your pre-made wreaths. You can regularly make a few more sales at the last minute so you might want to consider picking up a few extra ones to sell as you are delivering the ordered wreaths.
Christmas wreaths hanged on front doors of homes around the community always draw out a cheerful mood to the area. Fundraisers can have some inconveniences, so make sure to set up a scheduled time for them and you are guaranteed a better result. Good planning is the answer to making your Christmas wreath fund raising activity a success.
Christmas wreaths are considered an age-old Christmas custom that is used to adorn the outside of the house, usually on the front door, to welcome with a festive greeting.
Preparing the needed materials
To create a Christmas wreath you will need a wreath ring, a florist wire which can be bought from your local florist and some plants.
Collect interesting plants around the local park, on the countryside, or even in your own garden. Gather some evergreens, ivy, green and silvery grey leaves, and conifers.
In addition look out for some holly or other undergrowth that bear berries or berry-like fruits. Berries add color and elegance to the wreath. Look for some dried seedpods like poppies, and pinecones. Spray on some silver and gold paint on your collected seedpods to add attention to the wreath. Should you decide to use spray paint on any of these pieces, do it a few days to give the paint some time to dry. When using spray paint, always remember to follow strictly the instructions on its use found at the back of the can.
Making the wreath
To put together pieces of shrubs to the wreath ring, you need to cut a piece of wire and bind it around the lower end of the shrubs, then twist the wire around the wreath ring with one more piece of wire. Go over the same process until you reach an inch or two down the stem.
At the first encircling of the wreath, the shrubs will fall off a little bit, but the more shrubs you put on, the more it will become steady. Keep working on a flat tabletop to put off further movements.
However there are specific rules that you should always remember.
Use the interior and external rings as split ’rounds’, stuffing both rings makes a full lush wreath.
You will come across later on, that you can actually make rounds appear following a direction. This happens when all the stems lay on the same direction. Wreaths look finest if a round pattern follows the similar direction. However, the two rings on the wreath ring don’t essentially have to go in the equivalent direction.
Put aside the ‘feature’ or fancier items lastly, so that they stand out on the topmost layer of the Christmas wreath where they can be easily spot on.
To add some pine cones, bind some wire at the base part of the cone seeds, and entwine the two wire stems together tightly. Push the wire into the wreath and entwine them as one at the back of the wreath. You could also add some Christmas baubles by wiring them on or use other ornaments to add more glamour and beauty to you Christmas wreath.
When your Christmas wreath is finally finished, hang it on your front door for all the guests to see and appreciate. Remember, you need not to spend a lot of money just to make a beautiful Christmas wreath. All it takes is some skills and imagination and you’ll surely have pretty one hanging on your door or lying on top of your table.
Whenever we think of wreaths, most of us naturally visualize a conventional wreath made of greenery and twigs. This usually comes with a bow of some sort and maybe pinecones. While these conventional Christmas wreath will always be a resolute preference, there are more than one ways to adorn and utilize wreaths. By taking a new approach to an age-old ornament, you can make something definitely exceptional and special that will be a showpiece in your home for coming years ahead. Here are a small number of things to think about when you alter your idea of wreaths:
Setting
This will probably have the major impact on the formation and material of your wreath. Apparently if the setting is outdoors, the wreath must be made of durable materials. Indoor wreaths are mainly considered by their setting in the home, as their structure and ornaments will likely mirror their surroundings.
Arrangement
Customarily, wreaths are hung above hearths and on front doors. On the other hand, it is entirely up to you where the wreath must go. Here are a few special ideas you might want to consider:
Windowpanes: Use a double-sided wreath hanger, like ribbons, chains, or nice rope and hang it facing outside or inside.
On the mirror: The dimension of your mirror will determine the size of your wreath.
On a lighted wall: Anyplace in the house.
Dining chairs: Little wreaths can be used to decorate the back of a dining chair by tying a bright ribbon.
Dining Table: Set it on a table and add candles or a bowl of fruit in the center of it.
C
hristmas tree: Wreaths made from different materials can be utilized to adorn a Christmas tree for an extra touch of sophistication.
Gift Packages: Use a tiny wreath tied with a ribbon to a special gift.
