Winter Wreath...

by Chasing Quaintness

4 Materials

$20

2 Hours

Easy

With all of the Christmas decor packed away, the house looks a little bare, especially my new back door. I had a pretty Christmas wreath on it and when I took it down, it just looked lonely.

I looked for a wreath to purchase but couldn't find anything that I liked. Soooo, I decided to make one. I did a little bit of research on how to construct a wreath, decided on a style, bought my supplies and let them sit in the trunk of my car for about a week. I had a little bit of anxiety about making a wreath...that others would see...hanging on my door. I finally sucked it up, put on my big girl panties and started to work. Someone had to assemble this wreath as all the elves were back at the North Pole!

The supplies were not complicated...2 embroidery hoops (one large, one small), faux leave stems, floral wire stems, hot glue, stain, ribbon, and wire cutters. Oh, I also used a sponge brush to apply the stain. :-)

I applied the the stain and let it dry overnight, but it was probably dry after a couple of hours. After the stain was dry, I used the hot glue and floral wire to attach my hoops to each other. I wanted to make sure they weren't going to slip once I hung it on the door.

After you have the hoops secured, cut your leaves off the stems with the wire cutters and place them around the wreath using your hot glue to secure them. Do not be stingy with that glue...you don't want to come in one day and see leaves all over the floor...it will look like a tree started molting in your house! Once you are satisfied with the placement and fullness of your leaves...

...make your bow.

When making bows, I always use wired and double sided ribbon...I want the pattern on both sides so that I don't have to keep pinching and turning to get the pattern on the right side of the bow. Your bow can be whatever size you want it to be. I like full bows. I usually make 6-8 loops.

Wire the ribbon to the hoops. If you want the wreath to look more full, add more of the leaves at the top and on the sides. I ended up adding a few more and inserted those little white berry stems. There is no right or wrong...just whatever you prefer. I wanted something neutral so I chose leaves.