Create Festive Wreaths

Most of us grew up thinking of wreaths as something constructed of pine bows for Christmas or floral arrangements for funerals. Today, wreaths are used for every holiday, indoors and outdoors. You can create your own wreaths for any occasion, often from items already at hand in and around your home. Floral shops and greenhouses often sell supplies for wreaths and offer classes (frequently offering a discount on additional supplies purchased at the time of the class).

Cardboard Base Wreath

This type of wreath is particularly kid-friendly, so it is a great family project. The supplies needed can usually be found around the house

Cardboard (the larger the circle, the heavier the cardboard should be)
Heavy-duty scissors or craft knife
Craft glue
Glitter or glitter glue
Nature items
Ribbon or strip of cloth

Select a piece of cardboard that will support your project. Trace a circle on it, and an inner circle. Cut out the circles.

Spread glitter glue onto the cardboard or craft glue and then sprinkle with glitter. Do not worry about thoroughly covering, this is just a background.

Select items from outdoors like dried leaves, pinecones, seeds, acorns or other nuts, and twigs. Gather enough to cover the entire surface of the wreath. Glue these items onto the cardboard.

Tie a ribbon or strip of cloth around the wreath and then tie a bow. Hang from bow knot.

Wire Base Wreath

This style of wreath is sturdier and has a more "finished" appearance, but requires supplies not normally found around the house and is more difficult to create.

Wire coat hangers
Floral wire
Hot glue gun
Nature items--small branches, twigs, pinecones, etc.
Ribbon or strip of cloth

You can make a sturdy wreath base by shaping two wire coat hangers and tying them together with floral wire.

Lay a branch over the wire base in a fairly parallel fashion so that it covers a good amount of wire. Secure the branch to the wreath base using the floral wire. Take another branch or twig and lay it further down on the wire base so that it, too, is fairly parallel with the base and covers the floral wire of the last piece. Secure this branch with floral wire. Continue overlapping stems on the wreath base and securing with floral wire until the base is entirely covered.

Using a hot glue gun or more floral wire, secure pinecones or nuts and seeds to the covered wreath. Add a bow at the top.