Dimension
The setting of your wreath will typically establish its size. Wreath sizes may differ a lot; but, most indoor wreaths ranges from 6 to 48 inches. An outdoor wreath utilized as a main point on a home’s peripheral might be as big as 70 inches in diameter.
Material Used
The material used on your wreath will significantly have an impact on its general design and look. While the choices are boundless, below are a few ideas you can start with:
Fresh or Synthetic
Natural materials may include pinecones, straw, wheat, grapevines, nuts, fresh or dried leaves, leaves, fresh or dried flowers, shells, and many others.
Synthetic materials may include Christmas balls, cloth, ribbons, art papers, styrofoam, or metal.
Ornaments
At last the fun stuff! Imagination is the limit when we talk about a wreath’s decoration. In embellishing your wreath, it’s necessary to think about the place where you are going to place the wreath (for instance, an outdoor wreath should have resilient embellishments), and who will be benefiting from it. Here are a few ideas you might want to consider.
Family room: You may use the same color and maybe the same decorations on your tree.
The Kitchen: Make an effort to decorate using cookie cutters, and other kitchen utensils
Kid’s Room: Hand made decorations, children’s toys, candy canes, etc.
No matter what your choices are, always keep in mind to have fun and use your imagination!
Your completed wreath will definitely be special, and you will want to keep it so that you can still use it in the following year. Make sure to think about this when you store it away by using products that are heavy-duty and handy. There are lots of wreath storage boxes available on the market today and will keep your wreaths cosseted while in storage. By selecting an ideal storage container, it is a guarantee that your wreath can be used and enjoyed for the many years to ahead.
Wreaths, those attractive and fragrant decorations, can be displayed on our front doors at Christmas or indoors any time of year. You can easily make your own unique and lovely wreath to show off your home grown herbs and flowers, or to display the pods, cones and seed heads you can find in the woods or roadsides in fall.The first part is fun – collecting the materials. Start in your own back yard, and look for interesting flower heads that may have dried, seed heads with unique shapes such as poppies, tulips, columbine or iris, or feathery heads of grasses. Silver dollar heads and Japanese lanterns will have dried, and are ready to pick. Clusters of cones can be found on and under evergreen trees, and nut trees will have shed the seed husks from filberts, oak or chestnuts, or maples their winged maple seeds, just waiting to be collected. Your wreath will be more interesting if you plan for some contrasts in texture and color – shiny chestnuts next to a fringed hemlock cone cluster, or a deep brown walnut shell next to silvery feathers of ornamental grasses. Place the same item in different positions – a cone can sit on its base, lie on its side, or even be placed stem up. Just make sure your pods, cones, acorns, seed heads and foliage are ripe and dry. Green material can get moldy and destroy all your hard work.Cut a sturdy corrugated cardboard into a doughnut for the base. Use white glue or a glue gun to attach the materials to each other and to the base. Strip a large pine cone, and glue the pieces shaped like petals around the edges of the wreath to form a border. Once it has dried, start building up the wreath with the largest pieces you have collected – the largest cones, teasel heads, large pods, and so on. Glue them in place around the wreath. Next, add the medium sized pieces – acorns, thistle heads, small cones, seed husks or dried flower heads. Make sure you keep a variety in your arrangement, and again, think of contrasting color and texture as you glue the pieces in place. Finally, add your smallest pieces to fill in any spots where the cardboard still shows. If you have some feathery grass heads or dried flower heads, these can even be broken apart and used to fill in small spaces, adding even more texture, color and depth.Once the glue has dried, take your wreath outside and spray it with clear varnish. If you’d like, you can add some ribbon, beads or berries to make a Christmas themed wreath. Glue a hanger to the back, and you’re all finished.The mellow natural tones make this an appropriate decoration for fall and winter, and even year round.
A Wonderful Advent Wreath Story
“What are you doing, great-grams?”
She looked at me over the tops of her glasses, the way she does when she’s reading to me from the Bible to see if I’m paying attention. I really was interested, she could tell. I know because she took off her glasses, letting them hang by the silver beaded chain around her neck.
“I’m making the Advent wreath for the church.”
