I believe that Christmas isn’t complete without the wreath on the front door or in our case, above the fireplace. This Christmas wreath DIY is a super easy one that simply looks and smells lovely and uses my favourite foliage: penny gum. As a child, my best friend and I used to make floral wreaths with daisies. These fond memories have always stayed with me and get triggered as soon as I see a wreath.
You will need:
Penny gum (available at your local florist)
Prickly blooms or ‘fynbos’
Florist wire
Ribbon
Copper craft paint
Hat pin
Easy as pie
Follow the same steps that I showed you in our mini wreaths tutorial. Make a circle with your florist wire and thread the penny gum and whatever else you are using through the loops. Secure them by doing another layer of wire to catch all the loose ends. End off with ribbon and dip the ends in copper craft paint. I even dipped some of the prickly flowers in the paint to add to the bling.
Hanging around
We placed our wreath above the fireplace as this will be the first thing guests see when they enter through the front door. What a lovely way to say welcome!
Door to door
After our shoot I simply had to hang the wreath on my front door! Yes, this is where all the good props ends up.
I think I am going to make this my seasonal wreath. I’ll add different elements true to the specific season and have it proudly displayed all year round.
Why not make smaller wreaths for your table as well?
You will need:
Florist wire
Thin-stemmed penny gum branches (you can buy these at your local florist if you don’t have a friend with a tree)
Ribbon
Hat pin
Merry go round
Bend the florist wire into a circular shape and secure the end by threading it round. Start the wreath by putting the stem of the penny gum branch into one of the loops created. Now simply twirl it around until it ends. I didn’t let mine go all the way and left a ‘naked’ wire section at the top for the ribbon. It kind of reminds me of a roman wreath!
Needles and pins
I have a disturbingly large collection of hat pins at home. I simply cannot resist them and have found 101 uses for them. This time I’ve used a hat pin to secure the broad ribbon at the top of the wreath.
Let it shine
I wanted to echo my copper-dipped cutlery so I added a touch of copper craft paint to a few of the penny-gum leaves just for fun.
Hang on
These fragrant little wreaths are the perfect welcome at the back of each guest’s chair around the Christmas table. If you have a formal seating arrangement, you can go one step further and add the names of guests to them.
You can also make mini versions of these wreaths and use them for Christmas tree decorations – the possibilities are endless!
Happy styling,
