Create a Christmas Wreath



Create your own Christmas wreath from fresh flora to celebrate the holiday season with personal charm and a natural touch. Make it a family affair and involve the kids in helping to create your family's own Christmas wreath. This article uses items available at Christmas time in the Northern Hemisphere; if you cannot obtain the items in warmer climates, think creatively and substitute with local options.

Steps

  1. Start by preparing the elements that will form the basis of the wreath around the oasis ring.
    • Cut small sprigs of blue pine, removing the bottom 2cm / 1 inch of needles.
    • You can either trim the needles with scissors or remove them with your fingers.
    • Cut 30 sprigs of berried ivy.
  2. Place the base wreath elements onto the oasis ring. Begin with positioning the berried ivy on top of the oasis ring.
    • Always dress the oasis ring in the same direction.
    • This demonstration shows the design going in an anti-clockwise direction. This design gives a sense of movement and makes coverage of the oasis ring easier.
    • Place sprigs of blue pine both inside and outside the ring. Place the berried ivy on top, and weave blue pine in amongst the ivy.
  3. Continue until the entire oasis ring is covered.
  4. Using the stub wire, wrap it around the middle of the pine cone and feed it through the teeth of the cone. Twist the wires together, leaving two prongs facing outwards that you can stab into the oasis ring.
  5. Push the stub wire prongs right through the apple. Pull both ends of the wire together and twist together 2 or 3 times.
    • Again leave two prongs to feed into the oasis ring. When pushing in the wire, ensure that half of the apples will show the bottom and the rest will show the top.
    • Repeat this until all 12 apples are wired.
  6. Use scissors to cut the 30cm /12" lengths of cinnamon sticks into three 10cm / 4" pieces.
    • Bundle together three of the short lengths of cinnamon and tie this together with raffia.
    • Feed the raffia in between the sticks. Wind it around a couple of times to secure the bundle.
    • Tie the raffia with a double knot. Cut the raffia to 4 cm / 2" lengths.
  7. Wire the cinnamon bundles. Simply feed one piece of stub wire under the raffia. Ensure that it is positioned at the opposite side to the knot. Twist the wire three times, leaving two prongs sticking out. Cut the wire to 8 cm / 3" lengths.
  8. Arrange the wreath display items. The arrangement will be in four groups consisting of: one cone, three apples and two cinnamon bundles.
    • First place the pine cones. Be sure to feel that the prongs reach into the polystyrofoam base, otherwise the pine cones may pop out when hung on the door.
    • Add three apples around the cone and two bundles of cinnamon. The groups should be added to both the top and sides of the oasis ring. Space the groups into 4 sections, evenly placed.
    • Continue placing these items until all four groups are complete.
  9. Cut 8 stub wires in half and bend them into hairpins. The hairpins will hold the ribbon in place.
  10. Add the ribbon to the wreath. It's recommended to use wired ribbon.
    • Starting 10cm /4" from the end of the ribbon, gather the ribbon between the thumb and forefinger and feed a hairpin either side of the ribbon.
    • Begin weaving the ribbon from inside the ring of the oasis. Loop the ribbon over the oasis and pin it onto the outside of the ring.
    • Arrange the ribbon where you like it. Allow it to loop and weave through the wreath. Pin it behind an apple here, a cinnamon bundle there, scrunching as you go. The more variety, the more the eye moves over the wreath, giving a rich abundant feeling for Christmas. When you get to the end, cut the ribbon next to the last hairpin.
  11. Make a loop with the ribbon to secure the wreath to the door. Using 2 meters / 2 yards of ribbon, tie a knot around the oasis ring.
  12. Hang your Christmas wreath on the door and have a Merry Christmas.

Tips

  • Other decorations that you could use include nuts still in their shells (glue together and loop the wire through the different nuts), mandarins, different pine sprigs, dried flowers, holly leaves and berries, gumnuts etc. Use locally available plant materials and search through the craft basket for decorative items that would be suitable.

Warnings

  • Owing to the fresh plant decorations, this wreath does not have a long shelf life. Make it a week before Christmas and take it down when it starts to wilt.

Things You'll Need

  • A ring of oasis (floristry foam)
  • 4 large fir cones
  • 9 small shiny apples
  • 8 30cm / 12" sticks of cinnamon
  • 30 sprigs of berried ivy
  • 3 branches of blue pine
  • 4 metres / 4.3 yards wired ribbon
  • Raffia
  • Scissors
  • Stub wire

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  • VideoJug A video of making a Christmas wreath. Original source of article. Shared with permission and appreciation.
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