The World of Wreaths

The Indian Summer Wreath is an exclusive piece of art from the continent positing the unique zeal of the fragrant Orient. This is a totemic piece of exotic craft that you will just cherish once it’s ready.

Here is the list of the all things you will need in the process of making an Indian Summer wreath,

• Twenty five sprigs of fresh or dried sweet Annie
• Corn-leaves wreath base or wire wreath frame with bendy prongs
• 8 to 10 bunches of fresh or dried feverfew or chamomile
• Two 10”- to 12”long dried corn leaves for each wreath-frame prong
• Eight to ten fresh or dried hydrangeas heads each 3” in diameter
• 15 sprigs of 7” to 10” long eucalyptus stems
• Eight to ten 18” to 20” long dried corn leaves for each wreath-frame prong
• A water filled spray bottle
• Hot adhesive or glue gun
• Fine gauge wire of 12” length
• And finally a large plastic bag

Okay so now as you have gathered all those varied elements you can start making the extraordinary Indian Wreath. 

• First pick the leaves from the corn stalk; it is highly preferable if the leaves are dry.
• The fall season may be a good time to pick. 
• To remove the dirt, wash the leaves with some water.
• Now place the leaves in a large plastic bag and squirt about some water.
• Leave them like that for some time until they become pliable.
• Once the leaves are pliable trim them down to 18-20 inches length. While trimming the smaller leaves trim them down to 10-12”.
• Now once the trimming is down put the leaves back into the back to again keep them pliable but before putting back drain off the excess water from the bag.
• Take each set of bendable prongs for the wire wreath frame and make individual bundles with 8-10 large leaves and 2 small leaves.  Fold each of the large leaves into halves, cluster them together and line up the ends. Now add the two small leaves and again line up the ends.
• Once the bundles are ready place them inside a set of prongs on the wire wreathe frame.
• Bend the prongs firmly around the bundle keeping 2” distance form the leaf ends and continue adding bundles in this way. Go anticlockwise until the entire wreath is covered with corn leaves. You will see that the bundles will overlap when they are attached to the frame. Complete the entire thing before the leaves start drying. In case they dry you may sprinkle some water.
• After the fixing process is over spread out some of the leaves by pooling towards the center of the wreath and some in the opposite direction, just see that none of the leaves turn flat, better shape them carefully.
• As the leaves on the wreath dry out completely, start gluing the adorning sprigs of Sweet Annie, eucalyptus, Fever Few, Hydrangea onto the wreath. Spread them evenly about on the corn leaves. Add these sprigs while fresh and they will naturally dry on the wreath.
• Make a loop at the back of the wreath with fine gauge wire and hang.
• There you have your all new Indian Summer Wreath ready.

Wreaths

Wine bottle corks are most of the time thrown out once the booze is done, right? But quite amazingly here’s another way you can use them other than dumping at the trash bag. You can happily make some wreaths with these otherwise useless things.

Here’s what all you will need,

• Around 70-80 wine bottle corks
• A grapevine wreath
• Some foliage with rough texture, preferably, faux greenery or silk plants
• Some faux grapes for the rough texture again
• Raffia
• Ribbons
• Hot glue gun

There are certain very simple steps following which you can happily make a chic looking wreath with your corks.

• First apply generous amount glue on to the wreath just where the first cork will be put.
• Let the glue settle and turn tawdry for some moment.
• Once the glue turns thick fix the cork in to place with some pressure. Now turn the cork around the re-fix it so that the name of the vineyard form where the cork came is visible.
• Continue in the same manner until you have covered the entire front of the wreath with corks.
• Now place the grapes on top of the corks wherever you wish. While fitting the grapes put the stems through the wreath and protect the fixing with a lot of hot glue.
• In the same way add the foliage, the raffia.
• Make some bows with the ribbon and fix them aside to each cork in symmetry.
• You can also make your own fake faux grapes with foam curvings painted red or green.

There you go; your exclusive wine cork wreath is ready. Aren’t it innovative and a great piece of craft as well?

Wine cork wreaths 

Pussy willow wreaths are exclusively made for the festive spring season. They are real chic pieces of craft that can transform the entire ambience of the festivity.

Now first the requirements,

• A small wreath base
• Some ribbon and wire
• Pussy willow and dogwood twigs

Procedure:

·        First let’s start off with the twigs. To prepare them aptly for the wreath first cut the dogwood into 6”-8” pieces.

·        Cut as much twigs as to make 4-6 bundles comprising of 6-8 sticks each.

·        Fasten the twigs tightly into bundles with the wire and leave some extra at the end of each.

