DIY Holiday Series - Wreaths by Caren Watkins
Start with a $10 twenty-inch wreath from a corner or big-box store (I found one with three pine-cones already attached) and make it your own with these easy eco and chic ideas that can be re-used every year.
Family Wreath
Materials
- Wooden clothes pins
- 7 wooden painted 2D cut-outs from craft store--truck, airplane, motorcycle, train, star, tree, etc.
- 4 wooden un-painted 2-1/2" circles
- Children's wooden blocks
- Leftover paint or sample pot
- 12 blue (or co-ordinating colour) jingle bells
- Forest green pipe cleaners
- Wood and fabric glue
How-to
1. Glue clothes pegs to the backs of each wooden 2D cut-out, making sure the peg is not visible from the front of the cut-out.
2. Glue clothes pegs to the backs of 4 wooden circles and paint. Let dry
3. Glue wooden blocks to spell "welcome" or another seasonal word of your choice onto painted wooden circles
4. Cut pipe cleaners into thirds and thread through the top of each bell
5. Once glue has dried overnight, arrange ornaments on the wreath. Welcome looks nice placed in a semi-circle at the top of the wreath
6. Attach 12 bells to wreath filling in empty areas
7. Hang and enjoy!
Traditional Wreath
Materials
- 3 ribbon pieces or fabric remnants or traditional bow ties--anything that can be tied into a nice bow and works with your colour scheme
- 9 plastic ornaments in three different colours--choose ball ornaments in the same colour range with different finishes like matte and glossy for a pretty effect
- Forest green pipe cleaners
- 1' x 3' piece of thick felt (or material of choice)
- How-to
1. Cut bottom of felt into a chevron
2. Hang felt on door with wreath hanger and unadorned wreath in the position you want. Mark, on the felt, behind the wreath where the hanger is hidden. Remove wreath and felt, cut a small slit large enough to fit the hanger through. Replace felt, hanger and wreath, this time with hanger hidden behind the felt.
3. Tie each bow around a bough so it sits at the top of each pine-cone
4. Join three groups of three ornaments each by threading half a pipe cleaner through the top and twist
5. Attach each group of ornaments evenly between pine cones by twisting pipe cleaner securely to a strong branch
6. Hang over felt
Contemporary Wreath
Materials
- Garden Pruners
- 9-1/2" Straw or Styrofoam wreath form
- Wide ribbon
- Large bells or plastic ball ornaments (enough to fit around the Styrofoam form)
- Florist greening pins
How-to
1. Remove pine cones and any other adornment your wreath came with
2. Trim wreath back to a neat round shape making sure no branches stick out on the outside or inside of the circle
3. Wrap ribbon around Styrofoam wreath form, overlapping as you cover the form. Use greening pins to secure beginning of ribbon and then start wrapping around form. Use greening pins to secure final end when form is completely covered
4. Secure large bells to ribbon wreath with greening pins
5. Cut a 19" piece of ribbon in half down the center (you now have 2 narrow pieces of 19" ribbon)
6. Place ribbon wreath in center of trimmed green wreath and secure at top and bottom with cut ribbon pieces. Tie knot at back of wreath for a finished look
7. Hang and enjoy!
