Foraged Front Door: homemade wreath making
One of the most satisfying projects of the holiday season is constructing your own wreath with clippings from the land that surrounds you. It may feel intimidating at first, but once the collecting of materials starts, it soon becomes a healthy obsession.
Here is what you need:
-Clippers or (really sharp scissors)
-Twine
-Floral wire (green 22 gauge)
-Box or basket to gather goods
Hunting and Gathering:
Keep your eyes peeled for:
vines, bittersweet, tall grasses,
greens: juniper, holly and boxwood,
pumila (that amazing feathery like grass), corn husks, dried wildflowers, pinecones, acorns.
Simply walk around your house and find many perfect scores for your project. Or keep a box in the back of your car to gather as you go about your day. There are so many directions your wreath can take. For starters let’s go over the basic cardinal directions of the wreath world:
1. The Quick Sweeping Wild Organic
With just a quick circular motion and a fasten, this natural beauty takes under ten minutes to construct. Hey there modern simple beauty.
2. The Traditional Holiday Card
Bittersweet delux is a classic. Start by making one first loop of vine and fastening the ends together with wire. From there, continue looping additional strands of vine around the first loop while occasionally interlocking them. You will want to secure the beginning and endings of vines with a bit of wire. Naturally the vine starts weaving itself as a circle, basically taking the lead in the activity. Reinforce the area that will be hung from a hook or nail so that it can support the weight of the wreath. “No, I really did make that!”... get used to saying it.
3. The Minimalist Traditional
Put a little modern flair into the standard green wreath. It isn’t necessary to have greens around the entire frame, so let the vine show off a bit. Add acorns or sweet gum seeds for adornment. Velveteen ribbon bows keep it classy. This is a simple design that can be constructed in under an hour. How is that for holiday game?
4. The Thoughtful Hearty Beautifully Wild:
Roll up your sleeves and take some time looking at the natural harvest you have brought home. Adding a variety of elements, greens, grasses, and flowers give this wreath a soft yet complex dimension. Start with a strong base of vines, and add in layers of your texture little by little, securing with wire as you go. Try corn stalks and opened milkweed pods, berries and dried hydrangea flowers. The sky really is the limit. Don’t be surprised if you are at it until sundown; you’ve caught the wreath making bug.
