DIY Winter Wreath
Now that Thanksgiving is over, I can officially start celebrating Christmas!
I had a request from my Aunt to create a winter wreath for her earlier this year. I am so excited to show you all how I created this stunning and simple DIY winter wreath that you can make in less than a day.
SUPPLIES YOU WILL NEED:
~Grapevine wreath
~ Assortment of pine cones, pine tree branches, berries, and other branches (I got most that were "sprayed" to look like snow.)
~Wire and wire cutters
~Hot glue gun and glue
I got all of my supplies at my local craft store: Joann.
STEP 1:
Once you have gathered all of your supplies, start trimming the branches into workable pieces.
I found that wire cutters work best.
Some of the ends may need to be unravelled to separate. (I used a pair of scissors to help cut the material and then pull and separate the branches.)
The branches that are completely wire and are not wrapped in any floral tape(like the picture below) are easily separated by cutting each branch with wire cutters.
This one was a little harder to separate, but I found that cutting the branch with some scissors helped me separate the branch sections. Be careful not to cut yourself. :)
See how the branches are separated above? I learned this trick when I first started making wreaths. The stems of the branches and flowers all come apart! Sometimes you have to work a little harder than others to separate them, but it smaller pieces are so much easier to work with.
STEP 2:
Once all of your branches have been cut into workable pieces, begin arranging them on your grapevine wreath. Don't start gluing yet. Figure out the best places for the branches. Look for areas that have the best support for the bigger and heavier branches.
I found that laying everything out first gives me a good game plan and template to follow.
I found that placing your center piece first helps to create balance and how much of the wreath you have to work with.
Continue to lay out a design until you are satisfied. I found that taking a picture of the design helps me to remember what I want the wreath to look like.
STEP 3:
After you have a game plan get your hot glue gun ready!
Take of your layed out design and set them aside, leaving something to mark your center. (I used one of the big pine cones I planned to use for the center.)
For the branches that are heavy and need extra support:
Start by cutting a long piece of wire, about 6 inches.
Next wrap the wire around the end section of the branch. Leave a good amount on both ends. (see picture below)
Place the branch where you want it to go and wrap the rest of the wire around a few branches of the wreath. I found that the larger branches of the wreath have the best support, but you can also wrap the wire around a few small ones as well.
Finally, after the wire is all wrapped, add some hot glue to the wire both on the stem and wreath. This adds even more support and lowers the chance of it falling off. I find that a little extra hot glue is totally fine.
I used wire on most of the large and heavy branches/stems and with the pine cones. For the smaller stems and branches I used hot glue.
For the branches that are small:
Use hot glue to secure in place. I like to make sure to place them in a tight area of the grapevine wreath with a little extra hot glue.
Keep adding to the wreath until you are satisfied. I find that when I am close to finishing, I look at the wreath from different angles. I even hang the wreath on the door to visualize it better. This helps me to see any holes or open areas that need filling.
For any pine cones:
The ones I used already had a wire attached to them, but you can easily glue and attach a wire to any pine cone. I wrapped the wire around a few pieces of the grapevine wreath to hold it in place and then some hot glue to the base touching the wreath. You can also wrap the wire connecting to the pine cone around another stem/branch as well.
The pinecones are definitely my favorite part of this wreath!
STEP 4:
Once all of the stems and branches are glued and secured, start bending and spreading them out. The nice thing about the branches and stems that I used was that they were all wire! So I could bend and move them where I wanted each piece to go.
And that's it!
This project costed me about $60 with coupons and 3 hours to make.
I LOVE how this wreath turned out! It has such a wintery feel and is very beautiful! I am super excited for the Christmas season this year. I have a few more projects up my sleeve, stay tuned. :)
Happy crafting,
