Over the weekend I spent some time working on seating and tablescaping for my upcoming Thanksgiving dinner. It sounds crazy, but logistics for hosting a dinner party of this size and complexity requires lots of prep work weeks in advance.
I am in the final stages of fine tuning my Thanksgiving tablescape (sharing the big reveal on the blog next week!), but have been struggling with one major component...the centerpiece! One concept I had been strongly considering was a fresh wreath made of mixed greenery encircling a big hurricane with a three-wick candle in the center. In my mind this sounded like a great idea, but I needed to test it out before committing.
The results? Let me just say that I am so glad that I took the time to test out this concept. It was obvious as soon as I placed the wreath on the table that it most definitely was not going to work as a centerpiece for this tablescape, however it did look fabulous on my front door.
Why am I sharing this DIY? The holiday season is pretty much here and wreaths tend to be a decor essential. While I am constantly wishing that I could buy one of the many luxe wreaths sold in some of my favorite home stores, there is no way that I can justify spending $130 on something that will be dead in a few months. DIY wreaths are not hard to make and cost a fraction of the price of those fancy store bought wreaths. In addition, you have the ability to customize your wreath to meet your exact aesthetic specifications. Here is how you can make your own beautiful wreath to adorn your home this holiday season.
Materials:
- Trader Joe's Grapevine Wreath for $3.99! (Similar here)
- 22 Gauge Paddle Wire
- Wire Cutters
- Sharp Scissors or Branch Clippers
- Greenery: Myrtle, Eucalyptus, Fern, Pine, etc.
- Wreath Embellishments (Similar here)
Instructions:
- Gather approximately 4-5 pieces of an assortment of greenery that has been trimmed to between 6-8inches in length
- Using a piece of 6inch green wire, wrap the base of the greenery bunch tightly
- To secure the greenery onto the wreath, cut an additional 6 inch piece of green wire and weave it through the grapevine wreath, then place your greenery bunch base over the piece of wire that has been woven through the wreath and use the wire to secure the bunch by twisting it tightly on top of the bunch (see image below).
- Continue steps 1-3 until the entire wreath is covered with greenery bunches, making sure to overlap each bunch as you go around the wreath in order to hide the wiring.
- Once your wreath is covered in greenery, insert desired embellishments. My embellishments did not require additional wiring to secure. I merely inserted them into the desired locations and both the greenery and grapevine base held them in place.
- Your wreath will only last a few days, however, if you mist it every other day with a little water, a wreath of eucalyptus will dry beautifully and last for a few months.
