Wreaths welcome guests and beautify homes. Regardless of your holiday plans, wreath making and display is a great way to get your DIY fix this season and pick up a skill you can use year round! Wreaths have evolved through history from ancient Persian head garlands to Roman symbols of victory and triumph, to central elements of many holiday rituals. Read through these 11 ways on how to make various lovely wreaths at home, inspired by and gathered from a slew of innovative DIY crafters.
First, try the Fall Felt Leaf Wreath by Nest of Posies
Fall may be coming to an end, but the rich colors endure and continue to make great additions to décor. This Fall Felt Leaf Wreath by Nest of Posies is soft, warm and beautiful. You will need a straw or foam wreath, which you will wrap with yarn. The yarn is wrapped after glue is applied in small patches (tutorial here). When you have selected your felt colors, you can cut out the leaf shapes, using a template and scissors, a die cutting machine, or precut leaf shape. Stitching with embroidery thread is a great way to add a bit more texture and detail to the leaves, which can be pinned or hot-glued to your wreath.
Practice and Refine your Wreath Making Skills
Before we go any further, let’s cover the wreath basics. You need a wreath form, made of something a bit sturdy like wire or strong foam, and you need decorations. If you use traditional sprigs of greenery, they are typically attached with wire or glue, going around the wreath in a layering fashion so that they overlap one another. This tutorial on a basic but charming natural wreath from Front Porch Ideas and More is a good place to start.
Next, put a spin on traditional holiday green wreaths with a star shaped wreath.
Martha Stewart recommends using fragrant golden cedar, floral wire, and a star shaped wreath form, which is available in multiple sizes from the Maine Wreath Company (it could probably also be made out of wire or a hanger with some wrangling). She instructs us to make bundles of four to six inch pieces and use a continuous piece of floral wire to wrap them tightly onto the wreath form in an overlapping fashion.
Now you're ready to try some more layering.
This ombre wreath (ombre: a design in which colors gradually shift, usually from dark to light) from Burlap and Blue is a stunner for anytime of year.You will need craft felt, a straw wreath, and hot glue. Burlap and Blue advises for these types of felt wreaths that “it takes about 8 8.5″ x 11″ pieces of felt.” Again, you can see that layering is the main activity in this wreath’s construction. I enjoy this wreath’s whimsical mood and cool colors.
Combine projects!
I love how this project from Sand and Sisal combines a DIY chalkboard paint project with a eucalyptus wreath. Eucalyptus smells so wonderful.After painting a chalkboard rectangle onto your wall with chalkboard paint (measured to fit the inside of your frame) you can hang the frame and add the wreath and chalk messages. The chalkboard area is a great message board year round.
Focus on Christmas (if you like).
“Hang ornaments as if on a tree, grouping by color — warm shades (pink, red, orange, yellow, gold) on one side, cool tones (blue, purple, green, silver) on the other.”
Are you in a Winter Solstice mood?
This wreath was created for the celebration of Winter Solstice, which recognizes the start of winter and the survival of light. An evergreen solstice wreath can be laid flat on a table as a centerpiece and candles are added and lit each night (not unlike the Christian tradition of an advent wreath). Remember to be careful with the candles. Here’s an example from Owls’ Daughter.
Step outside the design box.
This wreath from DIY Network is a fun modern take on door decorating. It requires a drill, jigsaw, and a variety of wood, so it asks for a bit if commitment.However, if wood is not your thing, the center disk with spokes and outer circles or satellites could probably also be made with foam, papier-mache, or carefully cut cardboard, and then painted or decorated.
Do you celebrate Hanukkah?
If you are craving more holiday wreaths, here's another to get you inspired: a Hanukkah themed wreath, from This Mama Loves.
You can make a New Year's Wreath too.
Try this glittering New Year’s Eve Wreath, from The 36th Avenue.
Finally, challenge yourself to be less traditional with your wreath materials.
Traditional circular wreaths from natural materials symbolize unity and wholeness. This may the perfect vibe for you, or you may need to branch out and explore your own definition of a wreath. Experimentation is the only way innovation occurs, so have an open mind and enjoy your wreath making experiments. On that note, here are two bonus wreaths; a card wreath from Etsy seller Teetu, and a pulley wreath (described as manly) from The Finishing Touch Blog.
-Julia Travers, 2015