I love the holidays, especially Thanksgiving. Mainly because I get to eat all things delicious and not have to worry about buying presents or rushing around. (and I can commence listening to all of my favorite Christmas songs...which you can listen here!) I get to be with the people I love with all of my favorite foods. To start off the holiday season, I really love to decorate and making a wreath has always been my favorite because before anyone enters your home they already get a sense of welcome!
This would also be a perfect housewarming gift that is easily made in less than one hour. All of the supplies can be found at your local craft store and the greenery at a your grocery store or even ordered online.
Supplies:
14" Embroidery Hoop
Floral Sheers
Wire Cutters
Twill Tape
Floral Wire
Foliage
Eucalyptus is a common filler you can find at your local grocery store or even foraged in your neighborhood. The frosted moss, pinecones and foliage I found at my local Michaels. The Silver Brunia is a little harder to find unless you find a florist that will sell it as I learned it's indigenous to New Zealand! Some alternatives would be white tallow berries. I like heading to California Flower Shippers for the most varieties.
Before starting you'll want to trim your foliage down to about 14" to keep them manageable. You'll trim off the excess as you add them to your wreath.
You'll start with your Eucalyptus Gunnii branches. I like to start with laying out the branches to get an idea of the balance and shape of the overall wreath. The key to this wreath is actually it's simplicity and letting the foliage stand out alone as opposed to densely packing it. I'm going with a slightly assymmetrical look where the left side will be carrying a bit more visual weight.
With your wire cutter, clip off about 10" of the floral wire and wrap your Eucalyptus branches to the embroidery hoop. Allow some of the leaves to hang loose.
Now take your seeded eucalyptus branches and use them to fill the gaps. It doesn't take much to make it work. The key to this wreath is "less is more".
Take a couple of your pinecones to create a visual focus. I like to match a large one with a smaller one for some variations. Cut some pieces of your floral wire and wrap them to your embroidery hoop. Then choose a nice bunch of the silver brunia (or other pale colored berries) to fill in the gaps.
Next take your cotton twill tape and cut off enough to hang at the right height for your door and then double it. I use a simple cow-hitch knot and thread my tape through the center gap of the embroidery hoop.
And there you have it! It's as simple as can be and will also dry beautifully if you'd like to have it for the entire year! I think that adding some gold leaves or sparkle will definitely give it a nice holiday feel to them! The variations are endless. I'd love to see what you guys do to yours. Tag us @elliefunday #modernwreath
For more holiday inspiration check out my Pinterest Board. I can't wait to see what everyone makes.
Resource Guide:
14" Embroidery Hoop : Hobby Lobby
Floral Sheers : Fiskars
Wire Cutters : Michaels
Twill Tape : Studio Carta : Angela Liguori
Floral Wire : Hobby Lobby
Foliage : Michaels & California Flower Shippers
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