·        Attach all the wire ends of each of the bundles to the frame of the wreath. Continue and don’t mind if you have to overlie the bundles one above the other as overlapping is require to cover the below.

·        Now start decorating with the accessories. You can put a mini bouquet of bunches of flowers winding them at the base with the colorful satin ribbons. 

·        Now you have to carefully create a vertical line of pussy twigs through the core for additional shape of the wreath.  It will also help add some texture and colour.

·        Again like the dogwood twigs make little bundles of the twigs and wire them at the end.

·        Now braid the branches together and fix the ends with wire. 

·        Put the braided branches in the core of the wreath and fix with wire.

·        Fill in the gaps with bits of twigs or else tuck them together to create a wild, woody effect.

And with that we come to the end of the pussy willow wreath making procedure.

Now we will make a grape vine wreath, a nice and attractive one. First let’s gather the ingredients. Here’s what we need,

·        Natural grapevine wreath base

·        Spools of florist’s wire

·        Some seasonal fruits and vegetables

·        Dried herbs and flowers

·        Floral Stakes

·        An assortment of evergreen branches

·        Wire cutters and hand pruners

·        Glue sticks or glue gun

·        Foam

·        Wire

Wreath making is a very simple craft if you can keep it effortless and simple.

·        The first step is to prepare a firm base for the purpose of decorating the wreath. You can make this with foliage, stems or dried flowers.  Once it’s ready cut it down into equal pieces.

·        Now take some cut wire or the glue gun to attach the base material to the grapevine wreath. Try and keep a pattern while you fix it up. Putting a thin layer about the entire wreath will be a great idea. Or else if you find that is not being easy then just put a little on the top, bottom and sides.

·        Now as the base material is ready start adding the embellishing stuff. They can be just anything from dried flowers to herbal shoots, vegetables or fruits or even some ribbons and clip-on stuffs. You can all of these with either glue or wire them up with the base. In case with larger fruits and vegetables you may sometimes need to use a  floral pick.

·        Next, continue adding until you think that it’s enough for the look of your wreath. Just in a way you arrange your flowers follow the same way and ensure that you don’t overdo. And it is always better to work with a single kind of blossom, foliage, vegetable or fruit type as that prevents the jumbling effect maintain a simple yet attractive symmetry.  

Dried Grapevine Wreaths

Okay here’s something really interesting! Have you ever heard of living wreaths? Yes, it is actually possible to make living wreaths which are equally beautiful, gracious and exotic.

In case of making a living wreath dried flowers and ribbons are the last thing you would need. Thank god for a break this time we will use a nice living and vibrant plant. Here’s a list of what all you will need,

• A wire wreath frame
• Some sheet moss
• Small potted miniature plants preferably Maidenhair Fern, Cyclamen or African violets
• Some green-wax coated string

Now the procedure,

• In the beginning we need a nice wire wreath frame; a 12” frame will be apt.

• Tie a string to any place you feel on the wire frame but leave a 4”-6” tail. Now cover the tail with a piece of masking tape so that you can find it out later even when the frame is filed up.  

• Next, add water to the sheet of moss so that it’s less messy and fragile and then mold it to the frame as it is wet.

• Now loosen a violet from the pot and remove it with a soft hand, see that the soil around the root is loose.

• After that take another piece of sheet moss and swathe it around the intact root of the violet, squeeze a little and place the violet sapling with the moss covering into the wreath frame.

• Wind the string around the plant 4 times and be a little close to the roots. Continue this way until you have covered the entire frame.

• Now the tail end that’s left, cover it with masking tape and make a few knots, whatever is left cut it off.

Once the wreath is ready you obviously want to preserve it well, after all it is a precious thing isn’t it? So here’s how you can take care of your living wreath.

• Place the wreath in a humid place, preferably the kitchen. While watering do it in a sink or a tub, fill it up and slowly submerge the wreath into the water.

• A little mist would work wonders bringing about a crowning effect with a little addition of liquid fertilizer. Don’t worry, the mist wont affect the blooms in any way.

• Some moderate amount sunlight would be great for the plant’s growth.

Living wreaths

After all those single trials let’s now learn how you can make various kinds of wreaths akin to the exclusive seasons all the year round. Here are some basic techniques which will help you create a stunning ensemble of wreaths.

In the first place let’s first recapitulate the basic methods of making a wreath and we will continue with the types from thereon.

