How to make a spectacular do-it-yourself wreath

November 6, 9:37 PMDo-It-Yourself Florist ExaminerLinda Estill

Previous Next

3 comments Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Do-It-Yourself Florist Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Fall Feathers wreath with pumpkins and flowers

Wreaths are becoming more and more popular these days, and not just around the holidays. A wreath hanging on a front door seems to say "Welcome to our home", no matter what the season. They can be purchased ready made from craft stores, boutiques, home stores and a few other places, but why not make one yourself? They're really quite simple, and this way you can customize them to suit your decor, the season, your interests or those of a friend if giving it as a gift. You can buy the bases at the craft store. You'll find several styles, including tightly wrapped straw, grapevine, honeysuckle, artificial pine and fir and a very free form style like the one shown in the photo.

 
So first select your base, then start collecting your other materials. It helps if you have a theme or color scheme in mind. I started this one with a feather theme, selecting several packages of different types of feathers. Then I gathered other items that blended well, like the feathered ball and cute little brown bird. Begin by laying out your materials to determine their most attractive placement. It's much easier to move them before you glue or wire them! I like to create a focal point, but you can arrange them in any manner that looks good to you. I kept this one pretty sparse because I liked the free flowing look of the base and I didn't want to hide it. Play around until you find yourself saying, "Ah, that's just the way I want it!"

Tie a long piece of fabric around the wreath.

I really like using fabric with my wreaths. I already had this remnant of leopard print and I thought it went well with my feathers and color scheme. I just tied it around the wreath and it ended up serving as an anchor or armature for my feathers, cattails and puff balls. If you're having trouble coming up with a theme or idea for your wreath, you may want to start with an interesting fabric and build around that. It should be fairly stiff; flimsly fabric doesn't work as well.

Feathers are tucked and glued into the knot.

 Next I tucked my collection of feathers into the knot, using a little hot glue on the tips to secure them. You need very few tools to make a wreath....a pair of wire cutters, a hot glue gun and, if using heavier materials, some medium gauge wire. I only needed a hot glue gun for this wreath. Think of what else you could use to create this look - wheat, artificial grasses, long silk flowers. Cruise around the craft store; you'll be amazed at what you can find.

  Faux flowers are added to the focal point.

  I clipped the stems off of a couple of sunset toned, silk flowers and glued them (the flowers, not the stems) to the center of the fabric knot.  I also added a few cattails that I already had. If you're a crafter, you probably have all kinds of things in your arsenal that you can use to create a wreath. You may even want to use your "scrap box" as a starting point to find your inspiration.

 I glued the feathered ball on next, followed by a lightweight wooden pumpkin. Then I added the bird in the upper right hand corner. I wish you could see how his feathers shimmered and reflected so many beautiful colors.

The finished photo at the top illustrates how I added the remaining items, giving it a balanced look that's very eye-catching and appealing. Very simple, yet beautiful. And so easy to do! It took longer to shop for everything than it did to actually create the wreath. This type of project is something that the kids could help you with. Wreaths make wonderful gifts and they're not that expensive to create. And besides that, they're a ton of fun! Take a look at the slideshow for some other ideas.