DIY Idea: Evergreen Wreath

Just in time for Christmas! This holiday season you might be finding yourself home more and looking for a DIY project to keep you busy or help entertain the little ones in your family. Well, we’ve got a beautiful project to decorate your door, wall, or table—yes, even those among you that are short on time (and may have a case of DIY phobia).

Wreaths are not just for Christmas or the holidays, although this step-by-step guide is an evergreen wreath. The beauty of wreaths is that they’re an any season, any reason favorite—with the right foliage and appropriate materials, wreaths display joy all year round; they last for months, even years depending on the materials used. The process is the same no matter the style of wreath, or season.

Not feeling the DIY?

Feeling nervous? Not ready to attempt your own wreath yet? That’s totally fine, we have pre-made wreaths ready in our shop. Just order and it’s ready to display!

You’ll Need The Following:

• Wreath Frame – we have found a metal wire frame is the most versatile support for wreaths. (We used an 18-inch round form here but go with whatever size pleases you and you can find them online and at most craft stores. Psst…the dollar stores have them too, usually way cheaper!)

• Floral Wire – we use 22-gauge which you can get online or at any craft store also. If you’re wanting to reuse the wire frame and redecorate a wreath in the future, try using twine or jute rope instead or wire for an easier removal or natural, environmentally-friendly product.

• Floral Shears

• Wire Cutters (You can use an old pair of scissors too, but once you cut wire with them they won’t be good at cutting much else)

• Greenery – cut some from plants or trees around your house or buy our DIY bunches. We used Douglas Fir evergreen bunches for simplicity but you could use a variety of foliage depending on your final look—for example you could pick 2 types of evergreen, like fir and pine, and 1 type of a more delicate greenery like holly, seasonal flowers, or magnolia.

• Decorations – we added Eucalyptus and a Ribbon to our example but you could add just about anything here!

• Ribbon or Twine for hanging

Here’s How It’s Done:

1. Lay Out Your Greens, Grouping Them By Bundles.

Make 8-12 bunches of the greenery. (This will depend on the type of greenery you use and how you bundle, may be more or less). To make each bunch, cut pieces of greenery to 6 to 9-inch lengths using your floral shears. Group 8 or so pieces together in a bunch.

Tightly secure the bundle together with your floral wire, wrapping it around a couple times and then twisting the ends together. Lay the bunch aside and repeat until you have 8 or so bundles or you run out of room on the table. If you find as you attach your bundles that you need more, just repeat and create the needed amount. Once you do this a couple times, you’ll get a better idea of how many of your-sized bundles it takes to make this size of wreath.

2. Begin Attaching The Bunches—One By One—To Your Wire Frame Wreath.

Attach each bunch to your wire frame with more floral wire, using a continuous run, never cutting it until the end—winding it around each bunch’s stem a few times to secure. The secret here is keeping it TIGHT! Spin the wreath as you go, adding more bunches, working in a counter-clockwise fashion until you come full circle. Make sure each new bunch overlaps the previous, covering the stems and leaving no gaps. Securely tie off the end (and the start) of the floral wire to the wire wreath frame.

3. Step Back And Take A Look.

Once your wreath greenery is complete, check for holes and adjust as needed. Depending on how polished you want your wreath to look, you may need to cut off excess stems that may be hanging “out there” too much. The end result should be a nicely landscaped curve all the way around the outside and inside hoop.

For the purpose of hanging, create a loop with your twine, ribbon, or floral wire. Then secure it to the back of your form. 

4. Add Decorations To Your Wreath.

We added a few preserved dried eucalyptus stems and a red and black plaid bow to accessorize this wreath. You can use really anything—try gold or red ornaments, pinecones, holly or other berries, dried fruit like oranges, or battery-operated candles or a strand of lights. For a non-holiday wreath, try dried flowers, grasses, grains, flags, animal figures, pumpkins, or anything else that goes with your theme or aesthetic! 

Tips

• If you include flowers, pick varieties that dry easier and hold their shape—a dried wreath can last a long time.

• Don’t feel overwhelmed or stressed by the thought of having many types of greenery and finding ways to combine them. A wreath with a single ingredient looks just as beautiful (look at our Eucalyptus wreaths for example!)

• As you begin layering, pay attention to covering the stems of each bunch—making sure the end result will be a lush full wreath instead of looking twiggy or having holes.

• Spray you wreath once done with anit-desiccant spray to seal in the moisture (if live greenery) or floral protectant spray to keep UV rays, or dirt or dust from settling on the greenery (if dried greenery).

• Find a great place to display your new wreath and start enjoying it! Or gift it to someone you love to spread the joy…Happy Making!