DIY Christmas Wreath 2014

With Christmas fast approaching, I gathered supplies to make my annual home-made Christmas wreath.  After spotting some small "gourmet" Christmas wreaths at a local florist for upwards of $50 each, I figured this was a much more economical decision.  Plus it's fun.  Perhaps you would like to make one of your own too? 

I began my project by collecting greenery from the neighborhood.  There was a wind storm recently so lovely branches of evergreens are strewn all over the street.  It's fantastic, because I found branches with small pinecones still attached!  An excellent find.  I collected all kind of various shrubbery, including some unusual looking flower bud sprays from my neighbor's overgrown ivy. 

I formed piles of the different greenery and then laid them on my wire wreath shape in small bundles.  You can refer to this detailed wreath tutorial I made for a previous year here.  Unlike previous years where I cut strips of wire and tied each bundle on, I just secured the first bunch by twisting the wire to itself and then used the wire spool to wrap two times over each bundle.  Pull snug, but not so tight that the wire wreath shape warps.  This is a much more efficient way to create your wreath and it should be easier to take the greenery off at the end of the holidays.

I alternated between different kinds of greenery as I moved around the wreath.  Look how nice those ivy buds look as sprays around the wreath.  I also quite like how the pinecones stick out in natural places since they are still attached to the branches.  It's quite convenient.  I don't know how long they will stay attached, but I can always wire them back into place if they fall off.

It was dark when I finished the wreath, so the lighting isn't the greatest, but you can see how florist-quality this wreath is compared to something you might buy premade at Costco or Home Depot.  It's loaded with unique greenery from the neighborhood.  

I made a nice, big, wired red bow from some ribbon I bought last year on sale at Sears and tied it on with wire.  I liked it simple like that, but my mother wanted more red stuff on it.

So I added all of the artificial berries and apples that I had left over from last year's wreath.  The effect is rather stunning.  It think it was a good idea to add the decorations at the end since they really stand out.

You can compare it to last year's wreath where the ornaments were added at the same time as I added branches.  They got a bit too covered up, I think.  Also, last year, I did not experiment with adding different kinds of greenery.  I mainly used pine/Christmas-type greenery.  The big, red ribbon was also a good new addition, I think.

I had a lot of greenery left over so I covered all the railings outside my house.  This is where I also put some of the wild holly that I found, plus some sticks with moss on them.  I like moss covered stuff, and it looks nice and natural.  For the railings I used strips of wire to tie the branches on.  It seemed wasteful to use the wire wrapping method since the railings are so wide and harder to maneuver around.

If you decide to make a wreath too, send me a picture!  I would love to see how yours turn out. 

Happy Christmas Planning!

xoxo

Fresh Christmas Wreath Tutorial

Christmas wreaths get more expensive each year, and they're not even REAL!  Make your own evergreen wreath with boughs from your neighborhood trees for less than $5!  Here's how:

 You will need:

1. Large metal wreath frame.  (I got mine at Michaels with a 50% off coupon, so it was only $2.)
2. Florist wire.  (I got mine at Michaels for under $2.)
3. Evergreen branches from the neighborhood trees. (I gathered about 2 grocery bags' worth, but I had a lot of branches left over, so maybe 1 or 1.5 bags full is enough.)
4. Real red berries or artificial berries. 
5. Optional: Pinecones and ribbon.
6. Pruning shears to cut the branches and the wire.
7. Garden gloves to protect your hands as you work.

Place the metal frame with the rounded side up.

Gather 2-3 stems of your evergreen branches.  Layer them on top of the metal frame. I had two kinds of evergreen available and I put the prettier/denser one on top.  Use a long strip of florist wire to twist-tie the branches securely to the metal frame.

If you have real berry branches, you should include them in each cluster of branches.  I couldn't find any real red berries in my neighborhood, so I added fake berries.

 Gather another three branches together.  Lay them on top of the first cluster, but move down a little.  Tie them to the metal frame with florist wire.

 Here's a close-up of florist wire tied to the metal frame.  Trim the excess wire off with your pruning shears, and tuck it safely away.