1. Primarily you need an 18” long wire and attach one of its end to the wreath frame.
2. Then cut the base foliage stems keeping all of them of a similar length and same shape.
3. Now place a stem or spray of the foliage on the frame just where the wire is attached. Now take the wire and wrap it around the stem and the frame and pull it tight for firmness.
4. Now send a second one below the first layer of foliage in the same direction but overlapping. Carry out another session of wire wrapping and continue in the same way until the entire frame is covered.
5. If you come across any sparse areas just conceal them with extra foliage, a little glue and some stems will do.
6. Now add some embellishing stuff to the wreath with hot glue.
7. Finally add a bow or two for the final icing on the cake.

Now keeping that as the basic line of action let’s proceed further and explore what all can we make. First on the list is a eucalyptus and berry wreath.

7. • Cut the eucalyptus stems into equal 7” sprays and then go by the first five basic steps as described to you.
   • After that slice the berries into sprigs with 1”-2” on each stem and fix the slices to the wreath with hot glue. And you are done! The wreath is all ready just see that no koala sniffs it or soon you may find it nibbled.

Next is the wheat stalk wreath.

• While making this one first snap off or cut some nice and green wheat stalks each 1” long.
• Now place each of the pieces on the wreath frame over the foliage base.
• Then trail accordingly steps 1-5 and add some small bunches of wheat in the final step.
• That’s it, wheat stalk wreath is ready.

Now it’s the daisy and dill wreath.

• Take some pepper grass and cut into 8” sections with wire cutters.
• Now again follow steps 1-5 of the basic wreath construction procedure.
• Wind only the main stems with wire, tightly, and leave the sprigs just loose and full.
• Curve the pepper grass according to the curve of the original curve of the wreath.
• Take the daisy and dill blossoms and cut the stems to 4” length. Now bend the stems a little bit and thereon follow the basic instructions.
• Now is a little hard task in the way. Tie the entire array together by setting the willow branches on a table and fix them together with wire at the center. Then again tie them on either side 16” from the center.
• Arrange the wreaths underneath the wired parts of the branches.
• Now take the ribbon and cut it into three 26” pieces and three 18” pieces.
  Loop one of the 26” lengthy pieces through the center of the wreath all about the branches covering the wire and tie a knot at the top. Do the same thing with two other ribbon pieces placing them over the other wires.

Now put the bows on to the bows with some glue. The entire thing will look great and your work is done.

When you are busy putting some chic wreaths all around the house to create to that beautiful and vibrant atmosphere then why should you not consider the kitchen as well? Just put one and you will see what entire difference it brings to the entire kitchen.

You can easily make a, exclusive wreath for the kitchen with some artificial fruits and vegetables, tufted natural raffia and bows and anything else that you want to put to bring a pertinent textural effect in the room.

Okay let me give you an idea about what all you can use. Have a look at this list,

· 4 stems of wired Ivy

· A collection of varied vegetables measuring 3” to 5” in length

· A 14” square straw wreath base

· 3 yards of cotton gingham ribbon

· Some raffia

· Glue

· Cloth covered wire

Now let’s make it!

First, place the wreath on a work surface in a way resembling the shape of a diamond.

Next, place the cotton ribbon into a tight-loop curtsy and fix it with the cloth covered wire.

Now take the raffia and make a two-loop bow, fasten it with the wire and stick into the center of the cotton bow.

Now as the jumbo bow is ready attach it at the bottom of the wreath.

Paste the strawberries at the center of the bow and the leftover vegetables on either side of it. Also put some halfway up on the sided of the wreath.

Last but not the least paste the ivy stems around and through the vegetables.

That’s it; you have made a beautiful and exclusive wreath for the kitchen. Just let in hang some where around and enjoy the view while you cook some of the delicacies with a vibrant mood.

But as there are a lot of fuel and exhaustion fumes at the kitchen, the kitchen wreaths require some special care. To start with you have to take serious precaution to keep the dust of. Use a vacuum cleaner to do away with the dust and dirt piles. It’s better to store the wraths in large plastic bags. If you have a closet in the kitchen hang the wreath in there, put it on a hanger and wrap it with a dry cleaning bag. You may also stuff some polyester into the bow loops to prevent them from drooping during the storage. Other than all these home remedies you can also get hold of some protective spray at the super store and protect the wreath from dust and dirt.

Hello guys! Today let’s make some twig wreaths. The fun with twig wreaths is once they are ready they will give a unique impression as if the twiggy outdoors has all set in to your living room giving it quite an exotic look of the woods.
Now first let me tell you what all are the ingredients you require to make a nice twiggy wreath. Here’s the list,
•    Fine, feathery branches preferably spirea.
•    Around 64 straight all of them 10” in length and around ¼-1/2 in width
•    Some florist’s wire
•    Cute looking clip-on bird ornaments
•    Some branch clippers

•    Glue sticks and glue gun

•    Finally if you want to hang the wreath you can gather 1 yard of 2” wide ribbon for the purpose.