“What’s the Advent? And why do they get a fancy wreath?” I reached for the purple ribbon with a finger. “Can I feel it?”
“Are your hands clean? Is your heart pure?”
I could feel my nose wrinkle. “I’ll go wash. And say a prayer.”
Grams smiled, putting her glasses on again. “When you come back, I’ll tell you the story of the Advent wreath.” Another glance over her glasses at me. “Don’t cut your washing or your prayers short, or the story will be very short.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I ran off, not noticing her loving smile follow me. I was back with my face pink and a peaceful heart in almost no time. Grams did her sideways-look at me.
I could feel the blush make my freckles jump out. “I washed behind my ears, too!”
She nodded, tying the last bit of wire holding the evergreens to the small spoked wheel. “You know Christmas is coming?”
Nodding, I glanced at the Nativity set up on the corner table. “The birth of the Christ child.”
“Exactly. Well, in the old days….”
“When you were my age?”
“A bit before then, dear. Would you like to help?” She turned the wreath, checking the greens for gaps. “The Advent wreath is special to the church. There are a lot of symbols.” She touched the purple silk. “The purple ribbon is the old symbol of royalty. Christ was also known as “The Prince of Peace.”
She pointed, “These candles all have names. The first is the Prophet’s candle. It means ‘Hope’ for the Coming.” She looked at me, “You understand about hope?”
“I hope so!” I said, handing her the candle.
“Hope is not about what will happen, it’s about what may happen. You have to believe in order for hope to work.” She said. “It’s not about what you want or need. It’s the devout wish for something beyond your experience. Something greater than yourself.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I reached out and touched the second candle, the wax silky smooth. “This one is named?”
“The Bethlehem candle. For the town where Christ was born. It means ‘Peace’.”
“And this one? It’s not purple, it’s pink!” I sniffed. “It smells good. Like roses.”
“That’s because it’s special. The Shepherds candle. It means ‘Joy’. It goes here.” she pointed. “Can you guess the name of the last candle?”
“No….”
“It’s called the Angel’s candle.” We put in the Advent wreath together.
“I love you, Grams.”
“I know, dear. That’s what this candle means. And the reason we remember the birth of Christ.”
The Christmas wreath is as popular today as it was when it was first introduced to the world. People take great pains to make these beautiful Christmas decorations but most people have no idea just how far back the tradition of the wreath really goes. It goes back to Pagan times and the ancient culture of the Persian Empire. The wreath that was hung on the doors of the family homes during this time was actually a symbol of wealth and importance. Granted, the wreaths of the Persian Empire were smaller than the ones that hang on doors today. As a matter of fact, they were worn on the head and were encrusted with jewels. The Greeks made wreaths of laurel that were placed on the heads of winning athletes during the Olympic Games.
This tradition was continued by the Romans and they were worn on the heads of leaders, such as Julius Caesar. Eventually they moved from headgear to wall and door decorations, possibly as a souvenir of the athlete’s victory. It is believed that this is how the tradition of hanging them on the wall was born. From here the tradition of hanging a wreath made of evergreen was started and it moved into Eastern Europe. The wreath was decorated with candles and lit during the cold winter evening in order to help rush in spring and the good weather.
The Christmas wreath tradition moved from pagan traditions to a Christian tradition, typically used by the Catholics. The wreath was hung up during Advent and they usually had four candles in the middle of the evergreen circle. The wreath today is a circle, signifying that it had no beginning and no end and is considered in the Christian religion a symbol of God and eternity. The candles in the wreath were traditionally white or three violets and one rose. Each candle was lit everyday with the exception of the middle candle which was not lit until Christmas Eve. They were usually lit right before dinner.
The Christmas wreath is quite often made of evergreen boughs of holly and they can be real or artificial. While an artificial wreath will last considerably longer, they don’t have the same smell as a fresh wreath when made of real pine and other items. It can be decorated today with traditional items, such as pine cones, fruits, berries, lace and ribbon or it can be made with more modern materials for a different look.
Whether you hand make a Christmas wreath or buy one from the store it is important to remember how the wreath got its start and to reflect upon what it means to you and your family. These holiday decorations are a joy to behold on every door and make your home look warm and inviting no matter how you decorate it.