 Keep adding clusters of 2-3 branches along the metal frame.  The closer you put the clusters, the rounder and more full your wreath will be.

 Keep adding clusters until you are all the way around the wreath.

 For the last cluster, you will need to lift up the first cluster branches to get underneath.  Tie the last bough down with florist wire.

 Ta da!  You've made it all the way around!

 Now use the pruning shears to snip off any stray branches that make the wreath not-round.  You can snip any super long branches shorter too if they look out of place, and tidy up the center of the wreath too.  If you have any bald spots, tuck an extra branch in and tie it down.

If you had real berry branches worked into the wreath.  It will look amazing and be finished.  If you don't have any real berry branches, you can use fake red berries.  I had a bunch of random red berries left from previous wreaths.  Some of these berries fell off of Christmas tree decorations, I think...

Honestly, you could just leave the wreath without any additions.  It looks really nice with just the evergreen branches.

I wrapped my berries with wire and tied them to branches, weaved them into the branches, etc.  Then I adjusted them so that they were more visible.  

If you have pine cones, you can wrap them with wire and tie them in too.

Now, if you have some big ribbon, you can tie it on and make a bow.  I rather liked mine without any other additions so I left it.  

Here is a second wreath that I made a few days later.  I found some real berries to include with the fake berries, so I tied them down with each cluster of branches.  I also included some other random branches that had small, oval leaves and tiny red berries.

So, there you have it.  For under $5, I have a lovely Christmas wreath to brighten my doorway.  When Christmas is over, I'll snip all the branches and florist wire off and save the metal frame for another year.

I hope you will have fun making your own wreath too!

Don't forget to post photos of your finished work on the Flickr page here.

Cheers!

Origami Wreath Tutorial

Our Christmas tree looked a little barren so I decided to make some ornaments - one for each one of my family members!

They turned out so lovely, and I wanted to share this tutorial with you so you can make some too. They make great presents to send to a loved one, or to tuck into a card. I sent a lot out with my Christmas cards :)
Here's what you'll need:

1. Scrapbook paper cut into 3 x 5 inch sheets
2. Liquid glue with a narrow tip
3. String, ribbon, yarn, or embroidery floss
First, take your paper and fold it in half so that the paper is long and narrow.
Then fold this long paper into half so that it is shorter.
Open up this last fold. It formed a crease in the middle. Now fold down one side using the center crease as a guideline.
Fold down the other side too. Try to match the bottoms so that they are the same length.
Flip your paper over.
Take one bottom corner and fold it up to the bottom of the triangle.
Fold up the other side too in the same way.
Then take both of the bottom pieces and fold them upwards so that you have a big triangle.
Fold this big triangle into half with your bottom pieces in the middle. Now you have a little triangle.
Notice that there are two pointy ends on one side, and pockets on the other side. These pockets are for inserting other pieces of origami.
Fold more origami pieces. Put the loose pointy ends into the pockets of another origami piece to join them together.
Keep adding more to form the wreath shape. Different numbers of origami pieces will make different looking wreaths.
This wreath has 8 separate pieces.
This wreath as 10 separate pieces.
This wreath has 12 separate pieces.

Choose your favourite look and fold the required number of origami pieces. Once you are done joining the pieces together, you need to tighten the wreath and space the parts out evenly. This is a tricky process. It helps to hold down the other pieces while you adjust the exposed part so that the wreath doesn't push apart.

When you're happy with the layout, add a dab of glue between each of the separate pieces to secure the shape.

Tip: Hold one piece at a time with thumb and forefinger and gently slide a finger from your other hand between the pieces to create an open gap. Push gently with your thumb and forefinger to hold the piece propped open while you grab your glue and put a small dot inside. Since the gap is small, this is why I asked for liquid glue with a narrow tip.

If your dot of glue is too big, it will squish out when you press down. Just wipe off excess with some tissue. If your dot of glue is too tiny, it won't hold the wreath. Loop a string through your wreath and tie a knot. Now your origami wreath is ready to enjoy!

Don't forget to post photos of your finished work on the Flickr page here.

A few are available in my shop. Custom colours are also available. If you need supplies to complete this project, just email me.

Happy Crafting!

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