Now the way to the twiggy art,

Gather the sticks into 8 bundles each containing 8 sticks each. Cut the sticks approximately each 10” long. Now wire them together at ends making an octagon tying them up 3” from the end.
Next, place some of the extra bundles at 45 degree angles transversely at the ends of the first bundles to make a second square. Now wire all the bunches collectively at junctures to create the wreath.
But that’s not enough. You also need to cover the odd looking wires. For that cut 18”-24” of jute for each of the intersections. Now wind the twine tightly around the branches and also around the sticks to cover the wire. Now finally glue the ends to ensure a secured fixation.
Now finally what’s left is the embellishing part. Start with putting some delicate bush branches and then clip-on the cute bundle ornaments reinforcing the natural woody ambience.

Garden wreaths are a signature floral item akin to seasonal flowers. All seasonal blossom types can have their own fresh garden wreath style. Some of the necessary ingredients you will need for a basic garden wreath are,

· A custom-made evergreen wreath

· Some raffia vines

· Hot glue gun and sticks

· Fresh rosemary blossoms

· Two small green apples

· Chinese tallow-tree berries

· Preserved green oak leaves

· Fresh or dried artemisia

· A medium-gauge florist’s wire

· Old garden trowel

· 3 tiny flower-pots

· 1 spare paper white narcissus bulb

Now with all that gathered let’s start off.

The first step is to add the artemisia to the wreath. First cut the stems into pieces, a little shorter than the longest evergreen stem in the wreath. Add glue to the artemisia stems and fix them on to the wreath, submersing them into the evergreen foliage. All the stems should head to the same direction so that when the sticking’s done you find all the artemisia stems leading in a clockwise direction around the entire wreath.

Secondly, it’s time for ornamentation. The primary adornments are berries, foliage and rosemary. Chinese tallow tree berries are also a nice option; these are popularly known as the pop corn berries. Juts glue will be enough to add these securely. Next are the preserved oak leaves and fresh rosemary shoots for creating a unique contrasting texture.

Thirdly, you need to attach the trowel and the bulb. For this purpose you will need the florist’s wire. The trowel will be added to one side of the wreath. Now carefully attach the narcissus bulb at an angular spot above the trowel and for a decent look cover the wire with the raffia vines.

Finally, put on the flower pots and apples on the wreath on the opposite side. Wedge the two little green apples into the two pots and see how cute they look.

That’s it your fresh garden wreath is ready.

Wreaths are one of the most common items made out of flowers, either fresh or dried. They can be various sizes made out of a variety of things. And they best part is they go perfectly in sync with any occasion and can accentuate any decorating effect.

Wreaths can be made of varied sizes, some as big as they can be put on stands and some as small as ones which can be worn as broaches on a gown or coat. Personally I love it when I find wreaths accenting a cluster of votive candles or candelabras of varying heights. When it comes to wreaths you can have a great time with your imagination and creativity.   

Some of the common ingredients of wreath making are,

·        A mixed collection of silk greenery preferably Ivy

·        Green or White Styrofoam Ring

·        Floral Moss

·        A ring shaped floral oasis.

·        Stick-in pins

·        Scissors

·        Glue Gun

·        A pair of wire cutters

·        A healthy assortment of silk flowers, fruits and berries or other accessorizing ornaments

The size a Styrofoam ring is a very important factor while making a wreath. Depending on that you have to decide on your stacks. On some occasions where an exceeded height is required you may have to put two of the rings together with some floral pins for a better and firm hold.  Now after the joining is over start covering the ring with the floral moss. Done use up all the moss you have gathered, you may require some later on for filling up purposes. You may leave the underside uncovered as the smoothness may be required if you plan it to place it on a table. Now as the ring I fully covered with the moss it’s time to put on the flowers. Start with the largest flower in your collection and proceed accordingly. You can be a little experimental with the heights and placement of the flowers. There should be no gap left as any visible uncovered sides will ruin the entire look of the wreath. While cutting the stems of the blossoms use the wire cutter as that will leave a similar end to all of them.

In case any flower stem doesn’t appear to stay hidden in the ring just cover the end with glue and interleave it into the ring, either hook or by crook they should stay tucked in. Now place all the berries and the other ornaments and accessories all around the ring the best way you deem.  It’s your wreath so the choice is all yours just go ahead and show your originality at its best. Next comes the greenery part exclusively for filling purposes. And this is one ingredient you will need in large amounts. Keep on filling unless all the gaps are camouflaged. Once finished what you will have in front of you is a complete, verdant green, flowery ring.