Decorative Wreaths

When it comes to dressing up the front door, there is no better way than using decorative wreaths. Come Christmas, Halloween, Easter or any other occasion to celebrate, there's no way that you wouldn't spot beautiful assortment of flowers, twigs, leaves and other decorative materials resembling a ring or a circlet on doors. Floral wreaths have been used for decorating wedding venues for ages. These are also used for decorating homes during the festive season. While the ones made with fresh flowers will become jaded after a while, the ones made from dried flowers or silk flowers will last much longer, provided these aren't constantly exposed to sunlight or harsh weather conditions.

Gone are the days, when you would spot them during the festive seasons only. Now these are being used throughout the year. If you have a great interest in arts and crafts, you can get hold of items that are needed for making this decorative item. You can either make the traditional circular wreath or give it a different shape. You can choose a straw base, grapevine base, styrofoam or a wire base. So, you first need to decide which base you would be using. Once you have decided the theme, style and color scheme, you can accordingly decide the types of decorative items that can be hung on it. If you wish to make a wreath on your own, here's what you need to do.

How to Make a Wreath

Once you have decided the shape, you will need to get your hands on the material for making the base and other decorative items. You will also need wires, wire cutters, floral tape, floral picks or adhesives. Here are instructions that you need to follow.

Making a Base
You can use grapevine or twigs for making a base. Once you have gathered grapevines, twist them, so that you get a circular form. Keep wrapping additional vines by passing them through the center and weaving them in and out of the loop till you get a ring of desired thickness. Use a floral wire or tape so as to hold them together. Now that you have a base, you can add accents. If you don't wish to use a grapevine base, you could use a straw base. All you need to do is twist straw or hay to create a circular form. Use wire or nylon strings to secure the base. You can also use a styrofoam or a wire base. Once the base is ready, you can wrap leaves, flower arrangements, ribbons or other decorative items. You can also use floral picks to attach these items securely.

Decorating a Wreath
Once the base is ready, you can decorate it. During the fall, you could make use of maple leaves, berries or dried foliage. Beautiful flowers blossom in spring and summer season. If you are one of those who get inspired by the nature, then you can use flowers that are available during the season. Make sure that the color scheme is perfect. If you are not too keen on using fresh flowers, you can use silk flowers or dried flowers. There is no need to restrict yourself to flowers and leaves only. You can add accent to it. A variety of decorative items can be picked up from the crafts store. You can also weave the decorative ribbons in and out, and make a beautiful bow. You can also use beautiful beads, faux fruits, feathers, bells, small holiday balls, baby pinecones or any decorative item that you can think of. If Christmas is just around the corner, you can make the base, and put Christmas ornaments, foliage and flowers to create a beautiful Christmas wreath. You can use these ideas to create one for Easter as well. Just make sure that all the decorative items are firmly attached to the base.

Well, there is no dearth of ideas for decorating a wreath. All you need to do is let out the artistic streak in you. Now that you have a basic idea on how to make this decorative item, make one for beautifying your home.