Monday, November 23, 2009

Holiday Wreath Tutorial

I saw this wreath idea several months ago on another blog I follow, The Nesting Place, and have been dying to try it.  I decided Christmas was the perfect time and I'm happy to share this tutorial with you.

I believe the decoration you choose to hang on your front door says a lot about you.  It's the first thing people notice before seeing you answer the door and can really set the tone for your visit.  So why not take a little time and effort and make it truly special?

I don't know about you, but I am certainly on a budget these days so I am always looking for creative ways to spruce up my home decor and get the most bang for my buck.  The following tutorial takes basic craft store items and creates a truly personalized door hanging that your friends and family are sure to notice.......all for under $10-15 (depending on which sales you hit up).

I LOVE personalized things - anything with our name or monogram.  So that is why I love this wreath and I hope you will too!

Holiday Wreath Tutorial

Supplies:
1 Basic, plain Christmas wreath
Floral Wire
Scissors
Wide Wire Ribbon
Scissors
1 Large Letter (whatever your family's last name starts with)
Christmas (or winter) Themed Picks (those are the decorative berries, pinecones, ect.... to stick in the wreath)

Directions:
Start with your basic wreath - I happened to have one with a few berries already in it, but the most basic, inexpensive green wreath will be perfect.
Here are your supplies - scissors, floral wire, wide wire ribbon, and a large letter (preferably the first letter of your last name).  I got this gold letter at Hobby Lobby for $5.00 (originally $10, but it was 50% off).  Use whatever type of letter you can find.  If you can't find one already colored, buy a wooden one and spray paint it (you know how I love spray paint!).
Attach your letter to your wreath using floral wire.  Thread the wire into the wreath and twist it tightly to secure.  I used green because it blended into my wreath - you can use any color you can find.
This is what your wreath should look like with your attached letter.  If you are using a letter such as an "S" then you would only need to attach it in one spot, not like the two sides I had to do for the "W".
Loop your long ribbon around your wreath.  You will be using this ribbon for hanging.  If you will be using a pre-made wreath hanger, you can omit this step.
Now to make your large bow.  Loop around your wire ribbon.............about three or four times, so you have three loops on each side.
Wrap your floral wire in the middle of your loops and twist to secure.
Fluff the loops up on each side and make the bow look pretty.
Now attach your bow with the floral wire to the wreath.
Take your Christmas (or winter) themed picks and slide them into the wreath.  I did not need to attach them using wire because they slid in tight enough, but you may need to use wire for this as well.  Use whatever picks speak to you - use as many or as few as you like.  Make it to suit your own personal style.
Here is the completed wreath.
This is my completed wreath hanging on our front door.  To hang your wreath use two little nails and nail the long ribbon into the top of the doorway (that way you can't see them).  Or omit the long ribbon and just use a wreath hanger.

Cottage Mama's Note:  
Please email me or leave a comment if you have any questions about the instructions for this tutorial.

Happy Holidays!

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