Last weekend we had our annual family wreath making day, it has become a little bit of a tradition now after 3 years and this year was by far my favourite. We all had such a lovely cozy day together, christmas music playing in the background and laughter as we sang along to our favourites songs.
We start off each year by donning our wellies and foraging for foliage in Mum and Dads garden where there is always lots to pick, holly, ivy, evergreen, berries and, this year, some beautiful hydrangea blooms. Managing to dodge the down pores we dried off our greenery by the stove whilst we warmed our hands on a cup of tea.
HERE'S HOW:
Start with the bendiest bendy branches you can find, secure them with floristry wire in the shape of a circle - its quite an organic process, never quite perfect at first but the more branches you add the more ridged the structure becomes and you can manipulate it into shape fairly easily. Once you have built up a good base, begin weaving in evergreens, securing it in with wire where needed. Keep adding until you have a nice bushy circle ready to decorate.
This year I really wanted to create something that looked quite rustic and a little bit different from last years
wreath. I added three large hydrangea heads to the base of my wreath, pushing the stems through the branches beneath (they have secured themselves because the base was fairly tightly woven, but you could use wire for extra support.)
Next I added in some holly, some pine cones and cinnamon tied with hessian before finishing the wreath off with a cream bow.
The "Ta-da" moment was interrupted by Bertie, my sisters dog, who came for a nosey at what we were up to! He is just too handsome not to photograph?
Do you like to make your own wreath at Christmas? Leave a comment below if you have any tips on keeping a wreath looking lush for longer… perhaps a moss base might help to retain some moisture?
Happy festive crafting friends.
Laura x
Labels: Crafting
