DIY Natural Wreath

I was already thinking about holiday decorating in September. This year can’t be over soon enough, right? Even though the holidays will be super low key this year and we won’t be entertaining, I’m not going to tone down the seasonal vibes. Quite the opposite actually. Finding joy is so important for our mental well being right now, with winter around the corner and limited social interaction. For me that means making the house pretty inside and out. Every year I DIY my door decor, so I thought i’d share my DIY Natural Wreath ‘recipe’.

You can absolutely buy them, yes. BUT wheres the fun in that?

What’s your wreath style?

Every year I do something new, but this year I’m leaning towards a loose uncontrived look. I’m not worried about it being perfect at all. My favourite touch are the droopy seeded eucalyptus stems that give the wreath a romantic vibe.
If you prefer a more polished look, consider using more structured greens like boxwood, spruce and holly. You absolutely can’t go wrong.

What you need to make your Fresh Natural Wreath

1. Grapevine wreath. Grab these at your local craft or dollar store. They are quite inexpensive and I reuse them every year. What I love most about them is you can easily poke in branches or decorative elements.

2. Floral wire. Really any thin gauge wire will do, but look for the green paddle wire. It’s easier if it’s on a roll (or paddle) but you can also find green floral wire stems or even us Florist tape (green) In a pinch.

3. Garden clippers

4. Evergreens. Beautiful bunches can be found at most garden centres. Cedar, boxwood, pine, spruce and seeded eucalyptus are all gorgeous. I also like to ’forage’ and have been known to stop at the side of the road to clip.
The greens usually come in 2-3 pound bundles. Use any extra to do outdoor planters to coordinate with your wreath.

5. Decor. Create your own personal style and add natural elements like pinecones, holly or dry flowers.

How to Create a Natural Wreath

1. Clip your greens and create bundles to build your design.
You will need to make 4-6 bundles for a 12 inch grapevine wreath base. 6 bundles with give you a ‘tighter’ design with less space to fill in at the end.
2. Layer the greens on top of each other. I used spruce for my base and then built the bundle varying colours and texture to create dimension.

3. Take your first bundle, lay it on the base and start to wrap the wire and tie to secure it then wrap it as tightly as you can. Don’t cut the wire at all until you finish the whole project.

4. Lay your next bundle overlapping slightly with the first and repeat wrapping with the wire. You don’t need to tie it again until the end.

5. Once all your bundles are secure, flip the wreath over cut the wire leaving about 5 inches so you can weave and wrap it to secure.

6. Hang, fluff, fill and dress.

The best way to judge if you need to add more to the design is to hang the wreath. Fiddle around with them and determine where you need to adjust. All you need to do is poke the extra foliage into the base. This is where I added the seeded eucalyptus which gave me the uncontrived natural look I was after. After you fill in attach any other adornments like pinecones by wiring them in.