Ring in the holiday season!
1. Make it berry nice!
Ring in the season with a collection of pine cones and berries
Loving this classic Christmassy look? Use bendy florist’s wire to attach a collection of small pine cones to a wire wreath frame. For every grouping of three or four cones that you add, wire in a bunch of artificial berries, until you have filled out the entire wreath (PS you’ll find wreath frames and berries in all shades of red from craft stores). Once you’re done tweaking the arrangement, hang this beauty from your door, above your mantelpiece or atop a sideboard – just add a gorgeous Christmas display nearby, scented candles and all!
2. Bushy buddy
Bulk up the look of your wreath with backyard branches
Pick them by the armful, and then push branches of evergreen foliage (like bay tree or ficus) into a moistened florist’s oasis ring. For this out-of-the-ordinary look, choose slightly longer, bushy branches for the centre circle of the ring and arrange them so they fill out the middle area of the wreath. For festive cheer, trim your creation with clusters of artificial berries – just poke the wire ends into the oasis. Hang the completed wreath on your door with a loop of red ribbon, ready for Santa’s merry arrival!
3. Pine of the times
Let the kids forage for pine cones, then set aside time for a crafternoon!
So, the kids have come home with a basket full of small pine cones? Put their finds to festive use as a striking wreath. It’s easy! To make this: buy a MDF wreath shape from your local craft store (or cut one from rigid cardboard or foamcore board). Let the kids arrange the pine cones, then help them hot glue the pine cones to the wreath shape. When gluing the pine cones in place, complete the outer ring first, with pine cones on their side, pointing outward. Then complete the inner ring, with pine cones on their side, facing inward. Finish by completing the centre ring, filling all the gaps with upward-facing pine cones. Let dry. Hang with removable self-adhesive picture-hanging strips. Best bit? Store it in a safe spot and you can reuse this wreath year after year!
4. Mossy greens
First impressions start at your front door, so make them jolly!
Pop into your local florist and enquire about ordering an oasis wreath, wired together with a layer of gorgeous mossy goodness. You can trim it with any garden cuttings and berries that you love – try spiking small branches of grey eucalyptus into the oasis, plus a couple of artificial berries for jolly good measure. Keep a spray bottle filled with fresh water nearby and give the wreath a mist on your way in and out the door each day – this will keep it looking fresh, greeting your guests all season. Psst… At the end of the season, salvage the wreath frame for next year’s project!
5. Deer, oh deer
The star of this enchanting wreath is dashing Dancer!
Looking so sweet on a simple white door, this darling scene is easy to put together – and it’s guaranteed to bring on a smile! To make: spray a natural straw wreath with white paint (you’ll find these wreaths at craft stores). Once dry, twist wire around the hooves of a toy reindeer and attach it to the inside bottom of the wreath. At the reindeer’s feet, wire on a collection of garden cuttings, letting them spill outwards from the bottom of the wreath (try conifer and other foliage for this). Suspend your wreath with twine, and then finish off by looping a set of snowy white Christmas decorations – like these cute white hearts – from the top of the wreath.
6. Fill your season with succulents
Ask your mates, neighbours and colleagues for cuttings – then get making!
Being greeted by a living wreath is a fabulous thing! To make this stunner, start with a wire wreath frame (try craft stores or look online). Line the trench of the wire frame with sphagnum moss, and then fill the trench with cactus and succulent potting mix. Place a layer of moss on top, enclosing the soil within the frame. Use florist’s wire or gardening twine to keep this assembly firmly contained. Working on a flat surface, push the stems of succulent rosettes into the frame, mixing up the colours and textures as you make your way around the wreath (echeverias and sempervivums are two of the best varieties to use). Leave the wreath on a flat surface, watering it periodically, until the succulents take root (and won’t fall out once suspended). Hang from a hook on your door – that way it can be removed easily and watered once a week in summer.
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Tip
If you’ve left it too late to get this wreath ready to hang in time for the big day, you can use it as a fab centrepiece on your Christmas table instead. Just add a candle-filled hurricane vase in the centre!
7. Contrasting conifer
Pick up your secateurs and get snipping – it’s wreath-making time!
Turn a moistened oasis wreath (you’ll find them at craft stores) into a beautiful thing to suspend from your front door by stuffing it full with cuttings of gorgeous conifers. Choose a mix of deep green foliage for the base layer, then accent with a thin ring of lime-coloured foliage. Fancy it up with sprigs of ivy or whatever else you can find in your yard. Just remember to keep the oasis dampened so your creation will look its best for longer. Psst… At the end of the season, salvage the wreath frame for next year’s project!
8. A very berry Christmas
Branches brimming with red berries make the most striking wreath
To make this beautiful wreath, use sprigs of real or faux berries (try craft shops for similar) – just wire the branches together into a single length, then bend and enclose the loop with tie wire. Amp up the festive feeling with a ribbon tied in a bow at the bottom of the wreath, then loop on a charming little deco – just like this Christmas bell. Hang the completed wreath from a tree in your garden, on your front door, or anywhere around your home that needs a sprinkling of seasonal cheer. Season’s greetings to you!
9. Stunning simplicity
Pick a mix of garden greenery to create this striking round
So striking against charcoal-inspired door or wall colours, you can assemble this wreath using greenery from your backyard. To make this: use bendy florist’s wire to secure bunches of blue-grey conifer foliage to a wreath frame. For every bunch you attach, weave in a contrasting branch of evergreen foliage (try cuttings of shiny buxus leaves or ficus). The trick is keeping all the foliage flowing in the same direction to create an even-looking ring. Once you’re done, loop a length of twine through the wreath to hang it from your door or a hook on your wall. Spectacular, spectacular!
10. Sweet setting
Here’s a table decorating idea your guests will love – it’s all in the detail!
Welcome guests to your Christmas table by making miniature wreaths to adorn their place settings. To do this: loop a cutting of conifer into a wreath shape, then secure the ends with twine or fishing line. Trim the top of the wreath with ribbon tied into a bow. Repeat to make one wreath for each guest, and then place one on top of each napkin. Simple, quick, easy and so gorgeous!
