Do you hang a wreath on your door for the Holidays?

Every year I aim to have a cool creative wreath on my door for the Christmas Holidays. This year I wanted to teach you how to create a special wreath for your home using materials in your own backyard.

I get pretty sentimental about wreaths, having grown up in the South they are on every door all year long. There is always an occasion to have a wreath on your door, Christmas, Mardi Gras, Valentines, St. Patrick’s Day, Spring, in fact I doubt there is ever a reason to not have one on your door. When I was married I was given one as a gift complete with coordinating wedding flowers and colors. To this day I hang it up each Summer!

 

Materials:

Now let’s talk about the materials you’ll need to make a wreath.

A Wreath Form: This is a metal hoop that you use to attach the greenery to. You can find them at a local craft store like Joann’s Walmart or Michael’s.

Pruners: for cutting the greenery.

Greenery: evergreen material for use as the wreath base.

Adornments: ornaments, bows, berries, stars, ribbon, or basically anything that would add interest and contrast to the wreath. This could be something that speaks to you personally like one of my wreaths this year.

 

The form is key. I saved mine from years back off an old Christmas wreath and I re-use it every year. You can pick one up for about $5 at a local craft store.   You can also try to make your own out of a wire hanger. (You’ll need three hangers, and a needle nose pliers with wire cutter. Shape two hangers into circles. Attached the two hangers together using pieces of wire from the third hanger. It’ll take some twisting of the wire with the needle nose pliers but should come together nicely.)

The Greenery: The only rule to the greenery is it should be something that stays green after being removed from the tree. You can use cuttings from your Christmas tree. If you don’t have cuttings then ask the folks at the nursery or Christmas tree lot if they have any extra tree trimmings lying around that you could have. You’ll find it more difficult to get free tree trimmings at a place like the big box stores because they typically have trimmings all packed up for sale.

This year I wanted to look beyond the tree lots so I went into my backyard to see what I had that could work for greenery. A tree that was planted ad nausea 30-40 years ago in Albuquerque were junipers. You’ll be able to find these trimmings in your own yard or your neighbors. These make for a nice look if you’re not allergic to them. Unfortunately I am allergic so I wore gloves when cutting and preparing this Juniper wreath.

Rosemary was used in the second wreath I made. I have a large one in my backyard. The greenery is similar to a fir Christmas tree with the bonus of the fresh aroma you’ll get every time you open your door.

Other evergreen plants you’ll find in the neighborhoods might be Nandina domestica (some people call it bamboo), red tip photinia and local pine or spruce trees. Any of these would make for a fun wreath.  The nandinas also have berries this time of year that can be used as an adornment. I still remember making Christmas decorations in New Orleans out of Nandinas each year when I was little.

Adornments could literally be anything that works for you and your holiday colors, or theme this year. I used red berries I had lying around for the juniper wreath to create a natural looking earthy themed wreath. For my rosemary wreath I used leather. Earlier this year I received a handmade dream catcher from a wedding of my dear friend. The white of the leather and feathers are beautiful against the dark green. I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to add color to it and then I remembered I had red leather scraps lying around from a previous craft project. I cut out leather triangles for the project. The triangle shape keeps it hip and modern and the leather pairs well with the dream catcher  and rosemary creating a mountain chic look for my front door wreath. I’m in love with it. It reminds me of the special memories shared with friends this year in the lovely mountains of the southwest. It’s a nice nod to this place, New Mexico, that I call home.

What type of wreath will you be making this year?